LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11755, 20 July 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

About 140 miles of streets are lightei at night in Christchurch. Some of the lamps fail to give light, and', as it is impossible to wateh all of them, the Mayor asks that any person who finds that a light has gone out'should communicate by telephone with the town clerk or the electrical engineer. | Mr Collett, Government tourist [agent in Christchurch, told a "Star" reporter to-day that he had .received : quite a number of overseas inquiries, ; principally froni Americans and Australians, regarding the coming tourist) I season. Mr Collefct says the prospects are good for a busy season. A lecture accompanied by lantern slides, entitled " With Our Boys in ■Egypt," will be delivered by Mr W. H. George at the Theatre Royal on Wednesday evening. The proceeds will be devoted towards the purchase of a Y.M.C.A. hostel for New Zealanders in London, which is estimated to cost £2OOO. The popularity of the lecture in Wellington was shown by an audieuce of 3000 people. "It has amazed me to learn of the number of motor-cars that are sold annually in New Zealand, and I expect many other persons will Iks amazed besides myself," the Chief Justice said in the Supreme Court in Wellington on Monday during the hearing of a case. "To inform people that more money has been sponc in the purchase of motor-cars in Wellington than on tramway equipment, you would probably not be believed, *buii such is the case." The vandalism instinctive in many people was instanced by Dr Elmore during his feature last evening, at the Canterbury College, when he said that, following the announcement in the newspapers of the discovery of aboriginal reck paintings within thirty miles of Adelaide, many people hastened to th 9 scene and threw mud over the ancionu drawings. To get this mud they llad to walk about a hundred yards. Dr Elmore said that such vandalism was found all over the world, including Ne ; <7 Zealand. Those who have no relatives fighting at the front have, nevertheless, some idea of the apprehensive tightening of the heart strings which beset the fathers, mothers, wives and sweethearts of cur boys" when they see a uniformer! telegraph boy enter the gptes of their homes. There, appears, however, to be a formal red-tape procedure \Vhieh must accentuate such feelings. On Tuesday, says the "Otcgo Daily Time?;" the relatives of a l>unedin soldier, who is lying in an English hospital ''dangerously iii,v received no fewer than thres telegrams, all notifying the fact—one from ths Prime Minister, another from the M;u-' ister of Defence, and another from tho Minister of Finance. Tho receipt of tho first telegram was bed enough news; but when the second telegram came an hour or two later, a deadly fear oppressed the mother and ilio rtss of tho family that tho worst hsu happened At an hitervh.l cf another houT or so, the household r^xain quite upset by the receipt oi the third notification. The relatives oi; zha soldier referred to have no dcabs been thoroughly assured that ha is rer.llr '"'dangerously ill," but there does not appear any good reason why their feelings shotuld havs been harrowed in such a manner. An element of strike, which I;:.s brewing' amongst a number ox tha butchers employed at the Ihi-Ledin. City Abattoirs during the past fe".? weeks, developed on Tuesday, stated the " Otago Daily Times," when sisteen employees, including several boys, failed to put in an appea-ViVico for work. They had evidently decided beforehand to resign in the manner stated, as they took away their knix-es t]ie previous evening. The chief trouble arises over the fact that v.-erk has been somewhat slack during tho last week or go, vrii.li the result that tho contracting company found it necessary to inform the men that they could not be given continuous employment. It proposed, bo ib is understood. that four men should stay off on Friday, a similar number on Tues-' day and two on Monday of each woelc while tho slack period existed. It is stated that the men put forward as a counter-proposal a suggestion that men should be off each day. Tho contractors, however, pointed out that such an arrangement would not suit them, as they wanted all hards at work on Wednesday and Thursday—the busiest days in the_ tvetfk. Tho members of the contracting company, numbering about eight or ten men, made a good start to work overtimo on Tuesday night. J.t is intended to get the assistance of other slaughtermen, so that, if retail butchers do not create a rush, it is expected that tho' usual routine will be continued without any hitch. :

"Prob.ibly never in the history cf Dunedin," says Superintendent Napier. of the Fire Brigade, in his annual report, "have tho wharves and adjacent shed? contained anythirg like the amount of valuable material constantly stored there as at the present time, and quite a small mi?ha*> could cause fire loss s'uch as would stagger business men. many of whom are" already hard pressed to obtain supplies to fill order?. Tho responsibility for the adequate fire protection of the property has been disclaimed both by the Fire Board and tho Otfugo Harbour Board, but there can be 110 denying the fact that I -would be the unfortunate individual who would be asked to do the impossible in combating a wharf conflagration with a most ridiculously inadequate supply of water, and no pumping plant available. The gravity water supply of the city is already taxed to extremes, and the only solution of tho Droblem is the provision of a motor pump fire engine; given this appliance, the brigade could hope to cope with any ordinary outbreak of fire, but as things now stand we have not a chance in the world of making a save; and I earnestly counsel merchants and others not only to usa erery care in the discrimination of roods left in the sheds, tho proximity of othc.r goods likely to Jeopardise their property, and the strict observance of the regulation forbidding smoking, but furthermore, I urgently recommend that a real endeavour be made to remove cargoes more speedily, in order that, when the occurs, the loss will not be so utterly disastrous to the community in general." i Ladies know them to have no equal. I Martin's Apiol and Steel Vills. Sold by all Chemists and. Stores throughout Australasia. ] < ■ The best placo in town for Working Men's Overall's is Armstrong's, Ltd. Overall Trousers, Jackets, Trousers with Bib, and Combinations, can be obtained in White Duck, Navy Drill and Striped < Denim. Cheaper than elsewhere by {* long way.