LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20252, 11 May 1929, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

No further developments have taken place in connection with the death of the Maori, Henry Hamihana Waaka, who was found dead on the roadside at Patumahoe on Wednesday evening. The circumstances of bis dpath suggested that the Maori had been knocked off his bicycle and run over by a motor-car.

Injuries to a hand were sustained by a waterside worker, Mr. G. Dunkley, while engaged in loading cargo on the vessel Benholm yesterday afternoon. After receiving attention at the hospital the injured man was removed to his home in Onewa Street, Birkenhead. Minor injuries to a foot were sustained by L. Allen, aged 15, an employee of the Fletcher Construction Company, as a result of being jammed between a truck and a gate-way yesterday morning.

Hundreds of pupils of primary and secondary schools, who commenced their first term vacation yesterday, left for the South by train last evening. There was not a vacant scat on tho limited, while on the second' express, comprising 20 carriages, practically every seat was occupied. Fifty pupils of the £.eddon Memorial Technical College, in charge of a master, Mr. R. M. Webber, left for the National Park to spend the holidays there.

Thero were fewer notifications of infectious diseases to tho Health Department in Auckland yesterday than for some days past. One caso of scarlet fever and one of diphtheria were notified, while there were no cases of dysentery. Dysentery is now definitely on the wane.

A block in the traffic on the Main Trunk Railway just south of Frank ton Junction occurred on Thursday night through the breakdown early in the evening' of a south-bound goods train near Ngaroto. Tho evening train from the King Country was stopped at Te Awamutu and its engine was taken to the relief of the crippled train. So long was it delayed in the work of rescue that a number of passengers for Auckland from tho King Country were unable to make the connection with either of tho late trains from Frankton, and were consequently provided for for tho night as guests of the Government at a Te Awamutu hotel, finally making a belated arrival in the city by yesterday morning's ordinary express from Wellington. The traflic of all the trains travelling in both directions south of Frankton was disorganised for several hours and all were j thrown late on their time-tables.

A five-seatcr Chevrolet motor-car, the property of Mr. E. Fowler, Greenwood's Corner, was removed without his authority from in front of the post office, Newmarket, between 5 and 5.30 o'clock last evening. It had not been traced at a late hour,.

•An unusual method of deciding a byelection was adopted at Pukekohc in connection with the extraordinary vacancy on the Pukekobe Borough Council. At the recent election only seven nominations were received for the eight seats. When nominations for the vacant seat were called two were received. To save the board tho expense of a by-election the candidates agreed to submit their claim to arbitrators appointed by themselves. Tho two arbitrators in turn appointed an umpire. The claims were considered by this tribunal and one of the candidates was declared elected.

The Royal Mail liner Aorangi reached Suva at nine o'clock yesterday morning after a smart trip of 2 days 19 hours from Auckland. She left Auckland at one o'clock last Tuesday afternoon. The speed averaged slightly over 17 knots.

A telegram requesting that attention should be given to the dangerous railway crossing at Church Street, Penrose, was sent to the Minister of Railways, the Hon. W- B. Taverner, by Mr. W. J. Jordan, M.P. for Manukau, on Thursday. A reply was received from the Minister yesterday stating he would be in Auckland at an early date and would then personally inspect the crossing.

Mothers' Day will be celebrated to-mor-row, the second Sunday in May. On this day people are encouraged to wear a white buttonhole as a tribute to mothers and to remember them. The idea of having a. universal Mothers' Day was conceived by oSliss Anna Davis, of Philadelphia, who wished to commemorate the anniversary of her mother's death. Since then the idea has spread, and reference is made to the day in churches throughout the world.

Evidences of a mild late autumn slow to develop into winter have recently been furnished by garden plants and fruit trees in full bloom out of season. The warm weather during the last few weeks has encouraged both plum and peach trees to blossom quite freely in the Avondale and Mount Albert districts. Hardy varieties of strawberries have been reported to be bearing in the Mangere district, and in one garden specimens of the Madame Melba variety are now ripe, at least three months later than their appointed time.

King Country farmers sold more wool this season through one firm of woolbrokers than ever before, but the casn returns per bale were less by about £2 than in the 1927-28 season. The total net proceeds amounted to £95,441 10s, while during the 1927-28 season the farmers received £81,586. The number of bales sold this season totalled 5093, compared with 4500 bales last season. The average price per bale this season was £lB 18s 9d, against about £2l in 1927-28.

It is well known that animals and birds are more sensitive to earth tremors than are human beings, and usually their frantic protests give warning of earthquakes. People living in the vicinity of the Wellington Zoo were awakened on Wednesday morning by a hubbub raised by the animals just before the earthquake commenced at 3.45. The lions, tigers, elephant, and monkeys all raised thoir voices loud in protest, but the shrillest of all were the pheasants, who have a rooted antipathy to phenomena of this kind.

A peculiar accident befol a resident of Palmerston North, Mrs. C. Pulling, of College Street, when walking in the cemetery after attending a funeral. She was viewing graves when she tripped on a low curbing and fell on an iron railing. A spike entered her neck, compressing the windpipe against the spinal column. There were no witnesses of the misadLventure, but Mrs. Pulling managed to raise herself. She was found later wandering in a dazed condition and was removed to hospital. Although the injury is serious the patient is making fair progress.