LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20392, 22 October 1929, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Two motor-cars were removed from city streets last evening and had not been rocovered early this morning., A largo car, owned by Mr. James Paterson, of 6, Minto Road, Romuera, was taken from Wakefield Street between 7.45 o'clock and 10 o'clock. Tho car was valued at £2OO. A small saloon car, valued at £2OO, was romoved from outside tho Seddon Memorial Technical College while the driver, Mr. William M. Anderson, was attending classes. The car is owned by Mr. Anderson's mother, who resides at 2, Millais Street, Grey Lynn.

Tho two gardeners at Jellicoe Park, Onehunga, are to be sworn in as special constables and provided with official caps and badges. This action was decided upon by the Borough Council last evening after Mr. A. C. Tonkin, chairman of the Reserves Committee, had reported that there had been further larrikinism in the park. He said that even the seals, so generously donated by public-spirited residents, had been turned upside down. On his motion it was decided to invoke the assistance of the police in making an examplo of tho miscreants who had been guilty of such vandalism. Mr Geraghty said that tho same thing was going on elsewhere, and drastic action was necessary.

Tho weather was showery in Auckland yesterday afternoon, but tho rain was not heavy. The fall, according to Herald gauge, was only .15in. Tho showers freshened the gardens in the city and suburbs, but tho month has been so dry that a prolonged downpour is needed to prove very 'beneficial.

As the result of a benzine iron catching firo yesterday the Otahuhu Fire Brigade was called to a house owned and occupied by Mr. Walter West in Avenue Road. Tho flames, which slightly damaged a wall and ceiling, were extinguished before tho brigade arrived. A sum of £SO, raised by a committee of womon in aid of tho proposed school of fine art 3 at Auckland University College, was handed to tho president, Sir George Fowlds, at tho college yesterday afternoon, by Mrs. A. E. Mulgan, on behalf of those concerned. Tho money was tho result of a series of bridge parties and other entertainments hold at tho college this winter by members of the Federation of University Women, women connected with tho various faculties, and women students. Sir George Fowlds warmly thanked tho women for their efforts on behalf of the scheme for widening the collego's activities.

Tho Shaw, Savill and Albion liner Tamaroa at Queen's Wharf wa3 decorated with flags yesterday to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Yesterday was also tho birthday of Captain W. H. Hartman, the commander of tho Tamaroa.

The appearance on Muriwai Beach of a racing car capable of travelling at from 140 to 150 miles an hour is promised, according to advice received by the Muriwai Racing Club from Australia. Tho driver will bo Mr. Norman (Wizard) Smith, who established an Auckland-Wellington record of 13 hours 10 minutes in 1924. Mr. Smith will bring his car to New Zealand in January. It is a special machine throughout, with a 12-cylinder engine.

."There are not many young nurserymen coming on in tho Dominion and it behoves those established to teach the promising juniors in their employ all they can," said Mr. V. C. Davies, president of the New Zealand Horticultural Trades Association, when addressing members of the Auckland council last evening. The day of tho old general nursery had gone by. The work to-day was becoming highly specialised in its particular branches and unless nurserymen took it upon themselves to pass their knowledge on good nurserymen would be hard to find in a fow years'- time.

Motorists charged in tho Magistrate s Court, with having left their cars parked in streets for longer than the regulations permit very often plead that they were detained on business longer than they anticipated. But one candid defendant gave a different answer when he was asked by the clerk of the Court in the Wellington Court the other day, if ho wished to make any explanation. "Yes, it is this," he said, "I just took a chance." "That is a sporting explanation, anyway," commented the assistant city solicitor with a smilo. Tho presiding justices of tho peace apparently thought so, too, because they varied tho penalties of £1 and 10s they had been inflicting, and fined tho defendant 5s only.

" It is bettor to provide playing areas than show areas," said Mr. E. H. Potter, Mayor of Mount Eden, at a meeting of the Borough Council last evening, when the provision of tennis courts in tho borough was being discussed. " The young people of to-day like games, and the council is doing all it possibly can to give them recreation areas," said Mr. Potter.

Some humorous remarks were made by tho Bishop of Christchurch in welcoming Commodore Blake, the new commodore of tho New Zealand Navy. The bishop heartily joined in tho welcome to their guests and wished them a happy timo in New Zealand. "I don't know what tho negotiations at Washington are leading to," ho said, "but I should like to say that a writer in the Manchester Guardian has remarked that we could get on very well without bishops, but if bishops woro abolished they would havo to get something to wear gaiters. If those piping days of peace come and those energies devoted to war are applied to other purposes wo would havo to appoint somebody to wear the blue and gdd of tho Navy.".

While breaking up some brickwork in tho foundations of the old Terrace gaol in Wellington a well 150 ft. deep was dis» covored, arched over with brick. It had 12ft. of water in it. Workmen clearing gorse on the Town Belt abovo tho old gaol found a tank there, but whether the well was to hold water brought from the tank or whether the latter was built to catch a natural soakago when surface wator was pure onough to use for any purpose in the very early days of the gaol, is not now roadily ascertainable. With more vegetation on the bills then it is quite possible that such a well would fill naturally fast enough to supply all the requirements of tho gaol when it was built.

When an investigation was made of tho damage done by the earthquake to West Coast schools that are under the jurisdiction of the Canterbury Education Board, it was assessed at £627. A claim was made on the Education Department for this amount, and the board has received notice that it will be met jn full.