LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21347, 23 November 1932, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Diomede Returning After <1 seven weeks' cruiso to Southern ports, H.M.S. Diomede left Wellington for Auckland last evening. The warship is due to-morrow. She is to go into dock for three or four days for cleaning and painting.

Gliding Not Allowed An application for permission to utilise the slopes of Mount Boskill for the purpose of operating a gliding machine was received at a meeting of the Road Board last evening. It was decided to decline the application on account of the locality being a public place. Strawberries Cheaper

There were good supplies of strawberries at the Auckland City Markets yesterday, following recent favourable weather. Although the demand remained fairly satisfactory, prices fell by a substantial amount, all varieties being obtainable 5d to 6d a chip less than last week. Injured in Fall

Injuries to the thigh were received by Mr. William Abbott, an employee at the Westfield freezing works, when he slipped and fell while working in the freezing chamber yesterday morning. The injured man, who resides in Mays Street, Devonport, was taken by a St. John ambulance to the Auckland Hospital. Speed Past Schools

"There is a restriction which limits the speed of motor vehicles to 15 miles an hour past schools, but I venture to say that not one motorist in a thousand observes the rule," said Mr. C. J. W. Taylor at last evening's meeting of the Northcote Borough Council. It was the same with many other minor traffic regulations, ho said. Maintenance of Yacht Moorings

A new by-law to empower the Harbour Board to cancel the lease of a mooring site and to remove the moorings of any yacht or launch owner in a protected anchorage who fails to maintain them in a reasonable state of repair is to bo passed by the board. At a meeting yesterday the board instructed its solicitors to draft a by-law authorising these steps.

Northcote's Good Water "Tests taken of the water used in the borough were so good that further tests were conducted to make sure that there had been no error," said the Mayor of Northcote, Mr. R. Martin, at a meeting of the Borough fcouncil last evening. The results were even more satisfactory the second time. "So now we are satisfied that we are getting good water," he added. No Band Concerts on Wharf

A request for the use of Central Wharf by the Auckland Waterside Workers' Band for concerts on Sunday evenings to obtain funds for the purchase of uniforms was declined by the Harbour Board at a meeting yesterday after the traffic manager reported that, the wharves were closed to the public after 6 p.m. The board decided to inform the band that the unleased portion of the dock site was available for its use.

Work for City Boys A total of 674 applications for enrolment has been received from unemployed boys at the office of the Auckland Boys' Employment Committee since July 18 last. Of this number 315 were town applications and 359 country. Positions were found for. 428 boys, 222 of whom were placed in the city and 206 in the country. The average age of the boys for whom work was found in the city was 15.6 years and that of those placed in the country 16.4 years. Demand for Small Far its

"There is a demand for small farms, then?" asked Mr. Justice Smith, when a 15-acre property at Hillsborough was under discussion in the Supreme Court yesterday. "Oh, yes," said the land agent who was giving evidence. "Until a little while ago they were the most saleable things we had." He added that there were still inquiries for 15-acre farms, but not without buildings on them. "They are rushing us for market garden area;;," said another land agent.

Auckland's Footpaths The disciplined control of pedestrian traffic on Auckland's footpaths was favourably commented upon by Mr. J. W. Hayden on his return by the Mariposa yesterday from a visit t6 England. "London has still the best controlled road traffic and the worst controlled footpath traffic in the world," he said. English people walked on whichever side of the footpath they liked and there was great congestion, he said, where-as in Auckland practically everybody obeyed the "keep to the left" rule, and there was no congestion.

Wages Tax Not Known A man charged in the Magistrate's Court yesterday with failing to maintain his wife admitted in evidence that he had never paid tbe unemployment wages tax. "I do not know anything about it," he added. " You will one of these days," remarked the magistrate, Mr. W. R. McKean. Defendant, who rejected a suggestion that he should apply to enter a relief camp for married men, was sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended so long as he kept up payments to his wife in accordance with a Court maintenance order.

Favourable Exchange Benefit A saving of £lB3 to the Transport Board by placing a contract for steel with an Australian firm was reported to the board at a meeting yesterday by the secretary, Mr. W. St. J. Clarke. He stated that when tenders for special material for the Queen Street-Karangahape Road junction were called, the board had accepted a quotation of £1550 from an Australian firm. The board had taken advantage of the favourable exchange rate existing at the time of entering the contract and had placed the money on deposit in a bank at Newcastle for three months at 2£ per cent interest. This transaction reduced the cost of the material to £1336.

Optimism in England " There is a general feeling of optimism in England and banking authorities are of tho opinion that there is a definite movement toward improved financial and commercial conditions," said Mr. J. W. Hayden, of Auckland, who returned yesterday from a visit abroad. He had been struck by the high retail prices being maintained for New Zealand meat and expressed the opinion that an influential "ring" must be operating to produce such a result. Ib was a great pity so much New Zealand butter was being blended with foreign butter in England, usually Russian. It was being sold under an Empire label, which was extremely misleading.