General News.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19375, 30 July 1928, Page 8

General News.

Mr J. J. McGahey, Registrar of Electors, has received the main roll of the Christclmrch East electorate, which contains 11,811 names. The Marlborouih farmers who linvo l.een visiting Canterbury left by special train on return to their nouivj u:\ Saturday morning. In the W.E.A. rooms on Saturday evening Dr. D. McLeod, of Canterbury College, gare an illustrated lecture on the subject of Astronomy. The audience was a large one. The record frost so far this year is 13.5 degrees, and the amount recorded at the Magnetic Observatory on Saturday morning was 11.1 degrees. Yesterday there was 12 degrees of frost. "Women who buy in the retail shops are terribly critical, and if there is the slightest flaw in the goods they won't take them away," said an expert witness in the Supreme Court at Wellington. "They are more critical than ever before in my experience." "Ninety-nine per cent, of the women don't exercise any taste at all," observed Mr Justice Reed, in the Supreme Court at Wellington, when the colour of a certain dress material which figured as an exhibit was being discussed. "They follow blindly like sheep, one after the other." Including 110 passengers from Ashburton and Rakaia, 420 persona took advantage of yesterday's excursion to Otira, and a special train from Rangiora took 50 people to the beauty spot. The excursionists enjoyed a perfect day of crisp air and bright sunshine. After having been taken from outside the Armagh street entrance of the Itink Taxis on Friday evening, a large car belonging to Mr J. Bryce, of Hornby, collided with a stationary car in Ruskin street, .Sydenham, a lew minutes later. The latter car was owned by Mr F. Bishop, of Papanui. No one was injured and the thieves decamped, leaving the carg badly damaged.

In view of expectations that the Tasman flight will take place at an early date, the Third District Radio Transmitters' Association's offer to install and operate a receiving set at the Wigram Aerodrome has been accepted. Relays of operators will he on duty to cover the whole period of the flight, and it is quite probable that a broadcast set will also be used to keep the public posted during the flight's latter stages. Speaking at a, meeting of the Wellington Hospital' Board, Mr F. Castle (chairman of the Hospital Committee) in announcing that Miss West-Watson had commenced duty as tutor nurse pointed out that it was not perhaps generally known that the hospital was a training school for nurses. The appointment of a tutor sister meant that probationary nurses would receive six weeks' training before going into the wards..

So far the Boer pom-pom gun has not been removed from its stand in front of the Queen Victoria statue in Victoria square, but it is expected that it will shortly be placed on the riverbank in front of the Provincial Council Buildings. Negotiations for the removal of the gun have been in progiess for some weeks and the Government has agreed to the Veterans' Association's request for permission to place the gun on the riverbank, but the actual site has not yet been fixed: The Canteibury College Dialectic Society held its annual open speaking and impromptu speech competition on Saturday night. Mr A. C. Brassington presided, and Professor L. 6. Pocock was the judge. The open speaking was an imaginary declamation by same character in history or modern life, and was won by Mr C. S. Perry, who spoke as "Gene Tunney on Shakespeare." Mr E. B. E. Taylor won the impromptu speech on "That the Cat is a Nobler Animal than the Dog." y "You seem a very casual sort of gentleman," the Official Assignee at Auckland told a bankrupt who did not attend his meeting of creditors on the day fixed, but who appeared the following day. Bankrupt explained that lie had turned up at 11.30 a.m. to find that the meeting had Iveen held at 10.45. "Didn't you read the notice?" asked the Assignee, Mr G. N. Morris. "If that is the way you did your business, I don't wonder that you made a muddle of it. It is absolute carelessness 1"

At the last meeting of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, held in Wellington, it was reported that Dr. D. Miller, having taken up his duties at Cawtliron Institute, had been receiving supplies of various in ert parasites from overseas, but, •as this is the quiet time of the year, only a small number of trials with these consignments had been possible. The insectary and laboratory had been submitted to a thorough overhaul in preparation for the coming season's work, and it had been found necessary to replace a considerable amount of the brass giuze used in the interior fittings of the large insectary. Advice had been received from Dr. Tillyard who had been dealing with the matter of cooperation with Rothamsted and Farn-

ham Royal. As a result of these suggestions, the committee will require to give further consideration to the future plan of action regarding activities overseas. The approaching visit of Sir John Russell would afford "an additional opportunity of discussing the position and the work at Rothamsted. Reporting, on the pig industry investigations being carried out by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the chairman at the last meeting in Wellington said: —"The establishment of three pig-recording investigations at Lincoln, Massey College, and in the Waikato has met with a very good response. In all instances no difficulty has been experienced in securing the ready co-operation of farmes the scheme, and the recording officers wjll be fully occupied in wei-hing; regularly the lnrge number of pigs which have been offered for the test. The large amount of information which will be gathered by this means should prove of very great use in the direction not only of guiding farmers m the economic use of pig feeding materials but will also assist in the breeding and selection of the most "desirable strains of pigs for local and overseas markets. The successful development of the nig industry on a sound basis depends upon producing pork and bacon of the highest quality by the economical use of avai'able feeds and the breeding of the best strains of pigs." To make your home well illuminated and cosy looking, an artistically designed semi-direct Bowl fitting is practically a necessity. Some very excellent designs at extremely reasonable prices are at present to be seen in the windows of J. I. Smail, Electrical and Radio Engineers, Carey's Buildings, Colombo street. —6 In addition to • making a full line of agricultural implements and machines, most o* which are the best in the world, we make repairs and improvements t all sorts and makes of farm machinery. Extras made for every sort of -imported implement and machine. Awkward or difficult jobs a speciality ,'ith us. P. and D. Duncan, Ltd., Christchureh. —6