CHRISTCHURCH NEWS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18200, 26 February 1929, Page 9

CHRISTCHURCH NEWS.

(From Our Jwn Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, February 25. A DRY MONTH. To-day was exceptionally warm, 81.4 degrees being registered in the shade about noon, the highest temperature recorded since January 20. The month lias been exceptionally dry, only five points of rain having been recorded. The nor’-wester that blew during the day lias been succeeded by a mild southerly, and conditions are cooler this evening. ACCOUNTANTS’ HOLIDAY. To-day was celebrated as tlio city pcountants’ holiday, and was devoted to cricket and tennis by the followers of that occupation The Stock Exchange took a liolidaj’ also, but will function to-morrow as usual , SENSATION IN CITY. The news of the death of Mr R. C. Bar tram, local manager of Distributors, Ltd . through gas poisoning, created a sensation in the city to-day. He was a well-kown business man, and leaves a widow and three children. The evidence at the inquest was to the effect that deceased had been suffering from mental depression. He had evidently gone to Ins office on Sunday afternoon, and written several letters, indicating his intention to commit suicide. Subsequently he placed a gas ring close to his head, and turned the gas on, with fatal results.

ROTARY. The reported denunciation of Rotary, bv the Pope, has created a feeling of astonishment among local Rotarians. particularly in view of the annual Dominion Rotarv conference, which opened hero on Wednesday. The president of the Christchurch Rotary Club (Mr C. H. Hewlett) expressed the feelings of his brother Rotarians when he said : “I am utterly astonished, and can hardly believe the message is true. The Pope should he one of our keenest supporter*'. If the movement reported in the '-able comes from the head of the Catholic Church, then the obieots of TWary cannot he understood there M “Religion and polities are barred from our discussions. Our branches, in, over fiftv reentries, include nearly fiftv religions. To say that Rotary is subservient to freemasonv is ridiculous. T mvself in, not a freemason, and in our Chib. | don’t know who is, and who isn’t. I’m never heard a whisper of this sort of thing in any part of New Zealand, and it shows how much them is in the suggestion, when we, as Rotarians. are not sufficiently interested to find o"t who is a freemason an I who is not.” Other nrorr»>oent Rotarians were reluctant to mnko anv statement on the filiation, considering it a matter of policy which shoo'd he considered, if at all. at the conference. THE OYSTER SEASON. The oyster season will open next Friday, hut it is expected that it will be Monday before the first ovsters of the season are received in Christchurch and Timaru. They should he on sale first tiling on Monday morning. THE BATCHELOR CASE. A further plea for hail for J. B. Batchelor was made in the Magistrate’s Court to-dav hv Mr Russell, who appeared for the accused. The police had asked for a remand until March 5, when thev would be ready to go on with the ease. “I do hone that they will go on with it.” said Mr Russell. “The matter which, 1 understand, is holding up investigation, is the claim of a creditor which has not got the merit that the creditor imagines, Batehe’or has given gating these matters' He has voluntarih stayed in the cells at the police station, instead of at Papnrua. which would have been eve*: so much more convenient. Indeed Panama is veritable castle compared with those little cells at the Christchurch police station.’’ “Will vour Worship consider opening tip the ones'ion of hail again?” counsel continued. “No.” «aid Mr Mosley. “So many things have cropped up. and as 1 have said before. 1 do not think that B«teheh>r*q Tnent-ditv is conducive to hi*: admission to hail.” Once a*rain. “Black Maria” bromrlit Batehe'or early to the Courthouse. Tli : « time however, the vehicle was not backed into the vaH. hut stormed ni the street cate to L'f out Bateheloi and a second man. Bachelor burner into Co”rt. and hc r ore the pToooedine‘ he-an. he mnringed f o nut a ’phone cal through from n little ~n' o-m- room.