LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20385, 14 October 1929, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

An outbreak of fire occurred on the Parnell lailway bridge early last evening, when cinders from a passing train ignited the planking of the footway across the bridge. The City Fire Brigade suppressed '.he outbreak without difficulty, practically no damage being caused.

After a four months' cruise to the South Pacific Islands, H.M.S. Veronica, is returning to Auckland. The ship sailed from Suva on Saturday morning, and is due next Saturday. H.M.S. Laburnum, which has also been away from Auckland since June 17 cruising among the South Sea Islands, is likewise scheduled to return to Auckland next Saturday.

The weather in Auckland during the week-end was changeable and unsettled, the wind being light and variable. Light showers fell on Saturday morning, but although the sky was dull and threatening no rain fell after mid day. There was very little movement of the barometer, which was practically steady at 30.00 in.

The 10 days of repentance which mark tho opening of the Jewish year will be brought to a close to-day with tho solemn fast of the Day of Atonement. The year 5690 in the Jewish calendar opened on October 5, and at sunset last evening the Kol Nidrei service was held at the synagogue, conducted by Rabbi S. A. Goldstein. Services will be held to-day, lasting until sunset, and all the Jewish business houses in the city will bo closed.

Tho work of improving the grounds of the new Richardson Road School, Mount Albert, by volunteer labour was advanced a further stage on Saturday afternoon, when a working bee of a dozen householders stripped tho turf from a largo area in front of the building and spread scoria over a portion. It is hoped to complete the surfacing of the piece at another gathering of willing helpers next Saturday. About two months ago householders marked the completion of the building by assembling to plant a hedge round tho school properly. Tho school, which serves a rapidly-growing district on. the southern slopes of Mount Albert, was opened only a few weeks ago after the last school holidays.

The committee of inquiry which has been making investigations in the Auckland, Horowhenua and Wanganui districts into the employment of Maori girls by Asiatics in market gardens, has now almost completed its report. The chairman of the committee. Dr. T. J. ,H u g^ cs > stated on Saturday that the report would bo submitted this week to the Minister of Native Affairs, Sir Apirana Ngata.

The Opotiki Railway League has received a letter from the Prime Minister slating that at the present time there is no necessity for the Government to undertake the construction of a new road through the Waimana Gorge. The league had asked the Government to construct the new road preparatory to the commencement of the East Coast railway from Taneatua to Opotiki. The railway route includes the present gorge road which is the main highway between Opoliki and Whakalane. The Opotiki Chamber of Commerce had written to the Prime Minister asking him to include the new gorge road in his unemployment relief works scheme.

Some people are never stuck, they alwavs find some way out of a difficulty. A Manawatu farmer, however, must have created sometl/ing of a record when confronted recently with the task of getting home a valuable yearling Friesian heifer which had slrayed some miles from his property. How he accomplished the first part is not known. Suffice it to say that his sedan car was seen going down the main street of the town with the Friesian in the back seal, its tail sticking out of one window and its head out of the other.

A pitchfork is stated to have played a painful part in an affair in Spreydon, Christchurch, last week. After missing some of his fowls each morning a householder decided to lie in wait at night. He had for company in the darkness a pitchfork, which he is stated to have used to painful effect when an intruder scaled his fence and made for the fowlhcuse. At the height of the encounter a neighbour, who had also lost some of his best fowls, came to the aid of the householder, who, however, believing him to be an accomplice, attacked him also. The next arrival was a policeman.

Much alarm was caused at Spreydon, Christchurch, on a recent morning when a number of steers got into the streets, as a result of which one man was injured, ■while a woman and baby narrowly escaped being hurt. The cattle had been brought in from the country on the previous evening and were placed in a paddock before being taken to the Addington saleyards. In the early hours of the morning they escaped from the paddock and roamed about for several hours. Many people had narrow escapes, tho steers charging everyone they saw. Some of the cattle entered the Addington School grounds, but fortunately the children were in school, and tho beasts did little harm. Two of the steers became so wild that they had to be shot. One woman was knocked from her bicycle, while another woman just succeeded in getting through a gateway when a steer charged. Later in tho morning a woman -with a baby was stepping from a tram when a steer charged hpr. However, she waved her arms and the animal became frightened and swerved aside. Tho drovers were out before dawn, but it was not until midday that all tho beasts were out of harm's way.

After having undorgone repairs tho second of the two guns flanking the Ballance Statue in Mountoa Gardens, Wanganui, has been put back into position. An interesting history is wrapped up in this old gun. It was landed from H.M.S. Hazard at tho Bay of Islands in the 'forties and was used at tho Ruapekapeka siege, as well as on tho previous attack on tho Obaeawai pa. Reference to the latter fact is made by Judge Mailing, author of "Old New Zealand." The gun remained in the Bay of Islands district until the end of the war in that locality. It was then sent to Wanganui and was part of,the defence of tho stockade. It was deemed so important that a sentry was always guarding it night and day. Later it was used in almost every engagement in the Waitara district. Throughout its career the gun did not do much harm. It is recorded that on ono occasion a Maori woman, carrying a baby, was killed by it, but the infant escaped.