LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23356, 26 May 1939, Page 12

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Large Schnapper An exceptionally large schnapper was caught recently oif tho Omaio settlement, between Opotiki and Cape Runaway. The fish turned the scales at 231b. The record for the coast was a schnapper caught at Te Kalia several years ago, which weighed 281b. Polo Pony Shipment On her voyage frpm Saigon, in French-Indo China, to Auckland, where she will arrive on June 10, the South Pacilic • Lino passenger motor-ship Mactsuycker will load a shipment of 2-5 polo ponies at Noumea, New Caledonia, for the Polo Club of Saigon. Tho consignment will complete tho round voyage of the ship. Onehunga Post Office Consideration' is being given to the question of remodelling and enlarging tho Onehunga post office. The building, which is of two storeys, is constructed .of brick. In recent years there has been a marked development of business and the accommodation is often severely taxed, especially since the department handled social security business.. Ostriches lor Zoo A pair of ostriches for the Auckland Zoo will arrive from Adelaide by tho Union Company's steamer, Karitane tonight. Tho birds will probably bo landed to-morrow morning. Originally tho ostriches were to, liavo been shipped by an earlier vessel, but it.was then found that tho cages provided for them were too small, and their departure had to bo postponed. Women and Telephones Speaking to a meeting of Pohangina telephone subscribers on tho necessity for courtesy and brevity on party lines, an officer of tho Post and Telegraph Department said that, in general, women were the worst offenders. In one district si public meeting had been called to discuss this aspect, and a resolution "that women be asked to refrain from using the telephone between the hour* of 7 and 9 p.m." was carried. Queen Mary's Birthday. The 72nd birthday of Queen Mary falls to-day. In honour of the occasion warships in port will dress ship and a Royal Salute of 21 guns will be iired from H.M.S. Philomel at noon. Her Majesty's birthday will be marked by especial feelings of affection and thankfulness on the part of British : peoples throughout the world to-day on account of her escape from serious injury in a motor accident on Tuesday. Air Liners Delayed For two days in succession the after- ' noon air liners from the South have been delayed in their arrival at Auckland owing to strong head winds. On Wednesday tho air liner was 20 minutes late and j-esterday the machine due to arrive at 2.30 p.m. did not reach .Auckland until four o'clock. It was stated that a 60-mile-an-hour gale was blowing during one of the earlier sections of the journey. Shooting at Salmon Persons shooting at salmon in the Waimakariri below the gorge- bridge have -been detected by Mr. H. W. Harris, engineer to the Waimakariri River Trust. He reported to the council of the North Canterbury AcclimatisaI tion Society that recently he saw four or five persons obviously shooting into tho water. There were a good number of salmon at that point. It was decided that a close watch would be kept in future. New Warplanes "Tho Vickers Wellington bombers for New Zealand aro coming to hand quifcker than was expected, and that is all to the good," said the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, in an interview yesterday. "They are now being handed over in England, and the crews are being trained to handle them and fly them out to New Zealand. Some of the men engaged are Now Zealanders, and others are from the Old Country." A Notable Lead A notable lead in the recruiting carm paign in the Rotorua district has been given by the Rotorua staff of the Public Works Department. The whole of the permanent staff has already enlisted either in the territorials or in the National Reserve, while 24 of the artisans in tho Public Works Department's workshops joined the reserve. All of the mechanics engaged in the Public Works Department's workshops have already joined the Air Force reserve. Degree of Intoxication "If a man was killed by a car driven by an intoxicated man, that person would'be just as dead, whether tho driver was slightly intoxicated or badly under the influence of liquor," said Mr. S. L. Patorson, S.M., when discussing with counsel a charge of intoxication while in charge of a car in the Hamilton Police Court yesterday. Ho said that one had to think of the possible consequence, which in these cases was always death. Port Health Officer No action has yet been taken by the Health Department to appoint a successor to the port health officer, Dr. G. Graham Russell, who is to retire from the position next Wednesday. Jt is not expected that any appointment' will be made' until after tho i return from England of the Director-General of Health, Dr. M. H. Watt, who is expected to arrive about the middle of June. In the meantime the acting-port health officer, Dr. J. A. Watson, is carrying out the duties. 21 Degrees of Frost

• A severe frost in many of the country districts of Southland on Monday morning was heaviest at Otautau, where 2J J degrees were registered. In the opinion of the Otautau weather observer, Mr. J. G. C'. Baker, this is probably a record frost for May in tho district for the last 30 years. In luvercargill thero was a lighter frost of five degrees. This - is the second hard frost of the month, eight degrees having been recorded on May 17. In tho month of May last year thero was a frost of four degrees, and freezing point was reached on two other occasions.

A Jury's Thanks It is generally understood that when a jury has to bo Kept in close confinement for a time, special efforts are made to ensure that conditions are pleasant for them. A foreman took tho unusual course of returning thanks for this last night when a jury was about to disband after having been held together for four days and nights. "May wo offer our thanks," ho said, "for tho arrangements that have been made for us. Every thing has been most satisfactory, and our special thnhks are clue to the officers in charge of us, who. were efficient in every detail."