SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

Evening Star, Issue 11674, 5 February 1902, Page 6

SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

KELSON, Nmr 4. It has been a watering hot d»y, men * one as is eeWom felt even, in this ■anny spot. The thermometer this afternoon registered 87deg in the shade, and ran «p to lOldeg in the son, which some old identities claim, to be about the best thing h* sunshine the district has produced. It was hot without a dWbt. A perspiring Byd«y man was heard to exclaim that if tin* sort of thing continued he was off back t» the other side, where he, at least, know what to expect. The city devoted iteeii ttridty to business pursuits in the morning, bat shut np. shop at noon. After luncheon the townsfolk and vjHtoa wended their way to the shade of the Botanical Gardens, under the lee of the Ztgaatt Hill, where the three district motmto* corps held a tourney, participated in by the local garrison and some marines from the warship in port. The events were of the &ind that soldiers love and excel in, and interested an unusually large concourse of people dispersed about the green and the picturesque hillside. The affair was productive of one slight sensation, fortunately without serious result. In an event at which the guns of the battery were /alloped along the green to a given point, aorimbered, and fired, one team came dewu too quickly upon one that had immediate'/ preceded it, and a collision with bad effects seemed imminent. Judicious driving, however, saved the situation, with nothing worse than a momentary alarm to the spectators. The day's events closed with * jubilee ball, held in the School of Music, and attended by the elite of the province participating in the celebrations. WELLINGTON, February 5. The principal difficulty in the wav of extending to other districts the tree planting operations so successfully carried on at Waiotapu by prisoners is that of tie expense involved in transferring prisoners t» isolated districts, especially to places where there are no gaols. However, the question is being considered by the Justice Department, i here is still a good deal of work to be done at Waiotapu. The prisoners usually selected for the work are good eonduct men serving short sentences. Men who have been sent to prison for offences against the person are objected to. On account of the great rush oi visitors from the colonies to England for the coronation there is difficulty in securing berths on any of the homeward-bound boats np till May next. The inquiries for passage* began as early as August, last, from wbach time onward booking has continued steadily. The difficulty is complicated by the fact that English" visitors to the colonies wish to return Home in time for the coronation festivities, and accordingly tbe demand for passages is keener than »t would otherwise have been. The new steamer Athenic, which is to leave Wellington for London towards the end of April, and the Gothic, which is also to sail that month, will both be full ships.

CHBISTCHURCH, February 5. The proposal that the Chatham. Island* should be used as a prison for Boers, which •was made by Major Steward a week or two ago, is not to be allowed to drop. A meeting was held in Christchurch yesterday to discuss it, and it was decided to adjourn until the views of the Islander* had been ascertained. The meetme was attended by the local members of Parliament and the Mayor of Christcbureh. At a meeting of the Canterbury Crick't Association on Monday the members joined in deploring the present unsatisfactory state of local cricket. Ultimately it was resolved to take steps to obtain the services of ji professional coach for three years.' It 5i understood that three supporters of the game have expressed their willingness to subscribe £lO a year each for three years towards the cost, of defraying the saJaiy of a coach. Local cricketers are regretting that Mr F. C. Raphael has decided to relinquish the secretaryship of the Canterbury Association, rtis place will be hard to filL A local cricket club (the Sydenham and Addington), being m need of funds, h»ve adopted the ingenious device of applying to Mr Andrew Carnegie, the American multimillionaire, for help.