CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19641, 8 November 1933, Page 5

CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

ITEMS FROM THE CITY CHRISTCHURCH, November 7. Personal: The Mayor (Mr D, G. Sullivan, M.P.) will leave lor the north to-night. superintendent D, J. Cummings arrived from Wellington this morning. Mr Roy Sellars, secretary of the New Zealand Racing Conference, left for Wellington last evening. Takings at Baths: The takings at the Christchurch Municipal Baths for the months of July, August and September last were £47/18/11, £6O/10/2 and £IOO/9/2 respectively, the amounts in the corresponding months of last year being £46 6/11, £45/10/6 and £lO7/8/4. The takings for the period April 1 to September 30, 1933, amounted to £415/13/10, compared noth £413/14/5 for a similar period in 1932. Preference for Local Tenders: The suggestion was made by Councillor J. S. Barnett at last evening’s meeting of the Christchurch City Council that when the council was going to give preference to local tenderers that fact should be stated when tenders were called. The suggestion arose when a Christchurch tender was accepted in preference to a lower tender from the south. Squash Racquets Record: P. D. Hall, of Christchurch, has won the New Zealand squash racquets championship, games in which were decided on the Christchurch Club’s courts. In the final between Hall and D. W. J. Gould, Hall took the first game with ease, but lost his accuracy in the second, which Gould won 10-8. Hall recovered some of his earlier form to win the next two games. Results were as follow: Semi-finals: P. D. Hall beat L. D. Cotterill, 10-8, 3-9, 9-2, 2-9, 10-8. D. W. J. Gould beat G. E. F. Kingscote, 10-8, 9-4, 9-4. Final: F. D. Hall beat D. W. J. Gould 9-1, 8-10, 9-6, 9-0. Governor-General’s Offer: To encourage Nature study at the Convent of St. Aloysius, Akaroa, the Governor-General (Lord Bledisloe) has promised a prize each to the boy and girl in the school able to produce the greatest number of native plants and name them correctly. His Excellency made this announcement during his inspection of the school yesterday. Lady Bledisloe will provide the prize for the girl and Lord Bledisloe that for the boy. Nature study, said his Excellency showed that the children were awake to the great forces of Nature, and encouraged a capacity for observation. There was no excuse in New Zealand for a child not using its eyes, for New Zealanders were surrounded by some of the most lovely things that Nrture had to show. Control of Canvassers: Complaints regarding the frequency with which canvassers are calling upon citizens in their homes with a view to soliciting subscriptions towards public purposes were referred to in a report received at the meeting of the City Council last evening. The Mayor (Ml- D, G. Sullivan, M.P.I said that he had interviewed the • Minister of Internal Affairs to endeavour to have a clause inserted in the Municipal Corporations Bill now before the House relating to t(M obtaining of permission to canvass. Rains Worth Thousand Pounds: Coming at a critical time, the steady rain of the last two days has allayed the anxiety of farmers throughout Canterbury. Prospects a week ago were anything but pleasing, because of the little growth in the grain crops or the pasture grasses owing to the prolonged spell of dry weather. The fresh green of the spring had the dry and burnt appearance of the late autumn, and farmers were faced with big losses. To-day farmers have a different tale to tell, and everyone concedes that the soaking rains are worth thousands of pounds to the country. In South Canterbury the falls were particularly heavy, but North Canterbury came in for a full share, and crops and pastures will now take a new 'lease of life. More Tram Traffic: There were 57.179 more passengers carried on the Christchurch trams during the four weeks ended October 3 than was the case for the same period last year, according to a report presented to a meeting of the Tramway Board.

The report stated that the advance was 41 per cent. The service which showed the highest percentage increase was the Shirley-North Beach trolley bus service with an advance cf 14 per cent. The next highest was Sumner with 10 per cent. While the number of passengers had increased, the revenue contributed by them had decreased by £I9BO, or 8 per cent. In the same four-weekly period the operating charges and other expenses decreased by £BIO. The net result was that the revenue account balance was not as good as the same period last year by £220. The petrol bus service had improved their position by £SO hr the same period. Smoking in Theatres: That smoking in theatres should be allowed was advocated to-day by Mr John Fuller, of the well-known theatrical firm who is visiting Christchurch. Mr Fuller said the entertainment business had thrived despite the depression. People had come to look upon the cinema as a part of their daily lives. The theatre was fulfilling a great need in national life. It combined entertainment in its feature

films with instruction m its news reels. It had always been harder to get men than women into theatres, he commented. This he attributed partly to the fact that men were not allowed to smoke in theatres as they were <n other countries. He thought smoking should be allowed, because it was a convenience which would be appreciated by patrons. In the theatres of most countries of the world smoking was allowed in certain parts rf the building, and jfuch an institution might be adopted with advantage here. People were allowed to smoke in almost every other public place, he commented—in cafes and restaurants, inhotels and accommodation houses, in dance halls and in cabarets. Mr Fuller did not consider the fire risk argument could be advanced as a serious reason for not adopting his suggestion. It was not a danger in other countries to have smoking in theatres, and there should be no reason why it should be in this. Jewellers’ Shop Smashed: The crash of breaking glass in Colombo Street at 0.45 this morning made Constable Williams investigate, and he found John Francis Mason Seabrook, a canvasser, aged 27. standing before a hole in the plate glass window of Watson’s, Ltd., jewellers. He denied that he had broken it, but then admitted his responsibility. As the result, Seabrook appeared before Mi* H. P. Lawry, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court to-day, charged with breaking a plate-glass window valued at £3O, and was remanded to appear on Friday