CHRISTCHURCH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 103, 24 January 1908, Page 4

CHRISTCHURCH.

January 23. Monday night was one of tho most remarkable from tho point "of view of tho weather ever experienced in Cliristc.hurclu The day was .cool with a stroiis easterly breeze, the maximum temperature in the shado being GCdeg. At 9 o'clock in tho evening it was ()Jde£., but about two hours later it began to rise under the influence, of a north-easter, until at '2 o'clock in the morning it was 91 dog., and. apparently still rising at 8.30.. The heat seemed suffocating. .There was 110 wind, but the air struck ono in the faco as from a fire, and tho moonlight itself, fronV a cloudless sky, seemed to bo hot. It was far hotter outside than ill the newspaper offices. Then suddenly ca mo a dry squall from the south-wost; the city was enveloped in dense clouds of dust,;.tho temperature dropped 20 degrees ill a few minutes; and tho morning, which had threatened to develop into a- day siieli as, Melbourne has been experiencing, dawned fresh and cool. A thermometer hung outside, at Itangiora at midnight gave, u temperature, of Sodeg.,. but ono'would want to know something about the instrument and the place where it hung before accepting the reading as correct. The reading of. Sldog. was obtained from a iirst-class thermometer in a Stevenson screen, which throughout tho summer has registered practically the same temperatures as have been registered at .the Observatory. 'J'ho highest shade temperature recorded this month was Bi"deg. on January 11, but oil threo other days it has been SQ deg. or oyer, and there liavo been 12 days on which it was over 70 dog. Tho maximum tehiperaturo. in tho sun was loodeg. on January 12, and on live other days it lias been over loOdcg.. while on seven other days it has topped l-10dcg. Tho Weather and the Crops., Tho continued heat'anil drought is having naturally a very prejudicial client on grass and root crops. Unless rain comes very shortly the, ontlool; for autumn and winter feed will become serious, and stock will go back in condition. Tho grass pastures aro completely burnt up in all directions, and it will take a heavy downpour of ruin to start them into fresh The weather for harvesting the cereal crops, however, i.s perfect, aud, great progress is being made with Ibis.work. Returns arc so. far fairly satisfactory, (bough much of I lie grain is not so plump and heavy a;i il would have been had there been more rain while it was in the gieen stace. Shearing. . Tho weather for shearing on the back country stations has been all that could bo desired. Ipwards of 33,000 sheep were shorn up the Ashbiirton (iorgo without a break, and for two months there wero only two days. one. of which was Christmas Day, oil which the shearers were not working. Grass Fires. Farmers throughout the province, livo in perpetual dread of grass fires. So far they havo escaped' fairly well, but every day increases tho danger. A large firo started alioitt three miles south of Hinds railway station on Monday afternoon, just after tho Ira in from Timaru bad passed. It started in threo dilferont places, and spread with yreat rapidity across a COO aero paddock, owned by Mr. Manson. If it had got a good hold, and but for tho assistance of a number of willing hands, a large number of sheep would liavo perished. Alter a hard light the lire was at last slopped, just as it was reaching Mr. D. Miller's farm. A party of harvesters came six miles ami rendered valuable assistant'?, as

did nlso tlio railway relay gang and the .' Hinds railway, men: v Mr; Slanson■•will • bo. great losor,. for all his <feed ,w.ta destroyed," :;; Last year his placo was also' swept :by. ! &m Wide-spread Devastation. • A dnvo over the burnt-out district at Hoi : ' roeka showed that tho accounts of; the wid&. " ' spreaddevastation did not. qt/all overstate ■ ; tho position." A curious, feature, of tho scene ' was a- mirage,, not, uncommon to, tho district;-'• which mado it appear as if a j largo river:wag. flowing: through :a desert, its : waters l spark-: v lnig'in: tho sun.: A patheticiinterost attached^■ to the, clump of pines at what is known -as "Tho■ Crossinc;,".being 1 the first trees planted j . - by tholato Sir John Hall on the highest part i .- ot his: run,-< 1 with:', a view of: seeing' whether ;»■:\ they, would; thrivo 011 the plains. . «Theso ap-. pearcd to have been; sovercly scorched,- but it . is to bo hoped that they will recover sotliat a, notable landmark may be: preserved. A coil-'- , hidorablc:; portion of ;tho County Council's':: plantations .was destroyed, awl it is almost a, miracle,, that, the whole. of tho trees wen not swept away by tho fire. Although a num- 1 ber of.-Jiarqs and:rabbits,were burnt; swarmaof survivors, wero seen wandering about the country,, and it is to bo feared that unless:: stcps,are taken to keep them: down they will levy: very Jtcayy. toll on the holdings .that escaped tho.fire... '• • . '. >■ V ■;V'v;.f-iviVz-Y,-'#* «

Blight- ar.d, Bluegums. v - 1 n .Tho,blight that has for tomo few years past [.so seriously, aft'ccted the bluo gums, in: South Canterbury bo disappearing, 1 cither I because,, as is sometimes tho: caso with insect 1 pests, it has run.its course, or because of the I attacks ofi.tho> ladybird, which-, is its natural I onemy , A Strange Occurrence. Tho unusual:.heat of tho summer is shown by;thti .fruiting: of .a: loquat .in.' an Ashhurton garden. .The tree is- 25 years old, and hag never borno fruit beforo. 1 •-;{ Christcliurdi Streets. Many hard : : llun&s have, been said about ■theChristchurfh.str^ete; ; but.it was/left, to: a City Councillor, to affirm on 'Monday night that,'."parents.' living in tho, .vicinity., of the South Bcli>: had to Loop a .watchful eye on their children [last winter;,lost they ; should' bo onenlfcd in.lollo of. tho. many quagmires prevailing 111. that .locality.

A Great Work. ' . / . The: A Grevmouth correspondent, of the' "Press" writes; r lo tli-a - accompaniment. of music supplied by the River -Rollcston, intermingled pith itlie;. occasional, call-'of tho; lycka. and the intermittent discharge of dynamite from tlio adjacent" railway cuttings, a start- was mado a few ;'days : ago with tKe summit timnel- which, when coniplote<l, will bo tho eighth largest- in the world. :Many aventurq in tho Dominion, but puny in comparison to ' Messrs' John M'Lean and Sons' great contract", had /a- vastly more pretentious'. pponing. .The' politician, tho crowd.: and t-ha champagne wero-• all conspicuous bv-their absencs.~; No banging of drums, no sneecli-mak. : ing; simply a gang of navvies, claa ill the or thodox flannel -and dungarees, and armed witli pick and shovel ali'd axe, mado a combined attack on jbhoi hillside,' and commenced toarinfl mother earth about; as.if in search of bidder ' treasure. Tlio [ .stone-crusher Ito bo utilised in connection with the concrete making hat arrived, and daily consignments of, tools, otc;., are coming to-hand. The bridgo which spaiji tho Rqlleston'at tlio tunnel mouth is to be decked' over at once,- preparatory to, taking' the necessary material.across for the; erection of offices and workshops. - Tlio: big-cutting ia rapidly approaching completion; and'after a few days should seo tlio rails laid through tlio •cutting, and right.,across tho'ib'rjdge..: Noir that Mr. Leslie Reynolds,, who isi to hiivo full control .of operatiousj is' on the ground, the several incidental works .so essential for tho successful termination of\tlio groat work will bb immediately , put iii hand. Tho first and most important'of, tliese-is th<j. harnessing of Holt's Creek for .water: power./ Tim water will be used in compressing air for driving rock drills, fans for. ventilating, and other machinery. /Sir. Reynolds's two assistant engineers arrived to-day, and commenced ,tho work of surveying Holt's Creek.' Women Shop-lifters. Somo eases of shop-lifting on a rather ex« tensive skUc, on tho part of married women, came before the Magistrate's ■ • Court this morning (January -22). ■ Gertrude;.Buchanan was; charged, with,,stealing..four, purses and ; oiiq umbrella from the Xew Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Association'; also "with stealing -1-1 knives, 30 spoons, !) forks, and 0110 basket,: valued at i!) (is. 3d., tho projwrty of William '.Strango aiid C 0.",. Tho defendant pleaded guilty.

Chief Detective Chrystal stated that all the property had been recovered, but defendant had. received various sums from dealers and pawnbrokers for the articles, which money had not boen-refunded. ',

I . Accused's husband, who was present, said that defendant was the mother of .three children, and ho did not know what induced her to'tako the articles, as she was not in straitened cireumstaiicps. Tho Magistrate inflicted a fine of 20s. and costs on each charge, and ordered that the various amounts she had received for the goods should, be refunded. The fine would have to, bo paid at once, and tho other amounts within a month: in default, 0110 month's imprisonment. .Mary Williams pleaded guilty to having stolen 38 knives, GO spoons, 12 forks, and a number of other articles of the total value of £21. 55., tho property of the samo firm. Tho defendant was.a married woman with livo children, and the Magistrate inflicted tho penalties as in the lirst case. Marion Farrow was then ebarged with receiving one umbrella;' ono clock, four spoons,' twelvo knives, and two purses, valued at £2 10s., knowing tho samo to have been dishonestly obtained. defendant pleaded not guilty. : :G'ertrudo Buchanan stated that sho gave tho defendant a number of articles to (lis-, pose of, but she did not- inform her how they had been obtained till after they had been disposed of. Defendant then cautioned her, and pointed.nut that taking goods from shops, was a very, foolish act. . ; Detectivo Ward stated that ho had found a quantity of goods at defendant's house, but she told him that thay had been given to her by Mrs. Buchanan; Tho Magistrate at this i.tagc dismissed the case'.