LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21253, 5 August 1932, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

Diomede at Suva Tho cruiser Diomede, which left Auckland on Juno 28 on her annual Island cruise and has been visiting the Eastern Pacific, arrived at Suva yesterday. The vessel will return to Auckland on August 26. Early Potatoes While many residents of Nelson were planting potatoes this week, Mr. G. j Ford, of Wairnea Street, was digging new ones, as he has done in similar years on the same day. Mr. Ford has also another | crop well above ground. Excused from Jury Service Called to servo on the common jury in tho Supreme Court in Wellington a baker asked to be excused on the ground that lie started work at 3 a.m. Ho said ho sat on the jury two years ago and, after having been up from early in the inoining, had found the day long and tiring. I don't suppose a man can be expected to listen intelligently to a case when lie has j been up since three o'clock," said His , Honor in grunting exemption. ! Unlighted Bicycles The number of unlighted vehicles, principally bicycles, on tho Great South ltoad, near Auckland, was the subject of comment by a motorist who arrived from the South early on Tuesday evening. He reported that between Wcstfield and the Great South Road tram terminus, he passed 11 bicycles without lights, rear reflectors or rear mud-guards painted white, and three motor-cars with only one headlight burning. Firewood for Unemployed There aro many unemployed in Napier who are unable to purchase firewood. Residents of the town aro doing much to reliove the position by allowing trees growing on their sections to be cut down and tho wood taken, free of charge, for distribution among tho registered unemployed. In various parts of Napier unemployed men are at present engaged in cutting down trees, the wood being cut into lengths and taken to a depot, from which source distributions arc made. The Taxi-driver's Client An amusing exchange occurred while a witness was giving evidence in a motoraccident case i.n the Supreme Court in Wellington. In cross-examination the witness said he volunteered his information to counsel for the plaintiff. "How did you come to meet him ?" asked counsel for defendant. "Ho is a client of mine," replied the witness amid laughter, in which His Honor joined. "Do you mean you aro a client of his, or is he a client of yours?" asked counsel. " Oh, he uses my taxi," was tho reply. Interest. Legislation The Rotorua Borough Council decided this week to support the Taknpuna Borough Council in its protest to the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, against the action of the Government in not availing itself of the provisions of the New South Wales Interest Reduction Act, 1931, in view of the fact that some months ago, both the Crown Law office and the Audit Department, insisted upon local bodies availing themselves of tho reduction. The Mayor, Mr. T. Jackson, said the matter did not affect the council directly. Educated Boys Without Work Of 96 bovs who recently applied for a position advertised by an organisation in which he was interested, stated Mr. M. E. Lyons at a Christchurch meeting last week, 83 had passed their matriculation examination. Tho task of selection had been very difficult, for it would have been possible to accept* almost any of the applicants, and be sure of getting a good boy. No duty had given him more pain, said Mr. Lyons, than this of rejecting, in the final choice, some 20 boys, most of whom had their higher leaving certificates, and some of whom had been without work for two years. Five Outward English Mails Five mails for England will be despatched from Auckland within the next four days. A shipment of mail will bo forwarded by the Rangitiki, which will sail early this morning, and this will be followed by a despatch to-morrow by tho Port Hunter. On Monday tliero will bo three mails closing for England, all by tho Main Trunk, to be forwarded by the Monowai, and Port Brisbane from Wellington and tho Westmoreland from Napier. Tho Rangitiki's mail is due at London on September 7, the Monowai's on September 6, and the others between Septtynber 13 and September 19. Method ol Pihnl riving A feature of the construction of the new bridge over the Waikato River near Tuakau is the unusual method of driving tho piles. The bed of tho river is mostly sand and the piles are each constructed with a hollow pipe through the centre. A hose is attache 1 to tho top of tho pipe and when the pile is in position for driving, water at high pressure is pumped down to tho point of the pile. The stream of water blows a liolo in the bed of the liver to admit the pile, which usually then settles about 13ft. down before the pile-driver has to bo used. This method is new in New Zealand, hut is largely followed in America, where piles are to bo driven through sand. Wedding Postponed A wedding arrangod at St. David's Presbyterian Church, Khyber Pass Road, for Wednesday evening was abruptly postponed on account of the sudden illness of tho bride. Many people had arrived to attend the ceremony, and numbers of motor-cars wero outside tho church. About 40 pooplo had assembled at tln» Domain Tea Kiosk to attend the wedding breakfast. An orchestra wap present and all provision for tho breakfast had been made. Tho guests waited until 9.30 p.m.—two and a-half hours after tho wedding was to have taken place—before they wero aware that the ceremony had been postponed. A portion of the wedding breakfast was presented to the Auckland Hospital. Motor-tractor on Kawau Island For the first time in the history of Kawau Island, a motor vehicle has been seen on Sir Oeorgo Grey's old coach road from tho Mansion llouso to tho trig sta- | lion. A tractor is being used by bush.' I men to' haul pine logs where tho | work was formerly carried out by bullock teams or horses. Residents of tho island who havo appreciated Kawau's long immunity from machines on the land regard tho tractor with mixed feelings. One woman resident writes as follows: —"Possibly it is only a step until the inhabitants own private cars. Moreover, it is rumoured that an enterprising firm is planning to run picnic parties to the trig station by tractors in the near future. 'One must move with the times, it seems—even in Kawau."-