LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9430, 2 January 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

; The river report «t £f *.m. *-i&jb&s._. t wasz-i-Ashley, Waimakariri, Rakaift, Ashburton and Waitaki, clear,| Selwyn and Rangitata, fishablej Opflu, goott order. . _ .j. ; 11 ■■■■•.«.■'. The takings on the CJnnstelnircii tramways for y^teT^j^/ 7 !! S[ 6d, as compared with £684 12a 6d for New Year's Day last year. It^interesting as a comparison tonote tna» on New Year's fere t^,™ 8 ""^ tramway, takings were *^1 os lid^aa. v .against £333 12s lid ; takea. m Chraf|. church. ; . „, . : v ! A fairly general holiday is ©bservwi in Christcburch to-day. Newly all KM : puJblic and private offices and most; of the shops are closed, and it is holiday attire that is seeh_ m ; tne* streets. Large numbers of, people ■■! have gone out to the trotting races, but Wainoni and Other public resort* are well patronised. ' i 1 A new "Scottish national -song, entrfc- - led " Rouse, Caledonians," has been sent to the Saottish Society of _*»«*■ Zealand; Ghristchurch, by the »»*"«*•, Mr Alexander Grant, M.A., MJh, Edinburgh, The words are intensely patriotic, and aim at cementing: tn* bond of kinship between Scots at home, and abroad. The chorus goes: v ;i Then banners unfurl »nd bonnets upnwr*; . Here's to old Scotland, home of the free. And here's to her sons, wherever they be, Sons <jf the brave. ; . " ...-;,' \:0k"It was sang by Past Chief Mackintosh at the Hogmanay gathering on THoxsday night, and was received with, enthusiastic applause. , : ; - j Sobriety (says the Southland News") was writ large over Inyercargill on Christmas Eve. , The Jmx» familiar aggressive inebriate was cone ; spicuous by his absence, and the policeman^ lot was a sinecure. !Brfcher wi& are becoming a remarkably sober "community ortne man " who drinks \no£ wisely but too well" seeks other^pas. tures for indulging in his libations. - ; Mr V. G. Day, S.M., presided at tfie Magistrate's Court this morning, and fined Alexander Fleming 5s end. costs, in default twenty-four hours' imprisonment, for drunkenness, and ,20s -and costs, in default seven days'^rmpnaoto- .... ment, *Pr having assaulted the arresting constable. Edward Brown -was convicted on a charge of havwg been, found in a state of helplesß drunken- : ness on December 27, and, waa ordered to pay 18sj expenses for medical treatment. 1^ At the Theatre Royal last evening, when Mr Barclay Gammon was: called upon for an encore, he said that he had persuaded Mr W. S. Short, th« King's trumpeter, to give an item, and .accordingly Mr Short stepped on to .the stage an^ played .- Good-bye " .(Toati), and in -response to an enthusiastic .encore jrave " J-he Lost Chord " (Sullivan). In .> both numbers Mr Short's clear, isue, tones were heard io great advantage. • and the applause t&at greesed;hi3 final appearance was deafening. Mr PHWrt will leave for Australia, en route rot England in a few days. Piercing screams in the middle of Lambtori Quay attracted some Attention at 8.45 on New Year's Eve (says the " Dominion "). The screams came from the inside of a hansom cab, which, was going towards Willis Street, and as the driver pulled up to the kerb^ ing_an excited elderly lady jumped out* and accused the cabman of not driving her in the right direction. The cabman, who was soon the centre of a crowd of people, endeavoured to per*. suade the lady that she wsfe going ,t<£ wards Cuba Street, but it was not until the assurance of a policeman was given that- -the lady was persuaded to go back into the cab and continue /the journey. \ "Ain't this bloomin' train ever going to start. Why, we're a quarter of an hour late already," exclaimed an" impatient passenger on the second ex* f prwps from the south last evening. "I thought this *train was an express. What this country wants is a labour = Government. We'd get things don©. proper, then. >; So saying, he casually; strolled out of the carriage to eeek refreshment, but before he could gefback . the train that was" never going- ip sfcart" did start, and, more/ it left him behind. The last that was spell of him was a sober and disconsolate person gazing^ sadly at the rear of tb* departing train, and, as one of the tili^ sympathetic passengers remarked," p^ haps he's convinced v now that till Government isn't so slow, after ■|Jl.' M^j ' Not only headaches, but all other sorts of nervous pain are conquered bjt Steams' Headache Care, the most extensively used headache remedy in thci •oonJd; it is dfioendable. Vs l