LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20113, 26 November 1928, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

To keep the public abreast of tho results of competitions at the summer show at Epsom a number of amplifiers were placed at vantage points round the ring. Other uso was also found for this new method of disseminating information. For instance, a distracted mother had sought •the aid of a sympathetic announcer, who responded to tho request to find a straying child. "Lost, a little girl," came from hnlf-a-dozen brass-throated amplifiers. "Her mother awaits her in the secretary's oflice." A visitor from Christchurch made use of the same agency to inquire whether his brother from Kaikoho was ut the show.

The Northern Depot of the New Zealand Corps of Signallers, reinforced by a detachment from the Ist Battalion, Auckland Regiment, numbering about 100 men, went into camp at Narrow Neck on Saturday for tho week end. A temporary field post office, at which all messages were despatched and received, was established at Narrow Neck, special records being kept and field diaries entered. Other stations were at Castor Bay, Narrow Neck, North Head and Rangitoto, where flags, heliograph and lamp signals were used. In addition, Rangitoto was in wireless communication with the mainland throughout the week-end. The men will return to their homes this morning.

Owing to the development of a "hotbox" on one of the do luxe sleeping cars, tho limited express from Wellington on Saturday morning did not reach Auckland until 11.15, nearly two hours late. Trouble first occurred at Taumarunui and several stops were necessary en route. The train was particularly full, there being fivo sleeping cars attached in order to cope with the largo number of wool buyers who were travelling North to attend the first wool sale of the season in Auckland this evening.

Like the Arab of the poem, those quartered ;il Epsom during tho progress of the summer show folded their tents and stole away with remarkable rapidity at the week-end. Tho show ground was a desolate place yesterday. Ou Saturday it had been throbbing with life as side show men called their attractions, tho amplifiers blared and a crowd of somo thousands, constantly on the move, lent colour and animation to the grounds. But •;y yesterday afternoon all except a few stray head of stock had been removed, a peg or two marked the location of a side-show booth, the discarded rubbish of the crowd littered Ihc ground, and the grass bent under thousands of marching feet cried aloud for moisture.

The Takapuna Life-saving and Surf Club was enabled to register its first "save" oil Saturday afternoon when a lad was towed to the shore by one of its members. The new pontoon had attracted a number of swimmers, among who were some boys, as well as members of the life-saving dub. Ono lad who set out for the shore found himself in difficulties before long and a member of the club hastening to his assistance soon brought liim to .the beach.

A smart trip from Timaru was made by tho Shaw, Savill and Albion liner Mataron, which reached Auckland 011 Saturday morning. Tho vessel covered the distance of 750 miles in two days, two hours, 26 minutes. Tho speed for the full distanco averaged 14.9 koots. During the last 20 hours the speed was 15.2 knots. On her recent voyage from England tho Mataroa reached Wellington from Southampton in the record time of o2 days ID hours. The actual steaming time was 31 days 15£ hours, and the average speed was just under 14.7 knots. The Mataroa's increased speed is due to tho fact that when in England her turbines were rebladed and the condensers were overhauled. In addition two contravanes, or fins, were fitted to the propeller supports to force tho water directly on the middle of the propellers. Tho experiment has been a success. Besides the increase in speed the fuel consumption is less and ihc propeller slip has decreased by about one-half.

The Auckland Automobile Association's touring manager, Mr. R. E. Champtaloup, advises that the work of tar-sealing the main street in Huntly was commenced last Wednesday afternoon, and with fine weather the first stretch should be completed by the end of the month! The Huntly Town Board has found it necessary to appoint a traffic inspector in an effort to put a stop to speeding by motorists in tho town district. Mr. Cfiamptaloup also stated 011 Saturday that the work of restoring the OhinewaiTe Hoe Road would be commenced early in tho new year, when tho necessary plant was available. In the meantime, it was advisable for motorists intending to use this route to Morrinsville or Te Aroha to follow the Great South Road to Taupiri and then divert to Tauhei.

By a decision in Parliament, made 65 years ago to-day, Auckland virtually ceased to be the political capital of New Zealand, although tho seat of Government was not moved to Wellington until 1865. For 11 years before that Parliament had mot in Auckland in the old wooden buildings just below the Supreme Court, which were demolished in 1918 ui order to make way for the Anzac Avenue traffic outlet. Owing to tho fact that lack of transport facilities in those days made Auckland difficult to reach by Southern members of Parliament and that tho city was frequently menaced by hostile natives, a change was deemed desirable. Naturally, tho Auckland members opposed tho proposal, but finally a commission was appointed to determine a plaeo in the vicinity of Cook Strait which should bo the new capital. The commission decided that Wellington was the most suitable site.

TIIO opinion that a greater proportion of the revenue derived from the petrol fax should be expended 011 feeder roads to the railway, is expressed by the Tuakau Chamber of Commerce. • A remit that the Government bo urged to seriously consider making a readjustment to give effect to such a proposal is being submitted by the chamber to the halfyearly conference of chambers of commerce in tho Franklin district, which is to be held at Pokeno 011 Wednesday.

An appreciable improvement in the number of men seeking work was recorded at tho Government Labour Bureau 011 Saturday, when the total was 615, compared with 654 tho previous week. Of tho total, 550 were classed as fit. for heavy work, and 85 for light work. Tho increased demand for farm-workers resulted in 61 men being placed in employment during the week, as compared with 34 in the previous week.