GENERAL NEWS.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17936, 3 December 1923, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS.

A youth 6d 'by Mr H. Y. Widdowson, S.M., on Saturday, for riding a bicycle on the footpath.

At the meeting of the Lyttelton Harbour Board on Wednesday a report 011 tin? subject of harbour charges will be submitted.

At To Whare on Saturday evening ihe Rev. Hubert Jones, Mus. Ba c ., lectured on English Polyphonic Music. The keture was conducted under the auspices of the Cambrian Society of Canterbury 7 , the president, Mr F. W. Jones, presiding over an attendance of about GO members and visitors. ■

Those who have gardeus in Wellington. even only tho fringe of the 'back yard, will not need to be told that the month ended yesterday has been a singularly dry one (says Saturday's "Dominion"). As a matter of tact, tho actual rainfall—a mere spattering on two or three occasions—was .75 (threequarters) of an inch, which is reported to be a record in Wellington for 60 years. In November of last year, the fall was 5.42 inches, whilst th© mean for the month is 3.47 inches. The Railway Department advises that the through express trains between I nve rear gill and Christchurch will ran daily as from Saturday, 15th instant. Th© mail trains between Dunedin and Christchurch and Darned irt and Invercargill will also run daily ((Sundays excepted) instead of Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, as at pre&ent. The daily running of these express and mail trains will continue during the Christmas and New Year holidays and until they are no longer required. "The eea means much to this Dominion,'' declared the .Governor-General, Viscount Jellicoe, during the presentation of a Navy League Union Jack to tho Muritai (Wellington) School last week. "The Chatham is only the start of a New Zealand Navy, which is urgently required to protect our shores and ensure that th© Dominion's produce reaches th© world's markets. I have one regret," concluded his Excellency 1 "and that is that there are not sufficient recruits coming forward. Those who have already enrolled are splendid material, but we want more of them if these shores are to be kept inviolate."

At a meeting of th© Wellington branc'h. of th© N.Z.E.I. held last week, th© following was rjnaiiimously carried, after consideration of th© proposed new salary schem© for assistant teachers:—"That this meeting of th© Wellington branch of th© N.Z.E.I. is of opinion that the Ministor of 'Education, in asking th© teachers of th© Dominion to consider, at short notice, a new salary schem© before giving any or adequate reasons for til© rejection of the Kan©-Hilt,on scheme, which was carefully considered by the last annual meeting of the N.Z.E.1., has taken a step calculated to destroy the confidence of the teachers in his administration.''

Are rats vegeterians ? A gardener on the slopeg of Mount Victoria is prepared to answer this question in ■the affirmative (says the Wellington "Post"). While watering his vegetables the other evening (with a water-ing-ca.n, and not with a hose, by the way) he noticed a rat decamp from amongst what was once a healthy-look-ing row of green peas, and he is now satisfied that he has discovered the cause of a number of the leaves and pods being nipped and eaten away. Next morning the gardener saw another rat leave a clump of lettuce plants that had been raised from seed, and move to fresh quarters among the cabbages,, Before he could dispatch it with a spade, the rodent made off, but the irritated gardener is now convinced that his lettuce and cabbage leaves have not been attacked by snails and slugs, but by rats, and he has now decided not to purchase lime, but brtakback traps. The Railway Department contemplates a fairly considerable housing scheme at Te Awamutu. Last week, Mr G. A. Troup, officer in charge of the architectural branch, and Mr M. Dennehy, land purchase officer, inspected sites in the vicinity of the local railway station, and opened negotiations with some of the landowners for the purchase of about acres. In tho selection of a site the Department is striving to obtain an area that will provide for a model settlement. This will include in the ultimate scheme suitable recreation areas for the men, provision being made for a tennis court, bowling green, and recreation reserves. Besides the consideration of the housing settlement scheme, the Department is being urged to provide for one of its workshop enterprises, and should this be decided upon, consideration will have to be given to easy access with the Main Trunk line. Mr Troup states that, provided a site at a reasonable price is obtained, some houses will be erected almost immediately. An important metter that is to be discussed at a meeting to be held in Rangiora this week ia the question of the transport of goods from Oxford to Sheffield, a matter that has become of considerable moment to the residents of Oxford since the opening of theArthur's Pa3s -tunnel. A railway line connects Oxford and Sheffield, but it is not used, although the line is maintained at some cost. Goods from Oxford for the West Coast are, at present, railed to Christchurch, and thence over the East and West Coast railway —the distance from Oxford to Sheffield by this route being some seventy or eighty miles, while the branch from Oxford to Sheffield is some twelve or thirteen miles. The meeting at Rangiora is to be asked to discuss a proposal that the Railway Department should be asked to run a weekly service over the Oxford-Sheffield branch, by which produce for the West Coa3t and coal from the West Coast for the Oxford district can be transported.

It has been announced that MajorGeneral G. S. Richardson, Administrator of Samoa, will arrive in Auckland : by the island steamer Tofua next Thursday. The visit is just a flying one, .as the Administrator will l>e returning by the same steamer to the mandated territory on the following Monday. The reason for the visit is that the Administrator has now been sufficiently long in his new position to have become conversant with all the problems and difficulties affecting not only the Administration but also the Government's Crown estates, and has felt that the time is now opportune for a personal conference with the Minister of External Affairs, Sir Francis Bell, on these matters. As Sir Francis Bell is also Acting-Prime Minister, it has been impossible for him to proceed to Samoa for this.personal conference, and therefore it was arranged that the Administrator should make the trip to New Zealand to enable the conference to ta.ke plaoe. Sir Francis Bell is, therefore, proceeding to Auckland next Wednesday, accompanied by the Hon. Sir Maui" Pom are (.Minister m Charge of the Cook Islands) for the purpose of meeting General Richardson cm arrival.

A Natiier telegram states that two sharp shocks of earthquake were felt there about 7.48 a.m. yesterday. A public meeting of the electors of the borough of Riccarton will be held in the Riccarton Town Hall at 8 o'clock this evening, to discuss the question cf raising an additional loan to improve the electricity reticulation throughout the borough.

'•One cannot hold with the restricted view that there is no room for opportunity in New Zealand," said Mr O. Monrad. when talking of farming at the Palmerst-on North Lunch Club on Tuesday (reports the "Manawatu Times'' I *. "What room or opportunity wa:; there for the pioneers, who spent many months on sailing ships, travelling" many thousands of miles with little money, which had small purchasing power for anything except land, and this of no value if it could not lj.-> developed? In the face of that will anyone dare to say that there is no room here, provided there is the necessary determination, industry, and thrift:-'"

A copy of the "Recorder," the official organ of the Christchurch Training College Students' Association, is to hand" The editorial deals with the several sections of school life and touches on various happenings in the past yearj both on the scholastic side and in the realms of sport. Notes, personal notes, and news from old students play a prominent part, while a number of illustrations add to the appearance of the publication. But it is the original matter, whether prose or poetry, which js the real worth of the "Recorder." Humorous 6tories predominate, but do not outweigh descriptive matter, and throughout there is an absence of that general failing of publications of this kind, too much innuendo understood by the few, but 1.111comprehensible to anyone not connected with tli© college. The concluding section of the "Recorder" is true to name in that it is a record of tho exploits of the students of the Training College., chiefly on the field of sport.

At Petono last week a new preparation for laying dust and at th© 6am© time preserving macadamised road surfaces was laid on a quarter-mile flection of the Main Road from the Petone railway station northwards, under th© direction of Mr Allan Benliam, C.E., of Gisborno. Th© preparation is a mixture of bitumen, oil, and water, so treated by the manufacturer that it is capable of being mixed with water in any proportions and sprayed on to the road surface by an ordinary watering cart. In the demonstration 15 per cent, of the preparation and 85 per cent, of water was used. The demonstration was watched by_ several prominent engineers, representing the Government and local bodies, and was made possible by Mr Cowl©, engineer to the Petone Borough, providing th© necessary facilities for it. Lord Strathspey, who is a director of th© English company manufacturing the preparation, was also present, and stated that he had no doubt it would be as elective as in England in reducing the dust nuisance, and lengtheni_n£_th© life of ordinary macadam. Thursday's Auckland ''Star 1 ' has th© following:—An elder who lias been, a regular attender at th© Presbyterian General Assembly meeting for - over thirty yearSj writing to Auckland this week, says that' at tn© present Assembly sitting in Christchurch, th© absence of some of th© well known church leaders is being severely felt and the deliberations are lacking in that piquancy and weight which liave characterised former Assembly meetings, and which made the iinal decisions reverberate throughout the land. Dr. Jamea Gibto, of Wellington, who was the recognised leader of the Assembly for many years, is absent for the first time since th© church union twenty-three years ago. Dr. Hewitson, of Ihinedinj through failing health, is also absent. Th© Rev. Isaac Jolly, whoso kiiowledge of church government was unsurpassed by any other minister, is also away, and just at this juncture no on© has arisen to take his place. "Truthfully it can be said," continues th© elder, "that at th© present Assembly meetings ther© is not on© outstanding personality who overshadows any of the others and the proceedings have been comparatively lifeless in consequence. Those who memory can go back to th© days when the Rev. James P'aterson. of Wellington, Rev. James Tread well, of Wanganui, Rev. William Gillies, of Timaru, and the Rev. David Bruce, of Auckland, were the rulers m the church courts, and when their decisions were awaited with interest throughout the land, now look at a bigger and more cumbrous Assembly, but certainly not a more able one." McArthur's Xmas Showing is nowcomplete and surpasses both in variety and quality any of previous years. Here will be found a whole host of dainty perfumes and powders, toilet soap and powder puffs, manicure sets and scent sprays, etc. —the kind of gift any lady will appreciate. Be sure and see this unique selection. McArthurs, Ltd., Chemists, opp. Ballantyne's. 6 It is easy to account for the huge crowds that daily throng Armstrong's two shops, when you view the great array of wonderful bargains that are now showing in all departments. Huge stocks of sew season's goods arc being sacrificed' at greatly reduced prices, in order to make a speedy clearance. The contractors will soon be busy with the big rebuilding alterations, and fixtures must be emptied to make jooin. Don't wait for the big rush oi Christmas shopping, make your visit to-day to either of Armstrong's two shops, Colombo and High streets. 0

Pilkington'a motors run twice daily between Christchurch and Akaroa. —6

A delightful display of new Christmas "Gift Goods is sin active preparation at Messrs Hastie, Bull and Pickering's, Cashel street. Th© goods, just opened give the promise of great value both as to pric©, quality and novelty. H&117

In growing lucerne two things of first importance —tons of lino to the acre and clean land maintained ©rated and arable. To secure the latter, our swivel tined cultivator is perfection; two strokes after each cutting will double the yield. Machine on trial to any grower. P. and D. Duncan, Ltd., Box 124, Christchurch. li

4DAMS, LTD.'S SALE OF USED MOTOR-CARS. PRICES LOWER THAN EVER. Better value lias never been given in New Zealand than Adams, Ltd., are now offering in second-hand motors. Here are a few examples: — £125 buys a beautifully made threeseater car by a leading Continental maker, newly finished in attractive light shade. "Will take motor-cycle in part payment. £145 buys a ran art-looking Chevrolet 5-seafcer, a late model, with electric lights and starter, beautifully finished in dove-grey. £l5O buys a late model 5-seater Maxwell, which has had very little w ear and has been carefully used. Equipment includes rear -wind-screen, and the car is newly finished in grey. £175 buys an attractive-looking Dodge 5-seater, with electric lights and starter. Will take second-hand Ford in part payment. £275 buys a really up-to-date Light Six Studebaker, 5-seater, with electric lip-hta and starter, and in such fane condition that same guarantee is given as with new car. ReasonaWe terms arranged if l quired. ADAMS, LTD.: Garage, 219 street. A3445—&7«4