AUCKLAND HAPPENINGS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 26 September 1918, Page 3

AUCKLAND HAPPENINGS.

[From Our Own Correspondent!

£■.. Auckland, Sept. 23 "PINCHING."

The persistent theft of cargo from steamers visiting this port is proving a serious matter for all concerned. A shipping man of my acquaintance tells me that one shipping company has paid at its Auckland branch between £150 and £200 in satisfaction of claims for "lifted" cargo within the last few weeks. Consignments of liquor seem to receive special attention, but anything worth while may be, and frequently is, interfered with. A day or two ago several cases of clothing were landed at Auckland and were, to all appearances, quite alright, and the consignee took delivery without even suspecting that anything was wrong. On unpacking one the cases, however, a small cardboard box which had, it is supposed, contained a dozen under-vests, was found to be empty. Upon exam- ■ ination a little knot-like hole was discovered in the packingcase, while a small hole had been cut in the corner of the box. Through these two holes the missing singlets had been drawn one by one, and it was only on ; careful scrutiny that the method of their disappearance was revealed. Judging by the many cases of theft and burglary reported in this city of late there must be a good many " wrong uns" in our midst The police service of Auckland is admittedly quite inadequate. But it is satisfactory to note that the police have made several arrests since my last in connection with the safe-robberies. By the way, our old friend Bill Sykes if he attempted anything in the "cribcracking" way nowadays would find the methods he practised quite out of date. In Bill's day safes were forced. The modern burglar uses a charge of gelignite or some other powerful explosive. The world is always progressing! THE INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC^ The sympathy of all will go out to the relatives of the poor . fellows, members of the 40th Reinforcements, who perished at sea of influenza and pneumonia. The boys left fully prepared to fight the Hun and add to the many laurels New Zealanders have won at the Front. But they did not reckon on meeting another foe ere they reached their destination and falling, to the number of 60 or 70, before even sighting the enemy they had hoped to face. It is rather astonishing that medical science which has discovered so much and conquered disease in so many forms, should still be powerless to grapple effectively with the terrible " flue " concerning which the doctors really seem to know no more to-day than they did 20 years ago or more. IT RHYMES WITH "BOSCHE." It has been reserved for General Pau, head of the French Mission to Australia, to set us all right on the question of the proper pronunciation of the name of the great Frenchman who is making things so very unpleasant for William the Pious just now. This question oi" the Generallissimo's name has given rise to all sorts of arguments and discussions, and also more than one newspaper controversy in New Zealand, I have heard people, •call him "Fox," "Foes," and' " Fock." And the people over in Australia appear to have been as much puzzled as ourselves regarding the question. It has now been set at rest by General ■ Pau who unhesitatingly declares the name is pronounced "Fosche," and as this authority is a personal friend and compatriot of the brilliant strategist he is probably right. 11 COCK-A-DOODLE-DO!" A lady resident of one of our marine suburbs recently lodged a vrp-olaint with the local Borough kggg%£^cil against a neighbour. '^jSehbour keeps fowls, inclu'dinißJt couple of roosters, and it is th)e cVowing of the roosters to which the complainant objects. The Council declared that it was powerless to move in the matter. The person who owned the fowls, it pointed out, complied with all the rules and regulations made and provided by the Council, and this being so there was nothing more to be said. The case reminds me of one that happened in the city some years ago. A tenant in a certain apartment house complained to the landlady that the occupant of the adjoining room was learning the violin, and in the habit of practis-

ing on that instrument for two hours every night —from 9to 11. He said he liked to get to bed early, but as things were it was simply out of the question. The landlady expressed regret, but said that she could not interfere. The violin student paid his rent regularly, and so had aright to practice in his room if so minded. The exasperated lodger retired discomfited. But he hadn't done. He purchased a big drum, and next night as soon as the violinist commenced to practice the owner of the drum followed suit. The noise was deafening, In the midst of the hubbub the scandalised landlady arrived on the scene, and, as soon as she could make herself heard, gave the drummer a week's notice.