LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21414, 11 February 1933, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Season for Mushrooms Early mushrooms, the supply of which has been increased by recent warm rains, have appeared in (he districts surrounding Auckland. They are at present available in large quantities at the city markets and are selling at 5s a tin of about 121b. Instruction in Poultry Farming A new feature of agricultural training provided at the Otahuhu technical High School is a class in poultry farming. Each member of the class, which comprises 26 girls and 44 boys, is responsible for the rearing of several well-known breeds of poultry. A "Popular" Offence "At the present time the popular offence seems to be breaking and entering," said Mr. Justice Herdman, when sentencing a man yesterday. "I have a multitude of these cases to deal with i Men must understand that even although times are hard they have no business to break and enter and steal." Record Court Sitting Probably the largest number of prisoners ever dealt with at one sitting of tho Supreme Court in Auckland came before Mr. Justice Herdman yesterday morning. Thirty-one men and two women were brought up for sentence. Sentence was passed on 26 persons and six had their cases adjourned until next week. Spectacular Water-Spouts Two water-spouts provided campers and residents at Ohope Beach, Whakatnne, with a spectacular sight on Tuesday. One of the spouts, which remained in perfect formation for nearly ten minutes, could bo seen approaching tho coastline from the direction of' Opotiki, but the formation broke before it reached the shore. Unsaleable Cucumbers The benches of the city markets were piled high yesterday with unsaleable cucumbers. Tho season has been an extraordinarily prolific one for cucumbers, which have been on the market since October. The demand has weakened considerably during the past few weeks and only limited sales could be made yesterday at. Is for 12 dozen. Life-saving Precautions Precautions against drowning accidents aje being taken by the Auckland Tramping Club, members of which are constant visitors to the west coast beaches. A light belt and 100 yds. of line suitable for rescue purposes are now carl'ied by the trampeis The club has arranged with the Takapuna Surf Life-saving Club for instruction in life saving methods, especially resuscitation. Porpoises Close to Shore A big school of porpoises, estimated to number at least 20, attracted a lot of attention off Tararu, Thames, yesterday morning. The porpoises came close in shore, being for some time only a few yards from the concrete wall opposite the Tararu public school. Residents were afforded a splendid opportunity of watching the deep sea visitors at close quarters from this vantage point. New Relief Workers' Scheme Much of tho timber land around Mount Egmont will be stumped and improved if the new unemployment relief scheme which the authorities have in view is put into being. The scheme provides that areas of. land now occupied but not producing anything approaching full capacity will bo cleared and given all-the-year access. As payment, a portion of the land so cleared will be taken and there will be settled on it producers who are now unemployed. Exchange and Mission Funds One of the many activities which will be seriously affected by the higher exchange rate is the work being carried out on many foreign mission fields. It is estimated that approximately £IOO.OOO is sent out of tho Dominion yearly to maintain something over 400 misisonaries. It has been computed that the amount which will bo lost as a result of the exchange movement will be equivalent to withdrawing the salaries of more than 50 of these workers. Motorists and the Law The duty of motorists to drive carefully at all times was stressed by Mr. Justice Smith in the Supreme Court yesterday at the conclusion of the trial of a young man on a charge of negligent driving causing death. His Honor, said that under the criminal law of New Zealand a motorist was required to exercise all reasonable care. In the event of a collision occurring it. might bo that some person other than the motorist contributed to the cause of the collision, but that fact would not excuse the motorist, if he, also, had displayed negligence. Wreck of the Penguin The 24th anniversary of the wreck of the Union Company's steamer Penguin in Cook Strait, with the loss of 75 lives, falls to-morrow. At the time of the disaster, which occurred shortly after ten o'clock on the night of February 12, 1909, the Penguin, a vessel of 824 tons, bound from Picton to Wellington, with about 60 passengers, was struck on the starboard side by ari unknown obstruction which tore a large hole in the hull. Several boats were launched, but were smashed in the heavy seas. Some of the passengers and crew were washed ashore clinging to wreckage. Hiking at Seventy-two During the past year or two hiking as a pleasant form of exercise has. enjoyed increasing popularity, and although this sport has been confined largely to young people, a case has come under notice in which an elderly man undertook a tramp that would have discouraged many of those who follow this recreation. A Dunedin resident, aged 72 years, recently set off from the city at 6 a.m. and, travelling southwards, reached his destination, Loveil's Flat, at 6.45 p.m., having covered about 45'iniles in that time. At the end of his long walk he declared that lie was none the worse for his experience. Fishing in South Africa Although trout fishing does not appear to be popular in Durban, South Africa, huge shrirks arc sometimes caught from the beaches. Writing to members of the Council of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, Mr. C. H. Bould, a Wellington sportsman at present visiting South Africa, said that the trout streams were some distance from Durban and 'up to the time of writing he had not met a keen angler with a car. One had to go about 100 miles to get any shooting at all, and then only rock rabbits and small buck were obtainable. Sea fishing was the chief sport. They fished with 15ft. bamboo rods and heavy tackle from the surf and caught anything from mullet to shark. Recently a youth caught a shark over 6001b. in weight, playing it to a standstill and allowing the surf to bring it ashore.