General News.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19376, 31 July 1928, Page 6

General News.

Following on the opening last week of the Drainage Board's pumping station in Smith street, Woolston, residences in the following streets now can be connected with the sewer: Mackworth, Smith, Matlock, Dampier, part of Ferry roaiu, and part- of Hopkins street.

Between 7.30 and 8.30 on Saturday evening, while Sergeant Murray, of the Addington Police Station, was visiting a euchre tournament at the Wnarenui School, a five-seater car belonging to his wife, was stolen from outside the school, and found later completely destroyed by fire. It is thought _to he the work of joy-riders. The blazing car was discovered at 11 p.m. in Juncr tion road, near the Middleton railway station. It was only eighteen months old and was valued at about £3OO, being covered by insurance. The second annual reunipn of members of the 2nd Field Artillery Brigade, N.Z.E.F., will be held on Saturday, August 11th, in the Basin Reserve pavilion, Wellington, when LieutenantColonel N. S. Falla, C.M.G., D.5.0., who commanded the brigade in the field, will preside. The first reunion, held last year, proved most successful, no fewer thaji 120 members attending. It is expected that this number will easily be exceeded this year, as parties are expected from New Plymouth and Napier, and other plftces. An attractive programme has been arranged. That there is almost an entire absence of harmony in design and treatment of street architecture in New Zealand is the opinion of Professor O. E. Knight, of the Auckland University College. He told members of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects that each residential district was a collection of residences as unlike each other as possible. . In some cases this achieved • a picturesque quality to the neighbourhood, and added to the pleasure of the place. Yet, and he realised he was upon debatable ground, a greater effect or harmony of treatment would in many instances increase the beauty of the ensemble and probably would result m lower production costs.

Compulsory insurance of taxi-cabs against passenger and "third-party" claims was approved by the Auckland City Council at the last meeting. The Chief Traffic Inspector reported the majority of licensed taxis were already insured for £4OO, together with a covor of £2OOO iv respect to passengers and "third parties." The premium was £36 15s a year, and the insurance should be made bbligatory as in the case of omnibuses. The Traffic Inspector recommended the Council should decline licenses unless a suitable insurance policy was submitted, and suggested steps should be taken to secure the necessary legislation. A resolution in the terms of the recommendations was carried.

It was reported to the Auckland City Council at the last meeting that there had recently been four casualties at the Zoo, namely, one female kudu (South African antelope), one male reindeer* one female beaver, and one Canadian tree porcupine. The kudu had been examined by Dr. BevanBrown, who agreed with the curator that the animal had probably been worried by dogs at night. Steps have been taken to prevent the incursion of dogs into the park. The death of the tree porcupine was the natural result of advancing age, but the reindeer and the beaver will be the subjects of post-mortem examinations, though no sinister cause of death is suggested. It was stated that the general health of the collection was satisfactory, but the weather of the last two months had considerably increased the difficulty of keeping the Miimnla in good health, particularly those from tropical climates.

"A time will come in the near future when we will, I am sure, be compelled to consider the question of closer settlement within our City areas," said Professor C. E. Knight, when speaking to members of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Institutee of Architects. "From every point of view it is undesirable for people to live a long way from their place of business. At the moment the demand is for faster, and more efficient transport. Trains, buses, trams, and motor-cars have done much to shorten distance, but it is costly to the State and the worker, and from a town-planning point of view it is obviously uneconomical. This does not mean that we shall ever be faced with the congestion troubles of other lands, because I am convinced that with the aid of town-planning science we will find it possible to achieve greater density and greater economy by the design of areas for specific classes of residences in close proximity to the various centres of business activity."-

Next Monday 25 officers of the Mounted Rifle brigade, Southern Command, go into camp at Burnham, under r.ieut.-Colonel N. W. B. B. Thorns. Last week 11,313 tons of goods were railed through the Otira tunnel for the West Coast, as compared with 11,288 tons in the corresponding week of 1927. This year's Wildine Memorial lecture at Canterbury College will be delivered by Professor Conway, of the University of Manchester, on August 16th. About forty students from the Christchurch Training College left for Dunedin yesterday to compete in the annual tournament with Dunedin. The season for the shooting of native and imported game closes to-day. Sportsmen have had a fair season, black swan being particularly plentiful. Grey duck became shy as the season wore on.

The special committee to which has been relegated matters pertaining to the production of "The Christchurch Municipal Review,'' is to meet on Thursday, when it is expected that it will have before it the tenders for printing the publication. The Crematorium Committee met yesterday in the City Council Buildings. Members reported that signatures to the petitions for the establishment of a crematorium in Christchurch are coming in extremely well, 800 having been obtained in ten days. A mountain specimen of a Nelly petrel, shot at Lake Ellesmere, has been presented to the Canterbury Museum by Mr W. Skelton Walton. Mr A. V. White-Parsons, of Lyttelton, has given a South Sea Island specimen of a coconut crab. The number of cases of scarlet fever reported in the Canterbury Health District last week showed a decrease of four, compared with the previous week, when 56 cases were listed. In the Metropolitan area last week the total was 46, and two deaths from the disease were reported.

The hardest frost experienced so far this year was recorded yesterday morning. At the Magnetic Observatory 13.3 degrees were recorded, the figures for Sunday being 12.0 degrees. The previous hardest frost this year was 13.1 degrees on May 26th. The frosts have had little effect on plants, although they have been retarded to some small extent.

As the result of a spill on the Marshland road on Sunday afternoon, a man named W. P. Lietz received injuries to his back, and slight spinal concussion. The front tyre came off his motor-cycle as he was attempting to pass another vehicle. He was given attention at a nearby house. The Central Fire Brigade turned out at 8 o'clock last evening to 676 .Gloucester street, Linwood, where a fire had broken out in a detached shed, occupied by Mr W. S White. The shed was totally destroyed, but the brigade was successful in preventing the blaze from reaching the adjacent house. Wet country, with its accompanying difficulties, has been met with by the contractors laying sewers for the Drainage Board in Riccarton, between the Boys' High School and the Deans homestead, in Kahu street, and in Glandovey road, Fendalton. South of Buckley's road, in Bromley, quicksand has been encountered.

Exceptionally large trout oi'ders have been filled by the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society this season. Altogether. Mr D. Hope has sent 1,375,000 eggs to the. various provinces. The numbers sent awav. are: Hawke's Bay 400,000, Auckland 200.000, Westland 200,000, Marlborough 200,000, Nelson 250,000, Hawera 125,000. A statement in yesterday's Pbess gave the impression that Miss A. Candy, lecturer in history at Canterbury College, is proceeding to England under a scheme of exchange of university teachers, existing between New Zealand and Great Britain. No such scheme exists, any exchanges that are made being the outcome of purely private arrangements. Infectious and other notifiable diseases reported in the Canterbury and West Coast health districts for the week ended noon yesterday totalled 69, as follows Canterbur y: Scarlet fever. 52; diphtheria, 2; tuberculosis, 6; pneumonia, 4; erysipelas, 2. West Coast: Scarlet fever, 1; diphtheria, 1; tuberculosis, 1. There were two deaths from scarlet fever and one death from tuberculosis in the Canterbury district.

"New Zealand can hold millions of people, and over-population is not the real cause of unemployment," Baid Sir James Gunson at a welcome extended to him by the Auckland City Council. "If we cannot employ our million and a half our organisation is defective, and we need a system which will absorb willing men in useful work. We want intensive industry. Our unemployed have a right to expect work, and it is a failure in organisation if the demand is not met."

Out of the £50,000 that the Drainage Board has available for advancing to property owners to pay the cost of connecting their premises with the sewers, the sum of £10,037 has been granted, making, with applications in hand, a total of £39,000. The remaining £II,OOO must be granted to applicants before December 31st next, or the Board will require to apply for fresh authority to use the money. Applications are being received at trie rate of about twelve daily. To date, 500 applications have been granted, and there are 400 still to be dealt with.

The daylight saving scheme, proposed to be adopted in Christchurch, is meeting with favourable reception from business men, but retail shopkeepers comment that difficulty will be experienced in getting householders to shop early. At present most of the shopping is done late in the afternoon, and nothing would be gained by opening half an hour earlier in the monr'ns. The Christchurch City Council's staff is framing a petition to the Council asking to be allowed to start work at 8 a.m., instead of 8.30 a.m. as at present. in order to benefit by the extra half-hour at the end of the day.

A start is to be made this week with the erection of the annexe in Cashel street in connexion with the Winter Show and Industrial Exhibition. The annexe will provide a row of stands, with a depth of 7ft practically the whole length of the frontage of the King Edward Barracks; also an avenue 13ft wide, and nnother row of stands with a depth of 13ft. These rows of stands will be divided by the main entrance, which will be about the middle of the frontage. The stands on the left-hand side of the main entrance will be devoted to the side-show mbn. The contractor for the building is Mr W. Williamson. The work is to be finished by the morning of August Bth

Dont' wait "till the cows come in"— it may be too late then —to secure a Vega Separator, at present favourable prices, as follows: —15 gallon £6 10s, 30 gallon £9 10=5, 45 gallon £l2 10s. CO gallon £l6 10s. 90 gallon £2O. If you pay more you are paying "something for nothing," for the simple reason that there isn't a better separator made—at any price! Illustrated pamphlet post free. Booth, Macdonald and Co., Ltd. —6