LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12193, 17 December 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

One of the most remarkable instances of proiii-earning by a cargo steamer has arisen .'it Liverpool. A few we?lis ago there arrived in the port a vessel which carried a cargo of 45,000 oases of onions horn Yalcnch. The rate of frfight paid on arrival was ]i, s (VI per case, which works out to the extraordinary total of over ~£37.000 for the. nine days' voyage from Valencia to Liverpool. The vessel is not. British-owned, bui sails under tIt 7 ; flag of an Allied nation. The open-air concert given by Mr F. C. Raphael in his grounds, Mansfield Avenue, on Saturday cvk ning, was a. pronounced success, and was well attended. The concert was provided bv the committee l ' lo, Merivale and -Hugh;. Street Red Cross, and th? programme consisted of items by the Christehurch Orchestral Society, under A 1 ?• A. J. Bunz, and by the Liedertafol Quartet, selections on tho concertina by Mr c,ohn Campbell, and vocal items bv Messrs Bernard Wood. G. .March and \Y. doll. Mrs Osmand-Smith was tho accompanist. The high-class programme, proved most enjoyable-, 'he- orchestra being heard at its best, probably in incidental music from Sullivan's " Henry \]7l. and Mr R. A. Home's delicate entr'acte, " Corisand■:•'' At the conclusion of the programme a. hearty vote of thanks was aerorded to Mr Raphael and thosn who assisted to make, the concert such a success. "Ready for a, " ding-dong " go.— Messrs Hnstie, Bull and Pickering's Attractive and f sefnl Gifts at Christmas Prices have already caught, the public favour, and a busy week is a. certainty at this popular store. X Christmas Holidays.--The retail drapers have arranged to keep open "till 0 p.m. on Friday, 21st, till 0 p.m. on Saturday, 22nd, and on Monday 24th (Christinas Eve) till ]0 p.m. Open nil 9 p.m. Friday, 28th, close 1 p.m. Saturday, 29th, and (j p.m. Monday (New Year's Kve). 3280 X

A cheque for £SO lias been received by the general secretary of the YM_ O.A. from Private H. V. Murray, of the New Zealand Machine Gun Company, N.Z.E.F., at present serving at t'hf: front. The donation is made as a mark of Private Murray's appreciation of the work of the Y.M.C.A- with the Expeditionary Forces in France and Flanders. A suggestion that tramp should use the Lyttelton railway tunnel was made on Saturday evening at the Chamber of Commerce Mall by Mr H. S. Bourn. Ho said that the tunnel was idle for most of the day. and he had no doubt that- the enterprising men on the Chrisfehuroh Tramway Board could make g.ood use of it, if given facilities by the Railway Department. The suggestion was applauded.

A telegram from Auckland states that the Prime Minister on Saturday opened the first section of the AVa.iuku branch railway from Paerata to Paiurnahoc, a distance, of oj miles. The prelimnary survey was made, in the first appropriation made in 101.3, and tlie first sod turned in ID] 4. Mr Massey and the Hon TV. Eraser referred to 1 lie productivity of the district-, and stated, that war conditions had delayed construction. Both promised early completion, as soon as material was obtainable. One of ihe curious object< which attracted everyone's attention when the British forces *nt«red Kul was a monument which had been erected by the Turks to n ark - the surrender of the place and the capture of General Tov, nsh c nd and his men. The lies' rvf it was that fh n monuivmi d was. a ill u;iveiled —it st:ll had i:r wrappings round it, ev idenl. ly av. ading ib e arrival of snnif Turkish big-wig to perform the august- ceremony. At lli« base of the monument wev two nf the naval gun*; which had been destroyed by Genera] Tewr.sliend and thrown in the river before, capitulation. These had broil dug out and exhibited as a tribute to Turkish prowess. The. monument is still there, -tlm British .sense oi humour would not allow it to b« destroyed, as the joke was on the Turk.

A British TJorl Crop? official. referring t>~- ri. recent visit to th" 'Western front. say?: "Of Verdun iVrlf it is .-ilmo> t unnecessary to spr-ak.- except to say flint oil the written niw.m*s one has sen pale before the actual scone. Tin' town itself reminds one of Pompeii. I' roin the fort above one sees for miles earth churned into dust, trees shntiered. to ribbon*. and not even a whole, brick where houses stood. Town alter town is completely destroyed. thousands of square miles of ill" richest land in the world fire absolutely sterile ond sown with unexploded shell?, which mnke euP ivs tion imBut the greatest of •nil is poor Rheims, perhaps one of the fme\t. towns ol its size in Europe, it ■seems hardly possible, that, it could ever be > rebuilt, so eomplete and appalling js it? destruction. The lowest estminie ot the cost, of the damage- is £ 10.00P.000 in t-h's town alone." The -i wenty-fourt-h a-unual meeting of the Sumner Volunteer Fire Brigade was held on Saturday evening. Superintendent. J. Carter presided oyer a lull muster. The report, which was adopted, showed that ten calls had been responded to during the year in Sumner and only one property had been destroyed. J<'our members of the brigade were on active service, namely, F. Lawson, j. Mines, 11. Whitley and J. O'Neill. Special reference was also made t.o the servicers rendered throughout, the year by .Mr K. Gibhs, who had conveyed the members of the brigade and the. reel to various fires by his own motor-car. The balancesheet showed no liabilities. Tlie chairman reported that the membership of ibe brigade was nineteen active and thirty-live honorary members. Officers were appointed for the ensuing year as for.low : —Dvpiityisuperintendent. J. Merritt ; foremen, J. "Williams, and H. Ncwbery ; senior branchman, ' W. G. Carter; branchman, B. Lindroos: honorary secretary. B. Lindroos ; honorary treasurer, J. Williams.

Growers of last season's potato crops in this district, also speculators in sumo who held on to their stocks in anticipation of a. big demand and high price's, have not had an enviable experience, cNoecd'ngly large quantities of potatoes being left on their hands (says the '• Manawatu Standard''). One speculator, who is slated to have had some hundreds of tons in stock, is now ridding himself of the- tubers by destroying them. A trench aboutfifteen yards long, and from six to eight feet wide has been dug, and this has been filled with potatoes and covered over. Yesterday about eight feet of the. trench was opni ready to receive, a further consignment, and a huge heap of potatoes was near at hand awaiting interment. Several tubers picked up indiscriminately proved quite sound. When the country calls for economy, and in view of a deputation from the local Efficiency Trustees waiting on the Prime .Minister and Sir .Joseph "Ward on Saturday last, with the object of bringing in a scheme of domestic economy for the conservation of foodstuffs, this wholesale destruction of potatoes calls for condemnation. Gooel news for Christmas: Messrs Hastie. Bull and Pickering are opening up their useful, unique and favourably pric d goods for Christinas presents. Careful buying has yielded an excellent result. The y_oods are "great value," and all on the useful side. X