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Evening Star, Issue 3469, 6 April 1874, Page 2

Severalletters unavoidably held over till to-morrow. The collection at Knox Church yesterday was in aid of the Female Refuge, aad £3O was obtained. Mr Watts is the successful tenderer tor the erection of the Kaitangata railway station, the amount being L 455. Mr M‘Kerrow, the Chief Surveyor, is on an official visit to the south. The ‘ Mail ’ states his object is to spy out land in Southland to bring under the deferred payment system. The Mayoral campaign has opened, Messrs Walter .and Keith Ramsay being now in the field. We hear that a third candidate, not unknown to municipal fame, is likely to come forward. The North Dunodiu Telegraph Station, at the comer of Great King and Albany streets, which is under the charge of Mr Storey, was opened for the first time to-day. The hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mining property at Tinker’s still commands good prices. A fifteenth share in the XL water-race and claims was sold last week for L3OO, and a twelfth share in the Blue Duck water-race and claims for L2BO. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Port Chalmers, this morning, Michael Callaghan, chief officer of the barque Rose M., was fined 20s or three days’ hard labor, for being drunk and disorderly last night in George street. Dr Drysdale presided. “Histriomastix” reminds one of an Irishman bidding for a row, and asking, “ Will any gentleman be kind enough to tread on the tail of my coat 1” He wants another whipping, but we have something better to do than to reply to such self-evident nonsense as that of which his wriggle out of the Mario difficulty was made up.

An Auckland paper states that a company is formed there for £he establishment of chemical works on a large scale, and has already secured land for their operations. The company _ purposes to manufacture a of chemicals—powerful and cheap manure, &c. — and as all our chemicals are imported at considerable cost to the consumers, the advantages of manufacturing works within the Colony is apparent.

“The Octoroon” attracted a large attendance to the Queen’s Theatre on Saturday evening, the lower parts of the house being unusually well patronized. The cast, so far as the principal characters were concerned, was the same as when the piece was last produced at this house. Miss Stephenson appeared as the heroine, and played spiritedly throughout; while Mr Burford, who was well received on

making his re-appearance, as Jacob M'Closky, acted the part to perfection. Mr South made a capital Scudder, and Miss Raymond a graceful Dora Sunnyside. Mr Hydes’s Uncle Pete was thoroughly amusing, bixt he would have been more successful had he confined himself strictly to his text. Several just complaints were found with the. unusually long intervals and the lateness of the hour at. which the curtain rose. “Medea” and “La Somnambula are announced for this evening. , The following singular advertisement appears in the Fiji Times’:—“ Mr Cornelius Smith, engineer, being about to visit the Colonies, wishes to dispose of all or any part of his tools —consisting of furge, &c., stocks, dies, vices, grindstones, lathes, drilling sticks, drills, and other tools too numerous to mention in full. Mr Smith will return to Fiji when the present Government has been kicked out and annexation has taken place. God save the Queen.”

The Bohemian Girl ” was repeated on Saturday evening, and drew a capital attendance in all parts of the house. The opera went remarkably well, even the chorus showing a decided improvement on its performance on Monday. Miss May was in excellent voice, W ®B throughout, being ably assisted' by Messrs Hallam, Romford, and Templeton, ine lady gained deserved encore for “ I dream’t that I dwelt,” while a similar compliment was paid to Mr Hallam for his “ When other Lips,’ and the succeeding “Fair Land of Poland,” the latter of which is by far his best solo effort. , ■ r Ramford’s “Heart Bowed Down” was loudly applauded. Of course, Mr Mear’a clarionet obligato had to be repeated. We obse.rYe,^ Mr Allen has been so well pleased with the reception here of his company that he has determined to play an extra season of six nights, commencing this evening with the popular “Mari) ana.” Mr Bathgate has determined to set his face against tlio Sunday liquor traffic. At the Magistrate’s Court this morning, a man named William Alexander was charged with being drunk in Princes street on the previous day whereupon his Worship asked him Where did you get the drink?” the reply being In several places.” Mr Bathgate seemed to be quite taken by surprise at the readiness of the reply, and again asked if there were several places open on Sunday forenoons ? and was answered in the affirmative. His Worship, then addressing Sub-Inspector Mallard said he should be pleased, if when any prisoner was apprehended on a Sunday forenoon for being drunk, the police would ascertain where the drink was supplied. The decent and respectable portion of the trade objected

to opening their houses on that day, and if ho found any publican guilty of selling the drink on Sunday forenoons, he need not come before the Licensing Bench for a license. An advantageous offer has been made to the Government to connect Martin’s Bay with the present track via Lake Harris. As the case stands new, travellers to Martin’s Bay arrive at the Hollyford, and have there to light signal fires, so that the Martin’s Bay boatmen may come up and ferry them down the lake. Sometimes the fogs prevent these signals being seen • frequently the boat has crossed the bar on a coast or fishing trip, and the weather, suddenly changing, will not allow of its return. These delays are often protracted, and more than one party of men has been compelled by starvation to return back again disappointed, and in no pleasant mood. Settlement has been further discouraged through this. The proposal is to cut a track three feet wide from the Hollyford to the township of Martin’s Bay. The track is to be a good pack horse one. The distance is to be about eight miles. Two or three rocky bluffs would have to be blasted and cut through. The price, which we are not at liberty to mention, ■ seem to bo moderate : payment to be made by land at Martin’s Bay, or in specie, at the option of the Government. The making of this track woule, in the opinion of the ‘ Wakatip Mail,’ establish an ever open traffic with Martin’s Bay, and remove finally all cause of complaint.

Nearly sixty members attended the Typographical Association meeting on Saturday. The following were elected officebearers for the ensuing half year President, Mr D. Stark; VicePresident, Mr J. T. Harris ; Treasurer, Mr A. S. Risk; Secretary, Mr W. A. W. Wathen; Trustees, Messrs J. Pearce, A. Galloway, and H. Pearson; Committee (seven members) Messrs C. Eraser, J. Dungan, J. Mitchell, a! Judge, J, Paterson, A. Gresham, and S. Sankey; Auditors, Messrs J. Aris and J. H. Cuttle. _ Before declaring the meeting closedj the Chairman requested the members to pay the last mark of respect and friendship to the late Mr H Briggs, junr., by attending his funeral, which was to take place on Monday. A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the meeting at half-past ten o’clock.—Though the hour selected (one o’clock) for the funeral of Mr Briggs was a very inconvenient one, seventy persons assembled to follow the remains to their last resting place. The Rev. Mr Dickie of Victoria, officiated, and, after reading a lesson on the Resurrection, offered up an eloquent and beautiful prayer. The deceased was twenty-eight years of age, and leaves a wife and two children. He was for many years employed at Messrs Mills, Dick, and Co.’s printing office, and always commended the respect and esteem of those who were acquainted with him.

Mr Stevenson, acting Chief Postmaster, has introduced a plan of inking the dies for stamping letters in the Post Office, calculated to save very heavy labor and much time in preparing letters for forwarding or delivery. Although not altogether new, it is, we believe adopted here for the first time in New Zealand! fhe plan is simple. It consists in merely tying a of silk over the face of the die, by which means ink sufficient is absorbed by one application to £h e inking pad, to enable the operator to stamp from two to three hundred letters. The value of tips method in saving labor can Ire estimated when it js understood that, previously to its adoption, it was necessary to make two movements to stamp one letter: one stroke was made on the inking pad to ink the die, and one to stamp the letter. Now, only one stroke is necessary on the inking pad for perhaps two hundred letters, time is saved, gpd the hand and arm are not so fatiguingly jarred. We understand the plan was originally discovered py an old New Zealand resident some years ago, and brought under notice by a firm to whom ho confided the management of his interest in it. jle has since gone Home to share in the profits' of its successful application, Mr Stevenson informs us that it was used_ in stamping tickets on tho North British .Railway some years back, and is now universally practised on railways. His attention was 'recalled to it by a late arrival from England.

An interesting discussion lias Jjecp going on in the Melbourne papers as to the prices which should pay Colonial opera companies, and it has beep clearly demonstrated that with our limited populations we will never be able to give the prices that would pay impressarios to introduce the best talent pf Europe. A Mr Lewis, who has recently returned from London, furnishes his experience of the last opera season in the world’s metropolis, jancC tells us that the nominal price of a stall ticket in London at either opera-house is one guinea, but this is a fiction, and scarcely a do?ep people ever enter either theatre at any such price, Prior to eack season, Messrs Gye and Maplesop, the respective managers of Coyept Garden and Drury Lane, enter into a compact with the numerous box-office keepers ip Bppd street, that on every subscription night (command nights excepted) they shall take from them so many stalls and private boxes—for the stalls they have to pay 25s each. The dealers in their turn enter into contracts to supply to their subscribers so many tickets, at say 30s to 35s each, and even L2, according to position. Even then the boxkeepers very frequently lose money. For instance, the night the Shah went to Covent Garden was a command night, and the upset price of the stall tickets was L 4 4s each, the rush was very great, and LlO 10s was readily given for a stall. These dealers had to pay these high rates for ipeir subscribers, who were not loth to take advantage of the opportunity thus offerpd,_ .Of coiirse It will )be urged that the operas in London are better than ip J Jelbourne; granted, but then look at the prices given. Why, for a box on the grand tier as much as 1 400 guineas,is fluently paid. Certainly Mr) Lyster’s operas in seasons past were quite as j good, and much'better ip many instances than! pi many of the continental cities. In Venice! »n4 Munich, for instance, where J, Labelle i

Helene and Le "Domino Noir, they were so badly done that I left after the first act. In D lorence, too, the prima donna was very had, and was not to be compared with either Bosisio or Coy, In Loudon the managers are frexnanirestly unfair, and reserve their best artists and operas for what they term their extra nights,’ I have a list of the last twelve nights of the Covent Garden season of last year. Out of twelve performances seven were extra nights, on which Patti and Albani sang in their best roks. At the St. James’s Theatre, to hear the Opera Bouffe, the price of stalls was LI is ; Drury Lane, to hear Ristori, do, Ll Is. In every theatre of note in London the prices of the stalls range from 7s' 6d to los. To see ‘School’.l paid 7s 6d each stall: ‘The New Magdalen,’ 7s 6d each stall.” ■

Mr Keith Ramsay is a candidate for the Mayoralty. The annual meeting of the Dunedin Football Club will be held at the Shamrock Hotel, to-morrow, at 8 p.m.

A special emergency meeting of the Lodge Celtic will be held in the Masonic Hall at eight o’clock to-morrow evening. The quarterly summoned meeting of the A.0.F., Court Pride of Dunedin, will be held to-morrow evening, at eight o’clock. Mrs Hamaan’s plain dress ball will be held in the Drill-shed this evening, and not in St. George’s Hall, as announced on Saturday. The president of the Roslyn and Kaikorai Institute will deliver an opening address tomorrow (Tuesday) evening, at eight o’clock.