LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 63, 7 December 1937, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

Earlier Blooming of Pokutukawas. The extended period of hot v?eather has caused in many distriets an almost general blooming of pohutukawas much earlier than usual. Young tre'es along ISt. Stephen's Avenue in Auckland Bhow Tvide splashea of red and old trees at Point Besolution, Parnell, and on adjoining bluffs, exhibit masses of blosBom that normally come into being much later in the month. Church, on Fire. Caused by the flames from the blowlamp of a painter, who was working on the building, fire broke out between the weatherboards and the lining of one of the walls of the Boman Catholic Church at Port Ahuriri shortly after 3 p.m. yesterday. The Port Fire Brigade were immediately summoned and, by the removal of a i'ew weatherboards were able to stop the fire with very little darnage to the building. Appeal from the Churches, Most churches in Auckland on iSunday made appeals for the finding of work from one day to a week for unemployed men before Christmas. The idea is that work should be given suitable for men who can engage in comparatively light duties only. This type of man invariably is dependent on sustenance and somethTng extra in the way of earn^ngs should assist him over Christmas. Marist Brothers ' Labours. "An interesting aspect of the residence at Eussell built for Bishop Pompallier nearly 100 years ago is tHat it was built by Marist Brothers," said the Bev. Brother Tarcisius director oi Sacred Heart College, at the reunion celebrations of the college O'ld Boys' Association. It was also recalled by Brother Tareisius that the first Marist Brother to come to New Zealand was trained by Father Champagnat, founder of the Marist Brothers, who also was a confrere of Bishop Pompallier. Finland's National Day. The 20th anniversary of the independence of Finland was cOlebrated yesterday by the flying of the country 's national flag over consuiar offiees and by the payment of calls by members of the Consuiar Corps. It was on December 6, 1917, that Finland, then a gran-i duchy of Bussia, made the declaTation of her independence whieh is held to mark the birth of Finnish freedom, although administrative steps to ensure this were not completed for some time afterward. n Mysterious Crackling. Strange crackling and creakiag sounds in wooden buildings have intrigued many persons in New Plymouth during the last few days and some shopkeepers experienced similar myste.ries, which were ultimately simply explained. The unaccustomed heat had its effect on the timbers, which caused them' to creak strangely, and doors showed slight tendencies to warp. The cellophane wrappings on aTticles in some shops made weird noises and in some instances the temperature caused the envelope wrappings to burst. Heads Fatality Percentages. The highest percentage of fatal and serious accidents in any urban aTtia in New Zealand was recorded by the Napier police district for the period between March and October of this year, according to figures released by the Commissioner of Transport, Mr G. L. Laurenson. Of a total of eighteen accidents in which people were injured, four were fatal and four others serious. Seven of the accidents (including three fatal* ones) were to pedestrians, giving Napier the highest percentage of pedestrians killed or injured in any police district in the Dominion.

Education System Fraised. Commenting that August of this year marked the 60th anniversary of the bitroduction of the aecular system of education into New Zealand, Mr A. S. Bichards, M.P. for Eoskill, speaking at the annual parents' day and fair of the Mount Albert District School pai.d a tribute t° tEe work of the school committees. "It is to the entire credit of hpproximately 16,000 men and women on school committees in New Zealand that, without hope of xeward or remuneration, they give their time and ability to the children," (said Mr Bichards. "No grander or nobler work could any man or woman undertake," Fireblight at Gisborne. Fireblight has again broken out in Gisborne orchards in a fairly sev§re form. The area affected is in the vicinity of the Waimata Eiver, including Kaiti and Whataupoko, but eo far it has not been found dn any other parti of Poverty Bay. Whataupoko and Kaiti were the areas mainly affected in last season's outbreak, but the d.isease has not spread yet to the whole of the orchards where it appeared last summer. Infection at present is mainly confined to apple and pear trees. Every effort is being made to eradicate the disease by cutting out and burning.