IN OTHER CENRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 81, 30 December 1907, Page 8

IN OTHER CENRES.

IDT IELEattiPH—PiIESS ASSOCIATION.] —« CHRISTCHURCH. December 29. Two dry hot.summers in succession have set people - iu somo parts .of Canterbury thinking of irrigation. An Ashburton paper points out-that an 'excellent illustration of tho-value, of is seen in. tli'p large fruit arid vegetable gardens of the Longbeach estate. In thoso parts that have been systematically irrigated the vegetables and fruit promise to yield crops twico as large as those of tho unirrigated portions. •• Why, it is asked, should corresponding results not bo secured generally oil,the lands throughout this country? .Millions upon millions of gallons run wastefully down into tho sea in all our-rivers. There should bo means to avert this, and also to conservo the immense quantities produced every year by-the melting of the mountain snows. . If this were done scientifically, and the water so 'conserved distributed also scientifically throughout these Canterbury, plains of; ours, neither crops nor pastures would suffer as they : now do from heat or drought. Systematic and universal ; tree. planting would', be a powerful factor in. the scheme, which, even if it .cost a million of money,, would directly and: indirectly pay for - itself in a comparatively short time. The Wheat: Yield. The continued dry weather is having the inevitable effect upon the crops in some parts of Canterbury. ' A well-known faVmer, Mr. John liennie, of Doylcston, writes to the " Times," stating that he 1 has been through a good . many of . the' wheat-growing districts 'of Canterbury during the past weok or :two. Ho says: "It is-my. opinion that you will have to reduce the probable average yield, which you estimated at 30 bushels an acre, by. 5 bushels or over, per acre. Tho wheat v crops on strong lands are better, than' they we're last year, and are standing; out very .well, but on light land they, are simply starving .for want of - moisture. Travelling across tho plains you can toll tho dearth' of soil .to • the- shiilgle by this colour 'of tho crops, ' and tho number of dead. patches. The oat- crops are shprt and very thin, and out "oii tho A'eUburton plains, away- from trees,and big: fences, the small birds are as' numerous and destructive as they arc ■ in the 'sheltered localities. Rain will now be too late to do much good to the crops, but' it l would greatly benefit .the rape and turnips,', and would lessen the risk'from fire to grass which at present is very great indeed." The English Publishing Trade. Mr.-B.' Whitcombe, son of tho managing director of Whitcombe and Tombs, returned from a visit to.' England ■ and' America on Christmas Eve. Ho says he found that the stationery trado was undergoing a, considerable change in England owing to -the preference now beins; shown for tho new office systonis and appliances, mostly of American origin. The loose leaf and card index; sys : terns wer'o becoming very popular, and in co'nsequonco tlio older forms of account books were going ■ out of use. Tho publishing business . was . rather -depressed, owing, so the publishers, t-9_ the . restlessness of the. people. There wer'o,too many weolc-end excursions arid • motor-cars; for. people' to ' give much time to litera'tur.e. ' ' A ,"Two-Up." School.: , • It,is. alleged that, a large and apparently flourishing " two-u'p "■:■. school' has established itSolf in a gully on the Cashmere' Hills', riot far from;the"train-terminus; Tho' place is approached through private' paddocks, and can- easily .bo guarded by. sfrntij.es, who tako up positions on the surroundingspui's. Two ydurig-.men wlio_ wore shoo.ting on the hills-last Sunday, disturbed-the gamblers', who, to the number of some twenty.' or thirty, slipped away while , two of their numbor held the. shooter's in' 1 nniic,able converse. Apparently . tlie school had to dccamp : in a hurry at . least onco, because' (juitb . recently ' a lady, who was wandering in - the: gully, c'amo across, tho- sccno of their procecclings in their absence, and picked up two sovereigns.

NELSON.

December 28. The Christmas concert of the Harmonic Society was given, in the School, of Music, when "Tho Alcssiah," ,was : rendered. There was a large attendance of" the public, and more .than one hundred singers ,and_. instrumentalists'took part.. Hcrr'-Lemmer conducted, and tho. pass solos wore, rendered by Mr'. Charles Clarkson, of - Dunedin. Miss Stevens sang the soprano- solos, Miss Bamfor'd tho alto, and .Mr. 15. Richards tho tenor. All threo were most successful. The choruses were rendered... in firio style,; and Herr Lemmor is to., be congratulated' on one of the finest "performances of oratorio given in .Nelson. • Mr;.C. "Y. Foil,, with .Mrs. and Miss Fell, havo. returned.. to Nolso'n after their trip to'. .tho' Old Country. • '. .. • "'•■' 'A discussion has been' revived on the question, of the removal of tho.Old Peopled Home to. a aito. in \the Waimea Road, about a mile from; the, towiv'. Some time; ago ■the Hospital ; Board ' purchased a beautiful and healthy' site in . tliis' but' for .lack of. funds' tho work 1 -of erecting, a building upon, it. has not been proceeded., with. The old ' building, which; is close to .. town,: occiipips a rather poor. site. .It is. now contended by ,some, that .-the old people;.would bo deprived' of' their only pleasures' by, having their ' homo 'removed-/to" a greater ;distari(je from tdw'fi, and'; that it is desirable to . build, on the old site. .. The-, question-.is a very • .open . one... The. new ..site would certainly ;bo in.every way nior.e healthful/and; beautiful/and; the matter of distance can bo completely ' oretcome' by the qxcellen.t iiow .motor''' service. In the-meantime tho Board has engaged ■ Professor. Sheets, of Montreal, to giro ..a series ..of.. entertainments, .in order to raisefunds • for the' biiildtng..... ■. ./... , ". , ■... ,< ■ . ,A gymkhana and floral ■ fete will be held in; Richmond Park •,on Now'. Year's . Day. Thor'o', will be'. ; a flower show, combined .with a, number.' of bicycle races and athletic' contests/ ' ' ' „ ; Tapawera, . the rising township on, the. lately opened' section of tho lino, has formed a,', horticultural society. The township is tho-centre'of meeting, for Mptupiko, Tadmor, Stanley Brook, "Wangapeka, and Baton .districts. It has been decided to hold the. .first' show .next April. ■ ' j A. message has boon received from the Minister for Railways; intimating .that.. as soon as the necessary timber comes to; hand the ..long-delayed work of improving tho Railway AVharf will be. put in hand and pushed on to completion. . A large ■ number of visitors are. at/ present in Nejson. Each steamer has conie ; iji; crowded' with holiday-makers from all parts of the Dominion. Soma of these have been of the undesirable kind, and-'a little disturbance was noticeable in the streets on Monday... The' principal event of tbo' .Christmaisi holidays lias been the visit of the Highland Pipe Band from Ashh.ui-ton, together with a. urst-rato concprt. party. Nelson .does not possess much in the -way of Scottish sentir meiit,. but the few. Scotchmen .make, up in enthusiasm for tlieir lack of numbers,, and tlio general public were strongly., attracted by tho.noyeltj'of the pipes and .kilts.. For, the first timo for. many years the weather was not all that it should havo been for the Christmastido. On Christmas Eve there was much rain, and the crowd in tho street had something of a draggletailed appearance. On Christinas' Day tho. okics wore uncertain, and • there was.' ono particularly hoavy downpour of rain in tlie afternoon, • but the evening was cool and fine.'