LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9211, 14 April 1908, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

" Norman's right-of-way, running northwards from Liohfield Street, wa« granted formal leave for further existonce by the City Council last riight, oaj the application of Messrs Duncan,' Cotterill and Stringer, with tie pro-J vision that gates shall be erected a*; each of the entrances and closed againsfc • the public between sundown and sun- ! rise. ' Miss E. H. Vickerman, lady secret tary of the Greymouth Nursing Divi-, sion of the St John Ambulance Brigade, has been in Christchurch during the past few day6, and will leave for, Greymouth to-day. Whilst in this city; she has been obtaining informatiort with regard to matters in connection) with, her division from the District* Chief Superintendent for Canterbury! and the West Coast. The classes lrt first aid at Greymouth this year will be about double the number held there, last winter, and the local divisions of th G Brigade will show an increase m strength in a like ratio. * The benefit or otherwise of a weekly]; half-holiday does not seem to appeal ir any way to the farmer® who generally, come before the Conciliation Board ta give evidence. Mr T. B. Howson found; a quaint virtue in his opposition to tha half-holiday. If the men got a regutat half day off, he said, and played foot-, ball as a relaxation, they sometimes! got a broken leg or a fractured collarbone, and the rest they got' was, as far as he could see, the only benefit obtained. He considered, therefore, that in not giving his men the half holiday ha was conferring a benefit by protecting them from accident, and by avoiding I inconvenience to himself. He admitted that if a man had stayed with him for a year, he Relieved in giving that man a week off on full pay — not because it was the man's right, but just because it was a fancy of his own that! he could afford the week to a man h$ had got on well with.

At the Theatre Royal on Saturday night next playgoers will again be afforded an opportunity of welcoming Pollard's Juvenile Opera Company. The first production will be "The Isle of; Bong-Bong." The coming visit of the company will bring before the public two old members of the original Pol-> lard Opera Company, remembered for its " Gay Parisienne," " French Maid," "La Poupee," "The Belle, of NewYork " and other popular, successes. . These are Mr Charles" Albert (the original " Insect "in " Pa\il Jones ") and Mr Harry Quealy (remembered $or hia Major Possdyke in "The Gay Parisienne," and many other characters). They are now supporting the young members comprising the personnel of Mr Pollard's present organisation. " The Isle of Bong-Bong " will be produced for a few nights only. The box plan is now open at the Dresden and the day sales are made at the " West End," Cathedral Square. In examination before the Conciliation Board yesterday, Mr T. B. Howson said that ha had, when the Farm Labourers' Union was started, volun* teeied to join, as a labourer, so that he would be able to talk over matters with the other members, but the offer was declined. He thought that tha Union had hardly been as courteous in that respect as the Farmers' Union, which had offered the labourers mcmi bership of the Farmers' Union at half fees. If the men had adopted a pleasant attitude and had joined th« I Union, all the questions now occupying] the Board could have been brought for* ward and discussed in a friendly wa 7j and very likely a friendly settlement or all the points could have been arrang-; ed without any of the present expensive proceedings. "Do you know that* the farm labourers proposed that they should all join the Farmers' Union.ancl take control of it," Mr Kennedy a6ked^ " but >that they gay© up the idea >* cause it did not seem an hpnourtitfia thing to do?" Mr Howson 6aid he ha« not heard that before, and that the laJ bourers had managed to keep it v«jg( q,uiet. I

f^ A requisition is being signed in town Asking Councillor C. Allison to contest Jthe mayoralty. The police require an owner for a feold watch-key pendant, recently found End taken to them. The Mayor of Dunedin and the Chair>nan of the Dunedin Municipal Baths Committee will be present at the openIng of the Christchurch Tepid Bath. The Canterbury Society, of Arts has decided to reduce the price of admission to its exhibition at .the Art bralery from Is to 6d, during the week jbeginning to-day. There was an exceptionally large attendance at the Opera House last evenIng when the attractive programme initiated on Saturday evening was refeeated. The biograph pictures were Especially interesting. The programme Jfrill be repeated this evening. , Some time ago the City Council was toetitioned to remove the water-trougn £t the junction of High and Manchester Streets, near the Excelsior Hotel, Jon account of its awkward position. It jwas re-ported to the Council last night that as soon as the Council's building toperations on the corner are finished 11 fuill be replaced" by another trough on Jthe north side of the hotel. The Hon John Barr, while giving evitience before the Conciliation Board this morning, gave it* as his opinion that the average life of a stonemason «vas as long as that of a carpenter in fcTew Zealand. That could not he feaid, apply to Engfend, for the stone bere and the stone used at Hraiewere Entirely different. In Britain the huddling stone was a sandstone, of which the ferit got into and cut up the lung*. He Sad met competent masons in New Zealand up to seventy years of age. i "Asa farmer and as a man," said Wr Kennedy to Mr T B. Howson beSore the Conciliation Board yesterday, ¥' do you think it would be right to let jfche Farm Labourers' Union die out now that it has reached its present ktrength?" «« I think that the sooner. Wou bury it the better for New Zealand fend all concerned." "Supposing that Wiere is no chance of burying iU S" Opinions differ on that. I think it s fern one cmtch already, and when it jeete on to the other it will soon be fcnocked over."

4 Tn© quarterly meeting of the St Allans Methodist circuit was held m the ißueby Street Schoolroom on Thursday kvening, the Rev W. A. Sinclair presiding The representatives of th 6 conWregation, elected under the new regulations, were present, and included fchree ladies. The membership returns showed a slight increase for the quarter. The balance-sheet was not complete, but evidence was given that there would be a credit balance, it was reported that during the quarW the Ladies' Guild of th© St Albans iChurch had held a very successful sale bf work, and had' paid off the small teebt on the previous quarter's accounts. jThe foreign mission fund was discussed, bnd it was decided to appoint a foreign taission secretary for each church.