NEWS BF THE BAY

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11738, 28 January 1924, Page 6

NEWS BF THE BAY

The recent rains have much improved the surface of the recreation grounds in and around the city, and grass is making a good recovery after the dry speil. Newtown Park, in spite of the extra use during Welcome Week, is looking well, and at Eastbourne, where the ground was subjected to hard wear during the gala, it is now looking much better. The committee of the Royal Christchurch Musical Society has appointed Mr Sidney Williamson conductor of the society. The position was vacated some time ago by Dr J. C. Bradshaw, and was filled temporarily by Mr Sidney Butler. Mr Williamson holds the diploma of the Royal Conservatorium of Music, Leipzig, and is well known as a vocalist. He is conductor of the Christchurch Amateur Operatic Society and the St. Cecilia Choir. A recount of votes in the poll upon the Christchurch City Council’s £77,250 waterworks loan proposal, which was defeated by the ratepayers last week, gives a majority of 57 votes, instead of 54, against the loan. The revised figures are i—for the proposal, 1111 (originally 1118); against the proposal, 1168 (1172).' The Mayor (Mr J. A. Fleshes’) states that. there, is no prospect of a further poll being held before the beginning of the new financial year in April, since the expense of such a poll (£4OO or £soo)_is not provided for in the current year’s estimates. An impressive phenomenon is visible on the-Franz Josef glacier in South Westland this season. Enormous masses of ice have piled up on the' highest elevationsj and a great ice-wave is forming which Mr Peter Graham, the wellknown Alpine guide, predicts will result in an extension of the glacier. The glacier in 1907 showed the effects of a great ioe-wave. It roep until it toppecT some immense rocks 200 feet in height. The' glacier then commenced to recede, and these rocks now stand bare and isolated ina valley. Now, however, the onward movement, which 1 can he predicted from the condition of the great ice-flls thousands of feet higher up the glacier, has been resumed, and Mr Graham expresses the opnnion that the glacier is likely to again go forward about seven chains, and rise about 200 feet. The report of the recovery of the ship’s safe from the wreok of the steamer Wairarapa, which is unfortunately not true, raises an important question. Canon Haseldon, who was with the resoue party for 21 days at the wreck, writes: —'‘I think that beeides much belonging to the Union S.S. Co., there would be in the safe a good deal of money and valuables that belonged to the passengers. We recovered an astonishing amount, and the Public Trustee received it from us and took much pains in restoring it to the heirs and friends of the lost. But probably experienced travellers gave a. lot to the purser, and he would lock it up in the ship’s safe. I do not know of the law on the subject, but I think that the divers, if they recover the safe, will probably have to send all the passengers’ property to the Public Trustee. 1 have lists’of all the passengers, both saved and lost, and many particulars, and shall bo quite willing to let the divers see them. Everyone, who knows what it all means, will he delighted if Mr Vear is success. I hope he is being very careful, as the sea gets up very quickly, and the currents are dreadfully strong At times round I Miners’ Head. The Wairarapa struck at eight minutes past midnight on StmI day, October 28th, 1894.”

The list of officiating ministers under the Marriage Act. was published for general information in Saturday's ■•Gazette.”

At the Native Land Court at Greymouth a. native agent stated that the Maoris were teo fair to adopt any scheme they knew was not equitable. A Masterton motorist who recently returned from a trip to Auckland stated that he passed about a dozen motorists in difficulties on the Rangiriri Hills. Rates received during January at Eastbourne amounted to £343 19s lOd, but a considerable amount is outstanding. The 10 per cent, penalty is to be imposed as from March Ist. The receipts on the Auckland tramways during the recent holiday period were £25,623. A number of improvemehts to the tramway system are contemplated. By a margin of 12 votes the ratepayers of a large portion of the Mangapapa town district decided at a poll to merge into the borough of Gisborne- The polling figures were: 154 for, 142 against. There are 684 ratepayers on the roll. A requisition signed by 47 travel • lors on the 6.15 p.m. ferry boat lias made a request to the Eastbourne Borough Council that the hour cf departure be altered to 5.50 p.m., as most shops now closed at 5.30. The general manager is to report on the subject. It is an indication of the growth of Wanganui as a wool-exporting centre that the New Zealand Lean and Mercantile Company will shortly enlarge their wool stores at Castlecliff. The company proposes to double the floor space given over to showing wool for eale. A reduction in the price of ham of Id per lb is announced. The alteration is stated to be due to a falling off in the demand for hams and a consequent accumulation of stocks. Present retail prices far the best qualities are:— Rasher®, Is 6d per lb; half-hams. Is 5d per lb; whole hams, Is 4d per lb. “Oases of desertion from ships have been veTy common of late,” declared Sbnior-Sergeant Lander, at the Police Court, when a young man was charged with desertion. This was evidently taken into consideration by the bench, who imposed a sentence of three weekf)’ imprisonment. The catching of kingfish is usually aceociated with the sport of deep-sea fishing, but a visitor to Waiuku last week had the unusual experience of hooking a fine kingksh from the beach and landing it after an exciting fight. The fish weighed 38Jib, and was 3ft 7in in length. A light line and a medium hook were used. The tender of Mr W.' Hodges has been accepted for the erection of the [building donated by Mr A. P. Whatman to the Salvation Army for a children’s home. The building is to be erected in Ngaumutawa road, on the Upper Plain, Masterton, and the 006 t of the structure will approximate £32,000. The Eastbourne ferry steamer the “Duchess,” has now completed' re-con-ditioning, and is being used whenever possible. A report by Mr Ryan was being prepared and will be submitted to members of the Council. At the last meeting of the Council it was stated that the re-conditioning had been a rather costly business. The possibility qf a rearrangement in the cargo service between Canada and New Zealand operated by the Canadian Government merchant service was, indicated by Mr G. E. Bunting, manager for the line in Australia and New Zealand, who has returned by the Makura after a visit to headquarters in Canada. While there he attended a conference of managers of the principal agencies of the line overseas. The little courthouse at Greytown was crowded on a recent occasion to overflowing with natives descendant of the tribe that conquered the land adjacent to the Wairarapa lake. The female jx>rtion squatted about and took a lively interest m the proceedings. When grave matters were being discussed an elderly woman with tattooed chin rose to her feet, anti in an impassioned speech seemed to sway the attentive assemblage. The work which is being carried out in connection with improving the Rimutaka road is making that thoroughfare much safer for motor traffic than it was formerly. Many of the sharp corners have been done away with, cuttings having been made at these point*. A large number of men are still employed on both sides of the hill, and indications point to much further improvement being effected on the hill. The surface of the road, excepting a few stretches not yet finished, is as good as the majority of city streets. A baby boy .was born on the Cunard liner Soythia on the voyage from New York to Liverpool. In addition to following the usual custom of naming the baby after the ship, the mother - (Mra R. J. Madden) who was proceeding to Ballyspittle (Co. Cork) went a step further, and included the names of the captain, the doctor, and the purser, with the result that the infant’s name will oooupy a lot of space in the registration forms. He will be known as William Christie Edward Scythia Madden. As in the case of all births on Cunard liners, the passengers presented the mother and baby with a handsome cheque. What must be somewhat in the nature of a record for longevity was established by the ocoupfyits of a carriage on the train which left Greymouth for Hokitika one day recently. There were eleven happy old men, pioneers of Westland, ten being from the Greymouth Old Peoples’ Home, and the eleventh (aged 84 years) from Greymouth, bound for Hokitika to attend the celebration of the jubilee of Westland. The combined ages of the men totalled 894 years, the average age of the ton men from the home being 81.2 years. The oldest inmate of the home, Mr Frank Bathe, was one of the “tourists,” and he proudly exhibited his birth certificate to prove his statement that he first saw the light of day 94 years ago.