LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22574, 12 November 1936, Page 12

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Monterey's Empire Air Malls Two Empire Air mails will reach Auckland from Sydney by the Monterey on Saturday morning. One mail was despatched from London on October 26 and the other on October 28. Noisy Motor-cycles " We cannot allow this sort of thing —it is a nuisance to the public," said Mr. F. K. Hi mt, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, when several motor-cyclists were charged with making undue noise with their machines. They were fined £2 each, and costs. Accident Victim's Condition An improvement is reported in the condition of Mr. Arthur Herbert Gaskell, aged 64, of Glen Murray, who was taken to the Auckland Hospital on Tuesday suffering from concussion and internal injuries, the result of a motor accident. Mr. Gaskell, who was admitted in an unconscious condition, is now out of danger. 40-Hour Week Sanctioned The introduction of a five-day week of 40 hours was authorised by tho Mount Wellington Road Board for its outdoor staff this week. It was stated that by a slight adjustment of duties it would be possible to grant the staff the benefits of the new legislation. It was decided to defer consideration of the same conditions for the office staff. A Question ol Climate Counsel was arguing briskly with a witness yesterday as to whether rain had fallen on the night of the accident. " This accident happened in Auckland, didn't it? " asked Mr. Justice Callan gently. He was assured that it did. " Well, it is not very remarkable that it should rain," said His Honor, and the amusement of the jury seemed to indicate that a native of the South had scored a point. History of Napier As a. result of the visit to Napier recently of members of the Hastings Historical Society, and an address given concerning the various spots of interest in Napier and Port Ahuriri, the Napier Thirty Thousand Club has decided to have notice boards placed at the spots which were visited, so that the public will know of their historical interest, it has been decided to tabulate and preserve for posterity all the information which has been gathered. "Belisha Beacons" for Newmarket Two "Belisha Beacons," familiar to English road-users, will be erected to indicate clearly to motorists and pedestrians the position of a new pedestrian crossing in Broadway, Newmarket. The beacons will l>e presented to the council by the Automobile Association for demonstration purposes, their provision being suggested by Mr. H. J. Butcher. The "beacons" consist of orange-coloured glass globes on the top of steel standards about Oft. high. Bakers' Dogs There were repeated references to barbed wire and Alsatian dogs at the combined conference in Christchurch of the New Zealand and Australian Master Bakers and Pastrycooks. Later a member explained that the inspectors in Sydney had to see bakers working before the legislated opening time to get a conviction, and to combat this several bakers had Alsatian dogs on their property, and barbed wire on the top of their fences, to ward ofT surprise visits by inspectors. Strathnaver's Excursion Cruise The next large overseas vessel to make an excursion cruise from Australia to New Zealand will be the 22,000 ton P. and 0. liner Strathnaver, which will leave Sydney to-morrow night and Brisbane on Tuesday morning for Auckland and Wellington. She is scheduled to reach Auckland at 2.30 p.m. on Friday, November 20, and to sail at midnight on November 21 for Wellington, where she will arrive at 8 a.m. on Monday, November 2.'5. From Wellington she will return to Sydney direct. Motorists' Inspection Charge In reply to a previous protest to the Minister of Transport, the Hon. IE Semple, in regard to the high charges suggested for the proposed compulsory regular inspection of motor vehicles, the council of the Automobile Association received advice at its meeting last night that it is now anticipated that the charge will be in the vicinity of 2s 6d, twice a year, the bulk of the work to be carried out by approved garages. In his letter, Mr. Semple says this is a small charge when the additional road security that will result is considered. Contrast in Japanese Life The fact that although the Japanese have adopted Western business methods they have retained their old domestic life was commented on yesterday by Mr. C. J. Lovegrove, of Auckland, who has just returned from a visit to the East. Factories were run most efficiently on modern lines, hotels and trains were up-to-date and comfortable, and the smallest village had its electricity supply, yet the home life of even the business leaders was little changed. Rice remained the staple diet and the people preferred to sit on mats. He visited one prominent business man, who had a floor of his home fitted out in European style, but he lived on the other floor furnished in the traditional Japanese manner. Dutch as Colonisers The opinion that people who laugh over Americans' mistakes about New Zealand are probably as ignorant of many parts of the world themselves has been formed by Mr. C. J. Lovegrove, of Auckland, after a tour of the East. He was amused to hear an American lady, for instance, say that New Zealand was a very big town and the capital of Australia, but in his turn lie was amazed to learn that the Dutch East Indies bad a population of 60,000,000. Both the Malays and the native inhabitants seemed contented under Dutch rule, he said, and lie gained the impression that alter the English-speaking people the Dutch were the best colonising nation. They were carrying on their task most efficiently. Skull Found at, Waiheke Apparent unusual interest attaching to a skull found on the Onetangi Beach, Waiheke Island, by Mr. E. K. Taylor, of Onetangi, has boon dispelled by the director of the Auckland Institute and Museum Mr. Gilbert Archey, who has examined it. From the condition of the teeth, the skull is that of an old Maori, according to Mr. Archey. The teeth, especially the molars, are badly worn down, particularly on tho outside, due to the Maori habit of eating fern root. The skull is fairly thick, being typical of those found around Auckland, and the eyebrow ridges are rather prominent. As the skull is neither "long headed" nor "broad headed," but intermediate in type, Mr. Archey said it could not be classed as distinctly negroid or later Maori.