CHRISTCHURCH ITEMS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9707, 1 February 1910, Page 5

CHRISTCHURCH ITEMS.

AUSTRALIAN SOCIALIST COLLAPSES.

By Telegraph—Press Association.

CHRISTCHURCH, January 31. Whilst addressing a public meeting at the Opera House on Sunday evening Mr H. Scott Bennett, an Australian Socialist orator, was suddenly taken ill, and collapsed into a chair, and was unable to proceed with his address. A doctor in the audience attended to him, and he was removed to his hotel. Mr Bennett has been engaged in Socialistic propaganda work in the Dominion, and is apparently suffering from the effects of overtaxing his strength. Mr Prank Allison, 57 years of age, a farmer at Manaia, North Islnnd, was found dead in his bed at a Canterbury boarding-house this morning. The deceased was on a visit to this city, and was last seen alive by the boardii ghouse keeper at 1.30 o'clock on Sunday night. He was suffering from chrenic asthma, and was being attended by a doctor who has given a certificate regarding the cause of death.

For the past fortnight the weather has een very unsettled, and on Friday afternoon rain, which had for some time previously been intermittent,. commenced to descend in steady downpour, and has continued ever since. Unless it quickly abates it is probable that serious damage will be done in the country districts. The local observatory records that from Friday about 2.30 p.m. up to 2.30 p.m. to-day 2.219 inches of raijr had fallen.