LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22723, 8 May 1937, Page 12

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Liberation of Trout A decision to purchase 200,000 rainbow eyed trout ovu from the Department of Internal Affairs hatchery at Tongariro was made by the Ha who's Bay Acclimatisation Society at a meeting in Napier. Inquiries regarding brown trout ova are to be made from the Otago Acclimatisation Society. Accident Victim's Condition The condition of Mrs. A. Morris, aged 71, a resident of Gisborne, who was admitted to the Auckland Hospital 011 Thursday, was reported last night to be still fairly serious. She suffered concussion and head injuries when she was knocked down by a tramcar in Queen Street on Thursday afternoon. The Criminal Sessions Of the 13 cases before the Supreme Court in tho criminal sessions which opened on Tuesday all but three have now been disposed of. Three of the indictments Mere rejected by the grand jury, and in the eases that have gone to trial there have been three verdicts of guilty and four acquittals. Of the cases which remain to be heard next week one is a charge of murder against a Maori, and another is a retrial after a jury disagreement.

Bananas Sell Cheaply Ripe bananas again sold cheaply at the City Markets yesterday and values were lower than they have been for some considerable time. Quite a larcc proportion of the fruit sold at prices as low as 7s 6d a case, compared with' Tuesday's rates of from 7s Gd to 17s 9d a case, and from 14s to 24s 6d realised at last Friday's sale. The cold weather has resulted in a slackening of the demand for tho fruit. Oranges also sold at much lower prices because of the poor inquiry.

Cargo From the East Maize and pepper from Java, and tea from India, were among the 5000 tons of cargo brought to Auckland by the Union Steam Ship Company's chartered vessel Narbada, which arrived from Calcutta yesterday morning. The names of her ports of call have a distinctly Eastern character, and some al-e almost unknown to New Zealanders. Rangoon, Pcnang, Singapore and Samarang have a familiar sound, but Probolinggo and Banjoewangi have a strange ring. The last two are ports on the coast of Java.

Wireless Masts at Hospital A new feature has .been added to Auckland's skyline by the erection of two lattice wireless masts on the roof of the Wallace Wards at tho Auckland Hospital. The masts, which are of solid construction, allow for a considerable length of aerial, which should materially improve reception on the wireless sets provided for the entertainment of patients. Final adjustments were being made to the masts yesterday afternoon and a man perched precariously on the structure nearest the Park Road frontage was an object of considerable interest to passers-by.

Pedestrian Crossings For the last few days traffic inspectors have been watching tho manner in which motorists are observing tho Auckland City Council's traffic regulation requesting motorists to give pedestrians reasonable right-of-way over tho specially marked pedestrian crossings in the city. As a result of their surveillance 'it is also noticeable that many drivers who are accustomed to using Queen Street are according pedestrians much more freedom to cross tho street than was tho caso a month ago, when only one motorist out of 400 who were observed stopped to allow a pedestrian to use a crossing in safety. Illuminating the Railway Station Further tests of tho floodlighting at the Auckland Railway Station this week show that the display will be one of the most striking in Auckland in Coronation Week. Tho powerful red lights upon the brickwork make the building appear almost incandescent, like red-hot iron. The front slope of the tiled roof has also been lighted and the pink terra-cotta band above the cornice is illuminated by a row of white lamps. Decorations were being erected on the facade yesterday, and last night workmen were testing red floodlights which had been installed on the Beach Road frontage of tho Station Hotel to harmonise with the* major scheme. Tree Planting Ceremonies A desire that members should take part in tree planting ceremonies on Coronation Day was expressed by the Mayor, Mr. John Miller, at a meeting of the lnvercargill City Council. The superintendent of reserves, Mr. B. P. Mansfield, reported that application had been received for 16 groups of Girl Guides to perform planting ceremonies on Coronation Day and, if possible, to conclude with a camp-fire in tho early evening. He recommended the use of tho south-west portion of tho TurnbullThomson Park for this purpose, provided the planting arrangements were left in his hands. Tho Reserves Committee recommended that the superintendent's suggestion be fwlopted and the matter left in his hands. False Alarm of Burglary

There was consternation at the Timaru railway station in the early hours of Thursday morning, when an employee, on entering the parcels office, found the door of the safe removed from its hinges and lying on tho floor inside the safe were cash boxes and other money, but theso appeared not to have been tampered with. The police were called and a report was made to the stationmaster, who was also called to the scene. Inquiries were immediately put in, train, hut these led nowhere until it was discovered later in the day that tho safe door had been removed by a repair gang tlio previous day in order to make adjustments, but the stationmaster had not been told about it.

A Timely Rescue A narrow escape from drowning was experienced by two young women at Port Nelson, at a lato hour recently, when a dinghy in which they were about to return to the shoro from a launch capsized, precipitating the occupants into tho water. A strong south-west wind was blowing at the time, and the dinghy, with tho women clinging to it, drifted along tho foreshore in deep water. Mr. N. Fowler, who resides on Wakefield Quay, heard cries for ( help, and, diving into the sea in Ins night attire, he swam out to the Pilot Station slip, where ho procured a dinghy and effected a timely rescue. The young ladies, who were in an exhausted condition, were taken to Mr. Fowler's residence, whero they soon recovered, being none the worse for their experience.