NEWS IN BRIEF.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 198, 25 September 1914, Page 10

NEWS IN BRIEF.

The Post Office advises that the. Waimakariri River is in flood, and is still rising. It is raining heavily at Bealey. The date of the meeting in connection with the petition in bankruptcy filed by Thomas Sarvis Robinson, has been fixed for Friday, October 2, at 11 a.m. , Bishop Averill, of Auckland, characterises as hypocrisy the action of firms who make large donations to patriotic funds and then discharge a number of their employees. The following additional contributions to the Open-air Homes Fund have been collected by the Waimairi County Council:—S. A. Staples, £2 2/-; J. F. Holmes, 5/-; J. H. Sharpe, £2 2/-. Mary Hannah Samuels, aged GO years, who was admitted to the hospital on Wednesdav evening as the result of a fall from a-tramcar, was still unconscious at noon to-day, and her condition was unchanged. Notwithstanding ,tho slight accident to Mr Scotland/s biplane yesterday, the sale of the right for the first flight will be as advertised at Lancaster Park on Saturday, 26th inst,, at 2.45 p.m., in front of the members' stand. Owing to the electrification of the North Beach steam service, which will be completed on October 1, a completely new time table will be brought into force on the Richmond, Burwood, and North Beach line. Copies are now on sale at ticket office, Cathedral Square. The Labour Department reports that it has ou its unemployment book the names of 5§ single men and 120 men either married or having dependants. Twelve were sent to the City Council relief works, yesterday and four this morning. Mr E. J. Howard, secretary of the General Labourers' Union, states that the number of unemployed on the books at the -Trades Hall is the same as during the past few weeks—about 380 in all. ' , A strange series of burglaries has taken place in the Ashburton County during the past week, says the Ashbur* ton '' Mail.'' In each case Sunday Schools —at Ashburton, Rakaia, Methven, and Mt. Somers —have been entered and small sums of money stolen. The police have the matter in hand, and it is thought that the thefts are the work of a "swagger," as two of the schools show signs of having been slept in. The schools at Methven and Mount Somers were entered on following days. Mr.E.'l). Zimmerman, of Christchurch, who is, by birth, an Austrian, but who is a naturalised British subject of twenty years' standing, has received many anonymous letters of a threatening nature since the outbreak of the war. One of the letters read as follows: — "Christchurch, September 2?>, 1914. Mr Zimmerman,— How about, clearing put and getting back to your own country? I'm sure your Kaiser would be pleased to receive you. Whilst you are allowed to remain in New Zealand, try and be a man. You are here on sufferance, and are an alien—an undesirable. Pull yourself together.—-An Englishman.'' During the litle function at Wellington at which Mr Frank Hurley, of the Shackleton Expedition, was presented by the Mayor with a New Zealand flag, Mr-John Fuller said that few people ever stopped to consider the great enterprise and courage which the kinematographer displayed in getting out-of-the-way pictures. It had always been a' mystery to him why the kinematograph was hot put to more general us in the preservation of pictures of historical events. His firm had tried to get a series of records of the work going on in connection with the troopships, but it did not matter whether you

were Liberal or Reform (in political colour), they could not for love or money get permission to take the pictures. He had thought that the Government would value the possession of a. copy of ( such an event. Now that the elections are over and the Fusion Party has been routed, particularly in A r ietoria, states the Melbourne "Age," there appears to be'an awakening among members of the old Liberal Party. It is quite probable that within the next few weeks an organisation reflecting more truly Liberal thought will be re-established in Victoria. At the Federal elections the Conservative element was much in evidence. It took a leading part in the selection of candidates, and succeeded in most cases 'in having it's wish obeyed by the other organisations. One result of the pending breakaway will be the separation of the Conservative from the Liberal element. This, members say, will be a distinct advantage, for at past elections it was difficult for the ordinary elector to distinguish the genuine Liberal from the Conservative. They both fought under the same flag.

At the Knox Church, Bealey Avenue, the pulpit on Sunday morning will be occupied by the Rev. C. M. Sheldon, of Kansas,'U.S.A. The Rev. Dr Erwin will preach in the evening.

The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher has telegraphed to Mr J. MeCombs, M.P., as follows: —"Local Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill will in ordinary course receive assent of his Excellency about Wednesday next, but this can be done earlier if particularly desired."

The Canterbury Horticultural 1 Society's Spring show concluded yesterday' with a satisfactory The Patriotic Stall realised £l6 0/2 during the day, and £6 12/- was obtained from the auction sale of gifts conducted by Messrs Jones and Craddock. The total amount collected through the show for the Poor of Great Britain, Ireland, and Belgium Fund is £43 12/2. The Marama arrived at Auckland from .Vancouver at 6.40 this morning. The voyage was uneventful, except that they heard a strong German wireless in the vicinity of Fanning Island, which induced the captain to proceed at full speed to Suva, with lights'masked at night. . The Marama brought ten German officials as prisoners from Apia, via Suva. They will be transferred to Somes Island. Of twenty-three centenarians who died last year in the Commonwealth, eleven were residents *■ of New South Wales and seven of Victoria. The oldest centenarian on the list which is included in a-return issued by the Commonwealth Statistician (Mr G. H. Knibbs), was agrazier of -New South Wales, who had the misfortune to meet his death through a fall when 112 years of age. He had/lived in the Commonwealth for ninety-six years. Two women, aged- respectively 108 and 102, succumbed to burns. . One. of them had resided in Australia for ninety-three years. The longest residence in the Commonwealth was 107 years, by a groom/who was born at sea, and lived all his 107 years in Australia. Of two Australian natives, the oldest was 110 years. The total number of years of the twenty-three centenarians was 2364, but only in thirteen cases was senility aivc-n as the cause of death.

As a guide to the public of Wellington, says the "Dominion," and as an indication to local authorities elsewhere who :may be contemplating the establishment of fish markets, it is interesting to note' the aA T .erage price that has beeii asked/for certain kinds of fish throughout the first year of the Wellington market's existence (which eiids on October 4). The prices are as folloAy: —Flat fish (soles and flounders) and smoked fish (any kind), 6d per lb; trumpeter (in slices), 4d per lb; butterfisl), blue cofl, or groper, 3d per lb; round fish (schnapper, hake, king fish, mold), 2UI per lb; Avarehou, trevalli, John Dory, conger eel, gurnet, 2d per lb; barracouta, liil to 2d per lb; Kahawai, horse mackerel, Id to lid per lb; garfish (according, to size), 6d to 1/- per dozen; oysters (rock and Stewart Island), 4d per 'dozen; trout (from Lake Taupo), fresh 6d p«r lb, smoked lOd per lb; whitebait (in season), ranging from 1/- to 2/- per lb.