GENERAL NEWS.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16547, 12 June 1919, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

« "We are told that peacemakers nro blessed." said Mr F. V. Frazer, S.M., at Wollington on Monday, during the hearing of a case in which two men were charged with fighting on a street, "but my experience is that tho peacemaker invariably gefts hit with the thick end of the stick." "Next to tho Scotch, the Japanese are the nation most passionately fond of education in the world," said Professor J. Macmillan Brown at last night's meeting of the Royal Colonial Institute. "That fact makes the Eastern menace all the greater, because a well-educated country, as the Germans have shown us, has the most capacity for making it warm for its enemies." "It is time that pipe bands demanded proper recognition in all civic welcomes to prominent visitors," said Mr C. E. Thomas, provident of the Canterbury Caledonian Socit ty, at th w lcome home to the pipers of tho Christ-hurch H ghland Pipe Bnnd last night. "It is usually left to a brass band to provide music; but brass bands originated in Germany, and it is time that the pipe bands had a turn. Pipers have made immortal names for themselves in tho great w;ir in leading the men on to victory, and they should be heard Admiral Je"icoe and the Prince of Wales visit New Zealand." A special meeting of Christchurch boot retailers was held on Tuesday last to consider the question of curtailing the present system of seeding goods out on approbation. It was pointed out that owing to the present shortage of certain lines, it was impossible to continue sending these goods out on ap-' proval. High grade shoes sent out iu gocd condition were frequently returned 1 soiled or ciensedj and this meant a considerable depreciation in the selling value of these lines. The Question or special discounts also came up for con- j sideration. and it was unanimously de- j cided to discontinue all special * dis- , counts after July Ist, 1919. | In connexion with the revival of the Capping Day Carnival, the students of Canterbury College will produce a topi- J cal revue in the King's Tneatre on June 20th. 21st, and 23rd. The pre-war day entertainments by the students aro still remembered with relish by all who attended them, and it may be said that for really pointed topical humour the Universitv undergraduate is in a class by himself. The revue will be entitled "You're Hit," and will be produced by Mr W. S. Wauchop, well-known in local amateur theatrical circles. Not tho least of Mr Waurhon's productions was the sp°ctacular children's pantomime, staged in the Theatre Royal two or three years ago. Plans for the three nights of the revue will open at Milner Thompson's to-morrow. I

The local Telephone Exchange notifies that all connexions for which subscriptions aro unpaid by noon to-morrow will be cut off. A collision between a milk cart and a motor-car occurred at the correr of ! Oxford terrace and Armagh street yesj terday morning, but fortunate'y there ! were no serious results, the only clamnge done being to one of the back mudguards of the car. The hams killed in the recent haro drive at Hinds, wh'eh Mr Colin Chisj nal! offered to the Mayor of Ch"'?tI church, came to hand yesterday and | wero distributed amongst the • e~VV*ts ! of ass : stai''o from the Coal and B'nnket I Fund, bv whim they w«re n' - e-<'v apj preeiated. Between 70 and SO "hares : came to hand. ! "'There is no such thing as the pcrl mnnent oxhm'.st'on of the fert'litv of • sniV said 51' J. C. N. GnVfj at'last trVht's TT.r.r>vrt<7 of the Ce*»t<"-!niry 1.-aneh of th" R"y."l Polonia' l'i nn'v th'TC permanently rl->strry soil.'' Of eovr«e Mr Grico: it to make wor!W-oi»+. c O -] oomp back* to its old i fertility. but it could l>e done. I S'r Jnn:os f'.arrrll, intorviewol liy n | 'New /"aland Tides'' ronrtwitnt'iv ' on M"nd-y. cr.nce-ning thp pol'- ; tiea! sanation, said: "The future will ]>■> fought rut on the lines of order or ' d o't] .;-. Those who stand by order | will he triio to tho cnuatrv's interosts. i Thrse who propped 011 the lines of r l: cirdor will bring ahaut- disruption. Cvi tho stand disruption? 1 ! think rot.'' j The Coal and Blanket Fund lias do- ; ri'lfyi to rdrpt a new method in 00 nj i;ex : on with the distribution of fuel, i Each .appli ant is to be s"pp'.'ed with .an ! official ticket-. which will be honoured | on presentation to any caal merchant, ! and the applicant can obtain either one ! bag of coal and two of wood, two of coal and_ .me of word. or three of wood. On refceiving the fuel the applicant i* to s : gi t''e oTrial tieket. Yesterday morning the chairman nf th« Coal Merchants' Associ^t : on in farmed tho Ma*or that all eea] dealers had been asked to i rrive pr or'tv to t''c application? for coal from the Coal and Blanket Fund. Speaking of certain racial characteristics of the Orientals, Pro *"ossor Mncmillan B'-own. at nvght's meeting of the R'val Colonial Institute, remarked on tho utter lark of honesty ' amongst tho Japanese, who aimed at becoming, as it n Western nation. For instance, he had heard of a sahoolniaster who had bought a store of Japanese pencils, on'v to find that ther-* was about an eichth of an inch of leadl nt. each end of each oen"il and the rest, was wood. (Laughter.) It -was one of , the safeguards the Western nations had against one of til" greatest nrothe threat of the Fast, that the Jaoanese could not make their markets thoroughly honest. "Any man who says it is not ncccssary for the nation to be prepared in tho future should be put into a mental 1 hospital," said Brigadier-Goneral G S. Richardson, nt the Auckland Orphans' Club on Saturday evening. Tho general was discussing the _ lessons taught by the war, and he said that, nationally, the chief lesson was to be prepared. If Great Britain wished to maintain her prosent place among the democracies of the world, and to retain the Empiro which the men of New Zealand ihad helped to defend, she must be prepared. If the Empiro had been in a stato of preparedness probably tho late war would not have been prevented, but, the struggle at the commencement might not havo been so markedly onesided. The Hon. G. W. Russell, after a conference with tho Mayor of Auckland, said ho hoped < a scheme would bo by which tho funds of the Women's Patriotic Lenguo might be legally used for erecting a Soldiers' Club and Hostel in Auckland. Tho money might bo transferred to the Auckland Patriotic Association, which being an incorporated society and possessing all the powers of trustees in regard to tho investment of moneys, could advanco a .sum to the Soldiers* Club Committee, accepting the building as security, if necessary. Any leeal difficulty could be removed by a validating clause in a local Bill. He was greatly impressed with, tho excellent work dono by the present Soldiers' Club and annexe at Auckland. Wellington had its big ttrt union day last and all over the town ladies were selling 'tickets for the Trentham Scholarships Art Union. The total siim realised was over £600 from the dav's sales, which speaks well for the splendid work of the ladies responsible. It is hoped that other towns will follow suit, and that during the month many thousands of tickets will be sold throughout the country. The object of tho art union—to educate the childron of New Zealand's fallen and disabled soldiers— makes such a universal appeal that practically overybody is willing to buy tickets if they can only be reminded of their intention at the right time. A shilling ticket has an equal chance of winning any of the £6300 worth of prizes. Tickets are on sale everywhere, or direct from the secretary, G.P.O. Box 281, Wellington. Taloa of the sensational wages earned by rabbiters in Southland nre coming to hand (says the Invercargill correspondent of the "Otago Daily Times"). Two men in the Birchwood district are making from £4 to £5 a day. The catches in these cases averago 150 per day t and the_ supply does not seem to be diminishing. Rabbits have multiplied rapidly in tho province during the past year or two owing to the scarcity of labour, so that those engaged now have a rich harvest. Skins of good quality are worth 9d on an average, and it is understood that a rise of 25 per cent, will tako place before the season closes. However, the <rabbiters have to work hard for their money, and the present weather conditions are anything but conducive to comfortable life. In many cases also they havo to provide thoi'r ' own means of sending the rabbits to the market, and farmers have been known to ask bonuses. The Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. G. AV. Russsll) has replied to tho lettor of the Mayor of Christchurch regarding the possibility of a half-chain street being authorised from Leinster road to 1 Elm wood Park. The Minister writes that the only power to grant exemption t is contained in section 178 of the Municipal Corporations Act. (This permits ( tho construction of a street of less width than ono chain when the physical features of the locality do not permit of a full-width street boing formed.) The Minister does not consider that ' this provision can be held to apply in I the case of the street giving access to Elmwood Park, and ho suggests that the authority should be obtained means of a local Bill. Mr Russell added: "Should you desire to introduce a local Bill, I will do what I can to facili- ' tate its passing." Dr. Thacker expressed the opinion that the matter could ( be dealt with in the Town-Planning 1 Bill, which it is hopod will be intro- < duced and passed noxt session. 1 Colonel C. M. Gibbon, who has been 1 Chief of the General Staff for tho whole < of the war period, and who is now re- I turning to England, was tho guest of ( honour at a private dinner given by 1 the Minister of Defence at Wellington □n Tuesday n : ght. The oppo tun ty was also taxen to say farewe.l to Colonel Hiley. late General Manager of Railwavs, who acted as director of works j for the Defence Department. Tho ' work of the officers was eulogised bv Sir J James Allen, the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald, and General Robin. Sir James Allen said that Colonel G bbon had been c tho mainstay of the Department in J spurring them on to ma ntaiu reinforcements, so that tho Division might be 1 kept up to its full strength. General i Robin said that the cost of canvn con- ! struction in New Zealand cornered more than favourably with other coun- r tries. This was largely due to Colonei s Hiley's work. Both officers expressed * appreciation of the -wrk of the Minister or Defence and of the loyal support of their staffs. ~

The funeral of the late Mr Croll (lato Inspector of Machinery for the Canter- | burr c'istrict) took place yesterday at the Aldington Cemetery, a Fair number of relatives and friends being present. Several old identities, who wero close friends of the deceased during his lengthv residence in Chris+church. wcrs> among the mourners. Canon W. S. Bean eonductcd the service at the graveside. Messrs 11. Matson and Co. have written to Dr. 11. T. J. Thacker, M.P.. in his capacity as member of the Domain Board, en: lofing a letter they sent to the B'nrd throe y<v;rs ag> Miggestin;.; that the grrzing leases in Haglev Park should he cut up into smaller areas. In their letter to Dr. _ Thai kor the firm st -.to that such a policy would V of advantage ta the Boaid and to tno public, as export buyers and stock r-c nts w uld :ompete keenly fr-r the smaller a eas. A Timaru telegram states that a fisherman namod J. Shears left in a motor-boat oarly on 'i iK-sd v ming, ahr.e, for the fishing ground. A no- therlv gale sprang up, and he was blown out to sea. Anxiety was felt for his safoty. The gale and heavy sea prevented other boats going in sparch. At 1.30 yesterday afternoon & ears was seen on the horizon under sail, and another boat went out and towed him in. "It is an extraordinary thing, but no matter what- New Zealand produces, that production is of the host quality in the worhl," remarked Mr J. C. N. Gr : gg in his add to the local bran h of t : 'o Royal Colonial Institute last evening. Incidentally, Mr Grigg remarked on the enormous value of the> Panama Canal to N--mv Zealand, and) said that whatever Now Zealand could snare would li-ve a great market in New York in future, a matter which it ■would be cxtivniely foolish to ignore. Mr Walter Fuller, of the Fuller Proprietary.. has recolvjd a letter from Mr G. P. Firmin, the film's London agent, dated April 9lh, from which the following is an extract: "Business at all theatres and halls is still wonderful— packed houses nightly; in fact, we are turning people away. One can find very little that is now in the way of talent on the bills, but the people havo got into the habit of spending money on amusements. Most of tho working: classcs have boon in receipt of big money during the war, and now they | aro afraid of it burning holes in their i pockets if they leave it there."

T'.e annual meeting ef thp Canterbury branch ef the Royal Colonial Institute war, held Inst evening, S : : John Denniston presiding over n very small aitendanco. The annual report stated that, the activities of the branch had been practically nt a standstill since the commencement of the war. During tho past four years a great amount of war literature had been received from headquarters in London and distributed. Ifc was hoped that during the coming year the good work and influanco of the Institute tvouM he recognised and marked .by a large'v inc ra ed membership. Tho report was adopted. Owing to tho paucity of the attendance the election •of officers _ and other business were hold over till a future date. An Italian business house, writing to a Mastorton business firm, says:—"lt is with a real pleasure that I resume our correspondence, interrupted in 1914 by the war of the world. The brilliant victory of the Allied troops, and the Peaco Conference commenced under the most flattered presages, "ives to me positively hopes that also the export business will re-commence with great activity. _ I do put my house at your entirely disposition for every merchanuise you may esteem convenient to export to, or buy, in Italy." The quaint wrestle with the British language also contains the following significant passage: "I will jiay strickly cash every product, and wish to sell only cash." At a largely attended meeting of the North Canterbury section of the Post) and Telegraph Officers' Association held last night tlie following resolution was carried unanimously:—"That, in the opinion of this section, the now classification of the service is very far from satisfactory, and there are anomalies disclosed under which experienced and tried officers are receiving £1 to £25 increments while other officers are receiving £90 to £100. But the main ground of objection lies in the fact that, the Department has disregarded the increase in tho cost of living." It Was also decided: "That this meeting request that the war bonus for tho year" ending September 30th, 1919, be paid at once." At the annual meeting of parishioners of St. Matthew's, St. Albans, it was decided to install in the church a suitable memorial to soldiers of tho parish killed in the war, and the vestry. with others added, wore appointed a committee to consider what torm tho memorial should take. A well-attend-ed meeting of this committee was held on Tuesday night, Archdoacon Stocker (in tho absence.of the vicar through illness) when it was decided to procure a stained-glass window for tho east end of the church, which could also be utilisablo for the proposed new church. A sub-committee, consisting of Mesdamos W. Wood, H. Forwood, and G. Slater, with the vicar and wardens, was appointed to go into details and report to a meeting of parishioners at an early date. Neglect a couch or cold at this period of tho year and it may plague you for the rest of the winter. Don't experiment, but treat it with the tried and trusty cure—Loasby's "Stop-It"— which gives immediate relief and quickly euros even the most stubborn cctigh. Get a bottle to-day. Loasby and Co.. chemists (opp. Ballantyne's). 6 Messrs Townsend and Paul, Ltd., and George Thomas and Co., Ltd., auctioneers, Wellington, will sell at auction without reserve all the furniture, fittings, E.P. ware, show cases, in tho Lambton quay branch of J. Grodber and Co., Ltd. Tho sale will bo hold in Wellington on Wednesday, the 18th inst. A list of tho goods to be offered may be inspected at the offico of thiß paper. 2 "Nothing Succeeds like' Success"—so say the delighted user 3 of "No Rubbing" Laundry Help and the pure "Golden Rule" soap. Wardell Bros, and Co. 012

For Bathroom and Dairy, for Kitchen and Laundry—the Magic Water Heater. Boils in two minutes. W. Bassett and Co., 21 Manchester street. 3

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EXCELSIOR WTNS RELIABILITY TEST. The magnificent performance of the 7-9 h.p. twin-cylinder Excelsior, which won hi st prize in the Pioneer Club's sidecar reliability test last week, was mado under exceptionally severe weather conditions, and against keen competition. In addition to securing first prizo the Excelsior had the distinction of being represented by the smallest team in tho twin-cylinder section, and of putting up the best individual and teams' performances. 6 EXCELSIOR'S FINE TEAM PERFORMANCE. Tho following figuros are based on . the judge's points:—Excelsior (two startod). average for reliability 940, . for condition 39, average total 979; 50; per cent, made non-stop run; Indian ; (tnree started), averago for reliability 900, for condition 33 2-3 rd, average total 933 2-3 r d; 33 l-3rd per cent, made non-stop run; Harley-Davidson (sbe j started), averago for reliability 771 < l-3rd. for condition 33 l-3rd, average total 810 2-3 rd; 33 l-3rd per cont. mado non-stop njn. Moral —buy an Excelsior, price £110. with lamp and horn. : Adams, Ltd., High street. 6 i