CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20102, 8 May 1935, Page 4

CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

ITEMS FROM THE CITY CHRISTCHURCH, May 7. Personal: Mr S. W. Newman, of Thursday j Island, who has been spending some , weeks in New Zealand, will leave Lyttelton by the lonic this week for ] a trip to England. The Rev. Father Cooney, of Lyttelton, left this evening on a three months’ health trip to Australia. Father D. Healey will have charge of the parish during Father Cooney’s absence. Mr W. S. Newburgh, of Murray- j Aynsley Hill, returned to Christchurch > to-day after a five-week’s visit to Australia. He was accompanied by Mrs Newburgh. Training of Engineers: Fourteen candidates for licenses as ground engineers to aero clubs or aerial transport companies began a special refresher course to-day at Wigram Aerodrome. They will receive instruction from members of the ground staff at the aerodrome, and will then sit written and practical examinations. The course will last nine days. The candidates are drawn from all parts of New Zealand. Temperatures Below Normal: Last week was exceptionally cold, the mean temperature being only 46.4 degrees, as against a normal for this time of the year of 49.1 degrees. The total rainfall to yesterday morning was 0.86in„ of which 0.49in fell yesterday. There were four frosts, the heaviest being 9.3 degrees on Sunday. The highest temperature was 60.7 degrees, on Wednesday, and the lowest 31.9 on Sunday. Notifiable Diseases: Seven cases of notifiable diseases and one death were reported to the Health Department from the Canterbury health district during last week. From Canterbury, there were two cases of tuberculosis, one of scarlet fever, one of diphtheria, one of septicaemia, and one of erysipelas, while from the West Coast there was one case of scarlet fever. The death, from tuberculosis,, was reported from the West Coast. Capping Procession: The annual exposition of university humour was exposed to the public gaze to-day with an appropriate accompaniment of shouting and other hullabaloo. The students were decorously noisy and decoratively happy, and the weather failed to dampen their spirits. The public responded nobly to the invitation to gaze and chuckle at the annual parody of current events and libellous impersonation of high personages. The performers enjoyed themselves, the public was receptive, the traffic inspectors were tractable, and the show was generally a success. Election Day: To-morrow 62,000 people in Christchurch will have the right to say whether Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P., or Sir Hugh Acland will be their Mayor, and it will be their privilege also to name 16 out of the 44 candidates who are anxious to look after the city’s affairs. To-morrow will be the climax of an election campaign that has been singularly free from acrimonious argument and bitterness of feeling, though the party alignments have never been more strongly defined. Unpleasant personal references that so frequently

mark a campaign where there are two so vigorously opposed forces have been lacking, though neither has spared the other in condemnatory criticism. Deer-Stalking: According to reports received so far deer-stalkers have met with much more success this year than last, there being a fairly definite improvement in the quality of heads seen and secured. A 16-pointer, two T4’s, and a 12 were i secured by a Christchurch party stalkj ing near the upper waters of the Huru--1 nui, while four smaller beasts were j shot in one afternoon not much more j than 50 miles from Christchurch. Two hinds were seen at White Rock, just beyond Rangiora, the other day, doubtless driven down to the lower levels by the cold. Sou’-westerly Gale: j Reports from the country districts j to-day indicate that the sou’-westerly I gale had just about blown itself out, and although fairly high seas were still running on the eoast the conditions to-day were not nearly as boisterous as they were yesterday and last evening. Last night some heavy showers were experienced in Christchurch, but there has been a general improvement in the temperatures, the morning being much warmer than yesterday, although it was still very miserable. As soon as she had cleared Wellington Heads on her way to Lyttelton last evening the inter-island steamer Rangatira ran into heavy head seas, and crossing Cook Strait she received a severe thrashing. Almost continually her decks were awash, and driving showers of hail and sleet made things most uncomfortable for those on watch. For the comfort of the passengers Captain B. B. Irwin, who is at present in command of the Rangatira, had speed reduced, with the result that those aboard suffered very little discomfort. South of Cape Campbell conditions were much better, and the vessel reached Lyttelton at 7.45 a.m., about an hour behind her usual time of arrival. Remand Granted: William Alexander Garden, a traveller, forty-one years of age, was charged in the Maistrate’s Court this morning, before Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., with being intoxicated in charge of a motorcar. On the application of his counsel, Mr Lascelles, he was remanded till May 14. Bail was fixed at £25 and one surety of £25. Brought as Warning: "This cgse has been brought by way of a warning,” said Chief-Detective Dunlop in the Magistrate’s Court this morning, when prosecuting James Hindson, of Barbadoes Street, who pleaded not guilty to a charge of wilfully detaining a letter not his own property. The chief-detective said that about the end of November last a city firm of solicitors sent a letter to a lady living at 85 Barbadoes Street. The letter was wrongly addressed, however, and went to 58 Barbadoes Street, Hindson’s residence. When the letter was not received by the lady, inquiries were made, and on February 13 last her husband called on Hindson to ask him about the letter. Hindson told hijn that he had placed the letter in a safe place after his two-and-a-half-year-e’l son had tom it, and forgot all about it. “There is no excuse for Hindson,” said the chief-detective. "The name of the firm which sent the letter was printed op the envelope, and he could have sent it back to them.” The Magistrate (Mr E. D. Mosley), saying that Hindson had been careless, dismissed the charge.