LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16750, 3 June 1922, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

NEWS FROM NEAR AND FAR A rather unusual disembarkation followed the conclusion of yesterday’s launch excursion to the mouth of the Waimakariri, thanks to the very low state of the river, which choked the propeller with weeds and prevented the launch from getting alongside the landing stage. The passengers therefore transferred to another launch on the opposite side of the river, and helped one another up the face of a high protective wall leading into private premises. It was not much of a feat for the younger men, but the “ old buffers ” cut a very sporting figure clambering “ over the top.” At the Durham Street Methodist Church to-morrow the Rev W. Ready will preach morning and evening. Mr J. W. N. M’lntosh, a blind soldier, will read the lesson at the evening service. At the conclusion of the evening a special recital of sacred music will be given undef- direction of Mr E. Firth, F.R.G.0., who will also play a solo. Madame Claris Holgate will sing two solos, and Mr W. J. Hudson will sing Quartets will be given by Mrs E. Firth. Miss Twose, Messrs H. Blakeley and W. J. Spratt. Mr M’lntosh will recite “ The Blind Man’s ‘lf.’” A retiring collection will be taken for the appeal for the blind. Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P., stated last evening that one of the most urgent needs of the time from a social and humanitarian viewpoint was a pension for invalids. He quoted the case of a, man, married, with a family—a splendid fellow—stricken with a most painful and incurable disease whose misery had been terribly intensified by the stress and anxiety of scraping together sufficient income to keep his wife and children from starvation. To-day the man’s case waa hopeless and there was no doubt that his condition had been made infinitely worse by his financial worries. The care of these helpless people, said Mr Sullivan, should he the first concern of a Christian community, for it was most inhumane to leave these unfortunate people to struggle for a living while weighed down with a paralysing physical infirmity. He hoped that very soon Parliament would enact this most urgently needed social reform. Mr G. Britlin. a former resident of Christchurch, has written from Riwaka, Nelson, to the secretary of the Christchurch Domains Board, supplying information as to “ golden blight,” which attacks oa.k trees. Mr Brittin has made a special study of scale insects, a group to which the “golden flight” belongs. He wrote: “I take it that the so-called ‘ golden, blight ’ is the well-known oak scale Asterolecanium variolosa m,, which appears to be exclusively confined to the oak. In the Neleon district it is very common j and I have yet to find the oak that is not more or less thickly covered with the scale. I have examined thousands of these coccids, but I never have found one parasitised, nor have J heard of its being so. but Newstead states that in the Old Country it is freely eaten by both the blue titmouse and the longtailed titmouse. "Whether or not any of our New Zealand birds devour this scale I am unable to say, but probably Mr E. F. Stead would undertake to find out. In my opinion the white-eye, wax-eye, or blight bird is the most likely bird to do so. As to whether or not the black ladybird, Rhizobius ventral is, which, lives on the blue-gum scale, would also devour the oak scale I could not say; but this could easily be decided by observing oak trees in the neighbourhood of bluegums at Rol lost-on.” The Domains Board yesterday passed a motion thanking Mr Brittin. It. referred his letter to Mr Stead, who is a member of the board. A photograph to send each. of your friends is the best way to solv© tho gift problem. Let Steffano Webb take it. Petersens Buildings, High Street, Telephone 1989. 1513 “ Big Ben ” and his family reduced. Messrs Hastie, Bull and Pickering announce reduced prices on Alarm Clocks, “ Big Ben ” now 22s od, “ Big Ben ” Luminous 30s, “ .Tack o’ Lantern ” Luminous 20s, “ Sleep Meter” 13s 6d, “ Good Morning ” 10s, Pocket Ben 9s 6d. 6 There’s no period of life in which the changes are so rapid, the stages so interesting, or the memory so well worth keeping us the period of childhood. Keep the record in a photograph. Begin with a portrait to-day. Wrigglesworth and Binns, 738 Colombo Street. ’Phone 12*58. XD.