LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20234, 19 April 1929, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Of the total rates of £504,297 duo to the .Auckland City Council for tho current year, a total of £462,978 had been collected to April 10, according to a return before tho council last evening. Tho total outstanding is £41,319.

A collision between a Rcmuera-bound tram and a motor-car, owned and driven by Mr. E. R. McKenzie, occurred at the foot of Mountain Road, Mount Albert, at 6.40 last evening. A front wheel of tho motor-car was broken, but tho tram was not damaged. Nobody was hurt.

A grant of £1272, half tho cost of installing a hot water heating system at the Seddon Memorial Technical College, has been received from tho Education Department by tho board of managers of the college. Tho board agreed yesterday to mako available its share of the cost and tho work will bo carried out during the May holidays. A resolution was passed expressing appreciation of tho action of the Minister of Education in making tho grant.

After one of her infrequent visits to the islands of tho Kermadec group, tho Govvernment steamer Tulanekai returned to Auckland yesterday afternoon. Tho voyage, according to Captain J. Bollons, was uneventful. Landings were made at several of tho islands and a thorough search was made for wreckage without any results. A lengthy visit was paid to Sunday Island. Huge flocks of sea birds provided the only sign of lifo on tho islands. The Tulanekai will leave Auckland on Monday to visit northern and west coast lighthouses

The traffic outlet schemes, particularly with regard to Belgium Street, will come before the Auckland Transport Board at its next meeting, said [he Mayor, Mr. G. Baildon, at last evening's meeting of the City Council. Tho question was raised by Mr. T. Bloodworth, who expressed disappointment that tho matter had not been finalised before the new council entered office. Ir» reply, the Mayor said there had been no undue delay, but the Transport Board waj concerned, and the manager would report to it at its next meeting.

The damage done to the outfall pipeline of tho Takapuna drainage system by its buckling when being laid on Tuesday was repaired after a few hours' work yesterday. The outlet was at once set in operation.

11 I suppose that agrees with the maxim that half of what wo eat goes to nourish our bodies and tho other half to nourish the doctors'/" remarked Mr. Justice l'Tazer to a medical witness in tho Arbitration Court yesterday. "If that we.ro not so tho doctors would starve," was tho doctor's reply. The witness had been emphasising tho ill-effects of overeating and lack of exercise.

A request for the provision of a swimming bath at the Auckland Training Collogo is to bo mado to tho Education Department by tho Auckland Education Board. An estimate places the cost at £IOOO, without extras, for a bath 75ft. by 30ft. It was stated that difficulty might bo experienced in regard to drainage.

The opinion that the recwit fire in tho pino plantation at Waikumeto was due to an error of judgment in burning-off adjacent rubbish at that particular time was expressed by tho Parks Committee in a report to the Auckland City Council last evening. The report added that, in future, extensive burning-off operations would not bo started unless under instructions from tho parks superintendent and under his supervision. It was staled that a sudden gust of wind carried a piece of burning fern or grass into tho plantation.

It is proposed by Mr. Frank Mase to sot out from the Lympne Aerodrome next Wednesday on the first stage of his flight from England to New Zealand, according to private advice received by fifiends in Auckland. The Simmonds-Spartan machine which lie will use will be christened and named tho " All Black " by Lady Abe Bailey, the noted airwoman, to.day. Mr. Mase hopes to fly to Australia and hop off from Hobart on the final stage to Christchurch. 'I his is the first time a flight with this objective has been attempted.

Tho pneumatic surfacing machine at the new railway station to which the stonemasons have taken such strong exception was discussed all day in tho Arbitration Court yesterday without much progress until Professor S. E. Lamb, of tho School of Engineering, went into tho witnessbox. From him Mr. Justice Frazer quickly elicited tho opinion that ai jet of water would remove tho dust nuisance associated with this machine, and that a simple contrivance with a sleeve might very greatly reduce its violent jarring. The sleeve might cost about a shilling. His Honor indicated that this might offer a way to tho settlement of the long-stand-ing dispute, and arranged with the other members of the Court to view the machines in action this morning.

Objection to many changes made in (lie school staff and undue delay in filling vacancies is raised in tho annual report of the Grey Lynn School Committee, to be presented at tho annual meeting of householders next Monday evening, stating that it recognised the difficulties of the Education Board in tho matter, the committee suggests the evil could be minimised by stipulating that teachers intending to retire from the service should bo required to give three months' notice of such intention and making all resignations (except those due to illness) and new appointments operative in general during tho term holidays.

A kiwi, whoso history is unique by reason of tho fact that its hatching was completed in an ordinary domestic oven, has been offered to the Auckland Zoo by Mr. G. Wilson, postmaster at Kawakawa. A Maori boy took tho egg to Mr. Wilson, who, when ho discovered signs of life in it., put it in the oven. Two hours later he cracked the shell, and in another four hours tho bird emerged. It was fed on yolks of eggs, and when it becamo strong it took breadcrumbs and anything else it could find. Tho City Council is seeking permission from tho Minister of Internal Affairs to keep tho bird at the zoo.

A striking illustration of how labour may be saved by tho introduction of machinery was quoted in tho Arbitration Court yesterday by Mr. J. Purtellj acting as advocate for tho Stonemasons and Monumental Workers' Union. He stated that a machine introduced during tho construction of tho War Memorial Museum had been tested and it had shown remarkable results A pieco of stone was put on the machine, and it took 40 minutes to complete the required operation. An exactly similar pieco of stone was given lo a workman, and to perform the same operation bv hand, it-took li'iiu nine hours. In that time the machine would have finished 13 pieces of stone. "We calculato that each of these machines, at a very conservative estimate, does the work of 12 men," said Mr. Purtell.