LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22822, 1 September 1937, Page 12

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gunnery Training Overseas After attending a three months' course of instruction in higher gunnery at the Flinders Naval Depot, Australia, five ratings, formerly serving in H.M.S. Achilles, returned by the Awatea yesterday. The men will rejoin the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy. No Reports Tabled One of the infrequent occasions when the Auckland Harbour Board meets on the last day of the month occurred yesterday and in conformity with a custom of the board no departmental reports were tabled. Full reports of the board's activities will be submitted, however, at the next meeting of the board on September 14.

Thanks for Victory A well-known Dnnedin resident has sent to the. Mayor, the Rev. E. T. Cox, a cheque for £1 Is as a thanks oflerill m for New Zealand's victory in the first test and in recognition of Trevathan's fine kicking. He expressed the wish that it be devoted to some object in connection with youth work, and the Mayor has handed the amount to the Y.M.C.A. Less Interest in Dock A request from the Devonport Borough Council that the Auckland Harbour Board should contribute toward the cost of the proposed formation and sealing of the road between Calliope Dock and Marine Square was declined by the board at its meeting yesterday. The reason given was that since the Naval Board had purchased the dockyard property, the board's interest in the area had declined. Interest in War Heports of hostilities in the Fast were eagerly sought by the officers and crew of the Osaka Shosen Kaisha Linn motor-ship Sydney Marti during her visit to Auckland. Each night a special war bulletin was received by wireless from Japan and the news, handwritten, was placed on a card several feet square on the ship's notice board. The board rarely lacked the attention of several members of the ship's complement, who apparently were discussing the news with interest. The Sydney Maru left for Wellington yesterday. Food lor the Poor The South African Government this year voted £208,000 in subsidies so that poor people might buy good butter cheaply. It is possible there for those in difficult circumstances to buy butter at sd, 4d or 3d a pound, according to grade, said Mr. O. R. Nei, a South African M.P. who arrived here yesterday by the Awatea. The subsidies by the Government were used to make up the difference between the ruling prices and those paid by the purchasers, who secured their supplies through the various benevolent societies. Mount Albert Housing Survey A report on the results of the housing survey recently conducted in the Mount Albert borough was presented to the Borough Council last night by the engineer, Mr. W. E. Begbie. It showed that of 1439 houses inspected in the defined area 700 were entirely satisfactory, 552 partly satisfactory. 69 overcrowded, while 118 were either entirely or partly satisfactory as regards equipment, but required structural repair?. Outside the defined area 350 (houses had been inspected and these, with one exception, disclosed a very satisfactory condition. Work of the Endeavour After spending the week-end at the Devonport Naval Base, the Admiralty survey ship Endeavour left Auckland again yesterday morning to continue her charting of the coastline in the Tnmnki Strait as far as Ponui Island, this being the first section of the programme allotted to the ship during her New Zealand visit. It was stated that the fine weather enjoyed last month had considerably assisted the work being done and it was not expected that any delay would occur in finishing this section unless exceptionally bad weather was experienced.

Bridge Repairs at Hamilton The sign-posting of a route avoiding the main street of Hamilton has been commenced by officers of the Automobile Association (Auckland). The signs which bear the words "By-Pass to Rotor ua" or "By-Pass to Auckland" will lead traffic across the new Fairfield Bridge through Claudelands and Hamilton East. This work is being carried out in preparation for the diversion of traffic during the period when the older traffic bridge at the southern end of Hamilton will be closed for repairs. As soon as the work on the bridge is commenced, a number of additional signs will be erected.

Heavy Railway Traffic There has been no decrease in the number of people travelling by rail during the past few days and it is expected that conditions at the Auckland Railway Station will be even busier toward the end of the week, when schoolchildren and their parents who have been away for the holidays will be returning to their homes for the reo]>ening of the schools next week. Quite a large proportion of the passengers arriving by train from the South yesterday morning was comprised of schoolchildren and their parents, and the afternoon express for Wellington yesterday also was a heavy train. Sleeping accommodation was fully taxed and, with two additional waggons of overseas mail, the express comprised a total of 14 units when it left Auckland.

"Pirating" ol Tennis Players A number of complaints have been made in Wellington recently regarding alleged "pirating" of promising tennis juniors by clubs who are looking for new blood. The annual report of the Aiiramar Tennis Club states that during the season it bad been brought forcibly to the notice of the committee, as it bad been to other club executives, who had devoted a considerable portion of their energies to the teaching and coaching of young players for the future, that "touting" by some older clubs• for membership of the .more promising; of those juniors was rampant. It was considered that clubs should not be made a training ground for the benefit of a few particular clubs to the detriment of tennis generally. This pirating of players could only result in a further lowering of the standard of tennis in Wellington, which was judged by the standard of the play of all clubs, and not a particular few. The offering of special inducements to these players to leave their clubs was a matter foxaction by the parent body.