NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 148, 24 November 1874, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Suez Mail.— -The s.s. Taranaki, with the English Suez mail, arrived in harbor this morning. The mail was forwarded up to Christchurch by the 11.50 a.m. train. Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club. —The annual general meeting of this club will be held at the Garrick Hotel to-morrow evening, at half-past seven. Our Next Mayor —lt was determined at last night’s sitting of the City Council, to offer the position of Mayor for the ensuing twelve months to Or Hobbs. Tea Meeting. —The anniversary tea meeting will be held in the Hereford street Baptist chapel at, G o’clock, after which a public meeting will be held.— Provisional Trustee.—lt is notified in the Oav.ette that Mr R. Walton has been appointed a trustee, under the Bankruptcy Act, 18G7. Amendment Acl, 1871. The Roman Catholic Bishop oe Wellington. —Dr Redwood, the Bishop of Wellington, has arrived in New Zealand by the Albion, and will pass through Christchurch on his way to Wellington, on Wednesday Oamaru Show. —The Timaru Herald says :—The Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s Show, held at Oamaru on Thursday and Friday, passed of successfully. On the first day there were 1500 people present, and on the second 2500. The exhibits were numerous, and mostly of excellent quality. New Theatre. —The adjourned meeting of persons desirous of organising a joint stock company for the purpose of erecting a building suitable for theatrical, musical, and other performances, will be held at Mr Charles Clark’s rooms on Thursday next, at 4 o’clock. Candidates for January Examination —Candidates for the January examination will have to -send in their names to the secretary of the Board of Education, on or before the Ist December, and state whether they wish to enter the first or second class, and the subject in which they wish to be examined. Supplementary English Mail. —As will be seen by a notification from the Post Office authorities, which appears elsewhere, a supplementary mail via Suez will close tomorrow at 2 p.m. The Albion has been subsidised to catch the outgoing mail boat at Melbourne, and it is expected that she will succeed in doing so. Telegraphic, The steamer Wonga Wonga is expected to leave Auckland at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the 25th inst. Telegrams for the Australian colonies or Europe, via Java cable, will be received at the telegraph office for transmission to Auckland up to 10 a.m. on the 25th inst.

Bailway Extension.— The Rangiora— Oxford and Eolleslon—Malvern narrow guagc lines are expected soon to be opened. The intermediate stations are at Fernside and Moeraki Downs. On the Malvern lino, the intermediate' stations are at Bealey’s road, Kerwee, White Clift’s junction, and Racecourse hill. ACCIDENT. — A somewhat serious accident happened to Mr John Harper, residing near Kaiapoi, on Friday last. He was riding on horseback when from some cause the animal started, he was thrown violently on to the road, and when found his face was severely cut, Dr Ovenden was called in attendance. No danger is apprehended from the injuries.

C.C.C. V College. The return match between the above clubs will be played on Wednesday next, on the U.C.C.C. ground. Play to commence at 1.30 p.m, The following players will represent the C.C.C., viz : Messrs Watson, K. C. Kent, Eyes, C. Frith, Whitley, Chapman, Beard, Shelmerdine, Reeder, Deacon, and Nalder, It is to be hoped that those selected to play on both sides will be upon the ground at the appointed time,

The Chairmanship of the Roard of Education. —At ibe meeting of the Board of Education yesterday Mr Bowen, the present chairman, announced his intention of sending in his resignation to the Superintendent during the present, week. Torch Light Procession.—A meeting of the Fire Brigade was held last evening at the Lichfield street station, to arrange for a torch light procession, to be hold on the night of the Kith December. A resolution was passed that a torch li-vht procession be held on that evening, and it was resolved to invite the Kaiapoi, Rangiora, and Lyttelton Brigades, and the Fire Police Corps to join in it. It was also arranged that a cold collation should be partaken of at the Clarendon Hotel before the procession started. Theatre Royal.— The threatened advent of a second Richmond in the field, in the shape of the new theatre, has had the good effect of making the lessees of the present building bestir themselves towards remedying the defects which are so patent in the present building. It is proposed to pull down the present building and erect a new one, having IGfc Gin additional width at the sides to that of the theatre as it now stands, with an addition in length at the rear of 27ft Sin, and in front of 40ft from the present pit wall, thus making the total length 78ft Sin. Should the projected company achieve no more than to make the lessees build a decent theatre, Christchurch playgoers will owe a deep debt of gratitude tojhe promoters. Lake Ellesmere. —Owing to the increasing demand for building material that has existed of late in the Ellesmere district-, Messrs W. White and Co have within the last few days launched a steam punt, with which they will be enabled to supply the Lcestou market more regularly. The craft, which is in every respect well adapted for the work, has carrying capacities for about 13,000 ft of timber, although drawing at the same time little more than 32 inches of water. The frame was made at the company’s Little River saw-mills, and carted from there to Stony Point, where it was put together and launched. The paddle wheels were likewise built by the firm, and are driven by an eight-horse power single cylinder engine, which was formerly employed in driving a flax mil! in the neighbourhood of Rangiora. The driving shaft and machinery attached are of very simple construction, and were cast in Christchurch by Mr Thomas Williams. An average speed is attained of about six knots, which, at a slight cost of fuel, will take the vessel across the lake in rather less than four hours, She has been named the Swamp Hen. Vital Statistics.— The vital statistics of the various boroughs of the colony for October are published in the Gazette. In Auckland, with a population of 12,775, the births were 54 and the deaths 18, the death rate being P4O ; in the Thames, with a population of 8,073, the births were 17 and the deaths 8, death rate 0 98 ; in Wellington, with a population of 10,547, the births were 55 and the deaths 24, death r.ite 2 2-*; in Nelson, with a population of 5,0(>2, the births were 22 and the deaths 4, death rate 0 70 ; in Christchurch, with a population of 10,294, the births were 50 and the deaths 18, death rate P 75 ; in Dunedin, with a population of 18,499, the births were 86’and the deaths 55, death rate 2-97 ; in Hokitika, with a population of 3,352, there were 10 births and 3 deaths, death rate 0 89. The persons on board ships are not included in the numbers of the population. The births were 294 in October, against 292 in September, while the deaths wore 9 more in number than the deaths in September. Of the deaths, males contributed G 3 ; females, 57 : 56 of the deaths were of children under 5 years of age, being 43-07 of the whole number , 29 of these were of children under 1 year of age. The deaths of children under 5 years of age were fewer by 5 than those in September. There were 7 deaths of persons of Go years of age and upwards, viz.: 3 females from 70 to 73, and 3 males of Go, G 7, and 70 respectively ; 3 of these deaths occurred in Dunedin, 2 in Christchurch, and 2 in Auckland. Funeral Reform. The Melbourne Leader states that the late Dr Tracy left a memorandum of instructions for his funeral, which was, as far as possible, acted upon ; “ He desired (says our contemporary) that there should be no funereal trappings, no emblems of mourning, no feasting, no vulgar display of nodding plumes and glazed hearses and that everything connected with liis|interment should be as simple as possible. The dying man clearly had more thought for the living than for the dead, and a true perception of the vanity and hollowness of outward display in the burial customs of the age. It would be well if all family men took to heart the example, and relieved their surviving families of a supposed obligation to expend large sums with the undertaker for a grand funeral. In many cases, where money is no object, perhaps the undertaker may as well profit by the mournful occasion as other people, but where our absurd and expensive system of burying the dead tells most painfully is in the levy it makes upon the slender means of the widow and orphans, who, deprived of their protector and bread-winner, want every shilling the deceased has left to enable them to keep a home over their heads. When men of standing in society follow the example set by the late Dr Tracy, and it is seen that there is no sacrifice of decency and no want of respect for the dead in burying them without ostentation, plain funerals will be the rule, and we shall have removed one of the ugliest blots upon modern civilisation,”

Fire in Lyttelton. —Yesterday afternoon about 3.45 the fire-bell was rung, and volumes of smoke were seen issuing from four cottages belonging to Mr Merson, situated between London and Winchester streets, at the back of the English Church. They were inhabited by Messrs Russell, Kennedy, Marshall, and Nelson, It appears that the fire originated at Mr Kennedy’s house on the first floor. The children were sent upstairs, and on their coming down the fire burst out. The brigade turned out, but wore perfectly useless without steam engine and without water, and all they could do was to save as much of the furniture as possible, and cut down the trees in Mr Merson’s garden to prevent the fire spreading. The wind was luckily from N.W., which prevented the fire catching the church, but had it been in the S.W. the roof and windows would have undoubtedly gone. The steam fire-engine was telegraphed for from Christchurch, but was stopped, as it was found that the block was burning out without any danger of igniting any other buildings. We arc sorry to hear that none of the buildings were insured. No casualty occurred, Caplai i Kiddy and the brigade did ail they

could, bnt what fan a brigade do without an engine and without watci? It is to be hoped that this will awaken the citizens of Lyttelton to the urgent necessity that exists for either a supply of water or an engine sufficiently strong to pump it from the sea. Had the wind been in any other quarter other houses would probably have ignited, and a loss both of life and property probably ensued. Wo hear it is the intention to form a fire police, to guard property rescued from fires, and vve hope this very useful corps will be speedily established. • ♦ An Alabama editor mildly alludes to his rival as a reservoir of falsehood and an aqueduct of mendacity.” Too Bad.—“ I rise for information,” said a member of a legislative body. “lam very glad to hear it, ” said a bystander, ‘ ‘ for no man wants it more.”