LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10886, 29 September 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The following vessels are expected to bs within range of the radio stations tonight:—Auckland—Makura and Riverina. Wellington—Riverina, Ulimaroa, Wahine, Maitai, Maungamri, Moerati and Westralia.. A most successful card party and dance Mas held in the Oddfellows' Hall, Wocilston, on September 20. in aid of the local Tennis Club. The card prizes were won by Miss Ewart and Mr Morris. Refreshments were provided and dancing was indulged in until midnight. A recitation was given by Miss Dalziel.

To-day the Mayor received £5 from "J.R.Ji." and 10s from J.M.IV tor the fund to help ilia destitute woman who is suffering from paralysis. A lecture, entitled " The British in India, from Queen Be&s to the Delhi Durbar," illustrated by 100 beautiful limelight views, will be, delivered by the Rev J. J. North in the Wesley Church, East Belt, at 7.30 p.m. tomorrow. A witness in tlio Magistrate's Court this morning might n'ot have been Hibernian, but lie ought to have been. " Who drove tho dray?" asked Mr Alpers. " The driver," responded the witness, without considering the matter for a moment. Great public interest was evinced in the hockey match on the Wools ton Domain between teams representing the Ngaio Ladies' Club and tho Woolston Council. Tho mere males won by four goals to nil. A return match is to be played next Saturday. Our Invercargill correspondent writes:—A quarter-acre section at the junction of Deo Street and North Road, four hundred yards from the Invercargill Post Office, has changed hands at a price which runs into four figures, or a. third more than was paid for it eight months ago. Specimens of handiwork in the primary schools are being collected by tke Education Board for the Auckland Exhibition. They will bo sent to the Chief Inspector for a preliminary selection, and a local committee at Auckland will make tho final selection. The work will include the ordinary product of the preparatory classes, and model drawing, arithmetical accounts, and* so on, in the higher standards. At a parish tea held in the Oddfellows' Hall, Woolston, by the members of St John's Cliurch, advantage was taken of the occasion to present certificates to W. Harwood and Hector Rhind for life-saving at Dunsandel; also to C. Ward for life-saving at tho Woolston bath. On behalf of the parishioners, Mr Scott presented a sovereign case to the vicar (Rev C. H. Orbell) and an afternoon tea service to Mrs Orbell. In doing so he referred to the good work of the vicar during the seven years he had been in charge of tho parish. Glees were rendered by the choir, and items were also contributed by Mrs Wooten, Messrs Scott, Ferrier and Ashcroft. In an interview with a reporter of a contemporary on September 24, Mr Ernest A. Belcher, headmaster of Christ's College, said " his concern was with the teaching of students and not with the wherewithal they should be clothed." It seems to have Mr Belcher's recollection that a circular signed by himself as headmaster, was issued to parents on January 1, 1913, containing this paragraph:—"4. All boys must wear tlio school dress of dark grey cloth. The correct pattern may be obtained from Messrs Hooper and Harrison, of Wellington, and Dranclies. Straw hats (with school ribbon) or caps, and a 6chool tie, must also be worn."

Experiments in imported wheat, oats and barley are being carried out by the Fields Division of the Agricultural Department with a view to ascertaining the most suitable varieties for the South Island in the matter of soil, climatic conditions auct environment. Oil the farm of Mr R. D. Petri e, Middle Tiincoln Road, nine varieties of wheat have been sown; on the farm of Mr Alexander Gunn, Racecourse Hill, twelve imported varieties of oats have been sown, together with the Ruakura resistant oat; on the farm of Holley Bros., Lees ton, ten new varieties of barley have been sown. All the crops are alongside a roadway, and will be ticketed, so as to be of value to farmers. It will be necessary for the first year, and even for two years, to sow ' these varieties before distribution to farmers to acclimatise the seed and ensure its perfect jpurity. ( ' The books issued from the various departments of the Public Library during the month of August were as follows: —Fiotion 5085, non-fiction 1110, total volumes 6195. In tho Reference Library 1894 folumes were consulted. These figures are a great improvement upon those of the previous month. The new books added to the departments during August numbered about 150 volumes of all classes. _ Those persons interested in aviation will find a good selection of up-to-date literature dealing with this subject. In view of the interest that will be taken in the aeroplane arriving in New Zealand shortly, the following works are available for home reading:— Aero Club of America, "Navigating the Air/' 1907; Alphonseßerget, 'Conquest of tli© Air," 1911 j J. M. Bacon, " Dominion of the Air," 1902; A. Beaumont, "My Three Big Flights," 1912; G. Ourtiss and A. Post, " Aviation Book," 1913; R. P. Hearne, "Aerial Warfare," 1909; R. Kennedy, " Flying Machines," 1909; A. Santos-Dumont, "My Airships," 1904: C. O. Turner, " Aerial Navigation or To-day," 1910, " Romance of Aeronautics, ' 1912; Valentine and Tomlinson, "Travels in Space," 1902; White, Graham and H. Harper, "The Aeroplane, Past, Present and future," 1911; Graham White, " The Aeroplane in War," 1912; " Aviation," 1912. ____________