LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 49, 21 November 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Passengers who arrived from Sydney bv the Maheno yesterday wore rather a gloomy expression for a short period. Medical- inspection had been passed successfully, the vessel had berthed and Customs officers were busily checking personal luggage, when suddenly the order came to cease work. Rumours of plague and quarantine began to circulate, and it was declared that two dead rats, infected with bubonic germs, had been discovered on the shin. The report caused a stir of consternation, a. 5 passengeis departing with their luggage were turned Lek. Half an 'hour pater tne welcome order camo to carry on. Two ratsi h.id been found, and traps deliciously baited, were set to capture more, but fortunately none were plague infected. A fire occurred about 10 a.m. on Saturday on the south ridge of the Khandallah Domain, and about an acre of native shrubs outside the Domain was destroyed before the flames were f>upprossl It is believed that the outbreak was caused through a b match being thrown fcmong tile drj undergrowth. A start is to be made this week with the work of constructing a pew street connecting Hansen Street with Adelaide Road The new thoroughfare vHI start at the end of Hansen Street and will run across a vacant section to Stoke Street. When completed, the volume of traffic’ in the upper portion of Adelair Road should lie eased considerably. A heavy shipment of wool owned by the Imperial authorities will be dispatched from Auckland within the next week (states the "Herald ). The consignment will consist of 8000 bales of greasy wool, about half the quantity which is held in store on behalf of the Imperial Government. In an address on "Citizenship” at Christchurch last week, Mr. J. A. Irostick referred to the question of loyalty and. the practice of saluting the nag. He mentioned that in America. children were taught to salute the flag every day, and said that the same sort ot thing should prevail in New Zeai-and. Loyalty to the Crown and country was made a condition before any man could become a member of the Government, and as parents must be held responsible for the conduct of their children, no man or woman should be entrusted with a voice in the government of the country through the franchise who, by word or act, was disloyal to the Crown or encouraged or permitted his or her children to disregard their national duties. What might have proved a most serious accident befell a visitor from England at Nelson on Friday afternoon, states an exchange. Some Nelson friends ■were driving him through the Waimeas in a motor-car, and when a little way beyond Stoke they passed some schoolboys. One of these hurled the lower half of'a broken beer bottle into the car. The bottle narrowly missed the face of a lady and struck the English visitor on the wrist. As the car was moving at a rapid rate the impact was a severe one, and a nasty wound was inflicted, which had to- receive medical attention. Unfortunately, the driver was not aware what had happened for some time, and bo the offender was not identified; but the matter has been placed in the hands of the police. x

About two months ago a cable message was received in New Zealand from America, stating that the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows had issued an order stating that Maoris were ineligible for inauguration, states Hie "Press.” This occasioned much adverse criticism among members of the New Zealand lodges, and last week the Star of Opawa Lodge inaugurated a Maori, in defiance of the order from America.

Mr. G. V. Hudson, of Karrri, reports that a large sunspot has just entered the sun's disc, and will be well placed for observation during the present week. Two other sunspots, one on the eastern and the other on the western hemisphere of the sun, are also visible, and are probably identical with those reported by the Hector Observatory on October 24. A singularly impudent theft happened in Auckland on Friday (states the Auckland "Star”). Two young women went in and asked to look at some bead necklaces. They handled several, but nothing seemed to satisfy them, and at last one of them asked to see a certain necklace that was in the window. It was in a rather awkward place, and by the time tho shopkeeper had got it out both the young women had gone quietly off.' and with them had disappeared one of the necklaces which they hnd been looking nt. As the shopkeeper was alone, '-he co?ild not leave the place to give the alarm, and even if she had rushed out she would have been too late, so quickly did the pseudo purchasers make off. A lad named Roland Butler, while crossing Adelaide Road about 3.30 o’clock on Saturday afternoon, was run down by a motor-car, and sustained injuries to his head and face. He was taken to the Hospital for treatment.

It seems probable that Ihe freezing season in the Auckland district will open some time next month, although none of the companies has yet fixed a definite date for opening.' (says the “Herald”). They will do so as soon aS sufficient stock begins to come to hand. The new- season’s charges have not yet been decided upon, as they will depend somewhat upon the wages which will hove to be paid the workers in the industry. The Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company expects Io commence operations early in December if sufficient stock is available. A representative of the company stated that farmers were hesitating on account of the low prices. They were anxious to get the stock into the works as quickly as possible when the Government requisition was in force, but conditions had changed since then. A Wellington resident, who has recently returned from Rotorua, states that‘the price for an ordinary bath in the Government grounds there has been increased by 100 per cent.-from 6d. to Is.—causing a great deal ot discontent. "I don't suppose the charge of Is. would affect the tourists who only stay a lew days,” said our informant, but it is a rather serious tax on people of Utt e or moderate means, who have been ordered to take a course of bafhs tor health reasons, and who are hard put to it to get to Rotorua at all. Such people are complaining bitterly, as are also the permanent residents, who make a practice of taking four or five baths a week. One hard-working woman told me that a bath freshened* her up after a tiling day. She had been accustomed to taking three baths a week, but found that she would now have to cut the number down to one.” It was suggested that the increased rate Be charged casual tourists and hoTCjay-makers, but J-Nat concession tickets might be issued to those who wished to take over 20 or 24 baths in a season.

A proposal will be made at the Hospital Board meeting this week by Mr. A. J. McCurdy:—“That the special subcommittee, consisting of three members each of the Hospital and Social Welfare Committees, with the chairman of the Hospital Board, entrusted with the management, of the Macartliy Convalescent Home be discharged; and that the system in operation in Dr. Barclay s term be reverted 1 to’, that is to say. that the management of the Macartliy Home bd entrusted to the medical superintendent and two advisers (the. chairman of the Hospital Board and the member representing the district in which the Macarthv Home is situated being such advisors); the superintendent and his advisers to report to the Hospital Committee at least monthly. Members of the Evans’s Bay Yacht Club onened' their season on Saturday, under fairly good weather conditions. There was' a good muster of craft. Several rowing races wore held. A popular item was a race in which hulk’s boats participated.