LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9024, 3 September 1907, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There are very few inquiries for work it the Labour Bureau. The Post Office clock is now taking a test for a couple of clays while undergoing repairs and overhaul. The Registrar-General is at present collecting statistics for a new edition of the municipal hand-book. The handbook is not an annual publication, the last edition having been in 1905. Tt ■will contain useful municipal information regarding each city and province in the colony, detailing, its services, and the public officers for jfche year. Two men, named James Cooper and Leonard M'Lennan, who had created a disturbance in a railway carriage on the Christchurch-Lyttelton line on Monday, [were brought before Mr J. T. Brice, J.P., at the Lyttelton Police Court this morning. Each was fined 20s for having been drunk and disorderly, and ordered to pay 10s 6d for breaking a carriage window and 2s cc6'i;s of Court. / The City Council inspectors have received instructions to immediately luy informations against the owners of unregistered dogs. On last year's figures, there are still about 400 registrations outstanding, and the inspectors have an arduous task to bring some owners to a sense of their responsibilities. It is stated that, not a quarter of the dog owners of the city "would register voluntarily, and have io ~be insistently reminded of the dog tax, although the Act does not provide that ia reminder should be given. This year owners' appear to be very • backward in registering, and the fact is attributed to the after effects of the Exhibition. The_ City Council's by-law providing that, in narrow streets in the city, no buildings must be erected within 33ft of the middle of the street, will cause a good deal of inconvenience to the Kaiapoi Woollen Company if it is enforced. The company intends to erect a large building at the corner of Manchester Street and Allen Street, near Coker's Hotel. Allen Street is a narrow street, and if the by-law is enforced the company will lose a piece of land 16£ft wide for the whole length of the new building, which will run along the street for •165ft. As the building will be three storeys high, the company will lose the epace represented three-fold- The chairman of directors has written to. the City Council asking that the company should be allowed to build right up to its frontage. The work of removing the Exhibition Buildings continues quite devoid of notable incident. The remains of the dome, pulled down last week, are being cleared away. They consist very largely of laths, and most of the timber is fit for little else than firewood. Tho 'firewood element has so far been remarkable for its smallness, but a big smash was inevitable in dropping such a structure as the dome. The ground is being cleared to prepare for the fall of^ the remaining tower. This operation is to be made a public spectacle, visible at close range on a silver eoin -contribution to charity, and at longer range, over the river, ' for noithmg.^ The operation will be carried tout, circumstances permitting, at 3 b' clock on Thursday afternoon. Describing the voyage of the Kaituria In which Mr T. W. R. Hood, chief tofficer of the vessel, was lost overboard the "Otago Daily Times 3 ' says that frrhen midway between Newcastle and (Bluff the steamer encountered a terrific «ea, which continued throughout the trhole of the Thursday. Whilst descending from the bridge to the deck Mr Hood was washed overboard by a huge wave, just about dusk, and was never ■een again. He was wearing oilskins and gum-boots at the time, and, proDably sank almost at once. Captain Evans had the steamer brought round, and lifebuoys were at once thrown overv ii 1 J^ilst a sharp lookout was kept by all hands; but after cruising about the spot until darkness set in the search had to be abandoned, the quest being almost hopeless from the outset, owing ♦o the high sea, rapidly approaching darkness, and also from the fact that the officer was heavily encumbered with toilskins and sea-boots. A well attended and enthusiastic jneeting of those interested in canaries »nd cage birds was held in the Clmstiehurch Poultry Club's rooms on Monday evening, when, after some keen dis- ■ cussion, it was agreed that it would be ! In. the interest of the parent club and 0$ great value to the fancy generally to form a Chri6tchurch Canary and ' Cage Bird Club. This was accordingly done, and the following officers were elected: — President. Mr Bruce; vice- ! Messrs G. Wells, R. C. Wells, Beardsley, W. Erringto-n and W. Taylor; honorary secretary and treasurer, Mr M'Kinney (Linwood) ; auditor, Mr Menzies. Tho aims, objects and rules of the club were formulated and accepted, and it was decided to hold the next meeting on September 13, when lecturettes on. "Pairing" will be given t>y the older breeders, ,and the show "points of birds will be illustrated. This whonld prove of great interest to those beginners whom the club is particularly •jmxious to assist. Why Buffer the awful agony of rheuteatism, gout, lumbago, sciatica and 'kindred diseases? RHEUMO, if given '* fair trial, will quickly cure you. Sold ♦* 2s 6d and 4e 6cU 9.

Miss Morrison, lady inspector of factories for the South Island, is making a round of visits to the factories in Christeh'.ireh. She will visit the outlying distriozs of Rangior-a anti Kaiapoi before proceeding to the south. There are a number of very desirable immigrants on their way to the colony by the Corinthic and Ruapehu, most of them being accustomed to horses and farm work. The Labour- Bureau lias particulars regarding them. The Musical Union has written to the Christchurch City Council offering to undertake the arrangements for the official opening of the Exhibition organ at His Majesty's Theatre. It is probable that the offer will be accepted, '> it the date is still remote, the re-erection of the organ being still in its early stages. There have been no meetings of creditors in Christchurcli for over a month. There was only one meeting in August, on the first day of the month, in strong contrast to July, when sis meetings were held. The absence of bankrupts does not, it is stated, indicate a firmer condition of solvency generally. At the last meeting of the Acclimatisation Society Mr George Gerard, of Snowdon, was elected a life member of the Society in recognition of his services in connection with tlie liberation and care of the Canterbury red deer herd at the iiead waters of the Ralvaia. The president, Dr Moorhouse ; referred particularly to Mr Gerard's good services. In view of the decision of the. Appeal Court, immediate steps will ha taken by the Department of Labour' at Chrietchurch to enforce payment of the slaughtermen's fines, imposed in connection with the strike some months ago. There are cases where none of the money lias been paid, but in most instances the fines are being paid by instalments., and there is only - small balance owing. The An?lers' Club will meet to-night, and probably will discus© the recent u Gazette " Dotice regarding the minimum weight of trout for a day's fishing. Another matte" that is likely to be considered L the restriction imposed by the Acclimatisation Society on fishing in the Avon. It is understood that a petition ' being signed protesting that the river should not be closed between the Hcepitai aaJ Ea'i Belt bridges. There is a most unsavoury and objectionable manure heap a few yards from the footpath in a livery /stable in Armagh Street, near Colombo Street, and the drainage from it is at present running across the footpath and creating a nuisance. Ordinarily the heap is noticeable principally by its smell, but with the heavy rain its effluent is an obstacle on the iootpath, unsightly and offensive. Mr W. H. Blackwell, chairman of directors." of the Kaiapoi Woollen Company, confirms the statement that the woollen industry has been very busy in New Zealand for some time. He says that the only difficulty his company has met with in dealing with the work is the scarcity of workers. It has done its best to remedy the condition, but it has had to* discard a great deal of business on account of its inability to obtain sufficient numbers of workers. . Recently the Domain Board has carried out a great deal of trimming and outting of trees in the Domains, there being a large number of oaks and ash- trees marked for thinning. The result is that firewood is plentiful, and the Board has decided to cut it into eight-inch lengths and sell it at a fixed price per cord. Hitherto the firewood has been sold by tender, out the new arrangement is expected t o prove more satisfactory. The Board is using its own mill to cut the timber into short lengths. It is not generally known that in the "seventies" a sum of £3000 was placed in the hands of the Selwyn County Council for administration n respect to the management of the Christchurch Domains. The money was vested in trustees, and by Act of Parliament in 1877 the trustees were empowered to pay out of it portions of the capital, not exceeding £300 in any one year. The Domain Board has ecently drawn a sum of £300 for present necessary improvements in ' tr« Domain. The trust fund now stands at £950, the trustees being the Hon E. C. J. Stevens, and Messrs H. H. Pitman and -William Reece. The improvements outlined by the Board are being steadily carried out, and the gardens are becoming appreciably more attractive. Recently the Board obtained something of a windfall by receiving an accession of £170 for its leases. The Riccarton Road Board, also, lias just donated £5 to the funds. Some few weeks ago (says the Wellington " Post ") an affiliation case' was partly heard in the Masterton Stipendiary Magistrate's Court, in which the intimacy was alleged to have taken place in Cliristchurch. The defendant, however (wrttes our Masterton correspondent) set up a plea of mistaken identity, and the case was adjourned in order to allow witnesses to be brought from Christchurcn. On Saturday the case was proceeded with, a female witness, who kept a boardinghouse in Christchurch, stating that she was fairly positive that the defendant was a person who lodged with her in Christchurch at the time of the alleged intimacy. A daughter of this witness also gave evidence, stating that she> was almost certain on the same point. They stated, however, that defendant wore a "hard hitter" whust in. Christchurch, whereas now he was wearing a skull cap. In order to give witnesses every opportunity to make the identification certain, if possible, the Magistrate ordered the defendant to don a hard hat, but this only appeared to add to the uncertainty of the witnesses ? r - *$% P™ 66 °ution. Counsel for the plaintiff asked permission to put in certain affidavits as evidence, but this was .objected to. Eventually the case was again aajourned till next Friday to enable the persons who made the affidavits being called as witnesses. The defendant^ in his evidence, swore that i• ?4 " ev i e ? ?? en or s P<>ken to the plaintiff in his life, the magistrate remarking that apparently e more they went into the case the deeper became the mystery.