General News.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19163, 21 November 1927, Page 8

General News.

A man named George Amory, of 344 Armagh street, was admitted to the Christchurch Hospital on Saturday morning, suffering from internal injuries, resulting from being knocked down by a motor-car. "You are accepting an office as near Heaven as anything on this earth ; " said Mr E. Heathcote Williams (chairman) to Mr H. F. Arkwright, when the latter accepted the position of president of the New Zealand Cricket Council, at the annual meeting on Saturday evening. Resolutions protesting against the proposal to give Education Boards power to fine teachers for neglect of duty have been passed by the Wranganui, Westland, and Mid-Canterbury branches of the Educational Institute. In Christchurch the teachers of the Phillipstown School have passed a similar resolution. The Manukau County Council received a report at its last meeting from the ranger for Papatoetoe riding that he had impounded 277 animals,'' A member remarked: "Must have been a flock of sheep!" The clerk said it was a mob of cattle en route for Wrestfield. The cfirover went away for some purpose, and the ranger came along and impounded the lot, as the cattle were unattended. The ranger got £3 15s. Owners of cattle, relying on the fact that the writ of the Heathcote County Council's ranger does not run on boundary roads, have been making a part of Canal reserve (now Linwood avenue) a happy grazing ground The county clerk happened to pass by recently, and found no fewer than sixteen cows browsing peacefully. The county is endeavouring to get the City Council to agree that the county ranger shall have jurisdiction over all boundary roads. At the welcome to the New Zealand cricket team at Lancaster Park on Saturday, the Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer) contrasted the conditions ruling in Christchurch and in his Home town regarding playing areas. "We had no place on which to play cricket or football except the streets," he, said. "If we went into the paddocks we were trespassers, although a farmer was occasionally generous enough to give us the use of his paddocks. How wonderfully fortunate are the young people of New Zealand." "If we do not provide hot water services for teachers we are giving them fewer facilities than the average settler has,'' said Mr R. Hoe, at a meeting of the Auckland Education Board, when several members objected to an adverse recommendation from the executive committee regarding the provision of hot water services in teachers' residences. The attitude of the committee was stated to be due to the clanger of the system proposed, the wastage of water, and the additional cost involved. It was decided to refer the matter back to the committee for fuller investigation. "Although we hear that there is less reading and more criticism of the old Book," said Archbishop Averill at the British and Foreign Bible Society's annual meeting at Auckland, "and although we have to meet a vast amount of prejudice and ignorance it is interesting to note that the Bible is the best seller of all books to-day." Last year the society circulated over 10,000,000 Bibles, New Testaments and portions of Scripture and of these more than 4,000,000 were circulated in China. In 1924 the society sold | 8000 Bibles in New Zealand, but last year the number rose to 25,700. At a recent sitting of the Magisj trate's Court at Auckland, there was no response when the clerk of the Court called a particular case. This in itself did not surprise the clerk, but as he knew that a well-known solicitor and law lecturer was appearing for one of the parties, and that he was somewhere in the vicinity, he had him called in the passage. The solicitor at once made his appearance, and the clerk again called the case. The counsel was about to address the Court when the presiding magistrate interrupted him by saying severely "I was just about to strike the case out, as there was no appearance." . "As your Worship pleases," remarked counsel, "I would not object. I am for the defendant." The magistrate goodnaturedly joined in the general laugh which went round the courtroom. It seems that some of our native birds can continue to live happily quite close to civilisation, says an Auckland exchange. A pupil of the Mount Albert Grammar School writes: "While sitting eating my lunch near a gorse-covered patch of the playground, I heard a sound like that of a hen clucking, and on investigating I was surprised ot see a weka, or Maori hen, strutting along accompanied by two little black chickens- The chicks were about the same size as newlyhatched domestic chickens, but longer in the legs and beak. On seeing me the weka uttered a shrill cry, and the chicks darted into the grass, one on each side of the track. When I picked one up, the agonised mother ran up with her feathers all puffed out, and peeked at my leg, and then ran off again. I put the chick down again in the middle of the track and retreated some little distance. The hen returned for her chicks, and the trio continued on their way towards a swampy piece of ground. I followed quietly, and ns they approached the opening of a email tunnel that led into the rushes, the male bird came out to meet them, and escorted them the rest of the way home." Pheasants and quail are reported to be thriving on the slopes of Mount Eden. The Alfa Steel Churn saves time both in churning and cleaning. It makes _ better butter because there is an entire absence of the smell which is attached to wooden churns. Prices: 51b, 555; 101b, 70s; 151b, 85s; 201b, 955; 301b, lG5s. Mason, Struthers and Co., Ltd. —6 An opportunity was recently given a "Press" man to learn the number of "listeners-in" using crystal sets and J.I.S. 2 stage amplifiers and so get loud-speaker strength. This information proved that the large majority, of Amplifiers in .use have been supplied by J. I. Smail, pioneer radio firm. —6 Record Awards, Royal Show, 1927. Two exhibits for special mention. Gold Medal for one, Elevator Feeder and Band Cutter; Silver Medal for the other, a Potato Planter. The two best ■ inventions on the ground. P. and D. Duncan, Ltd., 196 Tuam street," Christchurch. —g