General News.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19286, 16 April 1928, Page 8

General News.

Owing to the indisposition of Processor J. Shelley, the members of the College Drama Society have offered to give the dramatic readings before the. W.E.A. Drama Class. To-morrow evening one of Galsworthy's plays will be read by members of the society.' In'the ordinary course the Fire Board should have met last Tuesday, but owing to the Easter holidays, did 'not do so. It has not been found posr sible to arrange a date this month suitable to all members, andl, consequently, the April meeting will lapse.

Saturday was the last day upon which Eiccarton Borough Council ratepayers could pay their rates without incurring the ten per cent, penalty. When the office closed on Saturday, ot the total of £15.323 levied/ all had been received with the exception or about £ISOO.

A start is to be made about the middle of the week with the reconstruction of North Park road by the contractors, British Pavements Canterbury), Ltd. The same contractors have made good progress with the laying of the bituminous wearing surface on Oxford terrace.

About 50 men, comprising the advance party to the Army Service Corps, went into camp at Burnham on Saturday morning to put things m order tor the main body, which'moves into cardp thereto-day. There will be about 300 men in camp this year from the A.6.U, and the programme of training is long and intensive, including special machine gun training. Regarding the decision of the Council of the Royal Agricultural Society to hpld the next Royal Show in Palmerston North on January 30th and 31st next year, it is understood that the matter will come before the general committee of the Canterbury A. and F. Association on Wednesday. Previous discussions on the subject have not revealed any strong opposition to the proposal. "Quite a number of Australian and New Zealand farmers are settling in Chile, and appear to make moremoney there than in the Commonwealth or the Dominon," said Mr N. B. Down an expert on copper-mining in bouth America, upon his arrival at Auckland by the lonic. Mx Down added that farming ventures were probably made more remunerative in Chile owing to its comparative proximity to important consuming markets.

"This pestilential practice of tunir ine'on to the right-hand side of the road without giving adequate warning comes before me in almost every case I hear," said Mr R. W. Tate, S.U., in the Magistrate's Court at New Plymouth, in the course of hearing a, negligent driving case. He laid it down that according to the regulations a driver must, before turning to the right, extend the right arm out fully and keep it out until commencing to make the turn.

"Not only does Rugby suit our climate, it suits the temperament and physique of our young men, and in every way has been established as the game par excellence for New Zealand vouth," remarked the Mayor of Wellington (Mr G. A..Troup) at the civic farewell to.the All Blacks. A visitor to New Zealand, as lie passed through the various cities, the boroughs, the smaller towns, and even places where no habitation was in sight, must be astonished to see erected in different paddocks two pairs of upright poles with cross-bars. He would soon know what thev were for, and it would not be long before he would alijo become acquainted with the game which found so much favour in the Dominion. Material for a book on New Zealand is being taken back to the United States by Dr. J. S. Kennard, a distinguished American writer, traveller, and explorer, who left for Vancouver by the Aorangi. Dr. Kennard, who has produced more than twenty publications in several languages, spent some time in the Dominion collecting material, and was greatly assisted by the Government Publicity Department. He met a number of prominent men, including the Prime Minister, who was greatly interested in his mission. Dr. Kennard has had a most interesting career, and has travelled extensively. The fascination of big-game hunting has led him to the dark forests of Central Africa; while a desire to trace the sources of the world's greatest rivers has taken him up the Amazon forests, and to the heads of the great rivers of India and China. Another of his many interests is alpine climbing. In addition, Dr. \ Kennard is a student of world politics and an advocate of world peace. Dr. Kennard was accompanied by his wife, who is recognised as one of the most skilled of American miniature painters. She is a Virginian, and is a descendant of Lord Baltimore. Her grandfather, although a Southerner, was a Union sympathiser and an officer of the 7th Regiment of New York in the stormy days of the Civil War. Her mother, Mary Dawson Young,' is a well-known I writer of tales in the negro dialect.

It is not anticipated that the report on the question of fares will be presented at to-day's meeting of the Tramway Board. The Christchurch delegates to the conference convened by the Government on the subject of industrial law, leave for Wellington to-night. H.M.S. Dunedin was open to visitors yesterday afternoon, and between 300 and 400 people availed themselves or the opportunity of inspecting the ship. Registrations of unemployed on Saturday totalled eight, of whom five were married men, and six men were placed on the City Council works, and one man got private employment.

Tho Jubilee Memorial executive will meet at 4.30 p.m. to-morrow, when consideration may be given to the apparent public apathy in connexion with the riverside boulevard scheme. Householders are reminded that nominations for committeemen of the larger schools close to-night at eight o'cfock. The elections will be held next Monday. There is no reduction in the number of cases of scarlet fever, and on Saturday there were 178 cases in the Infectious Diseases' Hospital at Bottle Lake. In the North Linwood, Belfast, and Papanui districts attendance at schools is affected.

A Taihape youth, and two com- ] panions, who tried to drive a Ford car from Tokaanu to Taihape recently ] had no experience of the vehicle 1 they were using. They were in ■ the vicinity of Waiouru Plains, when the engine became heated, and in a i flash exploded. Pieces of car, engine, and sundries were shot in all directions, { and the three youths were thrown out. Such a trifling experience, however, did not appear to affect the driver to i any great extent. . When the "stars" had cleared away he found himself i seated in the tussock still clasping the steering wheel. His companions were also unhurt, but the cause of all the trouble was dainaged beyond recognition. The youths caught the next train from Waiouru to Taihape. A five-seater Moon touring car narrowly escaped destruction on Richmond Hill yesterday afternoon. The car had made the trip to the top ot the hill and the owner had not been long out of the car when smoke was seen issuing from the bonnet, which was soon a mass of flames. When the vacuum tank suddenly burst into flame with a mild report it was thought that nothing could save the car, nnd attention was given to moving another car standing beside it. Suddenly, to.the onlookers' surprise tho flames died away and it was found that the radiator hosing had burst, thereby dislodging a stream of water direct on to the flames. Considerable damage was done to the engine and the floor-boards, while the paintwork was badly blistered and a spare tyre ruined. Shortly after 3 p.m. yesterday Miss King, of Christchurch, who was driving an Essex sedan, found her car slipping over an eight foot stone wall below the Scarborough Cliffs at Sumner. The car continued its course over the'rbck work, emptied its five passengers into the back seat all m a heap, "and came to rest on the back dumb irons and the petrol tank almost straight up in the air, with the iront wheels still just on a level with the surface of the road. Miss King had pulled up to allftw a car to come ott Scarborough Hill and was intending turning out again when the accident happened. None of the occupants was hurt, but one suffered slight shock. The tyre carrier at the back was crumpled up and a bracket torn from a running hoard; but beyond this the car escaped injury. In the vicinity of the various volcanic cones around Auckland numerous underground passages have been discovered, and investigations show that these often extend for a considerable distance. In the wet season they frequently serve as watercourses but,in summer it is possible to walk along them by the light of a candle or torch. They originated during the volcanic upheavals of centuries ago as air pockets and steam passages in the molten lava. A few days ago a system ot such passages was discovered in the One -Tree Hill Domain. A charge of explosives had been set off . in the bottom-of a well which was being sunk for a water supply for the district, and, after the smoke had cleared away, the workmen found that the charge had blown through the roof at • the intersection of several passages, which had a height of about 4ft. The ■ walls and floor were damp, and there • were signs that water had recently been flowing along them. "Apart from the, spiritual, there is 1 no question of more vital importance ' to the Maori people to-day than that of medical supervision," declared the Rev A. F. Bennett, addressing the Maori gathering, at Pakipaki, near Hastings. "We are a small people, ' he went on to say "surrounded by all sorts of epidemics, arid we must look to the Health Department for greater help and more practical assistance. It was impossible for one man in charge 1 of Maori hygiene to do more than scratch the surface, seeing that the 1 Maori population was approximately • 60,000. His suggestion was that there should be at least three medical officers, . one in each of the three Maori electorates, but the great obstacle to this • would probably be finance. Contributl ing to tiie "discussion, Sir Apirana Nerata said that the question was a . difficult one. "The present position of , the medical man in charge of Maori , hygiene is like, the fifth wheel in a i coach, and I do not hold out much , hope of getting anything done when the outlook of the Health Department ■ on Maori problems is such as it is at the present time."

Testimonial to our latest improved tractor plough, signed by Mr Whisker, Mr Allison, and the other successlui ploughmen at 1927* ploughing matches. "We have used the P. and D. Duncan tractor plough at the matches in 1927, and found the plough and the lift O.K. in every particular, thoroughly reliable in action, convenient to operate, perfect control of depth, the double steerago a great improvement, the back wheel lever a great saying of time and trouble. No doubt this is the perfect tractor plough." P. and D. Duncan, Ltd., Tuam street, Christchurch: —6 When Armstrongs receive a n.vtice to the effect that the Official Assignee in Bankruptcy has accepted their tender for the entire warehouse stock of H. J. Marriner and forwards a receipt for the deposit guarantee, it is quite to be expected that some great bargains are in store for the public. As this has recently happened and the stocks are delivered and marked off, Armstrongs are opening, a Sale of this magnificent warehouse stock on Wednesday, April 18th. The goods are of the latest and newest patterns and comprise all the hpst desiens and qualities that the World's Markets produce. Every department from Silks to Millinery is represented, and as usual. Armstrongs ore passine their bargain on to the nubHe. so don't fail to avail yourself of this unique opportunity. —2 The 1928 model of a universally known receiver in kit form has just landed in Christchurch. TV-- 1 - the old type was acclaimed the last word in kits, the new type, with a. change in circuit and apparatus, is even hotter than its famous predecessor. We refer, of course, to the Bremer Tullv Power six kit. —6 There's always somebody coughing., It may be you next. Take "Nazol." Goes to the root of the trouble and fives prompt relief. Ready for use, 60 oses Is 6a —■>

ART GALLERY.

QUESTION OF LOCATION.

MR S. HURST SEAGEIVS REPORT.

At the request of Mr R. E. McDougall the following report has been prepared by Mr S. Burst Seager, and circulated among the members of the Domain Board. It will be considered by them at a special meeting to be held this afternoon. In considering the location of an Art Gallery, there are many questions which should form the basis on which a determination must be made. Bv far the greater number of those who have expressed their opinions on Se subject of a site have thought only of the Gallery as a civic adornment. Thev have quite disregarded the purpose of its erection, and thought onby of + he improvement which might be oreited bv the erection in certain neighbourhoods of a beautiful building.

Primary Object of Gift. Mr McDougall's object is not primarily to adorn any part of the City His main consideration is to provide a building to contain a collection of pictures and other works of art calculated to be of value in cultivating or intensifying a love of the arts among the people as a whole. It must be kept in mind that an Art Gallery is fundamentally for the purpose of housing pictures and other works of art. The appearance or the Gallery is a secondary consideration It should be scientifically correct, so that every exhibit shall be perfectly lighted It must be structurally perfect, and finally, architecturally magnificent as the funds permit or the position warrants. The position in this case must be such as warrants, for the funds available permit a beautiful building to be Cr it must be borne in mind by those pleading for the erecton of ?n the City that many of the Gal enes of the world were at the time of their erection in the midst of .park-bke.but-roundlings; the inevitable growth at modern times has enclosed them. it has been universally felt that the contrast between the unrelated commercialism of the streets and the works of fine art within is too violent to enable the fullest impression to be made. There are many sites suggested, round which commercialism is not dominant, but in each case they are not suitable for some other reasons. Some are far too restricted iu area as for instance the present Art GaUery site, and the suggestion that the Gallery should take the place of the old Provincial Council buildings must be repellent to all the pioneers and their descendants who look forward to the time when this fine group of historic buildings shall form the home of all the relks of the early history of Canterbury.

A Cardinal Principle. The use to which any collection of works of art is to be put must strongly influence the choice of a site. 11? tne collection is for the use of students only—if it is to make its appeal to those who are studying technique, or who regard pictures chiefly as links.in the historic development of art-then the position of the Gallery is not ot such great importance. For they would perforce have to visit it wherever it was placed. But the Gallery contemplated is to serve a.far broader purpose than this. It is, as stated to create in the mass of the people a love for representation of Nature m its various aspects. The great mass ot the people look to the Art Gallery as a source of intense enjoyment—their study of art being akin to their study of Nature, arid the association or Nature and Art is formed when an Art Gallery is placed in a, cultivated, park or gardens. That there should be this close association has become a cardinal principle which is recognised very fully all over the world. The three plastic arts of Architecture. Sculpture, and Painting, . murt combine with that- Nature without which no art would be possible. A beautiful building, other than street architecture, demands the most beautiful natural setting. Not only is thus the beauty of the building enhanced, but the natural surroundings receive an added interest from the combination thus formed. A moment's reflection will recall to the mind of everyone numberless instances of this truth. The very large number of correspondents who have protested against the erection of a beautiful building in our Domain are prompted by this intense love or Nature, and fear that the introduction or a building will ruin it. This is a, feeling which everyone must respect, and did I not know from my wide experience of the beautiful.effects produced by the association of Nature and Art in all parts of the world, I should not for one moment suggest that the proposed Gallery be placed there. By.. passing through beautiful natural surroundings the mind is atuned for the reception of beauties of Art. It is i therefore a principle which must or '.necessity be followed that the Art Gallery be in a cultivated park or domain. All the new English and American Galleries are placed in parks wherever possible, and some of them are a considerable distance away from the centre of the city, as at Cleveland, where it is three miles away. It is a pleasure to see what excellent .use. is made of the galleries so placed. They stand in ideal environments for spending a day s holiday. Parents bring their families, leaving the small children to play in the park, while they themselves, with their elder children, visit the galleries. These are made more attractive by; the non-technical chats of skilled guides, who explain the meaning, and merits of the pictures at stated times. '

Domain the Best locality. The Art Gallefy will fulfil the wants not only of the students, hut will cater still more for the love of Art in the people generally. We have in the Domain a perfectly ideal position in respect to its association with Nature, and fortunately it is in close relation with those who would wish to study the exhibits from an educational point of view. That it adjoins the School of Art Canterbury College, Christ's College is not far removed from the Girls' High School, and but a short distance from the Normal College is most fortunate, for from these institutions will be drawn the mass of students who could make the greatest possible use of the pictures and exhibits. In very many cases art galleries are associated with schools of art and form a valuable adjunct to the schools of art themselves. Therefore, from the point of view of association with educational establishments, there could be no better position than the Domain. From the point of view of the public many have contended that if the gallery were in the City the attendance would be enormously increased. Thev have overlooked the fact that the people do not live in the City and that an art gallery >s essentially a place for hours of leisure and recreation of the people The contention that the Domain is too far away from the centre does not hold. This can be proved at once by visiting the Domain on any holfdav or on Sundays. On Sunday afternoon there are thousands streamins down towards the Museum and the Gardens and it unquestionably would E, « wrv great added attraction for the the people, if the Art Gallerv could be placed in conjunction with them. It is 7* minutes' walk from ?v Vpntre of the tram service m ephedra square and only, three mioSes' walk from the stopping place at