LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20930, 21 July 1931, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The graduation ceremony of the ".Auckland University College 'will be held on Friday, August 14, at 2.30 p.m. In announcing the date of the ceremony, the president, Sir Georgo Fowlds, stated at a meeting of the college council yesterday that this would probably be the last occasion on which the ceremony would be held in the afternoon. Next year it was proposed to hold an evoning ceremony in conjunction with the graduation ball, to take place in May, while the Governor-General would be in residence in Auckland.

Three large overseas motor-ships, the Commonwealth and Dominion Lino's Port Huon, the Shaw, Savill and Albion Company's Coptic and the New Zealahd Shipping Company's Otaio, are now berthed at Queen's Wharf The Port Huon and the Coptic are completing their cargoes of New Zealand produce, the Coptic being scheduled to sail for Genoa and London to-day and the Port Huon for London to-morrow. The Otaio is unloading general merchandise from West Coast ports of Great' Britain. The Port Iluon was built in 1927 and her tonnage is 8021 gross. The Coptic was built the following year, and is practically the same size as the Port Huon. The Otaio is a new vessel of 10,000 tons.

As the result of a steam boiler bursting at the Otahuhu railway workshops yesterday morning an engineer, Mr. Norman Roy Moore, aged 25, of 5, Koraha Street, Eemuera, received burns on the head and face. He was removed to the Auckland Hospital, where his condition was regarded last evening as not serious. The electric light failed in the Otahuhu district shortly b c f° re 10.30 p.m. yesterday, owing to a minor defect, in the service. The area affected remained in darkness for about a hour before the fault could be located.

Notice of motibn to rescind the resolution recently passed by the Waitetnata Electric Power Board, reducing by 10 per cent, the wages of the staff working under awards, was given by Mr. O. W. Marks at a meeting of the board yesterday. He said that if the resolution were rescinded he would then move that the wages of employees working under awards should be treated in the same manner as those of the office staff, which had been reduced on a graduated scale.

A warning that henceforth fines of £1 will not cover offences for driving without a licence, was given by Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., in the Onehunga Police Court yesterday. "It is grossly unfair to the general public that drivers, particularly youths, who have not obtained licences, should take p'eople out for rides in cars," said the magistrate, in fining a number of offenders. In such cases, added Mr. Levien, the third party was left absolutely uncovered in the event of accident. In future it would not pay to bo even a day overdue. In many cases the offenders were youths under 21, so that an injured person had no redress whatever.

The disabled steamer City of Kimberley was towed from the, anchorage to Prince's Wharf yesterday after,noon to unload the remainder of her cargo : from New York; the goods being for Napier, Wellington, Lytteltony Dunedin, Sydney and Mel-: bourne. Cargo for Southern ports will be forwarded by the Waimarino, that for Sydney by the Kartigi and goods /or Melbourne by the Waikawa. After completion of discharge the City of Kimberley will return to the anchorage until repairs can' be carried out about the end of August, when the new propeller, tailshaft and crankshaft? will' arrive from England. f

The superioHty of the motor-lorry over the horse dray even from the point of view of economy was claimed by the' engineer of the Takapuna Borough Council, Mr. J. D. Bodle, at a special meeting of the council last evening, when the question of reducing expenditure on cartage was under consideration. He said the motor vehicle's greater, speed and carrying capacity and the fact that it could be made available at a moment's notice made it much more suitable than the dray for the type of work required to be done in the borough. On the whole lie considered it would also prove, less expensive. It was decided to keep in commission one of the council's two lorries for transport work and one of the throe drays for minor road repairs and the removal of refuse.

Half a ton of kauri gum, valued at about £IOO, was stolen'early on Sunday morning from tho store of Mr. Alexander Sinton, at Brigham's Creek, on the upper reaches of tho Auckland Harbour, ilio propiietor discovered that tho building had been forced open.

Satisfaction at the action of the Government in removing the protection on stoats and weasels was expressed in a. resolution passed by tho council of the Auckland Instituto and Museum yesterday afternoon. In moving that the council should congratulate the Government, Mr J. C. Entrican said it was to be regretted that the animals Were ever let loose in New Zealand. A copy of the resolution will also bo forwarded to the Auckland Acclimatisation Society.

The popularity of the lectures given at the War Memorial Museum on Sunday afternoons was commented on by Mr. A. G. Lunn, president of the council of the Institute and Museum yesterday afternoon. The series had had a pronounced effect on the attendances. The director, Mr. Gilbert Archey, reported that 95,960 people had visited the museum since the beginning of the year, and, since the last council meeting, tho weekly average had ben 2180. ' ,

The opinion that the election of follows of the New Zealand Institute as at present practised should bo abolished was expressed in the report of a special committee which was adopted by the council of the Auckland Institute and Museum yesterday afternoon. The council recently was invited by the institute to give its views on tho fellowship.

It was stated at tho Waipa County Council meeting at To Awamutu yesterday that the Public Works Department has let contracts for carting huge hardwood poles for a transmission line that will connect Taumarunui with the hydroelectric works at Arapuni. One portion of the 1 contract provides for carting poles, SOfi. in length* and weighing about 25cwt. each, from the Putururu and Te Awamutu railway stations, but as the localities to he reached have unmetalled roads the conTractor will only convey tho poles to the ends of the metal roads at present, taking them on to tho sites chosen during tho summer months.