General News.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19979, 14 July 1930, Page 10

General News.

A special report regarding municipal horses is to come before this afternoon's meeting of the committee of the S.P.C.A.

In the opinion of the Hon. A. J. Stallworthy, Minister for Heaith, the division on Mr Coates's no-confidence motion in the House will take place to-morrow. So far, he said, members of the Cabinet had kept out of the debate as far aa possible.

The conference of representatives of Canterbury local bodies interested in main highways, which the Canterbury Progress League decided at its annual meeting, should be convened, will bo held early next month, probably on tho same day that tho executive of the League meets. The Canterbury Aero Club, which is to participate in the proceeds of the Golden Wings Art Union, has not been advised yet what its proportion will be, but it is anticipated that it will bo about £SOOO. The purposes to which the money is to be devoted probably will be decided at the next.meeting of tho committee of the club.

Tho following subscriptions to tho Coal and Blanket Fund arc acknowledged by the Mayor:—Eangiruru School, £3 3s; Mrs Walcot Wood, £5; "Leicester," £10; Mr and Mrs H. Chapman, £5; "A.M.L.," £1; "Anonymous," 2a; "C.G.A.," 8s 6d, and Dr. F. J. Gibson, £3 3s. Tho Christchurch Tramway authorities have received advice that tho plans for tho bodies of the trolley-buses, ordered by the Board some months ago, are on their way to the Dominion. When they come to hand it is the Board's intention to call for tenders for tho construction of the bodies in tho Dominion. No word has been received yet as to when the two chassis, which have been shipped from England, will arrive at Lyttclton. There were over 50 applicants for work at the Christchurch Returned Soldiers' Association's office o.n Saturday, and the average per day for the last few days has been about 45. Employment has been arranged for 17 men, nine to be placed with the Domains Board, and eight With the City Council. Two others have been sent to Courtenay on tree-planting, and, during the week odd private employment was found for several men.

"The Government is taking time by the forelock, in dealing with tho depression," claimed the Hon. A. .1. Stallworthy, Minister for Health, speaking to a reporter at the railway station on Saturday morning. "We must face the position now or an infinitely worse one in six months, if we have not' the courage. We have to be cruel to be kind. Some of the Labour members are condemning us for reducing hands in Government Departments, but the Commonwealth Labour Government is dismiss sing men in hundreds." A new regulation of considerable importance to opossum trappers and thoso who deal in opossum skins was issued in May last, and is, probably, not very well known. It provides that no person shall present any skins to an officer authorised to receive royalty, or deliver any skins to a licensed broker unless each skin has legibly marked thereon,.in indelible pencil, or by other similar effective means, tho surname and initials of the person who took or killed the opossum, his license number, and tho year in which tho opossum was killed or taken. No authorised officer is to placo the official mark on any skin, and no licensed broker is to accept delivery of any skin, unless it is' marked as above described.

"Tho range of the adult education niovoment is becoming wider and wider every day," said Mr George Manning, the secretary to the Christchurch Workers' Educational Association, at a meeting on Saturday evening. Mr Manning had been considering the upward trend of the movement, from tho moment of its birth, to tho prosent, and he recalled how students at the beginning had sought tuition only in a few subjects. Now their tastes were widening, and they wanted to wrestle with cultural and advanced matters. Literature, drama, and art were as popular with the students now as economics was at tho commencement of the classes.

The proportion of deaths to every 1000 of population in June was higher in Nelson than in any other urban area in the Dominion, the figure being 1.22. Christchurch was fifth in the list of fourteen, the proportion being .89. An Order-in-Council consenting to the raising of a loan of £BOOO by tho Christchurch Tramway Board has been gazetted. The rate of interest will be 6J per cent. Regulations under tho Nurses' and Midwivcs' Registration Act, 1925, have boen gazetted. Thev provide that definite periods of approved training be undergone by ©very person seeking to he registered as a nurse, and that pupil nurses shall pass examinations in a number of subjects specified as part of. their training. Yesterday the curtailment of the railway services came into operation, the only train affected being the 10.30 p.m. express to the south, which ran only as far as Dunedin, instead of to Invercargill, as formerly. The increase in fares on the Lvttelton lino, which also camo into effect yesterday, did not appear to reduce the traffic. "No change of policy has yet been decided on with regard to level crossings," said tho Hon. W. A. Vcitch, Minister for Railways, to a represents' tive of The Pkess on Saturday. Ho added that the matter was still under consideration. Asked bv a representative of Tub Press on Saturday if any developments had taken placo concerning tho treaty with Canada regarding butter, the Prime Minister, tho Hon. G. W. Forbes, said that Canada had given notice to the New Zealand Government, and further negotiations wero still to take place. In tho Gazette of July 10th notice is given that on August 7th three areas of first-class farm land in the Brinklands settlement, ono mile and threequarters from Fairlie, will be thrown open for selection on renewable lease. Section 1 has an area of 369 acreK, and the half-yearly rental is £145 2s Cd; section 2, 389 acres, £129 7s Od; section 3, 3GO acres, £139. Tho intimate acquaintance of tho Governor-General (Lord Bledisloe) with tho development of scientific farming was well illustrated during his visit to Lincoln College on Saturday. Mr J. L Scott was remarking > on the value of whey paste for fattening pigs. "I know about it," remarked his Excellency. "In fact I helped to start its manufacture in England; I had shares in the first company formed." Several Christchurch radio amateurs listened last night for a broadcast through Station 3LO, Melbourne, of speeches from the New Zealand farmers' party at .present touring in Australia. It was proposed to broadcast from the observation car of the train used by the farmers, but repeated attempts by powerful sets in Christchurch did not succeed in picking up tho messages.

Walking along Ferry road at about midnight on Suturday, a young man named Busch was attacked l>y three men at the William street corner, and a violent struggle ensued. It is stated that the mtii Bprang upon him as he was about to mount his bicyclp. He lost a watch and a valuable ring, but whether the latter was stolen or lost in the struggle is not known. Realising the odds against him, Busch kicked out and succeeded in disabling one man. The other two made off. Busch suffered no injury iu tlio struggle.

During legal argument in a before the Court of Appeal at Wellington on Friday, counsel referred several times to a statement in the evidence that the district in which the litigants lived had experienced an "old man" flood. At length his Honour (Mr Justice Herdman) smilingly asked ono of the counsel for a description of such a flood. His Honour suggested that in the old goldfield days when there were two floods on top of one another the first was termed a young flood and the second nn old man flood. (Laughter.) "Is it an expression tho oldest inhabitant would use?" suggested Mr Justice Adams. "Perhaps that is it, your ITonour," replied counsel. "At any rate, tho meaning I take from tho term is a very severe flood."

A Wanganui professional man states that the other day ho had an interesting communication from a certain Government Department which mado him sit up and take notice. Ho is interested in a farm on the Manawatu line, and to his surpriso ho received a communication that it was proposed to erect certain poles on the property, that a survey had been made, and that tho compensation would amount to one shilling per pole. This was on a property that had been laid off under subdivision. The professional man set his typewriter in motion, and suggested to tho head of the Department that a little less of this bureaucracy system in New Zealand would be highly desirable, and tho least his Department could have done beforo entering tho property to make tho survey was to have sent along an intimation and also an invitation to bo present at tho survey. "There is too much of this Departmental influence over-riding the rights of tho private citizen," added tho Wanganui resident. All tho big telegraph work in Christchurch has now been completed, and all that remains in the way of construction is the putting in of further telophono connexions. This has meant that seven of tho married casual employees in the Department have bad to bo warned that available work is nearing an end, and it may not be possible to retain thoir services. "Wo give the men as much notice as wo can so that they will not be caught napping," said Mr J. C. Fairbairn, District Telegraph Engineer, to a rcprcsent a tive of The Puess. yesterday. "Everything is done to retain as many as possible," he aJded. A number of single casual employees were put off some time ago, the married men being given the option of working on some bigger country jobs. This is not a question of economy with the Department, but the absence of suitable work. The change-over from manual to automatic telephones, which took place some time ago, resulted in the employment of many extra men, but this having been completed, and the long list of waiting subscribers connected up, tho remaining work is for the permanent employees.

Henry Ford made his millions by manufacturing a large number of cars at a small profit, and that is what the proprietor of the Gold Band Taxis is doing in supplying taxis at very low rates. 'Phono 34075 and 35572.

Who will win the third Test? We don't know —but wo do know that if you want a tasty meal promptly served you must go to Cooke's. They win every time. Cooko's and Tudor Tearooms, High street. —6

The Proprietor of the Gold Band Taxis has purchased a controlling interest in a large Petrol Company. This is another or his moves to keep the taxi fares down, so keep on 'phoning 34075 and 35572. Thank you. —7

"When ordering a grain and seed drill, be sure you get the best; drilling being the vital operation in planting any crop. The Agricultural Department, after trying all other makes, both local and imoorted, found our "Star"' drill the only make competent to fulfil all their requirements, and to give the necessary accuracy in drilling test plots During the last ten years, the Department has purchased six sevencoulter drills from us foi that purpose- They know »he best! P and D Duncan, Ltd.. Tuam etreet, Christchurch. __g