CHRISTCIIURCH NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1732, 24 April 1913, Page 4

CHRISTCIIURCH NOTES.

» l (By Telefrraph—Snecjal Correspondent.) Christchurch, April 23. . The Sumner municipal gasworks (Christchurch,!, which have been erected at a cost of >£10,000, will bo in full working order within the next fortnight. The mains have been laid, and the workmen have been waiting for the shipment of meters, which will arrive on Sunday. A certain amount 'of delay was caused in tho construction . of tho works through tho strikes in England affecting - shipments. Tho work of tarring and macadamising the city's streets is delayed just now by a shortage in the supplies of tar. Mr. A. D. Dobson, city surveyor, is in communication with Auckland and Invcrcargill, but ho has not been ablo to obtain much satisfaction from either of those places. l .Prom luvrcargill lie can get tar only as quickly as it is made, and apparently thero is not, much being made at present. In nny case, he has to compete with tho suburban boroughs, which also requiro fairly large supplies. The principal difficulty,' however, lies in the fact that the ccastil steamers seem to bo disinclined to carry the tar, because ■ evidently there is ample cargo of a 'different character available. No attempt has been made to draw upon the large supplies iu Australia.

"It is a great mistake for poullrynicn to allow eggs to rise to 2s. Cel. per (dozen," said a poultryman at the market this morning. "Few can afford to pay such a price, and the result is that the consumption goes .down by fifty per cent.,, while tho production does 110; vary. Eggs sell at 2s. Gil. for a week or so, and then como doivn to half that' price. If they wero kept at a fair price, consumption would not be checked, and during the scarce season they would keep a good average which would pay. producers better than do tho preseit spasmodic rises." Kcvisitcd after twenty-live years, Christchurch presents many interesting sights to Mr. John C. Collard, of tho firm of Ccllard and Collard, London. "I notice a wonderful change," said tho visitor, in an interview with a representative of "Tile News"; "a cliange in Auckland, in Wellington, and in this city, placing them practically out of all recognition. One cannot help Iredng struck by tho evidences of prosperity. To-day 1 liavo been taken round Chrisichurch in a motor-car nml sli|>wn miles of houses whero no ono lived (m tho occasion of mv previous visit. Of course, there were no motors then to cover thn ground." Mr. Collard said that there had been an extraordinary development in tho colonies, to far as ihe desire to possess musical instruments was concerned. He was told, and ho believed, that it was tho case that, for its population, Now Zealand had a larger importation of musical instruments than any other part of the world. On this topic, however, Mr. Collard was reticent, remarking that ho had no desire to "talk' .shop."