LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20420, 23 November 1929, Page 12

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A history of the Hauraki Maori tribe itf boing translated by Mr. George Graham, of the Akarana Maori Association. The document was prepared by Tukumana, a grandson of Tehoreta Te Taniwha, who lived in the days of Captain Cook. The manuscript makes clear that Hotunui, after whom the Maori house in the new museum has been called, was descended from Hotunui, the commander of the Tainui Canoe. The document is explanatory of many of the carvings and figures in the house.

A spocial service will be hold by members of the Ratana Church in Baker Street to-morrow morning. Ratana ritual will be observed and the Maori followers of Ratana will bo garbed in the ceremonial colours of red, white and blue. Hui Waiheke, who assisted in the construction of the temple at the Ratana settlement, near Wanganui, is largely responsible for the arrangements. Gatherings will be held at Ratana at Christmas.

First-aid stations are to be established throughout the Whangarei district by the St. John Ambulance Association. A number of first-aid kits arrived at Auckland from England yesterday and were unpacked at the local headquarters of the association. They contain splints, tourniquets, gloves, scissors, pins, bandages, cotton wool, dressings and other articles that might be needed in case of accident. The kits are to be placed in red boxes at cross-roads and other points in the Whangarei district and it is hoped that the value of their contents will be realised and that they will only be opened when an injured person requires prompt firstaid attention. The system of such firstaid stations has been in operation for some time in England and has proved highly successful.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Auckland will benefit to the extent of £8 as the result of the juvenile gymkhana held at Tamaki on Saturday, November 2. It is explained that this is a smaller amount than was anticipated, owing to a wider distribution of prize-money. The fixture was organised by Mrs. P. H. Smilh, wife of the huntsman of the Pakuranga Hunt, in aid of the society.

"I have had the misfortune to have had two tyres destroyed in a wepk owing to the state of the tram rails in this city," said Mr. E. Palliser at a meeting of the Wellington Automobile Club the other night. "I have taken pieces of tram rail out of my tyres. A little attention to the rails and the taking off of these worn edges would save motorists a good deal."

It is anticipated that the unemployment situation in Christchurch will be considerably relieved shortly. There is a good demand for general farm workers and a fair demand for shearers. Harvesting will start about a month hence if the weather holds fine, and the wool stores should soon be taking on men. The indications are that killing at the freezing works will start a week or ten days before Christmas.

The building boom in Gisborne this year is having a marked effect upon district sawmill&rs, one of whom states that he is now busier than he has been for some years. At this time last year, ho says, his mill was idle; he had had to dispense with the services of his men as there were so few orders coming to hand. The busy period for him commenced last April, since when his mill has been kept going at full pressure, while at present he has so many orders that he has difficulty in keeping pace with them.

"A Mayor has varied duties to perform; this to-day is really one of the enjoyablo ones," said Sir Alexander Roberts, Mayor of Lower Hutt, while opening the Hutt Valley Flower Show on Wednesday. "I had recently in my official capacity to be present at the opening of the'new trotting track, and I thought I ought to receive some compensation for that, and so I took it in the form of a couple of dividends. Immediately afterwards I had to be present at a Salvation Army sale of work, and I may say that I have reason to believe that the Army benefited by the fact that I had been to tho trotting meeting."

An allegation that a man working for tho Christcburch City Council was distributing disloyal literature to other employees was made at a meeting of tho council this week by Mr. J. Parlanc, who asked the Mayor if he was aware of this state of affairs. "So far as I am concerned," replied tho Mayor, Mr. J. K. Archer, " I havo no knwledge of such a man. What ho docs in his own time is nothing to do with tho council, but if it is shown to me that he is using our timo and our premises for that purpose I would be in favour o£ his instant dismissal."

A variation of the old-time surprise party was introduced in Hawke's Bay recently. A man was busily engaged in shearing operations on his station and was considerably surprised to see a carload of acquaintances from Napier arrive just before lunch. The visitors blandly intimated that they had corno along for dinner "just as a nice surpriso" and proceeded to make themselves thoroughly at home. His sense of tho humour of tho situation having beateu down his first feelings of annoyance at the interruption of his work, tho farmer acted tho host in his best style. After lunch the visitors visited tho shearing shed and having thanked the host very warmly for his generous hospitality, left as suddenly as they came, with best wishes for a successful shearing, leaving tho host wondering whether tho whole thing was an elaborate joke or an expression by his friends of sincere interest in his work.

"I understand your socioly is interested in the opossum, and particularly in the question whether they are dostiuctive of bird life," vvroto Mr. E. D. McKenzie in u letter to the Southland Acclimatisation Society Council recently. "I resided on my father's property of about 40,000 acres in Victoria near Mortlake for a number of years, and 1 have shot as many as 500 opossums in ono night. In no caso have I known of diiniu.ee to bird life by opossums other than by the ring-tailed or small opossum. I have been in New Zealand now for over 20 years and had experience of opossums in the bush and" in no singlo instance have I ever known of opossums damaging tho bird lifo or eating other than leaves, berries or other vegetable matter. When 1 was a boy of 12 years of age, I had three canaries, two female and ono. male, and three opossums in tho same enclosure. The canaries regularly reared their young without the slightest interference from the opossums. I am satisfied that the opossum, other than the ring-tailed, docs absolutely no harm to bird lifo.'i