TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16750, 4 January 1915, Page 6

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Yesterday tho visiting chess players wore entertained by the members of the Canterbury Chess Club at an outing held at Diamond Harbour.

Tho Hon 11. IT. Rhodes, PostmasterGeneral and Minister of Public Health, will bo at tho Provincial Council Chambers from 11 a.m. to noon to-day to receive deputations and transact departmental business.

A Press Association telegram from Wostport states that beautifully fine weather provailed for tho holidays. Sports, meetings were held at Westport, Ngakawau, and a swimming carnival in the Westport municipal baths. Tho West Coast people took full advantage of the fine weather and tho beaches for surf bathing, Capo Foulwind', tho popular seaside resort, being particularly well patronised. On Saturday the Julius Knight Dramatic Club, under ideal weather conditions, motored to East ■> Oxford, where a triplo bill of moro than usual interest was presented. The entertainment was greatly appreciated and was a distinct success from all points.

The sister in charge of St Saviour's Homo wishes to acknowledge wifii thanks tho receipt of Christmas gifts from L.T.W., " Clarkville," "A Widow," "A Busy Nurse,'.' " Four Littlo Children," anonymous and St Michael's School, also collecting boxes from Holmes's boarding-house containing £l, and the Cadcna Tea Rooms, £l.

Sharks of large size aro reported to be numerous in Lyttelton Harbour at present. Around' Akaroa also these creatures are said to he rather plentiful this summer. The " Akaroa Mail"" states that Mr W. Stewart, fishing at Akaroa Heads last Thursday, caught a nine-feet shark. He was fishing for hapuku, and got the shark on his lino. He brought it to tho surface and harpooned it.

Tho South Malvern District Brass Band, under tho conductorship tf Mr W. A. Roach, played a programme of carols at Whitecliffs and Glentunnel on Christmas Eve. On arrival at Glentunnel tho band had to desist on account of the bad weather. On Sunday afternoon a programme of Christmas music was played at Coalgato and was much appreciated by the residents. A collection taken upon behalf tf the Belgium Fund was liberally responded to.

Reports to hands by the Maitai from San Francisco, via Papeete, states tho Wellington " Post," show that the Frenchmen in Tahiti aro taking the German bombardment of their capital quite philosophically. Papeete is being rapidly rebuilt; tho rubbish caused by the bombardment has all been swept away, and now stores and business places aro arising out of (the ashes of the old. It will not bo long before nothing but a fow shot holes and bits of buildings clipped off will remain to mark tho bombardment. In the meantime business is being carried' on as usual, and trade is on the whole very Kaftisfactory.

An interesting story, says the " New Zealand Herald," is being told of an offer made some time ago for one of f.ho islands in tho Hauraki Gulf. The owner had no desire to sell, but was surprised, so tho story goes, to receive an offer of a good price for the island. It was such an offer as might never come again, but was refused for reasons which no ' price could remove. Little thought was given ait tho time to the nationality, or, for tho matter of that, to tho intentions, of the would-be purchaser, but recent events havo attached significance to the fact that tho offer was made on behalf of a German purchaser, and that the use to which tho island was to be put was not made very clear.

At a meeting of the Sydenham Brotherhood yesterday, Mr H. G. Ell, M.P., delivered an address on " Tho Duty of the Community to Those in Need." He briefly outlined the progress made in humanitarian legislation in tho past century, and explained the effects of tho laws, which nad shown .hat tho community was awaking to its duties to tho infirm and tho weak. He suggested that thero was still much to bo done, and mentioned several instances in which the relief of poverty was. left to voluntary effort or to local bodies, who did not fully assist the sufferers. He urged that whore a mother was left to provido for a family of young children, it should not be necessary for tho State to take tho children from her. At the conclusion of his address Mr Ell was heartily thanked.

Last night, at Nazareth House, a pleasant ceremony was performed when Mr W. Hay ward, sen., presented to the Sisters of Nazareth a cheque for £l6l, the proceeds of a concert given recently under the direction of Miss Hayward. Replying on behalf of tho Sisters, Mr J. R. Hayward thanked all those who had assisted to make the concert a success, and specially thanked the citizens whose generosity had enabled those interested in the concert to mako such a good collection. The Sisters were grateful for the encouragement given them, and wished to say that, as before, Nazareth House would be at the command of the community in any cases in which it could render any help. A number of ladies and gentlemen then gavo a. private concert and entertained tho inmates, young and old for over an hour.

The circumstances under which upon advance to the peerage tho present First Lord adopted the title of " Lord Fisher Kilverstonc" arc interesting, writes Sir Henry Lucy in the '_' Sydney Morning Herald." When, sixty years ago, ho was a midshipman, a 'gentleman named Vavasour visited his ship, and interviewed the captain, with desiro to interest him in a patent recently obtained for an improvement in naval gunnery. Tho captain was unsympathetic, not to say sceptical. The midshipmite, who chanced to bo on duty in attendance, perceiving tho value of the invention boldly pointed it out. Ho was sharply reproved for unseemly interference. But upon reflection the captain, his eyes opened, saw the valuo of the new departure. Ho brought it under the notice of the authorities, and in tho end it was adopted by the Admiralty. Messrs Armstrong recognised its value, and offered to purchaso the patent for a colossal sum. Mr Vavasour stood out for a partnership in the groat concern, had it conferred upon him, and retained it to the end of his life. Ho nevor forgot the midshipmite who was tho founder of his fortune. When Lord Fisher's son was born he became his godfather, bestowed upon him, among other things, his name, and when ho died left him his seat in Norfolk, with a big estate and a sum of monoy earmarked to build a new mansion more in keeping with its many broad acres.

Jam milking season. We havo full stocks of all requisites for jam making. Preserving Pans in brass, copper, aluminium and Enamel, fruit and jam jars, parchment covers, etc. Lewis and Anderson, 112, Cashel Street. 1898 . Look at the labels on Thomson's cordials, and you will see that this firm guaranteed that nothing artificial is used in the manufacture. Nothing but the finest fruit juices are utilised. Make sure of purity. Get Thomson's. All grocers. Ford and Mirams, agents. 8898

The Union S/team Ship Company's Aparima, which arrived at Lyttelton yesterday from Calcutta, had on hoard forty-nine coolies. They are en route to Sura, where they will be employed on the sugar plantations. A Press Association telegram from Feilding states that Mr G. D. Braik, Director of Education and Chief Inspector of Schools for tho Wanganui education district, died on Saturday morning, one week after an internal operation.

An unrehearsed incident of the Mardi Gras procession held at Napier on Boxing Day occurred in connection with the exhibit depicting the Kaiser under lock and key, and caused considerable merriment amongst tho onlookors. At each corner of the " Kaiser's" cage was chained a bulldog, and one of these fell from the lorry and' was suspended by the neck, being in danger of strangulation. The "Kaiser" observed the mishap, and the prospect of tho British bulldog " going under," far from giving him satisfaction, seemingly appealed to his chivalrous instinct, for he at once jumped to the rescue, and, reaching his arm between tho cage bars, seized the struggling emblem of John Bull and restored aim to safety.

The perfect clearness of the atmosphere at Wanganui last Wednesday forenoon made it possible for Mr P. Stringer, who is in charge of the Durie Hill signal station, to "pick up" a vessel leaving Nelson. Mr Stringer says his glasses picked up the steamer distinctly when she could not have been more than eight or ten miles out .of Nelson, port. He did not at the moment realise how far away the vessel was, and, assuming that she was bound for Wanganui, ho ran up the usual signal indicating a steamer in sight. However, he followed her as she steamed on her course, which, to his surprise, proved to be towards the West Coast of the other island, and he only lost her when she disappeared round Cape Farewell.

A curious defect in the New Zealand Compensation Act was pointed out to the Right Hon Andrew Fisher by one of tho Labour representatives who accorded him a public welcome. The clause referred to was the "domicile" clause, which provides that if a man comes to this country and is killed while working in New Zealand, his wife will only be entitled to compensation provided she is domiciled in tho Dominion. Mr Fisher said that the law should be altered, but remarked that it was purely a matter for the New Zealand Government and was not a question of reciprocity. When told that the law was the same in Australia, he replied: "I am glad to be placed in possession of this information, but it astounds mo. An appeal to the common sense of the people would surely justify the action which has been suggested."

On a recent evening a party of Lyttelton residents made a trip to Charteris Bay in a steam launch, and with the assistance of several dinghies a good night's sport resulted in nine sharks being taken, measuring from nine feet downwards. The fish were caught on linos fitted with a tempting bait, and, as the water in the selected locality was shallow, no great difficulty was experienced in getting the sharks into the boats. Most of the fish caught consisted of the shovel-nose tyj>o, and from their condition it was evident they had selected a prolific feeding ground. As far as can be ascertained, the sharks appear to prefer the adjacent bays on the south side of the harbour to those of tho north, but this is no doubt duo to the fact that the muddy nature of /Hie foreshore offers better feeding grounds. The party intend to mako a second trip to the same spot in the course of a week or two.

Just as the old woman believes her favourite corn to bo an infallible indication of the weather, so the average fireman is convinced that tho amount of damage by firo is a sure and certain reflox of tho state of commercial prosperity of a place. Jf a fireman's criterion is worth anything states the "Auckland Star, 1 ' Auckland should have experienced a phenomenally successful year from a business point of view during tho twelve months just closing for the number of fires and the smallness of _ the havoc wrought probably constitute a record. Never in the recollection of Superintendent Woolley has there been a year when fires have' been so few and the resultant damage so insignificant. Up to date the estimated damage done by fires in the city during the twelve months is only £4078, which was covered by an insurance on the buildings and contents of £175.109. The significance of these figures may bo realised when it is mentioned that an average year's damage by firo in the city of Auckland is something like ( £30,000. Apparently tho period of immunity from serious fire goes back for more than twelve months under review. During the period ending June this year, tho damage bv Auckland's fires only totalled £5596, against £17,709 in Christchurch. Auckland was in a unique position, for all the towns of any size and importance were afflicted by fires far more extensive than those in the largest city in the Dominion. Gisborne suffered £9917 damage, Dunedin £13,435. Hastings £6402 and Palmerston North £5383.

A comparative table has been compiled showing the total cost of maintaining the various Parliaments of Australia for the last three years. In 19089 the total talk bill of the Commonwealth was £559,592; next year it rose to £684,391; and for the twelve months ending December last it reached £765,145. These are startling increases, and there is nothing to show that highwater mark has yet been reached. As they stand the figures hold uj> Australia as a shocking example of talkdrunkenness to the civilised world, remarks the " Sydney Daily Telegraph." To legislato for a community of less than 5,000,000 people there are fourteen Houses of Parliament, most of them paid, seven separate Ministries, each with all the pomp and circumstance of Responsible Government, and seven Governors to play the part of Royalty. Tho fourteen Houses of Parliament contain an aggregate of 654 members. This makes tho total cost of merely legislating for less than five million people average £ll7O per legislator. If the British Parliament were in the same proportion to the population of the United Kingdom it would contain about 6000 members and cost the taxpayers over £7,000,000 a year. Great Britain, however, in the matter of talk, is a model of temperance compared with Australia. Although she has nearly ten times as many people to legislate for, she employs fewer' legislators, and pays them less than the salary of ail ordinary member of tho New South "Wales Parliament, not to speak of a Federal politician. In the Australian total is included tho cost of elections, referenda, and everything else pertaining to the Parliamentary as distinct.from that of the ordinary Civil Service. Electric Pocket Lamps—We have landed, ex Mamari, 5000 of these. They are British made. Prices from 3s each. Turnbull and Jones, Ltd., Cashel Street. 189 Steffano Webb is an expert in Artistic Portraiture. His work is excellent and prices reasonable. Got your photo, taken while in town.—Steffano Webb, Photographer, Petersen's Buildings, High Street. Telephone 1989. X 5 We extract the following from the " Dominion " newspaper, Wellington: " Messrs T. Armstrong and Co., of Christchurch, are tho successful tenderers for Messrs Macky, Logan and Cq.'» salvage stock at Napier." jXI

The Avon was very low on Saturday —much lower than it usually is—and rowing pleasure boats had much difficulty in getting along. That part of the river between the Gardens and Hagley Park was a great roßort for children, who screamed with delight as boats grounded on the shingle. At one point about a dozen children, boys and' girls, acted as pilots, and as each boat got stuck on fihe shingle, they waded out in the shallow water and gave a hand. Mr J. C. Thomson, M.P., has telegraphed to the Minister of Defence stating that lie has heard grave complaints about tho administration of the Defence Department states the " Southland Daily News." Among other things men who were taken on as recruits have been sent back to their homes for two months after already hanging around for throe wefcks, and although they are to hold themselves in readiness, they arc to receive no pay, and this after having resigned their positions. A cnll has been made lor further recruits, ."Mid Mr Thomson has pointed out that such treatment will have a very bad effect.

The committee- of the New Brighton Surf Club met on Wednesday, Mr F. D. Stokes, sub-captain, presiding. Mr W. Reece wrote, wishing the club the compliments of the season, and forwarding a donnltion of ono guinea. A motion of condoleuco was passed with the relatives and friends of the late Mr G. Harris, in their recent sad bereavement. A vote of thanks was accorded Mr G. W. Russell, M.P., who had been instrumental in having telephonic communication established between tho pier end' and the club pavilion. It was decided to hand' over to the Bolgian Fund the sum of £1 3s, the balance from a smoke concert. • It was resolved that Mr G. T. Robinson's name should be added to the list of beach inspectors. Accounts amounting Ito £2 3s 3d were passed for payment. It was decided to lend every possible assistance to tho Gala Committee, both in the matter of entries and' otherwise. Mr M'Callum was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his gift of rubber hose.

"It is understood that Messrs T. Armstrong and Co., Ltd., of Christchurch, are the successful tenderers for the whole of Macky Logan's salvage 6tock, the amount being over £3OOO. Tho goods are being shipped to Christchurch." From the " Napier Daily Telegraph." X2

The first business day in 1915 is being made memorable at Carey's Ready Money Store. This firm is holding its End of Season Sale, and exceptional bargains aro the order of the day. 1898 A Happy New Year to all I Messrs Hastie, Bull and Pickering desire to voice the good old wish, and. ito return thanks to their many friends for patronage and' support accorded during 1914. 1898

THE B.S.A. FOR 1915,

The B.S-A. to the motor-cyclist, who is usually a man of discernment, is tho doyen of motor-cycles. This is no mere catch statement, for the sales of this great British cycle daily grow in volume, surely sufficient testimony to its popularity. As a side-car machine the B.S.A. stands unrivalled. Fitted with a powerful 4 h.p. engine and a three-speed countershaft gear, tho B.S.A. will do any side-car work asked of it in Canterbury. Easy Tunning, easy to handle and easy to understand, the new model B.S-A. makes an ideal outfit for the motorist. British built throughout, the B.S.A. is of that faithful solidity of make which stamps British goods as those which wear well throughout, and it is a glutton for hills and extremely economical in consumption. There is no more attractive machine for the motorist who wants value. We have stocks on hand and can give immediate delivery. Adams, Ltd., Agents for B.S.A. Motorcycles, High Street, Christchurch. (G. B. Brown, B.S.A. representative; D. H. Edgar, Ashburton, B.S.A. representative.) 1988