LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22620, 7 January 1937, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Air Mall at London Postal officials advise that air mail which was despatched from Wellington on December 15 arrived at London on Monday. Demand for Workers Most industries appear to have got into their stride again very quickly after the holidays, according to the experience of the Auckland placement service, which reports a heavy inquiry for workers. This demand not only applies to adults, but also to boys. A very large number of lads have found employment this week. Huntingdon Delayed Owing to engine trouble, the Federal Line steamer Huntingdon was delayed for about five hours yesterday afternoon. She sailed from Auckland for Wellington at two o'clock in the afternoon, but anchored off the I'angitoto beacon a short time later. She remained there until repairs were made and weighed anchor and resumed her voyage shortly before 7.30 last evening. Adequate Signposting Motorists who commit traffic breaches in Sylvan Avenue, Mount Eden, can hardly complain that the area is not adequately sign-posted. Each of th*» power poles which run down one side of the street only has attached to it a traffic sign, the majority bearing tho warning "Parking Prohibited." As Sylvan Avenue is a comparatively narrow thoroughfare, the warnings are In no means .superfluous. Gorse Fire Threatens Houses Fire among gorse in a large paddock on the Great North Road, Avondale, claimed the attention of brigades from Avondale and Point Chevalier at about 5 p.m. yesterday. Fanned by the pr<;- j vailing wind, the fire swept through the scrub, and was threatening several houses in Birch Street when the alarm was given. It was soon extinguished with wet sacks, and it was not necessary for any of the brigades' appliances to be brought into use. Fire Destroys Wash-house A fire which broke out in the washhouse attached to r, wooden dwelling of five rooms at 02 Walker Road, Point Chevalier, yesterday morning, was prevented from spreading to the house by the prompt work of the Avondale and Point Chevalier brigades. The washhouse was destroyed, but in spite of a breeze blowing the flames toward the house, only one wall of the dwelling was affected. The house, which is occupied by Mr. E. L. Keys, was insured for £Boo, but the contents were not covered. Ambulance Mascot Found at the entrance to the St. John Ambulance station in Rutland Street on New Year's Eve, a small black kitten has since made itself the unofficial mascot of the ambulance drivers. It was damp and bedraggled when it arrived, and limped badly on one paw. The first-aid given to it by the ambulance drivers evidently proved satisfactory to the kitten, for it has remained at the station ever since, sometimes sleeping outside in the sun, but most of the day wandering about the ambulance garage and dodging water from the hose used by the drivers to clean their vehicles. A Weighty Congress The programme that has now been issued for the biennial science congress that will open here next Tuesday gives impressive proof of the vast field that is to be covered by its deliberations and of the complexity of tho organisation necessary. The 37 large pages of the programme are almost wholly occupied with lists of tho subjects and the speakers who are leading discussions in the 16 sections into which the congress is divided. The programme also gives a list of the 70 scientific organisations throughout Australia and New Zealand that will be officially represented by delegates. Three Tankers Tankers being noted for their brief sojourns in port, it is unusual to find more than one berthed in Auckland at the same time. Yesterday the Norwegian tanker Sir Karl Knudsen and the British tanker Lacklan were both at the Western Wharf. The Lacklan is to sail for the south'to-day, but her place will be taken by another Norwegian tanker, the South Africa, which is expected from Wellington to-morrow. Tho Sir Karl Knudsen will probably sail to-morrow on completion of discharge of 10,000 tons of bulk petrol, one of the largest cargoes brought to the port for some considerable time. Replenishing Butchers' Stocks Butchers and their agents were busy at Westfield yesterday, when the first fat stock sale of 1937 was held, buying fresh supplies of meat to build up stocks, which have been depleted by public consumption during the holiday period. Contrary to expectations, farmers did not deluge the market with stock for an eager gallery of buyers. Only a moderate entry of beef came forward, and lamb was comparatively scarce. There was a large delivery of pigs, which fully taxed the accommodation provided for them. All values, except beef, were somewhat higher than those ruling at the first sale a year ago. Supreme Court Renovation A team of 10 carpenters and about as many other workmen arc making good progress in the Court vacation just now with the work of thoroughly renovating every part of tho interior of the Supreme Court building and making various structural alterations and improvements. The number of workmen will be largely increased next week, for it is necessary to have at least the two main courtrooms ready for use when the next quarterly sessions open on February 2, It is hoped b> then also to have the office transferred to its new quarters and to have the alterations to the custodian's house completed. Native Root Parasite Known as Dnctylanthus Taylori, a remarkable native root parasite has been deposited in the Tarnnaki Museum by Mr. W. W. Smith, to whom the specimen was sent by Mr. N. P. Gibson, ranger to the Egmont National Park Board. The parasite was first described by Sir Joseph Hooker, who named it after the Rev. Richard Taylor, an early missionary on tho Wanganui River, who discovered it on the roots of native beech growing at as high an altitude as 4000 feet. Sir Joseph Hooker described the parasite as "a stout, succulent leafless root parasite," adding that "the new genus is a most remarkable one, found nowhere else."