LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 617, 1 February 1916, Page 11

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Christchureh City Council has granted to the St. Albans Red Cross Society the use of St. Albans Park for a fete on February 2(i. ''Lady Sheep Farmer'' has donated £2OO, through the Mayor, to the Patriotic Fund. The donor states that she is giving the amount purely as an encouragement to others. At a meeting of the Wellington eraplovers of waterside workers, yesterday, it was decided to appoint a sub-eommit-tee to meet representatives of the Waterside Workers' Federation, with regard to the question of increased wages for waterside workers, which have been requested on account of the higher cost of living due to the war. Numbers of the ladies who find comfort in the briny at Lyall Bay have had cause to remember their visits to the seaside suburb, says the "New Zealand Times./' There appears to be an organisation which lias for its objects the substitution of clothes. Dressing sheds are visited, t and the dishonest women disrobe and promptly re-dress themselves in-costumes much more valuable than their own. Indeed, these people do not confine themselves to costumes, as corsets and other interesting items, if they are better than those discarded, are donned without compunction. While some people are complaining of their fruit crops being below the average on account, of the drought, others are telling quite a different story. A Sun subscriber who lives at Feudalton brought into this office yesterday a cluster of healthy blue diamond plums, which were so thickly pendant from the branch as to resemble at a distance a great bunch of huge grapes. There were 65 fine plums on a piece of branch 15in long, and others had fallen off when the cluster was being picked. At its thickest part the piece of branch was only three-eighths of an inch in diameter, ft was quite easy from the appearance of the bunch to credit the grower's statement that the branches of the tree are breaking under the great weight of fruit.

The Prime Minister was interviewed j on Saturday morning by a small deputation of wool-brokers on the question . of the quantity of shipping space available for wool, says the "Dominion." The proceedings were not open to the I Press. Subsequently the Prime Minister stated that the situation was greatly improving. Compared with previous years, a certain amount of delay was comparatively unavoidable, lowing to two reasons, viz.:—The fact that the season had been later than ;usual, and the scarcity of ships for j general cargo. No further information, jsaid the Minister, had come to hand in | regard to wool purchased for the United 'states in the early part of the season. ! lie had again cabled the Imperial au- | thorities, asking for a reply at the 'earliest possible date. About 20,000 ! bales of that wool still remained unshipped, and most of it had been purchased on the sheep's back. A startling accident happened at Mt. , Cook in the first week of the New Year. | A party of holiday-makers, who had encamped in the bush behind the Hermij tage, went out for a walk ou Thursday, [January 6, crossed the Hooker Bridge lat 11 a.m., and had a line view of the terminal face of the Mueller Glacier. Eleven of the party approached close to the face, in order to take a photograph lof an ice cave. When they were within 1200 yards of the cave the whole mass collapsed, and huge blocks of ice crashed I into the Hooker River. The ice split | into fragment, which Hew amongst the ! sightseers, all of whom, with oue exexception, received injuries, while all .jvere drenched with ice-cold water from the river. One man was so seriously injured that he had to be carried to the Hermitage ambulance by guides. The other members of the party, although some of them had received painful | wounds, were able to proceed on a two davs walk to the Ilochstetter ice 'fall.

Writing to the "Dominion'* on January '!0, Captain Bower, of the Paparoa, says:—''Last evening, when coming to Wellington from Wanganui in the above ship, a large iish, resembling Pelorus Jack in every detail, was seen swimlining alongside the ship for several I minutes. It not only resembled him in appearance, but its movements were the i same, inasmuch as it swam alongside | for several minutes, then went to the bow for a few minutes, and then disappeared. Mr Auchen, who was a passenger with me, having seen Pelorus .lack frequently when in the Picton and Nelson trade as an oflicer iu the Union Company, assures me that this lish so resembled him, both in appearance and action, that he feels certain it is either he or another of the same species. I have since heard that a lish of this (species has been reported off Capo Eginont, accompanied by several young I ones. This one we have seen was by itself. My chief oflicer tried to get a I photograph, but before he could get his camera ready the lish disappeared. !I am reporting the matter to the (!oI vernment.''