King Country Chronicle Saturday, July 8, 1911.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 376, 8 July 1911, Page 4

King Country Chronicle Saturday, July 8, 1911.

Vice-Admiral King-Hall expressed himself last; week as an advocate of the weekly day of rest. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Sydney Mission to Seamen, he told an incident that occurred during manoeuvres when he was in command of a big battleship. There were fourteen of them in the fleet, and all but his were doing a specially hard Sunday's work as a final preparation for the evolutions that were to begin next day. His officers wondered why he did not do likewise, but he insisted on the men having their rest. The result was that his ship heat all the others, and he claimed the day of rest had been largely responsible for it. He was not one of those who made an idol of Sunday, but he considered that a stricter observance of it, in most circumstances, could be made with advantage to the ship and it crew.

Lovers of music and intending purchasers of pianos will be pleased to know that the London and Berlin Piano Co., of Auckland are establishing an agency in Te Kuiti, and samples by the best English and German manufacturers are on view in Miss Honan'a music room above Blackman and Cobb's. The Spencer piano is one that should not fail to appeal by reason of its beautiful tone, touch, and durability. Easy terms are offered by the company.

The second annual Te Kuiti Volunteer Fire Briagdo plain and fancy dress ball will be held in the Town Hall on August 10th, when several popular competitions will be held and prizes given. The funds of this deserving institution should benefit very substantially as a result of the coming affair.

Where tradespeople are working under an award and the King's Birthday or certain other special holidays occur in the same week as the statutory half - holiday, the Shops and Offices Act, under section 19, permits an alteration of the date to the special date. Thus, if the statutory half holiday is held on Thursday, Saturday may be sustituted if the King's Birthday falls on that date. So rules Mr Justice Sim.

At a meeting held last Saturday in connection with Kawhia's position in relation to the liquor trade, it was decided to protest against those charged with trivial and technical breaches of the Act being compelled to travel to Te Kuiti to answer such allegations; also to request wholesale merchants doing business there to have order forms with full instructions drawn out by a solicitor and distributed, to prevent the possibility of inadvertent non-compliance with the present complicated regulations.

The firm of John Brinsmead and Sons, piano manufacturers, London, was established in the reign of George IV, and their renown as piano makers at the present day is sufficient evidence of the excellence of their instruments. The attention of our readers is drawn to the replace advertisement of the British and Continental Piano Company, Hamilton, which firm carries a comprehensive stock of pianos by Brinsmead, Haake, Hopkinson, Bechstein, and other makers.

Our serial story "The Sign of the Vampire," is unavoidably held over this issue.

News has been received by cable that Dr Fullerton has been successfully operated upon by Dr Moyninghan —a specialist in abdominal surgery, and is doing well. His many friends in Te Kuiti will wish him a quick recovery and a speedy return here. Mr. J.T. W. Forsyth, under engagement to the Kawhia Harbour Board, arrived last Friday, say 3 the "Kawhia Settler." and has subsequently been employed in taking levels and soundings and ether preparatory work in connection with the proposed harbour improvements. These will include the erection cf a wharf at Lemon Point and wharf sheds at Oparau landing, Kauri bridge, Waiharakeke, Kiwi bay and Te Maika, as well as some improvements to the Kawhia wharf, involving an expenditure of about £IOOO. The latter structure will also require certain repairs, several of the stays and wallings being riddled by the toredo worr... In selecting the various sites, Mr Forsyth has availed himself of the experience of launch owners as regards tide rip and exposure to wind and weather before finally deciding. Plans and specifications will naturally occupy Bome time, but it is expected that some of the works will be got under way by the spring.

A correspondent writes to the "Post": There is one important aspect in regard to the tour in New Zealand of Dr Coward's choir from the Old Land, under the auspices of Dr Harris in his Imperial scheme for mutual reciprocity within the British Empire —namely, that the Sheffield Choir is to give the same programme in the musical festivals at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. In one direction this should serve to develop the power of musical criticism, through stirring up the spirit of emulation in the different centres, amongst the literary "personnel" attached to the staffs of the various newspapers and periodicals. And in another direction, the fact that the performance of Mendelssohn's masterpiece, "Elijah," is to be given by the Sheffield Choir in conjunction with local auxiliary voices, in these four big cities of the Dominion, should decide a question of much interest to the musical world in New Zealand—viz., in what order will the Sheffield Choir place the choral capacity of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, as may be evidenced by the respective massed choruses chosen for this unique production of "Elijah in New Zealand? As the provisions of the Land Settlement Finance Act become more widely known, says the "Post," there is evidence of an increased desire on the part of these anxious to take up land under the system laid down by that measure. At the present time some twenty Associations, with a membership of Well over a hundred, have been formed, and close on twenty thousand acres are now actually held by settlers who have acquired the holdings in terms of the Act. In the Auckland district ten estates have been acquired, with an area of nearly 10,000 acres, on which sixty-seven persons are settled. In Hawke's Bay only one Association has been formed; it consists of seven members, who farm nearly 800 acres. In the Wellington district two Associations, with a membership of twelve, have acquired 1500 acres. In Canterbury four Associations have been formed, consisting of twenty member*, who farm between them over 3000 acres, and in Southland sixteen people are farming 4000 acres under the scheme. Negotiations are now proceeding for the acquisition of considerable areas in the Timaru, Palmerston North, and Waikato districts, and several other similar transactions are in contemplation.