CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20108, 15 May 1935, Page 7

CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

ITEMS FROM THE CITY CHRISTCHURCH, May 14. Personal: Sympathy with Mr H. D. Acland in his illness was expressed at a meeting of the committee of the Canterbury branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Mr Acland is president of the branch. Reference to the death of Mr Henry Leslie, of Riccarton, who arrived in Canterbury by the Castle Eden, the fifth ship to reach the province w r as made at a meeting of the Canterbury Pilgrims and Early Settlers Association. Court of Review: Mr W. W. King has been appointed registrar of the Court of Review of Mortgagors liabilities. Mr King is the associate of the Hon. Mr Justice Johnston, who has been appointed judge of the Court of Review. The quarterly session of the Christchurch Supreme Court which opened to-day is the last that will be taken by the Hon. Mr Justice Johnston as resident judge for the circuit. It is anticipated that the recently-appointed judge for the district, the Hon. Mr Justice Northcroft, will arrive in Christchurch before the end of the present sessions and that he will take over the session from his Honour Mr Justice Johnston within the next fortnight. No announcement concerning the first sitting of the Court of Review has yet been made but it is understood that the Court will sit when matters have been referred to it by the Mortgagors Relief Commission and that the first sitting will be in the North Island. Heavy West Coast Traffic: Exceptionally heavy goods traffic is reported on the Midland line from the West Coast to Canterbury at present. To-day. for instance, nearly 3000 tons were to be hauled through the Otira tunnel. The greater portion of the freight is coal, it being stated to-day that traffic was particularly heavy in this commodity just now owing to Canterbury coal merchants stocking up for the winter.

Membership Not Changed: No changes in membership but considerable changes in the totals of the candidates is revealed by the official count of votes cast for the City Council. The final figures, announced today, show that the Citizens Association has 12 members and the Labour Party four. A notable result of the official count is that Mr E. Parlane is shown as topping the poll among the Labour candidates, heading the Rev. J. K. Archer. There were many mistakes in the preliminary count of the votes on the night of the election. Without exception the total for each candidate has been altered by the official count. This was to a certain extent inevitable, as declaration votes had to be considered in the official count. Some of the changes in individual totals, however, are substantial, Mr J. W. Beanland (Citizens Association) gains nearly 300 votes, and still tops the poll. Mr M. E. Lyons also shows an increased total, but Mr E. H. Andrews moves back, though they retain their respective positions. Dr J. Guthrie moves up to fourth place, ahead of Mr C. E. Jones. Mr 7. Parlane gained over 300 votes in the official count and Mr T. Milliken over 600. Mr F. D. Sargent (Citizens Association) retained approximately the same number, being assured of the last place on the council. There was a noticeable change among the unsuccesful candidates, Mr T. J. Maling (Citizens Association) heading the list of unsuccessful aspirants. his vote increasing from 16,166 to 16.949, while that of Mr G. Manning (Labour), who was shown as the leading unsuccessful candidate on the night of the poll, increased only from 16,481 to 16,777. Tourist Traffic: Though general outward overseas travel from New Zealand has begun to slacken, inquiry is developing, in Christchurch at all events, for Eastern tours by means of which the Christchurch winter can be avoided. Japan is attracting the greatest attention among prospective travellers, with Ceylon, Java and Honolulu as its nearest rivals. The outward tourist season now closing was a busy one, bookings for England and the Continent considerably exceeding those of recent preceding seasons. 4

Intoxicated in Charge: A fine of £2O, the cancellation of his licence, and prohibition from driving a motor-car for two years from June 1, 1935, was the penalty imposed by Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court to-day on William Alexander Garden, 44, a traveller, for being intoxicated in charge of a motor-car in Victoria Street on May 4. Sub-Inspector D. A. Maclean Scid that Garden first collided with a tram in Colombo Street and then was in • volved in another collision in Victoria Street. The police were sent for and he was found to be in an advanced state of drunkenness. No one was iurt in the collisions, but Gardens was before the court on a similar charge on October 1 of last year. Mr W. R. Lascelles, who appeared for Garden, said that he was a man of an extremely nervous disposition. A long period of hazardous war service had aggravated his naturally nervous condition. He was consequently unable to drink intoxicating liquor safely, and on the day of this offence he had had only three whiskies. Mr Lascelles produced the report of an examination by Dr R. H. Baxter to support his statements. Garden w r as at present unemployed, and was a semi war-wreck. The Magistrate said that but for counsel’s representations he would have sent Garden to gaol. Fourteen days were allowed in which to pay the fine, in default one month’s imprisonment with hard labour. Seafield Irrigation Farm: A report that the Lands and Survey Department had suspended the experimental work at the Seafield Irrigation Farm in the Ashburton County was discussed at a meeting of the Board of Governors of Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, to-day. The board decided to urge on the department the necessity for carrying on the experimental irrigation work undertaken in the past three years, and expressed the hope that a statement by the Minister of Lands denying that there was any intention to suspend work on the farm meant that adequate provision had been made for carrying on the experiI mental work in the future. A letter from Mr A. H. Flay, farm advisory officer, dated May 13, stated that all work of an investigational and experimental nature at the Seafield Irrgiation Farm had ceased as from May 10. A further letter from Mr Flay, dated to-clay, stated that a report in a morning newspaper would appear to contra-

dict his earlier report. “I desire to make it quite clear, however,” he continued, ‘‘that on Friday last there was no indication given to me by the Lands and Survey Department that they intended to continue the work at Seafield, as indicated in this morning’s paper, Mr Cook.e the farm manager, was instructed to neglect recordings, etc., and to run the farm for maximum profits. “It might be interpreted from the report in this morning’s paper that all recordings were to be continued. If so, then it means that the Lands and Survey Department now intend to run the farm as in the past. Thus, it would appear that the organisation and foundation plan of investigation as established is to be continued by the department.” Struggle in House: After a struggle with a member of the household, a man who broke into the home of Mrs Beatrice Mary McKechnie, 97, Rugby Street, yesterday afternoon escaped. During the struggle a suitcase containing £4 in money and household goods were recovered. The man was surprised by Mr J. M. McKechnie, a clerk in the National Bank, Greymouth, who is on a holiday visit to his home in Christchurch. He returned unexpectedly to the house during the afternoon, and, having no key, tried the front and back doors. These were locked, but his bedroom window, which he remembered closing, was open and the blind down. He thought he saw someone moving inside, so got in through the window. He found a man trying to get out the back door. Mr McKechnie grappled with the man, who dropped a suitcase he was carrying, but resisted. The man managed to get out the back door, but there Mr McKechnie again got hold of him. He went through the man’s pockets and found £4 in notes and other articles, all of which the man, it is alleged, admitted having taken. While this search was going on the man suddenly broke away and escaped down Winchester Street by riding a bicycle. From information received Detective Norman Thompson last evening made an arrest, and Norman Leonard Eden, a labourer, 27 years of age, was remanded in the Magistrate’s Court this morning until May 21 on a charge of breaking and entering by day the dwelling of Beatrice May McKechnie, at 97, Rugby Street, and committing theft.