LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20468, 21 January 1930, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A number of "people had to lift a large lorry bodily from the tramlines at the corner of St. Stephen's Avenue and Parnell Road shortly before six o'clock last evening, when the vehicle's gears became locked, making it impossible for it to move. Tho lorry was towing another at the end of a piece of rope, .and when it pulled up sharply at the" corner the one behind crashed into it. The windscreen of the vehicle being towed was broken, but it was otherwise undamaged. It was then found impossible to move tho towing lorry, which was fairly heavily loaded, and about 20 men, including tho conductors and motormen of two tramcars which were held up, assisted in lifting it bodily off the tracks.

A large swarm of bees descended in Victoria Street, near' the Queen Street intersection about four o'clock yesterday afternoon and passers-by watched with interest while the driver of a parked motor-lorry demonstrated his knowledge of bees. The man immediately secured a small empty tobacco tin and began beating on it with his pipe. At first the bees seemed to fly around in just as confused a fashion as ever, but gradually they began to congregate under the cab hood where the queen, attracted by the noise, .had evidently settled. He succeeded in inducing the queen bee to enter a benzine case and when this was placed on top of the hood the rest followed. Then, well pleased with his work, the lorry-driv.cr drove away with his capture.

A five-seater motor-car owned by Mr. F. McFarland, of 37, Sentinel Road, Heme Bay, was removed from opposite the Harbour Board stores: in Hobion Street yesterday afternoon. It hjid not been located at a late hour last night.

A modern fire station to serve the Tamaki area is shortly to be built in Long Drive, St. Ileliers, by the Auckland Fire Board. ' The vesting in the board of an area of 1 rood 1.73 perches for the site of the station was gazetted last week, and the board intends to make an early start with the .erection of the, building. The plans are not yet completed, but it is expected that the statjon will conform generally with the lines of other suburban stations in the board's district. The new station will supersede the old building adjacent to the offices lately occupied by the defunct Tamaki Road Board.

The fact that he had acted as the first postmaster in New Lynn was mentioned by Mr. C. F. Gardner, Mayor of New Lynn, at the opening of the first Stateowned post office building in the borough yesterday afternoon. " I do not know whether the post office progressed very much ufoder my control," Mr. Gardner said, " but I feel honoured to have been the first postmaster of the district as well as tho first Mayor. When I came to New Lynn in 1901 we did not possess a post office and the first one was conducted at my mother's present home."

Slight facial injuries were received by A. Bain, aged 11 years, at Takanini on Friday as the result of the explosion of some gunpowder, which he had placed in a bottle. The lad, who was staying at Takanini, on a holiday, extracted the gunpowder from an unused cartridge and placed it in a bottle, in which he inserted a lighted match. He then withdrew a short distance, but, growing impatient, returned and leaned over the bottle. At that moment the explosion occurred, pieces of glass being showered in all directions. Bain was very much cut about the face, both his eyes being closed. Ho was attended by Dr. Campbell Jenkins, of Manurewa, and is reported as having practically recovered.

The cabin of the Auckland Transport Board's freight car was lifted completely off the chassis and hurled on to the road when the trolley pole became entangled in the overhead wires at the top of Queen Street early yesterday afternoon. The pole left the power line as the car was crossing the points, and before the emergency brake could be applied the cabin to which the pole was attached was thrown to the road. Tram traffic was held up for a short time until the pole which had snapped off near the top had been removed from the cabin.

One of the tragedies of the civilisation of the Maoris was that many of them did not consider their own language even remotely worthy of interest, said Mr. P. Smyth, in an address to members of the teachers' summer school at New Plymouth last week. Ho advocated greater attention to tho Maori language in native schbols. It seemed, he said, that the Maori language would be saved by Europeans and not by Maoris. A one-ton truck jumped the kerb at the Dominion Road terminus shortly after six o'clock last evening and crashed through the plate-glass window of a cake shop. The lorry, was not damaged beyond the headlights, which were practically torn off.

Few people in towns have any idea of the strenuous nature of the bushmen's work. It is stated that at one mill in Southland in summer time the men set out for the scene of operations at 4 a.m., walk four miles, climb a lifll of 1000 ft., and start at 6 a.m. on an eight-hour day with axe and saw. They carry lunch with them, and at 4 p.m. begin the return journey to the mill. They have no spare time for tennis, golf, bowls or pictures, and soon after the evening .meal are ready for repose.

The young Auckland long-distance swimmer, R. Webster, intends to make another attempt to swim across Cook Strait. He is at Picton at presort t carrying out training work, and as soon as ho thinks he is in perfect condition and thoroughly acclimatised he will attempt the crossing. Webster has many notdble swimming performances to his , credit. Early lust year he swam from Arkle's Bay t.o Milford, and he has also twice established fastest time in Kellerman Cuy races. He has previously attempted to swim Cook Strait, but without success. The forcq" of the recent gale in the Manawatu district is plainly apparent between Linton and Levin, especially from Makerua to Shannon, where wind of a hurricane strength blew. Trees which were too frail to withstand the great force of the gale are to be seen broken down or lyiyg unvoted in paddocks along tho roadside, while an advertising hoarding in the railway reservo near Makerua had apparently caught a heavy gust. _ The metal sheeting on which the advertisement was painted had been ripped, off and'broken in two, one piece being now lodged in a Clump of willows some yards away. In another case a large cream .stand was broken down by the gale.