NEWS OF THE DAY

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 923, 9 June 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

City Guards.— A notice to the City Guards, signed by Major Lean, appears elsewhere.

Political.—Mr Murray Aynsley has invited the electors of Lyttclton to meet him at the Colonist Hall on Tuesdav evening, at 7.30. United Methodist Free Church.—Services in connection with this Church will be held to-morrow at 11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m.

The Gaiety.—There was a fair attendance at the G-aiety Theatre last evening, wdien Clifford's Mirror of the World was again exhibited. The various views were loudly applauded. To-day, in addition to the usual evening performance, there will be an afternoon one, commencing at 2.30. A r oj J UNTEETt Ekg-ineeks.—The Canterbury Volunteer Engineers held their annual dinner last evening, at the Gnrrick Hotel, and had reason to be highly satisfied witli the catering of their host, Mr Pargiter. There were numerous appropriate toasts given and songs sung, and the evening was passed most pleasantly. Poultry Show. —There was a large attendance at the Skating Kink yesterday, both morning and evening, and the various exhibits seemed to excite very great interest. It was expected the Governor would visit the show in the afternoon, but having spent the morning pheasant shooting over Mr Deans' estate at iliccarton, his Excellency sent word to the committee that he was tired and would defer his visit until this evening. Sudden Death. —One day last week, a man named William Ferguson, aged twentytwo years, dropped dead in Clyde street, Invercargill. Ferguson had been ill of consumption for the last two years, and has lately lived with his brother in Liddel street. He was returning with medicine from the hospital, of which he has been for sometime an outdoor patient, when a blood vessel burst, and he dropped down, and died almost instantly.

Railway Accommodation. —In some parts of Victoria there seems to be the same difficulty as is experienced here in providing railway conveyance for local produce. The Climes paper states that the potato produce of Creswick is so extensive that the railway department is unable to find trucks to cany off the consignments. The Otauo Runs. —At a meeting of the Otago Waste Lands Board, on Wednesday, runs 17 and 28, in the Oamaru district, at present held by the Hon. Robert Campbell, were dealt with. It was resolved to give notice to the lessee that run No. 17 would not he again leased in whole or in part for depasturing purposes ; that two portions of run No. 28, containing respectively 15,400 acres and 20,000 acres, should be re-leased for a term of ten years ; and that the remaining portion of the run, containing 9000 acres, be reserved for sale. The Board also resolved to recommend the proclamation of three new Hundreds —Warepa, Spy law, and Waihemo —containing altogether 33,575 acres. The resolution passed at the last meeting with regard to run 74 was rescinded, and, in accordance with the wish of he Education Board, it was resolved to give the lessee notice that the run will not be again re-leased in Avhole or in part. Leeston School.—A meeting of the committee was held on Monday evening last. All the members were present $ Mr Geo, Sandrey in the chair, who stated that the Board of Education had confirmed the appointments of Mr and Miss Ford, and also that of Mr Carston as collector of rates. A letter from Mr Ford was read, asking the attention of the committee to a fact that upon the day of his opening the school some eighty children wvrc present, whereas accommodation for sixty only was afforded by the present building, and further that he had every reason to expect an increased attendance. The chairman was by resolution requested to again inform the Board of the urgent necessity for further accommodation, and to request their attention to letters dated 17th April and 15th May respectively; also to a petition from the inhabitants of Doyleston, which had already received promise of notice, referring specially to the want of further teaching power at the side school. Matters of routine brought forward bv Mr Ford were attended to, permission granted to Mr Barker to open subscription Fists for the purchase of a harmonium, and a vote of thanks passed to the chairman. Literary.—According to the Abheneetm the author of "Ecce Homo" is reported to be the writer of the series of articles on "Natural Religion," of which the twelfth holds the first place in the April number o! "Macmillan's Magazine." These articles arc understood to contain the development of the doctrinee laid down in " Ecce Homo."

Otago Umvejwitv,- —The Times reports that on Wednesday the Presbytery of Dunedin met in committee to receive suggestions as to the subject for the new chair to be endowed by the Synod in the Otago University. After full deliberation it was agreed in committee to lay before the Presbytery the following subjects for consideration:—lst, English language and literature, and constitutional history; 2nd, moral philosophy and political economy; 3rd, constitutional history and political economy. At its next meeting the Presbytery is likely to decide on one or other of these three, and recommend the Synod to adopt it as the subject for the new professorship. At a Discount.—The Akaroa Mail is anxious for the local establishment of cheap concerts during the winter, or entertainments in which readings and recitations might be interspersed with vocal and instrumental music. It does not approve of bars or socalled soirees, and says : —" At present the only means of spending an evening in Akaroa, except in the bar parlor of an hotel, is at the open lodge meetings of the Good Templars, or at the discussions of the Mutual Improvement Association. Is such a state of things to continue ? If so, it will be a sign of retrogression rather than of progress."

Reclamation of Wellington Harbor. —Tt appears to be the intention to reclaim some more of the Wellington water-frontage as an addition to the limited site of the city. Last month a deputation from the Chamber of Commerce waited upon the Hon. Minister for Public Works relative to the proposed railway wharf. The deputation pointed out the advantages which would accrue from reclaiming land from Mills's foundry to the second T of the Queen's Wharf. This course the deputation preferred to expending £25,000 on the proposed wharf, which, from the position in which it was intended to be placed, would be of very little use for a long time to come. Mr Ormond promised to consult his colleagues on the subject, and forward a reply at as early a date as possible to the Chamber. The Post now says that the promised reply has been sent in. The letter states that the Government have given the subject their careful consideration in all its bearings, and the conclusion arrived at is, that whilst it is desirable to connect the railway with the shipping, the estimated traffic docs not at present justify the Government building a separate wharf involving an expenditure of £25,000, but that when the Wellington and Masterton railway is extended, and connects the East and West Coasts with this city, a railway wharf will doubtless be needed. The Government think that the best course open to them to meet the necessities of probable traffic during the next few years is to adopt the plan recommended by the Chamber. The cost of this reclamation will be considerable, but it is estimated that the land so reclaimed will recoup the amount, and provide the railway with necessaiw additional access to the wharf for its traffic. The Minister has given instructions to call for tenders for carrying out the work at as early a date as the preparation of plans will allow. The Government and "Mr Mackay." —A correspondent at the Thames telegraphs to the Auckland He aid that there is a " split" bet ween Mr Mackay and the Grovermnent, and that some other agent will be employed to complete the Government land purchases in in the Thames district. The Herald says : " We are sorry, for several reasons, to receive the information. We had hoped that at the eleventh hour all parties concerned would have turned over a now leaf, and that these troublesome negotiations—which have been so delayed that the conclusion is inevitable that great blame attaches both to Government and to agent —woidd have been quickly concluded at last by Mr Mackay. It is very difficult indeed to get at the causes of the delay, or to see how far that delay has any justification. We shall probably not bo made aware of the causes of the 'split' until the meeting of Parliament, when we imagine that there will bo an inquiry into the causes which have so long postponed the completion of these land purchases. In the meantime, it is left open for surmise whether Mr Mackay has thrown up his engagement owing to the Government not supplying him with money, or with sufficient money to finish the payments he has yet to make to the natives'; or whether the Minister of Lands, Mr Ormond, has become dissatisfied at the delay which has taken place, and has shown his displeasure by superseding Mr Mackay. That gentleman was, we consider, to blame for going away to Taupo on business for private parties when his presence was so urgently wanted on the Thames, but whether this has had anything to do witli his supercedure we do not know. In any case, it is to be hoped that the change means a speedy completion of the work. We hope it will be found that, in the present instance, the public service will not suffer, and that the rather unexpected action of the Government may be taken to show that they are thoroughly in earnest in respect to these land purchases, that they are ashamed of the ' wretched past,' and are determined to have the land made available for settlement at the earliest possible time."