LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19963, 4 June 1928, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Officers and petty officers to take the place of members of the personnel of H.M.S. Dunedin, who went to England on H.M.S. Diomede, arrived from England by the Tainui yesterday. The party included Lieutenant G. Rawlings, Warrant Engineer C. Seats, and Mr. D. Pugh, who will occupy the position of schoolmaster on H.M.S. Philomel. Four chief petty officers and six petty officers also arrived. A short delay in the race traffic to Ellerslie was occasioned shortly after 11 o'clock on Saturday morning, when an outward-bound tramcar left the rails as it was turning from Upper Symonds Street into Khvber Pass. Although tramway officials cleared the line within a few ■ minutes, the number of tramcars held up bv the mishap, most of which were carrying race patrons, extended t-o below East Street. Very little change is shown in the unemployed situation in Auckland by the number of men registered with the Labour Bureau on Saturday, the total of 960 showing an increase of only five. Of the men seeking positions 803 were classed as fit for heavy labour and 157 as fit for light work. During the week employment was found for 102 men, compared* with 169 in the previous week. At a largely-attended gathering of Yugoslavs yesterday afternoon, presided over by Dr. Buxton, it was decided to purchase a house in Auckland for leather Pavlinovich, who recently arrived in New Zealand as priest to the Yugoslav community. It was stated that Father Pavlinovich would make Auckland his headquarters. His flock is widely scattered, and in order to visit all his people it will be necessary for him to make periodical tours embracing country from the North Cape to as far south as Wanganui and New PlymouthThe local superintendent of mercantile marine has been requested by the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society to give relief to the extent of £2O to Captain A. H. Mitchell and Mr. 0. T. McLeod, the two members of the crew of the scow Glenae, which was wrecked "in the Hauraki Gulf on May 26. Six girls, the daughters of widows of naval men or of disabled naval men, arrived from England by the Tainui yesterday and left for Flock House, Palmerston North, last evening. They were in charge of Mrs. E. Phillips, New Zealand Government matron, and have come out to the Dominion under the Flock House scheme. Mrs. Phillips said they were a fine lot of girls, eager to become loyal citizens of the Dominion. The Railway Department will take over from the Public Works Department the section of the East Coast Railway between Tahawai and Tauranga on Monday, June 18. After that date there will be a daily train service between Taneatua and Auckland. Limericks enlivened the sitting of the Transport Appeal Board on Saturday. To illustrate the suburban bodies' doubts of a Greater Auckland, Mr. V. R. Meredith quoted the well-known limerick about the "young lady of Riga, who went for a ride, on a tiger." The chairman, Mr. J. S. Barton," S.M., made no rejoinder at the time, but just as the sitting ended he offered the following new version (unfinished): "There was an old lady of Riga, who tamed what she thought was a tiger; she made it a friend, and from then to the end—" "I am offering a prize for the best finish," he added. An amusing story has been going the rounds of the Dunedin Stock Exchange. Two men met in Princes Street, one intimated that he wanted some money and mentioned that he had two Dunedin City six per. cent, debentures for sale. The other said he would give him £9O each for them, and the offer was accepted. An adjournment was then made to a solicitor's office, who prepared a transfer at a cost of £3 3s. The amusing side, according to the Otago Daily Times, is that had the seller consulted any member of the Stock Exchange he would have been informed that his two Dunedin City six per cent, debentures were worth at least £lOl each, and that a transfer was unnecessary, as the debentures could be handed over to the buyer with as much ease and simplicity as in handing over a £5 note.

The introduction of quinnat salmon into the rivers of the Marlborough district was mentioned in an address given by Mr. C. L. Ayson, of the Marine Department, at a meeting of the Marlborough Acclimatisation Society last week. Mr. Ayson,' who is in charge of the salmon hatcheries, said he had taken over with him 500,000 fry for the Te Rou hatchery. He had taken a run up the Wairau Valley and had found distinct evidence of spawning beds in three places—one in the branch river and two in the main river. The evidence was very distinct and he was postive that salmon had spawned there this season. Unfortunately, it was just a little late for the fish themselves to be in evidence. The only two Maori holders of the M. A. degree are Sir Apirana Ngata and Mr. Waipina Awarau. Until recently the former was the only Maori who could claim this honour, but Mr. Awarau, who is the son of Lieutenant Hatara Awarau, of Waipiro Bay, and who has studied at Canterbury College, has lately gained this degree, taking as his thesis in history the life of the great East Coast chief, Tuvvhakairiora # from whom all chiefs of the coast are descended. The report of the committee of Wellington architects on the proposed civic block schcmo was debated by the Wellington city councillors last week. They were more or less agreed as to the financial difficulties involved, but less unanimity was shown regarding the merits of the scheme as a whole. The indications are that only that part of the scheme involving administrative offices will be sanctioned for the present. An amusing incident occurred on an Invercargill tramcar recently, when a good Samaritan received a severe shock. The traffic was very heavy, and on this particular car the box which takes the tickets became so blocked that the motorman had to blow down the opening to clear it, but without much success. A passenger in the car, however," eager to assist the short-winded tramwayman, rushed forward, blew violently down the opening, and to the joy of the passengers blew his false teeth right out! By a superb sleight of hand act, he retrieved them before they disappeared into the ticket box, but it was a very much chastened good Samaritan who hurriedly left the tram at the next stop.