LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21100, 6 February 1932, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Injured by Exploding Lamp. Through the explosion of a blow-lamp he was using, severe burns to the rißht arm, shoulder and neck were received yesterday by a Public Works employee, Mr. John Lindsay, aged 28, of 3, Albert Road, Devonport. The accident occurred at Warkworth, where the injured man was working. After receiving medical attention, he journeyed to Auckland by service car and was admitted to the Auckland Hospital. His condition last evoning was not serious. Funds lor Blandford Park. Advice has been received by the Auckland Football Association that the request for a loan of £I2OO for the purpose of putting Blandford Park in order and to meet debts has been granted by the New Zealand Football Association. From the proceeds of a forthcoming art union the Auckland Football Association hopes to purchase Blandford Park outright. Van Goes Over Bank. The occupants of a motor-van, which fell over a 15-foot bank in Chapman Street, Newton, yesterday afternoon, had a fortunate escape from serious injury. The van was being backed when it went over the footpath and, after crashing through a fence, fell on to an outhouse. The vehicle was considerably dapiaged. Scarcity of Hen Eggs. "Hen eggs are exceptionally scarce at present," a prominent produce merchant said yesterday. Inquiries had shown that a similar scarcity existed through most of the Dominion, particularly in those portions which had experienced a hot, dry summer. Prices were nevertheless lower than at fhis time last year, and he was inclined to think that the low price of tomatoes, a rival of the egg for breakfast fare, was largely responsible for their comparative cheapness. Both hen and duck eggs are selling at from Is to Is wholesale and Is 6d retail. Unusual Exhibit at Oourt. ( An unusual exhibit in the grounds of the Supreme Court yesterday was a badly damaged motor-car, which figured in a case involving a charge of negligent driving causing death. During the hearing of the case the jury had the opportunity of seeing the car and comparing its parts with another car of the same model. Fruit to the Needy. Through the generosity of a firm at the City Markets, scvvt. of prime bananas were received at the relief office -of the Hospital Board yesterday for distribution among recipients of relief. In previous years, gifts of locally-grown fruit have "been received, but this is the first consignment of Island fruit that has been given. The gift was greatly appreciated, especially by the children, who were given a most enjoyable surprise. An appeal is made by social workers to householders to allow no fruit to go to waste in their gardens. Any consignments will bo gladly received by social workers for distribution. Large Trout Caught. Fishing on the Mataura River last Saturday, a few chains below the Ferry Bridge, Mr. J. Robertson, of Wyndham, caught one of the best trout taken in the district this season. The fish, an excellently conditioned brown trout, was 28jin. long, in girth, and weighed 121b. The bait used was the silverheaded Willesdon minnow, and the angler had a thrilling battle with the fish. The same sportsman secured a trout from the Mataura a short time ago. Wheat Ripening Rapidly. The rapidity with which the wheat crops are ripening in Canterbury was experienced by a farmer recently in the Ashburton district. In the morning ho inspected a paddock of wheat and decided that it would be ready for the binder in two or three days' time. Then camo a very hot day, with a blustering north-west wind, and in the evening ho again looked at the crop. To his surprise he found it to be ready for immediate cutting, while the wind had already shaken sonio of the grain on to the ground. Publicity for Mew Zealand. Every effort is being made by the Matson Line to bring the many tourist attractions of New Zealand under the notice of wealthy Americans. The campaign to attract visitors to the Dominion includes- articles by prominent writers in leading newspapers and magazines of the United States. The services of Mr. Zane Grey, the noted novelist and deep-sea fisherman, have now been enlisted, and as he has a first-hand knowledge of the resorts and sporting opportunities available in New Zealand, his articles should be widely read. In a letter received in Auckland this week Mr. Grey says he has undertaken a big advertising campaign for the Mat son Line in the interests of sport in New Zealand. "This great steamship line is going to exploit New Zealand as it did Hawaii and I am going to help," says Mr. Grey. "This should be of interest to all New Zealanders, for it means in time a big increase in travellers to your country." Incidentally Mr. Grey mentions that he will not be able to visit New Zealand for this fishing season as he had hoped, having been compelled to postpone his trip until next October. Evicted Man's Furniture. Evicted two days previously from the house which had been his and his wife's homo for many years, a poultry farmer in the Riccarton district was last week guarding his furniture in the roadway. Both night and day he had remained near the hedgo alongside which the furniture was stacked. His wife was staying with friends. The man is about 60 years of ago and has no family. The man's plight has engendered a good deal of sympathy from residents of tho district, and ho was offered an old houso for the storage of the furniture which he has so closely guarded. It is understood that he appealed to the Supreme Court under tho Mortgagors' Relief Act when he found that lie could not meet his interest payments on the farm, but that his appeal was unsuccessful, and as a result ho had to leave his homo. His furniture was removed from the house and deposited in the roadway. Lace-bark Hat. The ingenuity and skill that women can employ in making use of any materials at their disposal was exemplified at Ahititi, Taranaki, last Saturday. At a meeting held to form a branch of the Women's Divison of the Farmers' Union a small child was wearing a dainty hat apparently made of beautiful fancy straw but actually fashioned by the child's mother from lace bark, a well-known tree that grows in the bush. It was stated that the child had even a prettier one at home, fashioned from the same material and dyed.