GENERAL NEWS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16266, 17 July 1918, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

The auction announcements of W. E. Simes and Co., Charles ■ Clark, and Claridge and Smith will be found on page 11 of this issue.

Greymouth was on fete yesterday .'n connexion with the Jubilee of the borough. A large gathering of pioneers in procession was a feature of the proceedings. The pioneers were entertained in the Town Hall, speeches being made by the Mayor and representative citizens. Great enthusiasm was shown.

According to the report submitted by the engineer of the pumping station to tho I>rainago Board, at its meeting last night, last month's rainfall was 2.75 inches, as compared with .62 inch in June, 1917. Yet the amount of sewage pumped to the sewagfe farm last montn, 576,660 tons, showed a decrease of 70,116 tons as compared with June, 1917.

The fact that the term "Australasia" has provod conflicting to overseas exporting houses was brought under, the notice of the Auckland Chamber if 'Commerce by the Auckland Motor Traders' Union of Employers. It was stated that had there been no sue a comprehensivo name, .Australian and New Zealand agencies would have bee i placed separately, with considerable advantage to New Zealand. The council of the Chamber decided to send a remit on the matter to the forthcoming conference of New Zealand Associated Chambers of Commerce.

About two months ago an agreement was arfived at in Wellington in connexion with the stage nands dispute. This agreement was at the time expected to cover the whole Dominion, but by an oversight it was confined to the Wellington district only. In consequence of the desire of the Christchurch employees to fall into lino with Wellington, a conference between the stage hands and employers will be held tomorrow morning. Messrs Bert Royle (J. C. Williamson. Co.) and Walter Helsdon (Messrs Fuller and Sons) will represent the employers.

Our Dunedin correspondent telegraphed last night: "A man who went away with tho IVlain Body was in the ranks of the 44th Reinforcements this morning, and particularly cheery. He was Ernest Alfred Wood, who was shot in tlie legs at Gallipoli, and was subsequently laid aside with fever. Now he again feels the call, and is off for tho second time. Two D-unodin reporters were also in the ranks, these being Messrs 6. C. Macan and G. F. Inglis, of the 'Otago Daily Times' staff. Two Territorial officers who elected to go as privates without waiting for their commissions were Second Lieutenant H. C. McQueen (Senior Cadets) and SeoondLieutenant F. S. North (Coast Defence)."

Members of the Drainage Board were confronted with a peculiar state of affairs at its meeting last night, when the Board's sub-inspector reported that a property owner —a lady—had taken up tho position, respecting the payment for removing the blockage in a drain, that she paid rates, and, ini her case, had no money to pay the cost of the work. The clearing of tho blockage had been undertaken on the assumption that tho property owner would pay. The Board came to the conclu-. sion that tho best solution was to pay tho £2 involved, at tho same time recording that its action was not to be taken as a precedent, and that 'n future work of this chajycter shou'd not be done ttnles3 the property-owner guaranteed to pay the cost.

Auckland publicans have taken advantage of the law which maizes pr<>vision for new adjustments of hot<»l ren"3 in proportion to tho reduction of takings, as the result of early closing. Application was made to the Auckland City Council last week by tho Camp-bell-Ehrenfreid Co., Ltd., for a refund of rates on the Star Hotel (Albert street) in proportion to its reduction of the rent from £22 to £13 per wees. Hancock aSd Co., Ltd., made a similar application in respect to tho following hotels of which the rents had been reduced, thus: Alexandra Hotel, £9 to £4 10s; Rob Roy Hotel, £12 to £9; Aurora Hotel, £10 to £4: Royal Hotel, £30 to £20 10s; City Hotel, £9 to £3: Gleeson's Hotel, £8 to £5: Albion Hotel. £14- to £9. The Council reduced the rates proportionately.

Professor J. Maemillan Brown, of Christchurch, in the June number of the "Journal of the Polynesian Society," has an article on the islet ot Riavavai, at Vavitu, the most southerly of the Austral Group, which lies about 300 miles south of the Society Islands, and just out, of the tropica. The population at the last census, ui December, 1911, was 412, nearly onefourth children. Males predominated amongst both children and adults. "The richness of the soil," Professor Brown savs, "and the easy harvest of the sea. make one think of thousands as tho natural capacity of the island in Hie time of its ancient population, and thousands would be required to account for such luxuries as the great sftii* statues I found there and the great 'maraes' I heard of, and it would ha»*e to be thousands well organised and disciplined." Oranges, tobacco, and other useful plants are grown all over tie island; the coffee plant is so plentiful that it overshadows the ancient statues. He had some difficulty in taking photographs of these, and the prints are specklcd with spots of sunshine that straggled through the foliage of ccffee bushes twenty feet high.

We have received £2 2s from Mrs A. F. J. Mickle for our Serbian Fund.

The Socond Canterbury Military Service Board will sit in Christchurch on July 30th.

A small girl, sis years of age, being deomod a child having no means of subsistence, was committed to the Christchurch Receiving Home yesterday by Mr T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., to be brought up in tho Church of England faith.

The Board of Trade sat in Christchurch yestorday, and received deputations, and took evidence regarding the price of milk, the effect of the now petrol regulations, and the seliemo for tho standardisation of footwear. The Board will be in Christchurch to-day and to-morrow.

The difficulties tradesmen havo to face at the present time in securing stocks are illustrated by the experience of an Auckland boot importer. By mail last wock he received notification that a case of boots, bought and paid for in tho United States on August 27t,h, 1917, had been duly despatched to San Francisco, and had been held up there over since, awaiting space on ships. The caso would be sent on "as soon as opportunity offers." _ When storago charges are met and high freights paid, ti ose bocts are likely to come at a heavy landed cost.

Paint has gone up considerably in price owing; to the heavy increase in the cost of white lead and oils, and many bui'.dings in Wellington are suffering as a result (says the "Dominion"). It is estimated that the cost of painting any building to-day in Wellington is fully 100 per cent higher than it was in the first half of 1914. As there appears to be no indication of any reduction in the prices of ingredients necessary in the mixing of good paint, there is a prospect that in many parts of the city the "residential complexion'' # will not bo so bright and pleasing as it was in liappior days.

Tho industrial value of the eel was referred to at a meeting of the Council of the Auckland Acclimatisation S> ciety last week. The chairman, Mr C. A. Whitney, said that prior to the war a great profit had been made out of the sale of eels in Germany. Tho Germans had large eel farms, and produced 2,()00,0C0ib annually. Since the war tho industry had declined. Mr H. H. Ostler said the eel was one of the waste products of the Dominion, out of which someone would yet make a fortune. To purchase the requisite plant a considerable sum of money would be required, and it was not within the province or the Society to embark on such, a venture.

A number of silver Mexican dollars which were recovored from tlie German cruiser Einden are to be made into commemorative medallions, and distributed amongst the oliicers and men of tho Sydnoy who participated in the engagement or, where deceased, to their next-of-kin. Others are to be presented to the Admiralty, the Australian War Musoum, and the Eastern Extension Cable Company's staff at Cocos Island, and to approved Australian museums. The balance of the dollars will be sold to tho public as souvenirs at 10s each, the money received to be devoted to defraying the cost of the medallions, and to the Royal Australian Naval Families' Relief Fund. Captain Glossop will have charge of the movement. By direction of the Minister for the Navy, one of the two gold coins recovered from the Emden is to be presented to Captain Glossop, who was ill charge of the Sydney at the time of the engagement. The other is to be handed to the Central Administration at Melbourne, for disposal as may be directed.

There arrived in Sydney last -week 25 Gilbert and Cilice Island policemen, wiio have volunteered for service at the Iront, and wuose services .have been accepted by the Imperial Government. When tins little company of men, who came from the "uttermost parts of the Empire"—the Gilbert and Ellice 'Islands colony—arrives at the front, it may be said (remarks the "(Sydney Daily Telegraph") that every part of the British. Empire is helping in the glorious fight of right against German might. The Group of 2(3 islands, comprising the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony, is 2500 miles from Sydney. As soon as the nativos of this group heard of tho declaration of war by the British Government against Germany, thousands of the natives, from all parts, made application to the Resident Commissioner to be allowed to go to the front. This application was, on account of the cost of transportation, turned down, and then the natives asked to bo allowed to contribute to some of the Empire's funds. Permission being given, the natives gave over £10,000 to tho Prince of Wales' Fund and the Belgian Relief Fund, which was a truly magnificent donation from a population of about 30,000 people, whose only means of acquiring money was by selling copra.

Mr S. A. Staples protested, at last night's meeting of tho Drainage Board, against the Board's action in accepting a tender for the cleaning of the drains in tho Riccarton district at an advance of £870 as compared with the previous contract price. It scorned to him to be reckless finance. To say the least, the Board could not have looked at the price when it accepted the tender. He did not think that ifc was a fair price at all. He regretted that owing to absence in Wellington he was not present at the meeting of the Board when the matter was dealt with, and added that he had looked to tlio Board to protect him. Mr-H." J. Otlcy said, with some warmth, that the Board did not profess to protect one member more than another, and had protected the interests of Riccarton just as much as any other district. In the present instance only one tender was receivod, and the Board had accepted the lowest tender. The contract was duly advertised, and it was to f be assumed that overy man in the district, prepared to tako up tho contract, had tendered. Mr W. J. Walter said that the contract was for tlireo years, and the work necessitated the employment of three men, which worked out about £200 per man per annum. Mr Staples contended that tho ordinary course pursued, when a tender was excessive, was to call for frosh tenders.

Before the Military Service Board at "Wellington on Monday an employe! n appeal was made on behalf of Chanes George "Weston, newspaper sub-editor, who was a voluntary recruit. James Macintosh, chairman of directors of tho Wellington Publishing Company (publishers of the "Dominion" newspaper), said the appeal was made mainly on the ground that the editor was absent from New Zealand on special service— having gone to England with the Press delegates, at the invitation of the Home authorities. All that was asked was an extension of leave until January. ' which time the editor. Mr C. W. Earle, would have returned from Great Britain. Mr Weston had been ordered to go into camp in September. In replv to the chairman. Mr Mackintosh snid there was no one who cou>d take Mr Weston's place. This "vas the first appeal that bad been made for membors of the staff. When the'war broke out there were seventeen members on the literary staff. At present there were thirteen, and of these three wore now called up. and were going into camp Since the editor left, ore of the leader-writers had been called up. and had gone into camp- another senior member of the staff had been called nn and was soon going into ramo, whilst a third was in the present ballot. One of tho junior reporters would be available for military servi-je in a few weeks. The editor was expected back about the end of the vear. Mr Mackintosh added that he wou'd not have appealed unless there had been absolute necessity—from the di-fac-tors' point of view. The reservist, be addffl. was 39 vears of age. and had two children. The chairman said che Board would grant an extension of time until the December draft.

Tickets aro being sold during the week for tho concert to bo given oy Mrs Burnes-Loughnan's party iu Everybody's Theatre on Sunday evening in aid of the Lady Liverpool Christmas Parcels Fund.

Tho fiist number of a new monthly, "The Month," has just been published. It aims at expressing "tho Catholic viewpoint in regard to current events affecting rel.gion, morals, and social and other questions having a religious or moral aspect," and tho editor and proprietor is the Right Rev. Dr. Cieary. Tho Bishop, who spent a considerable time at the front as a chaplain, takes a strong lino regarding the war. "Worso than war," ho says, concluding a discussion of tho villainous German theoiies and practices, "would be n pcaco that would leave such a militarist system in continued existenco in Germany, or rising up in Allied countries. And worse, too, than war—and more destructive of souls and civilisation — would be a peace which would leavo us such ruinously falso standards of prewar life as tho prevailing hard materialism, lack of restraint, and race-suicide, and the adoration of wealth, with all tho crimes and follies of its selfish misuse."

Feeling tired, weary, low-spirited, sleepless!" Loasby's Nerve Tonic and Blood Enricher will euro you. 3

For Departing Soldiers. —Tho New "Gillotto" Safety Razor, with unbreakable mirror completej 255; Autostrop Razors, "Seven o'Clock" Razors, Wristlet Watches, Money Belts. Wallets, Knives, etc. Hastie, Bull, and Pickering, Ltd., Cashol stroet. 6

The beginning of tho end.—Armstrong's, Limited, notify that their Winter Sale will close on Saturdav next. i There are a good many photographic obligations you have never paid. Call on Stcffano Webb at once, 252 High street, Christchurch. Telophone 1989. 6

Published prices preclude the possibility of defeat in competition during the closing days of Armstrong's Salo. 2

Soldiers' Presents. Wo aro well well stocked up, and know exactly tho useful and neccssary article's. No matter what amount you aro prepared to spc nd, we will give you honest value for your money. Ashby, Bergh, and Co., High street. 3

To effect a complete clearing up by next Saturday, extra price inducements will be offered by each department of Armstrong's Drapory Stores. 3

Quick Optical Repairs—When ycfur eyeglasses get broken, it is most important that you should got the correct lenses fitted again. We have th 6 machinery and large stock essential for correct optica] repairs. Walter J. Watson, D.8.0.A. (London), Expert Optician, 3 "No Rubbing" Laundry Help does tho washing while you rest! Is 3d packet sufficient for seven large family washings. Kincaid's, Ltd. 3 Drayton's Specials.—Coal buckets, 23 3d; cinder sieves, 4$ 6d; Thermos flasks, 6s 6d; English-made wringers, 27s 6d. Guaranteed one year. Try Drayton's, Colombo street (North). 3 All sorts of Bargains from this until Saturday, the closing day of Armstrong's Sale. 4 FIRST CAE, TO REACH LAKE COLi!iKiD<ii!J —THJS STimEuAJvER. By the courtesy of Mr Lawrence Bir&s, Uoverninent electrical engineer, and Mr J. Jfoskett, motor driver for the Public "Works Department, a reporter was yesterday able to glean a lew facts concerning the motoring experiences of tiie Department's oincere uuring the iortnignt following the heavy snowstorm wnich dislocated the Lake Coleridge transmission line. The car used during this trying period was a. 4-cyiinder touring btudeoaker, which since its purchase by the Department, a little over a year ago, has run 16,400 miles. During the iortnight after tno storm the car ran 575 miles, mostly in the snow country. The car opened its innings by running through to Coalgate on Monday, July Ist, being the tirat car to make tho passage. On the way back two cars of other makes which had attempted to make the journey were found snowed in at the Hawkins.' For the rest of the week tho Studebakor did valuable work, patrolling and carrying repair gangs and gear in the neighbourhood of Hororata. The following week, fitted with a snowplough, the car was taken right through to Lake Coleridge, being again the first car to make the journey since the storm. Theso performances are a fine tribute to Mr Poskett's ability as a driver, and also to the stur,dy 'reliability of the Studebaker car. It may be added that the Department _ has recently purchased another 4-cylinder Studebaker. 6