LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23092, 18 July 1938, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Overseas Mails To-morrow Air mails despatched from London on June 30 and July 3 are being brought to Auckland by tho Huddart-Parker motor-liner Wanganella, which will reach Auckland from Sydney to-mor-row. The Wanganella also has 781 bags of Australian mail, including 146 for Auckland. Sunspots Visible

A large group of sunspots, about 130.000 miles in length and 88,000 miles wide, is at present situated near tho centre of tho solar disc. Tho component spots aro large in size and lie closo together, while eight other smaller groups of spots wore visiblo at tho end of last week. The present year marks the probable maximum of solar activity in its 11-year cycle of spottedness.

Drinks lit Council Meeting Tho normal procedure of business at a l'atea Borough Council meeting was interrupted when the engineer, Mr. J. 0. Cunningham, produced a bottle. It was passed from councillor to councillor, each of whom in turn held it critically to tho light and sipped appraisingi.y of its contents. All expressed approval and tho contents had diminished appreciably when the bottle had completed tho circuit. The bottle contained a sample of water from the new artesian bore.

Heavy Ambulance Schedule No fewer than 60 calls from different parts of the city and surrounding areas were answered during tho week-end by tho St. John Ambulance station in Rutland Street. Long-distauco trips included Kaiaua, New Brighton, Onewhero and Papakura, and the shorter ones embraced eight trips to the North Shore areas. Thero wero 35 j>atients moved on Saturday and 25 yesterday, and, all told, the drivers attended 12 accident cases on Saturday and j*esterdny. The Maori's Ancestors "The typical upward slant of tho eyes of human figures in Maori carvings was by some taken as an indication of a Mongolian trace in their ancestry," said Mr. Gilbert Archey, director of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, in an address in the museum library yesterday. "We can see now that this is not so. Analysis of the carvings shows that the purpose was purely decorative, the samo treatment being given to the lips and other prominent parts."

Expensive Oyster Meal Seventeen shillings worth of oysters were eaten at a meal by Mr. W. Machin during his recent visit to England, according to his own admission to tho Canterbury branch of tho Economic Society. Ho was not, however, illustrating his ability to consume oysters, but the price of oysters in England compared with tho price in New Zealand. Those oysters cost 8s 6d a dozen, so it was no Gargantuan meal. "I sorrowfully reflected that there is balm in Gilead, in that oysters are much cheaper here," said Mr. Machin.

Fine Spell Continues For tho fourth successive day, more than nine hours of continuous sunshine were recorded yesterday at the Albert Park observatory. The extension of fine conditions over a period of four days is not common in Auckland at this timo of the year, for a chango in the weather usually occurs after three days of frost and sunshine have been experienced. The fine week-end was appreciated by Aucklanders and large numbers of motorists and sight-seers took advantage of the favourable conditions to spend part of the daylight hours out-of-doors. Criminal Sessions The criminal calendar for the third quarterly sessions, which will open at tho Supreme Court to-morrow before Mr. Justico Fair and Mr. Justice Callan, is somewhat lighter than tho average. Of tho 16 cases set down three are re-trials carried over from the previous sessions. The charges include one against a young woman from Dargavillo of the murder of her child. Thero is ono charge of drunkenness in charge of a motor-car causing death, one of burglary, qnd the others aro chiefly of assaults, thefts and false pretences.

High Barometric Pressure The highest barometric pressure which has been recorded in Auckland during July for seven years was registered at the week-end, when a reading of 30.50 in. was maintained for more than 12 hours during Saturday and Sunday. Theso figures were tho highest since July 26, 1031, when the barometer reached 30.58 in. Tho conditions showed a marked contrast to those of a fortnight ago, for the reading of 29.15 in., recorded in Auckland on July 2 was tho lowest sinco July 30, 1936. Pressuro fell slightly in Auckland yesterday afternoon but later steadied, the reading at a late hour last night being 30.30 in.

Royal Marriage Memorial Lying within a foot or two of the footpath on tho Sumner Road, Lyttelton, yet unseen by passers-by for perhaps tho last 30 years until it was uncovered recently, is a stone obelisk, about five icct in length, originally erected to commemorate the marriage of King Edward VII. (then Princo of Wales) and Queen Alexandra in March, 1803. Recently when a section of land owned by tho Lyttelton Borough Council was being cleared tho obelisk was uncovered beneath ft small native tree. Inquiries were mado as to its origin, but although it was learned that the stono had been lying in its present position for many years, nobody knew its original purpose. Finally tho stono was identified by Mr. W. J. Toomey, ono of Lyttelton's oldest residents. Threat to Rimu Tree

Becanso it is considered a danger to traflio using Atkinson Road, Titirangi, on which it abuts, the existence is threatened' of a finely-proportioned rirau tree, well over half a century old and which is said to be tho best of iho species visible from a roadway in tho district. One-way traffio only is possible with full safety past tho tree, tho road being mado narrow at this plnco at the time of its construction in ordor to save tho tree. It is said that when the road was under construction tho late Mr. Henry Atkinson, owner of adjoining properties, used to sit under tho treo in order to see that is was not destroyed. Tho Titirangi Beautifying Association lias received an offer from tho present owner of tho property opposite the treo to givo tho necessary land to permit tbo widening of tho road if tho rimu is spared, but some excavation would be necessary and at the moment tho fato of, tho treo is iji doubt.