LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21163, 21 April 1932, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Festival of the Passover. The Jewish festival of the Passover, which extands over eight days, was commenced last evening. Services will be held in tl.e synagogue and the festival will be observed in Jewish homes and business houses. Visitors to the Museum. There have been over 48,000 visitors to the Auckland Museum this year, according to a report submitted by the director, Mr. Gilbert Archey, at a meeting of the museum council yesterday. Since March 16 the attendance had been 17,712, weekly average of 3542. School Committee Allowances. A further reduction in school committee allowances, affecting district high schools, was notified by the Education Department to the Auckland Education Board yesterday. The special allowance of'7s 6d a head in respect of the secondary department of a district high school has been reduced to 5s a head from April 1. Mails for New Zealand. English, Eastern and Australian mail will reach Auckland from Sydney by the Matson Line steamer Sonoma on Saturday. The vessel has 628 bags for New Zealand, including 165 for Auckland. The Shaw, Savill and Albion liner Mataroa is due at Wellington from London next Wednesday with 625 bags of English mail and 271 bags of parcels for New Zealand. Activity of Poachers. •

"Poachers have been active," said the president of the Whangarei Acclimatisation Society, Mr. J. Parkin, in his report at the annual meeting. "Reports have come in that shooting has been going on even during the last month or so. The society took steps during the year to urge other societies And the New Zealand Acclimatisation Association to have legislation passed which would enable convictions for poaching to be obtained more easily." Manukau County Unemployed.

The loyalty of relief workers in the Manukau County has been stressed by the chairman of the county council, Mr. F. M. Waters. " All relief workers in the county appeared on their jobs on the clay when the strike was to eventuate,' lie said. The council has agreed that all unemployed relief workers in the county who were ratepayers should be given a chance of working additional days at relief wages in order to settle their rate accounts. This suggestion originally emanated from several relief workers.

Heavy Damage Olaim. Pending his action for damage; and expenses against Mr. Norman Smith and his manager, Mr. J. H. Mostyn, Mr. Don J. Harkness has been ordered by the Supreme Court to find £3OO as security for costs of the sction. Mr. Harkness is the designer of the racing c-ar Fred. H. Stewart Enterprises with which Mr. Smith is seeking to break world speed records. His claims against Mr. Smith for damages, for expenses and for part costs of the car, amount to about £5900. Mr. Harkness is at present in Australia. Dishonest Acts. Refusing to grant probation in a case of theft, forgery and uttering which was before the Supreme Court in Wellington on Monday, Mr. Justice MacGregor said that such offences were becoming much too common. "Before me for sentence this morning," His Honor said, "are about 12 men, nearly all of whom are young, and many of whom are charged with dishonesty of this nature. These offences are getting to be too frequent in the community. They are dishonest acts, thought out and committed with cunning."

Control o! Training Colleges. A strong protest against the proposal of the Auckland University College that the control of teachers' training colleges should be taken over by the University Colleges is to be made by the Auckland Education Board. At a meeting of the board yesterday it was decided that a special committee draw up a statement of the board's view. The chairman, Mr. A. Burns, said one of the principal objections to the proposal was that control would be divided, and tcjichers rc " quired practical as well as academic training.

Young "Woman Injured. Injuries to the head were suffered by Miss Graham Cochrane, aged 23, of 11, Kingsland Terrace, Kingsland, when a motor-truck in which she was travelling to work skidded and crashed into a verandah standard in Hobson Street yesterday morning. Miss Cochrane was taken to the Auckland Hospital by the St. John Ambulance. Her condition last evening was reported to be not serious. The windscreen of the vehicle was shattered and Miss Cochrane was cut by the flying glass, and she was thrown against the framework of the truck. Maori Figures in Bronze.

Two life-size busts of what were regarded by experts a§ characteristic Maori types, male and female, have been acquired by tho council of the Auckland Institute and Museum as a permanent record of the physical features of the race. Executed in bronze, tho busts are complete in every detail and show the distinctive facial tattooing. At yesterday's meeting of the council, however, criticism of the female typo was voiced, although it was stated that the bust was a faithful representation of a woman considered by experts as a fine type of Maori. A Giant Bullock.

Claimed to be one of the largest bullocks in New Zealand, Goliath, a Canter-bury-bred beast, which is to be taken to the United States ot America next month to compete at shows there against cattle from all parts of tho world, was shown in Dunedin a few days ago, 60 per cent, of the proceeds to be handed the Mayor's Unemployment Relief Fund. The animal is 19 hands high, weights 37001b. at his best, is 13ft. around the barrel, and is 12ft. from head to tail. It was shown by Mr. A. Hesse, who will accompany it on the American tour.

High School Uniform. While fully endorsing the efforts of the principal of the Whangavei High School, Mr. A. R. Ryder, to smarten the appearance of pupils' uniforms, the annual meeting of householders at the Whangavei primary school passed a resolution protesting against such a radical change as altering the colours ot the school, which, it was stated, would cause unnecessary expense to parents. The chairman, Mr. C. V. Stringer, said he had been approached by a number of parents, who had asked that the matter should be discussed, as they objected to the proposed changes being made during a period of financial hardship.