General News.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20622, 11 August 1932, Page 8

General News.

For the camp in connexion with the work on the Lewis Pass road nine men went forward yesterday bringing the total in camp at Glynn Wye up to 46. It is planned to have about 200 single men on this job. A special attraction is being provided in connexion with the community singing at the Civic Theatre to-day, Miss Esther James, who has walked from one end of the Dominion praising New Zealand-made goods, having consented to sing a solo. The officer-in-cn'arge of the Labour Department in Christchurch (Mr It. T. Bailey) ; replying to a reporter yesterday, said that he had no news re§arding the visit of Mr J. S. Jossep, eputy-chairman of the Unemployment Board, to Christchurch to investigate the working of the Government's rations syatem. To discuss with members of the Christchurch Unemployment Committee, the question, of the suitability of the proposed Sumner causeway as an uricirtpldyirient relief work, representatives of the Ideal bodies interested have l ? }*P ite<i *o attend a conference to bo held next Tuesday evening. ' It was stated at the annual conference of the South African War Veterans' Association of New Zealand in Christchurch yesterday that the Christchurch Association was the oldest In the British Empire. The association was formed 28 years ago. Its membership is 256. The omission by inadvertence from the lntost edition of "Who's Who in New Zealand" of biographical details relating to the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.) has been remedied by the publishers by the insertion of a slip giving the necessary particulars. Special mention is made of the very active part taken by Mr Sullivan in the relief of distress occasioned by unemployment. To further the interests and standardise the organisation of life-saving clubs a t Dominion body has been formed, embracing surf clubs. The headquarters'of the new organisation, New Zealand Stirf Association, will be in Wellington. Nine district centres in various parts of the Dominion will each have one delegate.—-Pross Association. Surpris© at seeing things so busy in England was exju-essed by Mr E. 4. Christie, a Wellington business man, Who rettinM a tew clays ago from a five months trip abroad. "I was surprised to see things as they were in England," he said. -"In fact, as one went about London, and visited the great industrial shows, and the great rficecourses, it was really difficult to believe that there was any depression at all." Mr Christie, who is more especially interested in the hardware trade, said that: all factories that lie visited seemed to be very busy, lie had notjeed that there was a tendency on the part of most firms to install the most /up-to-date labour-saving machinery. These were in the main operated by girls, with the result that men were being displaced. / At the community singing in the Civic Theatre to-day, in aid of the Mayor's Relief of Distress Fund, Mr Alan Brown will be song leader and Dr A'Court will be at the piano. Mr W. H. Dixop, in a letter to the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.), says that he wijl not be able to, conduct any more cdmmnnity singing this year. At present he is in Lewisham Hospital, but he is expected to travel south to the Dunedin- competitions next week, where he will be judging. Immediately after that he is to proceed to the Greymouth competitions, and, later for a short interval to Christchurch, for which visit he is already heavily booked. Then he will set out on a six months' trip to England. Mr IHxon added that he has great sympathy with the object of the appeal, and it has given him pleasure to be able to help.

The Minister for Education (the Hlon. R. Masters) has authorised the Canterbury Education Board to call tenders for the removal of the old brick school attached to tho Richmond School. The building, formerly used as an infant department, was the one condemned by Mr H. Atmore, M.P., during his term as Minister, as being unsafe lor earthquake shocks. The Chief Electoral Officer has received from Mr A. J. Ching, Returning Officer for Mid-Canterbury the report on the enquiry made by Mr Ching into a challenge issued against the election expenses of Mr J. Connolly, M.P. 'Mr Hodgkins said that at present there Was nothing for publication. —Press Association. "It recalled some of tho war-shat tered towns of Belgium and northern France," ,said Mr' J. Morton, of Auckland, speaking of the Ohapei district of! Shanghai. Mr. Morton, who returned by the Aorangi, spent six weeks in Shanghai shortly after the fighting between the Japanese and the Chinese. He said everything was apparently peaceful when he left, with Chapei under the control of Japanese troop*. The tramway traffic returns for Tuesday, Grand National Day, showed a decrease of £lO2 as compared with last year, the Total being £6lB as compared with £720 last year. Of the decrease £4& represents the reduction m fares charged this year on the Riccarton hue, and hard times and colder weather probably account for th e remainder of the decrease. For the Grand National week so far the tramway traffic receipts are less this year by £315; the total this year is £1709 as compared with £2024 last year. Twenty trampers took advantage of the Railway Department's enterprising "moonlight hike" excursion last evening, and nrrived back in town shortly after 10 o'clock perfectly satisfied with the arrangements. The party left Christchurch at 4.46 p.m. and set out from the Motukarara railway crossing at 5.40 p.m. to walk over the hill road to Cashmere. They arrived at the Sign of the Takahe at 10.16 p.m., after,,taking tea at the Sign of the Kiwi—tea supplied by the Railway Department. Tho moon was not very full and the sky was rather overcast, but the trampers thoroughly enjoyed their walk. Both the Christchurch branch of the Town Planning Institute of New Zealand and the Metropolitan Relief Works Committee have been interesting their members in the question of the irrigation of the Canterbury Plains is a suitable provision of unemnloyment relief works. An important factor is the matter of soil survey, and through the Christchurch branch of the Town Planning Institute the Relief Works Committee has received a vnlu. able soil survey of Canterbury, Westland, and the portion of the Nelson provincial district on th e West Coast.

The possibility of important reorganisation of the primary school system in urban areas, consequent upon the raising of the school age, was mentioned by the chairman of the Canterbury School Committees' Association last evening. He said that, the reduction in school roll numbers might afford an opportunity of establishing at least twe junior high schools in Christchurch without the necessity for large capital expenditure on buildings. Of the four large education districts. Canterbury was the. only one that had not at present a junior high school. There was a gasp from the large crowd in the Lyttelton Magistrate's Court yesterday during the hearing of a charge of placing explosives, when the "bomb/' concerned, a large cigarette tin, was knocked from the rail of the witness box and crashed on to the floor., The gasp was followed by an audible murmur of relief as it was realised that a half plug of gelignite which had been in the box shortly before was lying on the table in front of Sergeant Dunlop, and it was the empty tin which had fallen. However, the experience was unnerving to some, as immediately afterwards a number of the spectators made for the door. Musical people in ChristchuVch are being asked by the Mayor (Mr D. CL Sullivan, M.P.) to assist id the organising of concert parties to visit the relief camps on Sunday afternoons. The men themselves, in some camps he has visited, have asked him if a concert party could pay them a visit, as Sunday is a dull day for them. Mr bulhvan is still somewhat concerned over the lack of clothing among the men in the forestry relief camp at ■kyrewell. He has, however, arranged w«th the Conservator of Forest 3 for boots to bo supplied to the men at the ow price of 8s 6d, part of the cost being met from the Mayor's Belief of Distress Fund. The men can pay the t?s 6d in instalments extending over two months The question as to whether privilege could be claimed for the Departmental Unemployment Bureau was briefly discussed in the Wellington Magistrate's Court, when an officer of the .bureau was called upon to give evidence in a maintenance case. He asked that Mr W. 11. Woodward, S.M., sh'ould give a ruling as to whether the bureau should be compelled to produce its files in connexion with maintenance cases. "It is a big question,"' remarked counsel, who had subpoenaed the witness. "Apart from a question of policy, it may be a question of public interest." After the Magistrate had suggested that the officer should get a direction from the head of the Department as to the policy of producing the files, the witness said that the Department really had no serious objection. What hapepned in other centres was that the Magistrate allowed officers if the Department to give evidence without producing the files of the bureau. Mr Woodward agreed that that was the most desirable practice. * Three months' investigations into the voyages of the discoverers of Fiji have just been completed by Professor G; 0. Henderson, emeritus professor of history at Adelaide University, who was a through passenger on the Aorangi for Sydney. Professor Henderson has specialised in the study of Fijian history, and is the" author of two important works on the subject. It was to Complete his material for a further volume on the discoverers of Fiji and to clear,up certain points- in doubt that Professor Henderson visited the group again. "I remain convinced," said Professor Henderson, "that Bligh was : the discoverer of the greatest number and the most important of the islands of Fiji. Tasman was, of course, the first discoverer, and t he passed througb some appalling experiences in the very dangerous reef-strewn areas north of Tairuni,^' Bacegoers beware and note that it will only cpst you 2s 6d to Addington and \ss to Riccarton for a party of five, by 'phoning for a Gold Band Taxi this is half the price of others and cheaper than trams, so save your money and have another bet. Thank you. —1 Satisfied customers will tell you the Macalister Top-Dresser distributes evenly, that less manure is required. No gears to change, quantities altered with one lever, easy to clear, light draft. It will make a perfect job of broadcasting grass seed. Booth. Maedonald and Co., Ltd., Box 99, Christchurch. —1 Bound the Bays in a Gold Band Taxi will only cftst you 15s for a party of Ave, this is half the price of others and a beautiful trip to take yojir friends during National Week, but be sure you 'phone for a Gold Band Taxi, which is everybody's favourite. Thank you.