LOCAL AND GENERAL

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8841, 30 January 1907, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL

At the Wanganui Police Court this morning William Burns was committed for trial at next sittings of the Supreme Court at Wanganui on. a charge of assaulting Daniel Griffin, with intent to rob. The pupils of the Lyttelton District High School did exceedingly well in the recent New Zealand University examinations. The school sent up ten candidates for the matriculation, and Junior Civil Service examination. All passed, and the names of nine appeared in the "passed with credit " list. One pupil Df the school, Edwitt Loader, . gained the tenth > position among the Canterbury candidates. The growth of Masterton during the last few years has been of quite a phenomenal nature, and the rapid expansion of the town steadily continues. Speaking generally it may be said that the town nas doubled*-in size during the past five years, and there is no indication of any slackening in progress. A feature of recent expansion « nas been, the subdivision of various estates within and without the borough. A meeting of Christchurch syndicate phareholdera in the Parapara Iran Ore Company was held in TattersaH's Hotel on Tuesday evening, at which Dr Jennings was chairman. It was resolved to send a delegate to Wellington to interview the trustees of the late Sir A. J. Cadman's Estate, to get definite information as to the position of the shareholders. The meeting elected Mr R. J. Wilkins secretary, arid when the delegate returns a meeting of the shareholders will be held. Road traffic was a subject of discussion at the Selwyn County Council's meeting to-day, and Mr J. Wolfe,, an old settler, expressed the opinion that road traffic in Canterbury has dwindled considerably in- late years. For forty carts that drove into town on market day years ago, there 'was now only one, the railways being generally used. Mr G. Witty, M.H.R., at once joined issue with Mr Wolfe, and was equally emphatic in his assertion that traffic on the roads had increased, but the vehicles were much Kghter than in early days. At the Magistrate's Court this morning, an unfortunate woman was charged with drunkenness and other offences. She had just left the Salvation Army Home, where she had been allowed to spend three months as an alternative to prison. An officer from the Home appeared, and said that the accused had behaved extremely well in the Home, and they were quite ready to take her back. "But as soon as she .is discharged," said Mr Bishop, S.M., "she gets into trouble again. What is the effect of your treatment upon her?" The representative of the Home said that no cure was guaranteed. "No; but do you guarantee any improvement? I'm not specially referring to your institution, but to all such places." In the end he sentenced the accused to two months in gaol, with the alternative of six months in the Home. Vancouver, like New Zealand, is suffering from a dearth of female domestic servants. In the British Columbian town the Chinese have_ practically a monopoly of the domestic service, and their wages vary from about 25s to 40s per week. When Mr T. W. Bont'horne, of Petone, was there recently, he expressed surprise that the Chinese should be thus employed when there were thousands of young women in Great' Britain almost starving, who would be only too glad to get the work. He was informed that an effort had been made to bring some girls out, but they were "snapped vp 3 ' in Eastern Canada before they had got very far. Mr Bonthorne found upon inquiry that the number of Japanese coming into America was on the increase. Some &f them were young men of good Families, who obtained employment, Uut whese main object was to learn the English language and customs. .^