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Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 691, 18 July 1882, Page 2

Tenders. —The County Council invites tenders for superstructure Upper Rangitata Bridge, and for water race, Winslow district. Church of England Temperance Society. — A meeting is to be held tomorrow for the purpose of forming a Temperance Society in connection with St Stephen's Church. .The Rev. Mr Scott is a zealous advocate of temperance. Dyeing. —Mr G. King (who is prepared to dye at any time) notifies that he has appointed Messrs Andrewea Bros, his Ashburton and district agents. Mr King’s establishment is at Madras street, Christchurch. The Library Entertainment. —Owing to the Town Hall being pre-engaged for the night of the 2oth inst., it has been decided to hold the entertainment in aid of the Library funds on the evening of Wednesday the 2Gtn. The programme is to consist of songs, readings, recitations, etc., and a popular farce as a wind up It is to bo hoped that the entertainment will be liberally patronised. A Smash Up. —Yesterday oveiling us one of Mr Walsh’s cabs was standing outside the Somerset Hotel something startled the horse attached to the vehicle, and caused it to bolt at a lively pace up the Alford Forest road. When at the back of the Old Men’s Homo, the horse and cab fell over the terrace into the river bed, a drop of about twenty feet. Marvellous to say, the horse was not killed, although it is supposed to have sustained internal injury. The cab was smashed, and rendered a complete wreck.

A Public Telephone Station,— The Telegraph Department has opened a public telephone station at Mahangawere, in the County of Hobson.

Oddfellows Ball at Waterton.— The anniversary of tho Loyal Waterton Lodge, M.U.,1.0.0 F., will be celebrated on August 24th by a tea, concert, and ball. Evangelistic.— Our readers are reminded that an evangelistic service is to be held in the Town Hell to-night, similar to those conducted several weeks ego. The united choir wiU be in attendance, and the Rev. A. M. Beattie, with Mr J. E. Buchanan, will address the meeting. As Good a Right as any One Else.— At the Christchurch Police Court, yesterday, Christian Klingenstein was charged with keeping his licensed house open after ten o’clock on the night of July sth. It was stated that on the evening in question the licensee gave a dinner to his friends, but that no iiquor was sold after hours. After evidence had been adduced, the Bench remarked that an hotelkeeper had an equal right with private individuals to entertain his friends. No breach of the Ordinance had been committed, and the case would, therefore, be dismissed. Presbyterianism at Wakanui. —Wo understand that the tea and public meeting in connection with the opening of th'! new Presbyterian Church at" Wakanui will take place on the 31« t of this month. Tho promoters arc making energetic preparations for the successful carrying out of this inaugural gathering, and in addition to a number of other gentlemen who will address the meeting, the Rev. J. Elmslie, of Christchurch, will be present. The Ashburton Presbyterian Church Choir are to render several select pieces during the evening,, and a rave treat may bo anticipated by our Wakanui friends. T.areikinism at Timaru. —Larriidnism of a certain kind is, we gather from the Herald, on the increase in Timaru. Bands of young men and boys are in the habit it seems of assembling in tho principal streets on Saturday and Sunday evenings, and indulging in ribald jokes and disgusting remarks on every woman that passes by. To such an extent, says our contemporary, do these low, degraded fellows now carry on their practices, that many women and children are debarred from venturing to church on Sunday evenings. Unfortunately the larrikin know the members of our slender police force so well that it would be difficult for the latter to act as private detectives. They also know that respectable men are very loth to drag a wife, a daughter, or any lady friend into Court, as a witness, and hence their security. The Defence op the Colony. —During the course of the proceedings in the House last night, Mr Bryce temporarily interrupted the debate to make a statement on the subject of the defence of the colony. He said the intention of the Government was to substantially carry out the scheme of defence for the four principal ports, as recommended by Colonel Soratchley. This was by means of heavy batteries and torpedoes and torpedo boats and submarine mines. The heavy guns were already hete, and would be mounted without delay. The Government were in communication with Colonel Scratchley, with the view of ascertaining whether any alterations had suggested themselves to him since the report was written, and in the second place whether there was any chance of his being able to pay the colony another visit to complete his work. The cost of the proposed works would be L 40.000 or L 50,000, and this they proposed to take out of the loan, making it a charge on the consolidated revenue by spreading it over four years. The works would be proceeded with at once Police Returns. —The police returns for the Ashburton district for the quarter ended 30th June are as follows :—Assaults, common, 1 ; ditto, on police, 2 ; ditto, on wife, 2 ; breach of peace in view of a constable, 4 ; contempt of Court, 2 ; criminal and neglected children, 1 ; disorderly conduct, 1 ; drunk in a public place, |G9 ; drunk while in charge of a horse, 8 ; drunk in a licensed house, 2 ; drunk on railway station, 4 ; drunk and disorderly behaviour in a public place, 1 ; quarrelsome in a licensed house, 1 ; drunk in a railway carriage, 1 ; wilful annoyance to others in a railway carriage, 1 ; obscene language at railway station, 1; wilful destruction of public property, 1 destruction of property, 1 ; lunacy, 4 ; malicious injury to property, 2 ; larceny, simple, I ; ditto, from a dwelling, 1 ; ditto, from the person, 1 (committed for trial) ; false pretences, 1 ; using insulting language to police, 1 ; resisting police, 3 ; rescuing a prisoner, 1 ; furious riding, 3 ; begging, 1 ; habitual drunkenness, 1 ; illegally on premises, 3 ; indecent exposure, 1 ; no lawful visible means of support, 5 ; obscene language, 8. The above figures give only the persons convicted ; those discharged (6) are not included. The total number “ reported ” to the police as requiring looking after during the quarter was 158 ; the total number of persons apprehended was 148, of whom 138 males and 2 females were summarily convicted, 6 males and 1 female discharged, and 1 male committed for trial. The total decrease in tho number of offences during the quarter was 80, tho most noticeable decrease being in the number of persons apprehended for drunkenness, the falling off in this class of offence, as compared with the first three months of the year, being 35. This is exceedingly satisfactory. Temperance Items. The Helpmate Division of the Sons and Daughters of Temperance Benefit Society held its half-yearly summoned meeting for the election of officers on Friday last, there being a good attendance of members. Tne following officers were elected : —W. P., Bi'o. 13. 0. Smith; P. W.P., Bro. H. A. Pickford ; W.A , Bro. J. H. Jeasop ; R.S. and F.5.,8r0. Williams (re-elected); A. R.S., Bro. G. W. Andrews; Chaplain, Bro. Lawrence ; Treasurer, Bro. Andrews; Conductor, Bro. Johns; I.S ,Bro. Crum, 0. S., Bro. Tilley. Bro. Williams, the D. G. W. P., installed the officers, after which a new and reduced scale of contributions and initiation fees was considered and ordered to bo sent to the Registrar General and the Grand Division for their approval or otherwise. The sick visitors reported one brother still on the funds of the Division. This is the first member that has ever been on the sick funds, although the Division has been opened nearly five years.—A new Lodge of the 1. 0.G.T., was instituted at Methven on Saturday evening last. At half-past seven a public meeting was hold ir. the local schoolroom, presided over by Mr Thomas Williams, of Tinwald, the present D.D.G,W.C.T. for Ashburton County, at which a large number of residents wore present, and listened very attentively to the remarks of the chairman, in which ho pointed out the evils of intemperance and the advantages of Templary in their midst, after which a special Grand Lodge session was opened, tho D.D. being very ably a-sisted by fourteen officers and members of tho Bushman’s Pride Lodge, Alford Forest, when nearly everyone who had been present ot the public meeting were duly initiated into the Order, after which the ceremony of instituting a Lodge was then very impressively gone through, tho new lodge being named the Standard of Methven Lodge. The election of officers followed with the following result : W.C.T., Bro. John Scrimgeour ; Bro. S. Teirney ; W. S., Bro. Murray ; W. 0., Bro. R. Congou ; W.M., Bro. J. Fowler. All the other offices being suitably filled, Bro. James Murray, sen., was recommended as D.G. W.C.T. After the usual vote of thanks, the Lodge closed in due form, to be opened again every alternate Saturday in the schoolroom,

House Warming.—Mr John Beecher will give a dinner at the Central Hotel tomorrow to celebrate the commencement of his reign. The hour is 7.30.

To Persons Wishing to be Tinned. Persons who have not yet undergone the tinning process are reminded that the Gem Photographic Company will leave here on the 29th.

The Railway Tariff Question. —A public meeting is called by the Chairman of the County Council for Tuesday evening, 25th inst., at the Town Hall, to consider the railway tariff.

An Old Rascal. —At the Auckland Supreme Court yesterday, Willirm Hazlett, aged seventy-three, was charged with rape on a child ten years old. Sentenced to four years’ penal servitude, and thirty lashes within a month.

Monster Sale of Fruit Trees.— At his rooms, to-morrow, at 12 o’clock, Mr Harrison will submit to the hammer something like 10,000 fruit trees of all descriptions, and a large quantity of forest trees and shrubs. Fruit growers, farmers and others ought to look in at this sale.

Accident. —Just as we go to press, we learn that a man named Thompson, met with an accident yesterday while driving a dray, neat Saunders’ mill. He fell off his dray, and the wheel passed over his leg and broke it. The sufferer was removed to the hospital, and is now progressing favorably.

A Rival for the Electric Light At Dunedin last night, in the presence of the reporters and two medical gentlemen, Mr Binnie, of Maoii Hill, gave an exhibition of the lighting capabilities of his new gas, for which he has now taken out patents in Australia and Now Zealand, and has sold the former. The gas is manufactured out of air, water, and ordinary beef or mutton fat. He has had it burning in his private house for twelve months. The light is pure, clear, and white, and more powerful than that of Dunedin gas. It has no smell. The cost is very small, rnnning from Is 3d to 2s per thousand feet. Political Gossip. —The Wellington correspondent of the Press in his last budget of political gossip says :—According to previous arrangements, the debate on Major Alkinson’s national insurance scheme should have been resumed to-night (Monday). It was set down as the first order of the day, but this afternoon the order paper was revised, and it went down to No. 9, the adjourned debate on the Land Bill being placed first, and followed by Committee of Supply, of ways, and means, and the Aliens Act Amendment, Fisheries, Inspection of Machinery, and Companies Bills. This renders it pretty certain that the national insurance will not be reached to-night, and from what I can hear, I shall not be surprised to find it quietly pushed back still further on the paper and to have other pressing business first dealt with, as it is morally certain that nothing definite will be done in this matter this session. The Native Reserves Bill will probably be taken up on Friday again unless any obstacle should intervene. From what I can hear to-day, the chance of a no-confidence motion seems more remote than ever, and alienation between the two Opposition sections more and more thorough. There seems little chance of their pulling together this session, if over. It is generally believed that the session will last at least six weeks more, and probably will run into September. A return was presented to the House by the Colonial Secretary, showing the number of orders made under the Adoption of Children’s Act, 1881. The total number is 15 —viz.: Auckland, 3 ; Taranaki, 1 ; Wanganui, 1 ; Westland, 3 ; Christchurch, 2 ; Dunedin, 4 ; Western Otago, 1. Of there 1 in Auckland, 1 in Christchurch, and 2 in Duuedin were illegitimate children.