TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXII, Issue 13550, 23 September 1904, Page 4

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

A special mesting of the Temuka Borough Council, called for Wednesday, lapsed fof want of a quorum.

The Christchurch Poultry Depot is preparing last mason's stock of feathers for export to England. , Mr A. Frew has been elected a member of the Temuka Borough Council in place of Mr C. A. Bates, resigned.

Tbs following have been elected members of the Tinwald Tswn Board:—Messrs J. A. Clothier, J. Hampton, Charles T. Williams and M. Hagan. For the Ashburton Agricultural and Pas« toral Association's horse."parade the following entries have been received:—Draughts 16, draught colts 9, thoroughbreds 4, roadster and carriage 7, ponies 1; total 37. A Timaru correspondent states that there are a good many men looking for casual employment of an unskilled sort, this being chiefly duo to the freezing works closing down somwhat earlier than usual this year. Mr Taylor, the Domain Board's head; gardener, is preparing a number of seedling {JJew Zealand birches which he wil! send to Lord Boston at /Windsor, wha has been inquiring for specimens of this colony's flora. A new bed of shrubs has been formed in the Public Gardens, opposite the caretaker'a cottage, and close to the rose-bod. The gardens generally are in a more forward con. dition than they have been in at this season for several years past. At a meeting of subscribers of the Ashley Library, held on Tuesday, the following were elected members of the commit-, tee:—Messrs Collie (chairman), A. Dixon, Downing, W. Wilson, B. Peach, J. Wilson and Grant (secretary and treasurer). . In a Morris-Tube shooting match open tcr members of the Temuka 'Rifles, who had not previously been successful, the result was:—Private D. Blyth (3) 35, W. Spillane (5) 35, G. Collins (scratch) 34, J. Sim (scratch) 34. Sergeant Orr was awarded a medal for the best average for the season. He took part in twelve matches, and hii average was' 32.3. .' ; The Southbridge Town Board bi-enniat election took place on Wednesday. ■ For the seven seats fourteen candidates were nominated. The following were elected :- Messrs W. Scott (56), W.'B. Andrew (38), J. S. Chapman (37), E. Cowan (35), M. Twiss (33), J.' Woods (32) and.W*-K. Smith (27). Mr W. Scott -was elected 'chairman at a meeting of the Board. The Temuka. Domain Board met ? on Wednesday. The Board's solicitor advised that a special Act of Parliamenti would bs necessary to effect exchange of! land between the Police Department and! the Domain Board. The Temuka Bi-i oycle Club was granted the use of the park; for November 9. It was decided that si committee should inspect the grounds andi report on the question of erecting mors conveniences. The crows that recently took up their abode in the tall blue-gumi trees near the. tram stables in Worcester Street are among the worst sufferers by the storm- They have spent many days building their nests in the trees, and had just set their house inorder when down cams the wind and rain, and destroyed the fruits of all their labour. Yesterday afternoon, when tie etorm had abated, they were seen making a fresh start on the construction of thoir dwellings. The Timaru Main School Committee oa Wednesday evening seLscted Mr C Collins,. at present first assistant at Waimataiti School, for the post of first assistant . at. Timaru Main, vice Mr Crawshaw," resigned.to become clerk in the Education Board's office. There were thirty-one applicants for the position, the Board and the Committee confined their selection to the within the district, of ■ whom? were seven. The resolutions passed at the preliminary meeting in conne-ation with the testimonial to Mr Marcus, station-master at Timaru, fc-tate that regret is felt at his departure, and that he has performed his duties to tha . gen-eral satisfaction of the public and than an opportunity should be given to the residents of the whole district to express their appreciation of his unvarying courtesy and untiring energy in promoting .their interests during his residence in Timaru. A presentation will also be made to,Mrs Marcus. The second annual meeting of the Christchurch Anglers' Club was held last' evening, in the club's roome, 41, Victoria) Street. Mr G. F. Whiteside, dent, presided, and about forty members attended. The following officers were elected :—President. Mr, Whiteside ; vice-presi-dents, Messrs T. Gibbs, F. W. Thompson, L. H. Hart and Billinc; treasurer, Mi W- H. Chee&emaii; secretary, Mr J. I. Hynes; committee, Messrs De* la Couf, Swanston, Lavery, Billins and J. Allen. Mr Hart, on behalf of Messrs Bartlett and. Son, presented the club with a case, of tackle and flies. Eleven new members were elected. A welW attended special meeting of tha Ashburton Sporte Association, was held on, Wednesday night, when it was decided to provisionally approve the draft agreement submitted by the Domain Board, which defines the conditions on,which the Beard will take over the maintenance of the various sports grounds in the Ashburton Domain., The following amendments to ths agreement were suggested:—That the 'Domain Beard should grant the Association eight- class days instead ot seven ; that the* Association should be given fourteen days' notice,of use of the Domain being granted to picnic parties, and that 'two arbitrators should consider all matters of arbitration, as bstween Board aß<i Association, and if they are xmable to agree.., an umpire shall hi appointed whose decision shall be final. Notice of motion wa-s given to abolish' the Sports Association executive as at present constituted, so as to allow all delegates to take part in the transaction of business. A motion that the executive b» , asked to resign was lost on the voices.

There are now foriy-tbrw pupils in th« secondary department of the So;?.hbridga District "High School. Tire following i? the inspector's report:—"This section or the school is ably conducted by SJiss Glanville, with notable industry and zeal. A good years work has been done. The pupils appear tiactable and obedient, and: most of them appear anxious to make tba most of the opportunities afforded them. A comprehensivs syllabus of -work was submitted in English, arithmetic, Euclid, algebra, history, Latin, physics, botany, shorthand and typewriting. The classes were tested by written and oral examinations, with highly satisfactory results, and a good foundation has been.laid on which: to base further progress. The work dona in ambulance and First Aid, supplementing the instruction given in physiology, was not tested by me, as the highly creditable performance of this class in aa examination recently conducted by Dr Withers, chairman of the committee, afforded sufficient indication of the* high; quality of the instruction gained in tnis subject." We are now ' booking orders for Donaghy's best, gold-medal Flax Binder Twine, at 5d per lb, delivered. -Morrow, Bacsett and Co. X 3208 First display by Beath and Company, ■Limited, of New Spring Novelties, comprising all the latest fashions from the leading European manufacturers; exquisite selection in all depa-tmenta; New Dresses and Silks, New Hosiery ano. Gloves, Ribbons, Laces, Trimmings, Etc., New Fancy Blousings, . Longcloths, Sheetings, New Bedsteads and Bedding, New Floorcloths and Linoleums. Beath and Company, Limited, Cash*! Streat, Christchurch. 1988 We are giving the best value in Wedding, Keeper and Engagement and Gem Rings! and Reliable watches, correct time-keepers.' All goods mada up to the standard v&lua. K. Grfeshaber, JeirelkK 155, Colombo Street. X337i

The Christchurch Meat Company started killing beef at the city abattoir last Mon--dav.

The Christchivrch Anglers' Club, which fceld its annual meeting last evening, has a membership of one hundred. Arrangements for the sale by the City Council of tie old St Albans Borough Council Chambers to the Post Office Department have been almost completed.

Owing to the weather the concert in aid of the Roman Catholic Boys' School renovation fund, which wan announced for last evening, was postponed until next Thursday.

Tin Orpheus Society's concert, which was to have been held" in the Sydenham Church Schoolroom, last, evening,, has been postponed, on account of the weather, until Thursday'next. "I tried to hit him with my whip, but I couldn't; the whip wasn't long enough/' said a man at the Police Court yesterday, referring to a person who had caught witness's horse by the head. An adjourned special meeting of the Council of the League of New Zealand Wheelmen will be held at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. An ordinary meeting will he held immediately after the special meeting. • It is understood that the Mayor intends, at the next meeting of the City Council, to reply to the criticisms that-have teen levelled at the Council recently in the correspondence columns of local newspapers. Services in' connection with the Feast- of the Tabernacle will be> held in the Synagogue at eix. o'clock this evening, and at 10.50 a.m. to-morrow. The services will be conducted by, the Rev I. Zachariah. Mr W. Allen, a clerk in a Pahnerston North Office, has received a cable message stating that a, former employer had bequeathed him £40,000 in England. Mr Allen left for Sydney on his way to England yesterday.From October 1 the maximum amount of a single money-order—issued in New Zealand for payment in the colony, the United Kingdom, Fiji, Hongkong, Natal and the Transvaal—will be increased to £4O, with commission in proportion. About ten chains of the tramway embankment near Sumner have been completed. Temporary rails have been sent down for use while the embankment is being made. The company is still waiting for further supplies of rails. The- North Canterbury Education Board Las been informed'by the departmental authorities in Wellington that the time for sending in applications to be examined' for the national scholarships and free places has been extended to October 51. The following motion will be moved by Mr S.' Manning at the meeting of the Christ-church Bowling Club, on Wednesday next: —"That in all ciub competitions and inter-club matches, the bowls used must have been tested and stamped, in accordance with the rules of the Association." A man. who was charged at tho Police Court yest-erday with having drive 31 ai 'horse while he was too drunk to take care of it, was askid whether he wished to put any questions to a- witness whose evidence had strongly supported the information. "Who stole my whip?" inquired the ac-

cused. The Dunedin Workers' Political Committee Ass patted a resolution.' and forwarded' it to the Premier 'approving of Mr Tregears memorandum on rent and advocating a Fair Rent Bill; also in favour of the retention of the School of Mines in Punedin. The committee has also tent a telegram to the Premier and the city members protesting against the Waipori Bill. The E Battery's annualball was held at

the Art Gallery on Tuesday evening. Excellent arrangements were made by the committee; Serg-eant-Mujor Lezard, Quar-termaster-Sergeant Lee and Farrier-Ser-geant Stokes. There was a large attendance, . and the ball was a success. Mr C. ifox's...band provided the music, and the lupper was provided by Mr S. Edwards. . The Conciliation Board has submitted its recommendation in regard to the dispute in connection .with the flax and twine mills trade. The wages of working foremen and strippers are set down so 50s for a week of 48 „, hours; engine-drivers (second-class certificate), 8s a day of eight hours; en-ginc-drivers no certificate). 7s a ' dap ; feeders, 7s a day ; chief paddocck hand - 7s 6d, or from September 1 to April 30 20s a, ton, and from May 1 to August 51, 22s 6d; water scutchers,_ 6s per day; ti~r-up, shaker-off, each ss; sorters, 5s 6d; flaxcutters, all round. 6s per ton. Other departments are provided for, and it is 1 set out that overtime ought to be paid ait the rate of time and a quarter, wages- to be paid fortnightly. The report to be presented to the annual meeting; of the Sports Protection Association this evening states that the membsrship increased' during the year, and at the close the number -on the roll was thirty-two. There was a marked decrease in the number of defaulters reported, sixty-five having been dealt with as against 106 far the previous year. Of those re-ported eighteen trere induced, to pay the amount due by them "to affiliated clubs, forty names were " posted " on the defaulters' list, four wera withdrawn by thoir clube, two were still under consideration, and one was net posted. -Six of th'o93 " posted" had since settled the claims against them. The finances of the Association were in a very satisfactory state-, the receipts having been £36 15. s 9d and the expenditure £2l 5s lid, a, credit balance of £ls 9s lOd remaining. The receipts from the various tourist and health resorts last year amounted to £15)344, or an increase oi £6943 7s 3d in comparison with those oi the previous year. It will interest many to learn in what manner the increased profits were made up. Te Aroha, for instance, returned £1490, or an increase of £IOSO on the previous year's earnings. Rctorua, brought in £7740,_ an increase of £3124; "Waimsngu House, £923 (the first year of its working) ; Luke House, Waikaremogua, £441, an increase of £374; Hanmer Springs, £2326, an increase of £335; Pukaki, £457, increase £336; Hermitage, £965, increase £sl; Glade House and Milford Tracks, £sll (first year of working); head office, £471, increase £230. The' head office receipts were derived from the sale of pamphlets, cards and photos; those at Rotorua from patients' fees, bath tickets and towel hire- (£2415), water fees, electric light charges, 'games, round sale of mineral waters, guiding fees,- etc.; those at Hanmer, accommodation fees, " sale of bath tickets, games, etc. As illustrating what is being done in the way /of advertising our resorts, the Acting Superintendent fJtatee that 8325 pictures have been disposed of for purposes of decorating publie museums, libraries, halls and steamship galoons, for reproduction in newspapers, ,booke and pamphlets, and for lantern slides used for lectoring purposes. A fur- . ther issue of 100,000 coloured post-cards has been made, and they have found a readv sale, and 5600 guide books and- <% pamphlets, and 5000 illustrated newspapers have been sold or issued free. Magnificent display of really Charming and Exquisite Children's Millinery now on view in Messrs Black, Beattie and Co.'s window and showrooms. They comprise a lovely assortment of all the latest Capeline arid Slop Straws', also Lace Chiffon Hats, Silk Hats and Bouneta, Pique Hats, etc. Nobody should nates seeing this grand exhibition of Novelties in this line, and at such moderate prices. XI9BB Henry Hughes, Patent Agent, is the beat grm to consult for New Zealand and worldwide patents. The only firm which completes inventors' instructions in ChristchuTch. Obtain his pamphlet "Advice to Inventors," gratis. X 3363 Seed potatoes, all kinds, in stock at Fletcher Bros. Early Rose, Ruby, White and Pink" Beauty of Hebron, SnowfLke, Up-to-date, Bath and Lapstone Kidney, Puritan; also Nimmo and Blair's standard eeed, vegetable, 3d packet, flower seed Id packet, 100 varieties; mangold, carrot, onion, lawn grass sesd in bulk at Fletcher Eros., Lower High Street. X 3014

Mr Godfrey Hall has been elected unopposed to fill an extraordinary vacancy I on the Bakaia. Bead Board. | The Wellington City Council last night decided to ask the ratepayers to sanction a loan of £20,000 for the*purchase of a new destructor. Const-able Gibson arrested a man last night on a charge of having assaulted aiiid robbed a- man in % ricrht-ol'-way near the Al Hotel. The annual meeting of the 'Sydenham Amateur Swimming Club, which was to have been hold last evening, was postponed on account of tho rough weatherA euchre tournament was played' at Ashburtoii on Wednesday evening between, members of the lTaki'.tcte. v olv.b,'.nd the local Viva Brig-a-de, the latter winning by nine game-.'. The social which was to have been held this evening in connection with the Kilwinning Masonic Bodge, Lyttelton. has been postponed, pending further notice. A man named Thomas Dixon, seventyfour years of age, was picked up by the police yesterday in a very weak condition and soaked with the rain. He was taken to the hospital, and made comfortable. It is announced in the " Gazette" that the time within which candidates' applications to be- admitted to examination for Junior National Scholarships, and for free places in secondary schools, to be held in December, 1904, must reach the office of the Inspector-General of Schools, is extended for one month, to October 31, 1904. Yesterday's storm was the means of drawing attention to the fact that the culverts income of the street. 1 ) in Woolston are too narrow to successfully cope with flood water. The Borough Council decided last evening to authorise the Works Committee to attend to culverts that required widening- / The flower show was open in the Art Gallery again yesterday afternoon, and was visited" by numbers of'the public, who admired tho handsome spring flowers and the table decorations and other displays. Fox's Quadrille Band was in attendance in the evening, and, in spite of the weather, there was a fairly large attendance of the public. 'The Opawa Estate, a property of about thirty acres, near the railway bridge, is to be opened up shortly. The plans of the roads have been approved, and the specifications have been referred to- » special committee of the Woolston Borough Council, so that; tenders for the street work may be called as early as possible. An auction sale of oil paintings, pastels and water-colour drawings by Mr J, M. Madden was held in Mr Charles Clark's rooms yesterday afternoon. About 150 pictures were entered, and, in spite of the weather, there was a good attendance of buyers. The smaller pictures sold readily at fair prices. "The. Rontebum Valley, Wakatiym," brought £6; "'Winter in the Park, Christ-church," £4': "A Storm, Kaikcura," £3 ss; and other pictures down to 10s and 12s. The larger works did not reach the reserve prices: On Saturday evening the Lyttelton Brass Band, under Conductor T. Tankard, will played the/' following programme of music at ' the corner of Oxford and London Streets, in aid of Nurse Maude's Consumptive Home : Morceau, " Hiawatha " (Niel Moret); overture, "Star of India" (Wadson) ; cornet solo, " Kathleen Mavourneen" (Ord-Hume) ; Minuet, "' Queen Anne " (Lilian Raymond); valse " Amoureuse" (Berger); fantasia. "Le Emotion" (Bousquier) ; valse, "Chinese Lanterns" (Moreni): march. " Marching to the Front" (Ord-Hume); National Anthem. Recently the Woolston Borough Council wrote to the Christclvurch Drainage Board, requesting it- to grant the Council a lease of a section of land for sanitary purposes, and a reply was received, stating that the request could not be. granted. The question was considered by the Council last evening, and the Board was the subject cf some criticism. "I hardly know what name to characterise them by," said a Councillor. He added that the borough had been swelling the Board's funds for yea.rs, and in return had got only about £4O expended in the district.';

At a meeting of the Woolston Borough Council last evening, a letter was received from Mr S. P. Andrews, requesting that he should be allowed to run, in the streets of the borough, a steam motor engine, of weight not exceeding tons, drawing atruck which would not weigh more than tons 6cwt. He was willing to pay the same fee as wa.s charged for the license of an eight-ton traction engine. It was decided that the request should not be granted, but it was subsequently agreed that traction engines should be allowed to traverse Ashbourne -Street, Regent Street, Princes -Street and Bamford Street, subject to the provisions of the -Exceptional Traffic By-law. The -Mayor explained that the by-law stipulates that the rim of a front wheel of an engine should be at least 9in in breadth, and"that of a back wheel_ 18in. Mr Andrews's motor engine was lighter than the ordinary machine, but its wheels had narrow rims, and consequently, would be more destructive to roads. Referring to the Bottle Lake Infectious Diseases Hospital last evening, the Mayor of Woolston," Mr J. Richardson, informed the Borough Council that only £l3 0s 6d of a subsidy of £65 5s had been remitted by the Treasury Department. The balance, £52 4s 6d~ had "been witheld in liquidation of the Council's share of the expenditure incurred in connection with the hospital. ■ The Council had paid £2O to the Hospital Board, and had been given to understand that this sum had been placed on the Eottle Laka account, but the amount had been ignored by the Wellington authorities. The Council, cf course, intended fullv meeting its liabilities, and its instalment of £2O was evidence, of its intention. It. was the principle of the Treasury Department's action to which the speaker objected, and he thought that a protest should be made. The Council agreed to write to the Department, claiming, the full amount of its subsidy, and, failing a satisfactory response, to place the. matter in the hands of Mr G. Laurenson, member for the district.

MINING IN THE TRANSVAAL. j The New Zealand Mines Department h;is received particulars of the Transvaal gold production for the six months ending Juno lat-t. The return shows that the total quantity of ore milled was 3,987, /57 tons, which yielded 1,815.215 ounces of gold,, of the value of £7,710,534. The value paton'milled'-, was 38.515. The largest dividends were as follows: —-Ferredra Company, 1124; per cent, a tot.il amount of £106,875 ; Wemmer Company, 62-£ per cent, £50,000; Bonanza Company, 40 per cent, £30.000; Angelo. Company, 35 per cent, £36,250; Geldenhuis Deep, 35 per cent, £105,000; Crown Deep Company, 30 per cent, £90,000; Drc-efontein Consolidated, 25 per cent, £63,750; Glendhui.s Estate, 25 percent. £50.000 ; Meyer and Charlton, 25 per cent, £50,000; Village Main, 20 per cent, £BO,OOO. i AN INCAPABLE DEPARTMENT. Writing to the " Sydney Morning Herald," Mr 11. W. Lucy says:—When tie report of tho Commission appointed to inquire into tho adrninstration of the war in South Africa wi-.s published, it seemed that the present generation had drunk tho dregs of humiliation. Never since analo- , goal, inquiry was made into the direction of the Crimean war was forthcoming disclosuxs of equal ineptitude in high places, of si.'jh stupendous official blundering in the office and on active service. The report of the Committee on Public Accounts, just issued, carries on the doleful story. Some of tho incidents related would be incredible if they wc-re not. supported by tho authority of a' committee of unimaginative business men. Gkncina- over the brief meord, one reads how, of 9 '9 mules, bought at BTirhcsl market price, shipped from New Orleans, 158 died on the voyage, and "the remaining 841 cannot be traced beyond Bc-ira," the port of debarkation; how of a tot::l (sum of £1,265,000 paid to the Imperial Yeomanry Committee no details or vouchers hm be produced for £460.000; how of 617,000 horses and 155,000 mules

paid for as remounts there remain unaccounted, for 34,168 horses and 5862 mules; how, owing to oversight in cancelling charters at the close of the war, two sums, exceeding £13,000, were paid by way of compensation ; and how a loss of £32,000 resulted from a. contract made with a. borso-

dealer who was notoriously bankrupt 'it the time of (signing the bond. These aie only a few instances taken at random. They will serve to show how ordinary biu-u----ness was conducted by the War Office m time of peril. Tho committee do not mention th& rumour, but it is current am- ng i-ervice members of the Home of Comoions, that-the misising mules and horses ■weie resold to Mr Brodrick's sapient agents. | THE EXPRESS SERVICES. The Wellington, correspondent of tho "Lyttelton Times" telegraphs:—lt is understood that the double express service, which comes into force on November 1, -shall only extend over five months. The early trains, however, those leaving Christchureh at ten minutes past- ten, and Dunedin at eight o'clock, will run right through the year. It has been arranged that there siuill be a. daily ferry service, the steamers leaving Wellington at eight, and Lyttelton at 6.30, thus maintaining regular communication between Auckland and Dunedin. Half an hour will be saved between Wanganui and Wellington, tho train reaching here at 7.15 p.m.. Two dining-cars are now in course of construction at Addington for the first express. Thev will be under the management of the. present contractor till April 1, when all the dining-cars are to be taken over by the Government. POLITICAL REPRESENTATION IN BRITAIN. The carrying of a. well-considered, care-fully-drafted Redistribution Bill would do much to deliver Mr Balfour's first Administration from the effect of the succession of failures that at present belittle it (says the London correspondent of a. Sydney paper). It is only in a country-hoary with, antiquity that such glaring anomalies as exist under the present system, of parliamentary reprei sentation would be suffered for a twelvej month. The basis of the House of Commons is,, practically, manhood suffrage. But there \& at least on© ease where borough electors have a voting power : eighteen times as effective as sojourners in ! another district. The Irish borough of Newry, with its 1848 electors, has inj the House of Commons equal voting power with the Essex district- of Romford; peo- ! nled by 33,556 electors. The average number of electors for each of tho 670 members of Parliament is 10,183. On that basis, England, which now sends 465 mem- ; hers to Westminster, is entitled to 499, | Scotland, which seats 72 members, should i have 69, and Ire-land, represented by 103, ! is entitled to only 72. Oddly enough, Wales, with her '3O member*, has precisely the proper proportion. "I have good reason," ; continues the correspondent, "to believe j Mr Balfour is drifting toward.? the deter- ' mination to put these matters right before I he lays clown his arms."

PREVENTION OF COLLISIONS AT SEA.

The nrea-t Atlantic- liner Baltic is supplied with the electrical indicator, utilised in mo British navy for the prevention of collisions. The device is on the bridge. It indicates tbe>- exact position of any other vessel entering it* magnetic zone., There ia a dial carrying a needle on its face similar to a, compass. Directly the other vetse-l enters the- magnetic zone, the radius of which in this instance- is five miles, the needle moves and points directly towards it. thereby indicating its precise location. This apparatus- is highly sensitive, and even the screw revolutions of the approaching vessel are registered by wave vibrations. In this manner the. officer on the bridge can estimate the. exact time he is distant from the other vessel, and act so as to clear it. With this device it is absolutely impossible for another vessel to cresp up, even in foggy weather or under caver of darkness, without the officer being aware of its approach. If there were ships approach:);;!: on both sides, what then? In the English Channel or elsewhere it is nothing -uncommon for a score of ships to be within a five mile radius. The Baltic is the first merchant ship provided with the indicator, which will undoubtedly be very useful at sea.