LOCAL AND GENERAL

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7687, 23 April 1903, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL

' The Liberal Patty in "Wellington proposes to tender the Premier a public demonstration on the. occasion of the tenth anniversary of his Premiership. J

To-day being St George's Day/ the Christchurch Magistrate's Court dosed after the overnight criminal business had been concluded. There was no sitting of the uvil court. . y -

In view of the approaching winter, the proprietors of the. "Canterbury Times" have, in order to further popularise that journal as a necessary adjunct- of every home, decided to publish week by week a series of puzzles for young people, and to offer prjzes to those most successful in solving them. Full particulars respecting ui-s competition are advertised in this issue.

Mr H. G. Ell, M.H.R., has received a further . communication from Mr S. Percy Bmith in regard to the Maori names in tiesouth. Mr Smith, pays that tfoe spelling of tte name of tfea Jbill on which the John M'Kenzie memorial has been erected may be both "PokolmritnSii'" and "Pakihiwitaii," and both mean " one shouldered." Mr T. Paj-ata, he adds, is correct as to the word having been the name of a man, but. under th.9 name Pakihiwitahi it represents one, of the crew of iihe Arai-te-uru .canoe, one of the very early canoes to colonise • Moeraki and that neighbourhood. This Mr Smith learns froni some documents colleoted by Mr F. R. Chapman, of Dunedin, aiad is reliable. Tuaw<?.ta, the Maori name of Stunner, h© transh<tios "Burnt back," and Rapa-nui, tbo name oS Shag Rock, hewould be inclined to translate " spread out" or "'broad flat," referring to the broad base of the rock. This does not conflict witih Mr Tikao's meaning, "tho place where t^iere was an accident -by burning. 1 ' Rapor nui, strangely 'enough, is also the 'name of Easter Island, in the fa.r distant Eastern Pacific. It is 'celebrated for its statues and inscjiptkpfs, and, according to the legend oi the Polynesians, was visited about tthe year 650 by a great Polynesian navigator named Ui-tie-Ramgiora- who ako touched jit New Zealand.

Three of the men who returned from tie Discovery by the Morning ore to leave for Wellington 'by the s.s. llotomahana tonight, in order to take passage by the s.s. Tongariro for London. Theii- names are Page, Peters and Macfarlafie.

Captain Kirkpatriek, tie Imperial officer who accompanied the Boer fawners' delegates throughout their tour of New Zealand, 'has written to the Premier thanking the Government and its officials for the kindness and consideration shown to the delegates while in this colony.

His Excellency the Governor has informed the Secretary of' the Jubilee Memorial Committee that he regrets he -will be unable, owing to the pressure of engagements in Auckland, to unveil the Jubilee Memyrial -in C!iristchurch- until after the opsning of Parliament, which dale, lio thinks, would be too late for the ceremony. A meeting of the committee will be held on Tuesday to- consider the matter.

At the ChrhtehiiTch Magnetic Observatory, at 9.30 a.m. to-day, the barometer was rising at 30.152. The maximum and minimum temperatures recorded during the preceding twenty-four hours were 60.2 and 3&1- respectively. The maximum temperature in the sun vas/109.0, and- the minimum thermometer on the grass registered 29.0. The temperature at 9.30 a.m. was : Dry bulb 48.7, wet buib 47.9, humidity. 94 per ce-nt. The -wind was calm, fond no rainfall wns recorded during tie previous twenty-four hours.

The Mayor of Christchurch desires to state- that the paragraph announcing that he and the Mayor of Lyttelton had invited tho Japanese Consul at Wellington to arrange for the visit.. of the Japanese Squadron, is incorrect. He has not considered it necessary to ser.d an invitation to the Consul, seeing that an invitation has already been forwarded, through the Governor, by the Mayor of Lyttelton and Mr Laurenscn, M.H.R., and that the Chairman of the Harbour Board has also offered the facilities of tho port.

At the Magistrate's Court this morning, before Mr E. Beetham, S.M., three male first, offenders Avere each fined 5s and costs, in default . twenty-four hours' imprisonment, for drunkenness. Thomas Richards was fined 10s and costs, in default forty-eight hours' imprisonment, for a similar offence. Mary Portelli, with two previous convictions for drunkenness recorded during the last six months against her, was-again convicted and fined 20s and costs, indefault ninc-ty-six hours' imprisonment. She was also fined 20s and costs, in default " ninety-sis hours' imprisonment, for having used, obscene language, the sentences to be cumulative.

, To-day's weather forecast is as follows: —Wind, moderate generally from thesouth\vard; changing south of ifapidr and New Plymouth towards the east and north-east, The 'barometer will rise everywhere. The sea will be moderate on v both coasts. The tidies will be moderate on all the west coast and 1 "also on the east coast 'between East Cape and Cape- Campbell, and poor elsewhere. A very cold night may be expected in 'all parts of tho country. Durine the last twenty-four hours throughout the country the barometer has continued to rise slowly, and the weather has been fine, but colder. A frost is reported from. Tophouse, , Blenheim anjl the Bealcy. Bain has fallen at Foxton, Te Aroha 'and Cambridge, and snow and rain at Taupo.

"OH, I am ko glad to have met you. We have just nominated you as a member of our parish- vestry," was the greeting which a Christ-church Journalist received /from a prominent, churchman recently. " jndeed," replied the cautious -sq^ibe. " I should bs delighted to be admitted to your vestry, but I am afraid that I am not eligible, as I do not reside in your parish." "Do not trouble yourself on that score," replied the churchman, " for your regular attendance at the- services of the church entitles you to nomination. You are sure to be elected to fill the vacancy." "I am greatly honoured by your estimation of myself," replied the -embarrassed journalist, " but there are doubtless many others who possess higher qualifications than myself who could fill the position much more creditably." . "Oh, no, Mr ■■ " said the churchman/ " j-ou have the entire confidence of the parish, and it is their wish that you should allow yourself to be nominated." " But that is not my name at all,"- exclaimed the journalist, ,v.nd subsequent explanations disclosed a i-e---markable case of mistaken identity.

The Champion Defenders of the Kdirta hear the Elour Trust's price for sack flour at mill.door, where wheat is grown, is £10 per ton, yet Trust can afford to rail to Lyttelton and put f.o.b. steamer for Auckland at £9 10s, less two and a half discount, as well as' paying agents' commission, indirectly making your bread-winners find the fighting money. 6047