GENERAL NEWS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16220, 24 May 1918, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

* Garden .Notes will be found on page 4. We have received 6s from L.M., Papanui, for our Red Cross Fund. A meeting of business men will be held in tho ST.M.C.A. at 4.40 p.m. on Monday, to consider the present nnc j prospective position of the British and Foreign Bible Society in Christchurch. Bishop Julius will preside. Four American soldiers who went to sleep while on duty were tried |>y court-martial, and were. sentenced by the court (says a cable message to the Australian papers). An appeal mi the soldiers' behalf was made to Mr Wilson, who. after consideration of the facts of their case, pardoned the men. "There are two'things," said lur G. TV. Leadley at the Farmers' Union conference yesterday, * that the Canterbury Progress League can bend all its energies in accomplishing—firstly the completion of the Otira tunnel, and secondly the installation of electric power all over the province. Both these works will add immensely to the productivity of Canterbury.'' An all too prevalent practice pro, vails, mostly among boys, of interferinsr with the brakes on tram trailers, and recently, when the Sumner car was on its way past Clifton, the journey was delayed through this having been done. In another case a boy was found putting on tho brakes just as a tram" was " stopping. It may bo mentioned that the tramway by-law* provide a penalty for such offences, and there is a possibility of a fine being jnflif-fcari in both of these cases. j

The members of the Farmers' Lnion conference now sitting have accepted the invitation of the directors of the AVoolston Tanneries to inspect the works this afternoon. Tho Empire Day demonstration of the Overseas Club will be held in tho Choral Hall to-night. Admission will bo free, and the public aro cordially invited. The ceremony of laying the foundation stono of the new St. Albans school will take placo to-morrow at 2.50 p.m. Mr 10. H. Andrews will perform the ceremony. A man named James Delaney was arrested by tho police vesterday, and handed over to the military authorities. _It is stated that he is a military reservist, and had been evading service since last November. This morning, at the Magistrate s Court, "William George Price and Klla Elizabeth Price will be charged "that on May 17th they, knowing Frederick Painter and William Price" to be deserters within the meaning of the Army Act, did assist them to conceal themselves."

Speaking at tlic Farmers' Union conference yesterday, Mr David Jones, the | re-tiring president, said he considered | the continual agitation for providingi men with small farms of their own was > unwise in many ways. The experi- i once of :i largo proportion of small! struggling settlors recently showed! tlint thev would have been far better oil' as farm hands, working for an employee. than toiling for long hours and labouring under a heavy and almost intolerable financial burden. One of the speakers at the Dallington meeting 011 "Wednesday stated that to earn £100 in the main tramway area cost £61.. and in the special areas £60. The chairman of the Tramway Board, Mr C. M. Gray, states that this is not correct. The exact figures are: Main area £61 7s Bd, I'iccarton £-19 Os 2d, Hackthorne road £52 19s 3d, Dallington £89 2s 9d. PVnrlalton £S9 9s 3d, Papanui Extension £121 7s 2d, St. Martin's £78 4s 3d. The average of all lines is £G0 15s 9d. During the progress of the conference of the Now Zealand secondary school teachers yesterday, Mr F. finer moved that the Minister of Dvfenco should be thanked for allowing Lien-tenant-Colonol Sleeman to hold "barracks" in various secondary schools in the Dominion. lie warmly*praised the invaluable work which had been done by Colonel Sleeman, and said the secondary schools and tho country were singularly fortunate in having a man of such high attainments at their disposal. The test of the secondary schools was not the number of M.A.'s or M.Sc.'s they turned out, but tho number of lads imbued with a proper public spirit. Tho future of our Territorial army was in the hands of the lads :n the secondary schools and colleges. They would bo the futuro officers, just as the members of tho Officers' Training Corps in Great Britain had proved the backbone of Kitchener's Army. Other members of the conference also paid tribute to the value of Colonel Sleemnn's services. A deputation asking for a reduction

on tlu> postage of parcels to members of tile New Zealand Expeditionary Forco waited upon the Hon. AV. D. S. ; Mac Donald at Gisborne. a few days, ago. The Acting-Post master-Genera I explained that there was a loss <11 every parcel even at lire pent rates, and it was not a matter that a fleeted the New Zealand Government alone, as the Governments of other countries shared in their proportion of tho postage. A tally that had been taken showed that newspapers alone posted from New Zealand to tho "boys" in six months amounted to no less than 2700 tons. The shortage of shipping \ space was also another reason that nre-! eluded consideration of .any further con- j cessions. The Minister read a message from the Secretary of the General Post; Office, Wellington, stating that it was l only with the sympathy of dtlier Gov-1 ernments concerned such n low rate had been obtained, and that the rates on ntreels to soldiers in E-r-nt and other places (except United Kingdom) represented a great reduction compared to the rates on ordinary parcels. All kinds of trusses nt Loasby's. Stocks getting short, and no supplies arriving. Purchase now. Lonsby. 'J For smart evening wear Armstrong's are showing some very effective lines in crepo de luxe, silk voiles, silka brilliante. etc., in all good shades, and at exceedingly low prices. A limited supply only of these pretty goods at Armstrong's. 1 Havo us enlarge that old portrait you treasure so highly. Wo retain the expression of the original. Steffano "Webb, 252 High street. Telephone 1989. 5 I Some specimens of the famous low [ prices ruling in Armstrong's mercery department:—Gents' new designs in pyjamas, good materials, 5s lid. 7a Gd. 8s lid, 10s Gd. Fine Wincey shirts, light grounds, bands. 5s lid. Gs lid. Stout knitted sox, ribbed, special price is Gd, Is I'd. 12 N.Z. Farmers' Co-op. Association for "No Rubbing" laundry holn, "Golden Hide" soap, "Golden "Rule" candles. Ideal goods for every home. 4 O'Coder Mops and Dusters are useful all the year round. They save time and labour, and yet cost very little. Just the thing for getting into the corners and other difiicult places. There arcplenty of imitations, but the genuine' article is obtainable at Ashby, liergh and Co., Ltd., High street. <> Huts tor men; new shapes ard shades in felts, -is lid, 5s lid, Ss lid, 12s Gd. at Armstrong's. U Lost and Found Jewellery.—lt is astonishing the amount, of .jewellery Miat is lost every week. This has prompted us to open" a lost and found depot. If you lose jewellery or spectacles let lis know. We will attend to all details free of charge, thus relieving you of all worry. We will also advertise same for vou. Watson's, Jewellers. Ltd. ' 1 EXCEPTIONAL .STI'DEBAKEE OPPORTUNITY. Nor,- on View —Latest: model ."i-seater. 4-cvlinder touring Stu .lebaker. standard Canadian finish. Only run 400 miles. Owner has purchased Studebaker Six. Price, for quick sale. £120. Full guarantee given. Adams, Ltd., Garage, 210 Tuam street.