LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19709, 8 August 1927, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A hue and cry was raised when a man was seen scaling the fire escape to the upper floors of the Premier building at the corner of Queen Street and Durham Street shortly after six o'clock on Saturday evening. A crowd gathered and, when two policemen secured ladders and raced up the face of the building into the darkness which had swallowed the climbing figure, hundreds watched what seemed like a thrilling pursuit of a "eat burglar." Excitement and rumour run through the gathering when the constables vanished into the building, but speculation was dissipated when it transpired that a perfectly law-abiding tenant of the premises had essayed this unconventional entry in the absence of the essential key. The weather in Auckland yesterday was unsettled. Rain fell at intervals from early morning until nearly mid-day, and again during the evening. Tho rainfall for the 24 hours ended midnight last night as registered by the Hebald gauge was .44in. The conditions aro threatening, according to the barometer. After registering 30.G0in. at mid-day on Saturday, the glass fell to 29.50 in. at midnight last night, a fall of .50in. in 36 hours. Vivid flashes of lightning were seen at frequent intervals during the evening.

Tho second express for Wellington last evening was delayed for half-an-hour at Te Rapa through the collapse of tho firebox of tho locomotive. An engine was brought from Frankton to continue the journey.

Tho clearness of the water supply, after passing through tho new filtration plant at Waitakere, is already markedly apparent in many city homes. The filtered Waitakere water is being sent to the Ponsonby and Archhill reservoirs, and houses on the lower levels, served from those sources, have been the first to benefit. Tho Candy Filter Company, which installed tho filter plants, expects to complete its tests at Waitakere early this week, and will then transfer attention to tho plant at Titirangi. Mr W. E. Bush, city engineer, stated last evening that tho whole area served by the city water supply should be receiving clear filtered water in a fortnight or three weeks' time. Tho contractors are required to maintain both plants for a test period of three months after completion of the work.

Twenty-one cases of diphtheria were notified in the Auckland provinco last week. Eleven were in the central area, five in South Auckland, three in the Coro-mandel-Opotiki area, and two in North Auckland. No grave inference is drawn from the return by the Health Department, as the cases are widely distributed. Ten cases were notified tho previous week and 18 the week before.

Through falling with his arm beneath him, Mr. L. Wilson, a Maori member of the Mangere League team, playing in a match at Mangere on Saturday, sustained a dislocation of the arm. He was removed to the Auckland Hospital and last evening was reported to be progressing satisfactorily.

In church-building we seem to be passing out of the wooden stage," said Archbishop Averill in laying the founda-tion-stone of the new Anglican Church of St. Thomas at New Lynn yesterday. The archbishop expressed pleasure that the church was being built in permanent material. That was a sort of parable, as it was a witness of permanence of faith, permanence of religion and permanence of character. Churches should not be built merely from the utilitarian point of view. That was why the cathedrals and parish churches of the Old World were so noble. They had been built as the best possible offering to God.

111." visit oi H.M.S. Pandora to tho Manukau Harbour 75 years ago was recalled at the prize distribution of the Manukau Yacht and Motor Boat Club on Saturday evening. In vacating the position of president Mr. M. H. Wynyard presented the club with an enlargement of the Pandora taken from a painting of her in tho Manukau on July 18, 1852, and afterwards given to the donor's grandfather. Mr. Wynyard said tho Pandora carried out the first survey of the Manukau under Captain Dcurv, R.N., in 1852, and tho Pandora bank was named after her. She used to carry out her target practiso at the Whito Bluff and even to-day holes in tho cliff made by the cannon-balls could be seen. Recently a cannon ball fired from the Pandora was discovered at tho Whito Bluff. Mr. Wynyard also said <he proposed Waiuku Canal was suggested by Captain Drury, of the Pandora, 70 years ago. In his report, Manukau was written as "Manukao " and Wainku as " Wyhook."

Commenting on tho measures recommended for the control of brown rot in citrus fruits, a Gisborne fruitgrower whose commercial operations are on an extensive scale stated last week that he had found sulphate of iron scattered on the soil, to bo invaluable in the control of brown rot in lemons. The sulphate, scattered on the ground round the treo, would deal with the fungus in a very effective manner, its influence being most noticeable. Tho lopping of the lower branches of the trees was of paramount importance in preventing the spread of tho fungoid spores to the upper portions of the trees, and likewise the sweetening of the soil was advisable. This could best be achieved by keeping the surface turned over. Tho sulphate of iron treatment had proved a valuable contributory measure in the past, and it should pay local orchardists to give it a trial, he suggested.

A painful accident befell Mr. O. J. Kelly, solicitor, of Balelutha, recently while he was playing' golf with a friend on tho links .at Balelutha North. -Mr. Kelly and his friend were on the putting green, and tho latter in making a stroke missed, and swinging his club for a second shot accidentally struck Mr. Kelly—who was bending forward preparing to m:vkc a stroke—full on tho mouth. The effect of tho blow was to break several teeth, and to inflict a cut on the face that necessitated several stitches when medical aid had been procured. In addition Mr. Kelly is suffering irotn shock, and is still confined to his room. He had a narrow escape, for the blow had considerable weight behind it, and if the putting iron had landed a little higher up the consequences might have been serious.

In the course of an address last week upon the war against disease, Dr. E. B. Gunson stated there were between 1300 and 1400 fatal cases of diptheria in tho Dominion each year. Dr. Gunson wishes it to bo known that tho word " fatal " was inserted by a slip of tho tongue, and that he was referring to the total number of cases. Last year there wero 1518 cases and 45 deaths.