LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11672, 12 April 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Telegraph Department, advised at. 9 a.m. that all trout streams were clear. ■ Sapper W; ■ Morgan arrived in'Ghristchurch this morning invalided home front tho front. Sapper Horgan was employed by The Christ-church. -Trainway Board "before going awav, and k tb© first tramway man back from tlib front. Ho was wounded in tho* hip. At- last evening's 'meeting of, the Heathcoto County Council, it was agreed that the council should reply to the Minister.of Internal Affairs that it had .110 objection to the proposal to ; annex Opaiva Riding %o the city - of Christchurch. . - • The respective claimsof "Whit«'sß|Oad t vfnd Dyer's Pats Reads ,wero discussed at last evening's meeting of the Heatb>ote County Council, and finally it was agreed to ask the Public Works. Department for £3OO . for Dyer's Pass Road, "£SOO for White's Road and £oo • for tho Bridle Track. » ♦ The Rev John Takle, of East .Bengal, gave a lecture last evening at the Os- », ford: Terrace Baptist Church on The Christianisation of India." The Rev J. J. North presided', and there was a large attendance. The lecturer related i many interesting experiences, and, on- • the motion of Mr A. F. CaTey, seconded by Mr A. H. King, was accorded a voto of thanks. . A special meeting of the Woolstoa Borough Council was _ held on Monday evening to consider ,? by-laws in regard to motor traffic within the borouglv Rnd a by-law was passed limiting the 1 speed of .motor vehicles to \six miles per hour, over or along Ashbounre in the vicinitv of the W oolston School, ami to a speeds not exceeding fifteen miles per hour over or along any other street / in the borough. . . . '* On Friday evening the members of the Christchurch Homing Pigeon Society assembled to bid farewell to one . of their members, Private J- W- -frytor. of the Twelfth Reinforcements, who was on leave. Mr R. Draper, the }>re>) : dent, spoke of'the good feeling and fellowship that the members held towards Private Barter and wished him success and a safe return- On belialt of the society he presented tho soldier with a caso of pipes. Tho Canterbury Headquarters Defence Staff yesterday received following message from _ Zeitunßy the request of the Bi*igadier-Geuej a I commanding the N.Z. Mounted Rifle Brigade, 1 am forwarding by the transport Tahiti o;io ease containing a captured Turkish machine-gun, addressed to Colonel Chaffey. The gun wss captured by • the- Canterb'.nx. Mounted 'Rifles) who have been given authority to retain it.'' The gun also came to hand yesterday, and is at present at the armourers' shop at the King Edward Barracks. At the meeting of the Cheviot County Council on Saturday the clerk and surveyor (Mr AW M. Cott-rellj wrote stating that he Jiad offered his sex-vices foi tho reinforcements and had been accepted. Messrs D. Archibald, T. n. Wilkinson. R. C. Alison, W. C. Hvde, G. W. Forbes. M.P., J. H. F. Jliatfc and T. C- Robinson waited on the council and presented a petition signed by 136 ratepayers asking the council to retain Mr Cottrell's services should he return safely from the front. The request was granted and the council a I i-o offered Mrs Cottrell tho use of the residence during Mr Cottrell's absence A notico was received the Heathcotft County Council last evening that an industrial dispute would' be heard by a Council of Conciliation between the Canterbury General Labourers' and the Heathcote., Pap.iroag Halswell a'ad Waimairi County Councils on May 1. at 2.30 p-ni., in the new Government Buildings. In connection with the dispute, the Halswell County Council suggested the hold- ; ing of a conference with other local bodies on Wednesday. April 19. Mr W. W. Searff objected to council paying higher wages, as that gave th;> private erajjloyer no chance. Public bodies were regarded by the employees as ''old man's homes." Messrs 0. Scott. C. Flavell and E. <T. Cooksfe.v were appointed tho. council's tatives at the proposed conference. The Sanatorium septic tank camo in for criticism in tha inspector's repon, submitted to the lieatheote Coiinr. Council last evening. The inspector, wrote: Having inspected tins tank, I find that it is in a very insauitrry state. This is a serious matter, and would cause tha spreading of any infectious disease. The top laybr of the \ filtrr bed is alive with small worms (it . appears to have/bad no attention since \ it was constructed. The tank ivdafectivo in this respect. because it cannot carry out the work of filtration efficiently. In passing along tho road the smell from the tank is very noticeable. I would recommend that I>r Blackmore's attention be called to tho matter at once.'" Mr .T. Lougton urged that a veiy strong left?r should be sen * to tho Hospital Board, as the present condition o!' affairs was a disgrao*. Mr G. T. Burton said that the' tank was ono of the most disgusting thin® possible, and was quite near the road. Tb® resolution was agreed to. Bradbury's Charming Sweet Peas will bloom in November if sown now. ' Ono hundred and thirty varieties fully described in catalogue, nearly all in threepenny packet#. Also prize bulb* for present, planting. Full cataloguo free from llastie. Bull and Pjokarini cKiiCfiftf-o Ballantvne's. ' ■■■■■■>' v

The slot telephone at the corner of ' CiishebStreet and Colombo Street earns a revenue of £OS per annum. Cable advice has boen received that Corporal A. C. S. Cookson has been invalided,home, and will arrivo in New Zealand shortly. The flag at the Addington Metropolitan market was hoisted at halfinast to-day out of respect „ to the memory of the late Mr E. 0- Staveley, for many years chairman of the Canterbury Saleyards Company. A large publio meeting at Apiti yesterday decided to push the demand for railway communication by a line from Feilding through Kimbolton, Apiti and llangiwahia to Utiku, on the.North Island Main Trunk Railway, says a "Press Association telegram. Tho Education Department has forwarded to the North Canterbury Education Board a pi a quo Avon by Harold Woolf, Christ-church West District High School, as a successful competitor in the essay competition on "To Show in the Great War, 1911-15, what the British Empire Owes to its Sailors, both lloyal and Mercantile," presented by tho British and Foroigu Sailors'- Soeioty of London. / Mr Clement L. Wragge, die wellknown meteorologist, forecasts that the eud is nearing .of the period of infantile paralysis, which lie states is largely due to the actinic wireless waves emanating from enormous physical changes in the sun; He explains, says tho Auckland Star." that certain germs requiro special solar conditions in which to develop and thrive. That the growth of the dairy industry in Taranakj, has been phenomenal is indicated by tho large cheques paid' to suppliers. The season before tho war the output, of butter and cheese totalled 32,000 tons. This resulted in the distribution of £1,600.000 among factory suppliers. Both war seasons have seen the output aud butter-fat payments increase substantially, and though i>t is .impossible to give tho actual figures (says a northern paper), one of the best local authorities,states that this sealon over .£2,0Q0 000~ will v Ve paid t*> the dairymen of Taranaki for butter-fat. I generally say so help me Bod.'' lyas the astonishing answer given ■by _ a witness at the Magistrate's Court- in . Auckland on Monday morning! when ; asked what form of oath was binding upon his conscience. Seeiug tho Magistrate's manifest surprise, the wit/iW* explained that he thought putting on . his hat in the witness-box: made the oath'binding. He, however, agreed to bo sworn uixm the Bible, provided lie had not to kiss the book. As tKe latter practice had been abandoned, tho oath, was administered in duo form, witness being sworn with his hat on. . TV Wairoa geyser, in the days of/its greatest energy, never made a more spectacle (says the "Now Zealand Herald ") than was to he seen on Saturday morning in the lane! at the back of the arrival platform of the . Auckland • railway station. For Upwards of, a quarter of an hour, until the pressure was turned off Jjy the city water-supply dex>artment, a jet shot vertically into the air to the full height of the neighbouring warehouses with all the_effectof a well-designed artificial fountain. Tlio cause of the display was the prosaic blow-out of tho ball of a fireplug. No damage was caused. Mr George Witty, M.P., has received a letter from Mr A. S. Malcolm, stating that the Empire Parliamentary Association has invited the New Zealand branch to choose four members of Parliament to .visit Louden in Julv, jir'order to investigate the war organisation and to exchange opinions in-1 formally "with fellow-members. Passages ,to and from London, together with hotel accommodation and travel facilities at Home, will be provided. In reply to .Mr Malcolm's question as to whether he v. ished to be one of the party, Mr Witty has replied stating that ho considers'that his duty lies in New Zealand, especially during the Parliamentary session. A correspondent of the "Poverty Bay Herald" states that tho lease of that part of the old Waipiro station known as Takapau, consisting of 22,000 acres., has expired, and the native owners have agreed to the individualisatiou of their interests. The surveyors are now busy cuttiilg it up into nineteen blocks, ranging from 368 acres to 4.000 acres in extent. The Hon A. T. Ngata has arranged to finance the -owners. and a large number of sheep have been purchased and are now ruujiukg on the'land. Fencing material is/teing landed from every steanier, and { Waipiro is in a state of excitement. The experiment of forming a colony of Native small owners .will be watched with much interest. The Natives of tho Whakatnaie (Bay of Plenty) district are somewhat perturbed a.t the possibility of their iuteresta in the Urewcra land being affected by Rua's recent resistance, to the law, states the Auckland " Star's" Whakatauo correspondent. . They have arranged a big hui to be held on Thursday. Friday and Saturday-this week, to'discuss the land questions arising from the recent trouble. The Native Minister has: been asked and has consented to visit Ruatoki while the meet*ing is in progress, and assist to clear Tip the position. This course is beintr taken, as loyal Native* fear their mterrsts in the Urewcra have, been jeopardised by Rua's defiance of the law. An inmate of "the Oisborno Old Men's Home, Charles Hillman, celebrated his one hundred and first .birthday last week. It is sta.ted that ho was born on board tlie Rainbow. while his parents were travelling from Livcrpool to- New York. His mother was a negress and a slave, and his father, an Engljshman, redeemed her and married -. "her. That he conies from a long-lived race is shown by the fact that his father lived to the age of 111 years. The old man is still bale and hearty: 17p to a short time ago Mr Hilluian was employed on the station of Mr .K. S. Williams, who is now paying all his expenses, while an inmate of the Old Men's Home. A number of congratulatory messages were received bv the old man.

H iJioso. who congregated- at the entrance to the I'etoho "Woollen Mills on Monday morning, in consequence of .a rumour that an attempt was to bo made to re-open tho factory, expected any kind of sport they were disai: pointed, says the E\eiu'ng Post.'' Three '■ young men who cacje from the city and Were making for the mill were Jhe targets for some badiuage. •' Why don't you wear khaki?" ; ' I)o you get £1 per week like wc did?" were questions asked them by shrill voices, and' an escort of women workers marched with ' them to the n/iil. Towards evening arrangements were made by the .girls, who were by then reinforced, to nr- • ganise a " tin-can bond.'' and lead trie young men back to the station. A fairly large crowd assen-.1.d0d by five o'clock to Tvitneup 'he fun. but the fun was badly niiVrcl as the men were • drircn onwards in a motor-car.