LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21101, 8 February 1932, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Fires Prevalent. Several grass fires occurred in tlio city* nnd suburbs yesterday. No damage was done to property, and the fires were luickly under control. Tlio City Fire P.rigade attended outbreaks in Richmond Road and Richmond Avenue, Grey Lynn; Great North Road, New Lynn; and Brighton Road, Parnell. Fires in the City Council quarry, at the foot of Mount Eden, and in a small area of gorse in Rautangi Road, also at the foot of the mountain, were extinguished by the Mount Eden Fire Brigade. Reopening of Colleges. A number of colleges in Auckland will reopen this week. King's College and Sacred Heart College will resume tomorrow and work at St. Cuthbert's College will be recommenced on Wednesday. The Diocesan High School for Girls will reopen on Thursday. Girl Rescued From Surf. A young woman. Miss Clare Starkie. of Clifton Road, Takapuna, was saved from drowning by a member of the Hnuraki patrol of the Takapuna Surf Club shortly after 7 a.m. on Saturday. She was swimming some distance off Takapuna Beach when sho was taken out of her depth by the tide. Her cries for assistance were heard by a member of the surf club, Mr. S. Bolland, who reached her when sho was almost exhausted. She recovered after artificial respiration had been employed. Mr. Bolland rescued a man at Takapuna during the previous summer. Aeroplanes Visit Waihi. Four machines from the Auckland Aero Club flew to Waihi and landed on the beach on Saturday morning, returning the same day. The Puss Moth was piloted by Flight-Lieutenant D. M. Allan, and carried Mrs. E. R. Boucher and Mr. L. W. Swan as passengers. Mr. C. M. Richwhite piloted a. Motli, with his son as a passenger. Mr. J. M. Stevenson flew with Mr. E. R. Boucher, the club captain, and Mr. R. Kirkup flew with Mr. P. C. Lewis. Passenger flights were mado by the Puss Moth while on the beacl). Whale Seen in Gulf. An unusual visitor in the ITauraki Gulf on Saturday morning was a whale, which was sighted about two miles north of the Rangitofo beacon by Captain Wain- | house, of tlio Auckland Harbour Board's pilot launch. Captain Wain house at first thought that the object was a drifting launch, and he approached closer to investigate. When the launch was about 20ft. fiom it, tlio monster, which was estimated to bo 50ft. long, slowly submerged. The occasion is believed to be tlio first on which a whale has been seen so close inshore, although blackfish have been known to enter the gulf and some years ago one was stranded at Northcote Point.

Accident at Picnic. -As .a result of a fall 011 tlio rocks at I'ino Island yesterday .Mrs. Bradford, of 2, Richmond Hill, Grey Lynn, who was attending a Labour Party picnic, received a fracture of the right wrist. She was attended to by St- John Ambulance officers 011 tho island and later received treatment at the casualty ward of the Auckland Hospital. The trip from Pine Island to the city was made in a speedboat from the Ilobsonvillo aerodrome. Owing to the frequency of accidents at picnics ambulance officers when available arc now in attendance. Lake Rotorua Trout. A brown trout weighing 141b. was caught in Lake Rotorua, off Kawaha Point, by a local angler Friday. It measured 31 in. from noso to tail and liad a girth of 17^in. Ducks as Goldmines. The mythical "goose that laid the golden eggs " is recalled by a real-life story which comes from Runanga. A resident of that township had a number of ducks and killed one. While cleaning it ho was greatly surprised to find, in the gizzard, a nugget of gold, about the size of a pea. 'When the execution day for the next duck arrived lie remembered the occurrence and made a careful examination, with the result that a smaller nugget was found. This led to the immediate killing of a third duck—and the discovery of another nugget, says the Grey Star. The ducks were hatched on tho premises and have never been out of the run. Little Canterbury Fruit. Tho prospects for the export of fruit from Canterbury this season are not encouraging. Tho estimated total will be between 5000 and 10,000 cases, compared with the record total of 30,000 cases last season. Late frosts and a hailstorm on January 1, and the dry weather, have reduced tho crops very considerably, particularly in the Papanui and Loburn districts, where the bulk of fruit for export is grown. Tho recent heavy strong norwester came as a last straw to tho orchardists who specialise in apple and pear production. Their crops, already considerably curtailed, suffered severely, for the strong wind stripped tho ripening fruit from the branches. At Papanui heavy toll was taken of apples and pears. Most of the fruit is now lying on the ground and will bo useless. One man said it was not sufficiently far advanced to ripen off. In any caso it was too badly bruised to bo of any valuo for export. Juror's Objection to Oath, An application for exemption from jury service on an unusual ground was rnado by a middle-aged man at the opening of the criminal sessions of the Supremo Court at Palmerston North. He said lie did not want to take tho oath. "Do you feel you are not capable of serving on a jury'/" asked Mr. Justico MacGregor. " No, but I didn't want to take the oath," the man replied. "You had better striko this man's nam o off tho list altogether," said tho Judge to tho registrar. Reluctant Listeners. During a speech by tho Minister of Education, Hon. R. Masters, at the official opening of the new To Aro school, in Wellington tho other day, many of the children, tired with sitting so long on tho asphalted playground, broko away and resumed their plav. When recalled by tho headmaster they returned to their places with evident reluctance. "If I were asked to sit any length of time on tho hot asphalt," said tho Minister, " I think I would get up and go away, no matter who tho speaker was." The children heartily applauded tho sentiment, and when a minute later the Minister awarded them a full day's holiday the applause was renewed.