NEWS OF THE DAY

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 933, 21 June 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Banco Sittings.—A sitting in banco before His Honor Mr Justice Johnston, will be held in the Court House to-morrow at 11 a.m. Tiiiaru Breakwater. The Timaru Harbor Board were in expectation of receiving by the San Francisco mail a reply from Sir John Coode with reference to the breakwater.

Woodend. —The people's churchwarden at St. Barnabas' Episcopalian Church has resigned, giving as a reason that he objected to the Incumbent of Kaiapoi assisting tbeßev. H. Gr. Gould here. A meeting will be held at an early date to elect another churchwarden.

Christchurch Mutual Improvement Society.—The usual weekly meeting of this Society, held last evening, was largely attended both by members and others. The subject discussed was " Spiritualism," and after several members had spoken for and against, it was decided to adjourn the discussion until next meeting. Local Option Bill.—A public meeting will be held in the Templar Hall, Worcester street, on Wednesday next, at 8 p.m., when the question of the Local Option Bill will be dealt with by several speakers. Amongst others the Rev. H. C. M. Watson and Rev. S. Macfarlane will take part in the proceedings. The members of St. John's Choir will give some music.

Maritime Inquiry.—An inquiry was held yesterday at the Custom House, Lyttelton, into the loss of a seaman who, as already recorded in these columns, fell overboard from the Clematis, ketch, about thirty miles from the Heads, on Sunday morning last. No new facts of any importance were elicited, but the ketch was ordered to be provided with life buoys, barometer, &c, before again clearing.

PArANui School Committee. —As will be recollected some few days back the Papanui school committee resigned in a body, owing to some correspondence which had taken place with regard to an overdraft at the Bank. At the meeting of the Board of Education, held yesterday, it was resolved to pay the overdraft, and to request the committee to withdraw their resignation?. The New Scale.—Considerable interest appears to be felt by school committees throughout the province as to the time of coming into force of the new scale of the Board of Education as to the number and salaries of teachers. In reply to a deputation from the Colombo road school yesterday, the chairman of the Board of Education stated that the scale had been adopted by the Board, and only now waited the Governor's assent to bring it into operation. The Georgias.—The minstrels repeated the programme of Tuesday evening last night at the Theatre successfully. To-night there will be an entire change of programme, when a novelty is promised in the shape of an African dwarf. The minstrels conclude their engagement here on Saturday evening, after which they proceed to Dunedin, playing at Timaru and Oamaru on the way.

Barmaids in Britain. —It is stated that there are upwards of 300,000 barmaids in Great Britain, and that their average earnings are upwards of 3s a week each more than are obtained by the members of any other profession, except that of " companion," to which women can belong. The barmaid industry has extended into Scotland, and very recently two of the employees of Messrs Spiers and Pond in Edinburgh have been married —the one to a Dumfriesshire landed proprietor, the other to the son of one of the most popular clergymen in the Scottish metropolis. Vital Statistics. —The proportion _of deaths to the thousand of population during the month of May was as follows: —Auckland. ] -33 ; Thames, P 3 4; Wellington, 1-30 ; Nelson, 2-16; Christchurch, "86; Dunedin, 1-28 ; Hokitika, 275. The deaths were 21 more in number than in April, and 7 less than May, 1876. Of zymotic diseases scarlatina was the most fatal,'lo deaths in Dunedin and 4 in Hokitika being credited to it. There were 8 deaths of persons of 65 years of age and over ; 7 of these persons were males and 1 a female ; 3 males aged 70, 74, and 74 died at Auckland; 3 males of 65, 71, and 76 at Wellington ; 1 male of 73 at Nelson ; and 1 female of 65 at Christchurch.

Weather Statistics.—According to the Registrar-General's report, the month of May was exceptionally wet. The number of days on which rain fell at Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, and Christchurch, was far above the average for the same month in previous years. The rainfall in inches amounted to an average for the colony of 10'681 inches, against an average for May in previoiis years of only 5-096 inches. At Hokitika, 22100 inches of rain fell, and at Nelson 15-210 inches. At Auckland, 23 days, and at Wellington 20 days of the month were wet. In Christchurch rain fell on 17 days, as against 10 days in the same month last year. Accident. Yesterday afternoon, Wm. Deaken, Hereford street, while driving round the corner from Colombo into Armagh street, ran over a Mrs Elizabeth Thomas, who was crossing at the time from the Golden Fleece corner. Deaken, it is said, called out, but was not heard, and before he could pidl up Mrs Thomas was knocked down by the horse, the wheels of one side of the trap passing over her ankles. The lady was picked up unconscious and conveyed to the Hospital, where she soon recovered, and it was found that beyond a slight bruise and severe fright, no other injury had been received. Fortunately the trap was only a very light buggy. Mrs Thomas was enabled in a very little time to return to her home in Madras street. Football Club. —A meeting of the committee of the Christchurch Football Club was held at Kadcliffe's Hotel, at 5 p.m. yesterday. Present, Messrs Evans (in the chair), Anderson, Wilkin, Ollivier, and W. Hartland (hon. sec). A letter was read from Mr Thos. Gordon, resigning his position as treasurer, owing to his other duties preventing him giving sufficient time to the office. After some discussion, in the course of which regret was expressed at the loss of the valuable services of Mr Gordon, the resignation was accepted. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr Gordon for his valuable services in the past. Mr Wm. Stringer was elected as treasurer, and Messrs W. Brock and A. Gimdcrson were elected members of the club. It was arranged that the match for Saturday next, should b< Old College Boys v. the Club. The former will wear blue and white, and the latter red and black.

Board of Education.— The usual meeting of the Board was held yesterday at 3 p.m. There was a large amount of business to transact, a good deal of which was disposed of before the Board adjourned. Notice of motion was given by Mr Webb that the Board sit on Thursdays in future instead of Wednesday. Christchurch Horticultural Society. —A meeting of the committee was held last evening, at Radcliffe's Hotel; present, Messrs E. C. J. Stevens (president), Gr. A. Eeade, J. G-untrip, T. Allen, R. W. Fereday, T. Turner, and J. Greenaway (secretary). The revised schedule was submitted, and with a few additions was adopted. It was resolved to hold the next season's show as follows: —First show, on the day of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association's exhibition; Rose Show, November 28th ; Autumn Show, on first Wednesday in March. The names of a number of new subscribers were announced, and it was resolved to make an active canvass for extra prizes. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman. The Late Case of Abduction.—The case of abduction which was recently remanded from Christchurch to Dunedin was finally and, it is believed, satisfactorily disposed of by the Bench at the City Court on Saturday. The prisoner, says the Guardian, appeared in the dock under the name of Frederick Degrouchy, and was charged with having, on the 13th April last, taken away a young unmarried girl, 15 years of age, named Mary Ann Bodier, against the consent of her mother, Mary Ann Billette. Inspector Mallard stated that since the prisoner had been brought from Christchurch he had consented to marry the girl, and he understood the mother now desired to withdraw the charge. The Inspector also said that, from what he had ascertained from the girl, it appeared doubtful whether she had been taken away against her consent. The mother was placed in the witness-box, and, as she stated in reply to the Bench that she wished to withdraw the charge, the prisoner was acquitted. Both mother and daughter, who were dressed in black and tolerably well veiled, as if better prepared for a funeral than a wedding ceremony, disappeared from the Court apparently well pleased at the proclamation of the auspicious termination of love's trials; whusfe Degrouchy, smiling complacently, disappeared through the prisoner's entrance.