NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3790, 10 May 1928, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES.

The Health Department has decided not to grant any further permits for septic tanks in Hokitika. At Kerikeri, Auckland province, preparations are in hand to plant 15,000 citrus trees in the Allerton group settlement. From a smooth sui'face a. big shark heaved itself in the air about 150 yards away from a ferry boat off the Calliope dock at Auckland the other morning. The playing strength of Rugby football in New Zealand was set down at 30,000 (apart from boys playing for their schools), plus emei’gencies.

A man named William Prentice, an ironmoulder by occupation, died at Forbury Park racecourse, Dunedin, on Saturday. Two doctors on the course wept to his assistance when he collapsed, but nothing could be done. The cause of death was apparently heart seizure. An inquest is considered unnecessary.

Approximately one-fifth of the annual maintenance cost of tho Auckland Hospital, excluding overhead charges is absorbed in bills for food. There is a daily average of about six hundred patients in the hospital, and the annual food bills is from £IB,OOO to £20,000. £IOOO is spent yearly on wines and spirits. Following the totalisator “incident” at the recent Hawke’s Bay races, about which some adverse comment has been made, the committee of the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club held a meeting at Hastings, and after full inquiry into the circumstances pertaining to the general conduct of the sixth race on Friday, April 27, unanimously found that the totalisator mana-' ger (Mr. C. J. Tipping) was not in any way negligent or blameworthy in his conduct of tho machine.

The Wellington acclimatisation district is becoming known as the best oppossum area in New Zealand and fresh inquiries are constantly being received from trappers. One of the latter, who was proud of a take of 500 skins for two men in another district, was rather surprised when he was told by the Wellington Acclimatisation Society’s secretary that the .take for 365 trappers last season was 56,000 skins, the best take being that of 1200 by two men in the season of six weeks. The 319 skins taken from two men who were recently convicted of illegally having skins in their possession at the Upper Hutt Court, and were fined £4O for possession and £2O for illegal trapping respectively, were sold at auction last week and realised £l2B, the best skins fetching 14/2 and the most inferior 1/10.