NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 580, 28 April 1876, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Hunt Club. —The second meet of the Canterbury Hunt Club for the season will take place to-morrow at the Prebbleton Hotel. Heathcote Library. The annual meeting of the subscribers to the Lower Heathcote library will take place at eight o’clock on Monday evening. City Improvements —Mr Beatty, of the Q C.E. Hotel, purposes erecting a very large hotel on the site of the present building. The plans are very complete, and when erected the hotel will be an ornament to that part of the city. Civil Cases.—ln future the hearing of the civil cases at the Resident Magistrate’s Court will commence at half-past one o’clock. This arrangement will obviate the necessity of solicitors and others having to wait about until the conclusion of the criminal business.

Football. —At a committee meeting of the Christchurch Football Club, held on Wednesday evening, the following members were elected, viz Messrs A. Potts, A Alabaster, G. R, Barnes, W. Jameson, F. Jameson, J. C. Tregear, C. White, and J. R. Taylor, The match on Saturday will be North v South, Cashel street being the dividing line. The former will wear blue and white, and the laUer red and black.

Accident at Temuka— The Timaru Herald says :—“ A painful and fatal accident occurred at George Town, near Temuka, on Tuesday, to a little boy about five years of age, grandson of Mr D. Pergusson. It appears that the little fellow with several other children, was riding on a waggon, when he suddenly slipt off, and the wheels passed over his head. Dr Gumming was sent for, but death must have been almost instantaneous.

A Caution. —Several persons were yesterday summoned for carrying firearms through Hagley Park, such being contrary to the regulations. As they all expressed their ignorance of the regulations in question, and stated that they were returning from shooting excursions with unloaded guns, the charges against them were dismissed. It might here be stated that some of the regulations both in reference to the park and the gardens, which are supposed to be painted on white boards, are almost illegible. It would be well to have them re-painted. Great Southern Railway, Ashburton —At midday on Tuesday last everything was brought to a standstill on account of the guards and all the men engaged at this station going on strike. At the time there were about forty drays heavily laden with grain, and waiting their turn at the goods shed to be discharged. The stationmaster, Mr Silk, suddenly discovered that he had neither signalmen nor pointsmen, and might have been placed in a difficulty, as it frequently happens that both the south and north midday passenger trains make their appearance at the station at almost the same moment, and both require precisely the same position alongside the platform. On such occasions it is therefore necessary that one train should discharge its passengers and be shunted before the other approaches, and it therefore requires two men to signal these trains, and the stationmaster found that he had no one left to help him, and had to do it himself. The down train from Christchurch to Timaru was detained fifty minutes for want of a guard, when the station master, after repeated efforts, prevailed on Mr Farlane to take the train on to its destination. There has long been a great deal of complaining amongst the farmers of this district of the great want of more storage accommodation. If the present grain store were double its size it would not afford sufficient room for the daily amount of grain row being brought to it ; and looking at the increased area of country that will receive an arable crop next season, and the proportion of the same which will be brought to this station, a grain store three times the size of the present one will not suffice. Nearly every shed and store in Ashburton have been utilised foi the purpose of temporarily storing grain until arrangements are made for sfnding it on to |port by the road or railway. West Christchurch Educational District. —The committee of this district held their first meeting since the election of now members on Wednesday, at 7.30 pm. Present Messrs Tancrcd, Bowie, Nairn, Bickerton, Dunford, Gavin, and Booth. Mr Tancred was unanimously re-elected chair man. The minutes of last meeting having been read and approved, the following letters were read: —From the Minister for Education, stating, in reply to the application of the committee for a refund of the sum contributed by the district towards the erection of the Normal School, that the Government had decided that the arrangement between the late Board of Education and the West Christchurch school committee should be adhered to. From the Secretary for Education, acknowledging receipt of the petition in favour of the retention of Mr Elwin in the Normal School, signed by the parents of children attending that school, stat'ng that the Government had decided that they were unable to accede to the prayer of the petition. From the Secretary for Education, forwarding report of the inspector of schools on the teaching staff at the West Christchurch school. In the matter of the district contribution to the Normal Scl o >1 buildings the secretary was directed to enquire what (be arrangement with the Board of Educa-

tion, was referred to by the Government, and also to point out that whatever advantages accrue to this district from the erection of these buildings are shared equally by the East Christchurch district, which has contributed nothing whatever to their cost. With regard to the inspector’s report on teaching staff, the committee decided to adhere to their former recommendation to the Minister for Education, with the exception that instead of two assistant masters, they will be content with one assistant master and a pupil teacher. Messrs Bickerton and Booth were electing visiting committee for the month, and v ere directed to advertise for sale the forms and cupboards formerly in use in Durham street school, also to look to the state of the bath at the Lincoln road. The returns for quarter ending 31st March were signed by the chairman, and showed the number of children on the books at Lincoln road school to be 864 ; Normal school, 686 ; the average daily attendance being 674 7 and 374.6 respectively. After transacting other business, the committee adjourned.