General News.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19062, 26 July 1927, Page 8

General News.

The Citv Counoil's Innes road reserve will be again planted in potatoes this spring. An inspection of the City Council's afforestation areas at Bottle Lake will be made by members of the City Council this morning. Mr J. Summers, physical instructor to the Y.M.C.A. at Monte Video,, is expected to arrive in Christchurch early next month. Another case of New Zealand insects is in course of preparation at the Canterbury Museum, and will shortly bo on exhibition. Yesterday morning rose-pruning was commenced in the rose section of the Botanic Gardens, and members of the staff are willing to supply any information on the art to those interested. The ploughing of Elmwood Park is now nearly finished, and it will be sown down in grass in August. Possibly a few matches will be played on the ground next football season. A large number of sportsmen visited Lake ETlesmere during the week-end but the shooting was rewarded with little success. A few black swans were shot, but the duck were wary and kept to the centre of the lake. Sunday morning broke with a frost of 13.1 degrees and a minimum air temperature of 28.8 degrees. The latter registration was the second lowest this month, being one-tenth of a degree below the worst which was experienced on July 15th. Sittings of the Court of Arbitration in Nelson and the West Coast have been set down as follows :-Greymouth, August Bth; Hokitika, August 9th; Westport, August 11th; Nelson, August 15th; and Christchurch, August 31st. Indications in the Botanic Gardens are that there will be a very fine display of spring blooms this season. Last spring a feature of the hardens was the blaze of colour provided by the azaleas near the Curator s house. Then they were mere seedlings and the year's growth has made a big difference. The valuable collection of portraits of early colonists of Canterbury, who came to New Zealand in the first four ships and even earlier, and which is in the possession of the Canterbury Museum, is now being overhauled. The faded portraits are being replaced by new ones and the complete record is being entirely renovated. Yesterday morning operations were commenced with the establishment of a new plantation of deciduous trees in South Hagley Park, near Lincoln road, and a start was also made with the planting of native trees in the old horse paddock. The • works are expected to finish in about a fortnight. A working bee of Beckenham residents will take in hand the further improvement of Beckenham Park on Saturday afternoon. Chestnut trees will he planted on the sloping ground above the ornamental ponds, and it is intended to improve the riverbank in the vicinity in a similar manner. An area in the South Park near the West belt is being planted in deciduous trees, and iagus fusca (red birch) is being used for the improvement of a portion of the park between the Christy College cricket ground and the Riccarton Hotel. The conifers which were growing in this area were felled some years ago. The bog garden in the Botanic Gardens has been extended, the new part being planted m irises and the riverbank in azaleas. Infectious and other notifiable diseases reported in the Canterbury and West Coast Health Districts tor the week ended noon yesterday totalled 31 as follows :--Canterbury: Scarlet fever, 12; diphtheria, 3; tuberculosis, 4; pneumonia, 8; pneumonic enza, 1; erysipelas, 1. West Coast: Diphtheria, 1; hydatids, 1. Deaths: Canterbury: Tuberculosis, 1; puerperal sepsis, 1. West Coast: Tuberculosis, 1. Bad weather has delayed the taking of aerial photographs for survey purposes which has been commenced by Wigram Aerodrome pilots, and suitable conditions for the carrying out of several important works are now being awaited. General overhauling work is now occupying the attention of the aerodrome staff. A new dual control Bristol Fighter, which was landed recently, is being assembled, and two more machines are expected next week, bringing the strength - of Bristol Fighters up to six. The intention of the Education Department to build one schooJhouse a year in the Canterbury district was criticised by the chairman of the Education Board, Mr W. P. Spencer, yesterday, in a chat with a reporter. Mr Spencer remarked that youDg married teachers who were brave enough to venture into the country had suiiicient discouragement.' One man m the country was sleeping in a motorshed, and many more teachers were not reasonably housed. It was quite unfair that for such an extensive district only one house a year should bo built. The work of preparing the history of the Lyttelton Harbour Board, to be included in the brochure which is to be published in connexion with the celebration of the jubilee of the Board, is in hand at present. Already a number of interesting photographs of the early days of the port have been placed at the disposal of the Board, but some difficulty is being experienced in getting photographs of the earlier chairmen and members of the Board, and the Board's officers will be iglad if persons having copies of these photographs will lend them for the purposes of the history. The collection of Chinese curios, dating from the Boxer rising of 1900, and recently presented to the Canterburv Museum by the relatives of the late ex-Staff-Sergeant Thomas Sutherland, has now been catalogued and prepared for exhibition. The collection will be placed on the shelves during the next few days. The late Mr Sutherland joined the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers upon arriving in England from Christchurch, and later was in the Chinese Customs service ; He secured the curios, many of which are historically invaluable, during his service in China and also in India. Gaps in the Canterbury Museum's collection of articles representing Sainoan workmanship have been filled through the generosity of Mr Gerald Mackay, of Makambo, British Solomon Islands. Among the specimens of native work presented by Mr Mackay are a dancing staff, used in ceremonial dances, ear ornaments, shaped Iil« pencils, and bracelets and armlets worn by the native women while dancing. A native basket and specimens of trade shells are also included mthe gife. Another addition is a numbei of trade shells from Hawaii, presented by Mr T. G. Vennal.l, of Christchurch.

The idea is general that spring begins in August, but this opinion }s not held at the Ohristchurch Magnetic Observatory. Average readings showthat the temperature of May » tour degrees, warmer than that of June, and it is considered that the Christchurch winter starts in June. Ine mean temperature for June is «.o degrees! which makes the month the second coldest in the year. The coldest is Julv with a mean temperature of 42.7 "degrees, and August third coldest with 44.3 degrees. . The temperature lifts appreciably in September, being 4* degrees wanner than m August. September marks the bepinning of spring from a meteorological aspect. i

The equipment for the Phillip&town children's playground is now being installed. It includes swings, see-saws, parallel and horizontal bars, Roman rings, and other devices for the recreation of juveniles. The Lyttelton Harbour Board yesterday received one tender for two areas on the new reclamation area at Naval Point, Lyttelton. The tender will be considered at the meeting of the Board next Monday. From 8 a.m. to-day until further notice the Pudding Hill bridge over the north branch of the Ashburton River will be closed to all traffic. The river is subject to sudden changes; consequently any person using the crossing will do so at his own risk.

"This is the seventh time in succession," said the one listener who constituted the "gallery' at a meeting of the iticcarton Council yesterday, when, shortly after the meeting commenced the Council went into committee and he had to withdraw. The Mayor assured the disgruntled ratepayer that it was not a deliberate policy of the Council and that he could come back when the Council resumed. Dr. Goldstein, Zionist envoy, addressed a public meeting at Wellington in the course of which he stated that the Jews were returning to Palestine at the rate of 15,000 yearly. The Mayor (Mr G. A. Troup) presided and the Hon. Mr Young and the Hon. Mr Wright were among those present. The latter proposed a vote of thanks which Mr Fraser, M.P., seconded,, and which was passed.—Press Association. The Drainage Board has decided to include in the boundaries of the £7OO 000 loan area a subdivision in AVestminster street containing twentyfour building sections. This involves the expenditure, on the Board's part, necessary to lay the sewer four or five chains" along Westminster street; the cost of the reticulation of the subdivision will be borne by the owner at whose request the area has been included in the Board's special area. According to a report from the Dominion's High Commissioner in London, a copy of which has reached Mr D Colquhoun, officer in charge of the Department of Industries, and Commerce, Christchurch, there is a possibility of developing an export trade in frozen eels. There is a big market in England for eels, and suppliers can secure 8d to 9d per lb for the frozen article. The report considers that a trial shipment from the Dominion would be justified. Booth electric pumps succeed where others have failed, the reason being that the.Booth is specially designed and made for the job. It operates at slow speed—approximately 45 strokes per minute—all gear mechanism running in oil, the result being a smooth running, noiseless job. The simple and inexpensive operation of renewing leathers takes up the* wear as it occurs. Don't make the mistake of putting m a cheap (?) pump, which will probably hit the scrap heap within three years, thus involving two installation expenses, instead of one. Fullest particulars, post free. Booth, Macdonajd, and Co., Ltd -0512