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Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 629, 6 May 1882, Page 2

The New Railway Station at Timaru. —Tho tender of Mr McOombo, of Oaniaru, has been accepted for tho erection of the new railway station at Timaru. The figure is L 3,495.

The Mosgiel Woollen Factory.— It is stated that although the Mosgiel mills are working at the present time night and day they cannot keep pace with the demand for the goods turned out. This is re-assuring for Ashburton.

Notice of Removal.—Mr J. J. Doyle intimates elsewhere that he has taken the shop lately occupied by F. Furness, adjoining Mr Murray’s, East street. For further information, which Mr Doyle supplies, our readers are referred to the advertisement.

Shooting Game on Sunday.—A test case was tried at the Oamaru Magistrate’s Court yesterday, to prohibit tho shooting of game on Sundays. The prosecution urged that as there was no Now Zealand Act in force interdicting tho practice the English Act ought to be recognised. Tho Bench thou <ht otherwise, and dismissed the case.

Off to the Exhibition. —Vn Exhibition excursion train loft, Ashburton at 9.20 this morning. Twelve Ashburtonians availed themselves of the opportunity of taking a cheap trip to tho cathedral city and doing the wonders of the World's Fair. The train commenced it? journey at Timaru, which it left about 7 o’clock, arriving hero at 9. We understand that a special cheap excursion is to bo laid on, starting from Ashburton, shortly. This is as it should be. Timaru has had several excursions, .and it is time we got a turn, before the Exhibition closes

A Blind Vagrant.—At tho Christchurch Magistrate’s Court yesterday Henry Hambline, who was recently sentenced at tho Ashburton il. M. Court to one month’s hard labor for vagrancy, was charged with having no visible means of support. It was stated that the defendant had been turned out of the Old Men’s Homo at Ashburton for gross misbehaviour, and had been afterwards punished in taol for bad conduct whilst undergoing his month’s imprisonment. Hamblin, who is quite blind, expressed much contrition for his conduct, and said if again admitted fo the Ashburton Home he would behave bettor. Ho was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment, the Magistrate promising to see Mr March in the meantime, and try to make some arrangement as to his future.

Measles at Auckland.—One hundred cases of measles occurred during the month of April in Auckland !

A Talented Man. —A man named B'bby advertises a curious challenge in the Sydney papers. He that he is prepared “ to eat any man living at oatmeal porridge for the sum of LIO or upwards. ”

An Immoral City. The Auckland police made a raid on the houses of illfame one night last week. Eight women were arrested, and nearly all got G months. The police have a list of 137 women engaged in prostitution. Nabbed. —Marges, the Auckland levanter, has been nabbed at Adelaide. LB,OOO lodged by the ex-merchant in the Colonial Bank at Auckland, was drawn out by his wile a few days prior to the flight of the family. Sparrows. The operations of the North Otago Sparrow Club have been eminently successful in so far as the destruction of birds and their eggs is concerned, and it is estimated that about 50,000 eggs and birds have been destroyed during the season. District Court. —ln oar report of the hearing of the case Nelson and Coutts v. W. Compton, at the District Court yesterday, we stated the claim to be LG4B IGs lid. As there had been several allowances and a payment of L3OO made on account, the claim befox - e the Court should ghave been stated as only L2OO, instead of the amount inadvertently stated by us. The Exhibition. —The Ehibition Athletic Sports came off to-day. The weather Was threatening, and the attendance smal'. The 100yds race resulted Hukton, (Christchurch), scratch, 1 ; Wood-, (Wellington) scratch, 2 ; Mann, (Christchurch), 12yds, 3. Time, 10 l-sth secs. The one mile race resulted : Handcock (Christchurch), 100yds, 1 ; O’Connor (Australia), scratch 2; Vaughan (Wellington), 50yds, 3.

A Night in a Buggy.— At the Police Court this morning, before Mr C. P. Cox, J.P., Robert Gibb, alias “ Scotch Bob,” was charged with vagrancy—being illegally on premises. It appears “Bob” was found lying asleep in a buggy at the rear of Quill’s Hotel this morning at about one o’clock. Prisoner had been warned to clear out, and failing to do so was taken in charge by Constable Hicks. As “ Bob” had been fined 5s on the 17th ult. for drunkenness, his Worship sent him up for seven days on this occasion, “ without the option. ” Cloture.— Mr Matthew jjArnold writes to an English paper as follows : —“ May I ask why we all persist in saying cloture ? Is it for the pleasure of describing the circumflex when we write the word, and of pronouncing the French u when we speak it ? Or is it for the mere English love of whatever is complicated and not simple 'I We all say enclosure, disclosure, every day of our lives. But closure itself, also, in its unoompounded state, is a perfectly good English word ; a word used by Chaucer, Shakespeare, Boyle, Atterbury, and Pope.”

“ Montgomery’s Corner ”.—The wellknown “Montgomery’s corner” has undergone considerable alterations since the block passed into the hands of Messrs Friedlander Bros. The ironmongery shop

at the corner of East and Burnett streets has been much enlarged within the past few days, the work having necessitated the removal further down Burnett street of the staircase communicating with the upper floor of the buildings. When the alterations are completed, Messrs Friedlander Bros will possess one of tho handsomest shops in Ashburton.

u Knives to Grind !”—James Edwards was arrested on a warrant in Ashburton last evening by Constable Daly, charged with stealing a pair of scissors of tho value of 8j from a Temuka resident. Edwards, who is a knife grinder by trade, obtained the scissors to grind, and failed to return them to the expectant owner. When arrested accused said he had to chtch a train, and had no time before doing so to return the scissors. He had no intention of stealing them. He was sent back to Temuka in charge of a constable this morning, there to interview Mr Beswick. The Hunt Club. —Tho first meet of the season took place this afternoon. The “ throw-off” took place near the mill, where a large number of horsemen had assembled. The “ run ” was through Messrs H. T. Smith’s and J. Hunt’s padducks. One or two “ spills” were noticed in the early part of the afternoon, but wo did not hear of any other casualties. A number of vehicles and horsemen followed tho roads adjacent to the hunt, but it was very difficult to get a good view of the run owing to the height of the hedges.

Criminal Carelessness —One cannot be too careful in handling fire-arms. One Instance in proof of this (says the Telegraph) occurred at Rangiora one day last week. A resident of that thriving little place had but a gun to a friend, who after using it returned it, as tho lender supposed, unloaded. A young man named Thompson happening to enter tho house shortly aftewards, casually took up the gun and examined it, and in replacing it brought the butt-end down rather smartly; the consequence was that the hammer fell, and the piece was discharged, the contents passing within an inch of Thompson’s face, and passing through both coiling and roof of the house.

An Infaunal Machine.—What may he considered a local attempt at tire manufacture of infernal machines was discovered the other day in a garden at the northern end of Riverton. While digging the proprietor came across a small tin canister closely sealed, of the diameter of a 11b coffee tin and about two inches deep, sloping up from the bottom in the shape of a dome. When prized open with a chisel it was found to be full of gunpowder, and soldered to the bottom were three short pieces of thick wire which did duty as nipples, on each of which was placed a concussion cap. What the object of the inventor of this ingenious contrivance could have been it is hard to conjecture. Perhaps (remarks a local paper) he will try dynamite next time. Philosophical Explanation of the Aup.oka Australis. —The auroral lights visible last week have given rise to some amusing theories among certain Wellington people, who had never before seen the Aurora Australis, which is rather a rare phenomenon in this latitude. One philosophical person (says the £1 m-jitikei Advociihi) enlightened his friends by imparting the fact of the appearance being caused by a great volcanic ourption taking place at this time in South Australia, and gravely proceeded to state that the volcano referred to had first broken out about throe years ago, and iw tremendous eruption bad causoel a sensation all over the vvorid. This mountain wan named the “ Rora Austorlitz,” ami the singular lights in the heavens were the iejection of another eruption now taking place 1 We hope tire above scrap of knowledge will be useful to the benighted believers in the generally prevailing theory as to the cause of the Southern lights.