LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7891, 22 December 1903, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

.The Premier has promised Mr Daly, Mayor of Kaiapoi, that if it is possible ti& will accompany Sit J. G. Ward fp Kaiapoi at the end of next month* oh th« occasion of the opening of the new railway station. ' The matron of the Ctonstchurch Hwplt4 '\ acknewledgeS, with "thanks, the recerpt : of picture and story Jbooks for the Chilian, from a friend, magazines from Mrs Shiiw; &ad Mr Guise Brittah, and <M linen. fi«M a. friend. His Honor Mr Justice Detinistbn saili this morfiing that, aithoiigß, he^oiild ndjb assume that a man -who came ' from Alia* tralia was a criminal, there inftd kfceiy been ■ a. great deal to suggest that a. man coming over here wasttf baud character. A bicycle teams, race, six a. side, -.will be held on the Harewood Road this starting at 7i.30Y between representatives of the Cydirig Corps. and the Oily; RifleS. . The distance to be covered; wilt h!e about eight itiiles, and the Jesuit wili be decided by points. An interesting contest 'is promised. , Mi G. Witty, i&H.it., has received a .tetter from the Department of Ag'ricultuW stating that* in response to a recomriieriaation front the g&wyn County OSttiieli, iif^ gestiiig that certain birds Should be declared injurious under the Birds 2fo«(an«6 Actj that the kea^and the blackbird shall bd added tp the schedule, but thfe Governtjr-in-Couhcil has decided riot, to" add the lafiariii the thrush. Members of the Sydeiiliafii a&li Christchurch Fire Brigade had 4 fehS&rlal iii«fc evening, at the Clarendon Hotel, of the" work that is to be done by'th«tt to-inori ■ row evening, when, they wiil be* inspected by tie City Council's ' Fiifc PreveHtioit Committee. Superintemkait Smith, was ih> charge of the inefc, and instructed them in the placing of ladders and other details 6t the demonstration «xp&cted of them. At the Cfaristchurch Magnetic Observa-; toijr at 9.30 a;m. to-dayj the barometer stood at 30.075, and wa^s falling. The wind tvas norfch-east, arid ciond (0-iO) 3. The maximum temperature ddrln^ the preoedin-g twenty -four hours waib 84, dhd t^e miiumutu 49.4. The temperature at . 9.30 a.iri. was — Dry bulb 64, wet bulb 5*7.9, . humidity (ft per cent. The maximum temperature in the Sua was 136, and the minlinnm th^rnit|fil^ter on the grass 43.8. The rakfaii waS nil. The harbourmaster at rlaramea reports ■ that a large wreck must have taken plade/ as the following were picked up, having been washed ashore : — A largo cMar doftr. turned table legs, Sky-light, cdmpariipn o'l dabiri, and lining of twe^i decks of largd ship, painted blue; and a lot of timber,,tobacco arid clothing has also been reported as washed tip/ The. Steamers Alexander and Aotea 'both reoently reported having seen; floating wreckage. '. I . Mr George Witty, M.ILB>. Z has received advice froai th& r Lands aiid * Survey Department xeferriiig ; to. a question placed upon the Order Pifier fty him as tfar back as July 8j witJt regard to ftein^fcery trustees being allowed to. k€ep ti6ir accbufits in Post Office Saiviiigs Sank;!: The Mfiiister states that arra-rigcinents are being' made in that direction, and that an Order-in-Couilcil is being prepared to power to cemetery trustees to' keep their accounts ' at Post Office Savings Banks. . Speaitiog at a prize-giving oeremony» last night, Mr G. Laurenson, M-S.il., said that the edu'catiorial advantages dhjoyed by the young, people of the p"re*etlt day were very Much greater thait ii± _h^ day. Nothing could be moire attfac'trve to young men nowadays than; to find so many sweet youirg ladies joining them in -their classes, aid taking positions besideg. tneiH in clerical work. "I belfevV' saift Mf Laurenson most gallantly, "if I were a ymirig man, I would pay 4 bonus to get into an office, and work at the same desk, us some of the young ladies I See aboutr me.'>' The Collector of Custom* in Christchnrch has forwarded for publication tie following amended forth of certificate under section 8 of the Preferential Trade Act of laet session : — "I (full name), of the firm of , do hereby certify that thw invoice, amounting to JB , for goods exported to New Zealand on account of (name of person or firm to wH(Hri invoiced), is true and correct, and that^ the' goods specified therein are bona fide the produce or manufacture of (name of the par^of the British dominioMK in which "the goods have been produced or manufactured). (Sittned) Dated , thii day of , 190 ." In the report he made last ndght on. the worlc of the Commercial College. Mr C. H. Gilby had a tilt at the system of elenawntarv" education employed here. He said that there appeared to be something wanting in the teaching of th£ "three Bs" in the primary schools, inasniuch as the average boy or girl cams to him from the sixth or seventh standard lacking the most rudimentary knowledge of English grammar,, composition and spelling, ffe found it ■necessary to devote a considerable amount of time to the teaching of those subject* in which every boy and girl who had passed' the sixth standard should be absolutely Bt«-

There will be an inspection of the City Fire Brigade to-m6rro\v evening. The conference between the City Counoil and the SelWyti County Council in regard to tfhe Doniain Board \vill be held at 3 p.m. to-morrow. Thft manager of the Chfistchurch Industrial School Receiving Home acknowledges •with thanks the following gifts :— £2 2s I tartri H. Mavks's trust (jfev Mr F. D. Keste- • veh), to provMe a Christmas treat for ininhtes • sWeets and crackers froni Mr E. P. (Sill, Colombo Street. During his recent -visit to .the northern part of his diocese, the Bishop of Waiapu found a gra-duiil •improvemeirit amongst the Iktaoris and their mahner of living. He believes the educltion of young Maori? i» steadily improviftg the mental and physical oon&littA of thfe rat». . A sitting of tne Lytteltoh Police Comrt waS held this moirning, before i& ,C. Ferrier, J.P. Pattiok B*illy> who did not appear, ibub whd settt a. letter iadmirtirijr having boarded a train in motion at Seathoote ou i^uvfember 27, wa!s fined &0s and costs. Two Vithestes stated that he had had a very narrow e^cajre front injury. The Surveyor-General has received advice that eight out o! the nine survey on? /who -vml itt th 6 Arricaii Gold Cbast frtym New Zealand under engagement to the Imperial Gov*rttm^nt Mte comjiktfed \halt furlough in England, aid have bo% itfeutofed duty. Th» ninth recently returned to New Zealand. AU enjoyed good health during their first t*tto on this Gold Coast. 1 At the Bangiora Magistrate's Court, this . morning, Mr H". W. Bifchdp, S.M., ih dealing h a case of disturbing the Salvation "Army, remarked to the sergeant of police iil an M&iTO^fc&ry Way that the Army did not observe the rufe of sileno© in conducting their meeting* to the extant of other reUgious bodfe*. "Oh, d«itr» So," rfeplted the wrgeant, "thett fei«tiß|9 are all noise s&ftrefclmw." £h R&ngiora, to-day, .Mr H. W. Bishop, &.M., xehewßd h>v!r did kge pensions in full* two each at £15, and one at fill, and granted two new applications at £18, and one-.. at'' -£l7; An fcpplioattow was refused, owing to. the pert&ii, having a life-interest in pippeorty valu«d at an amount that precluded him ifcbin WSceiving" a pension. The applicant stated fehat all he received; fi-om ib was £16 12b per year. The general manager of the Pacific Cable Board (Mr Eeynolds) left Australia for London on December 15. On his return to London 'he "will furmish recommendations to the Board) as to the best way of making th© Pacific cable more popular with business ■pettplej fend it is considered probable that he wiE nrge tnfct canY&ss&t& should be again appointed. \ The proposed conference with reference to the Eastern Company's 'agreement will be held shortly after Mr Reynolds's arriival in England. The December number of the " Boys'^Bigh School MagaAihe" contaihs^ besides the usual sports records, several interesting coniii'hutions. the fiSftt of these is ji written and instructive, article by Mr C. E. 'Bevan-Brown on the Rhodes scholarships. Lieutenant Clive Garsia contributes a very readable account, of the review of I>he First Artiny Corps by King Edward and President ■ Loubet. A trip to Mount Herbert is -well described and an account of the visit of a College Old Boys' team in August, and copious notes on old boys complete the . reading matter. The frontispiece is a photograph of the school fMtb&ll team. The Elite Brass Band will play the following programme on the Sy^cnhatti Rotunda to-morrow evening: — March, "Minor v. Major" (Southwell) ; valse> "Youth fcnd-'Beanity" (H. Round) ; iaelectioh, "The Pirpies. of Penzan.ce" (Arthur SulliVan) ; "polka, "Silver Wedding" (S. Round); march, " Palaitinus " (R. B. Hall) ; fantaSia, "Village Festival" (H. Round); , vals^, "Sweet Dreonw" (H. Rbiindj ; petite .overturei " The Mountaineer " , (H. Round); maroh, "Never Behind" (J. Jiiibb;)} "Go 4 Save the King." This mornhig Messrs ~yf. C. Cleary and J. Garrard, secretary and treasurer of the Lf fcteiton Regatta, had am interview irith Commander da Oosti and" LieutenanttJlossop, the commanding omcefs respectively of H.M. chips Pylades and; Lizard, add made arrangemferite for rowing and sailing rakes for the crews tci be placed on the jobgraimme. H.M.S. Pylades will display feW tearchlight on New Year's night, and thfe ipen of the two vessels will get tip a "Darktown" display. Tne commanders of the vessels promised the use of their ships aisJi ©very assistance in connection With the hahd-over-ha-nd progress along a taut tope. A tuatara lizard took up his abode in the Oiri&tehurch Public Gardens for a V long time, but nobody se-ems to know where he came from or how ihe got there, jthe first indioations of his presence were the peculiar marks of. his claws in the snow in winter, and in the soft mud in suntiher. One day a man went to Mr Taylor, the head gardener, and told him that a rabbit iiad taken up ito residence in a 'hole at the foot of a willow near Mr Taylor's cottage. .'Preparations were made to get the rabbit out of ihe hole, and the man pilt h% hand in and. fulled oiit a tiiataraj somewhat, to his ■urprise and consternation. The reptile itils afterwards presented to Professor Dendy. .••■■ According to i private letter received in Wellington (says the "tost") the New Zealand Club in Pretoria! Tfahfevaal, is progressing very wellj and has now a. membership numbering close on, sixty. The foot-, ball season ii.. ended, and members are at present busy With cricket. They have had a number' of race^ and totirnameiita lately . Tlh bicycle race of two miles was won by T. H. Foster, «t Chrißtchurch, the senior b ig by Captain Arthur, of the Third Co^:: agent ; the junior boiing by De Bourbel. c : Auckland ; the senior billiard tournament by A, Stiickey, <jf Levin ; and the junior by 6. Haselden, of Wanganui. During the CBniifig season it » intended to have ioot raceSj ping pong tournamients, swimming races, etc. There, is still, living in the Wairau district. Hawke's Bay, . a Native who is commonly known as "Te Kooti's Butcher." When that once notorious ruffian was rang- \ ing up and down the east coait, this man j (says the "Ppst") acted as a sort of Lord High Executioner, and disposed of the victims Te Kooti ordered him' to put out of the wayi The feilow was paidonfed,, but unlike SomS other. -NatiVes is hot inclined to boast of his misdeeds and very Unwilling to attract notice. Two Wellington gentlemen, who wgfe In the locality lately', desired to get d snapshot at him, but tound it would take time and money to catch him unawares. Astonishing to say, the man actually cb- ' tamed an old age pension; and it was regularly paid for idine time till a magistrate who knew 'him happened to 'hear of it aiid promptly had it cancelled.