LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11687, 2 May 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The first annual meeting of the Canterbury Patriotic Fund will be held at the City Council Chambers at 2 p.m. j to-morrow. x | Owing to the heavy sea on the coast, the Maori did not reach Lyttelton tili a quarter to eight this morning. Her passengers and mails consequently missed the connection witli the first express. A Curtiss aeroplane imported by an Auckland syndicate for use at the Kohimarama flying school, arrived by the Makura yesterday morning, and is in course of removal to the school's depot (states a Press Association telegram). When the lights went out temporarily at King Edward Barracks lastevening advantage was taken by some person to purloin a very valuable sealskin coat, the property of Mm Walter Hill, the Industries Queen. Mr Justice Denniston will take the criminal sittings of the Supreme Court in Dunedin next week, states the Dunedin correspondent of the "Star," Mr Justice Sim sitting at Christchurch. The criminal sittings at Christchurch. fixed for May 8, has been adjourned till May 9, and witnesses, grand and common jurors, will not b9 required to attend until May 9, at 11 a-ni-It was reported this morning that at the meeting of the Conciliation Council yesterday it was agreed, in respect to general labourers, that " all other classes of labour except tunnel-men at tunnelling work and timber work for sinking shafts over 10 feet, and tun-nel-men at clay tunnelling work and men in charge of derricks or scaffolding, should receive an increase of 10 per cent on the present wages. Mr E. J. Howard, secretary of the General Lai bourers' Union, states that the arrangement is that "all other classes" shall receive Is 3d an hour. This represents an increase of 25 per cent. The temporary failure last evening of the city's electric lighting system was due to lightning discharges in > _the neighbourhood of _ Lake Coleridge. There were two discharges, one at S p.m., and the other at 10.10 p.m., and it was the latter that did the mischief, going across the lightning arresters at. the Lake Colerdge station and the Ad- ' dington sub-station. A portion of the City Council's current is rectified b.v rotary converters that charge the alternating current supply to the direct current supply from the central district. These converters require a few minutes to re-establish their circuit, and thus the direct current consumers were " cutoff " for about four minutes.

There was a very fair attendance at Canterbury College Hall last evening, when Professor H. D. Broadhead. acting urofessor of classics at, Canterbury College, delivered a very interesting lecture ou "The Greek Drama." The lecture was given by way of introduction to a series of recitals of the plays of Euripides to be given m the college hall this week and next week by Miss Dorothea Spinney, and dealt more particularly with the works of Euripides and the structure and conventions or Greek drama as exemplified in t-iiose works. Miss Spinneys first recital will be given at the college hall to-morrow at 8.15 n.m., when she will recite Professor Gilbert Murray's translation or " Hippolytus." The Minister o? Agriculture (the Hon W D. S. Mac Donald) has written to Mr G. W. Forbes. M.P., in regard to the opening ut> for settlement of th<? Lee's Valley block, which was urged upon the Minister by Mr Forbes during the Minister's recent visit to Oxford. Mi- MneDonald forwarded for Mr Forties's information a copy of a letter from the Minister of Lands (the Right Hon W. F. Massey). stating that the Canterbury Land Board had decxlt-d that the opening should be deferred till February, as the country did not. lend itself to reading and draining during tho winter months, and it was sible to find men to do the work in winter owing to the severity of the climate.

The Young "Women's Christian Association presents a bright and attractive appear;-!i I .re on Sunday afternoons. Tho rooms are thrown open at 3 p.m. to those girls who cannot or do not attend Bible classes-, and at 4.15 p.m.. a short, bright service is held with special Speaker. At o p.m. an invitation is given to all to stay to tea, and a happy time is spent, when welcomes arc given and introductions made._ Many friendships arc formed at this time that last, a lifetime. After tea, hymns are sung until church time, and after ciiurch the rooms are again open from 8 o.m. till 9 p.m.. when the girls meet together with boy friends for more hymn-singing. Many girls would' spend a" lonelvT homesick Sunday if it were not for the Y.W.C.A.. and their onlv wish is that more would join them eacl Sunday. Ladies recommend Martin's Apiol and Steel Pills. Sold by all Chemists and Stores. See Vhat you get ths genuine. " Tho wants of man, so far as wearable are concerned are well catered for at Armstrong's, Ltd. for Overcoats, Hats, Shirts, etc. This firm is the best., absolutely; 'further. t-oir loir