LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20088, 27 October 1928, Page 12

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The criminal sessions of the Supremo Court, which will open on Tuesday next, will bo presided over by Mr. Justice Blair and Mr. Justice Smith. Mr. Justice Smith will remain in Auckland for about another fortnight. .

Jn the supplement published with today's 11 Khali) two extra pages deal with tho bi-centenary of Captain Coolc. Special articles give an outline of his great career, with detailed reference to events of his three voyages in the Pacific, his experiences in Now Zealand, and his tragic death at Hawaii. An account of the interesting gatherings held in Yorkshire at the beginning of the English celebrations, which were planned to last for seven weeks, is also included. The pages arc appropriately illustrated.

There was a continuation of showery, unsettled weather in Auckland yesterday, flic wind being light from tho southwest. The rainfall for the month up to 9 a.m. yesterday was 4.41 in., or ,50in. more than the average fall for October. The total rainfall for the year to date, with over two months to go, is 50.54 in., compared with 43.88 in., the average yearly rainfall. The barometer reading was 29.30 in. yesterday afternoon, the lowest reading for two months. It rose slightly in tho evening and registered 29.40 in. last night.

Of the £16,736,363 advanced by the Public Trustee on 4601 mortgages in New Zealand up to March 31, 1928, a total of £1,453,153 had been advanced on 462 mortgages by the Auckland branch of tho trustee's office and £1,422,335 oil 511 mortgages by tho Hamilton branch, according to a statement by tho Hon. J. A. Young at Hamilton this week.

In accordance with the wish of (lie boating community, the Public Works Department has amended its plans for the permanent bridge on the waterfront road near Hobson Point to include three 40ft. spans and six 30ft. spans, instead of tho nine spans each of 30ft. A temporary bridge now spans the outlet of Orakei Creek, but a start will shortly bo made with the construction of the permanent bridge. Good progress is being made with general construction work on tho roadway.

The 34th anniversary of tho wreck of tho steamer Wairarapa falls to-morrow. Tho steamer, while on the voyage from Sydney to Auckland, went ashore on Great Barrier Island about midnight on Sunday, October 28, 1894, and 127 lives were lost, Captain Mcintosh being among thoso drowned. The survivors were on tho rocks for over 30 hours, being then discovered by some Maoris who took them off in boats and landed them at Catherine Ray. They were brought to Auckland by the steamer Argyle, landing in port early oil the morning of November 1.

Tho Weekly Press has ceased publication, the number for this week being the final issue. The Weekly Press has been published in Christchurch for over CO years, and for a considerable part of that time as an illustrated weekly.

One of the firms which tendered for the chlorinating plant in connection with the Morrinsville waterworks scheme wrote fo the Morrinsville Borough Council requesting the price of (he successful tender. The letter was considered at the council meeting (his week, when tne Mayor, Mr. G. McPhorson, protested against giving the information. Three members of the council spoke in favour of the request being granted, contending tliat the other iirms had every reason to expect that tho price of the successful tender would be givep. A motion on these lines was carried.

Three hundred monkeys and four pythons were taken from India to New York by the Ellerman-Bucknall steamer Kasama, which reached Auckland yesterday. Some of the monkeys wero to be used for vivisection purposes and some were for American zoological gardens. Thirty-five of the animals died on the voyage. The allowance for deaths of monkeys on a sea voyago is 15 per cent., but the Kasama's mortality was only 12 per cent. One monkey became ill and was placed in a separate cage for treatment. It recovered more rapidly than was anticipated, and then made its escape. Several of the crew spent, three hours chasing the monkey before it was recaptured on the navigation bridge. The largest python was 20ft. in length and Ift. in diameter. The four were given a meal of live chickens before being taken on the vessel, and this sufficed for the voyage.

"Do any of you want to go and see the All Blacks play this afternoon?" asked a Capetown magistrate of ten coloured men charged with drunkenness on the morning of the fourth test football match. "Yes, Your Worship," was the unanimous reply. "The Cape is going to win, baas," one of them added in Afrikaans. "Are you drunk still?" asked Mr. de Bruyn, the prosecutor, in mock surprise. "No, sir, I'm dead sober, but tho Cape's going to win," was tho reply. "Well, I seem to recognise you all as frequent offenders, but I will only impose a small fine so that you'll be able to go and see the match at Newlands—ss or five days."

Tho excursionists on the Otago harbour ferry steamer Waircka were the spectators of an exciting experience last Monday. A young man, doubtless endeavouring to provide his friends with some amusement by hanging outside the stern rail of the vessel, lost his grip and fell overboard. A considerable distance was covered befoio the vessel was stopped. Although lifebuoys were thrown to the man, and two would-be rescuers made gallant attempts to reach him, they failed to do so on account of a strong ebb tide. Fortunately lie was able to keep afloat until the boat put back. A dinghy was lowered, and he was taken on board again in an exhausted condition.

That for tho present airships only could span tho Tasman as commercial propositions is tho view expressed by Air-Com-modore Williams, states a Melbourne paper. "It was a splendid effort," was his comment on tho recent Tasman flight. " Flights to and from New Zealand havo been proved practicable, and tho only matter now is making them commercial propositions. It is an airship job for tho present." Captain Larkin, of tho Larkin Aircraft Company, said the flight was a step nearer to a regular aerial mail service between Australia and New Zealand. Ho did not think tho timo was ripe yet for such a project. Flying boats, ho said, would havo to bo used. It was doubtful if any boats had been built yet of sufficient rango and to accept paying loads of passengers and freight for this service. Major de Havilland said that within five years there should be aeroplanes of a size to carry passengers and mails to New Zealand. Airships would be just as likely to be affected by storms as aeroplanes.