LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9954, 16 September 1910, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

North-west to south-west and southeast breezes were reported this: morning. The sky was overcast in the north, but the weather generally was fair. ' ..? ;'./'-••' Mr T. S. Dacre has received official" information that the' Minister of Internal Affairs has approved of the amalgamation of North Linwood with the City of Christchurch, and that the amalgamation will bo gazetted in duo course. Thursday evening the Templeton Methodist choir, under the. direction of Mr 0. F. Hansen, sang the service of song "Peter the Fisherman.". The Rev J. T. Pinfold read tho connective readings. There was a large attendance. The benefit performance of West's Pictures in aid of the Children's /Convalescent Cottage has been already well supported by the public, and one benevolent gentleman called on the manager, Mr G. Nyo, this morning and pur-; chased tickets for forty seats to be distributed, among poor people. The first matinee for the fund will be given on October 6. | "Was tho man sober?"' asked Mr Cassidy of a money-lender giving evidence at the Magistrate's Court to-day in connection with a thoft'ease. "Oh, ho knew what he was doing, all right," said the witness.. .•" But he offered you his bank-hook, didn't he?" The witness replied in the affirmative, and tho solicitor, amid laughter that even the vigour of the Court orderly' could not suppress, returned: " Any man that gives yon a bank-book knows what he's doing, eh?" At a meeting of the Christchurch branch of the New Zealand Ironmasters' Association, held last night, tho following resolution was unanimously passed:—"That this branch of the New Zealand Ironmasters' -Associaiiou thanks the Wellington branch for approaching the Minister of Labour iu reference to the condition of the engineering industry; and elidorses «1I that was brought forward by the deputation as being equally applicable to the'.condition of the trade iu Christchurch."

The monthly ceilidh in connection with the Scottish Society of New Zealand was held'in tho Society's rooms, Manchester Street, last .evening, when a large gathering of members, their families and friends was presided over by Chief S. Robertson.- A. varied and interesting programme was given, in? eluding a selection on the great' Highland war pipe by Piper Ronald Fraser. musical items by Juiss M'Dougall and Mesdames Spiers and Gilnioiir, a piano solo by Miss Cumberland, a mandolin duet by Misses Stinnear and Thompson, and songs by Messrs Callaway,- Crouch and Burt. Reels and strathspeys were given by members of the juvenile dancing class, the Highland fling by the Misses Pirie, Gilie Calimi by Master Ironsides, and a sailor's hornpipe' by Mr Whitley. The accompaniments were played "by Miss Bessie Macdouald. Sir Joseph Ward lias, says' a Press Association message from -Wellington, received a letter from Mr David Anderson, manager in Australia for the Orient Steam Navigation Company, taking exception to certain statements recently made by a deputation representing the Merchant Service Guild and Marine Engineers' Institute. Tho deputation had pointed out-that while the engine-room staff of the Maheno received £llO 10s per month, the same staff on the Qin rah got only. £7O. In a. letter published in Sydney Mr Anderson pointed out that the, Omrah had been dragged into the discussion quite gratuitously, having no connection with either the P. and 0. Company nor with the competition in the New Zealand trade. The statement that £7O per month was paid to tho engine-robin staff of the Omrah could, he states, only emanate from an ignorant imagination. The wages amount-! cd to £220 odd, exclusive of the stoke-j hold staff. ]

Tho session of tho Rangiora Literary and Debuting Society was brought to a. close last evening with a -gathering of a social character, held in the Templar Hall. Mr H. Colxlen Cox, chairman of tho Society, who presided, 6aid that the session had been a pleasant and profitable one, its success having been enhanced by tho admission of ladies to full membership. The programme, which was considerably lenathened by encore numbers, consisted of songs bv Mrs T. R. Cresswell, Mrs Murdoch-, Mrs Angus, Miss Keith, Messrs S. Price and R. Rae fDunedinl. pianoforte ducts by Misses Scott (2) and Cuningham, a violin solo by Mr A. Withers, a musical monologue bv Mr R. Sinclair and recitations by Miss G. Rogers and Mi- A. Murdoch. Miss M. Luxton played the pianoforte accompaniments to tho songs. A cleverlv written and highly amusing farce by Mr S- Clark, a member'of the Society, entitled '.' Eightecnpence a Month. was eanitallv acted by Misses Kbit* and Hadecko. Mrs Murdoch- and Messrt Clark. Murdoch and G. Leech. JV~ freshments were handed round, aihi*? danco ended an enjoyable evening. Quick relief from a tight, dry,cough h obtained by the use of Zymole Tro-. krv-: An excellent thing after Biiig-; ing or talking to prevent hoarseness 1

A meeting of the State Guaranteed Advances Board, at which Sir Joseph Ward presided, was held in Wellington this morning, when loans amounting to £241,000 were authorised. Tho Kaiapoi Maoris are preparing a petition to the Hon J. Carroll, Native Minister, asking him to attend a gathering at the Tualiiwi pa to discuss the position caused by the invalidation of a largo number of Maori wills. The Bench at the Magistrate's Court at Lyttelt'ou was occupied by Mr .)• Garrard this morning. Thomas Hastey, a fireman employed on the Turak'ina, was charged with having absented himself without leave on September 3, in that be did not join the vessel at sailing time. Ho was fined ■two days' pay, amounting to 6s Bd, ' and was .sentenced to fourteen days imprisonment and to be placed on board when the steamer leaves Lytteltou. 1 An extraordinary general meeting of tho shareholders of tho Kaiapoi Woollen Manufacturing Company was held tins afternoon for the purpose or confirming the resolutions carried at the extraordinary genoral meeting on August 26 ■authorising tho revision of the company's- articles of association. Mr O. H. Blackwell (chairman of directors) presided, and there was an attendance of about a dozen shareholders. The resolutions were unanimously confirmed without discussion. 1 William Drydeu, a middle-aged man, was charged at the Wellington Police Court to-day, says a Press Association message, with baring attempted to commit suioido. He pleaded guilty. SubInspector Norwood stated that the man had been drinking for a fortnight. .Counsel for the accused said the case '•was a sad one. Accused injured his foot while working on the Main Trunk Railway line, and this debarred him from • regular employment. When lie was on -The relief works at Kaiwaka he learned that his wife had had to sell out, and he returned to Wellington in a state of destitution. This preyed on his mind,.hut his attempt to commit suicide was not due to drink. The Court entered a conviction, and ordered accused to come up for sentence when called upon.