CHRISTCHURCH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 14, 11 October 1907, Page 3

CHRISTCHURCH.

[BT TELEGRAM.—OWN . CORRESPONDENT.] r Christchurch, October 10. Tho past and the future claimed jqual attention from tho speakors ut he banquet held at' Kaiapoi in conicction with' the christening. of a now redge for tho'. Waimakariri Itiver. 'ho Mayor wont so far as to. assert hat Kafapoi was over two hundred ears old, .and was tho old capital of ow Zealand. A generation ago it was 't/ much busier, placo in some respects than it is .now, for tho sawmilling industry was then at is height, and tho river was. the, resort of a largo numbof of small ' sailing vessels. To these and still earlier days a number

of the sneakers .referred. Among them was a pioneer who had tramped, fifty years ago, from Lyttolton to where- Kaiapoi now stands. There were, of course, no roads, only a wilderness of flax and fern and niggerhcad, intersected by rivers'and creeks. What would the lamp-post orators say if they had to put up with such hardships? he asked. They would ho dead. Jther speakers looked forward to a time when -Kaiapoi might bo a great shipping centre It was the natural centre, they declared, for tho exports of North Canterbury. In connection with the proposed canal from Sumner to Christchurch, it was asserted that a tenth'ofl the'two millions mentioned: as the probable cost would suffice to make Kaiapoi a port that would serve the whole of Canterbury for a hundred years to come. Viewed* in tho light of these speculations, the future of Kaiapoi appeared to be all its founders could hopo for or expect. Christchurch people have for long had an impression- that there is something radically wrong with tho streets or tho method of ' maintaining them. Tho City Engineer now confirms this impression. "Wo have not got city streets," ho told a reporter. "In the long run we shall'havo to do as other places have done and go in for wooden blocking or neuehatcl. It is impossible for a city street to stand tho traffic if simply made with a thin layer of road metal." In tho meantimo the' dust fiend rages up and down the city,« and . the 'arrangement with - the Tramway Board by which it was to undertake the watering of the tram routes seems to have hung fire. There is a project on foot to m' funds for sending a little Christchurch girl', Florence Scapins, to Prague for tho jurpose of studying the violin. Tho child is only, twelve, but sho has been learning tho violin"for more than six .-''years,-.- and has-displayed such talent that it is felt sho should go to Europe to study."■ She played' yesterday' before a small and critical audience of musical experts, and evinced wonderful execution and power. Leading musicians have'offered to-assist at a benefit concert which it is hoped will furnish tho nucleus of a fund. The "Times" publishes extracts from; a'letter received by a. Christchurch rosidcat from a member of tho Hon. Hall-Jonos's party after arriving in London. "Our patient is steadily improving;" says the writer, "and is new a very, different person from the poor wreck you helped on to the steamer at Lytteltbti. He has not, of course, . recovered all his old strongth and .energy yot, and he'doesn't join us in any of our long walking excursions ribout this great city, but boyond tho fact that: ho tires very easily ho is making better progress than any of us ospc-cted. He has not so far made any plans for the futuro, and says that he, means to take things easy and tra'vej as tho spirit moves him. ■This is tho best thing for him to do, and wo are' all rbjoicing over his restored health, but it is a little tiresome ;not to know whether wo aro'going tc •move on to-morrow or tho day aftei or at the ond of tho year._ Howeverwo aro enjoying ourselves immensely. 'and we aro very very grateful to have the worst of tho anxiety taker off 1 our minds.". ': •' Superintendent Smith, of the Christ church Fire Brigade, told a "Times'' reporter a curious littlo bit- of historj concerning tho chemical fire- engine that bears the namo of : tho Beltana ' That namo was givon- to it,' by tin way, after it had done such good wort in suppressing the firo on the woo -ship Beltana,'which put into Lyttolton with her cargo on -firo-some oigliteen years ago. It scorns that the Beltana was originally purchased bj tho famous Captain Shaw,' whom the - Queen of the Fairies addresses so muii cally : in "lolanthe." ■ Captain Shay was then chief of the London Fire Bri cade, antl mado a special trip t(

America'to purchaso for his brigade tlio-engine that is now in'Christchurcli.: The' London Fire Board did not. howover, caro for it, and eventually cho Christchurch Brigado bought it- .or '£100, its orginal cost price having 'been £450. It was rntlior a profitable venture for the city in any v casc, for the insurance companies presented the City Council with a chenuo foi £100 in recognition cf its services after tho Boltana fire. The engine is the only ' ono of its kind in the Dominion. Its • great, advantage, especially .in the •case■■'of a burning vessel, is that'ono cylinder may be refilled while the othor is being emptied, and with an inexhaustible supply of chemicals and : wator a- continuous stream is a-ssured. The "Press" points out'that the provision of the new Judiciary Bill, by which appeals will, as a rule, be heard by the Chief Justico and the other two ''Wellington Judges, 'means that, in addition! to,'tho Chief Justice; ,the two

•ablest"puisne Judges on the Bench ought to be located in the Wellington district, wbero they will deal with tho ordinary Supremo Court work, as well as acting as the Court of Appeal. This will bo a verv excellent thing for tho. Wellington litigants, but Ministers must not be surprised if other parts of tho Dominion regards as a littlo wanting in fairness, an arrangement under which tlioso outside, districts will always have to content themselves with the services of Judges: who, in tho opinion of the Government, .arc not tiie best for. Appeal Court work, and, therefore, will , naturally no looked upon as of second rank!- ' Bishop Julius indulged in some candid criticism of modern church music in his address to the united Anglican choirs on the occasion of the annual J'choral festival in the Cathedral. He spoko almost regretfully of tho old form of musical service in country parish churches in England, with the littlo body of instrumentalists and singers in the 'western gallery, and the efforts of the parish clerk. Nowadays lp many, of the parish churches thore were American organs, more or less in tune. "We have," he said, "surpliced choirs .which ,we put m front. Tho modern form of ; worship may bo. hotter than tho old, but not always." The Bishop prefers tho good old hymns, or hymns with which the congregation' have at least a nodding acquaintance, to tho "trashy, sentimental things chosen for tho sake of tho tune." Ho also referred to what he termed tho "extraordinary superstition regarding the noto G in our churches." "It really ' seems," ho said, ""as if God cannot be praised off any other note. The service is monotone iii 'G'; there is a loud 'amen' in 'G.' No doubt it is an excellent note, but 11 have no hesitation in saying it was thoroughly bad for parish churches. Not one in ten of the musical portion of .the congregation can sing in' 'G, 1 and if the unmusical attempt it thoy do so with results that are.dis- . astrous to ovoryono else."