GENERAL NEWS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16398, 18 December 1918, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

The auction announcements of Harris Bros., Harman and Stevens, Williams and Ivettle, National Mortgago and Agency Co., and R. S. McKenzie and Co. will bo found on pago 11 of this issue. Among the smart up-to-date stories in to-day's issue of the "Weekly Press and Referee" is a remarkably topical one entitled "As it Might Have Been: An Englishman and the Kaiser,'' which, will well repay roading.

Although people have been advised times out of number against assisting tho foolish and wickod practice of "chain-prayers," one of these prayers is apparently still circulating. A Coalgate resident has received a copy, and has forwarded it to us. It is a prayer for victory, and the usual promiso of happiness and threat of calamity accompany it. Sensible people will have nothing to do with it.

'There was no town clock in early Christchurch," remarked tho Rev. F. G. Brittan. in the oourse of his lecture last night. "A sundial, which originally stood in my father's garden, and which is now in tho Botanic Gardens, was the nearest approach we had to a town clock. On one occasion two colonists who were celebrating Anniversary Day very festively, haa an argument as to the time, so at midnight they went out to examine the sundial to settle an argument as to tho correct time!"

Some months ago it was announced that the Government proposed to acquire the Westmere Estato, to the east of Masterton, for the purpose of a soldier settlement. The negotiations have now boen completed, and tho estate, which consists of 3000 acres, will shortly bo available for settlement. The property is adjacent to tho Poroporo settlemont, and should provido farms for eight or ten soldiers. Th',3 is the first estato taken in tho vicinity of Masterton for a soldier settlement.

"A deputation that doesn't want a donation! Almost an unheard-of thing," said Cr. Howard in amazement at last night's meeting of the City Council, when a deputation from the Christchurch Canal League asked for nothing further than the moral support of the Council for the League. Various other councillors expressed their delighted approval that there was no request for money, and, as tho deputation was withdrawing, the Mayor assured them that the "Council was surprised and delighted" at their unusual attitude.

Tho main rolls for the licensing poll to be held in April next year will close on January 6th, and the supplementary rolls thirty-five days before the taking of tho poll (says the Auckland "Herald"). This will givo tho registrars of electors for the various districts just over three weeks in which to purge their main rolls, but out of this will have to be taken the Christmas and New Year holidays. Normally tho registrars? are at work on their rolls for over fivo months before the poll is held, m that it is considered that the purging, under present conditions, will be far from complote. Large numbers of names will have to be removed after the rolls appear, and it has been suggested that tho only satisfactory arrangement will be to have the lists reprinted after the final purging.

During tho recent epidemic a woman with two children entered one of the drapery houses in Invercargill and bought a pair of black gloves and two or three cheap handkerchiefs, and was paying, when a man who stood by, having done his business, said to her: "I see nou have had trouble." She answered: "I have just lost my husband and our baby." Whereupon lie secretly put £2 into her hand, with the itmark that the money would buy something for the children. As the recipient was passing out she stopped another woman who was entering, told what had happened, and asked who the man was, and the reply was: "Oh, that's Mr ; he's doing the same thing daily." The story is common and unimportant, it may be said. Quite so (says the Dunedinc '•Star"); and therein lies its importance—as evidence that in times of trouble there are numbers of our people going about doing these little deeds of kindness in a quiet way.

All the Canterbury rivers were reported clear yesterday.

The C-itv Council last evening, upon the motion of the Mayor passed a hearty vote of thanks to all tho local workers in tho influe nza epidemic.

At tho meeting of the Lincoln College Board of Governors yesterday, the Director. Mr R. E. Alexander, said he had alreadv received more applications from would-be new students for 1919 than the College would hold.

A vova"c "P t' lo Avon would not seem a Vorv daring adventure in these davs but in those of the early pioneers it'was a journey fraught with many perils. The first cargo ever to come up tho Avon was one of bricks. They were landed near whero tho Manchester street Bridge now stands, and tlie corner opposite was long afterwards known as "Tho Bricks."

Tho City Council are making a footpath along the river bank, 011 the north side, from the Manchester street bridge to opposite the old fire brigade station. This will make moro public that part of which complaints were recently made by a minister residing in the locality, as to tlie conduct of person.-; who used to frequent the river bank.

"What's the defendant's occupation?" asked Mr S. E. McCarthy. S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, when about to fix the amount of __ an order in an affiliation case. "Well, sir," said Mr J. It. Cuningham, who appeared in the case. "He is _a law clerk, so naturally his salary is not very large." General laughter followed counsel's reply, and queries as to the accuracy of the inference wero hoard from Mr Cassidv and other members of the Bar in Court.

Tho wisdom, of the old adage, "Look beforo you leap," was proved in a case heard at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, in which two men were charged with having been on liconsed premises during prohibited hours. The evidence showeel that the police had gono into the hotel in question before 9 a.m. and had found the men charged in the bar. On being questioned, one of them stated that he was a boarder. "What s the number of your room?" queried tho sergeant. "Number 9," was the prompt response, but investigation showed that "Number 9" was the linen closet. Noedless to say, further subterfuge was unnecessary.

"There was one of the first colonists who had tlio unique distinction of cornin" to Canterbury in two ships," remarked tho Rev.' P. G. Brittan during his lecture last night. This was Mr Davie, sifterwai-ds chief surveyor of the province. Ho arrived at the docks to° late to join the Randolph, on ■which his wife and familv had sailed, so he shipped in the George Seymour, which had boon delayed owing to its having to await an important despatch. On October 4th the Georgo Seymour overtook a becalmed vessel, which turned out to be thq Randolph. A boat was put off, and Mr Davie was thus permitted to rejoin his wife and family. 1 '

Some interesting details regarding tho old Lvtteltoii-Sumner road, the remains of which inay still bo 6oen, wero given to his audience by the Rev. F. G. Brittan last night. The estimated cost of the road wa9 to be £7500, but there was extreme difficulty in obtaining tho labour necessary to build tho road. White labour was unavailable, and there were no Maoris, for the reason that they had been practically 1 exterminated in To Rauparaha's raid. Captain Thomas, not to be dauntod, brought a hundred and twenty natives from the North Island, who were to receive 2s Gd por day when well, and Is when sick. Needless to say, tho nativemind speedily arose to the advantage of "being sick," with dire results.

The lighting of the river Avon came under tho notice of the City Council again last evening;. At tho last meeting tho Electricity Committee stated that it was prepared to erect the lamps, provided the Council would find the capital cost out of general account and pay tho electricity department £2 2s per annum for each lamp. This proposition was referred to the Council's Finance Committee which, whilst not making anv recommendation last evening regarding the installation of tho lamps wag of tho opinion that there should not be any differentiation between the mode of charging for their erection and maintenance and those erected for street lighting purposes. The report was adopted.

A special sub-committee appointed by the City Council to consider the question of providing garaging accommodation for the Council's electric vehicles, reported to the Council last evening that it had accepted Miss Tribe's offer to sell her property, consisting of two houses and land fronting Gloucester street and adjoining the central yard property, for £1500, and was still negotiating with the Permanent Paint Company in reference to the purchase of its property. Tho Electricity Committee stated that it had settled upon the design and site for the garage. The site was fronting Manchester street immediately to the north of the Municipal Baths. Tenders wero being invited for the construction of the building. The reports were adopted.

The lack of patriotism of eome of the house-owners of Wellington is proverbial (says tho "New Zealand Times"). A Wellington business man wont last week to inspect a house at Hataitai. the rent of which is 37s 6d per week, but tho owner of tho place dealinod to entertain any proposal to let tho house to him when it was known that the prospectivo tenant had three children. Tho house-owner would condescend to let the promises if the children were under eighteen months old or over fourteen years. The prospectivo tenant, however, was unable to readjust the ages of his offspring, so he is still in quest of a home. It would appear that somo of those who own New Zealand, or at least city residential properties, are doterminod to penalise one of the country's greatest assets —the younger generation.

There was a drop in the number of building permits issued last month by the City {Surveyor, and their value compared with November, 1917. Following are tho figures for the wards, those for tho corresponding period of last year being in parentheses: —Central, 3 permits, representing a value of £1470 (4* £5550): St. Albans, 3, £2300 (3, £750); Linwood, 1, £1250 (2, £250); Sydenham, nil (nil). Total, 7, £5020 (12, £0550). Building permits issued from. April let till December Ist this year totalled 123, representing a value of £102,770, as against 153. representing £103,305 for tne corresponding poriodi of last year. The figures for the wards were as follow, those for last year being in parentheses. —Central "Ward, inner area, 18, £18,925 (15, £39,670); Central Ward, outer area, 19. £28,940 (29, £10,255); St. Albans, 58, £34,380 (68 £37,570): Linwood, 13, £5580 (25, £9060); Sydenham, 15, £14,943 (16, £(5810).

At a meeting of the committee of tho Dunedin Returned Soldiers' Association, attention was directed to the Prime Minister's statement that about 20,000 soldiers would probably not get a vote on the liquor question, and after discussion it was unanimously resolved: "That this committee, representing over 1000 returned soldiers, emphatically objects to the proposal of tho Government to preclude a large number of. soldiers at the front from exercising their votes on the liquor issue to be placed before the people early next year, and insists that arrangements must be made to give every soldier an opportunity of voting on this most important question. Tho committee cannot understand why any section of the soldiers should be precluded from voting, and requests an assurance from tho Acting-Prime Minister that the rights of our fighting men to a vote on this and on all questions of national importance will be observed."

Following is a list of the stock slaughtered at the city abattoir last month, the number of carcases condemned being in parentheses: Cattle Stvl (fl), sheep SB9S (4), lambs 1421 (nil), pigs 070 (9), calves 264 (1).

The Pacific Cable Board's steamer Iris laid nine miles of new cable between Lyall Bay and White's Bay during the past week. The work would have been accomplished somo time ago but for the outbreak of influenzaamongst the crew.

The forty-eight New Zealanders who originallv formed part of the crew of H.M.S. Vyramus, and were transferred to H.M.S. Doris in March. 1917, will shortly be paid oft at Bombay, and they will return to New Zealand.

Most of the employees of tho Auckland Tramways Company who wero incapacitated by influenza have returned to duty, and tho 1 service is now nearly normal. The loss of profits as a result of the falling off in traffic during the epidemic is stated to be £10,000.

It is a striking fact that five Taranaki blacksmiths have recently succumbed to tho epidemic (states an exchange"). In every caso the smiths suffered from heart-strain— 711 i ata.l weakness when pneumonic-influenza attacks

The replacing of trees that have died on the city avenues has been completed bv the City Council's staff. Some good specimen trees have been planted round the Retreat road reserve, and the re-forming and laying out of the Provincial Council Chamber grounds have been completed, find about -00 native trees, including many choice varieties, planted. The return<; from the hospitals in tlie North Canterbury district yesterday m regard to the influenza epidemic for tho :M hours ending at midnight on Tuesday wero as follows: —Christchurch Hospital : Admissions 0, deaths 1 (on December 14th), patients remaining 40. Lvttelton: Admissions 1, patients remaining 8. Waikari: Patients ' • Cheviot: Patients G.

At a meeting of the Christ-church. Master Painters Association, held last week, the following resolution was carried unanimously:—"That the thanks of this Association, and of the citizens of Christcliurch, are due to the Health authorities, Nurse Maude, and to all those ladies and gentlomen who so devotedly gave their time and able assistance in stamping out the influenza epidemic." A site has been selected at Dottle Lake by the City Council's Reserves Committee for the purpose of planting lucerno seed as an experiment. Ihe Council's head gardener has been authorised to have the ground cleared of all vegetable matter and fenced ready for planting next season. The Department of Agriculture will superintend the sowing of tho seed.

The Hon. G. W. Russell, Minister of Public Heaitli, was asked by a reporter yesterday it' he could give any information as "to the period of quarantine which tho Navua, which arrived at Wellington on Monday from San Francisco, would have to undergo. Mr Russell replied that lie could not say, as ho had no information at the time from the Public Health authorities in Wellington.

A meeting of chairmen of depots established to cope with the epidemic resolvod at a recent meeting to recommend the Council to vote> a grant ot) £600 per annum to Nurso Maudo s District Nursing Association in order to secure the services of four extra nurses. The City Council last evening referred! tho matter to the special committee appointed by it to deal with problems arising out of the epidemic. "I know that ropes aro being pulled behind the scenes, and I have very grave doubts whether tho Progress League is what it is cracked up to be, said Cr. Howard at last night's meetinjr of the City Council. Cr. Howard earlier in tho evening aired a suspicion! that tho Progress League ivas responsible for the attempt to rescind the Council's proportional representation order, but the Mayor (Mr H. Holland) assured him that this was not so.

The officers of tho General Post Office. Wellington, have issued an appropriately worded Christmas and New Year card. In addition to the season's greetings, the card giveß the following information regarding members of tho Post and Telegraph Department who have taken part in the war: Joined the Expeditionary Force up to June 30th, 1918, 2408; killed in action, 108 ; died of wounds or sickness, 63; wounded, 355; prisoners of war, 5.

Tho attention of electors is drawn to Section 7 of the Licensing Amendment Act. 1918, whereby it is provided that a valid ground of objection to the retention on tho electoral roll of any district of the name of any elector is the fact that such elector does not reside at the address stated, on the roll as the address of such elector. Every elector of a district who is still residing therein but at a different address from that stated on the roll should at once notify the Registrar of his present address.

A meeting of the executive of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers' Association was hold last night, Mr N. B. McCallum (president) being in the chair. Thirty-six new members were elected. Tho secretary of the Association. Mr W. E. Leadley, was appointed to the Applications Committee of the Canterbury Patriotic Society. Mr L. G. Blackwell was appointed to the executive, and also to the Trades and Professions Committee of the Patriotic Society.

In the case against a licensee heard at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, tho plea was put forward that the breach of the Act was due to tho action of the barman, the licensee being quite ignorant of the affair, which was quite contrary to his standing instructions. "That seems to be the genera! excuse in such cases," 6aid Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M. "It is really astonishing what a number of disobedient barmen there are in the Dominion. And yet," added his ' Worship, amidst laughter. "I notice that very few of them indeed get the sack."

Some idea of the truth of the frequently made assertion that the climate of Canterbury has undergone a decided change, was established by the Hev. F. G. Brittan, in his lecture at St. Michael's last night. Quoting from a register kept by Captain Thomas in 1849. Mr Brittan said that for the month 'of December in that year on ten days the thermometer registered over 80 in the shade. Not onco in December, 1918, had it climbed above 79 degrees. As to rainfall, in December, 1849. rain fell on three dave, while in the four succeeding months there were only eight days of rain.

A bov thirteen years of age was charged in the Juvenile Court before Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M.. yesterday afternoon with tho theft of a bicycle valued at £4, the property of W. H. Williams. The boy's fitory was that he had found) the frame of tne machine and the back wheel on the banks of the Heathcote river. The owner of tho bicycle saidl that it had been taken from the back door. Tho police said that the boy's mother had "explained that the bicycle was bought by "her husband some time previously. Remarking that there was just as much evidence against the father as the boy, the Magistrate dismissed tho information.

Much of the time of the Drainage Board was spent at its meeting last night in discussing tho question of the effluents from tanneries and wool-scour-ing works. It was remarked, in connexion with the recent influenza epidemic. that Woolston stood out as tne district in which there had been fewer eases of influenza, despite the fact that the river Heathcote receives the effluent from a number of tanneries and woolscouring works. One member remarked that though the effluent looked bad and smelled bad, it did not appear to have any appreciable effort on the health of the community residing in the vicinity of the works.

Superior perfumery at Loasby's make splendid Xmas gifts. Atkinson and Yardley's perfumes in cut glass bottles and presentation caskets. Old English Lavender Water and Eau de Cologne. Best English and French liwr brushes for ladies ami gentlemen, and manicuro sets in unexcelled variety and value at Loasby's, Chemists. 1

New Washing Suits for boys in 'Varsity and new tunic shapes. 5s lid, 6s lid, Ss lid. 10s Gd, at Armstrong's. These make a useful Christmas gift. 1

Santa Clau s urgently requests housewives to make liberal use of "No Kubbing" Laundry Help, also ptiro "Crolden Rule" Soap, to ensure cleanliness aucl a happy Christmas.

Nowadavs a sovereign doesn't go far, ®nd one is set a rare task in choosing Christina:: gifts. Dainty perfumes, soaps, bath salts, and face powders make pleasing and inexpensive gifts. See our stocks. E. Cameron Smith, Chemist, 9G Worcester street (just off Square). 55464-013 Magnificent ranges of Boys' Tweed Sport Suits, greys and browns, m strong, wear-well tweeds—with shorts ' —or breeches, knickers, 19s 6d, -Is. to 42> Gd, all entirely new, at. Armstrong's Clothing Stores. - Royal Doulton Ware just arrived. Have first choico for Christmas. Plaques 4s 6d, jugs 4s 6d, teapots, salads in Dickens, Shakespeare, coach scenes, etc., on view at Drayton s, .wo Colombo street. " "Quality" goods for Yuletide gift 6. Messrs Hastie, Bull and Pickering are again offering a very fino selection of unique gifts, combining beauty, utility and sterling value. H4782-&01 Eyes Right! Are they? If not, come along at once to Watsons, Jewellers and Opticians, and let our expert optometrists examine your eyes. "We can tell you what is wrong and make it right. Eyesight tested by latest sciontiiic methods, and the right glasses supplied at shortest notice. Watsons, •'Jewellers," Limited, 695 Colombo street, Chri6tchurch (next Kincaids>. 2 Boys' Washing Sports Coats, 'Varsity tops, and odd knickers; splendid lines for holiday wear, now showing at Armstrong's famous low prices. 3

INVITATION TO INSPECT THE NEW FISK TYKES. Wo have to announce that we have just received a shipment of the new Fisk tvres, sincl *wo invite all motorists to call at our garage and inspect the most popular American tyre. We have thoroughly tested the Fisk, and can recommend it as especially suited to Now Zealand conditions.. It is the tyre with a pure rubber cushion below tho tread. Prices —Ford size, 30 x 3Jin,. rubber non-skid, £6 10s; Studebaker size, 875 x 105, £9 18s 6d. Five per cent, discount for cash. Adams, Ltd. Garage, 219 Tuam street. 6 TWO-SEATER FORD, £140. For sale, two-seater Ford, finished m dove grey, electric lights; tyres in good condition. Suitable for traveller or commercial man. £140. Adams, Ltd., Tuam street. 6