CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20098, 3 May 1935, Page 11

CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

ITEMS FROM THE CITY CHRISTCHURCH, May 2. Personal: Mr W. J. Poison, M.P., president of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, will visit Christchurch on May 29 and will give an address to farmers. The Hon. S. G. Smith, Minister of Education and Employment left Christchurch this morning for a tour of the West Coast. Mr D. I. Macdonald, secretary of the Canterbury Employers’ Association, returned from Wellington yesterday morning, and left for Greymouth this morning, with Messrs G. M. Hall and F. N. Lawrence. They will act as the employers’ assessors in the Conciliation Council on the metalworkers’ assistants dispute, affecting the Canterbury, Westland and Nelson districts. S.I. Main Trunk: It is the view of the Minister of Employment (the Hon. S. G. Smith) that the completion of the South Island Main Trunk Railway is a work that should be gone on with, and this was one of the observations he made at a meeting of the executive of the Canterbury Progress League. He described the work as of national importance, and said that it should be proceeded with for as long as money was available. New Aeroplanes: A Moth machine delivered at Wigram Aerodrome recently for assembly for issue on loan to the Wellington Aero Club for pupil training work has now been tested and delivery will be taken of it within the next few days by an officer of the Wellington Club. Another aeroplane for the West Coast Aero Club has been assembled and tested, but will not be issued till an instructor and an engineer have been apointed by the West Coast Club. Another Vickers Vildebeest machine for the Royal New Zealand Air Force was transported to-day to Wigram aerodrome. The parts of the first machine have now been unpacked and stored in one of the hangars. Assembly of the machines will not be carried out for some time yet. Lake Coleridge Level: The level of Lake Coleridge is remaining fairly steady. The reading today was 1668.65 ft, compared with 1668.675 ft a fortnight ago. No reading was taken last Thursday, which was Anzac Day. Shunting Accident: Mr V. Willyams, a railway porter residing in Grafton Street, Linwood, had his left leg crushed above the knee during shunting operations at the Christchurch Railway Station shortly after 11.30 o’clock last evening. Mr Willyams was crushed between two carriages. He was taken to the Christchurch Public Hospital. His condition is reported to be satisfactory. A Good Opening: Sportsmen who returned to Christchurch from Lake Ellesmere last evening were quite satisfied with the opening of the duck-shooting season, and the majority of them had a fairly good day yesterday. One shooter said he mid heard of only one limit bag on ;he lake, but there were several on the ponds. Very few , were disappointed with the day’s sporL, and generally tpeaking, the opinion is that the

opening was a . good one. There were more ducks than usual, and the pond shooters had some really good sport.

Hydatids Disease: The alarming fact that hydatids is on the increase, and that of the total number of cases in New Zealand onethird occur in Canterbury, was discussed at the annual meeting of the North Canterbury Provincial Executive of the Women’s Division of the Farmers Union.

The subject was introduced by Mrs T. Pearson, of Hororata, who said that the matter was one that affected the farming community in particular. Not only were the numbers of cases among men, women, and children alarming, but the lungs of from 50 to SO per cent, of the ewes and lambs had been found to be affected in some degree.

Military Display: All units of the Territorial force stationed at Christchurch and one squadron of the C.Y.C., together with cadet units not on inter-term holidays, will participate in the King’s Jubilee celebrations. The parade will assemble in Hagley Park north at 10.15 a.m. on Monday. Lieutenant-Colonel S. D. Mason will be in command and Captain W. Murphy will be staff officer. Colours will be carried, officers will be in review dress and other ranks in full dress. A detachment from the R.N.V.R. and the No. 3 Squadron New Zealand Air Force will take part. At the conelusioh of the parade, jubilee medals will be presented by the Mayor. After the parade a non-de-nominational church service will be held, at which attendance will be voluntary. The bands of the C.Y.C., the First Canterbury Regiment, the Christchurch Boys’ High School, the Christchurch Technical College and the West Christchurch District High School will participate. Prior to the march past the assembled troops will give three cheers for the King. A novel feature of the march past will be provided by the Air Force, one flight of which will fly past the saluting base. "Taxi War”: Permission for a trial of the system of suburban taxi stands, recently put into operation by one large organisation in the city, has been granted by the Christchurch City Council in an endeavour to solve the problem of the “taxi war” at present being fought out in Christchurch. This new scheme will cause a considerable reduction in fares because it enables “dead” mileage to be cut out. In a statement the chairman of the Finance and By-laws Committee (the Rev. J. K. Archer) said the proprietors seemed to be divided and to be prepared to make the taxi business worthless to anyone. The By-laws Committee had spent many hours >n the matter, but one firm seemed determined to flout the decisions of the committee and practically monopolise the trade. Other groups of proprietors had been getting up counter schemes until a state of chaos reigned. The present position was that the council had decided to give the system cf suburban stands a trial and later examine the result. Mr Archer added that a special committee might be set up to deal with the taxi business and motor traffic generally. These matters had absorbed much of the time of the By-laws Committee. Magistrate Farewelled: The Bench, legal profession and police combined to-day to pay tributes to the services in Christchurch of Mr H. P La wry, S.M., who has been transferred to Wellington. The Magistrate's Court was full.

Mention was made of the patience, tact and ability of Mr La wry, particular reference being made to his able administration of the Destitute Persons Act. Mr A. F. Wright, president of the Canterbury Law Society, spoke for the profession. New Technical College: Although at the moment plans are so indefinite that it can hardly even be said that they are tentative, it seems likely that the new technical college which the Hon. S. G. Smith (Minister of Education and Employment) intimated would be built at Papanui, will be a modern single-story structure in wood, containing at least 16 classrooms and laboratories, to accommodate about 400 pupils. It will relieve greatly the pressure at the present Technical College at Barbadoes Street. When a representative deputation waited on the Minister asking that the No. 2 Technical College be built, he intimated, almost before the request had been made, that he was prepared to consider favourably making an immediate grant for the work. He was most enthusiastic about the site secured in Langdon’s Road, and said that the people who had bought it had done a good turn for Christchurch. Dr D. E. Hansen, principal of the Christchurch Technical College, told a reporter to-day that there would need to be considerable negotiations with the Education Department before anything definite could be said about the type of school that would be built, or about what subjects would be taught there and to what standard. At the moment there were no plans drawn up. The plans which had been drawn up five years ago—providing for a twostoried brick building, with three stories in the centre, had now been wholly scrapped. Restoration of “Cuts”: The North Canterbury Hospital Board, at a special meeting next Saturday, is to consider the attitude adopted by the Department of Health to the decision of the board to increase wages. The meeting has been called as the result of a requisition received from five members of the board—Mrs T. Green and Messrs A. T. Smith, W. J. Walter, J. K. Archer and J. S. Barnett. The circular letter from the Direc-tor-General of Health, which has been sent to all hospital boards that have decided on wage increases, states, inter alia: “Objection is not taken by the department to a board, which has closely followed the example of the Government in the matter of both the first and second cuts, also granting a general increase of five per cent, in salaries and wages (i.e., virtually restoring the second general cut) and dating this increase from April 1, 1935, if not already effective. Further, objection will not be taken to minor adjustments of a board’s salaries and wages rates for individual employees who are definitely underpaid in comparison with the majority of employees in their class.

“With these qualifications, however, the department, in view of the limited amount expected to be available for subsidies, and in order to bring about an equitable allocation of subsidies, is not prepared to recommend approval of boards’ estimates which provide for the restoration of any portion of the first general reduction in salaries. It is therefore desirable that each board refrains from restoring, in part or inwhole, the first general salary reduction until approval is specifically given.”