General News.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20505, 26 March 1932, Page 14

General News.

No cases of infantile paralysis were reported on Thursday.

The work of reconstructing the lower portion of Manchester street is to be put in hand at the beginning of the week after next. A start will be made at the southern end of the street.

All landholders who at noon on March ,31st hold land of an unimproved value in excess of £SOO, exclusive of buildings, aro compelled by law to furnish an annual return to the Commissioner of Taxes on or before April Bth. Any person neglecting to furnish a return is liable to a penalty not exceeding £IOO.

The annual week's training of the cadets of the Christehurch Boys' High S-chool was concluded on Thursday, when tho corps was inspected by Lieu-tenant-Colonel . S. P. Nicholls, O.C. Southern Command. Despite tho inclement weather on Thursday afternoon, a sports meeting and physical drill "competition between selected squads were held.

Food for thought for those contemplating embracing the teaching profession should be afforded by the fact that the Southland Education Board, at its monthly meeting held this week, received no fewer than 94 applications for the vacant position of sole teacher of the East Limebills School, which is Grade I. (the lowest), carrying a salary of £l6O per annum.

"I have been many times across the Atlantic, but X have been ill only once. Yet I was ill on the ferry trip from Wellington to Christehurch," said Mrs Higgins, wife of the world leader of the Salvation Army, on her arrival in Christehurch yesterday. The ferry steamer encountered a sou'-wester and was about- one hour late when it berthed at Lyttelton. Mrs Higgins was to have conducted tho morning service at the Civic Theatre, but as she was recovering from sea-sickness she did not speak until the evening.

At a meeting, held last month, of the New Zealand Masonic Lodge in London, Brother Dr. W. F. Willis presiding, Bro. Hal Williams, S.W., was 'elected Master for the ensuing year. His installation will take place on April 29th. Bro. Graham Mich'e was re-elected treasurer. The Lodge has paid tho necessary sum to the Grand Lodge of England to enable it to become a Hailstone Lodge. Thiß is in connexion with the Million Memorial Fund under which has been erected the now Masonic building in London, and is something of an achievement for so young a lodge. It had been hoped that' a room would be provided for the New Zealand Lodge in tho new building, but the applications from other lodges with prior claims have been so heavy that New Zealand will have to wait until the second part of the building is erected.

A particularly good example of the commonsense saving that can be effected as a result of the issue _of licenses to service car companies under ihe new /Transport Act was quoted by Dr. S. A. Gibbs, of Nelson, chairman of tho Marlborough-Nelson-West Coast Licensing Authority this week. He stated that prior to. tho Authority's sittings in Nelson last week no fewer than 70 buses and service cars passed through Stoke daily between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and of these 48 were suburban buses plying to and from Nelson city. As a result of the consideration of the applications for licenses by the various companies concerned, conferences were tirranged, with the result that an amalgamation of. services had been arranged. An efficient service will be rendered the public, while a saving of between 20,000 and 30,000 road miles would be effected annually.

The level of Lake Coleridge this week was 1.95 ft. below overflow level, which is 1672 ft. The lake was afc 1670.05 ft., this week, as compared with 1670.45 ft. last week.

Heavy rain set in in Otago on Wednesday night and continued for the greater part of Thursday. Two roads were blocked by floods. At Waitahuna service car passengers had to be trans-ferred-across the flood in a horse-drawn vehicle, but some cars were towed through. "Water was lying to a depth of several feet on the Balclutha-Owaka road at Romahapn, and through traffic was impossible.—Press Association.

The children's service usually held on Good Friday had been abandoned on account of the threat of infantile paralysis, Dean Julius stated when speaking at the Cathedral yesterday morning, but in spito of that a number of the children who would have attended had desired to contribute to the collection which was to have been taken up on behalf of St. Saviour's Orphanage, and the sum of £ll had been sent in. The Dean described the children's sacrifice as uplifting.

The executive committee of the Canterbury Manufacturers' Association has accepted an invitation to visit the Christchurch factory and warehouse of Messrs W. D. and H. O. Wills to inspect the manufacture and packing of cigarettes and tobacco. The visit is to bo paid on Thursday, April 14th.

A correspondent writing to the "Hastings Tribune" questions the truth of the Budapest cable message published on March 13 th stating that a farmer namcr Horvarth, his wife and three sons were killed in the Hawke's Bay earthquake and his estate, valued at £167,000, had gone to a nephew in Hungary. The name "Horvarth" does not appear in the official list of those killed in the earthquake, nor does it appear in the Post Offico Directory.or the local electoral rolls.

It was stated by Mrs Cecil Wood at a meeting of the executive of the All Nations S'air on Thursday that both the Municipal Electricity Department and the Christchurch Gas Company had decided to make cash gifts of £6O to the funds of the cookery and cake stalls •which will bo run ip connexion with the Pair. This was done in lieu of the Gas Company and Electricity Department giving' working demonstrations at the Fair.

When Mr Bauckc, the well-known author of "Where the White Man Treads," died at Otorohanga six months ago his effects were placed in an auction mart for disposal. Among his personal belongings was an apparently plain and very old violin. The violin was purchased by a local solicitor for £3. A careful examination disclosed that the name Antoni Stradivarius was engraved on the inside. The instrument was purchased •in Bavaria 8u years ago by the late Mr Bauckc's father. No one in Otorohanga suspected that the instrument has a possible commercial value of £2500.

Yesterday the Railways Department conducted a special excursion to Arthur's Pass and the Otira tunnel. About 220 persons made the trip, these joining the train at Christchurch and various stations en route. The departure from the city was delayed by the late arrival of the ferry train; but good time was made to Arthur's Pass, which was reached only a few minutes behind schedule. A mountaineering pnrty making for the Carrington Hut left the train at the Bcaley siding. About 150 excursionists walked the ten miles from Arthur's Pass to Otira. Pleasant sunshine and a cool breeze from the east made the conditions ideal for such a tramp, and all admired the grandeur of tho bush-clad mountains between which the road winds its way, and the beauty of the streams and waterfalls which invest the pass with a cool and also a musical loveliness. The dark green of the heights was still "enlivened here and there with tho red of the rata flowers, blooming very late this year. Apart from tho pass itself, the railway journey proved most interesting, oven to those who had travelled that way before, for every twist and turn of tho track through the hills revealed some new beauty of peak or lake or stream. On its return journey, the train reached Christchurch at 9 p.m., after a four hours' run from Otira.

"You will have seen the terrible step the Government proposes to take witu regard to the highways funds," said Dr. S. A. Gibbs, of Nelson, chairman of the Marl borough-Nelson-West Coast Transport Licensing Authority, in the course of an address before the Blenheim Rotary Club this week. He recalled the bad old days of roads, and bridges deputations to Wellington. They were an annual event, he said, when the Public Works Estimates were coming down and everything went through the Estimates. He feared that if the proposal with respect to the Main Highways Funds was carried into effect it would mean a return to the system under which political influence and "visits to Bellamy's" ruled the granting of money for roads and bridges. "Though we have not always seen eye to eye with the Highways Board," Dr. Gibbs continued,, "yet we must recognise that its freedom from* political control has enormously conduced to its usefulness to the people of New Zealand." With all due deference he submitted that if the control of the highways funds was handed x>yor to the civil servants independence and unbiased action would be lost, and tlie administration of the funds for the good of the roads would suffer. The Railway Department advertises cheap fares to Riccarton Racecourse on Monday and Tuesday, alterations in the time-table of Sunday trains to Timaru, and the arrangements made for the conveyance of patrons to the Meth-. ven A. and P. Show on April 2nd.

Large crowds are seen every day at the Railway Station on the arrival of trains, going across the road to the Gold Band Taxis Garage opposite. "Whyf" because they know they are saving money by doing so, and every means is being applied to try and put the Gold Band Taxis off the road, so support the firm that supports you. Thank you. —3

Artistic wedding portraits . , beautifully posed ... a. Steffano Webb speciality. Come in and inspect our work. Studio, 252 High street. —6

Johnston's N.C. Motor Co., Ltd., representatives: W. C. Wilson and H. Clark; manager, A. G. Prestney, authorised Ford dealers. Travelling Rangiora. 'Phones 87 and 88. —2

Wo supply parts for every sort and size of plough made; wheels and axles; circular and bar coulters; mouldboards -—l6 varieties; bridles; steering rods; racks; riding gear; tractor lifts; beams; legs; drawbars; and frames. Repairs done to any make in quick time. As prices are high, get the old ones repaired and made better than when new. P. and D. Duncan, Limited, 196 Tuam street, Christchurch, and at Ashburton. r-6

West Coasters, when you come to Christchurch and want a taxi, como across the* road from the railway station to our garage, and get a Gold Band Taxi and fitve money—our lowest fare is only la, why pay more. Patronise the firm that brought the fares down. 'Phones 34075 and 35572. Thank you. — 2