LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7765, 24 July 1903, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The abattoirs at Sockburn will be opened on August 17.

The Lady's Bracelet Race at the .Colosseum last nifeht resulted' in a win for H. Scott, with H. Cook second. The Riccarton-Sockburn Tram Committee intend* to go over tlie route of the proposed electric line for that district this afternoon.

Farm labourers employed near Christohurch intend to form a Union, and a meeting with that object in view will be held in Inglis's Buildings at 8 p.m. to-morrow.

Business at the branch post office in Lichfield Street is increasing, and the warehouses in that port of the city make good use of the institution, which has bsen in existence for about eight months.

The' members of the Otago University football team left for Dunedin by this morning's express train. A largo number ol Canterbury College students" assembled on the railway station to see them, off, aud cheers were exchanged as the train steamed away.

Residents in St Albans are agitating for the estqblißhment of a post office in their district! . The Municipal Chambers havo been plaoed under offe-} to the post office authorities, but many residents' are in favour of having tlie institution at tlie corner of Papanui Road and the North Belt. Mr H. A f Bruce, tecretary to the ~auterbury Acclimatisation Society, received a telegram from Mr Ar«so_., Inspector qi Fisheries, agreeing Mrmeet him and wait'

on tlie Minister of Marine in regaa'd to netting in Lake Ellesmere-. Mr Bruo:? will therefor© leave for Wellington this evening. Mr W. R. Haselden, S.M., sat ab the Magistrate's Court to-day a» commissioner of old) B-ga pendens. Twenty new claims Were set dowi^ for hearing. Of tliese nine .wsce granted in the full amount of £18, one at £16, on? at £14, four wKrr-e. refused, and five cases were adjourned. Of the renewals twenty -nine wefo granted in the full amount of £18, one at £16, one at £14,, two' at £13, two at £11, one ait £3, and! one oase was adijoUrncd.

A gentleman wbo visited the. technical' clns&SL .at.. Wellington a- few days ago., snys that those started im Christcburch bear comparison, very well. In the. northern city art is taught at th© classes, but liere, of oourp?, that subject, ' with its branches, is dealt, with by the School of Art. The typewriting, shorthand, and other commercial classey in Ohrisichurch. are regarded aemuch better than ein-ilaT ernes in Wellington. • At the Christohurch Magnetic Observatory, at 9.30 a.m. 'to-day, the barometer 'stood at 29.785, und was then steady. Tho maximum and minimum temperatures recorded during the previous tweftty-four hours were 40.9 and 36.2 respectively. The temperature at 9.30 a.m. was, dry bulb 30.0, wet bulb 38.5, humidity 96 per cent. The maximum temperature in the sun -was 88.7, and the minmiwn thermometer on the grass recorded 34.9. The rainfall during the preceding twenty-four hours was 0.11 Oin, nnd the wind was south-west. The need for improved accommodation for the bi-weekly Police Court sittings is becoming a matter of urgency,, the little •room in the Provincil Council Chambers being wretchedly inadequate and insanitary. This morning the large volume of police business flttrdctc-d more than the usual crowd of spectators, with the result tliat the room was packed to the doors with a perspiring, motley throng, some of whom evidently belonged to the ranks of the " great unwashed." All the doors were tightly closed, and one small open window did littla toward 1 ! sweetening the atmosphere, which towards the latter part of •the sitting became extremely vitiated. The Christohurch postal authorities have obtained two of the new patent American receiving-box-*, Lika most inventions that come '.from the States, they -ore attractively got up, but they seen, to ha<ve the quality of -strength as well. It will be impossible to extract letters without breaking open the box, the riot being purposely protected in this direction. The automatic appliance inside, whan the box ia opened, .puts iv motion a revolving diec, which displays on the outside the hour at which the next,clearnhce will be made. The Standard times of clearance are also made cleai*. As additional boxeß are required, and the old ones have to be replaced, the new invention will hs brought into further use. A recent issue of "The King, and his Army and Nhvy," received in Chrißtchurch, is embellished) with the results of the New Zealand Tourist Department's activity. A wholo page is devoted to an attractive advertisement of the colony, which is ex-

tolled as- " the wonderland of the world, '''the scenic masterpiece of Nature, and the sanatorium of tlie earth," and English people are oordially invited tv visit this wonderful land of activity, tlie tourist's Elysium, the land' of lovely lakes, the country of forests and ferns, the homo of the Maori, the dicer.stalker's delight, the angler's paradise, fhe mountaineer's glory. The advertisement . also • contains some splendid illustrations, which show that the letterpress is not hyperbolical. During the hearing of a charge of committing a breach of tho peace in the Police Court this morning, Mr Donnelly made on Ineffectual ftttempt to submit the evidence of the chief witness for the prosecution, a young girl, to cross-examination. This fitness evidently held her own idea of how ehe should comport herself, and obstinately refused to reply to the direct questions put to her. She was practically in the position of the informant, and at last Mr Donnelly, turning to the Bench with jome heat, raid, *' The bias of the witness is apparent to everyone in the Court, excepting, perhaps', to come members of the Bench, and if you £** satisfied to try the case without allow, jfcig. her evidence to be subjected to croesexnmination, then I will sit down. Ihave afksd this girl a question again and again. j£_w .refuses to answer, and you sit there •ml' Ink' no step* to compel her to an- , ■wee" The Bench made no sign of carrying s«t Mr Donnelly's suggestion. The examination was continued,; and counsel, fi-.i iing himself again brought to a stand•fll, miia a second appeal to the Bench. T!:is tim- the chairman gave the girl to Un:k*rst:ind thnt she must answer the questions put to her. _^__ . _

The formal opening of the (?ity Destructor electrical installation wili take place next Friday.

The probable date of the Australasian Athletic Championship, in Melbourne, will be Jan. 30 and Feb. 1.

It is understood that under the will • of the late Mrs Vallanco, of Sefton, the Sefton Presbyterian Church will benefit to the amount of ovei* £1600.

A Morris-tube shooting match was fired at Rangiora last evening, between the olub and Volunteers, ten men a side. The former won with a score of 231 to 326.

A sub-committee to consider the question of a New Zealand Cross-country Championship met last night, and resolved to call a meeting, on Tuesday evening, of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association Council to decide upon a course. /

The Queensland Amateur Athletic Association has requested the Australasian Union to take a mail vote on the following questions : — (1) Should a full-blooded' aboriginal be allowed an amateur status. (2) Should a half-caste bo treated in the same manner as a full-blood. Tlie Victorian Amateur Athletic Association hp also asked for a mail vote on the question of what is the procedure in the case of trade and house sports in events for which trophies only are presented, were^amateurs and professionals allowed to compete together by granting a permit to the amateur on application. The Victorian Association's custom had been to grant all applications.