LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19917, 10 April 1928, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A fast trip from Sydney to Auckland was made by the Royal Mail liner Aorangi, which arrived here yesterday afternoon. Leaving Sydney on Friday morning the* Aorangi travelled the distance from Sydney Heads to Rangitoto Beacon in 3 days, 1 hour and 21 minutes, which is three minutes less than the time "occupied in her trip when she reached Auckland from Sydney on February 1 of this year. The Royal,, Mail liner Niagara's best time between the two ports is 3 days, 23 minutes, or one hour better than the Aorangi's time. Owing to yesterday being a holiday and delaying cargo operations the Aorangi's departure for Vancouver has been postponed until noon to-morrow, 24 hours behind scheduled time.

The launch Naruna broke down in the Hauraki Gulf on Saturday night and after drifting for nearly ten hours was picked up by the auxiliary scow Herald and towed to Auckland. The launch, which was in charge of Mr. V. Harrison, of Whangarei, who was accompanied by Mr. J. McCowatt, left Auckland for Whangarei on Saturday afternoon, but when off The Noisies, to the south-east of Tiritiri, the launch developed engine trouble which could not be immediately repaired. Mr. Harrison then tried to sail the launch back to Auckland, but owing to the wind falling light the vessel drifted to the eastward of Motutapu Island, where she was sighted by the Herald and taken in tow. The launch was at no time in danger, and as there was plenty of food and water on board Mr. Harrison and his companion did not suffer any hardship.

Methodist mission funds will benefit to the extent of £2OOO as the result of a concert tour of New South Wales and Victoria, recently made by a party of 28 Tongan choir boys, who arrived in Auckland by the Aorangi yesterday. The party will return to Nukualofa by the Tofua at the end of next week, and arrangements are being made for them to give several concerts in Auckland before their departure. The boys, whose average age is about 18, are being educated at Tubou College, Nukualofa, and the tour was in part arranged as a cop-ing-stone to their educational course. They were conducted through New South Wales and Victoria by the Rev. A. H. Wood, who, with two members of the party, remained in Sydney, but will return to Tonga in June. One of the members to rematn with Mr. Wood is the Crown Prince of Tonga.

While exercising a horse on the Auckland Trotting Club's course at Epsom yesterday morning, a youth, Athol Blair, who resides with his parents in Panmure Road, Ellerslie, was thrown heavily, receiving a fracture of the skull. He was picked up unconscious and was immediately removed to the Auckland Hospital, where his condition was reported in the evening to be comfortable.

"For a young, thriving country your fire losses are too high—far too high," said Mr. H. Lewis, general manager of the Commercial Union Assurance Company, who arrived from Sydney by the Aorangi yesterday. , After a business visit to the Dominion, Mr. Lewis will return to his English headquarters. He emphasised that New Zealand, reputedly a highly moral community, had an abnormal fire wastage.

Interest is focussed on the penalties which are being imposed on intoxicated motorists, and it is interesting to observe how increasing traffic hazards have necessitated a graver view and penalties ranging from £5 to £SO. Before the motor-car appeared on the highways the intoxicated driver of cart, omnibus, or van was fined a few shillings and everybody was satisfied in the knowledge that in the leisurely conditions then prevailing the man's horse had sufficient Intelligence for both. The records of the Onehunga Police Court show that on August 27, 1898, tho intoxicated driver of a horse and cart was fined ten shillings. Thirty years have changed the outlook. To-day the lapse might cost as many pounds.

" Keep relations out of it," advised Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court in Wellington tho other day in the course of the hearing of a maintenance caso in which counsel suggested that the evidence of the husband's people might be called. " The moment we get bitterness, the chances of a reconciliation become more remote." The cage was one in which a young wife had left her husband because, she complained, she could not get on with his mother, in whose house she was living. The defendant said that his wife knew before she was married that she would have to live with his mother until he was in a position to afford a house of his own. " Mothers-in-law are very often estimable women," observed Mr. Salmon, " but if the average man were asked to live with his mother-in-law for some months after marriage, with the prospect of it going on indefinitely, I think he would object." Tho case was adjourned to allow the parties to confer with a view to settling the dispute.

Tho appearance of from 30 to 60 motorists in the Police Court every Wednesday and the certainty of a further tightening of traffic regulations in Auckland has revived the suggestion that the Court procedure could be obviated by the American system of flat rate fines payable without a Court hearing if the offence is admitted. Only one caso in ten is defended in the Auckland Court, yet the lengthy process of serving summonses is followed in every case. The opinion that fines should be paid at the offices of local bodies is held by many members of the Auckland Automobile Association. The Minister of Justice for New South Wales, who has been travelling in the United States, has made particular note of direct fining in order that ho may consider a system for Sydney and other cities. The difficulty in Auckland would be the co-ordinating of policy between the police, city traffic department, and almost a dozen local body traffic inspectors.

"We have passed through what har» probably been the slackest period experienced by the building industry in Christchurch during the past thirty years." states the annual report of the Canterbury Builders' Association. "The effect of this depression has been seen in the very great price-cutting that has been in evidence for the past 12 months, in the dropping out from the industry of many familiar figures and in the very small number of permits issued by local bodies compared with past years." While this slackness has been a matter of concorn and, in many cases, loss to many of those engaged in the industry, it may bo more than compensated for if we have taken heed of the lessons in economy forced on us after such a long period of steady building activity."