NEWS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14886, 28 January 1914, Page 8

NEWS OF THE DAY.

« The auction announcements of Pyne and Co., H. Mat&on and Co., Harris Bros., Charles Clark, Tonks, Norton and Co., Maiing and Co., Dalgety and Co., P. S. Nicholls and Co., Conway Matson and Sons,, 11. B. Sorensen, Christchureh "Woolbrckers , Association and W. E. Siines and Co., will bo iound on pages 15 and 14 of this issue. Mr A. E. G. Rhodes has given £o to tho Timaru Borough Council to deiray the cost of labels lor tho native shrubs on Caroline Bay. The annual generrl meeting; of the Christclmich Urcheoirai Society, and the lirst rehearsal of the 1914 season, will be held in tho Chamber of Commerce Hall, Cathedral square, next Wednesday evening at 7.45 o'clock. A caso of considerable importance to land agents And dealers in property was heard in the Magistrate's Court, at Wellington, yesterday, by Mr W. G. Riddell, S.M. (says a Press Association message). The case was one in ■which W. J. Gibson, a land agent, claimed from Esson Bros., Kilbirnie, the sum of £81 10s, being commission at the rate of li per cent, on the exchange of some properties between the defendants and another client of the plaintiff. An agieeinent to pay li per cent, signed by J. W. Esson, was produced, but the main point for the defence was that this agreement was I signed by the defendant at a time when ho had no knowledge that the plaintiff was receiving a commission on tho exchange from the other party to the deal, aMr Knight. Evidence to this effect was given, and having heard counsel, his AVorship said he would take time to consider his decision, although he* was at that stage inclined to think that the plaintiff must succeed.

The Sumner Gala Committee eilfc attention to tho danger of people 3narrow escape from accidents thrmSl this warning not being heeded **• A Wellir. s tou correspondent uu jpphs that Mr D av id xfe Laren has been selected a* .. candidate tor tho Mayoraltvk* the Limed Labour Party. In VL»Stho recent strike., the'contest shoulT p.ove douhly interesting, and point! moral It is almost certain that Vt .1. P. Luke, tho present Mayor, wfl« t a candidate. ' **•*■• Tho Dunedin branch of tho Rail-,-Locomotive Association has taken striml exception to tho inclusion of tho rece!? tion gazetted which snys: "In casefnr nlne*s when a member is absent for more than 21 hours a medical certifi«U may bo required, and if his absence «. tends beyond one week an additional' eernhcate may bo required from a medk eal practitioner nominated by the IW partnujnt. the cost of such certifiSto bo borne by tho person concerned."' DotaiLs of the Government Swum Bank transactions Jor tho DecenH quarter are pitted, the figure, J tho conespondmc; quarter of 191" h»\Z ? 6 V S3 3 in ,'-^"! W -Account, o"pe,S ' ): ae ?°" nts c osed. 13.588 posits over withdrawals »»4- £* the same quarter of 1912 the'excess 3withdrawal* over deposits was SJJjJ Novel srou.uk were advanced by Tjl Perry )o »ce. the well-known M at the Quarter Session* at Svdner lS ' week, before Jud K e Docker, Vor Jjii paint in X whirl, wa/imendS^p^'' '"tioii to the Xi UK , and sa i d t £?S don every ten years, is to take plaw £ •June this year. Apart from fh' off! <-i«l dologatos, rjmto a number of Sal vntjoii.sts from New Zealand parpos. Wing to tnc creat event at their own oxpensr At Congress ra 1901 there were tw;n pres-ent from X country where tho Army fl ag is ny ; ' 1 hero will be a greater number this time. A huge temporary hall is herot erected J n .London for tho Congrea en pa bio of accommodating about 6000 persons. Staff-Captain Newby has W. selected * s the staff delegate for Christ, church and Canterbury. • All &' branches of the Army in and arojod Chnstchurch nre uniting for a compß. mentary musical" festival to their ; representative to-uicht in the Virion* street Citadel. Tho Mayor (Mr H Hetland) will preside. The present spell of, dry weather's having a singularly bad effect upon tSj* j native trees throughout the Forertj JJ:iy flats,.so a prominent fanner informed «a Gisborne "Herald" repfesea. tativc on Saturday. This applied to trees scattered -throughout the paddocks where clock were allowed to wander, end- they had not only cleared the■ undergrowth,-but in seeking shade ; had trodden away the earth and «x» j posed the roots. White pine troee. up. to 100 ft, in height, were dying, and on ? his property alone he had counted numerous trees so affected. Hβ did not attribute th*s to the dry summer —they had had other summers equally, as dry—but to the unusually ■ dry. winter. The trees affected co*mpris*3| . white pine, ngaio, and taiva. Bruij that was- well surrounded with natra shrubs was not affected. It .wtt' also stated that settlers out the flats had been obliged to lower their wells, and though "jamany cases they had not mcceeded In ' striking further springs, they had,effected increased slorage in their wells. A well-known angler informs , the "New Zealand Herald" that with n> gard to the reports about blindness' fa lish in Lake Taupo, he belief that many ■ of the trout are in the habit of-mar-ing the-stones on the bottom 01 the. lake with their noses in an endeavour to secure food that lies beneath. Hβ., has caught mnny fish whose damagedheads could only.be .accounted for m this way. ancMie considers it possible that many of the trout have mjured ' Tieir eyes in endeavouring to njor» , Ynge rocks. Many anglers have beett i .puzzled as to the reason why fish are frequently caught.with ft portion «. tho lower jaw worn away, and tms defect can bo accounted- for by the same theory. The rocks and etonw » Lake Taupo are more or less of » pumico nature, and continual rubbsng . and pushing at these could easily ago the membrane of the eye. Deteno---ration of the fish in Lake Taupo, a? elsewhere, is attributed to the fact ttal the enormous natural increase in trout has caused the natural food to be eaten,; out, and under ftrcumstancee tM fish are not likely, to again grow to t» abnormal sizo of past years. C, A tribute t-o the honosty of the a»WAgo Australian black «as paid \y$JM Janus Caldwell, a Presbyterian ai*"*"ary worker, who gave evidence .beior* the Aborigines' Commission in AdelWQ* last week. He told a atory in support of his abortion that the nonesty of W aborigines compared favourably- «*» that of the whites. A little-while ego it sheepowner employed abongliies 1 w capture a particularly troublesome WUO dog. Ho offered £5 for the destroy . tion of the beast, which was k™™. ™ be within an area of Innd eurroundel by netting. There were pentS £ dops just outside tno fence. Att«r several days' hunting tho abongmtf came Bacis and said they could not find - the dog. They might *aeily gw one of the outside dogs and P" 5 off for tho genuine animal. M we'll, who bus during the past six• « seven years come in contact- with Mβ natives of the country surroundrag Iron Knob, states that some of them iK>sses*ed horses yad buggies or cameß, and may be seen with a graniaphot* ior sewing machine. He considers XW> I mere are aboiisiues in the capable of managing a sheep ronunaer Eiil>«rvi3;on. A big scheme is now under way Hff the mansion tenements and ter ™^T I houses, at the corner of Lden *tre». and Waterloo quadrant, AucKiand V*T* } ! tho "New Zealand Herald"). tlio v/ork arc new being prepared. W block will have a frontage of.l 30»» Eden street an-i 60ft to A\'aterloo qworant. Tho front elevation of the. 0 "? sion tenements has been designed in w" clnssic English style, cairied O U V^' i brick ani tenant. It ivill be fwr stories high, and it is intended tliatu? , building shall be practically fireproof The partition walls and st* ircas * s *! , to bo surmounted by a flat «»«*«»• roof. On each floor of tho teneoW»- ---! provision Ls to he made for two sotW* ; of four rooms, to?etln!r with all «««»•- convenienr-es. All the suites nre to w. ! selt contained, end will each » c tered from the large common oafh of the floors. By locking tneTg-. vnte hall door of each tenement .»• whole suite is locked up. V™"™!^ ito be provided '.oth at the front f» ! bnrk of each suite. From these r *{jZrJ dahs munificent vipwk of the will be obtained. A<lioinine the "«•"£•/■ tenements there will be a row ot r-icrd houses, throe stones Inch. of tW terraces will have »«^ r rooms and all conveniences. The «.Jr.vntion fs in the dom *S" E!iei : sh thi"! producing a but j)icf.urosi]ao effect.

A Kennel Club has just been formed tn Timaru. fho course of lectures on music by ■ Dr J C Bradshaw, at Canterbury College, will start on February 16th. The river report yesterday morning vfl s —Waimatariri both branches;, Kakaia, and Opihi, clear; Rangitata and Waitaki, dirty. A groper weighing 4olb was captured ' in tne Opihi river on Sunday last by two Timara anglers,. It had come in from the sea in pursuit of herring, and • when half a r.i;e from the mouth ot the river it got stranded m a ripple. A new underground culvert is being ■ constructed across Worcester street from tbe Royal Exchange corner to tuo A M P corner to carry away the storm water which accumulates at the latter corner. Tho Electricity Committee of the ■ City Council have convened a fresh conference of representatives or local bodies to consider the matter of obtamine current from the Lake Golendgo Lppl... The conference will be held in the City Coimoi Chamber on February ■ 12th, at 8 p.m. The first term of the New Year for the Boys' High School and the Girls High School will start on February oth. The headmaster and headmistress, re- ' *pectively, of earh school will be in attendance" to interview parents of newpupils at. 9.30 a.m. on February 3rd and 4th. In conversation with a representative of "Tho l > ress"a local architect said that most of the buii'.'ling work which was stuck up by tho striko towards the end of last year is now in hand or will ' be put in hand shortly. Prices of building materials are rapidly reaching normal with the exception of timber, the price of which lias been increased. The removal of tho tiamwsy tx-ntio poles from Coloml>o street in tho Central ward has been completed, and the work of removing the poles in tho game street from .Moorhouse avenue to Brougham street, Sydenham, and also on Lincoln road from tho Show Grounds to the terminus is to bo pushed on at once. Good progress is reported as having been made by the contractors for the construction of the St. Martin's tramway extension. The contract time is sixteen weeks, and two weeks will havo expired next Monday. The work of widening the Wilson's road bridge, which,is being done by the Hoathcoto County Council, is also well in hand, and should be completed in ample time forth© laying of the rails aero:* n. A sportsmen's club on a miniaturo scale has been formed amongst tho tr&rawaynieri in this city, and periodi--"eallv email shooting excursions aro inaoV into tho country. Motorman iWintbropo has been elected president of the club, and already sfvoral very enjovabie trips havo been made. On Sunday last a party consisting or Jlessrs "Winthrope, Dodds, bmall, •Hkrris and Lummis, journeyed to tho \Vaimakariri riverbed, and had a good r day in pursuit of rabbits, winch ere plentiful .in this vicinity. As a result of the days outing no fewer than 106 rabbits fell to the guns ot the party. ■ "Wβ will have- to do careful that ■ those who come after us will not have causo to curse the fact that we lived before them, for losing for them the inheritance which our forefathers have left us. It- is not a good sign to coo. the bay crowded on the Sabbath. The "coffers"of the Council may benefit, but .Timaru and this country will suffer.' This was an utterance from a pulpit m Timaru on Sunday evening (says the "Post")- The inference drawn by tuG ■ preacher was that the foundation upon ■which the British Empire had been built tip was slowly, but surely, beginnine to crumble. The non-observance . of tho Sabbath and tho neglect of tho Bible were the first steps in''the-"wrong directionExperiments in tar-spraying of coun- . . try roads,in Taranaki have been going on for some time. The Rawhitiroa ■ road, in southern Taranaki, was tarRprayed , with ordinary 4 gasworks tar, but it has. hot proved very successful. - A small section of the &ame road was treated wiih "restar," which appears to be holding well. On another road "soltsr" was tried in tho wheel-tracks, and wherever .there is a good foundation it is standing well. The Manaia road, which has had another top-drcss-iag of tar, is reported, says the "Hawera Star," to bo in good, condition. ' The "restar" preparation, where tried on .the Eltham-Stratford road, is maintaining a solid surface afier three months' traffic. Mr Maurice Fell, M.A; (Oson) has bfeu appointed to an assistanfc-master- • ship at Christ h College. Mr Fell was odtfo4te<l at Vim-hestar, of which school m was a Foundation Scholar. He - graed an.Open Classical scholarship at ' University College, Oxford, in 1903, and took a eecond-class in honour moderations and a third in.Litt. Hum. At Winchester he was in the school football VI. and XI., in the hockey XL, in the shooting VIIL, and he wns captiin of his .howe cricket XI. At Oxford he was captain of his college foot"ball XI. Mr Fed is a first-class linguist, and. has travelled extensively. Ho has .already visited New Zealand, -where he ■was for a time private tutor to Mr "Arthur Rhodes's son. He will arrive m Christchurch in June, and will succeed Mr Lutton Carter as head of the modern language department on tho Tatter's return to Clifton. "Within the past three months over . -one hundrod ladies have derived marvel- ,. >bus results from the special courses of hair treatments received at Mrs Rolleston's, Cathedral square. Fee, one guinea, including necessary pre- . parations. 6 To make sure of getting cordials of absolute, purity, get Thomson's. Com- ■.- panson with the world's best has . demonstrated their excellence. Whether . ia is Ginger Wine, Raspberry Vinegar, «r Lime Juice, if it is Thomson's it is best and purest. All grocers. Ford and 'jAurams, agents. . 1 - The effects of the late strike will touch a pleasant chord to-day, and tor • J , *?* following—one of its results was , tae detention of large shipments arrivtttg by every boat at ono or other or we ports for Jlessrs T. Armstrong and y>., Ltd.—amongst the largest retail .arapery importers in the Dominion. 1 •Motor Accessories.—Lycett Belts, lj»neh, 13s, i-inch, los, 1-Inch, 17s 6J ; Hurfhinson Heavy Tyres, 37s 6d: As«Wt*d 6pares kept, also best quality ££"*' AV J f H " Sucklin S ™« Co' earage. .17 Worcester street. 6 ' da? 1 *" J l A Vatson ' D-B-0.A., London, Expert ppticiar, (near Kincaid's) - Accurate Sight-testing and Spectacle- . fitting. Repairs to Frames and broken . tenses matched. Charges modorate. 8 ■ . This accumulation was too great to «lear in the ordinary course of business. ■ Messrs Armstrong have therefore de-cwe-i to prune prices and sacrifice prows lor the timo necessary to bring wings to normal condition* Their sale commences at 10 o'clock this morning. 2 , Hotweather comforts: Refrigerators . "om ,os, meat safes, butter coolers, fieizogenes, sparklets, kerosene cook--119 o OV u S ? etc - Lewis and Anderson, _ *W Cashel street west. 6 ' k,^ ,2 "! ,1 S ard cning is greatly aided "' Sμ. * Caxto " Cultivator," which ■ Sonn?i mm m ™ of ,abour "keeps tho ' £X ° P f u V P r om«tes legitimate . . «K»rih, and checks the li_s of weeds. -■ rT? P 3 "™ 1 °f usefulness. Only 4s com- ' %&£ nftl" 0 ; BUU aDd Pl <*erin g < S . » , opposite Ballantynes. 6 * B H l^ ny r W Tf a have taken our advice "' ' fan. P Av } ! tcd lars , ely by attending Gran «n, \\ilson and Smellie's great sale *nJf U jj°. " of am «>iiK them, hero are vr"? addmoiiHl inducements:—36inch - f?2 da 5 olam -, s i d ; largo luibleached .' lid; tm 's*i 10 i d each, white crepe, 1731

M. POINCARE'S WIFE. The v/ife of a French President has appeared for tho first time in a quasiofficial role in international relations. This is due to the gallantry of King; Alfonso, who. in the customary telegram to President Poincare, which ho sent on leaving French territory alter his recent visit to Paris, said, "The Queen sends her kindest regards to Mine. Poir.care, to which I unite my most respectiul homage." To this the President replied, "I thank your Majesty for your kind telegram, which has greatly gratified Mmc Poincare and myself." Hitherto, in all official matters, the French President has always been treated as though he were a celibate, no reference even to the existence of his wifS" being allowed. M. Poincare has now broken with this tradition. 'KIDNAPPING" BY AIR. A German military airman has played an amazing trick on the Russian Customs authorities. Ho lacded by mistake on" the Russian side of tho frontier and was received by a commandant of the frontier guards, who ordered him to dismantle his aeroplane so that it might be carried to the nearest Customs station, over thirty miles away, lor the duty payable on it to be reckoned. The airman replied that he was too inexpert a mechanic to take his machine to nieces, but thai ho would fly to the Customs station with the Russian officer. The officer accepted, but when the aeroplane came to earth after a flight above the clouds lie found that he was not in Russia but in Germany. The pilot had returned to his o\rn country, taking his captor with him. LOW AVAGES FOR THIEVES. The story of Mr Meyers's pearls serves to show how increasingly difficult k becomes to dispose of stolen goods (writes the London correspondent of tho "Sydney Morning Herald*}. Ouo might have inought it a simple matter to divide the jewels and uisposo of them singly in various countries over the course of a few years. Such a scheme would have given a handsome incomo to the thieves. Tho iact is, however, tnat ttio disposal of stolen property of every description, not to reckon with pearls of rare size and quality, has become infinitely more dangerous than tho stealing ot it. TJio wise European thief today confines his trade almost entirely to'gi»ld or other negotiable money. Gold coins, in iact, art' the ono commodity which is easy ot disposal at its full value. 1 am assured by a leading London detective that stolen jewellery seldom yields the thief more than 10 por com. oi_ks value. It is not uncommon for articles worth £50 or £100 to bo disposed of for 10.s or a sovereign. Tho receivers of stolen property, even in London, are very limited iv number, and they are banded into a powerful, if quite informal, sort of trade union. Their risk is greater than that of the thief himself, und consequently they will give next to nothing for the stulf taken to them. Tho thousands of pawnbrokers in tho great city receive each day, just as they do in Sydney, a detailed description of all sioien goods which havo been reported. The pawnbroker lives by grace of his license, and a very small offence serves to strike him off tho list. A seedy individual, ho-wevor honesc, lias tho utmost difficulty in pledging any article of value. No doubt this cfuficulty ot disposal explains why great jewellery robberies are so uncommon, and why so many English servants with very indifferent qualities in other directions have so marked a reputation for honesty. They may piTTor in a very small way, and bo guilty of all sorts of meannesses whichamount to dishonesty, but they will rarely lay hands upon the quantities of pjriceiess jeweilery which are constantly exposed to them by careless mistresses. The average Englishwoman is notoriously careless of her jewels, and this is due, not to the fact that she generally has them insured for more than they aro worth, but that they are not a marketablo commodity. _____' A TALK ABOUT SIDE-CARS. The motor-cycie emerged troin the experimental stage somo years ago, but it is only quito recently that tno matter of perfecting and improving the siuocar hus occupied tho attention of designers and manufacturers, i'lie policy ox iviessrs Adams, Ltd., has alwaya been to present ttie best articles'to be found in the world's markets, and the arm is now in tho happy position of being able to introduce to motor-cyclists a side-car in every way a worthy complement to the splendid modern motorcycle. We refer to the ''Canoelet" side-car, manufactured by Messrs Mead and Fakin. It has a ooach-built body made up of three plys of thin tough wood, its shfipG is graceful and pleasing, and the finish is euperb. It is fitted with a wind-screen in car style, und, is supplied in various thades or enamel. The couplings are readiJy dotachablo, and adjustable, and the weight of the eide-car is only olbs more than that of tho old-fashionetl wickerwork side-chair. It is certainly the lightest, no iLest, strongest, and bestnnhhed sido-car of, the modern typo ever constructed. The price is £27 10s. Those requiring a cheaper side-car, DUt one of smart and up-to-date appearance and great strength and reliability, are advised to inspect the Herald-Milford side-car, which is exceptionally neat and durable. Tho price is £11*103. Wβ have secured the solo agencies for these two fine side-cars, and can confidently recommend thi>m as in every way suitable for use with the world's best motorCycle—tho "Triumph." Adams, Ltd., Agents for Canoelet and Herald-Milford Side-cars, High street, Christchurch. (G. B. Brown, motor-cycle representative). . •_ ' 6