LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20473, 27 January 1930, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Owing to delay cauised by a porter sleeping in afc a station in the Ohakune district, the limitisd express was late ja arriving at Auckland on Saturday morning. Ten minutes was lost in this way and subsequent delays afc 'crossings resulted in the train being 20 minutes late.

This, morning will usher in the last week of the school holidays in the Auckland Province. Primary schools throughout the district will reopen next Monday, February 3, and the secondary schools, including the grammar schools, will commence the new year on Tuesday, February 4. Already children are beginning to return from their Christmas vacation, and the city shops are being kept busy supplying school books and clothes for the pupils. There are a large number of applicants for the vacant position of engineering lecturer on the staff of the Auckland Uni--■versity College. The applications were to have closed on Saturday morning, but owing to the fact thai; the position was advertised during the holidays, it has been decided to extend the closing date until February 1.

An addition to the Auckland Zoo is a marmoset monkey, which has been donated by Dr. C. M. Rout, who arrived by the Port Denison last week. Dr. Rout purchased the monkey afc Panama, intending to keep it as a pet, but en-countex-ing difficulties with the customs authorities at Auckland in connection with landing the animal, decided to present it to the zoo. A similar cause made the zoo the possessor of a marmoset monkey a few years ago, the gift in that case being made by a lady traveller. The animal died soon after it had taken up its new quarters.

Shipping continues to be busy at Auckland. Six large overseas vessels which departed on Saturday were replaced by five arrivals during the week-end and more vessels will arrive at the beginning of the week. On Saturday the Federal Line steamer Surrey sailed for New York, the tramp steamer Antonio for Westport, the Ugion Company's island steamer Tofua for Fiji, the Commonwealth and Dominion Line steamer Port Donison and the tramp steamer Frances Massey for Wellington, and . the Shaw Savill and Albion motor-ship Coptic for Port Chalmers. In addition to local coasters the arrivals on Saturday wgre the Government motor-ship Maui PomStre from Wellington and the tramp steamers Luceric and City of Wellington ' from Texas and New York respectively. Yesterday the large American oil tanker Australia arrived from Sydney and the New Zealand Shipping Company's motor-liner Rangitata from Tokomaru Bay. To-day the Royal Mail liner Niagara will arrive from Vancouver and the American steamer Golden Cloud from Los Angeles, as well as the Union Company's cargo steamers Kairanga and Wingatui from southern ports.

During the last fortnight rangers have killed 102 goats on Mount Egmont. This •brings the number killed since the campaign was commenced up to 1462. Tracks have had to be cut to the top of the Pouakai Ranges, joining the old Mangorei track, in order to facilitate the work of the men in ridding the mountain reserve of its greatest menace.

Two Dunedin tram passengers have recently relieved their consciences by forwarding to the office fares that ought to have been paid to the conductors. In one case the fare was a penny; in the other, twopence. The tramway treasurer is pleased with the honesty displayed, but he would like its manifestation somewhat varied, for each of the conscious-stricken persons sent in coins through thf post office, and this involved the tramways department in a fine of sixpence.

Work on the reclamation at Thorndon, Wellington," for the new railway yards, which was held up pending the completion of the culverts across the reclamation to carry off the storm water from the main gullies debouching on the ground, is again proceeding. The dredge Whakariri is pumping material ashore. It is estimated that the reclamation will be completed in about two years, the date depending on the requirements of the Railway Department, but parts first reclaimed are now firm enough for building on and a contract has been let for the new goods shed.

The small steamer Hirere left Auckland for Bluff on Saturday morning. The vessel, which was over 30 years in the Auckland coastal trade, has been purchased by a southern firm who intend using her as a fishing boat. She is a wooden vessel of 48 tons gross, and was built at Auckland in 1897 for the Clevedon Steam Navigation Company. About two years ago she was puchased by Mr. W. F. McCullum, who has sold her to her present owners.

A judgment debtor at the Opunake Court lately received a shock when examining counsel asked suddenly: "Did you go to the races at Christmas?" The debtor, a Maori, replied: "Well, the question you ask me, I did." He, however, denied emphatically that he had made £4O at tho races and that he,had ever told anyone that lie had made that sum. He .admitted that he had made a day's wages, which he placed at about 14s. "How did you get that information ?" he asked the lawyer. "There are three others of my namo in the district." Ho stated that a nephew had taken him to the races in his car and that he had not squandered any money over the trip. A remarkable case has just come to light of a Marlborough farmer who, owning two farms, sold one of them five years ago, but has been paying land tax ever since on the one that he sold, which, incidentally, was the dearer of the two. Apparently the Taxation Department transferred the wrong property in tho books. Tho farmer had never thought of comparing his land tax notice with his local body rate demands, or lis would have discovered the disparity in the valuations.

Tarauaki beekeepers who were hoping at the beginning of the season to have a bumper production season this year now say they expect the worst they have ever experienced. Tho flow of nectar has only a few more days to go, and oven with tho finest weather production can only be a third of what it Svould have been had the weather been moro favoui'able. Tarauaki is not alone, in this experience, for the bad weather has beeri general throughout the Dominion, and, in consequence, honey production will bo unusually low this soason. Beekeepers, however, a«« very optimistic about tho future, for the working of the law of average, they say, assures them better production next year—or the f6l lowing year.