AUCKLAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 500, 6 May 1909, Page 9

AUCKLAND NEWS.

CBI. IELEGBirB—SPECIAI. CORRESPOMDEKT.] . .'•-. •! Auckland, May 5. ' . The ] past Jortnight" bas beon. a very quiet ono in shipping circles in Auckland, and,, in consequence; < a large number, of waterside workers hare been thrown but of' employnient.- ' Thia state of affairs, .however,-: will •probablyv.be rempdied during the present and following':'weeks,' as; a large: number of t steiimers'are daily expected.. • ..■;-' .:' . ; Government Pomologist, considers that/with the interest; that was now being taken-in.the control of; orchard_pests, thp prospects', for the' steady expansion of the'industry could not be-better,. for in. !he> past the doubt as to whether .it was possible to.control:orchard pests at a.cost that would leaveia satisfactory'margin of profit to the : producer'/ was .the one obstacle that retarded the expansion of tho industry.. /Wo-may, lie thinks, ,now look forward : to considerable planting, of; commercial, orchards season by; seasoii', with, varieties selected to supply the local markets, export trado, and' canning factories. ;j"So that wo may;confidently expect to see the fruit industry rank as one of the'-most profitable and .important ; of. cur. agricultural, pursuits,",':-. ;.', ~ '.•'.■'• Some humorous:incidents are.reported_in connection with the opening of the shooting season;isuch. as decoys, being, .riddled; ; by stalkers. ;In connection;with-.this; it is said that so realistic are.;,the : idecoys.made now that an eel grabbed ;bne on Lake 'Whangape last. Sunday. ..The , lake.teems with thousands i-of eels, which'quickly attack ducks that 'arb shot and fall in the %ater. ■ Another incident mentioned is that 'a' : teal flying down the Waikato on Saturday morning ran the-, gauntlet of -fourteen. shots. and escaped, scathless. Only, thps'o;/ however, who have '.shot teal know, the pace'at which they fly when scared. A jWell-known Auckla'nder, who'returned to 1 town, on 1 Monday evening, when asked' for particulars', of his bag; said ho was a modest man and no one'would believe'he' shot any birds if he told tho total. It is understood, the bag amounted-to one !braee.\ '' •' .' ,;There;aro r: about : 2op:unomplbyed in.-'Auck-; landjust now, according to tho'bstimate.'of the .Labour Department, ! The number of callers varies considerably. ..There were, for instance, fifty ou.Monday and., twenty-five yesterday. . Some of them' are 'immigrants. The passing of the , dairying season has somewhat reduced the. demand for 'agricultural, labourers, but ther'o is bettor, demand in some other lines. . On the> whole: a more tone preTails'in trade, the impression;being that tho worst of/the financial stringency jj over.-. The iron and building trades are still dull, and iir several'trades, while all men are' employed; there are no vacancies. . ■ ■ The. insatiable'thirst of the Auckland-read-ing public for fiction is , evidenced by the' , ex-, perioncoof. the Leys Institute Library,-at Poiisonby during.tho past year. < ." Every division, ,it,'will be; observed," states the report' ; ; read .'at tho r annual meeting, "shows a.substantial increase,, but our library shares with others.the overwhelming demand .'for fiction, notwithstanding . that tho shelves devoted to general literature are'kept, well 'supplied with the best. products of the English publishing seasons in every depart menfr. /Fho ; greater part of the reference library is also open to subscribers at.tho discretion of -the librarian, so that any. preponderance of .fiction-is not -.due'.-to■'any .'lack of choice."' , " : :'i -..-■ -y' ... ■;'■•'-.'■;■ '■:.'■ ~.• , ;

A strange story'was'Unfolded in-the Police Court ■ yesterday ...by ■ Mr. '■ C. Matthews, who appearcdi/in support of." an application to cnijcol ah order for-the,maintenance of a boy in-an industrial school. - His client had married a widow/, who had already had two husbands, and -naturally he assumed ; responsibility. for.:his\step-children.. His wifo, , after ■some time, lost her reason, and had to be sent to a mental hospital. One of the boys then 'became unruly, and had to be committed t'o an industrial school, Mr. Matthews's client'agreeing to contribute, to his maintenance. ■Hβ paid the contributions till, ho found that tho boy was not his step-son, but a foundling, who had been,adopted by his wife for tho consideration of £5. The boy had been'- left at his wife's house as a baby by a woman whose face was covered by a: thick veil, and who was supposed to be a barmaid, who had not yet been traced. In view of his lack of, relationship..to the child, and after having communicated with the Minister for Justice, Mr. Matthews's client asked that he be relieved of responsibility for him. .The case' waß adjourned for police inquiry. ;