LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20628, 29 July 1930, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The sum of £l7, which was reported to the police as being stolen from a house in Firth Street, Grey Lynn, dnring the weekend, was foond on the floor of a tramcar and has been returned to the owner. Although it is possible that. the owner lost the money, it is considered more likely that the money was stolen and accidentally dropped by the thief.

After a month's cruise to (he South Sea Islands H.M.S. Dunedin will return to Auckland at the. end of this week. She is scheduled to clear Norfdlk Island on Thursday and to reach Auckland about seven o'clock on Saturday morning.

A very light day was experienced at. the City Police Court yesterday. Apart i'rom several minor charges of drunkenness and disorderly behaviour there were no cases for hearing.

Although military training is suspended the New Zealand Naval Reserve is still "carrying on." A party of 15 ratings under Lieutenant-Commander W. T. Edney is at present on a week's cruise in the Hauraki Gulf on board (he minesweeper Vt akakura. Instruction is being givon in sea duties and gunnery, which will probably include some firing with (lie vessel's gun. r l he Wakakura is due [jack in poit on Saturday, when a. further party will be taken on board for similar training.

Two meetings of postal and telegraph officers will be held in Auckland (his evening to consider the movement to form an executive officers' guild. One has been convened by a group of officers to decide whether a branch of the guild shall ho formed in Auckland. This meeting will be held in the Unity Hall. Ihe other in the Chamber of Commerce Hall lias been .called by tho Post and Telegraph Employees' Association to discuss the attitude to be taken toward the proposed separate organisation. It :s understood that the headquarters of (lie association will be represented at the meeting-

There is an unusually light calendar for (ho third quarterly criminal sessions at- the Supreme Court, which open this morning. Twelve cases have been set down for hearing, and include two charges of negligent driving of motor vehicles so as to cause death. The cases will be hoard before Mi'. Justice Herdman and Mr. Justice Smith.

An apparent effect on the demand for New Zealand butter of the raising of the duties in Canada and the United States of America was mentioned yesterday by an Auckland dairy produce merchant. The agents of his firm in Honolulu had reported that they saw nc possibility of buying'further supplies of New. Zealand butter, because the new tariff had caused the price to become prohibitive, and they now proposed to obtain supplies from the Pacific Coast. Regarding Canada, the merchant said that last year heavy shipments of butter were .made from New Zealand during August and September, .but at present no inquiry was being made by Canadian buyers, although the higher duty would not take effect until October .12.

"I think thU appointment has met with univeiial approval," said Mr. C. J. Tunks, president of the Auckland Rotary Club, at a meeting of the club yesterday, in congratulating Mr. W. G. Wohlmann on hi.s selection as Commissioner of Police. Mr. Wohlmann expressed his appreciation of the reception given the announcement of his appointment.

"The contract of apprenticeship is like the contract of marriage, except that the marriage contract is not for a definite term," said Mr. Justice Frazer, when hearing in the Arbitration Court yesterday an appeal by an apprentice against his dismissal. Tlu reason of the dismissal was that the employer bad no work for the lad to do. "If a mnn says he cannot afford a wife it is no excuse for not keeping her," added Jlis Honor, who pointed out that the conditions of apprenticeship had been made much less exacting on the employer in recent years. The object of the law as it stood was to ensure that a man would think twice before he took on an apprentice, and make quite sure first that bis prospects were such as to justify liinj in taking tht> responsibility.

There will he ;m exodus of vessels, both overseas and coastal. from Auckland to-day, and the wharves to-morrow will 1/e comparatively bare. The Royal Mail liner Niagara is to sail for- Vancouver, and the City of Khartoum for Wellington al noon, the Ferndale for London, and the. Clydebank for Port Chalmers at throe o'clock this afternoon, the I'ipiriki for Napier at five o'clock this evening, and the motor-ship Columbia for Makatea tonight. Thcso are all large overseas vessels, and in addition the coastal steamers to leave will ho the. Kahuna,- Gunbar, Tiioa. Waimea, Mako and Margaret W, as well as a number of Northern Company's steamers.

Advice has been received by the Auckland Automobile Association from the engineer of tho llauraki I'lains County that the Pipiroa ferry on the Auck-land-Thames highway has been closed to traffic for a few days and motorists will require to cross the Pinko River by the. bridge at Ngatca. This alteration in the route will nipan an additional seven or eight miles on the trip between Auckland and Thames.

While Sir Kenneth Douglas, a solicitor of Wellington, was walking across the intersection of Constable Street and Riddiford Street, Wellington, yesterday, lie was struck by a delivery van and received a fracture of the leg. Sir Kenneth was taken to the Wellington Hospital.

A rabbit with most unusual teeth was recently caught in a trap by Mr. C. Hughes, at Longbush, Southland. Instead of possessing the usual short, wellground teeth, it had curving tusks Ijjin. in length. A rabbit keeps its teclh short, by grinding them together, but this unfortunate rabbit's tipper and lower jaws were so much out. of alignment that the

sets of teeth did not, .meet, with the result that they grew into tusks. It must have been almost, impossible for the rabbit to obtain food, and it is not surprising that it was in very poor condition when caught.

Farmeis throughout North Tarariaki have never been so well provided with winter feed for their stock as this year. All appear to have both hav and ensilage in abundance and unless conditions are very unfavourable in tho spring many farmers expect to bo able to leave intact at least one stack of hay and ensilage of last season's harvest. On some of the larger farms where it was possible to dose some of the pastures for a while in the autumn no hi-ty or ensilage has >ct been used.