CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19986, 19 December 1934, Page 4

CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

ITEMS FROM THE CITY

CHRISTCHURCH. December 18. Personal: Mr J. R Maling of Christchurch has been granted a short service commission in the Royal Air Force as actingpilot officer on probation with effect and seniority from October 19. Mr J. E. Howard, assistant electrical engineer to the Newcastle City Council, Is visiting Chritchurch. Mr Howard Is a Christchurch boy, and was educated at the Boys’ High School and Canterbury College. Mr John Agar, who has been transferred from the Christchurch to the Greymouth branch of the Union Bank of Australia, has left for the West Coast to take up his new position. Adjustment Commission: The Canterbury and Westland Adjustment Commission has completed its sittings for the year. The number of applications for relief respecting mortgage interest and rent dealt with during the year exceeded 950. Since the commision began sitting in May, 1931, some 2800 applications and reviews of applications have been investigated and reported on when ecessary. The commission will resume sitting on January 28, 1935, and fixtures have been made for hearing applications to March 7 next. The commission consists of Messrs J. R. Cunningham (chairman), Colin M’lntosh, E. R. Caygill and Gordon Howes (secretary). Dangerous Work: Hay-making is usually pictured by poets and pastoral writers as a delightful, carefree occupation, but in practice it can apparently be quite a risky business. During the last four days three men engaged in haymaking in the outskirts of the city have been admitted to the Christchurch Hospital suffering from injuries received at work. All had fallen off stacks, and one man received a broken arm, another a broken thigh, and the third serious spinal injuries. H.M.S. Australia: Complete arrangements for the visit of H.M. S. Australia to Lyttelton have been made by the Harbour Board, and the arrangements for berthing the vessel have been approved by the Under-Secretary of Internal Affairs • Mr Malcolm Fraser). The vessel will be berthed on the east side of No. 2 wharf, the same wharf used m for H.M.A.S. Canberra and H.M.S. Renown, and the electric cranes will be available for unloading and loading cars and luggage.

Great Preparations: Christchurch has rarely made such extensive preparations for the visits of royalty as are now'in hand for the arrival of the Duke of Gloucester. Public buildings have had their first thorough spring-cleaning in years, new buildings are being speedily finished off, and the public parks and reerves in and around the city gaily laid out with flowers. Even the bed of the Avon is receiving attention. Thigh-booted employees of the Drainage Board were observed to-day assiduously scrubbing away the assorted debris from the stream bed, much to the enjoyment of the ducks who seemed to be finding much that was edible in the cloudy water. Visit Postponed: Messages were received in Christchurch late yesterday afternoon stating that the Minister of Education, the Hon. S. G. Smith, would be unable to visit Christchurch to-day, as previously arranged. Mr Smith was to have been the speaker at the prize-giving of the Christchurch Technical College this evening, and had also planned a visit to the West Christchurch District High School this afternoon. A deputation from the Papanui Progress League regarding the proposed Papanui No. 2 Technical High School, and several other deputations that had been arranged, have been postponed. The Royal Train: Beautifully appointed and furnished the eleven coaches which will form the Royal train for the Duke of Gloucester’s tour of the South Island have now been completed at Addington Workshops and were given a trial run to Ashburton to-day. Newspaper representatives were shown over the train by Mr C. A. Jenkins, the works manager. Only three of the cars are new —the Royal car, the Royal dining-car and the kitchen car. The other coaches are converted first-class carriages and will be reconverted after their term of service. The Royal car will subsequently be used for vice-regal travel and the other two new cars will be turned into first-class carriages.

“Inadequate Attire’’: The costumes worn by bathers were discussed at a meeting of the New Brighton Borough Council when Councillor T. E. Thomson raised an objection to bathers walking through the streets in inadequate attire. The Mayor (Mr E. A. M. Leaver) said he was fully in agreement with trunks for men being worn on the beach, but he did think they should be confined to the beach. It was beyond all sense of decency when people walked through the main shopping centres in such a costume.

Councillor J. S. Ainsworth moved that the by-laws regarding the wearing of costumes on the streets be enforced. Councillor A. E. Lawry said that at a later stage he intended to move that the existing by-laws regarding bathing costumes be rescinded and revised. He saw no difference between people enjoying themselves on the foreshore and walking through the streets. Councillor J. K. Worrall moved that consideration of Councillor Ainsworth’s motion be deferred until Councillor Lawry had given notice in motion to rescind the by-laws. This was carried. Shop-lifting Charges: For the third time, Ellen Marion Mather, aged 33 (Mr C. E. Purchase) was remanded in the Magistrate’s Court to-day to appear on shop-lifting charges. When the case was last called, ChiefDetective W. H. Dunlop said there was a vast amount of investigation necessary and the value of the goods involved was very heavy. To-day he said more than a dozen charges were already prepared against her. At present accused is charged with stealing goods valued at £1 2s 9d from Millers, Ltd., on December 4. Accused was remanded until December 21. bail being allowed in self £IOO, with one surety of £IOO. “Not Supported by Facts’’: Describing as propaganda the message received from England to-day criticising New Zealand’s marketing of butter, Mr C. P. Agar quoted figures to show that the amount of butter sold in the past six weeks has been a record. The message criticised the New Zealand regulations prohibiting speculative buying and stated that this had established a lower level, and Australian butter had had to come down too. Mr Agar said that that in effect the

statement in the cablegram was that owing to thd arrivals being in excess of the consumptive demand the price level had been forced down. The answer to that was that on November 5 the stocks of butter amounted to 1,066.000 boxes, and on December 17 to 664,000 boxes, a reduction of 401,000 boxes. This completely exploded any argument that the arrivals were in excess of consumptive demand. In 1931 the reduction in stocks for this period was 202,000 boxes, in 1932, 137.000, in 1933, 190,000 and in 1934, 401,000, which was double the stock reduction in that period that had ever occurred in the history of the Dominion. “The cablegram is propaganda, and should be treated as such,’ said Mr Agar. “It is not supported by the facts. One does not mind any man having an opinion when it is based on facts, but it is clear that the statement as cabled is not so supported.” One-Man Trams: One-man trams will be operating on the Riccarton line by the middle of January, it was stated in the Works and Traffic Coipmittee’s report presented to the Christchurch Tramway Board yesterday. A saving of £650 a year is expected, and, due to the fact that single cars and no trailers will run, a faster and more frequent service has been arranged. Two-man cars with trailers will, however, be run to connect with the Templeton bus four times a day.

Farmer Swindled: The activities of two men at the Blenheim Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s show, where they ran an illegal game called “Swing,” led to the appearance of George Garner. 50 years of age, in the Police Court this morning. Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., presided. Garner, who was represented by Mr Russell, pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a cheque valued at £lO, the property of Frederick Clement Page. The accused was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called on within 12 months, and ordered to refund the sum of £3 within one month. Chief-Detective Dunlop said that the accused and another man, when at the Blenheim Show, ran an illegal game called “Swing.” A ball was bowled along a chute. If it went down a hole the player lost, and if it returned the player won. The men saw an old farmer there and, though apparently strangers to one another but in reality working in conjunction, they finally involved the farmer to the extent of £lO and received a cheque for that amount. The other man had been before the Court and had been convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called on within two years. The accused had been quite frank about the matter.