CHRISTCHURCH NEWS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 19095, 29 January 1932, Page 10

CHRISTCHURCH NEWS.

IN AND ABOUT THE CITY. CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 28. Per ona.l: Mr D. Jones, chairman, of,.the Meat; Beard, was a passenger from Wellington by the ferry steamer Rangatira today. Mr E. A. Sevier, of Wellington, New Zealand manager for the Vacuum Oil Co., Ltd., is registered at the United Service Hotel. Mr G. R. Ritchie, a director of the Union Steam Ship Company, arrived from Dunedin last evening and is staying at the United Service Hotel. Mr Herbert Page, of Sydney, resident director of Messrs Butterworth and Company (Au: t.), Ltd., is at present on a vi it to Christchurch. Mr W. H. Dixon, L.R.A.M., A.R.C.M . has been appointed vocal and instrumental judge at the Duned n Coinpetitions to be he’d in August this year. Mr L. C Tyler, who for some years was on the staff of the North Canterbury Milling Company, Ltd., and latterly with the Zaalandia Milling Company, Ltd., has been appointed manager of the Wa'kari Milling Company, Ltd., and will take up his duties from February 1. Serving the State: When a man already serving a sentence of three months’ imprisonment appeared before Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M. in the Magistrate's Court to-day on a further theft charge he was examined os to his means of obtaining a livelihood. The Magistrate: You have been otherwise engaged this last two or three weeks?—No, sir, I’ve been working continually. The Magistrate: But when did you cease working lor yourself and work for the country? Better Streets: 4 The resurfacing of suburban roads about- Christchurch is employing about 12) men at the moment, and there is activity in practically every suburb. During the past year or two an exten: ive read-making programme has been carried cut. and now Christchurch has as many tarsealed reads ns any other City in the Dominion. I it a Rembrcn.lt?: Stated to be the work of Rembrandt and to be worth £SOOO. a painting, ent tied “The Head of a Rabbi," changed hands for 75gzi3 at the auction sale of paintings, antique furniture, and old china held to-day. A lot of interest was shown in the sale, and for many of the items there was spirited competition among col’ec tors. Another high-priced picture was a hand-paint-ed scene on a wooden panel by Van Eyck, depicting the life of Christ. It was kno. Led down at £95. “LT'lc Shove” at Railway Department: ' I.'c i ; not at all a reckless gentleman usually, but he had a very narrow escape,” said Senior-Sergeant J. Fox in the Magistrate’s Court to-day, when explaining a charge against the Rev. John Lawson Robinson, who drove his car over the Lincoln Road ra : 1 way -crossing when the line was not clear. He was fined 20/- and costs. Defendant, who admitted the offence said the bell was ringing when he went across, but there was no cross-ing-keeper on duty. He did not wisn to say anything to mitigate the offence, but motorists were often waved across while the bell was ringing. ‘ Yes, I know that,” said the Magistrate, “but it is purely a courtesy gesture cn the part of the crossing-keeo-er. It has happened to me many times, and I appreciate it very much.” “I don't v/ish it to be thought that I hold anyone blameworthy,” said defendant, “but seeing that I am here I would like to have a little shove at the Railway Department." “Yes, but I’m afraid the Railway i Department got its little shove in I first'” said the Magistrate. . (Closing the Gaps: Gaps between the portions of per- ; manently sealed roadway north of Christchurch are steadily being closed

up, due to the activity of the Public Works Department and the county councils. This will mean a much improved motor-run to Culverden, Parnassus arid Kaikoura. South of the city the paved surface ends at Rofieston. No arrangements have yet been made to surface the 20-mi I e stretch between Rolleston and Rakaia, the last offer of the Main Highways Board not proving acceptable' to the local bodies concerned. A few days ago a contract was let for the putt ng down of a bituminous surface, on the nine-mile stretch of road oetween Rakaia and Dr am ore. From Dromore to the Ashburton River bridge the surface is already sealed. Free Frcrn Cattle Tick: Despite reports that cattle tick is spread ng south in the North Island there scons no reason to be alarmed regarding this pest in the South Island With the exception of several insects found on an animal cn a Nelson farm some years ago, there have been none reported in tne South Island, and it may reasonably be assumed that the island is entirely free from cattle tie*. No risks are taken, however, the Department of Agriculture being fully alive to the serious position which would obtain if the pest gained a hold in tne Louth Island. All cattle shipped from the cattle tick areas in the North Island to the south are carefully inspected before shipment. The loophole in this inspection is that the tick in its early stages is almost indiscernible to. the naked eye. In the later stages *f development it is only too prominent. Biggest and Bert: The biggest horticultural show ever held in New Zealand—and the best. That is the verdict which men qualified to judge have arrived at after inspecting the National Flower Show which opened at King Edward Barracks this afternoon. Imagine that great building converted into a 'oower of greenery arid striking floral colour, packed from end to end with a variety of bloom and leafy plant, giving the impress on that one had wandered into some enchanted forest where Nature had strewn all her loveliest colours through the rest-' ful curtains of her deepest greens. You stop at the door rather overwhelmed with the unexpected size of tne display. It looks colossal. The attractions are so many and so lovely that choice for the moment fails to operate. One merely stands and gazes, and movements for a while are automatic. Nothing predominates where so many things are outstanding; no single loveliness can attract where so vast a wealth of beauty is calling. So one just wanders on without conscious choice of route, threading a way through a miracle of wonderful displays of natural charm. Economy Commission: Mr A. O. Wilkinson, president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, said that business, people would be pleased with the promptitude shown by the Government setting up the Special Economy Commission, the personnel of which was announced yesterday. The Government was deserving of congratulations. “It is as good a commission as could i have been constituted, but it has the most difficult task that any which has sat has ever had, or possibly any commission ever will,” commented Mr w. Machin, general manager c.f the New i Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Association. “One of the d'fficulties of the com- | mission will be to cut sufficiently i deep.” continued Mr Machin. “If it is j swayed by extraneous considerations of abstract factors, instead of by the •Tern reality of the conditions we are , to-day experiencing; if it avoids facing squarely the limited extent of our resources and allows considerations of what sections of the community should have instead of what is available for them, or considers policy, or bases its hopes upon expected future conditions, which may be illusory, or imagines we must continue a certain standard of public amenities, because we have grown used to it, then the job will not be well and truly done, and probably necessity will later on force a second examination of the position. However, to commercial people, daily handling the facts, the position seems so stark that it looks impossible to avoid the. conclusions which arc obvioiis.

Horticulture in Canterbury: ; Dealing comprehensively with the ‘ early history of horticulture of New I Zealand, Mr R. Nairn, one of Canterbury’s leading nurserymen, who lectured at the Canterbury College Ha’.l last evening, could not have chosen a mere apt subject to presage the National Flower Show, and the fruits of his exhaustive research contributed to an address that was thoroughly appreciated by layman and horticulturist alike. That the service given to the Dominion by the pioneering horticulturists far more to do w : th the beauty and attractiveness of the Dominion than is generaly appreciated was a strong impression gained by hearing a resume of their early history. “Canterbury was” said Mr Nairn, “in early times, the most important centre | of horticulture in New Zealand, and i had many more nurseries than any other centres. This I would point out. was becau' of two reasons: first, the w'de, treeless plains, which needed shelter, and second, because the eariy settlers were mostly men who came to Canterbury with considerable- knowledge of horticulture and arboriculture. Large nurseries were soon established nd quickly raised every large stocks

“The early history of horticulture in j New Zeeland will not be complete j Without reference to some of the dir- I ectors of our public gardens. The j nr_t curator of the Christchurch Do- j main was a Mr Barker, who did solid' foundation work, and to him is to be | credited the planting of those hand- ; some avenues of English trees which! surround Hagley Park. So thoroughly did he carry out this work that autnories at the present time cannot find 1 fault with what he undertook. Foliow- j mg- Mr Barker was a Mr Armstrong,: wno for 20 years gave of his best, and his best was not lightly to be spoken j