LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21131, 14 March 1932, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Money for Debentures. An indication that there is money seeking investment in Christchurch was given tho city treasurer lust week. A man, who had boen informed, in - reply to a question, that tllo City Council had debentures for sale, went away and returned in due course with £IOOO, buying debentures to thai value.

Large Schnapper Caught. A schnapper weighing 151b. was caught, on tho lino at, Maketu, in the Bay of Plenty, yesterday morning by a youth, Basil Smith, of Wairoa. He. was fishing in the bar from the beach when he secured the fish. According to fishermen at Maketu, Ihe fish is the biggest schnapper landed by line at the beach.

Boys in Drifting Canoe. Two boys, aged 13 and 15, were in a six-foot canvas sailing canoe which was drifting helplessly in the Itarigitoto Channel on Saturday evening without sails or oars. The boys were rescued by a passing launch, which also attempted lo tow the boat, lo port, but the frail craft capsized and it had to be cast adrift. The launch landed the boys at, I'arnell.

Two Sydney Steamers on Friday. Two passenger steamers will leave Auckland for Sydney on Friday. The Union Company's steamer Marama will arrive from Sydney to-morrow morning and sail on her return trip to Sydney at three o'clock on Friday afternoon. The Matson Line steamer Sierra, will arrive from Los Angeles on Friday morning and sail for Sydney at five o'clock the same evening.

Distressing Poverty. " Some shocking cases of distress have come, to my notice lately," said the Rev. L. McMa'ster, of Woolston, Christ«hurch, tho other day. "In one house there was no food, no furniture—not even so much as a table or a. chair—the gas and electric light were cut off, and tho woman, a young mother, was desperately ill. Luckily, I was able to provide them with a double bed and a cot, a table and some chairs, and a little food, and it seems to have encouraged there tc make a fresh start."

Library Clock Chimes. A curious fault, in the chimes of the Public Library clock has puzzled shopkeepers and others carrying on business in the vicinity. When the clock strikes the hour it chimes only the quarter-hour; at, quarter-past the hour the. half-hour chimes are played; at half-past the threequarter chimes, and the full chimes are played at, a quarter to the hour. In other words, a trip in the synchronisation appears to have occurred, causing the chimes to be always a quarter of an hour ahead of the actual time.

Steamer's Machinery Repaired. After being delayed for nine days owing to a breakdown to her machinery, the Canadian National steamer Canadian Conqueror resumed her voyage to Wellington at mid day yesterday. The vessel arrived at Auckland from Halifax: on March 2 and after unloading cargo she sailed for Southern ports and Australia on March 4to complete discharge. Shortly after she left port, a fault was discovered on the base of the air pump chamber and the vessel anchored in the gulf until temporary repairs were effected by the engineers. Next morning she returned to port, to have, a new air pump base installed.

Anniversary of Historic Landing. Ninety-onc years ago to-day Captain Hobson marie his official landing at Auckland as Lieutenant-Governor, the site of the city having been selected by him in the previous September. He was received by a. guard of honour, and the tiny community welcomed him with such ceremony 'as its scanty resources could furnish. A procession escorted the. Lieuten-ant-Governor to'the newlv-erected official residence. Shortly afterward, on May 3, 1841, New Zealand ceased being a dependency of New South Wales and was proclaimed a separate, colony. Captain Hobson accordingly became Governor instead of Lieutenant-Governor.

Fainting in Crowd. Although io is not unusual for women to faint when a large crowd is assembled in the open air, two people, both of them mon, fainted within a few minutes of each.other while listening to the Labour addresses in the Domain yesterday afternoon. Shortly after the first man collapsed a request was made through the loud-speakers for a doctor. The man was still lying on the ground when a second man, standing not far awav, collapsed also. A St. John ambulance was summoned, but before it had arrived the second patient had recovered. The fust patient, who remained prone, was taken in the ambulance to the hospital, where he subsequently recovered.

Cheering the Despondent. " Thers is a species of wild clematis which, alike in tho Old Country and New Zealand, climbs over the dark forest growth and with its white starliko blossoms brightens and beautifies tho landscape. It is called '"Traveller's joy,' " said the Governor-General, when opening the Commercial Travellers' Conference in Wellington last week. " May ( suggest to you that, there is no more salutary function which you can perform as you travel round (his land of promise, but of temporary economic gloom, than to smother with ' traveller's joy ' the qualms and anxieties of those with whom you arc brought in contact, and thus restore confidence to many who are inclined, without sufficient reason, to abandon hope."

Meaning ol Aotearoa. Tho reference by Tuhu Wiremu Rataua, tho Maori religious loader, to the union of interests of Aotearoa, tho North Island, and those of To Waipounamu, the South Island, m the course of a speech at t.He native assembly at Te Kuiti, draws attention to tho many names applied to the islands of the Dominion. AoteaiVja is tho general name among the Maori tribes for the whole of New Zealand, only tho peoples of a portion of the North Island west coast, near Wanganui, using the word, as Rataua has done, to describe tho North Island, which is ordinarily called To Ika a Maui. An abbreviated form of Aotearoa, Aotoa, is tho Maori term for Great Barrier Island. New Zealand was onto known as 1 iri Tiri o te Moana —" placed at wide intervals in the ocean"—and the Rarotongans knew this country as Avaiki-Tautau, one of the Pacific Ocean's many Hawaikis. 'llieve is also a modern expression, Niu Tireni, which is merely a Maori pronunciation of New Zealand.