LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19857, 30 January 1928, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Severe injuries, * including a fracture of the skull, were sustained by Mrs. Annie J. Durno, 21, lvoraha Street, Rernuera, who fell off a St. Heliers Bay bus while it was proceeding toward the city late last evening. Mrs. Durno was admitted to the hospital early this morning, and her condition was reported to be fairly serious. The Labour Department's weekly unemployment return issued on Saturday showed a further increase in the number of men seeking work in Auckland. There were 809 men in quest of employment, an increase of 60 over the figures for the previous week. Of this number 734 were classed as fit for heavy work and 75 for light employment. It appears from the department's figures that unemployment is steadily increasing, as at the beginning of the year the number registered as out of work was only 442. During the week only 24 men were placed in positions, compared with 138 for whom occupation was found in the previous week. The exceptionally long spell of fine easterly weather, which lias prevailed at Auckland for over three weeks, continued during the week-end. Owing to the -light north-east wind and the bright sunshine the average temperature for some dqys has been about 66 degrees in the shade. The conditions are likely to continue, judging by the barometer, which averaged about 30.20 in. throughout last week and is now rising. The barometer has been remarkably steady all the, month, having registered 30.001 n. or over every day since New Year's Eve. In the first week in January it varied between 30.00 in. and 30.20 in., in tho second week the reading varied between 30.25 in. and 30.00 in., while in tho third week it ranged from 30.00 in. to 30.28 in. Last week the lowest register was 30.15 in., the reading last night being the highest—3o.3oin. Exceptionally smart work was performed by the postal officials in Auckland last evening in handling the mail from the Royal Mail liner Aorangi. The vessel arrived from Vancouver at 8.5, and as soon as she anchored 170 bags of letters for the South were loaded into the postal launch alongside tho liner. The launch reached the wharf at 8.15 and the mail was loaded into lorries and transferred to tho second express, which had been delayed. Ilie express was despatched at 8.25 p.m., the transference of the mail from the l\r\er to the train having only occupied 20 minutes. Had it not been for the activity of the postal officials the delivery of 'the mail in tho South Island would have been delayed 24 hours. Primary schools in the Auckland education district will re-open for the 1028 school year on Wednesday next. Secondary school pupils, who have had a longer vacation, will not resume their studies until Tuesday, February 7. Twelve English officers and 40 Lascars of the crew of the steamer Clan MacWilliam, which caught fire in Vavau Harbour, Tonga, on December 24, and sank after being taken out into the harbour, are passengers for Sydney by the Aorangi, which arrived at Auckland last evening. It is probable the English officers will go Home ftom Australia and the coloured crew will be sent to Calcutta. The survivors preserved a close reticence regarding the loss of the steamer, which went down with her master and the chief engineer, after herculean efforts had been made to quell the flames. An accident befel the St. George's Rowing Club's crew which intended to compete in tho Nixon Cup contest at the Tamaki Yacht Club's regatta on Saturday. The crew, comprising Messrs. Kelleway, J. Coote, C. Authreau, and W. L. Cart, was piloting its boat through the Hobson Bay gap, when the tide caught the stern of the craft and swung it against the outer pile, smashing the rigger and overturning the boat. The oarsmen were thrown into the water, but soon scrambled ashore. The boat was seriously damaged. The Arapuni hydro-electric works have created great interest among people in a,ll parts of the Auckland Province and during this month thousands of people have visited the dam, spillway and new waterfall. Every week-end hundreds of motor-cars, from all parts of the province, have traversed the roads leading to the works. No fewer than six softdrinks and ice-cream vendors are established at various points at Arapuni, and during the present dry spell are doing big business. "If wo catch a three-pound trout in Canada we talk about it for a week," said General J. W. Stewart, of couver, who arrived in Auckland by the Aorangi last evening on a holiday trip to New Zealand. General Stewart, who intends to spend a month in the Dominion, will proceed to Taupo for trout fishing on the lake. He has not previously fished in New Zealand, but ho said that the excellence of the trout fishing in New Zealand was well-known in the sister Dominion. On board the steamer Waiotapu, which arrived at Auckland from San Pedro on Saturday morning, are five pigs which were shipped at San Francisco and are to be landed at Wellington. Tho animals comprise one Wiltshire boar, two Wiltshire sows, one Tamworth boar and one Tamworth sow. During the voyage one of the sows gave birth to a litter of 12, but five of tho litter died. The vessel also took on board at San Francisco a pair of buffaloes and a pair of. mountain goats for the Melbourne Zoo, but the cow buffalo died on the voyage. A special meeting of the City Council will be held at noon on Thursday to consider tenders for a filtration plant for the Huia reservoir scheme. Several Raetihi motor-cyclists who visited the National Park on a holiday complain of having had tools and some accessories taken from their cycles in their absence. They parked their cycles a good distance off the road and covered them over with canvas sheets. Members of tho party went further afield for a few days, and, on their return, found that although the coverings were still secured to the cycles, their tools had been taken. Reminiscences of the early days of Taranaki, when* barter was common were in evidence during the hearing of a judgment summons case at Opunake last week. An elderly Maori witness stated that Ins son-in-law had arranged to supply potatoes in payment for goods received from a storekeeper. They were always willing to give the potatoes, but, he added naively, last year and the previous year | they had no potatoes, though this year i they might have some.