The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1883.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3594, 18 January 1883, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1883.

Builders and others interested must not suppose that because certain amendments are being made to the borough building regulations that By-law No. 19 is not in full force. Unnecessarily stringent as that by-law is, and the mistake it was discovered to be as soon as ever it was passed, and received the Governor's assent, it is not so easy to abolish it. The same forms have to be observed to get rid of an objectionable by-law as in the case of bringing it into existence. It is not intended, however, to abolish the whole of No. 19, but so to amend it that it shall not cripple the enterprise of residents. The first amendment occurs in clause 4 by the addition of the word ; " architect" to those of "builder, owner, or occupier," and enables architects to submit plans of buildings to the Municipal Engineer for approval. The alteration seems trivial enough, but cases may arise when it may be found useful. The noxfc amendment, jg tie excision of the whole of

clause 7. This clause. requires owners, builders, or occupiers to pay fees for the examination of fireplaces, and for the examination of buildings in course]of erection or of alteration. It was one of the most arbitrary and unjust clauses in the by-law. It provided that, before proceeding to erect, alter, add to, or renew any building , , or to execute any other work, matter, or thing in respect of which provision is made in the by-law, the builder, owner, or occupier should pay certain fees set forth in a. schedule. These fees ranged from five shillings to forty shillings. A window could not be altered or a roof repaired without payment of a fee ; and if a resident desired to erect a building of the value of .-£6OO on say a vacant section he woidd be mulcted in a fee of forty shillings for improving and increasing the ratable value of property in the borough. This clause has ■ been very properly struck out. The next alteration made in the by-law is with respect to external walls of buildings situated within No. 1 district—the busines portion of the town. In its original form the clause (10) insisted upon external walls being of brick, stone, or concrete. This was intended to be applied to all buildings "hereafter erected," so that the most paltry outbuilding could not bo put up in a back yard without its walls being of the most solid materials. The amendment permits the use of iron or other incombustible material, and allows of the fronts of shops or other buildings to be of wood. As was pointed out in the Council last night, the effect of these alterations will bo to destroy the main object of the by-law, which was for fire prevention, but public opinion appears unanimous that the regulations are ahead of their time by fully ten years. Before the amendments come into force tbey have to be formally approved of by the Council at a meeting to be held one month after that at which they were passed, they then have to receive the Governor's assent, and to be publicly notified in the local Gazette. Jii tlio meantime the whole of the by-law is in full operation.

We are glad to hear that young Stuart, wliu was injured l>y a stiugarec last Sunday, is progressing , favorably towards recovery. The Rev. J. J. Lewis will deliver his popular lecture "Rambles Avith a Knapsack " in the Oddfellow's Hall, Hastings, this evening at 7.30 o'clock. In our report of the Free Methodist Church meeting in last evening's issue the name of Mr Glenny is mentioned as having superintended the re-erection of the church on its present site. The name, we are informed, should have been Mr Peter Glenn, not Glenny. On the invitation of the Reception Committee the members of the lure .Brigades now visiting Napier were entertained at lunch to-day at Petane, Mr Yillers sending in Ids four-horse coach for the convenience of the guests. In the morning Mr H. S. TifY'en threw his gardens open for their inspection. A genuine treat will, we arc led to believe, lie provided for lovers of the wonderful at the Theatre Royal to-night, when J3en Allah, the renowned juggler and ventriloquist, will make his first appearance in Napier. At the close of the performance each evening a number of valuable gifts ■will be distributed amongst the audience, special value in that line being promised for this evening—the opening night. There are now twenty-seven male patients in the Hospital, and the wards arc fully crowded. If this is the case in a tine healthy .season like the present what is it likely to be in a period of general sickness .' The first business of the Committee will be to devise ways and means for the erection of another ward. Wo understand that there is a considerable sum in hand for the purpose, but, in the meantime subscriptions are earnestly invited. A young man, a son of Mr H. Gallien, of Hastings, and who is employed in the branch Bank of New Zealand at that place, met with a rather singular accident yesterday. It appears he was engaged in placing a percussion cap on an ordinary muzzleloading revolver, when by some mishap the charge'went off, lodging the Indict the revolver had contained in his thigh. He is at present undergoing treatment in the Napier Hospital. We are glad to be able to state the injuries received by G-allien arc not of a serious character. During the Sitting of the special meeting of the Municipal Council last night, immediately after the ordinary meeting, some little disturbance of a "larky" character occurred at the outer doors. Suddenly a man was pushed into the Council Chamber, and the door was closed and locked from the outside. Beyond the interruption of the proceedings while the door was being reopened no harm was done, but a policeman was sent for to jirevent a repetition of the disturbance, and at future Council meetings a constable will be stationed at the doors. Now that it has been decided to maintain the Hospital on the old basis of ,i'l for tl subsidy, it is to be earnestly hoped that there will be no falling off in public subscriptions. Wo hear that there is some little misapprehension on the subject; but it should be distinctly understood that, if the Hospital is to be maintained and administered with the efficiency which only a locally elected Committee can guarantee, subscriptions must be kept up as heretofore. Any falling oft , in local contributions will be greedily seized upon by the Government as the opportunity to take the Hospital over, and then good-bye to the usefulness of the institution. The school treat given by Mr Villers to the children of the Pctanc district yesterday brought together nearly a hundred ymmgnters,'with their teachers, parents, and friends, and a gala day was the result. Sports and games of all" kinds kept the little ones thoroughly busy and amused, and the distribution of prizes was not the least enjoyable part of the programme. From the heaps of gifts, and the troops of children going up to Major Richardson, the distributor, every one seemed to get a prize. Then eatables and drinkables , did the rest and filled up the cup of happiness till bedtime. In the evening a ball to the adults concluded this popular annual treat. Brewers are proverbially open-hearted generous men, aud Mr Speight of Dunedin, who is now visiting Napier, fully maintains the character. A. gentleman of this town resolving to drink no beer during the year of gra.ee 1883. presented to the Hospital a cask of Speight's XXXX that he had in his cellar. The gift was :i most useful one, and the convalescents thrived wonderfully, and when the cask was empty the invigorant was missed. The indefatigable secretary to the Hospital, happening to meet Mr Speight, referred to the reviving qualities of lii-s beer, when the well-known Dunedin brewer ordered the secretary to tell his agent, Mr Cato, to send up a cask of the best to the institution, and when it was finished to send up another, and again another, so that it should never be said the patients languished for the want of a glass of Speight. The marriage of the Rev. C. L. Tuko with Miss M. E. Tiften, eldest daughter of Mr F. J. Titren, of Elms Hill and Clive Square, was solemnised to-day at St. John's Church. The Incumbent, the Rev. Do Berdt Hovell, and the Rev. Rev. H. W. St. Hill were the officiating ministers. The bridesmaids were Miss Ida Tiffen, Miss E. Tuke, Miss Chapman, Miss AViginton, Miss W. Titten, and Miss Warren. The best man was the Rev. H. Maclean. The bride was dressed in. white satin, beautifully trimmed with lace and orange blossoms, with veil. The bridesmaids wore dressed in plain blue dresses. Mr Brown presided at the organ. The processional mmvh " Aux Flambeaux" Was played as the bride entered the church, and to the strains of the Wedding March the happy couple left the sacred edifice. The church Wits crowded to witness the ceremony. A torchlight procession 'in honor of the delegates to the United Fire Brigades Association's annual meeting was held last evening, both the Napier and Spit Brigades taking part in it. The delegates being accommodated with seats upon the steam and manual engines and Spit horse-reel, the procession marched along Hastings-street to the White Swan brewery, turned down Dickens-street as far as the Wesleyan Church, crossed to the Theatre Royal and marched along Tennyson-street, finishing on the Beach-road. Afterwards Captain Mitchell, of Port Chalmers, exhibited in operation his newly-invented rope ladders and fire-escape. The ladders arc made in, sections, formed that each may be quickly attached to another length, or to the parapet of a house. The lire-escape is a combination of ropes,; on which slides a- rope cradlo or chair, capable of accommodating several persons at once. These escapes are designed for permanent futures in tho up-

per stories of hotels, Sec, or for the use of brigades. The exhibition was watched with much interest, and Captain Mitchell was complimented upon the efficiency and simplicity of tho invention. The benefit entertainment tendered to Mr T. R. Gilpin at the Theatre Royal last evening, prior to his departure from Napier, was not so largely attended as might have been expected when it is considered how often and willingly Mr Gilpin has always been accustomed to come forward to render his services at performances for the local churches and charitable institutions. Neither was the concert so successful as could have been wished, owing partly to some of those who had promised assistance not coming- forward. Song's were sung by Mr Aplin, Mr Gilpin, and Mr Girdlestonein their \isiial good style, and received due recognition. Mrs Prime contributed a pianoforte duct, the Misses Chegwidden a vocal duet, and Messrs Gilpin, Prime, and Martin a trio. Tho latter gentlemen, in conjunction with Mrs Prime, also gave a quartette, which went nicely. The overtures were played by a very capable little orchestra under the direction of Mr George Garry. Part two consisted of the cantata, "Red. Biding Hood's Rescue," which was sustained by children from the district school, assisted by Messrs Gilpin and Martin. The cast was the same as on a previous occasion, and the piece therefore demands no special mention further than an acknowledgement that, everything considered, it was successfully carried through. Some idea of the interesting nature of the four *' war and royal lectures '' -which Mr Archibald Forbes is to deliver in the Theatre Royal next week may be formed from the advertisement which appears in another column. When ho returned to England from Plevna, the famous "special" was the lion of the London season (it was at this time that his likeness in full war-paint, appeared in Vanity Fair), and as, according to Carlyle, "the world loves to look upon its great men," it was only natural that he shoidd be asked to recount upon the platform some of his adventurous experiences. St. James's Hall was thronged with a brilliant audience when he gave his opening lecture. After his English tour he was twice compelled to decline magnificent offers from America, in consequence of being ordered to accompany the British armies in Afghanistan and Zululaiid, and it was because of the breaking out afresh of a wound he received at Ulundi in the latter campaign that he had to postpone his visit to the Antipodes. Colonial audiences, however, are gainers by tho delay, for when he began his tour Mr Forbes had only two lectures, while now he has a series of four. It is stated that one of them " Warriors I Have Known" was expressly written for the colonies, where Mr Forbes wisely imagined that graphic sketches and likenesses of the great commanders of the age would excite strong interest. It will be noticed that the admission arrangements for the Napier lectures include the issue of course tickets for all parts of the theatre, and that the plan of reserved seats for purchasers of course tickets will bo opened at Mr Craig's to-morrow. It is also announced that a .special train will run on Monday evening to enable the inhabitants of Hastings, Farndon, and surrounding districts to hear the worldrenowned lecturer. The Bishop of Peterborough, speaking at Lutterworth, said he believed, under proper caution and reserve, the opening of reading rooms on Sunday would do -<i deal of good. He could- go into his library and read, and why, in the name of commou sense, should it be wicked and mischievous for a poor man to do in a public library or reading room what was harmless in private rooms ? He saw more than one reason for Sunday reading rooms being thrown open if care was taken that they did not rival the Church service, or degenerate into things which woidd be unsuitable for Sunday. "It beats all," said Fogg, "how much parson Jones knows. He says that the liquor sold in the village is vile stuff, and that secret gambling clubs are crowded nightly, and that the votaries of vice are every night to bo met in their favorite haunts. I'd give something to know how the parson finds it all out." The parson would have known far more though had he kept his head clear by using Van Houton's pure soluble cocoa, the only genuine breakfast beverage, sold by Professor Moore, of Waipawa.—[Advt.l