NEWS IN BRIEF.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 438, 6 July 1915, Page 5

NEWS IN BRIEF.

It was reported at last night's meetiug of the Christchurch City Council, by the By-laws and Finance Committee, that thepoliee have been requested to enforce the by-law dealing with the unauthorised posting of placards on fences and buildings in the city.

The draw for the art union in connection with the Public Service candidate for the Wellington Queen of the Carnival contest, drawn at Wellington, was: —Piano (No. 1091), Miss Klcock, Westland; Burns-Philp tour (No. 4093), W. Porter, Gisborne. The Christchurch City Council has endorsed the action of the previous council in agreeing to pay part of the cost of surveying the river Avon, with a view to increasing, if possible, the depth of water in the stream, and . it placed £IOO on the estimates for that purpose.

Mr Lawrence Birks, Government Electrical Engineer, gave another lecture on the economic aspect of electricity to the Workers' Educational Association last night. There was a very largo attendance, and the lecturer dealt with his subject exhaustively and in an interesting manner.

The Mayor and Crs H. J. Otley and ,T. McCullough have been appointed to represent tho City Council at a conference to be held concerning the projected completion of the Sumner-Lyttelton Road deviation. They are to report to the council before the latter decides what proportion of the cost of the work it will bear.

A war memorial service, arranged by the Mayor of Christchurch, will be held in the Colosseum next Sunday afternoon. The service will be undenominational, and all churches are invited to send one representative each. There will be no preaching, only short memorial addresses being given. The Citizens' Defence attend, and its band will supply the music.

At the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon, before Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., the Canterbury Engineering Company (Mr Anthony) claimed £9 7/from W. B. Scott and Co. (Mr Johnston) for work done in plating two motor car radiators. Defendants coun-ter-claimed for £SO for damage done to the radiators. Judgment was for plaintiff on the claim for £7 7/-, and the counter-claim was disallowed. Articles which have been left in cabs and never claimed by the owners are continually finding their way to the City Council's office. As they cause inconvenience through want of sufficient storage, it has been decided by the By-laws and Finance Committee of the City Council that unclaimed goods received prior to January 1 of this year shall be sold by auction, and the proceeds given to the Canterbury Patriotic Fund.

Probate of the wills of the following deceased persons was granted by his Honour Mr Justice Denniston m Chambers:—lsabella McMinn (Mr Stringer), Emma Isabel Freeman (Mr Weston), William Walter Stow'(Mr F. C. Williams), Edward James Thompson (Mr Upham), Elizabeth Frances Peters (Mr Pratt), Emily Bitmead (Mr Johnston), Keeley Selwyn Jameson (Mr Thomas). Letters of administration were granted in re Lizzie Moore Mulligan (Mr Helmore) and James Pimm (Mr Salter). A petition for leave to sell land in the estate of D. G. Holmes was granted.

A "policeman" walked into the shop of a well-known Auckland business man early last evening and " arrested "him on the charge of failing to attend the "court" held in His Majesty's Theatre on Thursday when summoned to do so (says an Auckland paper). The chief prosecutor, Mr Barry Lupino, and judge, Mr Jack McArdle, were handy, and they promptly fined the shopkeeper the sum of £2. Manay similar visitations had been made during the day, with the result that at 5 o'clock last evening an additional sum of £135 had been raised by the mock court, making a total of £BSO for tho two days. The Waimakariri Harbour' Board met last evening, there being present: Messrs W. Doubleday (chairman), L. Edmonds, B. Lissaman, J. Wright, T. Keetley, and J. Barnard. The Marine Department forwarded a copy of the new regulations affecting harbourmasters and pilots. It was decided to invite tenders for the lease of two va-< cant sections in Charle3 Street. The harbourmaster's report showed that the bar was at present very shallow, there being two - channels, the deeper of which gave 6ft lOin at high-water. The channel below Kairaki was still shallow, giving only about 7ft of water at high-water. A draft of a letter formulated by the board and the Harbour Improvement League, asking for a Government grant towards river-improve-ment, was approved. The Finance Committee reported a credit balance of £5 16/4.

Most of the Auckland bonded stores are now practically empty (says the "New Zealand Herald")- For Borae merchants have been withdrawing very largo quantities of liquor and tobacco from bond, probably in anticipation of possible war taxation. Juno 30 and July 1 were stocktaking days, and, as the clearances had to be effected prior to that, the pressure of business has been very great. The amount of Customs duties collected in Auckland for tho past month is about £131,000, which is much above the average. It is estimated that the heavy clearances from the bonds wero responsible for between £50,000 and £60,000 of that total.

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A free public locture on Christian Science will be given .in the King's Theatre this evening, at 8 o'clock,'by Mr Virgil 0. Strickler. Mr Strickler is a prominent Christian Scientist, of Boston, and is an able and cultivated lecturer.

The pontoon that was captured by the New Zealanders from the Turks during the fight on the Suez Canal in February last lias been forwarded to Nelson. * The Nelson Company played an important part in the fight in which the pontoon was taken, and one of the Nelson soldiers, Private Ham, of Motueka, was fatally wounded in the engagement. General Sir John Maxwell presented the pontoon to New Zealand, with a stipulation that it should be sent to some place in the Canterbury military district. Nelson is included in the. Canterbury military district, and as the Nelson Company figured so prominently in the capture of the craft, it was decided to send it to that city. The pontoon was lately on public view in Wellington in connection with the recent Patriotic Fund functions. !

A gentleman who is thoroughly conversant with the business conditions prevailing at Home, writing under date May 18, summarises the industrial and commercial situation as follows : "Whatever the final effect of this frightful war may mean, it is hard to say; but, for the time being, there is no shortage of money (even if it is only borrowed). Everyone who wants work can get employment; shortage of labour is causing delay in all branches of trade, and it is most difficult to get goods through by rail. I know of one lot of cheese which took a fortnight to go from Bristol to Liverpool. Steamers are taking several weeks in getting discharged; workmen all round are asking for increases in pay to meet the higher cost of living. At the same time, more and more recruits are joining the Armyi Those who are employed in the industries of the country are getting constant work, which, in a measure,, accounts for the maintenance of high prices for butter and cheese."