LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19918, 11 April 1928, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Investigations made by detectives into numerous minor burglaries in Epsom, Mount Eden, Otahuhu, Royal Oak and Onehunga recently have resulted in the arrest of a man charged with being concerned in a number of the offences. The accused will appear in the Police Court to-morrow.

The excavations prepared for the foundation of the power house site at Arapuni became filled with water during the Easter holidays. The water was pumped out of the cavities yesterday .and the work of laying the foundations proceeded.

A casual camp for officers and men of the First Battalion, Auckland Regiment, will be held at Narrow Neck for 10 days, commencing this morning. Trainees are required to parade at 10 a.m. at the Ferry Wharf. Those other than consolidated trainees will go into camp on Saturday.

"There are great commercial possibilities in the export of eels," said Mr. C. A. Whitney, retiring president of the Auckland A cc h ma ti sa ti° n Society, at the annual meeting last evening. "Millions of eels go down the rivers every year to the sea. Why should we not send smoked or frozen eels to England, where they would command high prices ?" Mr. Whitney said the society should consider engaging in such an undertaking so that additional funds would be available for stocking the rivers with fish.

"The board endeavours to carry out that principle," said Mr. M. H. Wynyard at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board, when a communication was received from the engineering industry requesting this board to purchase within New Zealand all supplies and machinery which could be locally obtained. A recent joint conference of ironmasters and men decided to impress this view on all local bodies in the Dominion. The letter was received.

The condition of the boy, Athol Blair, who was thrown from a horse at Alexandra Park trotting course on Monday and received a fracture of tho skull, is still serious. However, it was reported by tha hospital authorities last evening that the patient was comfortable and was progressing as well as could be expected.

The extent to which acclimatisation work is hampered by the depredations of pests was referred to last evening at the annual meeting of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society. Following remarks made by the retiring president, Mr. C. A. Whitney, regarding the havoc wrought by hawks, stoats, wild ferrets, shags, pukekos and kingfishers, the newly-elected president, Mr. F. E. McKenzie, said the society would have to consider the advisability of spending a larger portion of its £4OOO of revenue on the extermination of pests, even if such a policy me?nt spending less on the liberation of game.

The approach of the Mount Wellington Road Board election directs attention to the extent to which a former feature of local government has diminished. Coming into being in 1863 for the purpose of extending and maintaing roads, by 1875 the number of road boards in New Zealand had increased to 314. Since the passing of the Counties Act and the Municipal Corporations Act in 1876 many of the road districts have merged with the counties within which they lie, while others have become borough or town districts, with the result that fewer than 30 now remain. The' Whangamarino, Cambridge and Tamahere road boards were recently absorbed by the Waikato County Council and the abolition of the Orakei and Tamaki boards further reduced the number of separately governed road districts in the Auckland province. Those remaining locally include the Mount Roskill, Mount Wellington, One' Tree Hill, Panmure, Orapiu and Ostend boards.

On the completion of the first year of the ministry of *the Rev. W. Lawson Marsh at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Devonport, special thanksofferings were made, and on Easter Sunday it was announced that a total of £312 had been received. Of this £294 represents special gifts additional to the regular weekly collections. Gratitude and satisfaction at the result were expressed by the minister and office-bearers.

Heavy rains on Monday night caused numerous slips on Westport-Karamea main highway, says a Press Association telegram from Westport. On the Aripito section no fower than 16 slips occurred. Slips were also reported on Granity-Mil-lerton track and on Conn's Creek line, but it was expected that they would be cleared by to-day. .

From November 9, the day on which the service was instituted, until the close of Easter Monday, the Wellington free ambulance service had attended 1832 cases and the cars had covered 21,904 miles, states a Press Association message. During March 425 cases were dealt with and 5100 miles travelled. The record number of cases for one day is 23, but up to 3.45 p.m. yesterday 18 cases had been attended. Between 1.30 and 3 p.m. the demands were so frequent that there was neither man nor car left in the station, and at one time there were two cases waiting. They were not accident cases.

Several times during the hearing of motor cases at the Timaru Magistrate's Court last week, reference was made to the ignorance of motorists regarding the provisions of the new Motor Regulations. Defending counsel emphasised the fact that the regulations had not been given full publicity. The magistrate, Mr. C. R Orr-Walker, S.M., said that the Automobile Association should have copies printed and sold at a nominal figure. It would then be the duty of motorists to procure copies and study them.

The bequest made by the late Mr. W. H. Travis, of Christchurch, for research work into the causes and cure of cancer and tuberculosis will amount approximately to £50,000. Of the total assets estimated at £77,000 approximately £BOOO was left in the form of legacies, while £14,000 went to the Government as death duties. In the terms of the will, the residue of the estate is to be formed into a trust fund, the income of which is to b$ used in conducting scientific investigations in New Zealand which may ameliorate, or are likely to result in the amelioration and cure of tuberculosis and cancer. A way is left open to the trustees, in the event of the income being needed for research work into some other form of disease for the money to be applied to this purpose, the only strict provision of the whole clause being that the money must be used in New Zealand.