NEWS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11502, 7 February 1903, Page 7

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The auction advertisements of Conway Matson and Sons, N.Z. Loan and Mercantile, Tonkfl, Norton and Co., F. S. Malcolm and Co., Wright, Stephenson and Co., Parkerßon and Co., F. C. Tabart, National Mortgage unr! Agency, and George King and Co., will be found on page 11 of this issue. Engineer Dolman, of the Ashburton Fire Brigade, has decided to remain in Ashburton, satisfactory arrangements having been made by the Borough Council for him to continue on as engineer to the Brigade. A'Wellington telegram states flint additional workmen are being put on ail the unfinished railway lines. The number will be considerably increased at both ends of the North Island Main Trunk line. A Volunteer Church parade will be held at West Lyttelton Church to-morrow, when the E and N Batteries of Artillery, the Engineers, and Lyttelton Navals, with the Lyttelton Marine' Band, will attend. Aa showing the increased price of horse stock, it is mentioned that a mare, offered in the Kaleyards at Rangiora, for which "£6O was bid yesterday, was withdrawn, as the owner wanted £80. The Lyttelton Naval Cadets this evening will go into camp at the recreation reserve, Heathcote, for their annual eight days' training. Staff Sergeant-Major Farthing and Corporal Moore will be tlie instructors. Our Greymouth correspondent telegraphs:—"lt is stated that oil has been struck in one of the bores at Kotuku. Another new boring plant was despatched on Thursday, and will commence operations next week." The Mayor of Timaru (Mr Jas. Craigie) commenced a week ago to collect subscriptions for the erection of a band rotunda at Caroline Bay, and already he has nearly £200 in hand. Mr R. H. Rhodes, of Blnecliffs, gave £1,00. and the balance has been received in donations of from 10s od up to £10 10s. At a meeting of the Christchurch Photographic Society last night Mr G. A. Bunz gave> an interesting lecture on the subject of "Enlarging," and was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. The following is the result of the competition: -"-River scenes, Mr G. A..Bunz 1. Mr F. Lucas 2, Mr G. W. Bennett 3; picturesque house, Mr H. E. Gott 1, Mr W. H. Taylor 2. Some disagreement exists between the men working in ballast pita at Ashburton and the ofnce.3 of tne railway permanent, way. The men, who are paid at the rate of 7s a day, say they are expected to excavate shingle and fill five trucks a day. This they hold is impossible, and consaquently have struck work. The Department have taken men from Christchurch tr» fill their places. Meanwhile the men out are negotiating with the Department to get the matter amicably settled. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Christchurch, have had consigned to them by northern owners from large lines of store sheep, chiefly from the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay. Three thousand two and four-tooth crossbred wethers and ewes were landed yesterday morning; 3000 four-tooth wethers will arrive to-morrow; 3000 two and four-tooth wethers and.ewes on Tuesday, and 3000 more on Thursday. The past few day. have been very warm, and crops are bound to improve with such fine weather (writes our Winchester correspondent). The district bos been very fortunate in escaping the hailstorms which have done so much damage in other parts. The crops are perhaps the best that have been grown in the district, scarcely a poor crop can be seen, and giiven fine weather for a few weeks there should be some very heavy yields. Some of the crops will be ready to cut in a few days. Messrs Paton and Macdougall, Colombo strset, have just completed the erection of a new brick plate-glass store, 34ft by 30ft. The buildinp fronts on to the right-of-way, and the carts delivering the glass do so to a travelling crane, which enables the glass to be placed into the nicks without danger of breakage from excessive handling. In connection with the new department, the firm have a large glass cutting table, which is able to be elevated Iby a screw into any position, in which it remains. Another improvement introduced is in the direction of boards to hold the plate glass with a button, so a* to diminish the risk of breakage, v In the store the stock of silverplate glass was from 4 x 3 to 7 x B,' and of British plate from 10 x 4 to 12 x 9. The store is lighted by skylights, and is fully equipped. The new departure allows the glass to be brought into the stores with far less chance of breakage, and consequently enables it to be placed on the market aY a lower price. At the Supreme Court, sittings in Timaru this week, his Honour Mr Justice Denniston quoted the following definition of "habitual drunkenness" from a judicial judgment by Sir Robert Stout:—"By habitual drunkard it did not mean that a

man was to remain during all the four years in a constant state of intoxication. . . . Habitual drunkard meant a man who is eontinuoliv given to excess of liquor, taking such quantities of liquor as affected his health, to take care of himself, to transact hie business, to look after his family, and io be physically, mentally, and morally unable to perform his duties as o husband. The fact that a man had sober intervals did not alter the fact of a man being a drunkard The definition of the term given by the late Sir Justice Windeyer was the proper one, and should be token. This was as follows: —' Drinking habits so continued as to lead to the belief that any day of tTie week the love of indulgence in stimulants will probably render a man liable to becoming incapable of controlling his conduct with a due regard to the feeling? ana rights of others, 'such habits, to my mind, place him in the category of the habitual drunkard.'" An amusing and somewhat lively incident occurred last Sunday evening in Queen street, Auckland. According to the "Star," burgjlary reports have been frequent of late, and the sound of a whirring burglar alarm in the shop of Mr A Kohn, jeweller, being heard, the scent for a burglar grew hot. The utmost excitement was manifested by the crowd, which quickly gathered around the door, jostling and crowding to get a glimpse of the dimly-lighted interior. The police, of course, were soon investigating, and to the accompanying tinkle of the burglar alarm, which must have given them an impetus to quick work, scaled the iron gateway barring the front entrance. "Here comes the Close upon him I" shouted the foremost spectators, as they saw an individual who actually had the audacity to calmly walk towards them He spoke to the police, and explained that he was Mr Kohn himself, and as nobody hod a better right to be there, the gentlemen in blue gave up the investigation, though they were not altogether convinced until another officer *n£ed, _who knew Mr Kohn personally. To satisfy the crowd, eager for a capture after such » series of burglaries without an arrest, was not so easy, and they tried to "rush" the shop in their eagerness to secure Wm. Mr Kohn, happening to be in town, looked into & ***"»** Urines were in order, and accidentally

Constable McClinchy arrested two men yesterday, evening on a charge of assault- i Ing and robbing another man in a vacant ; section off Manchester street. On the 18th inst. the University Senate I will open its sittings in Christchurch at Canterbury College. Very nearly the whole of the legal profession practising in Cfiristchurch congregated in Chambers yesterday, when twentyfive were present to speak to the various motions on the paper. Messrs Geo. G. Stead and Co. have on view in tlieir office a fine specimen of Telegraph Cucumber, grown from their strain of seed, by Mr Pcrrott, gardener, Strowan, It weighs 3lb, and measures 22iin in length and BJin in circumference. Before Mr C. Ferrier, J.P., yesterday, at Lyttelton. F. Forward, J- Buckley, S. Tredemrick, George Edgar, and Oscar Newton pleaded guilty to charges of allowing cattle to wander, and were fined 5s each. The Executive Committee in' connection with the St. Patrick's Day celebration, in aid of the home for the afflicted of all creeds and nationalities, met at the presbytery, "Barbadoes street, last night. Mr Hoban, president, occupied the chair. Interim reports of an encouraging nature were read from the various sub-committees, and a number of matters of detail were discussed and settled. The meeting adjourned till the 21st instant. It is reported that Mr A. W. Rutherford, M.H.R., has written to the road boards of Ashley County interested in the matters of thirds, stating that the Government is considering the question of paying the thirds from sales of Midland railway land to the local bodies. Waipara is entitled to about £25,000 and Ashley Road district to £7000. The Waipara Road Board was to have dealt with the question last meeting, but as there was not a full attendance of members nothing was done in the matter. Commendatory references to "New Zealand Illustrated," the Christmas number of "The Weekly Press." are becoming quite frequent. By the last mail Cr. J. Clarke, of Christchurch, received a letter from the well-known firm of Messrs denson and Nicholson, London E., in which Mr Nicholson writes:—"l received your kind illustrated Christmas magazine ("Weekly Press" Christmas number), which crossed one which had been sent you. Your magazine gives points to our English one, and certainly shows that you are fully abreast of the times in all matters of printing and newspaper work, if not even superior to our own productions." Mr W. Smith, the bass player in the Wellington Garrison Band,' was taken seriously ill at Maeterton on Wednesday evening. He is suffering from severe hemorrhage of the lungs, and is in a critical condition. Mr E. Y. Cox, treasurer of the MLnisterin? Children League Convalescent Cottage at New Brighton, acknowledges £37 16s 6d, net proceeds of the entertainment given by the Bright Hours Children, also £1 13s 4d contributed by the Sydenham boys' camp at Governor's Bay. The annual road-race, open to all "Press" employees, took place on Thursday, the course being from tlie Plough Inn to Yaldhurst and back, a run of about twelve miles. A good number entered, and the pace was warm from the' start. The backmarkers were soon done with, and the limit men fought out the issue. A. Burns (smin) cut out tlie running all the way, and finished first in _4min lQsec. J. Molloy (21mm) .an second, and put up the faMest time, 33min 13sec. D. Agassiz was third. A special prize was given for the first married competitor past the winning point, and thin was won by H. Keys; time, 38min lssec. Madame Melba has commissioned Mr Tom Roberts, the well-known Australian artist, to paint her portrait. As Mr Roberts's time is now fully occupied with the finishing of his large historical picture of the opening of the Commonwealth Parliament, and as he will be leaving Melbourne for England in March, it has been arranged that Jladamo Melba shall give the needful sitting to Mr Roberts upon her return to London. A private telegram has been received stating that Mr Nathaniel Dunlop died suddenly in Wellington on Thursday. Mr Dunlop was for many years in business in Geraldine, and for some time past has resided at Wellington. He was well known as an energetic business man, and while at Geraldine he took a prominent part in all local affairs, including the town board, school committee, and Presbyterian Church, of which he was an active member. His genial nature made him many friends, who will regret his decease. He leaves a widow and grown-up family of one son and three daughters. A Sydney domestic servant has been committed for trial on a number of charges of forgery. She forged the names of various Sydney clergymen to cheques running from £5 to £12 each, and then went to leading business houses and made purchases lor the clergymen to say a third or half the amount, directing the goods to be sent up. Sometimes she professed to be the wife, sister, or daughter of the clergyman. Many i clerics who received travelling bags with . their names engraved, and .similar articles at Cmristmaflti-ne, imagined they were Christmas boxes till their bank-books came i round, and the frauds were discovered. The Victorian Railway Department is considering a suggestion to follow the example of the North-Eastern Railway Company, Engjland, to experiment with petrol motor care. The cars, which the North--1 Eastern Company are having constructed, will be 53ft long, und will provide seat- . ing accommodation for fifty-two passengers. Each car will practically be a train saloon, ' [ with an engine at one end, and a conductor's compartment at the other. A speed of thirty miles per hour will be attainable, and can tie got up in half a minute. Mi Wood- : roof*. Chief Mechanica/l Engineer, is inclined to believe that a cojpbined car and • engine would be suitable on some lines, i where the traffic is smaU. On busy lines, • he did not think it would pay to ran separate trains, capable of carrying only fiftyt two passengers. Petrol motor cais were being brought to great perfection, and it l was not improbable that their adoption ■ on some lines would result in a considerable • saving, especially if the price of oil declined.

The man who plunges blindly ahead in buying farm machinery and takes any but the very best, the known and the tried "McCormick," is likely soon to find himself on the ragged edge. 6216 Strange and Co.'s very successful end-of-aummer clearing sale will be resumed at 10 o'clock this morning, some special attractions being provided for to-day and following days.

Large fortunes have been realised by lucky inventors. See handbood on "Patents," free, from Baldwin and Rayward (A. H. Hart, representative), 172 Gloucester street, Christchurob.—-(Advt) 4 How unpleasant it is when your friends call on you unexpectedly, and you have nothing really nice for afternoon tea. Carr's Wafer Biscuits ore dainty and refreshing, and are the best "standby." They will keep fresh any length of time. Price Is 6d per lb. WardelPs. 2

.The crowds that continue to attend Beath's great drapery sale is a proof of it* popularity. Further enormous reductions. Great sacrifices in mantles, millinery, and underclothing to-day. Cashmere costume skirts 25s for 16s lid, block jackets 22s 6d for 5s lid, three-quarter Cravenette jackets, new shapes, 35s for 23s 6d. 27b 6d capes for 6s lid, trimmed hats 14s 6d for 6s lid, French sailors 5s lid for 3« 6d; Panamas, 6s lid for Is, sailors 5i lid for Is, corsets, doable busk, 4s 6d for 2s 6d, woven combinations 4s lid for 2a lid, pink wool vests Is 6d for 9d. See windows to-day. Beath's sale. o

3,000,000 Envelopes, well assorted; 2000 reams note and letter papers, good and cheap; folio papers, eveiy size and quality. Thousands account books, all sizes wkl bindings, now on sale by H. J. Wood and Co.. of unprecedentedly tow prices. Office requisites and stationers' sundries, of best quality. Large new stock of photo, albums and photo, frames. Thousands of new bookSf just landed, also immense assortment of cheap reading. A great sale of fancy goods upstairs. Inspection invited by H. J. Wood and Co., Stationers' HaH, rfigh street. ; ;wl^<Bto^

Our cycle repairing capacity is 30 to 60 machines daily. We have the most complete manufacturing plant in Australasia, therefore we can effect the most intricate repairs faithfully and reasonably. Oates, Lowry and Co., "Zealandia" Cycle Works, Christchurch. 4746 If you have the faintest suspicion that your eyes are not just right, if they bother you in any way, it's best to have them examined at once. Do not go to tne av.*age optician or spectacle seller, for ne is unable to distinguish betwetn optical defects and diseases, but consult John K. Procter, 180 High street, Christchurch, who will give you a thorough exammation free of charir*. 2U5 "Bargains of a most unusual nature still continue to attract unusual attention at the D.I.C. All departments vie with each other to give the most tempting attractions. Whether it be a costume or a pair of boots, a kitchen chair, or a splendid piano or organ, a common China tea set, or a real Doulton dinner service, every one is a bargain, and gives full satisfaction to the buyer. The sale continues until further notice." 21 Wanted Known —Jewellery gale, for one month, of watches, clocks, rings, brooches, and all other classes of jewellery, sold at greatly reduced prices. K. Grieshaber, Watchmaker and Jeweller, 155 Colombo street • -/4oS I Bicycles for 1903. Just arrived, ship- ! ment ex b.s. Turakina, of new Hudson's latest models. Ladies and gents. Adami Sun Cycle Depot, 136 Lower High etreet. Have you seen the "New Century?" If not, you do not know to what a high standard of excellence the typewriter has attained, and you should do so at once. The company have opened a branch at 117 Colombo street. Machines will be sent on approval to responsible firms. 9