General News.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19972, 5 July 1930, Page 16

General News.

The appeal of the Arthur's Pass National Park Board to local bodies for assistance in the Board's work has already realised £2BO, stated a report made to the Board at its meeting yesterday. The canvass for funds is to be continued. Tho Mayor desires to acknowledge the following donations to the Coal and Blanket Fund: —"C.S.J." £l, "J.W." £l, "A Sympathiser" £2, Mrs J. M. Struthers £2 2s, Mrs George Gould £5. Mr W. J. Barker £2, Mr W. W. Pitcaithlv £5, Citizens' Benevolent, A c s')c>nti"n *'2s, "A.M." £l, and Mrs E. Coe £2 2s. Respecting the appeal being made to managers of warehouses if Christchurch for material to bo madt up into garments for tho families of tho unemployed, Cr. Annie I. Fraer reported-yes-terday that tho response that day had been very good. She added that she would be glad of more assistance from ladies willing to make up the garments. Certain nominated members of the Christchurch Ski Club are to be appointed rangers of the Arthur b Pass National Park Board. This decision was reached at a meeting of the Board vesterday, when it was considered that members of the Club would thus be able to exercise some jurisdiction over th© large number of ski-iug enthusiasts who visited the Pass.

"My only regret is that the silver paper collected by tho Society half a ton of it —has been burnt in London," said Mrs J. Cracroft Wilson, the reelected president, at the annual meeting of the Canterbury branch'of the Plunket Society last evening. Where the Society expected to realise £7O, sho added, it had received a cheque for only a little over £6. Solicitors had been consulted, but there was no redress. The amount of sunshine recorded at Clifton, Sumner, for the week ending June 29th was 49 hours 5 minutes, as against 39 hours 35 minutes in the City. The total for the nine weeks ending on the same date was 339 hours in Sumner and 299 hours 50 minutes in the City. The great difference in the total for this period _is probably accounted for by fogs, which nave enveloped the City in the early morning, but have been absent from Sumner. There is snow suitable for ski-ing within ten minutes' walk of the Arthur's Pass railway station, according to a report received last evening. Yesterday was fine with sunshine at the Pass, and in the evening there was a frost. The report also stated that there was a prospect of more snow. So many are expected to travel to the Pass to-morrow that the Railway Department has found it necessary to afrange for an extra excursion tram. The trend of the times is shown in a letter received by the Timaru Ploughing Match Association. A, request was madr to the Government Tourist Department asking that a cameraman be sent down to make moving pictures of the various matches. The Department has now replied;, writes our Timaru correspondent! stating that there was no demand for these features as there had been big changes in the Department owing to the advent of the talkies.

It does not aopear to be generally known that the ladies who are making a house-to-house canvass of the City and suburbs on behalf of the Cancer Research Campaign issue a special coupon as a' receipt for subscriptions received. The Mayoress (Mrs J. K. Archer) told a reporter yesterday that it was necessary to issue a warning to householders as unauthorised persons were reported to be collecting for the Cancer Campaign, and instead of issuing coupons were entering the names nf subscribers in a book. No one should give unless a coupon was given as a receipt.

A complaint made to Cr. H. T. J. Thacker regarding the high charges made for electricity for radiators was referred to the general manager ot the Municipal Electricity Department (Mr E. Hitchcock), who says that similar complaints arc received from time trt time. In Christchurch for electricity for this purpose 2d per unit is charged; in Wellington the same charge is made; in Auckland it is 4Jd; and In Dunedin 3d, or alternatively, maximum demand rate. Office radiators represent the least justifiable use of electricity, and when the department's advice is sought it never recommends them. Cr. Thacker said that the offices and showrooms of the Municipal Electricity Department are heated by hot water radiators. '?We have a list as long as my arm," said Dr. Fox, superintendent of the Christchurch Hospital, when asked if the Hospital authorities had difficulty in obtaining volunteers for blood transfusion. The reluctance of people to offer their blood that has been experienced by the Napier Hospital is not at all evident here, ftcoording to Dr. Fox, and indeed during the years in which a list of the addresses of donors has been kept there has nevet been any difficulty in securing blood. Of course it is not everybody's blood which is suitahle. and volunteers have to be classified into groups, so that when a patient requires an infusion a test of his blood is made, and a volunteer from the corresponding ormip is called unon. The calls are fairly frequent in Christchurch, and it is thp practice to pay two guineas for each transfusion Cr. E. H. Andrews, chairman of the City Council's finance Committee, when asked yesterday by a reporter for his opinion regarding loans raised by special orders, instead of being authorised by the ratepayers at polls, said that he was in agreement with the idea that all loans should be voted on by the ratepayers. In respect of loans for the relief of unemployment, Tie recognised that they had to be raised promptly to be of use, and that when raised by special order the cost of a poll was avoided. Nevertheless, he thought such loan proposals should be voted on by the ratepayers. Personally* he did not favour loans for unemployment relief ( because he did not believe in burdening posterity, which would have its own problems to faoe. Chiefly, however, he objected to loans - for that purpose because, it thev had a currency, say, of twenty years, by the time interest and sinking fund had been provided, the work done had cost twioe as much as if it bad been done out of revenue.

A donation of £SO towards the motor engineering apprenticeship classes of the Technical College was received from the New Zealand Motor Traders' Association, at a meeting of the Technical College Board of Governors last evening. The Juno number of the Cashmere Sanatorium Magazine maintains its usual standard of bright literary matter. Demonstrating the enthusiasm of its contributors and editor, it is full of amusing articles, and a wealth of light verse. There is a helpful article on Tuberculosis, by Dr. I. C. Macintyre, while the best of the humorous matter is a parody entitled "The Rubaiyat of the Coronation Hospital," written by a patient who was there in 1916. The general printing and setting-up of the production are excellent. A tribute to the work of a member of the St. John Ambulance Brigade who attended the Sockburn smash is contained in a letter received the Superintendent of the Brigade, from Mr P. McNair, the District Engineer of Railways for Canterbury. Mr McNair refers to Mr H. Wootton, who was earlv on the scene of the accident at Sockbiirn, and who stayed there doing yeoman service, until the main down track was cleared, and the men went home, at two o'clock on the Tuesday morning. The foreman of the workers who were engaged in the task of removing the wreckage had his hand badly crushed during the operations. and he was attended to most efficiently by Mr Wootton. The manuscript copy of Mr C. E. Ferris's song, "Keep Watch," which tho Canterbury branch of the Navy League is forwarding to Lord Jellieoe, is adorned on the cover by a water colour picture of a battleship by Mr W. Menzies Gibb. Native shrubs at 20 per cent, reduction off ordinary prices are advertised in this issue by J M. Baxter, proprietor of the well-known Tawhai Native Nursery, 421 Papanui road. This reduction is made in order to obviate the necessity and expense of I removing many thousands of native shrubs, during the extensive alterations l>eing carried out in this nursery. The 20 pp." cent, reduction is made on all sir i s and trees of the many varieties tl ;>t this well-known nursery is so well noted for. See advertisement on page nine. —6 Don't forget to stop a Gold Band or a Red Band Taxi if you see it returning to town empty as we only charge 6d a passenger. Wo lead, others follow, so patronise the firm that brought tho fares down and 'phone 34-075 or 35-572. Thank you -11 Hear the second Test in comfort—at the Tudor Tearooms—you'll enjoy it far better. Besides, a cup of delicious tea will make a world of difference. Tudor Tearooms, High street. —6 Charming Bridal Studies. Delightful pictures with all the charm and sweet ness that the occasion demands. A Stef fano Webb Bridal Portrait ia something to be treasured for a life-time. Studio, 25/ High street. —6 John Johnston, Ltd., merchants, established 1863. Direct importerp of British and American hardware and machinery. 'Phone 4. P.O. Box 1, Rangiora. —1 Ninety per cent, of the Easter weddings were catered for by the Gold Band Taxis, who brought the fares down to 7s 6d per hour. Surely this speaks for itself, so keep on 'phoning 34-075 or 35-572 when you want a taxi. —2

"When ordering a grain and seed drill, be sure you get the best, drilling being tho vita) operation in planting any crop The Agricultuntl Department, after trying all other makes. both local and imported, found our "Star" drill the only make competent to fulfil all their re» quirements, and to give the neces sary accuracy in drilling test plots During the Inst ten rears, tho Department has purchased six sevencoulter drills from us fot that purpose- They know f he best! P and D Duncan. Ltd.. Tuaro street, Christchurch —8

Harrow old pastures during July—whether you top-dress or notl Although rather late, top-dressing is still profitable, and emphatically "better late than never"! To do the job thoroughly, the Boothmac-Dunn Grass Scarifier first, and top-dress immediately after is the "ideal" proposition, but the Boothmac Steel Tripod and Chain Harrow does the job quite well, and, moreover, this is a multi-purpose implement. Pamphlot of all—post free. Booth, Macdonald and Co., Ltd. —O6