LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20622, 22 July 1930, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The condition of Mr. Charles Purely, who was admitted to tho Auckland Hospital on Saturday evening suffering from severe head injuries, was stated late last evening to bo very serious. Mr. Purdy, who is single, aged 21, received his injuries when tho motor-cycle ho was riding became involved in a collision with a motor-car in Pitt Street. Mr. F. N. Wood, of Manurewa, who was knocked down by a motor-car at Takanini on Sunday, is still in a fairly serious condition.

An attempt to board a moving train was made at (ho Auckland railway station last evening. As the first Wellington express started to move a man, heavily-laden with luggage, dashed past tho barrier and raced along the platform. Although tho train was gaining speed the intending passenger succeeded in grasping the handle bar on the door of the last carriage, but he did not board the train ns he was held back by officials. A handbag, dropped by tho unlucky traveller, fell under the mail van, but fortunately the.wheels did not pass over it.

The quarterly criminal session of the Supremo Court, which will open in Auckland next Tuesday, promises to offer ao unusually light calendar. So far only 11 cases have been set down for hearing, the moso serious charges being two of negligent driving so as to cause death. The presiding judges will be Mr. Justice llcrdman and Mr. Justice Smith.

"It is my earnest wish to be able to recommend at the end of this financial year that a substantial reduction in the board's lighting charges be made," stated Mr. A. Main, secretary-treasurer of the Waitcmata Electric-Power Board, in a report on administrative economy made to a meeting of tho board yesterday. Ho stated that all possiblo steps to reduce the board's working expenses were being taken. If the board were to retain its entity th» working costs must be whittled down to the minimum consistent with service and efficiency and further economies could and must be made.

The Auckland Transport Board is to be represented at a conference of publictransport authorities from 911 parts of Australia and New Zealand, hold in Brisbane next month. The delegates will be Mr. G. Baildon, Mayor of Auckland, and Mr. E. J, I'helan, members of the board, and the general manager, Mr. A. E. Ford. The chairman, -Mr. J. A. C. Alluin, is unable to attend. It is probable that the delegates will leave for Sydney by the Maunganui on August 1, and that they will be absent at least three weeks. While Mr. Baildon is away his civic duties will be assumed by the deputy-mayor, Mr. A. J. Entrican.

.V letter staling that the City Council had adopted a report to the effect that the old Grammar School site was eminently suitable for the purpose of a fine arts block was received at a meeting of the Auckland University College Council yesterday.- The suggestion that the college bhould arrange for a joint deputation from the university and the City Council to wait on the Minister of Education. and request that the necessary steps lw; taken to vest the site in the college and the City Council for that purpose, whs approved by the meeting.

Carvings of Maori heads from the Shoilland Street post, office are to be presented to the City Council by the Post and Telegraph Department. They represent Maoris famous . in the early history of New Zealand, and are said to have been the work of the late Mr. Anton Teutcnberg, who carved the heads in the Supreme Court building. The heads will bo placed in the limited space of the Old Colonists' Museum, but it is hoped to have them arranged on an archway when a suitable building is available.

With the object of avoiding tlie litter of disused tram tickets, the Civic League recently suggested to the Transport. Hoard that the Glasgow system of disposing of discarded tickets should he adopted. In Glasgow, it was stated, boxes were placed at the front and back of the trams and passengers had become used to placing their tickets iu them on alighting. -The Transport Board has now decided against the suggestion, because, in the words of tho manager, Mr. A. E. Ford, "the amount of litter from used tram tickets is negligible and does not in a general way cause an accumulation of rubbish."

A direction as to the correct procedure for quoting judges who had boen knighted was given by the Chief Justice, Sir Michael Myers, in the Supreme Court yesterday. Correcting counsel who had referred to an opinion of the lato "Sir John Salmond," the Chief Justice said: "If you are speaking of him as a judge, lie is 'Mr. Justice Salmond,' but if you are speaking of him as an author he is 'Mr. Justice Salmond' or 'Sir John Salmond.' "

The Belgian national festival was celebrated in Auckland yesterday by the flying of national flags over all the consulates. The Belgian Consul, Mr. A. M. Ferguson, received a number of courtesy calls. The day was I lie 99th anniversary (if the establishment of Belgian independence by the accession of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg to the throne as King Leopold 1. The separation of Belgium from Holland had been effected the previous year. 1830. The Treaty of London. the famous " scrap of paper," by which Austria, Russia, Britain and Prussia guaranteed the neutrality of Belgium, was signed on November 15, 1851.

The loan exhibition uf New Zealand work in the graphic arts, to he opened shortly in the City Art Gallery, will probably surprise those who visit it. Etching, aquatint, wood-engraving and the other processes were scarcely practised in this country until 15 or 20 years ago, but lately they have shown an extraordinary growth. Prints have been sent for exhibition from even the far South, and the collection already is astonishingly huge in numbers, wide in scope, and full of vigour and originality. Mr. J. Ban, director of the gallery, expects to announce the opening date before the end of this week.

" 1 think that all municipal bodies should have :i rest from industrial activities," s:iid Mr. NV. 11. Nagle at 3 meeting of the Mount Eden Borough Council last evening, when the council was considering an invitation from the City Council to attend a meeting to discuss the provision of a commercial airport for Auckland. Mr. Nagle supported the Mayor, Mr. E. 11. Potter, in his view that an airport was a question that was best left, to private enterprise, and stated that at the present time no council was justified in committing itself to any further enterprise of a business nature. It. was decided to send delegates to the meeting to present (he views of the council.