LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22499, 17 August 1936, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ho-Ho at Whangaruru The Norwegian yacht Ho-Ho, which left Auckland for Norfolk Island on Tuesday, arrived at Whangaruru 011 Saturday. Ambulance Busy A busy time was experienced over the week-end by St. John Ambulance drivers, who had 23 cases 011 Saturday and IS yesterday. Out of the 41 trips they made six were to places at a distance from the city, including Waiuku, Ifowick, Papakura, Manurewa, Ponga and Hunua. Fall From Tramcar Through falling from a tramcar in Queen Street, Onehunga, 011 Saturday night, Dorothy Weaver, aged 10, the daughter of .Mr. and Mrs. J. Weaver, of 41 Grotto Street, Onehunga, received head injuries. She was taken to the Auckland Hospital in a St. John ambulance. Her condition is fairly serious. Post Office Antiques Another of the Government plates bearing the initials "V.R.," placed on post offices and letter boxes during the reign of Queen Victoria, is attached to a shop in Onehunga where a mail box is set into the wall. Such plates, although now a rarity in cities, are fairly common in country districts. There are also several "E.R." plates to be seen—one of them at Orua Bay, on the Maimkau Harbour. Referee Injured An unusual incident happened in the Paeroa-Te A roll a junior Rugbv match on Saturday, writes the Hkrald's Paeroa correspondent. The Paeroa fullback was making a flying kick at a ball in the loose when his boot came in contact with the head of the referee, Mr, S. Mclntyre, who was for some time laid out. He resumed after a few minutes, but after a further quarter of an hour's play he had to retire again. Ducks at Sea "We often wonder where the ducks disappear to after the first couple of days of the season," stated Mr. T. Andrews, ranger, in a letter to the Wellington Acclimatisation Society. "All aeroplane reported seeing a large number of ducks at sea while coming down the coast between the Rangitikci and Mnnawatu Rivers. It was estimated that there were thousands, and when they alighted on the sea. after being disturbed they covered at least 10 acres, mallards seeming to predominate." Car Crashes Into Garden A roadster car owned by Mr. T. Cheeseman, of 7 Raumati Street, Remuera, which he had parked outside his residence, was found early yesterday morning in a damaged condition in the front garden of a house at 8 Homai Street, which is occupied by Mr. C. Collier. The car could not be driven, as necessary engine parts had been removed, and the vehicle evidently had run down the incline of the street and into Homai Street, which intersects. The car carried away a length of wire fence before it crashed into the garden. It was removed later by a breakdown waggon. Popular Railway Excursions Sixteen hundred railway excursionists visited Auckland during the week-end, mainly for the purpose of attending either the final Rugby League test match between England and New Zealand or the North Island final of the Chatham Cup. A special train from Wellington, which arrived on Saturday morning and left yesterday afternoon, carried 390 passengers 011 both journeys. One-day excursion trains on Saturday from Rotorua, Hikurangi and To Kuiti conveyed 350, 300 and 250 persons respectively. Regular trains from other sources also brought numerous visitors to the city. Week-end travellers to and from Auckland, including those who travelled on the excursion to Wellington, which is due back at 7.36 this morning, and one to Cambridge for the trotting meeting, thus totalled approximately 2000. •

Closing of Oyster Season The season for rock oysters will officially close on Saturday next, when the final consignment of the season will be sold by the Government oyster depot. Commenting on the past season the manager of the depot stated, on Saturday that the demand for oysters this season had far exceeded the supply. The depot had handled over 1000 sacks more than in the same period last year, but there had still not been sufficient to satisfy the requirements of all the dealers. In order to make the supplies go round a rationing system was introduced, this being the only way to ensure that all buyers received a fair share of the consignments. The quality of the oysters generally compared favourably with those of last jear.

Overseas Mails Arriving The Empire air mail which was despatched from London on August 2 missed connection Avith the Marama, which left Sydney on Friday evening and is due at Wellington to-morrow morning. The mail will probably be forwarded by the Mariposa, leaving Sydney on Wednesday, and arriving at Auckland on Saturday morning. The Mariposa will probably also bring another air mail which was despatched from London on August 6 and is due at Sydney to-morrow. The Royal Mail liner Aorangi will arrive at Auckland from Sydney this morning with Australian mail, including an Empire air mail, despatched from London on July 29. The Marama has an Australian mail, of which 22 bags are for Auckland; where they are expected to arrive by train on Wednesday morning. Duo at Wellington from San Francisco this morning the lloyal Mail liner Makura has a large quantity of English and American mail, of which 311 bags are for Auckland.

Polar Bears at the Zoo Tlie Polar bear obtained from the Sydney Zoo for the Auckland Zoo enjoys a special distinction: there are not many Polar bears burn in captivity that have survived. Many births of Polar bears have been recorded at the Royal Zoological Gardens in London, for example, but it is stated that none has survived. It has been established that a disease invariably attacks the young bear at birth and speedily kills it, and so far a remedy has not boon evolved. It has also been found that sea lions, seals and penguins have, as a rule, a compftrafcively short life when in captivity away from the comparatively germ-free air of the Polar regions. But the Californian seals at the Auckland Zoo are not nearly so susceptible to disease as other types, although one of the contingent recently brought from America died soon after arrival from pneumonia, contracted when passing through the tropics.