TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIX, Issue 13066, 4 March 1903, Page 7

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

The following auctioneers’ announcements appear on page 11 of this issue:—Conway Matson and Sons, D. Thomas, New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Association, and New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company. The Mokoia, front Melbourne and Hobart, (arrived at the Bluff yesterday morning. Her mails will probably reach Cbristcburcb this evening. Mr G. Fowlds, M.H.R., of Auckland, left lesterday for the West Coast. Arraugclents were made for some of the Canterbury members to visit the Midland-Railway works with him, but the proposal had to be abandoned. The gold entered for export from New Zealand last month, totalled 16,2580 z, valued, at £58,051, as compared with 41,6320 z, of the value of £151,197, exported in February' of last year. A quantity of gold was held back from export last month for trade purposes. , . In connection with the proposal that the local bodies should contribute towards the maintenance of the reserves under the control of the Domain Board, Mr S. A. Staples, the chairman of the Riccarton Road Board, ptates that his Board is, and always has been, willing to contribute. It understood, however, that it had not the legal power.

If the capital city is to be made a model »! sanitation in the future (says the Post,”) a place famous for its healthy surroundings—as it easily may be—then both the Government and the civic authorities taust unite to prevent pollution of the harbour by providing elsewhere for the noxious trades cl the future and rendering harmless those that already exist. Since Dec. 31 last, over two million acres ?f land have been opened for selection in arious parts of the colony by the GovemCent. Of this, 457,766 acres are in Aucfcnd, 39,965 acres in Hawke’s Bay, 1858 teres in Wellington, 211,812 acres in Marlborough, 11,517 acres in Nelson, 559,640 teres in Westland, 659,356 acres in Canterbury, 143,452 acres in Otago, and 112,187 acre 3 in Southland. During the month of February there were 130 births registered in Christchurch. Of these the city contributed 36 and the district 94; during February last year the totals were:—City 52, district 93. The marriages totalled 57, the city claiming 28, and the district 29; the figures last year were 24 and 20 respectively. The deaths in the city numbered 29 (against 24 last year), and in the district 26 (against 45 last pear). A meeting of the Sumner Athletic and Aquatic Carnival Committee was held on Monday night, and it was decided to hqld a carnival at Sumner on Thursday, March 12. A very attractive programme has been drawn up, including motor launch and sailing : races, also events for old and young, on land and water. At night the special attraction will be the free open air concert In the Cave Rock, which will be illuminated. For the convenience of senders of private cable messages, the Eastern. Extension Telegraph Company has issued a “ Telegraphic Social Code,” which will enable private individuals to code their messages, after the same manner as business firms code theirs, and thus express a sentence in a word or two. The code costs 5s a copy, and contains a quantity of information which will be found of great interest and .value to all users of the cable.

. “ Heliotrope,” writing yesterday, says: t—“ I received a lesson to-day on tlio recuperative powers of the common sunflower. I have two growing in a shallow box, and this afternoon I noticed that their leaves were wilted and shrunken. They seemed too far gone to be saved, but I put in some fresh earth, and applied'some water to the roots. In a few minutes, though tho sun was blazing on the plants, the leaves had taken quite a fresh appearance.” Tho Rev J. Lyall held a successful mission service at the Sydenham TLdl Jasti night. He spoke from tho text:—“Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from tho dead.” He pointed out the tendency or Christian people to let their life go out; what they wanted to do was to awake out of their sleep. He urged the unconverted to awaken before it was too late, and seek Christ while He may he found. The mission will be continued at 7.45 to-night.

' An “Evening Post” representative was informed by an old settler from tho Orange, district. New South Wales, that the majority of the people in the back country are feeding on rabbits. At the back of Paddy's Market, Sydney, one night, the street was literally crowded with men. Women, and children, struggling for the refuse of the market, and eating it to assuage the pangs of hunger. Even if further rain should come, it will ho years before the country can recuperate. Moat of the vessels in Lyttelton Harbour were dressed in their bunting yesterday on account of the marriage of Mr J. A. Borthwick, second engineer of the Shaw, Saviil and Albion Company’s s.s. Aotea, to Miss Isabelle Smith, daughter of Air Henry Smith, of the firm of H. Smith and Co., engineers, of Lyttelton. The marriage was solemnised during tihe nfterno’on by the Lev A. H. Treadwell, at Mr Smith’s residence, Te Whaka, West Lyttelton, in the presence of a large number of guests. About six months ago, the Tai Tapu School Committee prepared a part of the school grounds as a flower garden, divided into twelve plots. These were given into the charge of the girls of the upper classes, who have since taken a groat interest in planting them with flowers of various kinds and in keeping them in order. Prizes were offered for the best all-round plots and also for the best display of asters. Last week Messrs P. H. Rousham and S. A. Kingan judged the plots, and reported that they were a credit to their keepers, especially as the flowers had suffered so severely during the hailstorm in January. The awards were as follow:—First prize, Mildred Voss; second prize, Olive Johnston and Mary Sheehan; third prize, Jane Mackenzie; fourth prize, Annie Baker. Best display of asters, Lily Forbes; Adeline Forbes was very' highly commended.

It is expected that the new clock for the Ashburton Post Office will be in position next September.

The Timaru Garrison Band has resolved to offer a salary of £52 to Mr T. Millar, of Waihi, Auckland, to act as its conductor. Harvesting is now general in the Wajkiinui district, Ashburton, and the end of the week should see most of the crops in stock. |

The road grader obtained about a year ago by the Mackenzie County Council has proved so useful that the Council proposes, to obtain another.

After some months’ boring for water to supply the projected Kaiapoi. Coronation Bath, a How of 25 gallons per minute was tapped yesterday, at a depth of 451 feet. A patient escaped- from the Nelson Lunatic Asylum the other day, and so that all men might know him, he was graphically described in the press as being “forty-eight years of age, and the possessor of a reddish beard.”

The Christchurch Prohibition League proposes to hold a garden party in Professor Bickerton’s Grounds to-morrow afternoon, to assist the funds of the New Zealand Temperance Alliance. A most attractive programme has been arranged. MrN. 1). Cochrane, F.G.S., mining engineer, who recently inspected Messrs Orr and Company’s mining property near Mount Somers, expresses himself as highly pleased with the property, and it is understood that steps will be taken' , ‘soon to exploit the mine.

During February thirteen males and two females were admitted, and fourteen males and six females discharged from the Ashburton Hospital. One death occurred, and twelve males remained in the Hospital. The septio tank, when slightly altered, is expected to ha a success. Little light lias been thrown upon the robbery of the till at the Timaru Borough Council office last Thursday evening. lb has been found that a stout screw-driver, which had been in one of the table drawers, was used to force open a cupboard, the tool fitting the marks made in the doors. The employees of Mr G. Simpson, held their annual road race on Monday evening ; the following were the place-getters:—W. Brunton, 4min, 1; H. Marker, scr, 2; H. Simpson, 2min, 3. A trophy presented by Mason, Struthers and Co. for the fastest time, unplaced, was won by A. Brightmore. 'At the Sydenham Park Rotunda; to-night Derry's Private Band will play the following programme:—March, "Belle of New York ” ; selection (Mozart) ; waltz, “ Faithful Lovers”; selection, “Bohemian Girl”; barn dance, “ Merry Coons”; lancers, “ Vivacity ” ; march, “ Sword and Lance ” (C. Geoghcgan.) The entries fop the New Zealand championship meeting, to be held in Dunedin this week, include W. F. Simpson, the Christchurch crack runner; W. F. Flewellyn, the Timaru champion; and • Hector Burk, of Dunedin. L. S. Webster, the Wellington 220yds and 440yds champion, will also be a competitor at the meeting.

In connection with the annual Amuri sale, to be held at Culverden to-morrow a special train leaves Christchurch at 9.10 a.m.j Addington 9.16, Papanui 9.28, Kaiapoi '9.50, Rangiora 10.10, Sefton 10.25, Amberley 10.44, Waikari 11.37, arriving Culverden 12.25 p.m. Culverden depart 6.15 p.m., Christchurch afrive 9.30 p.m., stopping where required both ways. His Excellency the Governor and party are expected to return to Timaru on Saturday from their visit to Mount Cook Hermitage. They will reach Fairlie on Friday, and in the evening his Excellency will present the certificates gained during the year by members ox the local Ambulance Society and the prizes won by members of the Mackenzie (Mounted Rifles. A pleasant ceremony took place last evening, at the conclusion of the Albion Football Club’s annual meeting, when Mr T. S. Foster handed to the Secretary, Mr H. Gray, a gold-mounted pen, on behalf of the members. Mr Foster spoke highly of the services rendered to the club by the recipient during his three years’ secretarj--ship. The spectacle of a white frost greeted early risers yesterday morning. It quickly evaporated as the sun gained! strength, but the delicate flowers and vegetables showed traces of a severe nip as the sun rose. It will be remembered that an unseasonable frost in December last destroyed much of the blossom and young fruit in the orchards in andi around Christchurch.

. At the usual fortnightly meeting of the Ashburton Borough Council on Monday the Mayor reported that the debit 'balance at the hank was £2205 17s lid. Tho sum of £lO7 17s Bcl had been received since the previous'' meeting. It was decided to recommend the incoming Council to borrow money from tho Government for the installation of the sealed pan system. In Monday’s leader on the “Late Loan and its Lessons;” the “New .Zealand Times” asks: —“Why not create a Land Purchase snd Lending Board, and hand over to it tire management of the land purchase system, tire advance's to settlers and the loans to local bodies? By doing this we should detach a good few millions from the colonial debit, and show our financial position in a truer light.”

Last Sunday a memorial was unveiled in the Pairlie Cemetery to the memory of Trooper-A. 11. MTvay, a local member of the Sixth Contingent, who died of fever in South Africa. . The Mackenzie Mounted Rifles, of which deceased had been a member, were represented by a detachment. The memorial consists of a square red granite pillar, with granite base and- moulded cap, surmounted by an urn. A suitable inscription appears on one side of the pillar in incised, gilt lettering.

We are requested by the National Mortgage and Agency Company to notify that tho date of the clearing sale of stock, at Mr Kelly’s farm, Swannanoa, has been altered to Monday, March 25. 358

Are you a mechanic? Do you know a mechanically built cycle? 'll so, the “ Sterling ” chainless will please you. Morrow, Bassett and Co. X 5208 For repairs to all kinds of bicycles there is no place in Christchurch like Boyd's Cycle Works, 191, Gloucester Street. Firstclass work at moderate prices. N 3196

Beath and Company, Limited, Cashel Street, are now making a grand display of latest novelties, new mantles, furs, jackets, costumes, millinery, dresses, silks, satins, velvets, quilts, flannels, blankets, hosiery, gloves, and a splendid range of new hats, ties, collars and clothing for gents’ wear. Beath and Co., Ltd., Christchurch. X 3178 Our cycle repairing capacity is 30 to 60 machines daily. We have the most complete manufacturing plant in Australasia, therefore can effect the most intricate repairs faithfully and reasonably. Oates, Lowry and Co., “Zealandia” Cycle Works, Christchurch. X 1571 Simplicity is a desirable feature. Take a complicated piece of machinery and it takes an expert to understand it. If you are not an expert mechanic, beware of a complicated bicycle. Choose the simplest, for it is less apt to get out of order. Massey-Harris bicycles arc marvels of simulicitv. Major Tavlor rides a Massey. ' X3o4s We ask every woman and girl in 'New Zealand to examine the merits of the New Century Soft Rubber Hair Curlers for themselves, and report to ns. We await their verdict with confidence. X 5145 W. Strange and Co., drapers, invite ladies to inspect the new stock of Hair Frames, Fads, etc., which they have just received from the manufacturer, Mr Hendy, Hair Specialist, Dunedin. They include all tho latest designs, and for the present fashions of hairdressing will bo found of great assistance. The prices range from Is to 2s 6d each. Also, sole agents for Hendy’s celebrated Egg Julep for the hair, bottles Is. X 2896

An oat crop on Mr W. Wilson’s farm, Mayfield, Ashburton, is reported to have threshed 80 bushels to the acre.

It is expected that a Licensing Committee favourable to closing the hotels at 10 p.m. will bo elected in Wellington.

A settlor in the Waiau district of Southland has measured a stalk of cocksfoot 9ft lin high,, growing on the road side. It was in the present month, thirty-two yeaj-s ago, that railway construction was commenced under the Public Works policy. Thomas Dnulton, a member of the Seventh Contingent, died in Gisborne last night from the effects of a fall from his horse in South Africa.

Madame Melba gave her first concert in Auckland in the Opera House there last evening, and received a hearty welcome from a large audience.

A garden party, under the auspices of the* Methodist Conference, will he held on Saturday afternoon, in the grounds of the Hon J. T. Peacock, at St Albans. Theatre-goers are reminded that the boxplan, for the J. C. Williamson’s Comedy Company’s “A Circus Girl” season will open at Messrs Milner and Thompson’s tomorrow.

A lai-ge number of shooting men, on their way to Trentham, and firemen, journeying to the annual conference at Napier, came up from the south yesterday, and went on to Wellington by the Rotomahana. A. telegram from Feilding states that the entries for the Feilding Industrial Exhibition have much exceeded anticipations. A special building is in course of erection. The Exhibition promises to be most successful.

The Crown Lands Department will offer 41 quarter-acre sections in the Darfield township for sale, by public auction, on Friday, March 27, at the Darfield Courthouse. The upset prices are £5 and £7 per section.

During the past five weeks, no fewer than 45 cases of delicate glassware, apparatus, and chemicals, imported from Europe, have been unpacked ait the chemical department at Canterbury College. The breakages have been remarkably few. The Railway Department will in future allot carriages for the exclusive use of Volunteers when travelling by rail, provided there is a sufficient number to warrant such. When this is done, members must occupy and remain in such carriages, and they are forbidden to pass from one carriage to anothex’. The Canterbury Horticultural Society’s autumn show, to be held on Thursday and Friday next, promises to be one of the best) held in recent years. The committee has made every preparation for the comfort of visitors. In addition to the show, afternoon' teal will be provided, and there will be a concert each evening. At the Methodist Conference last night, Mr F. A. Hornibrook, Sandow medallist, performed some remarkable feats of strength with throe of his pupils. After raising a 1051 b bar-bell to arm’s length above his head, he supported it there with one hand. He then placed it across his shoulders and balanced it there with the three pupils on it.

Mr Frank Clairk’s Gaiety Company will inaugurate its series of sixpenny popular concerts at the Opera House to-morrow night, when a strong variety programme will be presented. Mr Clark’s farcical sketch “ On the Tiles,” will be produced, and several favourite artists will_ take part in the concert. It is the intention of the management to hold concerts regularly on Thursdays and Saturdays, This morning, at eleven o’clock, a deputation from the Presbyterian Church will wait ■upon the Methodist Conference in connection with the proposal for union between the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational Churches. The Rev J. Gibb, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, with the Revs Dr Erwin and J. Mackenzie, will form the deputation, and the Rev O. H. Garland and Mr J. 'T. Smith will reply. The session will be open.

ELECTION STATISTICS. . The Registrar-General publishes returns in connection with tire general elections, showing that 415,789 persons were on the roll, out of a total adult population of 429,385, or 96.83 per cent. This is a slight increase as compared with the previous elections. The number of voters was 318,859, or 76.69 per cent of those on the roll. The men on the roll numbered 229,845, or 3757 short of the full number of adult males in the colony. Of this number 180,294 voted, or 78.44 per cent. The percentage of women on the roll who voted was slightly smaller than at- the previous election, and was 74.52 per cent. The total number of women who voted was 138,565. REPLY LETTERS. The Postmaster-General of New Zealand has undertaken to bring under the notice of the International Postal Congress at Rome next year, a system devised by Mr C. H. Shatly, of Hastings, to meet the difficulty of obtaining stamps for replies to letters sent to distant countries. The system is thus described by the Napier “ Daily Telegraph ” : —“ The form of the suggested stamp is a rather large-sized square with five compartments. It is headed, ‘ International Reply Stamp.’ On- the centre of the left side is a blank space, on which the local postmaster sticks the New Zealand stamp of necessary value. One of the spaces is left for the impress and date stamp of the Moscow office. The Russian post office is, of course, only used as an illustration ; it is intended for England, America and every place represented at the Rome Postal Conference. The mode of procedure'would be as follows:—A person in Hastings would be writing, say, to Moscow. He would apply to the Hastings post office for a reply stamp. This would be sold to him. On the stamp would -bo stamped, ‘ Issued at Hastings,’ and the date. The recipient in Moscow would take the letter to the post office there with, the New Zealand stamp unattached, but inside the letter. The official then affixes another stamp with ‘ Issued at Moscow ’ and the date, and it is then forwarded to New Zealand. The stamp originally sent from Hastings would bo returned by the Russian Government to New Zealand, which would then transmit tho amount of postage received at Hastings to the Russian or other Government." LONDON TO PORT ARTHUR. On Jan. 13 it was possible for the first time to take a through ticket Irom London to Port Arthur. Henceforth, tri-weekly expresses running across Siberia will go straight through to Port Arthur, and the time from London to the Pacific coast will be wonderfully shortened. Port Arthur can now be reached from London in eighteen days, the <iost of a first-class ticket being £55. Up till now the cost by steamer has been £7O, and the journey took thirty-five days. TARGETS FOR ANARCHISTS. “ If monarchs are to bo made targets for every lunatic in Europe who possesses a pistol, why should they not (asks an English writer), adopt the fantastic suggestion of Mr Max Bcerbohni and have waxen figures made in their image ‘with practicable joints worked by interior mechanisin’? In an essay relating to an imaginary count and a mythical emperor, Mr Beerbohm tells how the latter was fired at, but delighted the populace by his ‘ coolness and courage.’ Not until the count was deposed from favour did the secret of the emperor’s courageous behaviour leak out. It was tne waxen figure, made ‘after, secret negotiations with a famous firm in England,’ that

had saluted and smiled at the crowd after the revolver had been fired, while ‘ the Emperor himself, in a false beard,’ was standing near the would-bo assassin and was actually arrested on suspicion. If these attempts continue, will it not be necessary to put the quaint idea- into practice?” A NEW FUEL. The recent eon.l famine in America evidently set bright brains to work to find * substitute for the missing fuel, and one which shall be available in that day when the mines of the earth give forth no more coal. A Chicago scientist has laid before the chiefs of the. Agricultural Experiment Department at Washington a. scheme whereby every holder of land shall grow his own fuel. The .‘fliggcstion is that the leaves and stalks of plants and crops shall be compressed and chemically treated. The residual products of tihe whole grain crop of the United States, including corn, wheat, oafs, barley and rye, would supply 200,000,000 tons, of potential fuel per annum. This, when' properly treated, it is said, would be in a caloric, power in the proportion of twenty tons of artificial fuel to fourteen tons of bituminous coal. FOCI SIGNALS. An entirely new style of fog-signal, which {.fives the mariner his compass bearings just as ■well as if ho could see it, has been put into operation by tire Canadian Government. It is situated at Fame Point, on the southern shore of tho Gulf of St Lawrence, directly south of tho western end of Anticosta, a very important point for vessels going to and from Quebec, as it marks the principal bend from the Gulf proper in to the river. The arc to he guarded is about 180 degrees, and the peculiarity of the signal is that instead of simply sounding at regular intervals, it projects into the arc several distinctly characteristic signals, 45 degrees apart, which sound one after the other in rapid! succession, the scries being repeated about once a minute. These signals are blasts from a very powerful siren, which can be heard fifteen or twenty miles under favourable conditions, and they are projected through megaphones, each ten feet long. THE OTAGO CENTRAL. At a meeting of the Otago Central Railway League, held in Dunedin on Monday night, there was some free comment on tho slow progress made in tho construction of tho line since the co-operative system came into operation. It was stated that about 300 men were engaged upon the lino, and one member of the League promptly reported that “ tho men seemed to live very happily. There were three of them to every wheelbarrow.” Mr Fowlds’s report on his visit to the railway came in for some extremely hostile criticism. Tire Chairman stated that the pitiable thing about tho report was that Air Fowlds was not a judge of country ; whilst another member remarked that the gentleman had only seen the country from the top of a coach. Mr Millar said that it was no use to show the lino to an Auckland man, whose mind was already made up,that there were only two railways to be touched—the main Trunk line and that- north of Auckland. He understood that the Canterbury members were coming down to inspect the line, and he thought, a,s a retaliatory measure, that the Otago members ought to go up to Canterbury and inspect tho Midland line. With reference to tire proposed visit of the Canterbury members, it was suggested that the League should endeavour " to frustrate the efforts of lire combination to stop the progress of the line,” and that, for this purpose, the visitors should be taken round by responsible persons and shown the country. A POLITICAL PICNIC. The proposed trip of members of the New Zealand Parliament to the Pacific Islands in April is (says the “ Otago Daily Times ”) likely to he a success, and is being well patronised. It is not every day that one gets a chance of having a pleasant holiday cruise at the expense of the nation, and legislators arc not slow to avail themselves of the “ treat.” Already twenty-three “Commoners ” and seven “ Lords ” have signified their intention of going, and have accepted with thanks the Premier’s kind invitation. The party will make a very complete trip, and will visit Rarotonga, Mangaia, Tahiti, Penrhyn, Suwarrow, Savage Islands, Tongatabu, Tutuila, Levnka and tho itennadecs. The exact and complete itinerary has not yet, however, been definitely settled. The French Consul (le Comte de Comte) has informed Mr Seddon that he lias acquainted the French Governor of Tahiti with the proposed visit, and that it will give that gentleman great pleasure to receive such distinguished visitors.