LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6500, 1 June 1899, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

« > . The conference of retail dealers with the committee of'iithe' Ghdmbec of Commerce, called for\Friday;Jiure'jl&,:Will:be held at 2 p;m.,and not/a$ 8 p.m.' as 1 advertised. Mr J. ;C. Blackmore, Government Pomolo-gisty-will deliver, an address this evening before the members of the Canterbury Horticultural Society, at the Art Gallery ; subject-—" Noxious' • Orchard- Pests," commencing at' eight tfclock.. Ati.acineetijig ofr creditors, this morning, the. Official Assignee jsaidii'that experience showed that thfe .longer a 'debt;,was outstanding^ the less.unportance- a debtor attached to it, .and to askaomaifefor aft account that had been "owing for four 'of five years was generallylJobked'on'^as/an insult. While, the Fire Brigade was on its. way to the:.fire iniPeacock Street oft Monday, one of the horses,. a valuable animal, injured itself severely in the fore fetlock by striking it with the hind hoof as it was galloping. Asnßfstrpfcafow.ttsfthe^efiftdt',- MiJich will have the effect of preventing its being worked for some months. It .jaay surprise many people who have made the journey frbm'Cjmstemirch to Dunedin by.'rajl.that the Chertsey, Station, 378 ft above* the. sea. level, is. the highest station on the. line. : J)r.omore,,, and, Mihiwaka tie for .second^.place .with. an. eley.atiop of 373 ft, while Rak'aia, the. scene, of. the. fatality of March A ll, comes third with 3j?Bft of altitude. * The. recent inyestigatioiv.ofJhe Bluff Harbour .Board's ...apcdunts was..,jeond.ucted by Mr Eames, the ,;Canterbury. district audit inspector, •and.at. its meeting, onjtfay; 26, the Board oinanimo.usly expressed, its. apprecia- ] tion of the manner in which Jie.;had performed his duties. Several suggestions made by Mr Eames for alterations in the sjstem«sf theakJsefpujgr.w.ere. adppjtfed. Notwithstanding the three weeks' continued wet weather which has just, .been experienced, in iChristchurch, thereshave been no complaints ;jnade to, the City .Council of wet or imuddy ;roads. 'AH tie principal thoroughfares; are, in. excellent repair^ for the winter. Ihetfidv&nfcjgaiOf: the s surface tarring carried, out on gftmecbf the- city: roads is now very /apparent. The .parts- streated have (completely rresisted i>he ; rain, with the result fthat mo srnud sfchatever "has ' .been created. A -very different state of -'things obtains in the'principal thoroughfares. which have noVbeen so treated, where a few" hours' rain suffices 'to 'leave 'them- an" inch deep' iii «ww[Ty n . • | It is .seldom Jhat <#ny!siing. .brighter .than the .seißnitjy ..pi .the iol<lest.,ofi pld t chestnuts ' lights up the dull though decorous aspect of Supreme .Court proceedings. .Yet it* so fellvojit yesterday ,tnat, shortly, .aftier a noteq criminal lawyer .had delivered c. to ■.■.the i iusher l of ihs .Court a certain withihe in^ tent Sihat the :aaid usher;should incontinentljl hand dihe same to ialbeifore-unrecked, witness^ that a (Certain jpaper bearing lihandwritingi thereon droppea from the •m.agafcine: afore-| said, aiifl fell on Che ?august floor •of the| Court. 'Quickly .■amoTKng arrat, • the legal luminary included, and. aforetime-referred tq in these jpresents, 'brdke 'into; < scathing invective regarding t"he 'conduct di -laii'.hitherto irreproachable T^her, who, after a-long and virtuous life, TxaQ. flarefl to rconvey- written documents between a-witnessin'the'TDox and the Crown counsel, whereas and in "fact;, the said document Tiad in all verity come from ■flic. table of tlie u%wwe-'recit« : a>«ounsel. tunately, however, las Honor, wh'o^ in- addition to more -than a -usucil share of -mental penetration, possesses uncommonly sharp eyesight, had observed tlie -whole-proceeding ab initio, and, happily, explained 'the 'circumstances to the satisfaction -o'f everyone.; Some minutes after a civil case, in whicl judgment went for jMffitiff wjiiih.cost^lhax] been disposed of iii ihe Magsteate's ljourt : this nuarning, Mr Widdoroson,. for the Jlain tiff, applied that the return fare of a wit ness sblruld be granted -bo Temiika. "Th< man was a resident of Temuka.. but 'hap pened to Ibe in Christclrarch ait the time thi subpoena to attend in the case wa«!served'Oi him. He Tiad purchased a return ticket' a 1 pxcursion rates before Mis departure fron Temuka, ■a«S now, through %elng ddlayec over the suit;, this ticket had -expired, sou he would have to purchase another. I the witness "hatl been served in Temuka, tin defendant wouTd have Been made to -pay hi fare both ways. Mr Westenra, J.P. : "'Bu be was not in when he was nerved h* was in Christchurch, you see.* 1 Sfr Wid dowson : "Yes, 'but he was not servefi -as "-, "ChtistchuTch TseSideet ; he was served as :; "Temuka resident." Mr Westenra: "Th position is this There is a court at.'Te muka, and the evidence should have hee; taken -there. There is no reason why tha could «ot have been flone, and the expens *aved. 'The evidence ct'Hild have been taice there at a cost of a few shillings." M Widdowson: "Yes; irat'Jie was in Chrisi church at the time of the -service, and hi stwvhad to be prolonged." JMx Westenra ■"'.Well,, we cannot agree to gr anting tl isice. The -Application will' "be refused." The vint.ron of the GhristclnwcJi Hospita 'acknowlp.dges, ' with thanTts, the reprint c . nPv T "d:f*nls'.frni". >fr T.. T-"l'a.veK. "-fa" f"' OmiW. Mrc TR«n .' and a friend-: cV> lire frosn Mre,Withey. At tlie annual meeting of the 'North Eel Pre^bvterian congregation, last evening, ' was decided to take immediate steps t obtain subserirrtions- fc-r the r>vrr r^e of 13«'M inf ofr the dfebt— f!43S— on ih« old ■iDd cretin? a new n^«>. The pr nTr ?"' % T• 1 mn.de that the new building shoi'Jd v«'- b commenced until half the amount require was in hand. It was stated that ncarl &650 had already been promised. ~ Special Notice.— Crown Brand Tea nriz .•ompetitions will be continued all this jea round, and will close on the last days - 1 April, June, August, October, and Decem ber in each year. Prizes of ladies' silve and other watches, albums, workboxes, etc Subbard, Hall and Co. 238*

As on previous occasions, the Post Offic< •n authorities to-day made use. of the Chambei °£ of Commerce in order to pay the monthly in " stalments of the old age p?nsions. There _ were about 430 applicants,. -end by half-past two, only about 100 had not received theii money. The following is the return of births and deaths for the city of Christchurch and surrounding boroughs for the month ended ( " May 31:— Births — Christchurch, males 18, '. females 20, totnl 38 ; Sydenham, 7, 6-13 ; s St Albans, 6, 9—15 ; Linwood, 3, 6—9 j > Woolston, 1, I—2. Deaths— Christchurc h. r males 11, females 10, total 21 ; Sydenham, . 3, s—B5 — 8 ; St Albans, 1, 3—4 ; Linwood, 2, .* I— -3 ; Woolston, 1 female. ' The Christchurch Beautifying Society hasj commenced the work of planting the - plot of ground _ying in the centre of the • open space in Oxford Terrace at the inter- ' seotion of Gloucester Street. It has been topj dressed to a depth) of about sis inches T*rith r rich black loam, and men are now engaged in erecting a fence round it. The funds , for this work, it is understood, will be doj nated by the owners of property in the vicinity. With a view to encouraging the cultivation of the art of cookery among children, i Dr Levinge and Mr Joseph Gould have each i contributed £1 ls, and the Secretary of t the Agricultural and Pastoral Association 10s to be added to the prize-money in the cliass for six girdle scones made by any child not exceeding thirteen years of age at the forthcoming winter show. The Secretary has sent particulars of the exhibit to the various schools, and a good entry should be attracted. „.