LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9789, 4 March 1910, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Rakaia, Rangitata and Waitaki were the rivers reported to be dirty thi* morning. After several oppressively warm day* a cool change,' with a strong; southerly gale, has set in a Nelson. There was rain last night. North Island stations for the,most part reported northerly and easterly, breezes, with fair weather, this morning. Rain, was general from Canterbury .northwards to Cook Strait.. Otago conditions were more settled. The Enterprise dredge, sank .in tha centre of the Alexandra River at midnight. No one was on board at the time. The river rose last night';'-to thirteen 'feet above normal at Alexandra Bridge* owing to the heatV; rains. ''">'. The Government has decided to mafca a start with an important irrigation scheme in Central Otago. Tenders are to be called for carrying out the first section of the work. The area to'benefit will be Stewart's Settlement. It is cxpeoted that this portion of the scheme will cost £6OOO. The Elite Band will play ( the following programme at Wainoni. Park on Sunday afternoon: ~ March, "QiH.M.S." (Ord Hume); air van©, u .Adssto Fideles" (H. Round); sacred song, "A Dream of Paradise" (Hamilton Gray); selection, "Unßallo in .IVJaschera" (Verdi): hymn with variations, i( .Sandon" (Purday, arranged by W. Rimmer); march, "New Colonial" (R;. B. Hall). Dr Findlay informed a i©porter, at Napier that the list of new Justices of the Peace, supplementary to the main list, is now before the Cabinet, and he hoped to get it thrdugh the various stages in the. next few weeks. a I think," he added, "that when the appointments contained in the supplementary lis* are made, the requirements of New Zealand with respect to Justices will be adequately served." China papers give details of the tragio death of M. Muncheron, of Hankow. It appears that he was riding on the engine of a train when it suddenly was derailed. He was terribly scalded, and for a few minutes was unconscious. Regaining consciousness, and notwithstanding his terrible injuries, he mad© his way to the nearest railway station, two miles distant, and there stopped an oncoming train. Immediately he had completed this heroic task he collapsed, and died within a few minutes. It has sometimes been stated that there are more acres in Yorkshire than there are letters in the Bible. A person hearing the statement for the first'time is inclined to doubt it. but, as various correspondents of "Notes and "Queries" show, it is true all the same. Authorities differ as to the exact acreage of the country, one giving it as 3,882,848, and another as 3,771,843. But the number of letters in the Bible is said to ba 3,566,480, so the acres beat the letters with something to spare.

Mr F. K. M'Lean, who is on his w»y to Tasmania, ,is coming out at his own expense, to make observations of th* total eclipse of the sun, which will t»k» place on May 8. As the total phase will onlv last 3imin, and Tasmania » the only available piece of dry land from which it will bo visible, no Bntish official expedition is being sent, and Mr M'Lean, who has done much good work ill observing solar eclipses in almost inaccessible places, will erect an-ob-serving observatory in the south of Tasmania to supplement the observations which astronomers from Australian observatories will make from Port Davey. Who would have imagined at th* time of the discovery by Livingstone, over fifty years ago, of the magnificent cataract in the heart of Darkest Amc* which he loyally named the "Victoria Falls," that half a century later a regatta, with British colonial crews as competitors, would take place within earshot, and almost within sight, of the falling waters? The "Empire Review," which asks the question, points out that the improbable has happened. Ahead v two regattas have been held there and it has been arranged that the race for the sculling championship of the world, with Richard Arnst, the holder, and Ernest Barry, the Engliah champion, as competitors, shall also b« rowed there.

The projected costly alterations In • the heating apparatus at St Paul's Cathedral, as an additional protection against fire, are, says a London journal, a reminder that Sydney Smith, when Canon of the Cathedral, first impressed on the Chapter the advisability of guarding against fire. He advised the placing of the water mains in the lower part of the building and tho provision of cisterns and movable engines in the roof and upper portions. The space between the outer dome and the brick cone was also divided into numerous fireproof compartments. The ravaging element has been guarded against at Westminster Abbey by placing high up in one of the western towers a great tank containing an immense amount of water, whioh, it is said, is capable of flooding the whole of tho venerable edifice in a few minutes. The question is now being aslted why Canadian women are not given equal opportunities with foreign women in connection with the free grant* of land in the West. The free grant lands belonging to the Dominion Government are, according to the " Canadian Courier," being given to foreigners at a terrific rate. Indeed, it holds that the G° verum6U t s , generosity i s of doubtful merit. During the past year there were several cases* where men, not necessarily Canadians, waited around land offices when certain districts were being opened up, and thereby secured a farm worth. three or four thousand dolors fw* of charge. The "Courier" regards it a* strange that th© Government should prefer to.give these away rather than to sell them. It is stranger th*t they should prefer to give them t i>»'<Mj>;ners than to native Canadin: r * U still stranger that they will en. a section to. a foreign woman and uot ta a .Canadian woman. ' J

A municipal organ recital will be ivaa in His Majesty's Theatre tonorrow afternoon by Dr Bradshaw, nunicipal organist, commencing at 2.43. The Invcrcargill Ik rough Council lias ■written to the City Council, expressing its agreement with a proposal to ask the Government to KasoeUo regulations ■under the Motcr Regulation Act, 1907. \ The conference ot Liberal members of Parliament onicenung the plan of action in. regard to tho land question will be held in the Trades Hall on March 10. It is expected that there vill be a fair representation of moiuiers, from both North anil South Islands, holding leasehold views. The Christchurch Tramway Board 'jas submitted to tho City Council the designs for the new tramway shelter to be erected on the south side of Cathedral Square. Tho new structure ii to be built of wood, with closed, ends, and a high, gabled, red-tiled roof. It will be a little over 30ft in length and 10ft deep. The Sydney City Council has written to the Christchurch City Council, forwarding twenty-seven questions regarding the management of cattle yards uid municipal abattoirs in this district. The Adelaide City Council has also submitted three questions on the same subject, Tho required information, or as much of it as can be given, will be lupplied shortfe. Tho New Brighton Municipal Band play tho following programme at the end of Sea View- Road on Sunday evening:—March, "Minor v. Major"; selection, "Sabbath Chimes "; sacred march, "Send the Gospel Light"; hymns, (a) " When our Heads are Bowed," (b) "Abide With Mc " ; euphonium solo, "Asleep in the Deep" (soloist, W. Taylor); march, "Sons of ttie Brave." From the Pwwvian Foreign Office the Victorian Customs Department has received a copy of a decree prohibiting ihe importation of potatoes from Australia and New Zfftland, in consequence 6f a report th«ft the disease called "Rona made its appearance in these countries. Cargoes of potatoes that arrive on ships from Australasia to Peru must be consumed on board, and the peelings and ■Waste burned. . Reports of the Navua's last shipment of bananas to New Zealand are jnOst unpleasant reading, says ' the "Fiji Times." One well-known Shipper of a reliable brand got back •29 4s for 135 bunches and 100 cases of bananas from one'agent; £3 14s for 120 cases to another, and 6s 9d debit note ott thirteen cases of pineapples. The unie brand of fruit by the steamer Manapouri (fitted with cold storage) to Melbourne returned £55 13s 7d for 203 ;ase*. The Federal Government has decided 'to appoint an advisory committee on nieterology, and each State Premier has been requested to nominate a gtate representative upon that committee. Tho Victorian Premier recently communicated with the University Council, and asked that it should nominate a University professor as the Victorian representative. The council decided to forward the nomination of Professor Lyle,of the Chair of Js T a|nral Philosbphy. The annual picnic in connection with the Linwood North School was held on Thursday at Wonderland, TC New Brighton, some 500 adults. ;„;. and scholars attending. All the - attractions of the grounds wore thrown open to the children, and, in addition, » lengthy programme of sports for both Infants and senior scholars waS" carried wit. The liberality of Linwood resi-' ients enabled the committee to give the children a free picnic, and, in spite of the wet afternoon, all seemed to have ■i»een highly pleased with the outing. i The Rev H. S. Woollcombe, who is at present engaged in a mission to men throughout New Zealand, conducted a balf-hour service at the Cathedral this afternoon, when there was a larjj}© %U tendance of men. The preacher took bis text from Joshua iv., 15, " Choose >ou this day whom ye -will serve," and spoke impressively upon the necessity which existed for a young man to make e. positive decision as to his course in life, and to stop "drifting," perhaps unconsciously, into habits which it might later be impossible to service was opened and closed with the . einging of hymns. Mr Woollcombe will address a meeting of men at His Majesty's Theatre at eight o'clockthis j veiling.

Though recent experiments with various cement mixtures for forming. tha : deeper portion of the dock floor did not reveal a solution of tho " laitance problem, the tests had. a value, says the Wellington ,; Post." It was proved that cement with scoria as one of the ingredients, improved the setting qualifies of the concrete under water, '.and ecoria is therefore to hav& a further innings. In the previous experiments the skips of concrete were deposited in a. line right across the floor, a stretch 'of about 130 ft. It is now considered that this method made the operation too slow, and excessively exposed the ijnikture to the decomposing action of the salt water. Consequently it has teen decided to do the work in three instalments, and men arc now busy with the first.portion, which is to be 40ft wide. A special scoria- cement is being used. It will be some time before the worth of this latest procedure yijl be reliably known, for the material has to be allowed time to set.