NEWS IN BRIEF.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 128, 6 July 1914, Page 10

NEWS IN BRIEF.

The Mavor lias received £2 from "1.T.E.,"*£5 from Mr G. M'Clatchie, and £1 from A.M.O. for the Coal and Blanket Fund. The Rev. J. Patterson, minister-elect of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, left Sydney on Saturday, ami will arrive in Christchureh on Tlmrsdav morning next. The same afternoon he will be inducted into his hew charge. The Commission of Enquiry before which evidence was taken in connection with the recent Customs cases, concluded its hearing on Friday. The evidence will be forwarded to Wellington and will be considered there before any finding is made public. The Hornby Progressive Euchre Club continued their fortnightly meetings on Thursday, when there was a very large attendance. The ladies' prizes were won by Mrs Lane and Mrs Kerr, and the gentlemen's by Mr W. H. Manhire and Mr C. Reid. Mj>s E. Dixon and Mr D. Lennox won the ' 'booby" prizes. A message from London says that Isaac Barnes, a young Castleford miner, was struck by lightning and blinded on Wednesday. He was lying in bed on Thursday when he was again struck, and thrown to the floor. He exclaimed, "Thank God, I can see," which statement proved to be correct. In the House of Commons, Mr C. E. Hobliouse, during the debate on the Post Office vote,, said that £750,000 worth of postal orders were yearly sent to sweepstake promoters on the Continent. The Government hoped to legislate to stop the postal distribution of sweepstake circulars. In last Friday's SUN attention was drawn to the way in which the many cases of breaches of the Defence Act delay tho usual work of the Christchureh Magistrate's Court on Fridays. It has been the practice to take these cases before the ordinary list, and consequently there have been complaints of the ordinary business of the court being held up in order that what has come to be a purely special class of ease may be dealt with. Now, however, it hks been decided that the defence cases shall be dealt with on Friday afternoons, instead of in the morning.

At a meeting of the committee of the Now Brighton Surf Club on Friday evening, attended by Messrs C. Bryant (chairman), F. Suter, E. Clarkson, F. Cocks, Lj Cookson, A. G. Munns, C. Taylor, R. Campbell, and A P. Hopkins, it was reported' that satisfactory arrangements had been made to hold a street collection on. the first Saturday in October in conjunction with the Royal Life Saving Socity, and the Sumner branch. Yotes of thanks were accorded Miss Herdman for a donation of half-a-guinea, and Mr H. Clifford for the gift, of a photographic enlargement of the club committee. The matter of raising the annual subscriptions was left over till a later meeting.

A serious collision between two tramcars was narrowly averted on the Cashmere Hills line not far from -the school yesterday afternoon. Two cars left the shelter shed for the terminus shortly after 2 p.m., and the first car passed a down oar at a crossing near the corner before reaching the school. Evidently the motormau of the down car was not aware he had .to pass two cars, as directly the "first car had gone by he proceeded on his way downhill.- The two cars met on the right-angle turn and were only a few yards apart when they sighted each other. A prompt application of the brakes brought the cars to a standstill within a length of each other.

" East is East'and West is West and never the - twain shall meet,'' formed the subject of a debate on Saturday evening between the Heathcote and Y.M.C.A. Debating Societies. Mr F. L. Anderson presided over an attendance of about fifty. Messrs Doolan, Flavell and Weir (Heathcote Society) took the affirmative, and Messrs Plimsoll, Hulston, and Holdeu the negative. The judge, Mr J. Caughley, congratulated both teams on the gOod cases they made out, and awarded Y.M.C.A. 218 points and Heathcote 199 points. It was decided that the subject for debate at the next meeting of the Society should be: —"That our present form of Parliament gives Expression to the Will of the People.'' If the recommendations of the Office Accommodation Board, appointed under the Public Service Act, are carried out, the "largest wooden building in the world" is doomed. "In view of the restricted life of the main Government buildings," states the board in an appendix to the Public Service Commissioners' report, "the board will be very shortly called upon to face the task of considering and recommending what steps shall be taken to provide the necessary accommodation, not only to replace the present building, but also to provide for departments at present located in rented premises in the city at a present cost of about £3OOO per annum. In the design of any new building the grouping of the different departments and the officers engaged therein must be more carefully considered, for if efficiency and economy are to prevail in departments they cau only exist where the accommodation and facilities are in harmony."

The Canterbury Rowing Club's annual is to', be hejxi in the Alexandra Hall'on -Wecliiccfjday* evening. FALL IN RUBBER. FALL IN KUBBE R. TYRES GREATLY REDUCED. Twelve months ago we placed on the market in Christchurch the Best Value in Cycle Tyres ever offered. To-day we are prepared to improve on that. We are giving the public the benefit of the reduction w® have secured by giving them High-Grade Covers and Tubes at Lower Prices. Covers, High Grade, 5/- 7/6 & 10/-. Tubes „ „ 3/0 5/- & 6/6. The opposition may tell you these goods are perished or old stock. Such is not the case. We are prepared to guarantee these tyres to be absolutely new and good. Also Motor Covers, Tubes, and Belts at big reductions, during stock taking. See windows for value. JONES B R O S., L T D. Clock Tower, 122 Manchester Street. AI3O agents for the famous "King

A Press Association message states that the annual meeting of the Federation of Labour is proceeding in Wellington to-day, in camera.

Nominations for the vacancies 011 the North Canterbury Education Board close at the board's office at 5 p.m. today. Up to the time of going to press all the old members had been nominated:—North Ward, Mr T. W. Adams; South, Mr Geo. Rennie, and Central, Mr C. H. Opie. A "Shakespeare Garden" has been established in Dunedin by the Superintendent of Reserves at the Botanical Gardens, and to-day the first tree —a mulberry, was planted by Miss Ellen Terry. Addresses were given by Miss Terry and Mr Whitson, president of the Shakespeare Club. —Press Association. The popularity of the picture postcard is apparently wsining. The Post and Telegraph Department's annual report attributes to this fact the decrease in the number of postcards handled in the Dominion During the year, there was a decrease of 325,908 cards as compared with 1912.

An organ recital was given in His Majesty's Theatre on Sunday evening* The programme was a' i request'' one, and included several tiems which Dr Bradshaw, by his masterly interpretations, made truly popular with his audiences. The attendance was large, and the performer had no reason to complain of lack of appreciation.

The residents of a house in Manchester Street have been presented with a most excellent arm chair. Not having ordered the article, which they had first discovered on their front verandah, they have passed the gift on to the police, with whom anyone laying claim to a straight legged chair upholstered with a brown material would do well to communicate.

At the monthly meeting of the North Canterbury Methodist Ministers' Association this morning the following resolution was carried unanimously: —' l That this meeting of Christchurch and North Canterbury Methodist ministers strongly protests against the proposal in the Gaming Bill introduced into the House of Representatives giving an increase of totalisator permits to racing clubs in New Zealand for thirty more days-' racing, with all their attendant opportunities for more betting and gambling." The monthly meeting of the North Canterbury Methodist Ministers' Association was held this morning, Rev. W. A. Sinclair presiding. The Rev. W. E. Bellhouse consented to take .charge of a theological class for young men with a view to fitting them for lay preaching and the work of the ministry. Resolutions of sympathy with Dr Orchard, Mr Morrison and family, and Mrs Peudray and family, who have suffered recent bereavements, were feelingly carried. It is reported that the proposal to revive the Wellington Municipal Orchestra has been abandoned. The commit-. too which took the matter in hand dec'dod to drop it in consequence of the call made upon the guarantors who backed the orchestra in its previous existence. Those citizens who have been guarantors for the old orchestra <'ire ;just the people to whom an appeal would have had to be made for support for the resuscitated botly, and cannot be appealed to again at thin juncture. The committee lias been disbanded.

As a result of negotiations which the Tourist Department has conducted with the Union Steam Ship Company, there is every probability of a revival of the tourist excursions to the West Coast Sounds, which were. so popular a few years ago i (says the Wellington "Post.'') Since the loss of the Wailcare in Dusky Sound in January, 1910, there has been a lot of discussion concerning t" ' lack of facilities for tourists wishing to make the trip. / It is understood that the Union Company, will dispatch a boat—probably the Arahura—to the Sounds in the coming season. It is intended to send the vessel once a month, during December, January, and February, from Wellington; calling at Picton, Nelson, Westport, and Greymouth. Passengers will be landed at the Sounds, and will walk over the hills to the Lakes, tourists from overland joining the vessel and coming up the coast.