General News.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20414, 8 December 1931, Page 8

General News.

+ The Christehurch trams were involved in 25 public accidents during October, as follows:—Collisions witli motor-cars 11, 'motor-lorries 3, carts 3, cycles 3; passengers alighting from trams in motion 2, and miscellaneous 3. The institution of evening excursion fares to the seaside during the holidays is to be considered by tho Works and Traffic Committee of the Christehurch Tramway Board. Moving at yesterday's Board meeting that - such action should be taken, Mrs E. R. McCombs said that excursions had been successful two years ago. If necessary, they could be limited to moonlight nights. In the ordinary course of events the Christehurch City Council would meet on December 14th and then adjourn for the Christmas holidays, but owing to the meeting convened for November 30th lapsing for want of a quorum the Council meeting is a week behind sclic ale. Last night the Council decided to hold. another meeting on Monday next and tho following meeting on February Ist. Work on which the' unemployed can be put is not plentiful in some parts of Heatlxcote county, according to a statement made by Mi* W. AV. ScarfT, a member of the County Council, at vesterday's meeting of the Christehurch 'Unemployment Committee. Mr Scant said that when ho proposed to the I Csshmeve riding foreman to take on' 4-9 men for the period before Christmas, the foreman said that if that number of men. had to be provided with work he would have to sack the permanent men. A letter having been received from the Williamson Films (N.Z.), Ltd., to the effect that it desired to terminate the hiring agreement in connexion with the Civic Theatre three months from November 11th, the By-laws and Finance Committee recommended the City Council last night to call for tenders for the lease of the theatro for the display of pictures under similar conditions. A ten days' service between England and Australia was a point of major interest in the future development •of British main air trunk lines mentioned by Sir Eric Geddes in his speech to Imperial Airways shareholders recently. He said the Australian service must wait for the easement of the present national financial position, but it is significant that the company sees no' difficulty in operating a regular ten days' time-table, an acceleration of five days over the schedule adopted for experimental flights earlier this year.

At a meeting of tho Cliristchurch Licensing Committee, held yesterday, and presided over by Mr H. A. Young, S.M., tho following applications for •transfers of licensed, hotels were granted:—Empire Hotel, from T. E. Robinson to Ralph Sierakowski; Tattersall's Hotel, from W. A. Stapleton to Arthur Rose; Wellington Hotel, from Erie €. Rawlings to John de Putron Manson. When apology was made for the absence from yesterday's meeting of the Cliristchurch Unemployment Committee of Cr. Annie I. Fraer, it was remarked by Mr W. W. Scarlf that Cr. Fraer was so regular in her attendance that her absence was noted. The chairman (Cr. E. H. Andrews) said that Cr. Fraer was absent in the North Island. That tho halfbred sheep of years ago had inado Canterbury's name in the meat trade was asserted by Mr E. C. Studliolme, president of the Waimate Agricultural and Pastoral Association, at the Association's jubilee social. He added that they should do all they could to keep the good name. In getting small sheep they had lost tho standard, and he did not think they would get it back for many years. Following a request from the sextons in charge of the three Church cemeteries the City Council decided last night, on the recommendation of the Abattoirs, Reserves, and Cemeteries Committee, to pay the men an additional 10s in respect of each burial mado on Sundays, making the foe 30s as against 20b on week days. A similar fee is paid to sextons in other centres. One ton and a half of apples has been received at the Christchurcli Relief Association's depot, according to a report made by Mr George Harper to the Christchurcli Unemployment Committee yesterday. Mr Harper added that with the exception of this gift, matters at the depot wero about the same as tho previous week —not too much was being received. They were doing as much as could be expected at the present time. It was reported that tho Goldfinch Compainy. Ltd., had asketj. permission to erect hoardings on Bites m various parts of the City. The sites had been inspected by the Town Planning Committee, which recommended that some of them be approved and that others bo declined. The By-laws and Finance Committee recommended that permission be not given for the erection of any of the hoardings. The report was adopted.

An increase of seven cases of infectious and other notifiable diseases 1.-> reported in the Canterbury and West Coast Health Districts for the week ended noon yesterday, as compared with the previous week. The total was 23, as follows:—Canterbury: Scarlet fever 6, diphtheria 6, tuberculosis 5, cerebro-spmal meningitis 1; puerperal sepsis 2, pneumonic influenza 2, puerperal fever 1. West Coast: Scarlet fever 1, eclampsia 1. There were thrdo deaths reported in the Canterbury district, two from tuberculosis and one from pneumonic influenza.

Reporting the recent theft of seVoral garden tools and a pair of gumboots from the toolshed at Beckenham Park to last night's meeting of the City Council, the Abattoir,. Reserves, and Cemeteries Committee stated that this was the second occasion upon which the fehed had been so entered. Previously a lawn mower and some tools wore stolen. The police had been informed of both thefts immediately they were discovered but so far had been unable to trace the culprits.

Those engineering students who have been sitting for tlieir final examination at Canterbury College finished their fifteen days' paper in structural design yesterday morning. Each student had to swear tieforc a Justice of the Peace that the work he had done during the past fortnight was exclusively his own. The batch of students finishing: this year is an unusually large one and most of them are anticipating extreme difficulty in obtaining good positions in the Xew Year.

Because a Kaikou.ra resident required an urgent operation a Puss Moth of the New Zealand Air Force was called into use and carried her to Eongotai yesterday afternoon. Shortly ftftcrwards she was in a private hospital in Wellington. Neither the Wellington Aero Club nor the Canterbury Aero Club had a machine suitable, so the Defence Department was approached, with a result that Squadron Leader Findlay left Wigram Aerodrome for Kaikoura, where he picked up the patient arid conveyed her to Wellington.—Press Association.

"A sum of about £IBO collected during tho recent celebrations of the jubilee of Christchureh Cathedral has been handed over to the St. Martin's House of Help Committee for their work," states Bishop West-Watson's letter in the current number of "Church News." and this amount has encouraged •Mr Itevell and his committee to proceed ith the erection of a wooden building in the grounds of the Guest House in Antigua street. This will relievo us of the rent paid (£1 a week) for the Salisbury street house, and the building will bo adequate and more convenient for. the work, which is estimated to cost, when complete, about £400." The Bishop makes an appeal in his letter for further donations.

One section of the community that has been detrimentally affected as the mult of the exchange rates between the Dominion and Great Britain is the body of recipients of Imperial pensions. These ore paid through the New Zealand Government and as they amount to a fairly large sum yearly, the New Zealand j Government's coffers have benefited considerably. With the view of making the arrangements necessary to effect adjustments to rectify _ matters as far as the Imperial pensioners are concerned, a representative of the Impel ial authorities is in the Dominion at present. For the final evening's community dancing this year, a varied and attractive programme has been provided for to-night's function on Cranmer square. The dancers have been asked to appear in fancy dresses and prizes are to he given for the best fancy dresses. A party of Maoris from Tuahiwi will give hakas and poi dances. From Mrs Fleming, Wilmer street; the Mayor has received a Christinas, cake which is to be disposed of in aid of the Relief of Distress iimd. Taxi fares smashed. Who brought the (ares down? Why. the Gold Band I axis, and every reader of this paper should ride in them, as by doing so they will help to keep the fares down. Lowest fare Is for five passengers and •ugsage. Garage opposite Railway Station. | This Xmas you need some new portraits for your friends—mine are the kind you II like to send and they will like to receive. Make the appointment now.' Tele. 35-457. Steffano Webb, 202~ High street (Petersen's Buildings), Christchureh. 1 Taxi for 6rl. If you see a Gold Band laxi returning empty to Square or Depot, hail it. ns it will only cost you 6d, even if you are miles "away, uur fares are the lowest, we have the largest fleet in New Zealand, and we never sleep. 'Phone 34-075 or 35-572 at any hour for a Gold Band Taxi. Tliank you. __«j