LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20332, 13 August 1929, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A total of 2409 bags of English and American mail for New Zealand was brought by the Royal Mail liner Makura, which reached Auckland from Vancouver yesterday afternoon. The Auckland portion of the mail was 429 bags, including 100 bags of letters. The Makura anchored at 2.45 p.m., and shortly after the letter portion of the mail was loaded into the Union Company's tender Tuatea, which landed the mail on the Central Wharf. From the wharf the mail was taken to the chief tpost office, where it was sorted and delivered into the private boxes within an hour after the Makura's arrival. The remainder of the mail was landed from the Makura after she berthed at Princo's Wharf.

After leaving Auckland for Napier last evening the Federal Line steamer Hertford put back to port 50 minutes later and anchored in the stream to effect repairs to her machinery. She is expected to sail again this morning. The vessel reached Auckland from Liverpool on August 5 and unloaded a large quantity of cargo from West Coast porta of Great Britain. She has a further quantity to discharge at Napier, Wellington, Lyttelton, Port Chalmers and Timaru.

Tho condition of Mrs. A. Beamard, who was admitted to the Auckland Hospital on Saturday suffering from a compound fracture of the leg and sevore shock, was still serious last evening. Mrs. Beamard was pinned beneath a tramcar for 12 minutes, and was in a critical condition when rescued.

Considerable difficulty continues to attend the construction of the Orakei Bridge in concrete. The presence of a sandstone bar beneath tho water level necessitated difficult boring work preparatory to piledriving, but operations are now proceeding nt a more rapid rate. One pile has already been driven and it is expected that the new bridge, replacing the old wooden structure, will bo completed in six months' time.

The faithful draught horse seems to be doomed in municipal activities, as in many commercial enterprises. The motor is inexorable in its forward march. Once (he Onehunga Borough Council employed a fine team of draught horses, but gradually the number dwindled to three, and last evening it was further reduced to a solitary one. This action was taken consequent upon a decision to use a motortruck in street-cleaning work.

The cold weather this winter, the earthquake on tho West Coast and the coal strike in New South Wales, are factors which have created an abnormal demand for coal from tho Waikato mines. Last month 16,150 tons was produced from the Glen Afton colliery, the output from which is the largest in the North Island and. with the exception of the output of the Westport Coal Company, the largest in New Zealand. Last year the Glen Afton Company produced 167,633 tons of coal, while for 1927 the output was 176.254 tons. The miners are at present working full time.

A large deputation of horticulturists and others interested will wait on the Parks Committee of the Auckland City Council this afternoon to request that the tree planting plans at the War Memorial Museum be revised, and especially that native trees be given consideration. The deputation is being organised by the Auckland council of the New Zealand Instituto of Horticulture. It is stated that, although it was known the deputation was waiting ah opportunity to present its case, a start has been made with planting cedars in front of the museum.

A meeting of protest against the proposed doubling of tho primage duty, convened bv the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, will be held to-morrow afternoon in tho Chamber of Commerce, and all business organisations in the city arc invited to send representatives. The decision to call tho meeting was reached last Thursday, when it was decided to instruct tho executive to frame a resolution drawing tho attention of the Minister of Finance to the position in regard to debenture tax.

The Railway Department lias decided to allow seats to be reserved for children under three years of age travelling with their parents or guardians. The usual registration fee of one shilling will be charged. The new regulation came into force yesterday and the innovation should prove welcome to parents.

Acting on the principle that the making of a donation would constitute a dangerous precedent, the Waitemata ElectricPower, Board decided yesterday that it could not subscribe to tho funds of the Devonport citizens' library committee, which had requested assistance. At the same time the board refused to contribute toward a fund for .the improvement of the Devonport waterfront. The only supporter of the second application was Mr. S. E. Kennings, a Devonport representative on the board.

When the council of tho North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society was recently discussing the question of taking swans' eggs Mr. L. A. Shand said that ho had been shooting 011 Lake Ellesmere for 30 years and swans were as plentiful as when lie had begun. '1 here was no shadow of doubt that they did a good deal of harm. A few years ago there was an abundance of ducks 011 the Chatham Islands, but to-day ducks were a thing of the past. The swans had eaten them out of house and home. A motion by Mr. Shand to collect eggs, with certain restrictions, up to November was defeated and it was decided not to take any eggs this season.

Mount Cook, tho small hill in tho centro of Wellington 011 which tho National Art Gallery, tho Dominion Museum and the War Memorial carillon are to be erected, is stated by a reader of the Dominion to have changed much in contour since the early days of tho city-. It was then an outstanding hill with a steep slope up from Buckle Street and an easier one frt;m Wallace Street. The summit was then 40ft. above present level and was situated whore tho Technical College now stands. Until about 1870 it was used mainly for artillery purposes and the summit was at first occupied by a stockade of Tasmanian bluegum, surrounding tho military barracks, and when more solid buildings were erected bricks were even brought over from Australia. After the soldiers left the barracks were used Tor some years as immigration quarters and provided ample accommodation for about 600 people.

At a new railway booking office which has been opened in Courtcnay Place, Wellington, intending passengers may not only obtain tickets but also check their luggago for stations in either the North or the South Island. The facility is much appreciated, since luggage can be left ft tlu> office instead of being taken to the Thorndon or Lambton station? or to the ferry berth.