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Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 33, 8 February 1905, Page 2

A large area of "mixed" Crown land in the Auckland province, including Waiheke Island, was thrown open for selection to-day- Applications were being received up till four o'clock this afternoon by the Lands Office, and a ballot will be held morning. Mr R. Feweli. manager for Ellis and Burnand. was mounting his horse, which moved forward suddenly, throwing hhn and breaking one arm above the wrist. The annual picnic tendered by Mr. J. C. Legge, proprietor of the Hygienic bakeries, to his customers and .employees was held to-day at Birkdale. The Devonport Ferry Com puny's steamer Eagle took a party of about 600 to the picnic ground this morning, and another fairly large crowd this i>flernoon. The anglers have found Ttotorua a veritable paradise this season. During the past three months it is known that at least 1S.00;; fish, weighing 25,3941b, have been taken from the lake and c.round the cislrict. And this does not represent the whole of the catches, for there are many who don't report their takes. The fish :ire still very plentiful, and seem to be improving in quality as the season advances. Most of the fish recorded above wove caught by trolling in the lake, but the streams t especially the Ngongofahn, with fly) yielded splendid sport. The recorded takes during tbe three months were: November, 2951 fish, weighing 97441b: December, 2785 fish, weighing 924-ilb: January, 2270 fish, weighing 94.011b. There are some very curious forms of practical .joking, but assuredly one of the silliest and meanest under the sun is that of giving false fire alarms. 'Shore- < 9e«ns -b" be-no _iU lunte fneans Of checking the practice, except by appealing to j the good sense of the people at large, j Last night the City Fire Brigade was called out by an alarm from the box neaT the Freezing Works about 8.30, and after getting to the spot in quick time found that- the alleged joker was again abroad. If the perpetrators of t>?s sort of weakly joke would only realise the danger to human life and limb and the expense to the city involved in it, one can only hope they would live up to the intelligence they are supposed to have. Evciy time the brigade horses gallop down Queen-street there is iniinite risk to foot passengers, and the wonder is more accidents do not happen. Then again there is a huge pressure put on the city water mains when the full pressure is concentrated on the city, and when the Kliyber Pass supply was deflected into the city pipes last night one of the mains burst, and the city supply had to be cut off till the break was mended. Perjury is becoming a serious part of Supreme Court procedure. His Honor Mr Justice Edwards, this morning commenting on a ease in which he said there was shocking perjury on one side or the other, told the Crown Prosecutor that he hoped some steps would be taken to try and get further into the matter. In this particular case (a charge of using obscene language and improved behaviour toward a woman in Grey-street) there were some statements which certainly ought to be capable of proof or disproof. Mr Tole (Crown Prosecutor) said the perjury was becoming so serious that he sometimes fe.lt that it was well nigh impossible to conduct the cases at all. His Honor said the witnesses not only deceived by exaggeration, but obviously told deliberate concoctions. This is the second case this week in which His Honor has had occasion to complain of pbvlous perjury.