GENERAL NEWS.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16416, 9 January 1919, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

All tho Canterbury rivers were reported clear yesterday. At the civic welcome to the French Mission at Ashburton yesterday, tlie Mayor (Mr R. •Galbraith) announced that a donation of £100 had been r - ceived by General Pau from the estate of a deceased Ashburton .who was buried in Franco, for the French Orphan Fund. The General gratefully acknowledged the gift. At the last meeting of the Southbridge Town Board, Mr Maw drew attention to the rate of speed at which motor-cars and motor-cycles, going and coming from tho Rakaia moutn, passed through tho township. He considered that steps should be taken to regulate the speed. It was decided to erect notices warning motorists that a speed of twelve miles per hour must not be exceeded iii the township. Sneaking at the conference of representatives of local bodies which called to discuss the depredations of the kea yesterday, Mr W. H. Skinner, Crown Lands Commissioner for Canterbury, said that several reports of severe damage had been received lately. The two warm seasons —up to the time of the snow—in tho back-country, had enabled the birds to breed and multiply rapidly, and they were spreading to the low country and to localities where they wore hardly known formerly.

Tho depredations of the kea, and the best way to control tho pest, was to have been discussod at a conference of North Canterbury local bodies and back-country pastoralists yesterday, but owing to tlio fact that shearing is now in fiill swing on the stations, many of thoso interested were unable to be present. and it was decided to postpone tho meeting until a date in March. It is hoped that, there will be a fuller attendance on that occasion, and matters in connexion with the control of tho kea will be fully gone into.

A telegraphic blunder of a startling kind caused anxiety to a D-unedin family recently. Two brothers, one of them named John, are with the New Zealand Forces, and the parents received a cablegram from the other brother containing the words, "John killed " Base Records had not announced the apparent casualty, and- know nothing of it. A cablegram of inquiry was dispatched to London, and after some delay tho family learned that the original message had read, "John sailed." Carelessness or bad writing had been l'csponsible for the dismaying statement.

A soldier, writing from the front to his relatives in Oamaru on November 13th, says there was little cxcitement when it was known that Germany had signed the armistice, perhaps because it had been for some time, and there were few facilities for making a racket along the front. The outstanding subject with.the soldiers was demobilisation and getting back to Ne/ Zealand. Every soldier is tired <si France and all its incidents and memories, and he wants to get out of it as speedily as possible. And especially does this apply to those who have work to come back to or interests that require their attention. Messrs A. Boyle and H. J. Marriner waited on tlie Spieydon Borouyh Council last ovemng us u deputation iiom tiie Naval Heroes' Depeuuants' I'Uiid Apjjeai Committee of tne .Navy .League, wicn a request ior help tor the lund, and eacii briefly aciuiessetl tno Council on tho woik or the Navy, and the deserving nature of the appeal. Mr Boyie, in response to a question, said that it was hoped to raise the sum of £20,0U0 in Canterbury,' Westiand, and Marlborough. The Mayor (Mr W. H. Winsor) suggested that the Government should be asked to provide for the dependants of those who had given their lives, and that they should not be at the mercy of voluntary subscribers. Mr Boyle quite concurred with the spirit of the suggestion, but he did not think that the amount the. Government would, or could, give would be sufficient for the purpose. Personally, he would like to see a special rate levied on every aroa in tho Dominion. Various other questions were asked, and after the deputation had withdrawn, the Council decided to give £25 to the fund.

At the monthly meeting of the Ellesmere County Council, held on Monday, an outline of the business done at the recent conference of local bodies, called by the Canterbury Automobile Association, to discuss the question of a bridge at Selwyn, and a report on the subsequent deputation to the Minister of Public Works, was given by the chairman (Mr J. Cunningham), who added that he had since discussed the matter with members of the Council of the Automobile Association, aud_ had sugsuggested that the Association should contribute £1000 towards the cost of the proposed bridge. A letter from the Association before the Council that day indicated that it was prepared to contribute £800 of the £9000 it was estimated local bodies would be required to find. It was for the Council to consider whether it should move in the matter of having a Commission set up to allocate the sum the local bodies were to provide. A considerable amount of discussion took place, several members being of the opinion that the Council should take steps to have a Commission appointed, though it was agreed that, the county would not benefit to any great extent by the building of the bridge. It was eventually decided to consult the county solicitors with regard to the nature and scope of the Commission required.

The Canterbui? Horticultural Society's Sweet Pea Show will be held in the Art Gallery to-morrow, opening at 2 p.m. \ meeting of citizens sympathetic with the effort to retain proportional representation, as tbe method of eating members of the Chnstchurch C.ty Council, will be held in tho halloftho Chamber of Commerce. Cathedral square, at 8 o'clock to-night. Mr J. J. Dougall will proside. Sitting in Chambers at Dunedin on tho 4th hist., his Honour Mr Justice Sim erantod letters of re Herbert Hector Clyde Gillies, deceased (Mr Goodman). In re Henry | Geard, deceased (Mr Cook), letters ot . administration were granted to tho applicant for tho use and. benefit of the executors until application is made tor probate. Variable and unpleasant climatic conditions ruled in Christchiirch yesterday, for the greater part of the day. The morning broke beautifully fine, but towards ten o'clock a strong nor-wester made things far from pleasant. A change of tho wind to tho sou -west did not improve matters, but a lessened nor'-wester in the late aftornoon made things a little more tolerable, and with sunset the weather settled somewhat, though later it became threatening. In justice to the Telegraph department it is stated, respecting the Dar-field-Greendale telephono which was reported not to have been restored after last winter's snowstorm, that the line for which tho Department is responsible was sufficiently repaired to enable it to be used on December 23rd. Some discontinued and private lines, for which the Department is not responsible, had not boen restored on the date mentioned. Before he left for the war Private C. W. Ohilds, formerly assistant Kno ; typo engineer with the "Dominion, was presented by the "Dominion companionship with a safety r.azor outfit in a particularly solid case. While lie was in action an enomy bullet penetrate cd the case of the outfit, but did not got anv farther. The outfit has been returned to Now Zealand, and its condition appears to bo clear evidence that it was a means of saving its owner s life. f?ome idea of tho prices paid for suitings in tho Old Country may be gathered from the following supplied to the Dunerlin "Star" by a correspondent in Yorkshire: —Last season the wholesale price for ladies' summor-weight Botany merges went to 18s per yard. Before the war this typo of stuff cost manufacturers 2s lid per lb ; the latest quotation was 12s per lb in July, but in November it was unprocurable. At that time a 14oz suiting—cotton and wool, not Botany—was 16s 6d per yard (manufacturers' price). The opinion of experts is. that prices will not come down for a couple of years.

A letter received by the Spreydon Borough Council at its meeting last nicht from the Christchurch Tramway Board, stated that, with reference to the tramway receipts on the Lincoln road line on the occasion of the recent Red Cross Trotting Carnival, after deducting average Saturday's receipts and the cost of the extra mileage which was run, the amount left was so small as to cause the Board regretfully to decide that it could not vote the Council any bonus. "It's a bit thick not Retting any bonus," remarked the Mayor, Mr W. H. Winsor, .after the reading of the letter, "but the Tramwav Board has been 'up against it' lately, gentlemen. I move that tlio letter be received," and the motion was adopted.

A request to the Spreydon Borough Council for a subscription to the Naval Heroes' Dependants Fund led to a considerable discussion at the meeting of the Council last evening. Several of the members, while highly praising the work of the Navy and the deserving character of the appeal, expressed the opinion that the Government should make the necessary provision. The Council, it was pointed out, was not heavily encumbered with funds, and if many such donations were made, an increase in rates must ensue. The Mayor, Mr "W. H. Winsor, expressed his sympathy with the views expressed by the speakers. "But," he* added, with apparent seriousness, "this particular question is_ really one em.an at ire from the Imperial Government. Mr Lloyd George and his confreres, I am afraid, have never heard of Sprevdon, or the Spreydon Borough Council." (Laughter.)

Several more cases of petty burglaries have been reported during the last two or three days. On Tuesday afternoon the residence of Mrs M. Finchain, in Stratford street, Fendalton, was visited during the absence of the family. A window, apparently, was forced, and various rooms were ransacked. In one room there was a cash-box, containing a small amount of money, and the box was found to have been forced open, and the contents extracted. The house of Mr J. Stanley, of Queon's avonue, Fendalton, was entered during the same day, similar means of entrance being adopted, and a fairly considerable haul of cash and jewellery was made. Two houses in Papanui aro also reported to have been burgled during the last few days. The shop of Mr Reynolds, chemist, was entered, apparently with a, kev, but the marauder was evidently interrupted, as after his departure, nothing was missed, and the key was found in the door. The next door house, occupied by Mrs Blair, was also visited, but again the intruder was disturbed, and nothing was taken.

Superior perfumery at Loasby's make splendid gifts. Atkinson and Yardlcy's perfumes in cut glnss bottles and presentation caskets. Old English Lavender Water and Eau de Cologne. Best English and French hair brushes for ladies and gentlemen, and manicure sets in unexcelled variety and value at Loasby's, Chemists. 1

Everyone in Christchurch knows "Watson's," but. there are still some people who do not avail themselves of the opportunities offered by this enterprising firm in the matter of obtaining the most artistic jewellery at moderate prices. Thfe firms New Year stocks invito early inspection. Watson's, "Jewellers," Limited, 695 Colombo street, Christnhurch. 3 Santa Claus writes: —"Wash your clothes clean with 'No Rubbing' Laundry Help and pure 'Golden Rule' Soap, then the flu won't bother you any." 4 No me likes moving, but the wor* can be made ncch lighter if competent men are employed. J. M. Heywood and Co., Ltd., have them, and three up-to-date pantechnicons. Telephones 250, 1241, and 2174. 6 HANDY 2-SEATER FORD, £140. Now on view—Two-seater Ford, newly painted dovo grey ; electric lights and new tyres. Suitable for commercial man. £140. Adams, Ltd., Garage, 219 Tuam street. 6 LIGHT 4-SEATER TOURING CAR, £235. For sale, a bargain—Neat-looking, light 4 cyl., 4-5 seater touring car, finished in dark blue. Magneto ignition. "Hoodite" seat, covers, and full equipment. £235. Adams, Ltd.. Garage, 219 Tuam street. 6 HANDSOME 3-SEATER STUDEBAKER. £275. Ready for delivery—Thxee-seater, 4-cyl., Studebaker, beautifully finished in cream. Electric lighting and selfstarter. Five good tyree and usual equipment. Sound investment at £275. Adams, Ltd., • Garage, 219 Tuam street. 6