General News.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19149, 4 November 1927, Page 10

General News.

I ♦- At the employment branch of the Labour Department yesterday, 15 men (10 married) registered as unemployed. The new septic tank at the Drainage Board's sewage farm is in operation. Four of the paddocks recently laid down are being irrigated. The running of the electric railway carriage in the Christchurch-Rangiora service has proved very popular, and has attracted more passengers than the steam-drawn trains, „ During the visit of the Rt. Hon. L. S. Amery, Secretary of State for the Dominions, to the South Island, the special railway carriage built for the Duke of York will be at his disposal. The Dunedin-Christehurch express was 53 minutes late in arriving here last evening. It was 15 minutes late at Ashburton, and lost considerable time between Rolleston and Addington owing to defective automatic lights. On Tuesday evening a motor-car, driven by M. Whale, came into collision with a horse and gig at the Fitzgerald avenue bridge. The horse had a leg broken and had to be destroyed. The radiator of the- car was slightly damaged. While riding a motor-cycle yesterday morning, Marcus Smith, a single man, residing at 70 Malcolm avenue, collided with a motor delivery van, and suffered a fracture of the left ankle. He was conveyed, to the Ohristchurch Hospital. Mr A. J. Pritchard, of the trainrunning staff in Christchurch, has been appointed an additional business agent in connexion with the railways. Mr E. C. Barnes, of the railway passenger office, Dunedin, has been appointed passenger agent at Christchurch, and his duties include meeting steamers, interviewing tourists, and generally advising passengers. A very sumptuous Christmas number of "The New Zealand Traveller" has been published by " the Commercial Travellers' Association of New Zealand. The number is printed on high quality art_ paper, and contains many special articles and Christmas stories, and a very fine collection of photographic reproductions of scenic and sporting scenes typical of the Dominion. The publication _ was printed and produced by the Christchurch Press Company. Advice has been received that the heating of Bromley School by up-to-date methods will be begun immediately. The Canterbury Education Board's proposal was at first declined by the Education Department, but the Board has agreed to fiud one-third of the cost, and the scheme will be gone on with. While the Board is finding onethird nf the cost, members consider that the Department should. have borne all of it.

A wrong interpretation was placed on some remarks made by Mr" Arthur Rose, retiring president of the Canterbury Licensed Victuallers' Association, at a presentation made to him on Wednesday afternoon. Mr Rose was reported yesterday to have said: "There are- a number of unscrupulous people to bo dealt with in the trade." What Mr Rose said, was: "There are a number of unscrupulous people who' are against the trade, and whom we will have to fight." Mr Rose also said that the duty on spirits had been increased not so verv hm* ago from 18s to 365.

The Drainage Board in pursuance of its desire to assist property-owners and householders who are contemplating connecting their premises with the sewers has established an Advice De-

partment, which should prove most helpful. For the small fee of ss, oue of the Board's officers will visit the premises and prepare a schedule of the material required for the connexion, and another of the plumbing material required, and also will give advice as to the best methods to be adopted, and obtain quotations from licensed drainlayers and plumbers. Although the new department has been in existence only a few days, a fairly large number have taken advantage of its services.

Tobacco culture is now developing in the Tauranga district. During the coming season about 20 acres will bo planted, and it is stated that only a small acreage more would ensure the erection of a factory to manufacture the leaf and sell direct to the consumer, should other means of disposal not guarantee adequate-returns. Fairly large quantities of seed have been sown, and the germination is highly satisfactory, but a kiln is being erected to deal with other kinds of leaf. Samples of each leaf are being forwarded to the Department of Agriculture, and it is anticipated that the quality of the leaf will be sufficiently high to receive encouragement from the Government.

It costs one penny to send a copy of the Christmas number of the "Weekly Press" to England by direct steamer, the postage rate on newspaper mail sent by other routes being considerably higher. The next direct mail. will close at Christchurch next Tuesday, and will reach London in ample time to allow of delivery before Christmas. This is the mail which should be used by New Zealanders who wish to send copies of the Christmas number, "Life in New Zealand," to their friends abroad. "Life in New Zealand" is as comprehensive as it is artistic, illustrating the daily activities of those who live in the Dominion, its beautiful scenery, and the progress that is being made in the building of a virile nation.

In the W.E.A. rooms at the Trades Hall last night Mr H: A. Parkinson, or Wellington, secretary of the New L ealand Educational Institute, gave an interesting address on "The Need of Further Expenditure on Education." The key of the' situation, Mr Parkinson said, was the smaller class. Another necessity was the trained teacher. Inferring to the reduction in the staff of physical instructors, he said that it had been done for the sake of economy but it was, in his opinion, a very bad" kind of economy indeed. The staff of instructors, instead of being reduced, should have been doubled and the number of their visits to the schools increased for the purpose of keeping well up to date the quality of the physical instruction work. .

The effort that is to be made to introduce the nightingale into New Zealand recalls the fact that previous efforts failed. In 1871 the Otago Acclimatisation Society arranged for a shipment of the.birds, but all died on the way out. The Auckland Acclimatisation Society had a similar experience in 1875. In 1879 the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society tried the experiment A single nightingale reached New Zealand, but it did not live long i n captivity. Various acclimatisation societies in New Zealand have, from time to time, tried to introduce tihe robin redbreast. In 1883 tho Wellington Acclimatisation Society liberated ten of these birds at Happy Valley; near Wellington. It proved a very unhappy valley for the visitors, and they soon disappeared.