TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVIII, Issue 12934, 30 September 1902, Page 4

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

The Canterbury! College Board of Cover-. nors lias decided' to erect a shed adjoining the tennis-court's for the use of players. At a special meeting of the Kaiapoi Li- - censing Committee yesterday, a conditional license was granted to H. P- Manaton, of the Plough Hotel, Rangiora, for the Ohoka races. In the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday morning a youth named Harry Richard was fined 40s and costs 34s for shooting a white tui. The bird is nowin the Wellington Museum. In connection .with the East Belt Methodist Church anniversary the annual, social is to be held to-night in the schoolroom, when reports will be read, and addresses given by the Revs W, Bamnber and C. H. Laws. ' At a special meeting of the Belfast School Committee held on Saturday evening, it ■ was decided to recommend Mies Bevell to the Board of Education for the position of second assistant mistress to the main school. . The monthly meeting of the Kaiapoi Women's Christian Temperance Union was held on Sept. 24. Miss Roberts gave an interesting account of her work in connec> tion with No-license in the Kaiapoi electorate. There was a good, attendance of members. , The licenses of the . Palmerston Nortß* Family Hotel was charged- at the Stipen diary Magistrate's Court yesterday" with - selling and exposing liquor for sale on Sunday. Both charges were dismissed, tha Stipendiary Magistrate stating that, while there was a strong suspicion, the evidence for the prosecution was not reliable.

The chief feature of the illustrations in this week's " Canterbury Times" is, of course, the Coronation pictures, but interest is alio claimed by representations of some of the most notable exhibits at the Christchurch Horticultural Society's recent exhibition, including the new or rare seedling and imported narcissi. Lyttelton and: its Fire Brigade, the Dixon Street Convent School, "Wellington, and a number of portraits and general illustrations add to the attraction of an excellent number. On Saturday night a lad accosted Constable Connell at Lyttelton, saying thafe he had no friends, could get no employ- 1 ment and wanted" to be locked up. His wish was granted, but inquiries were made, and when he appeared before Mr JV T. Brice, J.P., at the Lyttelton Police Court yesterday, it was stated that nothing was known against him and that he had apparently acted as he had during a fib of despondency. Though he has no relatives in Lyttelton, friends came forward and said they would provide for him},, and he was accordingly discharged. .' It is seldom that counsel in a Magistrate's Court case finds himself appearing for both sides, 'but such happened at Kaiapoi yesterday. Counsel in a maintenance case opened by saying that he had only just been instructed' to appear for complainant, and knew very little about tha facts of the case. The "defendant did nob attend, and'when complainant had given his evidence, counsel suddenly remembered that he hadi received a. letter from •defendant, whose name ho had forgotten, asking him to appear and agree to pay tha amount claimed for the maintenance of the child. It is needless to say that the case was very quickly disposed of.

The fancy fair in aid of the funds for a "Veterans' Home, to be held in the Canterbury Hall, on Oct. 22 and 25, promises to be a great success. Large entries are being received in all the daises. A novelty will be introduced in the shape of a poster competition, in which « number of young ladies, who will act as assistants at tha various stalls, will wear "poster" dresses, provided by various business firms in the town. About twenty entries have been received for this, and many of the costumes will be;most interesting. A good musical programme, other amusements, will be provided each afternoon and evening. A meeting of threshing-mill owners of South Canterbury was held at Timaru on. Saturday afternoon, to consider what stepa s!hould be taken to contest the claims of tha Workers' Union, filed with the Arbitration Court, for the adoption of ai system of payment by the hour, with fixed ihoura and! terms of payment. Iftw&s decided to appoint a committee to obtain icfonaatioiii and legal advice about the formation of a Union, and to report to a meeting a fortnight later." The mill-owners present were unanimously of opinion, that the claims of the workers, if acceded to, must be a hsavy handicap on the farmers, vfto would have! a grievance against rnill-ownsrs if the latter did net oppose the claims to tine uttermost. The Waikuku correspondent of the "Lyttelton Times" writes:—The cold, showery weather that has prevailed for the last two weeks, is proving very detrimental to the farmers in North Canterbury. ■ The crops around) the Woodend, Waikuku and Sefton districts are making'small progress for this time of the year, although, owing to the heavy rains, in early winter, weeds appear to be growing in aDundance. The land during the last two months has been too hard for working, and seed which has 'lately been.'sown is germinating very irregularlv. Grass is making slow growth, anji the milk supply to the local factories is suffering in consequence. Lambing is well advanced, but owing to the late wintry weather one hears of a few losses on exposed farms. Fortunately the ewes are generally in fairly good condition, and tha results as a whole fire likely, to be Ttrjt satisfactory;. •" ■ .' 1 i " Li '

At Kaiapoi, yesterday, three old age pensions were renewed in full, and one was adjourned for inquiry by Mr H. W. Bishop, 6.M.

Of the ten tenders for the Maori Girls' School at Auckland, that of Mr John Davis, at £2131, has been accepted. The work wilL be begun immediately. Detectives Herbert and Quirke, last night, arrested a young woman on a chairgo of having, at Wellington, on Sept. 2, stolen a quantity of wearing apparel, valued at £lB. At the Magistrate's Court at Timaru yesterday, a lad named George Edward Bright) Was committed for trial for breaking' and entering the dwelling of Mr W. J. Cotterill, Timaru, manager for the New Zealand Shipping Company, on the night of Sept. 15,..and stealing articles valued at i£l 12s. - Though the price paid by the public for fish, especially flounders, is decidedly high just now, that received by the fisherman is certainly not excessive. In proof of this, it ia stated that yesterday morning about 1901 b weight of flounders, averaging a pound and a half apiece, were sent from Lytteltou to Christchurch, and returned to the sender only sixpence- each. The Executive of the School Committees' Association has decided to hold a special meeting during October for the purpose of discussing the question of technical education. Mr H. W. Wilkinson, of Canterbury College, has consented to give an address on the question. Other committees besides those affiliated will be invited to send delegates. \ The place, date and time ' will be announced l later. Yesterday being the feast of St Michael and All Angels, special services were held at St Michael's Church throughout the day. • The church was beautifully decorated with white flowers, and the congregations were very large. At the communion service at 7.30 a.m. a cross, a pair of vases, and a candlestick, the gift of Mr E. Macdonald, were dedicated to the service' of the church. At eleven o'clock matins were said, and there was a second Celebration. At 7.30 p.m. thero was a full choral eervioe, the Rev J. Campbell preaching] from Genesis 32, i., "And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him." The Hororata correspondent of the "Lyttelton Times " writes:—The snow and bitterly cold winds have lessened the percentage of lambs in this district, and all stock) lias fared) badly, but fine weather seems now assured. Crops are looking well, and with warm weather should improve. ■ Rabbits are still on the increase. Seagulls are killing lambs to some extent, and keas are also numerous, but are being shot off rapidly. Threshing is ab a standstill. is plentiful and labour scarce. The Hororata River is teeming with fish, and, given suitable weather, should afford' anglers good' sport. A large extent of the Hororata Estate is being ploughed up for turnips. There are about 400 acres of crop on this station, looking remarkably well. { A point which he urges needs consideration in the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act- is thus referred to by the Sec- I retary of the Labour Department in his j annual report:—" During the hearing of a case in which compensation for death hy accident was asked for it transpired that the deceased person had left three children, on© legitimate and . two illegiti- • mate. Compensation to the amount of £4OO was awarded, by the Court, but a ' difficulty appeared in deciding on/the proper division of the money, as it was doubtful whether the words " son " and " daughter" included illegitimate children. It appears inexpedient, as well as unjust, that after compensation has been paid for accident that the taxpayers should have to bear the cost of keeping the illegitimate children tof a deceased person, and that those children should have no share in compensation paid." The extreme care exercised by the United States Patent Office in ascertaining the novelty of an invention, and the strict attention to minutis of detail'and procedure imposed by the regulations, sometimes lead to delays in grant of letters patent which tax the patience of anxious inventors. In avoidance of delays a great deal, of course, depends upon the attorney entrusted 1 with the formulation of the claims and prosecution of the application. In this connection wo may quote what is considered to be a record in official promptitude. An application for patent for a device for preventing a horse from bolting with a vehicle, filed 1 by Messrs Baldwin nndi Ray-ward for Mr Fred Matthews, a Wellington inventor, was lodged in the United States Patent Office on August 22, and on August 28 a notification of the allowance of the application was.mailed from Washington to Messrs Baldwin and Rayward, much to the delight of the inventor, who had expected! some weeks would elapse before the result of his application became . known. 3 Large fortunes have been .realised by lucky inventors. See handbook on Patents, free from Baldwin and Rayward (A.- H. Hart,- representative), 172, Gloucester Street, Christ.church. X 3056-6 The attention \i our readers is called to the advertisement of Messrs B. Petersen , and Co., watchmakers, setting forth a few of their leading lines in ladies' and gents' gold and silver watches. The firm having made special arrangements with several "of the leading English and Continental manufacturers, are in a position to offer value which cannot be surpassed in the colony for quality and price. X 2921 All in quest of the very latest creations for spring and summer wear will find it advantageous to inspect the extensive variety in ladies" and children's millinery, mantles, boleros, blouses, corsets, and underwear at Beath'a new show • rooms; quite the rage this season. Ladies' French sailors 3s lid, 4s lid, 5s lid, 6s lid; imported hats and toques, perfect pictures-, 21s, 27s 6d, 355, 45s ; choice millinery, copies of Parisian novelties, 15s 6d, 17s 6d, 21s, 25s $ girls' mushroom hats, 2s 6d, 2s lid, 3s 6d ; stylish jackets, 15s 6tf, 21s, 27s 6d, 32s 6d; new mantles 21s, 29s 6d, 425, 635, new white shirts 2s lid, 3s lid, 5s 6d, 7s 6d, 18s 6d to 425. Beath and Co., Limited, Argyle House. X. 3062 Boyd and Son, Gloucester Street, are devoting their large appliances and staff almost exclusively to bicycle repairs. Results, very best work at lowest prices. X 2588 Pianos and Organs ne\y Instruments, 10a per month, no deposit ;.'five years' guarantee. Milner and Thompson. X 2961 How very thick and long your daughter's hair seems to be growing, Mrs Smith. Yes, I was recommended by a friend, who has used it for some time, to try Hendy's Egg Julep, for strengthening it, and really the result is wonderful. ' It has already grown several inches longer, and has cured the dandruff completely. You should certainly try it. W. Strange and Co. are sole agents for Christchurch. Bottles Is. X 2896 Don't buy a wedding or_ engagement ring until you have visited Clarke and Co'a sale, now going on. All goods absolutely onethird less than ordinary jeweller's prices. Eight-day striking clocks, value 21s, sale " price 12s 6d. Pirate alarms 6s 6d. Gold bangles, brooches, electro-plate, etc., equally cheap. Clarke and Co., 148, Colombo Street X 3054 Fortunes are daily made by clever inventors. See hand-book how to obtain "Patents" for inventions, free by post from Baldwin and Rayward, 172, Gloucester Street, Christchurch. A. H. Hart, representative. ■ " X 3056—1 Enamelware, a single article at wholeBale prices/ Saucepans from lid to 4s 6d, basins 5d to 3s lid, tea-kettles 2s 3d, teapots 2s 5d to 5s 9d, breakfast cans, tea bottles, billies, colanders, cups, .saucers, jugs, chambers from Is sd; fry-pans lid. Fletcher Bros., Lower High Street, having just landed a large shipment of enamelWare. X 2565 "Good eyesight a blessing." Those who kfuvo indifferent sight for either reading, Biusio or distant objects, should consult John R. Proctor, Practical Optician and BpecUcle Maker, 180, High Street, Christdrurch£ Box 413 4 G.P.a X 2681 , -

Newspapers and magazines addressed to lighthouse keepers on the New Zealand coast will, in future, be transmitted free of postage.

Thursday being the Jewish New Year Day, services will be held in the synagogue, commencing at six o'clock, on Wednesday evening, and 10 a.m. Thursday. Akaroa Harbour was unusually full yesterday, as the Tutanekai paid a visit, and H.M.S. Ringarooma and H.M.S. Torch were already there. All will leave to-day. The entries for the Rangiora horse parade to-day number seventeen, including eleven draughts), two thoroughbreds, and four roadsters' and carriage horses. The number is about the same as last year. • Yesterday Mr T. S. Weston, chairman of the Canterbury College Board of Governors, sent a cablegram to tho Chancellor of the Sydney University, congratulating it on its jubilee, which was celebrated yesterday. Conferences in connection with the jubilee will be held in Sydney this week. Mr Weston received an invitation to attend the functions, but was unable to accept.

A deputation consisting of officers and men of returned contingents anxious to settle on the land, waited on the Minister of Lands, at Wellington yesterday, to urge that something should be done to enable them to carry out their wishes in this direction. The special inducements which are held out to settlers in South Africa were brought under the notice of the Minister, who was asked to at once. Mr Duncan said that the question was too involved to answer at once, but he would give a reply early next week. On the police making application at the Wellington Police Court yesterday morning to withdraw a charge against a woman who was alleged to be the keeper of a disorderly house, on the ground that she had gone to another district, Mr Ifaselden, S.M., said that he thought that the complaints made in country districts about a certain class of offenders being hunted from the cities into the country, where they became a standing menace to the peace, were quite justified. It was not right to send offenders away simply to get rid of them. THE CROWNING OF THE KING. A splendid series of pictures of the Coronation, received by the mail, appears in this week's "Canterbury Times." The most striking, perhaps, is that of the great procession of peers and church dignitaries in Westminster Abbey escorting King Edward VII. to the throne, every figure in which is a portrait. The actual crowning of the King by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the crowning of the Queen, represent the most impressive points of the imposing ceremony. Other pictures show the royal procession at two different points j of its route, and give an idea of the magnificence of tho cavalcade and the street deco- ! rations and the crowds by which the streets were thronged. The description of the Coronation ceremony is a piece of superb word-painting, and the number will no doubt be treasured and handed down to children's children as a record' of a memoj rable historical event. i CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION ACT. Speaking on the subject of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration* Act in his annual report, the Secretary of the Labour Department says:—"By the amending Act of 1901 the Inspectors of Factories were given power to apply for enforcement of an....industrial agreement or award, and several cases of breaches have been reported to them during the year. I have, considered that the position of an Inspector in the matter of laying an information under this Act is discretionary, and have instructed Inspectors that tho same caution should be exercised under th& Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act in regard to breaches of awards, etc., as with violations of the Factories Act. If, on inquiry by the Inspector, and on his hearing what the other side has tgt say an the matter, he considers that uherelias been a breach of award or agreement, he reports to the Chief Inspector in Wellington, and, if so instructed, files an information with the Cleric of Awards. If, however, the Inspector reports that the charges are frivolous, or that reliable evidence is not to be procured, the Government officers take no further action in the matter, and it is left for the union or person making complaint to proceed with or relinquish, as is thought best. I do not consider that any alteration of this section is necessary (although it has been mooted), because if the Inspector should have to talje up every complaint, and, without using his judgment, carry stcch complaint before the Court of Arbitration, the colony would be put to) heavy expense, the time of the Court uselessly taken up, and the industry harassed without any result except defeat." A RUSSIAN METEOROLOGIST. The St Petersburg correspondent of the " Sydney Morning Herald " says: —The Russian meteorologist (Mr Demchinski), editor, of the journal " Climate," has acquired some celebrity here and abroad by his theories of lunar influence upon the weather. The weather forecasts have been hitherto remarkable for their exactitude. Mr Demchinski himself openly avows that he is still seeking and has riot yet found the means to predict the weather infallibly, nor has any one else found these means. Anyone would think that a man with such modest pretensions, together with an undeniable past of great success in, his speciality, would meet with some support and sympathy from his countrymen. But, on the contrary, according to the fate of all innovators and all prophets, this Russian weather-prophet has met with opposition from almost all the meteorologists and astronomers of any note, and in general from all men of science, who declare him to he an amateur, ill-grounded in the sciences, and doing most of what -he does in the way of predicting by guess. Almost all the newspapers ridicule him and his theories, except the "Novoe Vremya," which, has assumed an expectant attitude. The fault of Mr Demehinski is to defend himself too strongly and too often, to talk too much about himself and his discoveries, and to treat his opponents with too much disdain. Nevertheless, Demchinski is the hero of the day at present in Russia, for if men of science 'are leagued against him he has with him the people, the land-owners and farmers in the provinces, who have greatly profited by his weather forecasts and the advice with which the journal " Climate" abounds concerning agriculture. This journal appears an four languages, and has many collaborators from France and Germany. Mr Demchjnski receives hundreds of letter* expressing thanks, wonder, and admiration. The " Climate" is read assiduously out of Russia, in France and Germany, even in America. The Americans have offered Mr Demchinski a large sum of money to settle in New York and continue his studies. But he declined, wishing, before all, to make the conquest of his own country. RAILAGE OF HORSES. A considerable number of horses are now being carried on the railway between Southland and Christchurch, and scarcely a consignment arrives without at least one animal being injured. The horses are carried in the ordinary cattle trucks, in which either five or six are placed. These trucks are about 6ft 6in in height, and across the top are placed bars both transverse and diagonal. The animals in- many cases are confined in the trucks for a couple of days, during the journey. Dur-

ing this time the trucks have to undergo frequent shuntings, while a number of other trains must- of necessity be passed. The result is that the horses are startled, and in most cases they throw up their heads, with the result that, they conie in contact with the beams across the tops of the trucks, and in many cases concussion of the brain results, often being fatal. Mr Twentyman Hodgson, who does a regidar trade in horses between . Christchurch and- Southland, states that during the present year ho has lost by this means animals to the value of £2OO. Last Thursday night a horse, which he had paid £27 for in Southland, was taken out of the truck at Addington in a dying state. During last week Mr J. Shaw, of Timaru, lost two valuable horses in the. same way, and on Saturday the Christchurch Tramway Company had one killed in a similar manner. Frequent representations have been made to the Railway Department upon the subject, but no improvement in tho mode of transit has resulted. The matter has now been brought under the notice of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It is suggested that the height of the trucks should bo increased by six inches, and that instead of the present heavy wooden bars, the sides should be held together by iron bars arched to the extent of about a foot. This would leave plenty of head room for the horses in case they should bti startled by passing trains, etc. LORD-METHUEN. A Wellington citizen, who halls from the same parish in Wiltshire as Lord Methuen (says the "Post"), wrote Home to the General, congratulating him upon his return, and expressing the hope that he was recovering satisfactorily from the injuries of the campaign. In a reply received by last week's mail, Lord Methuen states that the wound in bis leg,.which, he received during the engagement which resulted in his capture by the Boers, is getting on very well.