CHRISTCHURCH ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 395, 2 January 1909, Page 5

CHRISTCHURCH ITEMS.

• (BT TBLEOIIirtr.—BPsCXA.L Ci)UBRSrONDBNX.j • . Chrlstchuroh, January 1. > , ? An unrehearsed incident. took place izi Cathedral Square id : tho .very early -hours.'oi; this morning. The huge crowd' that had gathered to see the old year out and the New ifear in hadbegun.to display licro and there some . .signs; of rowdittess,-and. the police, in ! . one or.' two cases • had had to draw their batons, when some ono espied Mr. Shortj .the ; Trumpeter, ,watching .the pro-' oeedings frbin.tho balcony of tho United .Her-' vice Hotel. ,An . instant. 1 demand -was -made ;that,:he play ' something, 1 and "it ".became , so insistent that Mr.'Short fetched' his trumpet and . a number of-, songs, conoludiug with:Home,i.Swoet, Home," and "God Save the .King;"; The tolerably -broad hint conveyedVin these• two .airs; was accepted - by the crowd," who, after heartily cheering tho trumpeter, dispersed to .their several homes J; It is r said that the; police authorities tools the. opportunity of JJr. Short;for lending, them such offioient' aid. ! in' cheating th'a incipient disturbance. • In regard to tho statexnont that Mr. J. R, Triggs, of .Christehuroh,:had been appointed one of .the commissioners under thO-now Ar-bitration-Act, , Sir.; Joseph .tdld" la : " Timesreporter yesterday that tho ap- : pointment of tho commissioners had not even been the Cabinet yet. Although the Act 'will' ciome into force" to-day, it is not absolutely ne£essary ; 'that the commissioners' should be appointed at onco. 'Tho matter will probably be dealt with as soon as the Holidays are ovor. . ; ! The 'rainfall in, Christ-church for the year. 1908, as- registered at .tho offico of tho " Press," was'2s.4l inches. 'The heaviest fall in a month, nearly 8 inches, took place in July j the lightest, less than one-twentieth of an inch, in l'obruary.