AUCKLAND HAPPENINGS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 4 July 1918, Page 2

AUCKLAND HAPPENINGS.

fFHOM OJPv O;.VN COKUESPONDiSNT'I

Auckland, July 2

THE WUVJWIERA

The "Wvinme.ra, ''the lucky boat of the fleet,"' as she used to be called, has failed to justify her name. She has gone to Davy Jones' locker, and her Captain and some of his officers have gone down with her —so, at least, it is supposed up to the time of writing. Several stewardesses are amongst the missing, too. They doubtless lost their lives in helping* other people to preserve theirs. Stewardesses are like that. The news of the disaster created a prodigious sensation in Auckland. At first it was rumoured that the explosion was an internal one. and this added not a little to the excitement, Later it was announced that the ■ explosion was external. But people had to be satisfied with that. No further intelligence relative to the exact cause of the catastrophe has. so far, been made public The shipwrecked passengers presented a sorry spec i taole on landing at Auckland on j Saturday morning last. They I did their best to bear up, but the terrible experience they had so recently passed through had left its marks on most of their faces. The crowd cheered them, one and all, but perhaps the loudest cheers were reserved for Mrs Gould, the brave old lady- who wanted to give up her seat in the boat, vi favour of some younger woman. The Wimmera. was a splendid sea-boat. fas I can testify from personal experience as I made the trip from Lytfcleton to Sydney in hot* a year or two ago. THE FALLING BfRTHRAfE. The Government, through one of'its -Ministers, has recently drawn public attention to our falling Mrih-ratel n,r?.d Aon?, its bost to iinoriioft upon die people 4'\\3 importance or keeping ilie cradles full. Apropos cT tin? a correspondent of a locd paper put tiio case of the baekblocb? settles very forcibly. The writer, it appears, is what he call;'} '"a bimh cocky," and is engaged In. 'the arduous task of. cawing- a, home out of the wilderness. Recently ho had. an audition, to-his family. As there was i-o vaat^riiir-v hosoital. of chii' ;:. -:X'l ■;.!-;;; ■; > \-.-j :::;••■■.;, away ;. i:r ' tl':\ ■ :■■> i- ■.■■.'■ ':.-..■ senoe, .-.•'.. ..■■■.: :'.-••;-: ::-■■• .-.;-,:, ; ". .. .■;;. amounts • :-:;r. ■.. '■:? :.• ' ; ;., conclude:; ::u., •■. .■■■•.-.-■ •. /■..;., ' - have come p.; i".".«- •.';:■•:■ ■',-.. ■~ : : ..:.- babies are luxuvio> ,-••■■■■:••, ':■■■■ reach of my poo:.- nrs:- •■■•..'•' '?} -.■.-■■.. letter was followol '■-■■? •■<*■■.'■'>'■ from "A Worker," \■ ■ - . the opinion that "ii,i^:.i^. *'

the G-ovet-riment woke up to the k need of encouraging the birthrate in New Zealand, especially arrior-g the workers.': Of course the mat-era?.!.;.- bov^s vc^: dn^i^^a tO eriCO':;ic;e r.\ : r : . vi/Vii-. ,r : <,_- j^-.-j. accc"c':..;j to .••-.,. Work- ■' '<:,-i ap- '' plied as long ago as Oor-.-'bo:r lastfor this bonus —and hadn't got it yet. Are there many moiv cases like that ? THE "PENNY DREADFUL," ,-. AGAIN ! ' "SCT A half-caste youth of 16 fa^P? the Magistrate at AucklaßT Police Court the other morning charged with attempting to obtain money from an Auckland "~\, lady resident. The boy was em- ti ployed by a local firm with whom J the lady transacts business, and. W appears to have conceived the. idea that this lady might ■be -.- v frightened into parting with her money for his, benefit. But the ~-\ thing had to be diplomatically \ arranged. So Dick Turpin junior | rang up the lady and asked her lif she would make an a-ppomt-I merit to meet him by moonlight '. alone —or ' words to that effect. The request, as might have been expected, failed .to elicit a ■■•response, until it had been several ..•', times repeated when the lady told *V \ j her husband, who colled the % 'police into counsel, unti it was -k arranged that the lady should '■* pretend-to accede to the propo.sda.-~... '■% interview. Mr Turpin named the 4 spot—a lonely part of the Dtfmaiti 1 And he was there to keep the ap~, :;| pointment, wearing the white '; A flower of o. blameless life1 in his '%■% button-hole. The lady was not M | chore, but her husband was, So %m ! was a tierecuivfi. Accosted by trip ■/?M ! [attar youn^- ivir T.urpin owne| .^ I .up. lie had -a,, revolver •ih. ; ffif^; 'k) pocket, but oxpTained the was'merely there "tofi-ighte^-tlS'^^^ lady with if she rofused to g;iye-^^H ; kino was also f; ''•*Xs>£f?' j.xi ■■•.■i'-j^is';k;>sHp j pc.isses.sion.- , The %.nc"n k3 prisoner's mind hadtfeen poisoned' :'lp by trashj storiesksuch as those" II produced. Ho would bo.coriHntt-..'::^ j ted to Wcraroa IndiistnaTSchabil^lW So faded. this ambitious youth's k|p| dieamy of amassing: wealth •.■by"»^p the simple process of extortf lgftt' at the revolver's point frora'^therSwl people. ■ ■ : *' ■:*-■ ■ ;''Msi ■ x^'m^M ENEMY AUErc^l ■%.■:/$$ Writes ray Wellington league; the people %ho Jiavej,3 J bci-i growling so \<mg 4bput tufe'' } Kic«n rei rsr o} u^ G(;vernrnenty-kl 1 ml,.' (^g '>r ra "> , h,?n^ and thei| ; ";k® I b-"'ii: «it i- : ]Lisn■ •-• at ; th;ek',::<:i >,<V > i **! •-■;■ hb^-'^'^^& hav> i i - i Vj. . t^k^ll scopt )t the _nc'lioju< vvicek'H3* clausv^ ct the Hencei oith ih* saidk crhaps wim%if^ have to work, whecTfer they'like it or not. Th^' are> be pai^'fll current rat&s for^^treir Tabpur/j/Jp Any failure o^ rfeffibaf to-acpapT %|O National /Ser^be|^ans an^^f-, fence ag4insfr thf War Regula- '-.^o tions. Sjo far so*|opd. , When I'tll learn that tb^p .^)v"ernmentvpro-^A% pose tokpurgetb^ Public Servicek^ of the/ Huns, Naturalised or :§S§ otherwise, who are noV drawing;^|f nay from the Public Exchequer^ :sM I will let you know. ■ . . k^-kil : ' ■'"*■■'. k^fti