NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 838, 1 March 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Inward San Francisco Mail.— This mail arrived from Wellington this morning by the Taranaki. The Christchurch, Timarn, and Oaraarn portions were forwarded by the 9.10 a.m. train from Port.

Accident at Woodend,—On Wednesday a somewhat serious accident happened to Mr Barsham, Inspector of Police for the Northern district He was driving through Woodend iu a buggy, when the horse getting its tail over the rein bolted, Mr Barsham was thrown out, the wheels passing over his thigh, seriously bruising him. He was conveyed to Kaiapoi: The horse did not stop till it had broken the buggy all to pieces.

Pedbstrianism —Two out of the three sprint events arranged between Selby, one of the English cricketers, and W. Frith, a local amateur, for £5 each, came off ye-terday on the cricket ground. The 100 yards spin was won by Selby with 4 yards to spare, iu 10^-sec, Frith winning the 200 yards by only a suade ; time, 22|sec. The 300 yards race did not come off, Selby, it was said, paying forfeit It was the prevailing opinion of many present qualified to judge that Selby could have ran away as easily with the 200 yards as he did with the fust.

Trade of Lyttelton.—With reference to the position of the four chief ports of the colony as regards imports, the Daily Times remarks : —'• The total exports for the year 187 G amounted to £5,626,333, against £5,828 627 for the previous year, a falling off certainly, but only to the extent of three and a half per cent, or £202,291 in all. Now, taking the four chief ports, they stand as follows Total, 1876—Dunedin, decrease £198,775, £1,521,017 ; Auckland, decrease £21,415, £6/4 003; Wellington, increase £22 932. £696,684 ; Lyttelton, increase £556,369, £1,775,405. This would at first sight show a very remarkable stride on the part of Lyttelton, putting her actually ahead of Dunedin in point of exports. Of the increase Jof £556.369 on the year, however, £11,183 must be credited to shipments of gold which during last year was brought overland from the West Coast, but pre viously had been shipped by steamers from thence. But even then Lyttelton will show an increase of nearly a quarter of a million, and a total very nearly approaching Dunedin. We may, however, take credit for shipments from the Bluff amounting to £371.227, and showing an increase of £50,000 on the previous year, and from Oaraaru of £33,363, showing an increase of £14,000 on the previous year ; while Canterbury takes credit for £26.349 from Tiraaru, showing an increase of £7OOO on the previous year, Adding these figures together, and deducting the West Coast gold, they make totals as follows; Canterbury, £1,490566; Otago, £1,925,607; but the fact remains, that while Dunedin has shown a decrease of £193,775, of which only £50,000 can be accounted for by increased shipments direct from the Bluff, Canterbury shows a net increase of £245,000 after deducting the West Coast gold. It would appear, therefore, that neither in imports nor exports has Dunedin held her own during the past year, while Lyttelton has been making headway very fast ; the truth may be unpleasant to us, but it is none the less the truth, and we must not shut our eyes I to it*’*'

No 3 Building and Land Society (Permanent). —The third annual meeting of shareholders in above society was held last evening at the old Oddfellows’ Hall, Lichfield street. The report and balance sheet submitted by the committee were deemed to he satisfactory, and unanimously adopted. The four retiring directors and the auditors for last year were re-elected. A special meeting of the society will be held shortly to discuss matters referred to at the meeting. An extended report appear.-: elsewhere.

Very Sudden Death —A man named Lawrence Mackay, painter, died very suddenly at Waltham last evening. Shortly after eight o’clock he went into the house of Mr George Gaye, with whom he was ac quainted, and lay down on the floor ap parently in a fit, but before doing so begged that his wife might be sent for, as he was going to die immediately. Mr Gaye called in a neighbor, and went for Mrs Mackay and also for Dr Campbell, but when the latter arrived he pronounced the man to be dead Mrs Mackay did not anive in time to see her husband alive. Deceased and his wife had had a misunderstanding some little time previous, and had not been living together for the last few days.

Oamaru Harbour Works —The Daily Times of the 27th sayr— 11 The second contract entered into with Messrs Walkhera and Peyraan in July last for an extension of 100 ft of the Oamaru Breakwater is now completed, making a total length of 085 ft finished to date. The Board is now advertising for tenders for a further extension of 20 .'ft, an extension of wharf behind the breakwater of 50ft, and a new whaii 150 ft long by 82ft wide to run out parallel to the breakwater, about 450 ft to the westward, and forming a sheltered basin for ships between the two walls. The trade of the port is increasing so rapidly now- that more wharfage accommodation is urgently required, and it is proposed to devote the new wharf entirely to steamers. On the centre of this 82 ft wharf a goods shed will be erected 115 ft long by 36ft wide, so that trucks arriving from the country with wool and grain can be held undercover for a night or so if required, and be ready for delivery on board the coastal steamers, in large quantities. The new extension of breakwater will be similar in design to the work already constructed so successfully, with a foundation of concrete blocks weighing 25 tons each, moulded on shore, and sec with ihe large steam crane up to low water line Above this foundation enormous masses of concrete, weighing from 100 to 150 tons, are built in situ, and form a solid capping the whole w-idth of the breakwater. The new wharves are also to be faced with concrete with rubble washing inthe centre, and, when finished, will have the appearance of a sulid concrete wall By the terras of the last contract the Board now comes into possession of the whole of the contractor’s plant in complete working order, the use of which will be given tu the new contractor; and in addition a new diving apparatus of the most recent construction, jsst imported from England by the Board. The time for receiving tenders expires on the 16th of next month, and the time allowed for completing the new works, twelve months from the date of signing the contract.” Mr Millais is painting a portrait of Mr Carlyle, which will appear in the next exhibition of the Royal Academy. 11W....WH m