LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20724, 18 November 1930, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Head and abdominal injuries were received by a shunter, Mr. John Nicholson, aged ?8, when he fell from a moving truck in the railway station yards yesterday afternoon. Mr. Nicholson, whoso home is at 20, Queen Street, Ellerslie, was taken by the St. John Ambulance to the Auckland Hospital. His condition last evening was not serious.

Four aeroplanes belonging to the Auckland Aero Club will bo flown to New Plymouth to-morrow, and if the club's new Gipsy Moth is available it will also make the trip. The pilots will bo Mr. E. It. Boucher, Mr. R. A. Kirkup, Mr. T, Philcox, who will be accompanied by Mr. It. J. Copley, and Flying-Ofliccr D. M. Allen, who will also carry a passenger. If the fifth machine makes the journey it will bo flown by Mr. W. Stevenson. The proposed visit to New Plymouth is the fourth of a series of weekly flights being undertaken by the Aero Club with the double purpose of encouraging aviation in country centres and of giving members experience in crosscountry (lying. This will be the last cross-country flight for three weeks.

Tho condition of Desmond Prickett, aged six years, who was struck by a motor-car near his homo in Freeman's Bay on Friday, was stated at tho Auckland Hospital to bo serious last evening. During tho week-end ho showed an improvement but this lias not been maintained, and yesterday he suffered a relapse.

Fishing for schnapper from a dinghy in (lie Rangitoto Channel yesterday Mr. E. Carter, of Cheltenham, secured a shark Oft. 6in, in length. Although tho fishing line was the fairly light type usually used for schnapper Mr. Carter succeeded in playing the shark until it was exhausted and was then able to take it ashore.

The electric cable from Takapuna Beach to the Rangitoto Beacon was laid »jross the channel >n less than two hours yesterday. It is expected that the current will be switched on in about two weeks, as the fittings at tho beacon will not bo completed for some days.

The latest of the Richardson Lino of steamers to be converted to a motorvessel is tho I'ukeko, which will leave for Sydney to-day. The Pukeko has been berthed at "Western Wharf for three months, while the new engines were being installed. Tho vessel is now equipped with twin Fairbanks Morse engines, each of 265 h.p. Trials made in the last few days show tho engines to be working well and 11 knots has been developed. The Pukeko will return to the coastal trade in December.

The Auckland Suburben Local Bodies' Employees' Union has asked the Onehunga Borough Council to suspend until the new year tho reduction of labour in the borough. Jn a letter received by the council last evening the union stated that hardship was already being experienced by the men, tho average earnings of about £3 a week being barely sufficient for sustenance. As most of the men had to meet pajments on their properties, they must eventually relinquish their equity, as one had already done. Tho matter will be discussed by the council in committee.

A five-lon motor-truck, owned by Winstone, Limited, skidded on the iron track rails on the temporary wooden bridge at Orakei yesterday morning and, crashing through the railing, camo to rest with ono wheel over the side. A projecting beam prevented tho vehicle from capsizing. The truck, which was .laden with stone, was placed back on to the bridge and resumed its journey.

" In my experience it is the expert driver who is responsible for most acci« dents," said Mr. H. Bransgrove, traffic inspector in Mount Eden, at tho annual meeting of the Suburban Traffic Inspectors' Association last evening. " The expert driver sees an opening and nine times out of ten he may get through, but tho tenth time ho fails. The new driver may bo a nuisance, but as a rule ho is too careful to cause an accident."

A striking illustration of the effect of tho low price of butter-fat was given at a meeting of the directors of the Morrinsville Co-operative Dairy Company. It was stated that whereas last year one ton of superphosphate could be delivered to Morrinsville in exchange for 741b. of butter-fat, this season it took 1241b. to purchase tho same amount of manure.-

The famous criminal trial of Oscar Slater was referred to in the Supreme Court yesterday when counsel quoted it in mandamus proceedings being taken against the Manukau County Council. The point at issue was whether the separate portions of a building of flats are properly referred to as "houses." Mr. Prendergast, for the council, admitted that it was, perhaps, stretching the authority of tho Oscar Slater case somewhat, but he quoted from a preface to the report of that trial references which clearly showed that tho term "house" referred to a flat. Mr. Justico Smith remarked that the Slater caso was an authority on questions of mistaken identity and was becoming an authority on tho question of misdirection to a jury, but he would hardly care to say that it was an authority on the meaning of tho word "house."

A statuo representing tho Sacred Heart has been erected in tho grounds in front of the Church of Our Lady of tho Rosary in Hamilton. Tho statue, which was sculptured in Italy, stands 4ft. 6in. in height, and has beon placed on it concrete base. It was tho gift of a member of tho church and was dedicated and unveiled privately by Father Bleakley on Sunday.

"Last season there was a certain amount of dissatisfaction with the umpiring in Plunket Shield matches and firstclass matches," stales tho annual report of tho Now Zealand Cricket Council. "The main complaint was, as previously, in matches between Wellington and Auckland. It has been suggested that the Management Committee should select or assist in selecting umpires for Plunkot Shield matches, and tho committee would like to have the views of tho delegates on this matter. Tho commit!oo has considered the advisability of following tho English system to a modified extent, and asking each captain in Plunket Shield and first-class matches to mako a report on the umpiring in each game, which report should be confidential to the Management. Committee and would be some guide in the selection of umpires for important games. The committee would also like to have the views of the delegates on this proposal."-