General News.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19141, 26 October 1927, Page 8

General News.

Loans granted by the City Council in September totalled 25, the maximum amount being £44 10s. Fifteen loans were repaid. A small slip occurred on the Midland line at Jackson's on Saturday, but repairs were speedily effected.' A falling tree broke the telegraph lines and these also were rapidly repaired. The goods carried through the Otira tunnel last week were 696 tons fewer than for the corresponding week last year, the figures being:—This year, 7765 tons; last year, 8461 tons. An application was received by the City Council for permission to fence off a portion of Smart's pond reserve for the purpose of running a pony thereon, but the request was refused. Nominations for the Ellesmere Drainage Board closed at noon yesterday, and as there were no new nominations, the old Board was returned unopposed. The members are Messrs F. Miller, F. Hubbard, J. "Wood, H. J. Macartney, M. M. D. Morten, H. Pickering, and J. Sharp. A young man named H. C6ok, who lives in Colombo street, had a leg broken in a motor collision at Ashley Bank on Monday afternoon. When turning his motor-cycle into the. Loburn road, at the Askley-Sefton corner, lie struck the wing of a car driven by Mr V. G. Oldman, of Waiau. A request that motorists should dim their car headlights when waiting at railway crossings was received by the Canterbury Automobile Association Council from the Eailway Department last night., It was decided to request the. Association members to observe this practice. On a resolution moved by Crs. J. W. Beanland and B. M. Macfarlano, the City Council decided last evening to withhold consideration of the-report on the highways by the City Engineer until the Parliamentary session is ended or Crs. H. T. Armstrong and D. G. Sullivan, M.P.'s, are able to be present. The Hon. Mr Buddo recently asked the Minister for Defence to establish a training centre for cadets at Papanui, so that youths would not need to make the journey into Chnstchurch for drill. The Minister has informed the member for Kaiapoi that it is intended to establish a new training centre as desired. —Press Service. At last night's meeting of the City Council it was decided to observe Armistice Day (November 11th) in the usual manner. Two minutes' silence will be observed at 11 a.m.. aud local authorities in the country will be asked to arrange for the suspension of all vehicular traffic for two minutes from 11 a.m. Rail and water transport, however, will not be suspended. The Telegraph Department has installed open wire telephone circuits as auxiliaries to the underground telephone cable at Sockburn. They will be put into operation immediately and are expected to improve telephonic communication between Dunedin and the north. Five gangs of linesmen are now employed ou the reconstruction of the main north telegraph line. They are working along Papanui road. i, The postponement of the Christchurch Tramways .Amendment Bill on Monday night was arranged in order to'meet the convenience of Mr H. S. ff. Kyle, M.P., who was not able to be present, and who had indicated that he was particularly interested in clauses in the Bill which affect the Borough of Biccarton and the Paparua County Council.

The ferry steamer Wahine did not arrive at Lyttelton until after eight o'clock yestenday morning, an hour and a half behind her usual time. Her late arrival was due to the strong southeasterly gale and thick weather. Passengers for the south were able to connect with the Invereargill express.

2s'o serious damage has been done to the City streets as far as reports received by the City Engineer (Mr A. R. Galbraith) indicate. Past experience has shown that each soaking wet day costs the City Council about £250 for patching ordinary macadam and tarsealed streets. Subsidences, to a great extent unavoidable, have occurred at various water reticulation trenches.

Arrangements are being made by the Riccarton Citizens' Association to'hold a public meeting towards the end of next month to discuss the question whether the Borough should amalgamate with the City. The discussion will be opened by speakers who will advance reasons for amalgamation and by others who will take the opposite view.

It is the opinion of Mr L. Payntcr, Government Orchard Instructor, that Monday's hail was not hard enough to damage stone fruit; other fruits, such as apples, are only just setting. He does not think that the weather has done much harm to the orchards. Owing to the possibility of frosts, potatoes should be earthed up as soon as possible.

Infectious and other notifiable diseases reported in the Canterbury and West Coast Health Districts during the week ended noon on Monday totalled 40, as follows: —Canterbury: Scarlet fever, 18; diphtheria, 1; tuberculosis 11; pneumonia, 3; puerperal sepsis, 4; erysipelas, 2. West Coast: Diphtheria, 1. Two deaths from tuberculosis occurred in Canterbury.

Since the peak of the rise in the Waimakariri river, 10ft at 1 o'clock oa Monday morning, the water has subsided gradually until last evening the gauge registered a depth of 7ft, one and a half feet above normal. The southwest wind has had n» effect upon the river, but if nor'-westers follow, and melt the snow that has fallen in the back-country, another rise may be expected.

The actual date on which the work of the electrification of the Lyttelton Tunnel will start has not been decided, and will be determined by arrival of material. A cargo of poles to carry the overhead gear has come -to hand and a start will be made soon with their erection. A store has been built at Woolston to house the gear to be used on the work, and tools are being assembled, though some are awaited from England. Cr. M. E. Lyons asked the actingchairman of the Works Committee last evening at the City Council meeting when it would be possible to do something to Lincoln road, which was in & deplorable condition. It urgently needed attention. Crs. J. W. Roberts and E. H. Andrews asked the same question about Wilson's road and Heaton street respectively. Cr. G. R. Hunter said Lincoln road was a boundary road, and was more difficult to deal with on that account, but it would receive attention as soori as possible.

"Do you think it is of any" real use to the Oityp It must have cost a lot of money," said Cr. J. W. Beanland at lasc night's meeting of the City Council, concerning a report of a recent traffic census taken - by the Canterbury Progress League on selected points of the highways. "I am not going to say," he added, "that because you know how many cars go round a corner it is a good thing. I think it is a waste of money myself." Cr. Sharpe: "Do we pay for"it?" The Mayor: "No." He added that the census must be of considerable value to the City. It was decided to receive the report and to thank the League for it.

A question raised by Cr. E. H. Andrews at the City Council meeting last evening related to the issuing of a summons against a customer of the Municipal Electricity Department, who was holding up payment of an account as a protest. The Electricity Committee, he said, had threatened that a summons would be issued if he did not pay by September 15th. 'Cr. M. til. Lyons said instructions had been issued for this to be done. Cr. Andrews: "What sort of committee have we got, that it does not carry out its threat?" Cr. P. W. Sharpe said the summons should have,, been issued by that evening. When the Christmas Number of the "Weekly Press" was placed on sale yesterday, • there was a keen demand for copies, the advance displays of the very original cover and £he beautiful coloured supplement evidently having attracted much attention. The contents of this fine Annual are just as* good as the. cover suggests, and expressions of appreciation from purchasers were numerous. "Life in New as the publication is entitled, is not only full of interest for people yi every part of the Dominion, but also most comprehensively meets the requirements of those who desire to send to friends abroad before Christmas a little gift that will distinctively express the spirit of New Zealand.

"When the contract was drawn up for the sinking of additional bores at Cashmere," stated the report of the Water Supply_ Committee to the City Council last night, "it was arranged that the contractor, Mr Stewart, should be paid in proportion to the quantity of water supplied from the bores, tests to be taken to determine what this quantity was. The contractor now reports that'through an oversight on his part the valves controllingbores 6 and 7 were turned off prior to the tests being made, and consequently the flow of water from these bores was not taken into account. The City Engineer reports that the contractor's contention is correct, the opinion having been expressed at the time the tests were taken that the flow of water was not as mucli as was expected. Arrangements have been made, in accordance with the terms of the contract, to earn' out during the next six months monthly tests, and to adjust the amount payable to Mr Stewart on fhe average reading of these tests." The clause was adopted. The addition of another storey to our Retail Premises has given us another 6000 square feet of floor space iu which a showroom has now been laid out. You are invited to spend a pleasant half hour in inspecting the attractive display of goods. Mason, Struthers and Co., Ltd. —6 An opportunity was recently given a "Press man to learn the number of "listeners-in" using crystal sets and J.I.S. 2 stage amplifiers andCso get loud-speaker strength. This information proved that the large majority of Amplifiers in use have been supplied by J. I. Smail, pioneer radio firm. —6

It seems unnecessary to go to Chattanooga or anywhere else in America for a tractor plough when the best in the world is made in Christchurch. Moreover, it also happens to be the cheapest, as it will last at least four times as long as any sort or make of imported plough. Frame of best hammered scrap forgings, "adjustable widths !) to 13 inches. P. and D. DUNCAN, Ltd., 196 Tuam street, Christchurch. —6

J. Johnston and Son. Merchants, Eangiora, established 1863, solicit farmers' orders for Andrews' Binder Twine, Cornsacks, and Sutton's Celebrated Farm and Garden Seeds. City prices. Enquiries invited. P.O. Box 1. 'Phone 4. —1