GENERAL NEWS.

A preliminary trial of the Heathoote County Council's motor road-roller was made at Opawa on Thursday. Further trials are to be made, this time on the Hackthorne road. The reopening of the Technical High School has < been postponed from Monday next till Tuesday, but the evening classes will resume on Monday as originally arranged. "As a citizen of Ohrifitchnrch and of New Zealand, I fhope that there will! never be standardised houses in this Bominion," said Mr W. H, Winsor at last evening's meeting of the .North Canterbury Unemployment Committee. "As old Shakespeare said, 'Variety is the spice of life,' and I think it will be bettor for all !f no standardised design is adopted." "The work which the Returned Soldiers' Association is daily performing for the less fortunate soldiers is not generally realised by the men who have ; been able to get back into their old places in civil life," said Mr S, Reid at this week's meeting of the executive of the Auckland, body. "In a'hundred and one ways the association is standing as tho friend of men who suffered most in the war. Their more fortunate comrades should realise that tho association is performing a work no other body could undertake." Over-keen competition on tho part of ! motor delivery drivers of the two Chiristchurch evening newspapers resulted in them being called on at the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning to answer charges of having exceeded the speed limit. One day during Grand National Week they raced to get first into the Addington trotting track. Mr L. A. Dougall, who appeared for the man who wa9 in the leaia. said that this defendant put on speed because the opposition man was just behind, end was endeavouring- to get the leading position. Tie only excuse ho had to offer was that the young man served in » eemi-public capacity in delivering newspapery and if the publio did not get their papers they were the first to complain. The City Motor Inspector (Mr H Mcintosh) said that at a conservative estimate the speed would be at least 40 miles an hour. He was informed that the newspaper proprietors did not countenance such speeding. The Magistrate said that racing of this kind must bo stopped on the public streets. One of the defendants, James •McNamara, was fined. £2 and costs, and the other, John A. Ramsay, who had a previous conviction for speeding, was fined £3 and co?*»»

The auction announcements of C-rad-dock's Agency Cov., Ltd., H. B. Sorensen, AV. E. Simes and Co., 11. C. Smith, Harris Bros., Tonks, Norton, and Co., Ltd., Farmers' Saleyards, "Dalgoty and Co., Ltd., National Mortgage and Agency Co., Ltd., H. G. LiringEtono and Co., Lawrie and Dalton, and P. S. Xicholls and Co. will be found on page 17 of this issue. to some wood under the oven catching fire. tho Fire Brigade- were called to the premises ot Mr C. Loon, laxkor, Colombo street, last night. Ino damaa;. 1 was caused by tho outbreak. A Hamilton telegram staU-s that tho schoolbovs, Edward Taylor and Horace TaTlor, who were missing for two days, hare turned no. They played truant, and wm> frightened to return homo until driven in bv the cold night. It is expected that those who intend 'aking part in the Canterbury Progress Leagued tour of Nelson and Marlboyoufijll will out about & to.tnight's "tirno. At present it is understood -bat a brut twelve representatives of tho bodies affiliated with tho League i will make the tour, j '-'Theft is far too common now, and ' tho onlv wav to influence the. public raind is'by making the punishment imprisonment," remarked *Mr AVyvern AVilson, at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, when sentencing a young man aged 2*2, to imprisonment for having committed theft from the Siouso at which ho was staying.

Flying exhibitions and passenger carrving will be conducted by the Canterbury Aviation Company, Ltd., as followsSefton, September 12th; Waipara, September 13th • Scargill, September 14th; Parnassus, September 16th; Cheviot, September 1/th; Waiau, September 19th ; Culverden, September 20th. The exhibition will commence at 1 p.m. each day. The lack of a suitable hall for concerts is quite sufficient to damp the ardour of any amateur organisation. It was stated at a meeting of the executives of musical bodies, on Thursday, that it cost the Royal Musical Society nearly £l5O to prepare the Barracks for their last concert, besides endless work in planning seating accommodation, etc. Cr. C. W. Hervey has given the following notice of motion for consideration by the City Council on Monday night: '"'That a Traffic Committee (w'th power to make recommendations to the Council) be set up, consisting of Crs. Flesher, Hunter, Armstrong, and the mover, also one representative from the Canterbury Drivers' Union, and one from tho Canterbury Automobile Association, to consider the city speed limits Rnd the proper regulation of traffic generally.'" The Appointments Committee reported to yesterday's meeting of the Canterbury Education Board that it had received a letter from the North Canterbury Hospital Board, asking the Board to consideV the question of appointing a teacher to instruct the children in the hospital. There were about thirty children -under treatment, whose ages ranged from three to twelve years. It was agreed to aslt the Department to authorise the Board to_ have a class established, on similar lines to that carried on for some time at Timaru. A small boy, about nine years of ig<ii while fishing" off the jetty at Sumner yesterday afternoon, slipped and fell into the water. A youtih named ItKing noticed the Iroy's plight and dived in fully clothed, and succeeded m swimming with nlm until he was atote to catch nold cC nflo of the piles 01 th© pier. The small lifeboat was launched, and the two were soon rescued from their precarious position. The tide was running out very Btrongly at the 'time, and had it not been for King s plucky action the consequences would perhaps have been more serious. At yesterday's meeting of the Canterbury Education Board, Mr Blank, one of the truant officers, reported that he had obtained permission from all the managers of picture theatres to enter the buildings at all times during school hours, and that he would be in ft position to Toport fully at the next meeting. AVith reference to this, Mi C. S. Thompson said he had interviewed the manager of one of the local picture theatres. This manager said that very few children attended the pictures during school hours. He promised to keep a record of children who did attend during school hours. Mr Thompson said that when ihe received this report he would place it before the Board. At a meeting of Spreydon ratepayere last night, Mr E. H. Andrews, who is chairman of the City Council Reserves Committee, gave seme past history with regard to the beautifying of tho banks of the river Avon. He mid tho work was started about 20 years ago in a time of streßS. At that time the unemployment situation was much worse than to-day, and the work of beautifying the banks was started as relief work. The men were paid 8s 6d peri day, and tihey worked well and were content. In this way a good deal of the work on the river banks was carried out, and the rest was finished at a later date. A naiTow strip of land two links in width was the subject of a. case h<fard in tlie Assessment Court yesterday. The land, which is owned by Mr Francis James Grace, who was represented by Mr C. R. Clark, prevents access to tlhe property of Mr Andrew Fairbairn in Grace field street, between Colombo and Durham streets, St. Albans, and was valued at £7OO. Mr Clark stated that the land had been bought to prevent thio owner of the section Dehind it from having any frontage. The t original owner having died, Mr Fairbairn wished to purchase the strip at £25. In explaining that tlhe case had only been brought forward for a ruling by the Court, Mr J. H. McCarthy, local valuer, stated that Mr Fairbairn's land, as it stood, was Worth only £IOO, but with a frontage to the street would be worth £9OO. fP*wns .agreed to offer the strip in question to the Government for £25.

x At yesterday's meeting of the Canterbury Education Board, the proposal to form an old students' association, 60 as to keep the ex-studenta • of the Normal College more closely in touch with matters was approved. In order to avoid as far as practicable congestion at the beginning of next year, the principal's suggestion that Training College students should be permitted to apply for vacancies after this month, was approved, on the understanding that their duties would not commence until after the midsummer vacation. A letter was received from tne Department authorising all expenditure applied for in connexion with we new lecture liall, except the levelling and grassing of site, provision of plants, and part of the asphalting. The matter of having the grounds surrounding the hall put in order, including the shifting of shed and re-erection of fence, was loft to the chairman and the principal. Evidence that the Canterbury Public Library is maintaining its popularity is given by the comparison of the issues during the past three months. During the month of June the total number of books issued from the circulating library was 17,085; during July the total reached 17,673 volumes; and for August even larger increases in all sections were recorded, the total reaching 18,059 volumes. This is an increase of about 2000 volumes compared with Augu3t, 1920. In the reference library 5748 books were consulted, this being nearly 2000 more than the number used during August last year. In the juvenile library 1751 volumes were taken out, this being about the same number that were issued during; August last year. New memoers enrolled during the month numbered 81. New books were added as. follows to the various departments: Circulating 134, reference 49, and juvenile 77. A splendid selection of popular nonaction books has' arrived from the Times Book Club, London.