Untitled

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 261, 17 January 1879, Page 2

With this number of the Mail we publish a two-page supplement, which will appear for the future with each Friday's issue of this journal. We shall bo obliged if our readers will make this new feature as widely known as possible.

We have to thank a correspondent for an account of the annual treat of the school children at the Head of the Ba}', but, unfortunately, it arrived too late for insertion in our present issue.

From our telegraphic advices we condense the following items : —The Cabinet have resolved to commute the capital sentence passed upon Welsh, lately convicted of the murder of his wife in Otago. The Governor and suite will leave on the 21st, probably travelling overland from Christchurch to the Bluff. S. J. Hill, recently in gaol for contempt of Court in molesting bis wife contrary to an injunction, is again in trouble. The Post-office Savings Bank system is to be introduced into all public schools on their re-assembling. A most condemnatory report of the state of the Wellington Lunatic Asylum, by Dr Skae, has just been published. Dr Skae affirms that the institution is in a most dangerous state from overcrowding. Among other severe remarks he says :—" It is absurd to pretend that this place in its present condition has any claim to be considered an asylum. It would be an undeserved compliment to call it a prison." The opening of the Amberley-Invercargill line for through traffic, has been definitely fixed for the 22nd. The journey from Dunedin to Invercargill will occupy six hours and a half.

We learn that Mr Chadwick, whose unfortunate attempt at self-destruction we chronicled lately is recovering rapidly.

The medical officer at the Timaru Hospital (DrM'lntyre) considers him now quite out of danger.

The Canterbury cricketers have achieved another brilliant victory in Australia. On Monday and Tuesday last they played the powerful East Melbourne club, the latter being assisted by Horan and Boyle. The E..M. C. Cd, scored 188 .in their first innings, and Canterbury put together 270, to which total Nielson contributed 48 and Frith 50. This gave Canterbury a lead of 82. In the second innings the Melbourne men made 180, leaving Canterbury 99 to get to win. It was not supposed' that they would experience any difficulty in doing this, but no one waa prepared for the brilliant manner-in which.it was done. Time being short, two good batsmen (Ashby and Ollivier) were sent to the wickets, and in fifty-eight minutes they had * put together the required number, Canterbury thus winning with ten wickets to fall. On the following day the Canterbury team met the " Bohemians," the result of the first day's play being—Canterbury, 197 ; Bohemians, two wickets for 152. It is probable that this match will be left unfinished.

Mr Erankland, actuary, attached to the office of the Registrar of Friendly Societies, has compiled a valuable table, showing the minimum rates payable during life, which would enable Friendly or Benefit Societies to grant the various sums granted to members, and at the same time maintain a condition of solvency. We commend these tables to the attention of all Friendly Societies.

We are informed that Mr Alexander Angus, late master of the aide school, German Bay, has been appointed to the main school in that district. An advertisement elsewhere invites applications for the mastership of the side school thus rendered vacant.

The New Zealander says :—" The question of a free pass for newspaper editors on the Railway lines is still under the consideration of the Government. When any determination is arrived at it will be at once made known."

The business of the Stamps and Annuities Departments has been removed to the new Government Buildings, Christchurch. The other departments will soon follow suit. The interior fittings of the buildings are being rapidly completed.

It appears that numerous fires have been caused lately by railway trains. The draught on these powerful American engines is immense, and we read of lumps of burning coal being blown through the funnel and lodging in all sorts of inconvenient places—in the wool on sheeps' backs for instance. Now, there is a simple contrivance called a spark-catcher, the use of which would prevent these dangerous consequences. But by that singular fatality which attends all who have the control of machinery, it is seldom or never used. A very serious fire was caused by an engine the other day near Timaru. The engine which did the mischief was one of the two which were fitted with these useful appendages. But in this instance the spark-catcher, like the celebrated Dutchman's anchor, was "at home.'' Certainly, if tbe railways were the property of private companies they would be liable to actions for damages in cases of fires originating through their engines, and we are not aware that the Department can avoid similar responsibility.

Not a week passes but complaints reach us of the great inconvenience caused to the residents in the Bays by the present wretched mail arrangements. A letter posted, say in Akaroa for Le Bon's Bay during Monday will not reach its destination till the following Friday afternoon. With Christchurch the arrangemements are, if anything, worse. Thus, although there is a down mail from Christchurch daily, yet a letter forwarded from Christchurch by Monday's mail, will not reach Le Bon's till Friday, or very nearly the time it would take to go to Australia! What is wanted is a tri-weekly service dove-tailing in with our present through line by Pigeon Boj\ The mails should leave the Bays in time to catch the upcoach for Christchurh, and leave this side on arrival of the mail vi& Pigeon Bay. We believe that if our friends in the Bays would only put their heads together and make a thorough united effort, showing the reasonableness of their demands, that the object sought could be attained. But no amount of private -'growling" will ever be of the slightest use.

On Wednesday last, Mr C. W. Bridge sold by auction the hotel known as Garwood's House on the Hill Top, with 104 acres of land, for £2000. The sale of furniture and personals was postponed till Wednesday next. Mr T. Brooks, of the Somerset Hotel, Head of the Bay, was the purchaser.

The valuation required by the new Land Tax Act has been commenced. The valuers have forwarded, presumably to each owner or occupier, two formidable looking documents, with a polite request that they may be filled up and ret'.rned. With very few exceptions we think this proceeding will be of no service whatever The valuer will, in any case, have to make an independent valuation of his own, and the number of cases in which the information supplied by owners or occupiers will be of any service to him will be very small indeed. We think it would have been quite sufficient to require the occupier in each case to furnish his own name, the nature of his tenure*, and his landlord's name.

The Press gives the following account of an alleged offence in bankruptcy:—The excitement owing to the sudden recovery of a large sum supposed to belong to the bankrupt estate Of Mr James Baswngthwaite, at Rangiora, lost none of its interest on Tuesday, when the particulars respecting the same were obtained. It seems that Mr Bassingthwaite on December 23rd filed his schedule in bankruptcy, and at the subsequent meeting of creditors offered a small payment in tho pound, which was not accepted. He also made a j statement of the loss of a pocketbook con-taining-a large parcel of notes in or on his way to Dunedin for the purchase of horses. Not feeling satisfied with the statement made, a search warrant was obtained and placed in the hands of Detective Benjamin, which that officer immediately acted on. On Monday an examination of Mr Bassingthwaite's house led to the discovery of £400 in gold hidden away in a box, and a further sum of £400 odd was found by a female searcher from the Gaol in the quilting of Mrs Bassingthwaite's petticoat. A further small sum was found on the bankrupt, making a total of £812. During Tuesday Mr Bassingthwaite was arrested on warrant granted by the Kaiapoi Bench on the information of the Trustee, charging him under the Bankruptcy Act with wilfully withholding a true return of his real and personal estate. Quite a crowd collected, as the accused, who is well known, was escorted by Sergeant Pratt to the Court. Owing to an informality the warrant was quashed, but Detective Benjamin arriving in town with another in proper form, accused was re-arrested, and will be brought up at the City Court to-day. Should the money found be available in the estate, the creditors will benefit to the extent of about 7s 6d in the £ thereby.

We regret to learn that the Rev. D. 0. Hampton has been compelled through ill health to resign his cure. The reverend gentleman has been indefatigable in fulfilling the duties of his sacred office during the last six years, and the rough work thereby entailed in such a country as the Peninsula has had its effect on his health. His successor is not yet appointed.

We have received the first number of a new journal published in Lyttelton, and called the Port Lyttelton Herald. The paper is a double-royal sheet, and is published three times a week. We presume that there are local interests in Lyttelton requiring special representation, and which are prepared to support a strictly local journal, otherwise the competition of the two Christchurch dailies must be very formidable. To judge by its advertising columns, the new venture is receiving fair support.

An accident, which might have been attended with very serious consequences, occurred on Wednesday afternoon, in front of Garwood and Co.'s store, to Mr Frederick Moore, of Onuku Kainga. This gentleman, having some business to transact, was alighting from nis horse, when, in lifting his right leg over the horse's heck, his heel caught the wither, causing him to fall with great force on the side walk, his head striking the edge of the wooden kerbing, inflicting a nasty cut over his left eye. Dr Guthrie happening to be on the spot, the wound was at once stitched, and the gentleman able to proceed to his residence.

From Timaru, under date the 14th inst., we learn that some weeks ago a prisoner in Lyttelton Gaol, named Morgan Harper, showed signs of insanity, and was removed to the Asylum, whence he escaped, and the police have since been searching for him. Yesterday a man was arrested here for being drunk aud disorderly, and was leaving Court after being fined ss, when Detective Neill recognized him as Morgan Harper. The prisoner says he feigned lunacy in gaol, and thus imposed on both the gaol authorities and medical men. He will be sent back to the Asylum and from; there to Lyttelton.