LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20244, 2 May 1929, Page 12

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Auckland Aero Club's two Moth machines returned to the Mangere aerodrome yesterday afternoon after a flight of 2 hours 10 minutes . from New Plymouth. A strong following wind was experienced. Before leaving Taranaki the pilots of the Auckland machines, Major K. Caldwell and Captain W. S. Bloomfield, made ascents with officials of the New Plymouth Aero Club. The Auckland machines have covered a considerable field without a hitch since they left Auckland last Friday to participate in the aerial pageant at Hastings.

A large number of Auckland sportsmen participated in the opening of the shooting season in the Auckland .Acclimatisation Society's district yesterday. The heavy rains of the past few days have improved conditions wonderfully and the swamps in the Waikato are reported to have a good covering of water. Wellfavoured shooting spots this seasOD include the district near Rungiriri and Arapuni Lake, and many sportsmen havo gathered at these places.

A number of appointments to fill vacancies on school committees in cases where not sufficient members had been nominated were made by the Auckland Education Board yesterday, and it was stated that in 56 cases no members at all were elected. Tho secretary, Mr. D. W. Dunlop, observed that last year over 200 meetings failed to elect committees, the reason probably being that extremely b;vd weather was experienced all over the province on the evening of the election. When the Union Steam Ship Company's motor-ship Hauraki reached Auckland from Los Angeles on Tuesday evening she completed the fastest passage she has made during over five years in the Pacific coast trade. Tho vessel sailed from Los Angeles on April 10 and reached Auckland in 19 days 20 hours, at an average speed of 11.9 knots. The voyage would have been made in faster time but for stormy weather tvhich delayed the vessel during the last three days. Before the bad weather was encountered the speed from Los Angeles had averaged 12.5 knots, and the boisterous conditions delayed the arrival of tho Hauraki by about seven hours.

Strewn along the beach at Port Waikato, in tho vicinity of the wharf, this week have been goods of many descriptions. Bags of chaff and flour sodden With water, tinned goods and miscellaneous goods littered high-water mark. They were there as the result of the swamping oi one of the Roose Shipping Company's cargo barges. On Sunday night this barge, loaded with about 100 tons of ca'rgo from tho steamer Progress, was made fast between the steamer and tho wharf. Tho night was stormy, and although at 11 p.m. everything appeared to be in order, in the morning tho barge was found nearly submerged. The heavy cargo had gone to the river bottom, while other cargo had been carried by wind and tide to the shore. A certain amount of salvage was possible, but the loss was considerable. The cargo had been brought from southern ports.

The commission which is hearing the petition asking for authority to hold a poll of ratepayers on a proposal to change the Mount Roskill road district into a borough was to have resumed its sittings yesterday. Owing, however, to the unavoidable engagement of two counsel, Messrs. V. R. Meredith and G. P. Finlay, in the Supremo Court, it was impossible to proceod with .the hearing, and an adjournment has been granted until 10 a.m. on Monday.

The explosion which partly wrecked a shop at the foot of Queen Street last evening was not without its lighter side. After the explosion an attendant in a nearby shop rushed out into the road in a state of consternation. When assured that the explosion had injured no one, sho exclaimed thankfully: "Thank Heaven, I thought it was a May Day riot."

Minor abrasions to the face and arms were sustained by Mr. William C. McLind, a visitor from. Wanganui, when he was struck by a tramcar in Wellesley Street West, early last evening. ' Ho was caught {jy the guard and escaped being run over. He was admitted to hospital.

Tho steamer Baron Belhaven, which reached Auckland from Antwerp yesterday morning, collided with a whale in the Pacific when in the vicinity of the Galapagos Islands. Tho whale was floating motionless on tho sea and was either asleep or ill. The steamer struck the middle of the whale, which was cut by the stem and immediately sank, the sea being discoloured by blood.

A collision between a motor-cycle ridden by J. Lewis, aged 17 years, and a bus owned by the Rotorua Bus Company, occurred at Rotorua yesterday. The lad's leg was broken and he was taken to the hospital in the ambulance.

A successful shot was fired at Smeed's quarries, on the Waikato River, at Pukekawa, on Tuesday morning, when three tons of gelignite, which had been sealed in a pocket at the end of a tunnel driven into the quarry face, wero exploded by electricity. Thirty thousand tons of metal were dislodged and blown into a position favourable for working. Huge clouds of smoke rose abovo the quarry after tho explosion.

A woman in a Dunedin auction room recently bought 73 ounces of silver spoons, etc., by a bid of 3s 6d an ounce, thus incurring a debt of £l2 15s 6d, whereas she thought sho purchased the lot for tho price sho was paying for one ounco. The spoons wero not taken dolivery of by the purchaser, but after being gently reminded of her obligation sho gavo instructions to tho auctioneers to re-sell them on her account, which was done, with the result that they found a new owner at 2s lid an ounce. Tho first purchaser thus lost £2 2s 7d, plus commission on tho sale, as tho ro suit of nob paying attention .to tho definite information supplied by tho auctioneer when selling, tho articles.

Tho mattor of improving the visibility and tho provision of warning devices at railway level crossings was considered at the last meeting of the Main Highways Board in Wellington In addition to the amounts which it is making available for tho total elimination of certain crossings, tho board has decided to provide funds for improvements .it those crossings which cannot be eliminated and negotiations are tow being entered into with the railway department.