General News.

The new avenue leading to Richmond Park will be planted this week. ' The Selwyn river V Hword flood, in consequence of which the tord on the Main South road is impassable. Arrangements have been made for a visit of inspection by City Councillors to the Bottle Lake plantation this morning. For the four weeks ended July 23rd, the City Council's electricity department received 409 applications .for supply, and made 113 new connexions and 217 alterations and extensions. For the week ended Saturday the goods traffic from the "West Coast totalled 9684 tons, as compared with 7527 tons for the corresponding week of 1926. Provision was made on the current year's estimates for the replacing of a number of the City Council's horses at present in use, as some of them are getting very old and slow. It was decided last evening that six new horses be purchased, which will enable some ot those now in use to be spelled periodically. Early on the morning October 22nd, a special train will leave Christchurch, taking passengers to Greymouth for the Trotting Club s Meeting. While on the Coast, it is probable that the excursionists, will be entertained at a monster picnic to Punakaiki. The train will leave on return on the evening of Monday, October 24th. The river-sweeper, which is at work cleaning the bed of the Avon river, has now reached the intersection or Salisburv street with Park terrace. Here a bank of shingle has been encountered, and man-power, m addition to that supplied by the force of the jets is required to move the machine from side to side. For this purpose a long polo is employed to push the sweeper over the shingle banks. Cr. G. R Hunter was appointed by the City Council last evening as its delegate on the committee to review the position regarding the Colombo street crossing. In reply to Cr. D. G. Sullivan, he said he was satisfied that the Railway Department was sitting tight in the matter. Its representative had kept silent at the conference, although the speaker knew that it had prepared estimates of the alternative schemes. He did not know whether the difficulty was to be overcome by a subway, overhead bridge, or what method the Railway Department had in mind.

Eight firms tendered for the supply of water meters to the City Council, and the Works Committee recommended last evening that the tender of Messrs A. and T. Burt, Ltd., be accepted. The recommendation was adopted. To a deputation yesterday, the Mayor of Wellington (Mr G. A. Troup) said the loss on the municipal bus services this vear was likely to increase from £9OOO to £13,000, states a Wellington Press Association message. An appeal has been lodged by the New Brighton Borough Council' with the Transport Appeal Board against the granting of a license to the Tramway Board to run a bus along Park road, Baker street, and Racecourse road. Yesterday at least ono dead lamb was seen in Haglev Park, bearing evidence of the attentions of a dog which has started to worry the grazing sheep. A member of the Botanic Gardens stalf scoifred the locality with a gun, but was unable to sight tho dog. Mr W. J. Jenkins, of Waddington, lias presented to the Botanic Gardens a large collection of crepe ferns which will form the nucleus of the fernery which the Gardens Committee of the Domains Board recommended on its inspection on Saturday. At the City Council meeting last evening the abattoir manager's report for July gave the following particulars:—Slaughtered, cattle 1411, sheep 9006, lambe 699, pigs 1001, calves 460; condemned, cattle 22, sheep 70, lambs 0, pigs 4, calves 11. Injuries received last night when his motor-cycle skidded on Papanui road near Leinster road necessitated the admittance to the hospital of a man named Blair. His injuries were serious, and early this morning he was still unconscious. In connexion with the proposed improvements to the City abattoir, authority was requested by the Abattoir Committee at the City Council meeting last evening for Cr. Hunter and the manager to proceed to Dunedin to inspect- the abattoir there. Tc was felt by this being done that much valuable information would be obtained. The City Council agreed last evening, on tho recommendation of tho Works Committee, to increase its contribution to the cost of maintenance of Page's road from 2-5 to 35 per cent., in accordance with the agreement arrived at with the New Brighton Borough and Heathcote County Councils. During the month of July there were 24 public accidents on the Christchurch tramways, particulars of which are:—Collisions w r ith motor-cars, 11; collisions with cyclists, 1; collisions with other vehicles, 3; collisions with pedestrians, 1; alighting from cars in motion, 6; boarding cars in motion, 1; and miscellaneous, 1. The next railway excursion to Arthur's Pass will be run on September 3rd. From the station thero the noise of snow avalanches can be plainly heard, indicating that there is a great depth of snow in tho valley. In the late spring it is intended to run excursion trips to the Bealoy Glacier, but the walk to the icefield is considered too dangerous at present. Infectious and other ngiiliaiblo diseases reported in tho 'Canterbury and West Coast Health Districts for the week ended noon yesterday totalled 25, as follows: —Canterbury: Scarlet fever 6, diphtheria 1, tuberculosis 10, pneumonia 3, puerperal sepsis 2, lethargic encephalitis I, eclampsia 1. West Coast: Enteric fever 1. Deaths in the Canterbury district totalled 4: Tuberculosis 3, lethargic encephalitis 1. In reply to a question asked by Cr. Manning, at a meeting of the City Council last night, as to whether any superannuated men Were being employed by the City Council, and if so, whether this was being done with the sanction of the Finance Committee, Cr. D. G. Sullivan, chairman of tho Committee, said that so far as ho know only one such man was concerned, and this was because of. his special knowledge. As a rule such a practice was avoided if possible. A petition was received 'at last night's meeting of tho City Council from Mr John Park and other ratepayers praying that the Council should purchase strips of land on tho northern and southern boundaries of Eden street so as to make the whole street a full width of 100 links, instead of 75 links as parts of it were at present. It was also suggested that tho name Eden should be deleted and that Massey, street should extend from St. Albans street'to Trafalgar street without a break. The S6. Albans Burgesses Association also wrote in support of the petition. Tho matter was referred to the Works Committee for consideration. A new system of tabulating a child's progress through school has been adopted by the Education Board. The old card system had been done away with, and a new method has been adopted by which the whole progress of every child in the Dominion through both the primary and secondary schools, will be 'recorded on one side of a card. Not only are the scholastic achievements of the children recorded, but also tho results of the periodical medical examinations. The idea of the system is that the evidence thus collected will enable the parents and the teacher to select a secondary course for the pupil, and also assist in the choosing of a suitable occupation. While engaged in laying down the sewerage main in Bletsoe avenue, Spreydon, the contractors struck an underground stream of water, requiring a six-inch bore pipe, and a three-inch centrifugal pump to deal with it. The stream is situated near Selwyn street and it is thought that when the main is laid down in Redruth avenue, the water will be again encountered. Running underground at a depth of about six feet, the stream has its outlet at the Church street pumping station, beside the Heathcote river. The work in Bletsoe avenue is nearly completed and progress is being made with the contract in Spring Grove, where water in the trench has necessitated the use of boarding at the sides. An exchange of articles of Maori manufacture with the Auckland Museum has resulted in the Canterbury Museum filling some gaps in its collection. The new articles include a fishing sinker, a pounder, and a stone spinning-top Other acquisitions of the past week are a sampler, of 1790. presented by Mrs J. Berryman; bird skins from the. National Museum, Mexico: a group of the Ninth General Synod (1875), presented b v Mrs Macnamara, of Christchurch; a Maori ndze, given by Mr G. G. Calvert; and four very fine Chinese tapestries, by Mrs Florence Terriss, of Tancred" street. Linwood. The latter were obtained during the Boxer Rebellion, of 1900 and enrich the Chinese collection considerably. Several sen-shells, hailing from Tahiti have been presented by Mr J. Mawson.

Vega Cream Separators are s«llinc on sight. No bonder—they look good" and are as good as thev look! Nothing more efficient, more durable, or of lighter class on the market. Now. mark the prices:—ls gallon £6 10s 30 gallon £9 10s. 45 crallons £l2 10s. 60 gallon £l6 10s, 90 jrnllon £2O. Bail or freight paid. Less 2\ per cent, for csh Booth, Maodonald, and Co., Ltd. 0512