General News.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18635, 9 March 1926, Page 8

General News.

On Saturday the Dunedin Exhibition total passed the Ohristchurch Exhibition total of 1,967,632. A meeting of the creditors of John McMullan, agent, Kangiora, has been set down for the 18th inst. An old married couple from the North Island, whose combined ages totalled 166 years, visited the Exhibition at Dunedin on Saturday. "Autumn tints will be early this year," said Mr J. Young, curator of the Botanic Gardens yesterday, to a representative of "The Press." Ho added that already the leaves of the maples were changing colour. The Harbour Boards' Conference concluded yesterday morning in Dunedin. Mr Maurice Cohen, chairman of the Wellington Board, was re-elect-ed president. It was decided to hold the next conference in Auckland. •Anglers wore successful in landing several good bags of trout from the Lower Selwyn, at the week-end. All the fish were in good condition, including an eleven pounder, which was landed on the fly, at Coe's Ford, by Mr L. E. Brunton. At an early date operations will be commenced on the work of converting tho bog garden, adjoining the new native section in the Botanic Gardens, into a rock garden. Mr J. Young, curator, considers the area the. most suitable for this purpose, on the whole property. The only surviving foundation member of the Christchurch Y.M.C.A., which was founded fifty years ago this month, is Mr. Henry Patten, of Worcester street, Christchurch. Mr Patten is 86 years of age, and is Still hale and hearty. He will be one of the speakers at the jubilee dinner of the Association on Thursday evening. New railway sidings are being laid down on the Mole, at Lyttelton, to overcome, to some extent, the congestion in the railway yards. In addition, the Department is providing new tracks on Gladstone pier, where the Harbour Board recently widened the breastwork. The work "i 3 part_ of the general scheme for the provision of better facilities in the yards. Infectious and other notifiable diseases reported in the Canterbury and West Coast health districts during the week ended noon yesterday totalled 17, as follows: —Canterbury: Scarlet fever, 5; diphtheria, 2; tuberculosis, 4; puerperal sepsis 1. West Coast: Diphtheria, 3; pneumonia, 1; influenzal pneumonia. 1. Deaths:—Canterbury: Tuberculosis, 1. West Coast: Pneumonia, 1. The Art Society's exhibition this week will include a miniature of the New Zealand war memorial at Longueval (France), which was erected in honour of the men of the New Zealand Division who fell in the first battle of the Somme, 1916. It has been caßt in composition, with a great resemblance to granite, and is about three feet in height. Mr S. Hurst Seager is the exhibitor. Another interesting entry is a delineation by Mr E. W. Armstrong of the memorial on Sari Bair, and of the cemetery memorial. The former was designed by Mr Hurst Seager and the latter by Sir John Burnett, E.A. The Society's grouping of the paintings, models, and statuary is an improvement on that achieved, ia previous years, " "

Fishing in the Waimakariri river on Sundav, Messrs J. Caulder and A. Hulston, of Christchurch, caught 11 salmon. The fish were all of good eiae, weighing from 10 pounds to 22 pounds. f Regarding'the Selwyn bridge, tenders for the construction of -which were closed some weeks ago, it is understood that no tender has been accepted yet Pile-driving tests are being continued by the Public Works Department, and it is unlikely that a tender will be accepted till these tests are completed. The fifth batch of officers will commence their ten days' refresher course at the Soekburn Aerodrome this morning. It will comprise Captain F. J. HorreLl, Lieutenants J. B. Moncrlef, P. A. Turner, Second Lieutenants M. D*. Laurenson, J. E. Eichardson, E. G. Macdonald, I. A. McGegor, K. A. Mackenzie, and H. L. Piper. Eleven carriages were required on the train which conveyed pupils from a number of CanTnrbury and West Coast schools to Dunedin yesterday. The number making the trip to the Exhibition was 588, comprised as follows: Phillipatown, 34; New Brighton, 53; East Christchnrch, 70; Aranui, 17; Wharenui 34; Addington 53; Beckenham, 61- Sydenham 31; Sumner 74; Shirley 80- Spreydon, 33; Hokitika, 48. Mr H. F. Penlington was in charge of the party. The river-cleaning and deepening operations by the apparatus installed bv Mr R. T. Stewart on a punt in the Avon, near the Colombo street bridge, were continued yesterday. The effect of the application of jets of water at high pressure is beginning to be more apparent as the area treated increases. The weed and silt On the bottom are being removed, and the pebbly bed of the river is being laid bare. The date of the official demonstration has not been settled yet. The Conference of the New Zealand Trades and Labour Councils' Federation is to open in Wellington on Good Friday according to information submitted'to Saturday night's meeting of the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council. The appointment of delegates was held over till the next meeting. The Australian Labour Party forwarded an invitation to the Council to send representatives to the PanPacific Conference to be held at Honolulu in the third week of November. This matter was referred to the Federation Conference. No one can get better service than that given by J. Heywood and Co., Ltd., either as furniture removers, Custom House Agents, or General Carriers. *