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Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1419, 18 May 1886, Page 2

At last night’s meeting of the Borough Council it was resolved to procure for the Mayor a more imposing looking Chair than the present cane-bottomed article. Councillors unanimously determined to procure ing for the Chair, and probably at the next meeting the Mayor will be duly installed in the new civic throne.

The Ashburton Borough Council has resolved that in future when an alarm of tiro be given the first horses on the ground will be used for the purpose of drawing the engine, and also that the side door of the engine shod shall bo left unlocked. The Mayor said that after Quinton’s fire, when the engine shed was burst open, and when considerable delay took place in obtaining horses, he had seen the custodian, who had told him that had the Brigade roused him up ho would have given them the key of the shod and had the Council’s horses in readiness for the engine in a very short space of time. It was decided to ask the Brigade why the custodian had not been palled on (be alarm of fire being given.

It stated that proceedings will bo taken against certain portions for voting illegally at the bydonl.am election, by falsely representing to thu Ituturning-Olliccr that they resided within the Borough.

The question of what may be done by a policeman on a Sunday engaged tho attention of tho II.M. Court this morning. A gentleman, charged with being tho owner of certain unregistered dogs, asked the Bench if it wore competent for a constable to obtain information necessary to getting up a case on bun day. The Magistrate said there was nothing in the Act to prevent a constable doing his duly on bunday. A constable was prohibited, except under certain circumstances, from making an arrest on a bunday, but as he was on duty every day in the week, if the obtaining of information came within the sphere of his duty a constable was entitled

to obtain such information on that day. bubsequently it came otu that a summons in another dog registration case had been served on tho defendant on a bunday, and tho Magistrate gave it as his opinion that the service could not bo sustained, bunday being in regard to such a case a dim non. Mr J. W. White, who was present in Court, sup-

ported the Magistrate’s view. Tho defendant, however, had previously admitted being tho owner of an unregistered dog, and as the issuing of a fresh information would put him to a great deal of inconvenience in again appearing in Court, he decided to accept the decision of the Bench without questioning the validity of the information served on him on the bunday. A batch of dog registration cases was dealt with at the Kesident Magistrate’s Court this morning, bovoral residents at Mount burners complained of tho lack of facilities in that district for registering dogs. There is now an ollioo for that purpose at Springburn, but it was not established until lately, and it is

said that no steps have been taken to notify the residents in the district of its existence.

The Inspector of Nuisances, who appears to bo a most energetic ollicial, has made out a list of tho sections in the borough overgrown with tussocks, and these total up the tidy number of 137. At their last night’s meeting the Council took into con-idera'ion what steps should be taken in connection with these sections. It transpired that a number of them had been cleared some time ago, but that the tussock had steadily refused to be exterminated. In view of this obstinacy on tho part of tho native herbage, it was determined to refer the matter to the Works Committee, with instructions to serve tho owners of the worst sections with the usual notice in respect to tussock clearing. The Elemington Presbyterian Church tea meeting will be held in the Church on Thursday evening.

Our readers will notice by advertisement elsewhere that Sir W. T'ox and Mr T, W. Glover, the celebrated temperance advocates, will conduct a meeting in the Town Hall on Friday evening. On May Pith the financial year of the Mount Somers Public Library came to a close, and a meeting of householders was held in the library in order to consider the balance sheet of the institution, and to elect a new Committee. Owing to the bad weather the attendance was small. The financial report showed that a Government subsidy of £7 IPs Id had been received, and that owing to largo purchases of books there was a slight deficit. After adoption of the financial statement, it was resolved to terminate the new financial year on December 31st, 138 G. The election of the new committee was then proceeded with, and subsequently an appointment of officers was made as follows :—Mr A. E. Poache, Chairman ; Mr J. Hood, Treasurer ; .Mr A. Buecblor, Secretary; Messrs E. F. Wright, W. Edson and Lev. D. McNeil, W. Easton, committee. Those of our readers who havo a taste for art, are recommended to look in at Mr Farley's, stationer, East street, or at Mr Jones’s, where there arc on view a number of really beautiful paintings in water colors and oil by Mr F. Broukc-Smith, who is proposing to take pupils in tho art of landscape painting. Among them are views of Lake Tc Auau, Milford bound, the Manawatu Gorge, and Loch Katrine (Scotland). All show great merit both as to drawing and color; and, besides those, we havo seen a portfolio of water-color sketches by the same gentleman, among which are some very choice studies. We understand that the large pictures now on view at Mr Jones will be offered for sale at auction some time next week. Our Mount Somers correspondent writes ;

J. Fox had a narrow escape from drowning on Sunday morning. Ho was crossing Taylor’s stream on horseback, when his horse somehow missed tho ford aud begun to swim down the swollen current for several chains. At last Mr Fox managed with difficulty to turn his animal towards the bank, but to a steep part where his horse could not obtain a footing. Tho eorse was getting rapidly exhausted, when, luckily for the rider, an overhanging bush gave him a chance to get out of his predicament. Catching a firm hold of it, he succeeded iu pulling Himself ashore. The horse drifted some distance farther, but also was able in the end to land. Frufcssor Kiee, whose exhibitions of thought-reading havo attracted large audiences iu Christchurch and other cities, will give an entertainment in Ashburton on an early date. Prominent men in various parts of the colony have borne testimony to the genuine character of tho Professor's entertainment, aud no one who can possibly attend the proposed performance, should lose the opportunity to be amused and instructed.

Tho second term of the Ashburton High School will commence on Tuesday, May 25. The next English and European mail, via San Francisco, will be despatclied from Ashburton on Saturday next. A jockey named Mollroy was arrested by Constable Boddek this morning, and charged with the larceny of a one pound note from Mr Hill. The accused will probably appear at the R.M. Court to-morrow.