LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22934, 12 January 1938, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hamilton Pedestrian Crossings Stop signs have been erected at the pedestrian crossings in Victoria Street, Hamilton. They are studded with red reflectors to draw the attention of motorists at night. Safety zones also are being erected for pedestrians on the crossings in the middle of the street. Shipment of Aeroplanes A further shipment of Blackburn Baffin biplanes for the Cook Strait Air Squadron has reached Auckland from Liverpool by the motor-ship Waiwera. Ten crates of machines are now on Queen's Wharf and they will later be taken to Hobsonville Air Base, where the biplanes will be assembled. Lady Galway as Angler

Fishing at the Fulljames Camp, Taupo, during the week-end, Her Excellency Lady Gahvny took 12 trout, the best being 3£lb. Five were landed with the wet fly and seven with the dry fly. Viscount Coke also landed 12 fish, four on the wet fly and eight on the dry fly. The best weighed 3Jlb. Aorangl's Departure A crowd of several hundreds waited for two hours last night for the liner Aorangi to sail for Sydney. Cargo work had not been completed at her scheduled sailing time, tight o'clock, and a large number of visitors, including many who were farewelling the Canadian Empire Games team, waited until the ship sailed about 10 o'clock. Capsize of Yacht Capsizing off Mobson Bay about 3.30 yesterday afternoon, a 14ft. yacht lay waterlogged and dismasted. Her crew was picked up by the vehicular ferry boat Eaglehawk on its way to Devonport and a naval leave boat and the Auckland Harbour Board's launch Ferro reached the yacht shortly after. The boat was taken in tow to Devonport by the naval launch. Mount Maunganui Crowds The • increasing popularity of the Mount Maunganui Beach, Tauranga, was illustrated by the record patronage which it has received over the holiday season. Four months before Christmas every house was booked and in the past few weeks accommodation of any sort has been at a premium. In every spot which offered camping amenities numerous tents were pitched until the last few days'when the exodus of holi-day-makers begaif. Delay to Trams Long lines of trams both inward and outward bound were held up at the top of Symonds Street at about 6 o'clock last evening. The cause was the derailrhent of an inward bound car that was turning from Symonds Street into Khyber Pass Road on its way back to the Epsom Barn. The delay continued for about 20 minutes, but once the lines were cleared again inspectors were soon able to make the necessary readjustments of timetables to reestablish the normal services. Visiting Police Athletes Visitors to tha Central Police Station yesterday were five police constables from Canada. They were members of the Canadian athletic team for the British Empire Games to be held in Sydney, and were D. Moses, rower; W. Young, marathon runner; .T. Whelan, wrestler; J. Fraser, sprint runner; and G. Graves, long-distance cyclist. Graves, who had spent a number of hours exploring the suburbs of the city on his racing cycle as a training run, said that Auckland was a difficult place for cyclists in comparison with his native Montreal, which contained few hills. Lizard Sheds Skin Now in the act of shedding its tough yellow and black skin, one of the pair of great water lizards which was recently added to the collection of exhibits at the Auckland Zoo is proving a source of particular interest. As the old skin peels away the brilliant stripes ofc the new surface are gradually being revealed and the reptile, which is sft. long, should present an attractive appearance when the process is completed. Four kittens have just been born to a pair of royal Siamese cats, being the first to be bred at the zoo for about 10 years. The kittens, which are white at birth, are very similar in appearance to the domestic animal.

Canadian Athletes Members of the Canadian team for the Empire Games, who left by the Aorangi last night in continuation ol their voyage to Australia, were to be seen all about the city yesterday, usually in pairs and groups of three or more. Both girls and men eschewed headgear, and their maroon blazers, with the maple-leaf badge, enabled them to be easily identified. The Zoo, Mount Eden, One Tree Hill and other places of interest drew many of them out on sightseeing trips, which seemed more attractive than city streets, although some of the girl members could be noticed making their way back to the ship in the late afternoon with arms full of packages.

Oar Hit by Engine Struck by an engine at the Church Street crossing, Te Papapa, a tourina car was considerably damaged last night, but the driver and two passengers escaped uninjured. The car was going from Onehunga toward the Great South Road, and the driver pulled up to allow a train from Penrose, duo at Onehunga at 5.55 p.m., -to pass over the crossing, where the line makes an acute angle with the road. The car was too near the line, the engine hittinu the right wheel, smashing it aud damaging the steering gear, and slewing the car round. The crossing is only a short distance from the one at Captain Springs Road, where a bus was hit by a train on December 13, one of eight passengers being injured.

Lyttelton Vandalism Vandalism and theft each year endanger lives at Lyttelton. Officers of the Lyttelton Harbour Board are again very perturbed at interference to lifesaving equipment on the jetties, and notwithstanding the offer of a sub staytial reward and the efforts of the police and harbour staff, lifebuoys and lines still are regularly being damaged or stolen. The secretary to the board. Mr* C. H. Clibborn, said that within the last fortnight a new lifebuoy ami line had been provided for one of the outlying jetties to replace stolen equipment, but no sobner had tho replacement been made than tho new equipment was stolen also. Hoodlums were often responsible for damaging tin equipment, but it' was to be feared that some of the thefts, at least, were the work of owners or users of small craft on the harbour-.