NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 17, 19 June 1874, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

CONCERT. —In consequence of the state of the weather, the concert announced to take place this evening in aid of the funds of the Canterbury Rifle Association is postponed. Rangtora Discussion Glass. —A meeting was held at the Literary institute, on Wed" nesday evening, for the purpose of foiming a discussion class. There was a fair attendance. A code of rules was drawn up and adopted. Mr J. Johnston was elected president ; Mr C. E. Tribe, vice-president ; and Mr G. Buckhara hon secretary and treasurer. The vice-president promised to open the first debate on the question, “Are women fitted for the professions, public speaking (politically or otherwise) ? After discussing other routine business, the meeting then adjourned. St. Stephen’s, Maori Church.—Recently this neat church, of which the foundation stone was laid by Sir George Grey, February 9 th, 1807, has been repainted and put into very nice order by the Maoris, in a manner highly creditable to them. Kaiapoi Pound.— This pound, situated in the centre of the borough, has during the recent wet weather been in an unfit state for impounding cattle. It is also insecure, and is such a nuisance that the wonder is the authorities do not secure another place for it Football.—On Saturday afternoon the Past College will play the remainder of the Club and the Present College, the former wearing blue and the Club red caps. A capital game is anticipated, Bonded Warehouse. —A notice appears in the if Gazette” revoking the appointment of the undermentioned building as a bonded warehouse : —A two-storied stone building situate in Oxford Terrace West, between Hereford and Cashel streets, and on part of Christchurch town section No. 860, and known as Walter Warner and Co.’s bond. Clerks’ Association.— A general meeting of the Clerks’ Association was held last evening at Warner’s Commercial Hotel. There was a very good attendance of members, and the rules brought up by the subcommittee were, after some slight alteration, approved. A treasurer, secretary, and working committee were elected, and the meeting adjourned. MAN Frost-bitten.— A man named John McClellan was received into the hospital last night with both feet badly frost-bitten. Pic had been out tracking sheep in the llakaia Gorge on Mr Palmer’s run, through snow two feet deep, and on Wednesday night could only succeed in making one of the outstation huts, where he was compelled to remain all night. While being conveyed in the train from Dunsandel he fainted twice. Employment of Females. —ln the Council last evening Mr Jotlie stated that Mr Bowen had undertaken to see that the provisions of Mr Bradshaw’s Act of last session wore carried into effect in Christchurch. The principal clauses will be seen in our report of the proceedings of the Council.

Ashley Bridge.— On Thursday several members of the Provincial Council paid a visit to the works going on at this bridge. They were conveyed along the northern railway by a special carriage. The Validity of Indentures.— During the hearing yesterday in the Resident Magistrate’s Court of an information laid by a master against his apprentice for absenting himself from his service, two important objections against the validity of the indentures were raised by Mr Joynt for the defendant. Mr Thomas, who appeared for the complainant, handed in that instrument, which bore an adhesive stamp to the value of 2s G.l. The legality of this document was objected to by Mr Joynt as not being stamped with the impression of the Commissioner in accordance with the 9th sec of the Act of IS6<>. He also contended that an indenture was a deed, and it had been decided by the Appeal Court that all deeds, unless working under the operation of the Conveyancing Ordinance of New Zealand, must bear a seal. The second objection taken was that under the 9th sec Masters and Apprentices Act 18(55, when a lad arrived at the age of nineteen years his indentures became determined. Evidence having been given that the defendant was over that age his Worship held the objections to be fatal and dismissed the information. Public Cemetery for Kaiapoi.—lh the Provincial Council last evening Mr Jollie in answer to a question from Mr I. Wilson stated that an offer had been made to the late Government of a piece of ground for a cemetery at Kaiapoi, and accepted by them, but that from the papers it appeared nothing further had been done. The present Government however, in view of the importance of the matter, would take steps to have the land surveyed. Theatre Royal. The Theatre, last evening, on the occasion of the annual benefit for the Widow and Orphan Fund of the Ancient Order of Foresters, was crowded to excess in every part, there being hardly standing room. The first piece was the well-known “Spectre Bridegroom,” in which Mesdames West and Addison and Messrs Ford, Inglesou, Crooks, Hobbs, and Gapes were very successful. This was followed by the real old British nautical melodrama’of “ The Lost Ship,” in which through two of the three acts the sailor hero is persecuted after the approved manner of melodrama, only to come out happy in the third, when virtue is rewarded, and vice, represented by a villain of a very mild type, defeated. The various ladies and gentlemen engaged in the piece played well and naturally, and the various supers engaged certainly deserve credit for the realistic manner in which the melee, where the traditional British sailor defeats about fifteen singlehanded, was performed. This part of the scene was encored, but not responded to. The sccneiy by Messrs R. Atkinson and Gapes, particularly the deck scene in the second act was exceedingly creditable, indeed as good as any we have seen in Christchurch. Altogether the whole performance was a success, and reflects great credit on those engaged in the production of the pieces. We may mention that the total amount at the credit of the fund is now, exclusive of last night’s proceeds, £346 l2s, of which £28(5 has been realised by profits on entertainments given by the members. Money Orders. —The General Government •* Gazette” gives the following return of the transactions for the quarter ending March 31st :—Number issued, 14,055, to the amount of £59,661 18s sd, Number paid, 10,374, to the amount of £43,964 ss. The returns for the same quarter in 1873 were— Numbers issued, 11,923, to the amount of £50,495 7s Bd. Number paid, 8727, to the amount of £37,597 3s lOd. Sayings’ Banks. —The following is a summary of the transactions for the quarter ending March 31st : —Accounts opened, 2422; closed, 1195; number of deposits, 12,584; number of withdrawals, 6216 ; amount of deposits. £171,061 3s ; withdrawals, £139,828 1 Is 4d ; excess of deposits over withdrawals, £31,232 lls Bd. The transactions for the same quarter of 1873 were—Accounts opened, 1805; closed, 961; number of deposits, 9239 ; withdraw]s, 4959 ; amount of deposits, £136,415 9s Id ; amount of withdrawals, £101,069 8s 6d ; excess of deposits over withdrawals, £35,346 0s 7d. The Racecourse. —In answer to a question from Mr Knight last evening, the Government stated that as it was probable the Jockey Club would be in a position to pay the rent under the Ordinance, the Government would see that its provisions in this respect were carried out. The rent had not been paid in past years, but this had been condoned by former Governments not taking steps to recover it. Powder Magazines. —The Government stated last evening that they had refused to advise his Honor to accede to the prayer of a memorial from certain licensed dealers in gunpowder that a magazine should be erected in Christchurch, as they did not think it consonant with public safety that magazines should be erected in so populous a city as Christchurch. The importers could make use of the one in Lyttelton. The “Pall Mall Gazette” remarks as follows with regard to the correspondence which has been published between Earl Granville and Prince Gortschakoll on Central Asian affairs : As regards the eventual danger pointed out by Lord Granville, the Prince says, “ We have no intention of undertaking an expedition against the Turkomans; it depends entirely on them to live on good terms with us ; but if these turbulent tribes were to take to attacking or plundering us, we should be compelled to punish them.” This is the gist of the answer. Lord Gran villc and the Indian Government probably know what its true value is : for we are always well aware of what is going or., at any rate. It is not for want of information that we are likely to err in our treatment of Asian politics. Meanwhile Prince Gortschakoll does not take much pains on this occasion to soothe the English Foreign Office with assurances and pledges. He says in effect that Russia has the same difficulties now that ever she had in checking her conquests, that if these difficulties apply to the Turkomans it will not be her fault, that the Ameer (for whom England is responsible) must look to himself ; and that as for the rest, so long as the two Governments “ act together with a feeling of mutual confidence and good-will, the tranquillity of Central Asia will be sufficiently guartntecd against all eventualities,” This is all the answer to Lord Granville’s elaborately weak despatch, and it is as satisfactory a one as he expected perhaps.

One of the fiercest snowstorms ever experienced passed over the north of Scotland on the 10th of March. One of the results was that the Caledonian Railway at Laurence Kirk was blocked to the length of about a quarter of a mile. Rather a keen piece of sarcasm is indulged n by the author of “ Eldorado,” the new burlesque at the Strand Theatre. He makes the son of one of the characters welcome his father to Paris, and ask him if he had a pleasant railway journey. “ Oh, yes,” says the parent, “capital ; we had a railway accident.” " Indeed ! What was itsays the son. “We arrived safely !”