GENERAL NEWS.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15237, 26 March 1915, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

Al! the Canterbury rivers were rc|M>fU'd clear yesterday morning.

Tho case Rex v. McKinuou will be further adjourned on Monday next, and common jurors. ;»re discharged from attendance.

Tho duty on imported Hour and wheat will, according to advice received from the Customs Department, be remitted until the end of next December.

Tho depth oi Lnko Wakatipu hae Ire. queutly been a subject ot speculation. According to one who 15 occupied 0:1 the lake daily, soundings were recently taken, a depth of 2100 ft being plumbed.

The Stratford ratepayers, by a large majority (states .1 Press Association mesvage) decided in favour of the proposal tr> borrow £9000 for the erection of new municipal building,., m place of these recently destroyed by fire.

The New Zealand flyins machine— the "Britannia"—which was presented some little time to the Dominion by the Imperial Air Fleet Committee O.npland) has boon sent to the front by the Now Zealand Defence Department, states the "British Australasian."

Owinp: to the illness of counsel in the whole of the jury cases which were .sot down for hearing at the sittings of the Mnvtertcn Sunrcme Court, thehave all boon adjourne.l for hearing at future sittings in ilasterton and AVelHnßton.

An Impcrhl officer with the New Zealand i'orcos at the Canal uiiht writes to a friend in jhr.t he was very proud of them, and mentions parlifTilarly the Canterbury ar.d Auckliitul infantry bntfalions. who won' within 1-jO yard? of the enemy.

A cenerous donation to tho Bely.au Fund ha* been made by l)r. K. K. I*orritt. of "Wansjanui. lie i> the ow-ior of n black of land roar -Hamilton, consisting <iJ 1-50 ri'vo, and he lib.< given the whole of thi.- rr.vtorty tn the P.el•ran ; Kmid. The land will be cold, ::nil it i>. e-tinuitcd that it will realise JLVXt''.

At last mooting of the Canterbury Prohibition League, tin* lol-lou-iny; resolution wn~ passed: - '_Ihr.t this \.p*\z:ir supports tho W.l'.T.r. in its attitude upon tho q;icbt'i>u oi the >;ipi)lyin;; of soldiers with liquor, and Icnrni with pleasure ilv.it the authorities r> t Home :>rc inovir;; in the matter of materially reducing tho hours of sab in liquor bars."

At tho mooting of the Canterbury A. and 1 , . Association h;st night, Mr H. D. Vavasour, of Blenheim, said: "I consider th* Canterbury Show the paramount. ;>£:icukmal and pastoral show i;i the Dominion, and J would sooner wit: one. priz? lor my sheep at Canterbury than brlf-a-dnson anywhere. ol;->> in Now Zealand.''

For ti'f concert to lie given in the Theatre Koyal on Thurs.dav night next, in aid of ihc Belgium Fund, a most attractive programme lias beer, arranged. Tito Christchurch Orchestra wilT piny tin . Tone Poem. "Finlander. -, liy Joan Sibelius, also the •"Nutcracker" suite 1)V Tschaikowsky. Mr Harry Ehvocvl will play "Prelude" "Souvenir de Moscow" (\Yieniaw?ki). •'Tambourine Cliinois" (Kreisler). Mrs Ernest Firth and Madame Gowcr-Burns will sing the duet. "Quis est Ilcrao." from the Stabat Mator. -Mr Frank Graham and Mr Hamilton Hodges will also sing. Tho box plan is at The Bristol. Frank Holder was yesterday prosecuted at Marton (telegraphs our correspondent) by the Collector of Customs for a breach of license under section «- of the Beer Duty Act, IS)OS>, by selling a fermented beverage containing more tliau three per cent, of proof spirit, thereby carrying on the business of a brewer without'being tho holder of a brewer's license. Evidence showed that a sample of hop beer recently taken and forwarded to the Government Analyst, contained 'J. 2 proof spirit, and sis per cent, more than was allowed by law. Defendant denied committing a breach intentionally, and attributed the cause to the length of fermentation. Mr Kerr. S.M., pointed out tho seriousness of tho offence if tho fact got abroad that defendant's hop beer •Wit* stronger than ordinary beer, it could easily bo understood he would do a big business in hop beer, and yet evade the Customs duty. Defendant must have shown great carelessness in manufacturing when he did not attempt to aecortain the amount of alcohol in tho brew. He would bo fined £20 and costs.

The fates have been Unkind to tho local fishermen for so mo months (writes onr Kaikouiii correspondent). On top of two laiirc consignments having to be sent to the destructor at Wellington, and other lots having to be conto the -s-oUref? from whence they cainc. last Friday only a small portion of a iint> cii-lcli obtained space on the steamer to Wellington, in consequence of deck room being devoted to pig;. This hius proved the "last straw" on tho backs of thn fishermen, who estimate that they have lost £l">0, while, during the ]):ist three months, over oO tons of fish have gone to waste. The fishermen have communicated with the proprietors of the Wellington .steamer complaining of perishable cargo being shut out in favour of live stock, and urging that the iuwrise order should obtain. They have also placed thw and other matters l>»fon> tin* Prime Minister i>ml the Minister of Murine, explaining fuilv the whole of ihe attendant eircuiin-tancp* .'Mid the advene con - diti"'""; nutW wMr-b they labour. Mr G. W. Korl)P«. M.1 , .. hfl« l>P'>n asked to tin? fi'shprnje'i i:i ohhwrwTif/ the removal of tlio disabilities hampering their operations.

The .famous yee.so of the Capitol at Koine havo found baee descendants in Belgium. Two Belgian officers arc my authority for tlie stoiy (writer one of the".Daily Mail" correspondents in .Northern Franco). Beyond I'en-yse— a difficult country flooded two mile;; wide, where Iho ollieial communique has latoly reported some progress— there is ii lonely chateau. It is a valuab!o supporting point and j)ost of observation, and although it stands riyhtout in front of tho present German lintvs and is oomniandcd by the iin? of the Beigian artillery, it is. or wn s a fen' days as o -' 6 * l '!' occupied by an outpost of a bent fifteen Germans. The Walls <>f the liouso have been knocked flat by shells, but the Germans Jive in a comparative safety, in the cellars bcin~ rcvictuallod and relieved at iiight. bo. imagined that the Belgians have spared, no effort to take this is>oliTtfid iwiVanced post, so valuable, as a look-out to tins enemy. Night after night bodies of Belgian infantry have crept stealthily out towards it, hoping to rush the chateau with the. bayonet by surprise. And every time they have been defeated —by :i iJock of ducks! The farmyard still contains a. number of these "birds, and though tho Gci;mmiK would no doubt greatly appreciate them as a dish they.find .hem even more valuable a X .sentries thnn rocsted, for they invariably detect tho approach of the' attacking" party and begin to quack Initdly. The approaches to the farm being'limited by tho floods, tho little Gorman garrison, thus warned in the styl,-. of the old legend, hay» always been able hitherto to beat off tho attack.

For the Ea»ter holidays and races Messrs T. Armstrong and Co., ..Ltd., are showing their special importations, which cover all the most up-to-date lines in wearables fi»" I'-otii ladies and gentlenion. The firm"s largo showrooms are crowded with {rood things, the magnificent disp!:-.y. of millinery, coat*, costumes, and rich fur.?, being worth a lons journey to see. Messrs Armstrong: were sufficiently optimistic to place very large indents for this season, and aro rewarded by the splendid selection to hand. 'J'he keynote of the company's success w.ill be rigidly adhered to. viz., Ion" prices. /

Aninm! portraits.—Preserve the likeness of ■vo.'T favourite pet. StefFano Webb specialises in this work, Make- an appointment now. Petersen's Bmltiinßs. Hijrli street. Telephone 1959. W'9722-3242

Hot Point Klwtrif Iron Competition. — Ist prize. K. H. B.irnett, Chester street; 2nd prize. M. G. Shaw, Fiwspftrald avenue; Urd prize, M. Shields. Cranmer square.. See our windows. Tnrnbnl! and Jonc.t Ltd. 6

The new '"Torie" or curved lensea greatly enlarge the field of vision. They have many other advantages, which Walter J. Watson. D.8.0.A., London, expert optician, Colombo street (near Kincaid's), will bo pleased to explain.

Campers and picnic parties! Add to the* enjoyment of '-our wutinji by taking a supply of Thomson's '"Purity" voFdial*. The-sf> oordi-iLs aro the pure juice of the choicest fruits. They are healthy, rrfroohiux- All grocers. T'ord and Mirams, agents. 6

The resignation ot the headmaster oi the Napier Boys' High Scuool was by a special meetinu 01 the Board of Governors on Monday. Alter Mr Beaton's letter had boon road, it was resolved to .leeept hi.s resignation and to release him from the end of this term, and to i)ay him .salary and hou-e allowance to the cud of the year.

•■THF .STAR"—THE BEST BAKGAI.N I.n'tHK UK; HAKVEST SALE, Over :; garter oi a century a-o, when the hrm now Known as Adam?. Ltd. way founded. it> efforts were centred in the production of the ••Star" |,scvc-le. Became the "*™r bicycle was an honest bicycle, reliable. casyrunning, and durable, and sold at an hone*: ""prir-o. the business grew steadily. Nowadays it ha* many departments, and h'ranohos all over the Dominion, but the ">tnr' ? i.= still a lead- ■, m( jjj, c _,tii! honest still oasy-run-iliiiM. -still the best valuo procurable. It f.ells'now in enormous (junntitiw. and a b'; r reduction in prire line; been made possible. M J-l - - 10.-=. the prire rreentiy rtiMr.g, the "Star"' was splendid value. To-day, at. i' 7 Ilk. it, represent?; miapproiirhabio value. We heartily recommend T.'t:> "Star" to farmers, who may be desirous of niirrhasmp; bicyelps as harvest fr>r their hoy.« and pirls. It i« stylish, beautifully finisl:cd. and luxirriously equipped. The new roadster models have stool mudguards, free wheel, two powerful rim brakes. For children the '-Star" juvenile w'leels.. at Co I<">s. almost exact copirc> of tho adult -models, are marvellous "?alue — (mite the hpst juvenile machines on the Nov.- Zealand market. «t any nrico. Call and so" these latest '-Star?." and remember that in dealing -with the big firm you pay no fancy prices. "We have a hi" turnover, and can work on a small mararin of profit. Adams. Ltd., TT'ffb sWot. Chnstehurch. (T?. M. Actam*. Bicycle Department Heprcsentative). 7