LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 21037, 23 November 1931, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The patient at the Auckland Mental Hospital who escaped last Wednesday was found on Saturday afternoon at Warkworth by the local police. He was returned to the institution in the even l ing. Improvement in the condition of two boys who were admitted to the Auckland Hospital on Friday suffering from severe injuries was reported by, the hospital authorities last evening. The boys are Douglas Kerr, aged 11, of 61, Richmond Avenue, who was injured when his bicycle aiul a motoi--car collided, and Robert Bell, aged 10, of 39, Wellington Street, who was struck by a motor-car while riding in a,trolley. The condition of both was satisfactory last evening. The last mnil that will reach England from New Zealand before Christmas was despatched from Auckland, via San Francisco, by the American steamer Sierra on Saturday. The vessel carried 56 bags of mail, of which 32 bags were for England, and included letters posted since the Royal Mail liner Aorangi sailed from Auckland, via Vancouver, last Tuesday with 1141 bags of mail for England. The Sierra's consignment is scheduled to arrive in London on December 21. The period of two months during which the taking of toheroas was prohibited by tho Marine Department, has now almost expired, and the prohibition will bo lifted as from the beginning of next month. The decision to forbid the taking of toheroas during October and November was reached on account of those two months being the spawning season. Canneries operating in North Auckland were not affected by the decision of the department, as they closed for the summer at the beginning of October. With the recent improvements to the park, Stanley Bay now has sports facilities probably unrivalled in Auckland from the point of view of variety and accessibility. There are tennis courts, a cricket ground, croquet lawns, bowling greens and children's swings, as well as facilities i for swimming and boating. The park has been lately top-dressed and tho new grass should come away well under tho influence of the beneficial rain experienced at the week-end.

The series of bivouacs which have been substituted for the usual annual camps of territorial units will commence today, when the 18th (Medium) Battery, New Zealand Artillery, under Lieutenant J. G. Stewart, will begin its four days' training at Eotorua. The battery will leave Auckland this morning, and will return next Saturday, while the 20th (Light) Battery will commence training next Saturday, and will return, to Auckland on the following Thursday. Major H. P. Warnock is in command of the 20th Battery, while Major R. Miles, general staff officer, Northern Command, will bo in command of the bivouacs. Each unit, which consists of five officers arid approximately 50 men, will carry out live shell practice on two of the four days. This week marks the first anniversary of the official opening of the new Auckland railway station. The ceremony was performed on November 24, 1930, which last year fell on a Monday. The station was actually brought into use on Sunday, November 16, eight days before the official function, an intensive effort spread over many hours being entailed in the change-over from the old site. The first sod on the-site of the new. station yard was turned in August, 1924. At a meeting of the Wanganui Hospital Board advice was received that the late Mr. Archibald Morton, who died at the hospital on October 22, had bequeathed the whole of, his estate to the Wanganui Hospital to be applied at the discretion of the members of the hospital and charitable aid boards. The gross amount was £419, from which funeral and legal expenses were to be deducted. Expressions of appreciation of the late Mr. Morton's action ware voiced by several members. "I am not able to read or write with the exception of signing my name, consequently 1 have been unable to keep books," declared Hugh Miller,.salesman, of Christchurch, at a meeting of his creditors before the Official Assignee. Bankrupt explained that he had been selling drapery from door to door for the last 22 years, and several creditors stated that during that time he had spent thousands of pounds with the warehouses. After bankrupt had been questioned it was decided that further inquiries be made and another meeting of creditors held shortly.

A reply to' the suggestion of the Main Highways Board that bridges should be constructed over the Waihuka Stream, which crosses the Opotiki-Gisbotne main Highway in several places, has been received by the board from the Waikahu County Council. It is considered likely that, subject to the settlement -of details, an arrangement for the finalising of this long-standing matter will be reached shortly. The flooding of the Waihuka stream completely disorganised traffic between Opotiki and Gisborne some months ago, and a number of motor-cars, including those of the vice-regal party, were held up. As a result of the successful Jubilee I celebrations held in October by the Patoa Borough, a balance of £3O was reported at the final meeting of the committee. It was decided to donate this sum toward a fund for the installation of wireless at the local hospital. "I am convinced that the crying need of our day is not for more politicians and economists—we have too many of the former already—but for more theologians, philosophers and poets who will get clown to the basic ideas and so give us foundations on which to build a civilisation that will meet the needs arid answer the aspirations of the men of our twentieth century," said Dr. J. D- Salmond, when addressing the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. For tho duration of one sitting, proceedings at the Palmerston North Supreme Court last Thursday probably established a record. Owing to it being imperative for him to fulfil an important appointment in Wellington on Friday, Mr. Justice Blair, decided to continue the hearing of cases as far as possible in order to complete the list of fixtures. Proceedings in a divorce case, which had been adjourned at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, were resumed at 10 a.m. on Thursday and carried on until 10 p.m. His Honor then heard another case and commenced tho hearing of a defended divorce suit at 11 p.m., continuing until 1.40 a.m. on Friday, when the hearing was adjourned, until 10 a.m.