TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12082, 10 August 1917, Page 2

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

A meeting of the Christchurch Tram' way Board will be held on Monday to confirm the striking of a special rate for the St Martins tramway area. The erection of the new tramway shelter near the Bank of New Zealand corner, in Cathedral Square, has been commenced, and it is expected that the work will be completed within a fortnight or .three weeks. In view of the shortage of road metal at present, being experienced, and a probable increase in price, it has been suggested that the Tramway Board, which is one of the largest users of this material, should acquire a quarry of its own. The board already owns a. shiugle

,>\i at Sockburn, and has effected very considerable savings by this acquisition.

Returned soldiers who wish for free tickets of admission to the Canterbury Kennel Club's show on August 16 and 17 may obtain them at the office of the Citizens' Defence Corps all day on Tuesday and on "Wednesday morning. Returned soldiers' tickets for the races will be supplied by the corps at the same time.

In the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Mr R. A. Wright asked the Prime Minister if all persons who arrive in New Zealand from SchleswigHolstein are regarded as Danes. If so, is such a policy not dangerous, seeing that it is quite possible for German spies to reach our shores under a Danish disguise? On the arrival of the 4.40 p.m. tram at New Brighton from the city yesterday Elma Elson, the only daughter of Mr and Mi's Elson, Union Street, was alighting when she was run over by a me tor-car. Dr Stevens was sent for and found that one of the girl's legs was broken. She was removed to the Lyndhurst Private Hospital.

The IJrcwera Maoris at Rua's settlement, Maungapohatu, says the Auckland "Star," are reported to be in a very poverty-stricken condition at the present time. It is stated that all their cattle and sheep were sold to dofray the expenses of the protracted Court- proceedings, and all they have left are a few fowls and pigs. For want of stock the land is reverting t6 a wild state.

Giving evidence before the Military Appeal Board at Napier this week, a station manager said an employee for whom he was appearing, and for whom ho sought exemption, was "a marvellous man. It would take ten men to replace him." It subsequently came out in evidence that the man got the munificent sum of £BO for keeping fortythousand acres in the Pohue district clear of rabbits.

Mr J. W. Poynton, S.M., in the course of his address at the Opera House at Palmerston on Sunday nicht, said there was an old German in D:innevirke who had been assisted to New Zealand as an immigrant, and had been helped as a farmer until he had become prosperous. He had been asked why he wished the Germans to win. His answer had been : '" Well, if the British win. I can still keep my farm; but if the Germans win I will have vours also."

The Auckland Art Gallery has recently acquired by gift from the widow, brothers and sisters of the late Mr John Conody, grandson of Dr Conolly, and sea of fh? late Justice Conolly, a larse portrait in oils of Dr Conollv by Sir John Watson Gordon, R.A.. the famous Scottish portrait painter, and a silver testimonial. These were presented to Dr Conolly in 1552 in recognition of hi» labours to improve the treatment and ameliorate the conditions of the insane. The portrait is a splendid bit of work, and adds to the small but excellent collection of portraits in the gallery.

Last year the New Zealand Patent Office, received 882 applications for pa-t-mis from residents in New Zealand, 45 less than, in 11)15 :and 418 from ."""I cants outside New Zealand, or 4.5 more than in the. previous vear. _ Fifty-one applications were received for patents in connection with milking machines; So in connection with explosives, firearms and targets;. 36 in connection with cutting and_ sawing and tools: 35 in connection with amusement?, music, exercises and games; 3 4 in connection with boots and shoes; 32 connected with stationery and rimer: 55 connected with furniture and unholstery, desks, blinds, curtains; 7 in connection with aeronautics, besides others.

On March 31 last the Public Trust Office held on account of wills and trust elates .-f"2.470,103 : intestate estates. i'S 17.034 ; mental patients' estates, ■•.••J]7.."44 ; convicts' estates. £2281; superannuation, and Civil Service funds, £782.201 ; National Provident Fund. £110.oo0: sinking funds (Government and local bodies)'. £2,87-5.2:29: Maori Land Board Fund. £'286.217; and under War tV'Culations Act. £169.739. The im-estments. on March 31, 191 <', included stocks, bonds and debentures. £1.127.478 14s 2d; mortgages, £'•3,918.250 Os Pd; advances io estates and accounts. £202.936 8s Id; and cash and fixed deposits. £407.549 2s Bd. The assets of the .Department totalled £5,171,034 lis Id. At the Canterbury Education Board's roc-eling to-day a circular memorandum u-a, read from the Department, sug* gestuig that os a. means of improving the efficiency of small schools, wherever possible arrangement:, should be made ;<j;- i.ho conveyance of pupils or for the boarding of children away from home, also for tiie establishment of part-time schools. It was agreed to reply that, the board would be glad to establish part-time schools where practicable, and that the beard distinctly favoured the conveyance of children to school, a system which in isolated legalities would be more generally taken udvnn.iage of if the Department wc )ld increase the. payment- and allow the children to travel on horseback or by bicvele.

Tlv Ch list church Tramway Board hr.s advertised its intention, as required by statute, ao apply fur an 'Order-iii-Coun-<-il authorising :V. to proceed wn-ii tho alteration of fchf: Cathedral Sguare b.your, concerning which there, has tcc-n S3 much controversy. The impression seenis to be prevalent that the Tramway Board and the. City Council ana at a dead-lock on this question, and thai tho board ca 11:101 move without tho council's pi-rmission. This is not the case. Tho board consul's t-ne council on such matters as an act of courtesy; but it takes its authority i'or using t.oo city streets direct from the Government. In tho case in pouv- it will be quite op?n lor the City Council to oppose the board's application for an Grder-in-Couneil, and the -Minister of Public Works will doubtless givo consideration to the council's representations, but tho decision will rest with it-he; Government and not with the municipal authority. "Regular reiuroi cements have been despatched monthly during the year to maintain our forces in the field," states the Commandant of the New Zealand Forces, in his annual report.

••It is a matter tor thankfulness and congratulation that again during the military year ended -May 31, 1917, no serious accident or delay has occurred in despatcn or during transit of the transport or freight ships to their destinations oi on returning ships conveying invalid* back to the Dominion. i rom report* and memoranda from reliable military authorities m the United Kingdom, trance and Kgypt, it is satisfactory to know -.hat the class of men and their training supplied by the New Zealand forces have been pronounced very good. Minor defects or differences or' opinion at to the training have regularly been adjusted by the method of.a complete report on the training of each draft being forwarded to arrive with the draft concerned. In return changes in training requirements and methods are regular" ly received from abroad, and are at once put into .'n the training camps."

As in former years, a frozem wreath of New Zealand foliage and flowers i to be shipped to London by the Navy League, to be placed on the Nelson Memorial on Nelson Day (October 21.)

An application for ths reopfening of the R.alcaia. Little School was considered at the Canterbury Education Board's meeting to-day. The senior inspector's report being favourable, it was decided to reopen the school on the usual conditions.

It was mentioned at tire meeting of the Canterbury Education Board today tha-t the staff and pupils of the Normal School had subscribed £l2 8s 6d to the Lady Liverpool Fund for Christmas comforts for soldiers at the front. The Education Department having written to the Canterbury Education Board stating that the matter of investigating and suppressing epidemics was the duty of the public health authorities rather than of the school medical inspectors, the board, at its meeting to-day, cordially agreed with the sentiments expressed by the Department, and decided to send a letter to that effect to the District Health Officer.

Mr W. Brock, senior inspector of the Canterbury Education Board, reported, do the meeting of members to-day, in regard to the question of school books, that no change of books was contemplated, so far as the inspectors were concerned. wShould the Department be in a position to continue the supply of the '•'School Journal,' 'there was little naed for a miscellaneous reader. The journal supplied abundant reading matter, and thene' never was a time at which parents were put to so little expense on the score of books. Mr W. A. Blank, truant officer of the Education Board in the Canterbury district, in his report to the board today, stated that, during the month he had visited thirteen schools in the town and suburbs of Christchurch and eight in the country districts, in addition to visits to homes representing twentythree- children. Ordinary notices had been sent to parents in 187 cases and 63 notices of a final nature had been issued. Nineteen cases had been taken into Court, four at Temuka, two at Tiuiaru, the remainder being in North Canterbury. In ten cases fines had been inflicted and six cases had been adjourned. Mr F. White (West Coast officer) reported having received twelve absentee lists, most of the schools havbeen closed for holidays, Eleven ordinary and two of a final nature had been sent out and ajiumber of schools visited.