DAILY NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8249, 23 February 1905, Page 2

DAILY NOTES.

It is the constant regret of New Zealand cricketers that visits of Australian teams to this colony • are rare. The team which Christchurch is now entertaining is only the fifth Australian representative combination that has visited New Zealand during more than a quarter of a century. Its predecessors were Gregory's team, which toured New Zealand in 1878, Murdoch's, which visited us in 1881, Scott's, which came in 1886, and Trott's, which came at the end pf 1896. Thus it will be seen that no less than eight years have elapsed since a representative team from tho Commonwealth played in this country. For the benefit of New Zealand cricket these visits ought to come oftener. Cricket here is still in its elementary 'stage, and our cricketers cannot afford to be without the educational advantages derived from meeting and playing against the picked cricketers of Australia.

WANTED, A LESSOR.

We hope that the Australians will take their fhatch against Canterbury seriously. The temptation to " take it easy " will be very great, no doubt. The visitors are at the end of one long season and are about to begin a longer one. In these circumstances they might be forgiven if they regarded their New Zealand tour as a pleasant interlude, affording them a needed breathing space. But to the cricketers of this country the visit of the Australians is a different matter. It is of little moment to them whether they are beaten by tens or hundreds of runs. But they naturally desire that the visitors phould pay then* tne compliment of taking them seriously. The youngster who objoctf t- 0 hip older brother playing him left* handed is not more sensitive on this point than the average New Zealand cricketer.

A CAPITAL SUGGESTION.

The suggestion made by Mr w. Sydney Smith, that the circulating library should be supplied with the works of the bestknown musical composers, is an excellent one. It is not everybody wfco can afford to buy a tenth part pf" these productions. The musician- who possesses more is as rare as -ffc bop^-lpvpr with a welkstooked library, jf £h e Library Committee cannot ' me to prpvide copies of, say, the standard oratorios and operas it Wight epnsent to find acco mmpdation fpranf spare copies which private individuals chooaa to place at its disposal. Buch offerings

FEW AND FAR BETWEEN.

would form the nucleus of a .-nushal library, which in course of time might become a valuable public possession. We cordially commend Mr Smith's suggestion to the Library Committee and the musical public of Christchurch.

A BESEBVB WANTED.

Mr H. G. Ell, M.H.R., has again come forward with a proposal to enlarge the public reserves on the Port Hills. He points out that already much of the most accessible land on the hills has been cut up for building purposes, and adds that it is no easy matter nowadays for invalids or small children to find a handy vacant spot where they can picnic or spend a few hours enjoying the scenery and fresh air. That is true. The only part of the hills within an easy distance of the city is the spur on whicH the Convalescent Home stands. Already the lower part of this spur nas been built over, and each succeeding year sees settlement stretching further and further upwards. What Mr Ell is advocating is that before oil the land on the foot-hills has been cai up and sold a portion of it should be taken over and converted into a public reserve. This is an excellent sug-o-estion. The more energetic iiioinbers of the community can climb to Victoria Park, but children and invalids will soon have nowhere to go unless Mr Ell's suggestion is given effect to.