NEWS OF THE DAY

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 945, 5 July 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Abolition of Tolls.—The Dunedin " Star" states that since tolls have been abolished in the Taieri county dray traffic has increased largely, and the result has been to about double the income of the Clutha county from tolls.

Coursing.—The first coursing match in Nelson took place in Waimea East last week, when there was some very fair sport. About fifty people were present, including several ladies, who took their fences "like a bird."

Eailway Time Table. —We have received from Mr Tombs a copy of his handy little time-table of the Canterbury and Otago railways, for the month of July. The tables are arranged on the alphabetical system, and contain the fares for each distance, as fixed under the new arrangements. The G-aiety.—The bill of the preceding evening was repeated at the Gaiety last night. Miss Morgan as Don Leander in the burlesque succeeded in making herself highly popular with the audience, and Miss Alice Johns made quite a hit in one of Mr Enmiett's songs, " Yosie, does your mother know you're out." The other characters were well filled, and generally the burlesque went capitally.

Sudden Death at Eyreton.—On Wednesday morning the family of Mr Thomas Chilton, a highly respected farmer of this district, was thrown into a state of consternation on learning that his eldest daughter, aged 24, had been found dead in her bed. One of her sisters about six o'clock discerned that the deceased was lying perfectly still and would not awaken. A messenger was quickly despatched for Dr. Ovenden of Kaiapoi, who attended as speedily as possible. He soon satisfied himself that deceased had met her death in a fit of apoplexy, and having professionally visited her previously, was prepared to give a certificate as to the cause of death, therefore it is improbable that any inquest will be held.

Lecture. —The Eev. W. H. McGregor's lecture on " Wycliffe, the Day Star of the Reformation," was given last night at St. Andrew's schoolroom. The Eev. C. Eraser presided, and the Eev. Mr Gillies, from Timaru, opened with prayer. During the evening the choir gave a number of selections at the intervals; and at the close a hearty vote of tha:iks was, on the motion of Mr D. Craig, accorded to the Eev. Mr McGregor, for his able and interesting lecture, and also to those ladies and gentlemen who had assisted at the evening's entertainment.

Football. —On Saturday next a Banks team will try their strength against a Club fifteen on Cranmer square, play to commence at 3 p.m. punctually. The following are the teams :—Club —Colours, red and black : Messrs Atack, W. Ootterill, J. E. Evans (captain), Hartland, E. G. Hawkes, Martin, W. Millton, J. Millton, Moore, McCardell, Ollivier, Paul, Secretan, Stringer, and Taj lor; emergency, Collins, Parker, Lanauze. Banks —Colours, blue and white : Messrs Anderson, Boyd, Brewster, Campbell, Champion, E. Cotterill, Cuff, D'Emden, Field, J. H. Hawkes, Mathias, E. O'Connell, H. S. Paul, Pearson, Potts, Smith, Wilkin, and Webster. A committee meeting will be held after the match to select the fifteen to play against the Temuka team on the following Saturday, and as the visiting team are reported to be very strong, it would be as well if our team were to get some practice together during next week. A County Seal. —The design for the Cook County seal, invented by Mr Jarman, of Napier, is described by the "Poverty Bay Herald'' as being a most elaborate work of art. It is about 2in. in diameter, and depicts the bay with Tuamotu point to the left, and Captain Cook's vesssel in the centre, the gallant explorer being supposed to have just arrived, and to be in the act of furling his sails. In the foreground are to be seen two or three haughty aboriginals standing and sitting on the beach, evidently astonished at the gigantic sea bird, with such a number of strangely-shaped white wings, whilst due prominence is likewise given to the flax bush and cabbage-tree which are ever introduced into representations of New Zealand scenery. The Fire at Waikouaiti —ln reporting the late fire at Cobb and Co.'s stables at this place, by which seven horses were burnt, the " Guardian" says :—So rapidly did the flames spread that nothing could be saved. The origin of the fire is unknown. At 11.30 p.m. on Sunday, the groom, George Williams, went to his bunk in the harness-room, and two hours afternoon he awoke and found that the room was on fire. He saved nothing but a pair of trousers, and was unable to let the horses out of the stable. The alarm was raised, and a number of persons were soon at the fire, but nothing could be done to save the building. The groom is of opinion that the fire originated in his room. The stables were the property of Mr John Jones, and upon Ins decease were vested in trustees. Whether or not they were insured we are unable to learn. The horses were insured for £l5O. In addition to this, a large quantity of hay and feed was destroyed, so that the loss will probably be a heavy one.

Agricultural Exhibits.—lt is gazetted, as part of the new railway arrangements, that stock, implements, dogs, and poultry conveyed for exhibition at agricultural shows may be conveyed back to the station from which thev were originally sent, free of cost, if unsold but at owner's risk, upon the production of a certificate in writing from the secretary of the agricultural show at which they have been exhibited that such are unsold, and that they are returned direct from the show for conveyance back to the station from which they were sent. All loading, unloading, collection, and delivery are to be performed by the owners.

Railway Fares. —Additions to, and alterations in, the railway rates recently announced are now gazetted. Ordinary return passenger fares, except in cases specified in clause 7 of the by-laws for the New Zealand railways, are to be one and a half L he ordinary single fares, with minimum charges of—lst class, 9d ; 2nd class, 6d. The minimum charge for sawn timber is to be 6d per 100 ft. superficial. The rates for the conveyance of flour, sharps, bran, pollard, and meal, in bags or packages, are cancelled, and the following are to be the rates: —Flour, sharps, bran, pollard, and meal, in bags or packages, per ton of 22001b5., at per ton or fraction of a ton, per mile, or fraction of a mile, with a terminal charge of 2s 6d. For each loading or unloading done by the consignor a remission of 9d per ton will be made. Minimum, 2 tons, if less then as class A (at owner's risk). For each 25 miles, or fraction of 25 miles, beyond 150 miles, parcels are to be conveyed at 3d for 71bs., 3d for 141b5., 6d for 281bs, and 9d for 561bs.

Warning to Pacemen. —The Maori chief, Henare Matua, warns European packmen against carrying goods to the native settlements for sale. His notification, in the "Wananga," aifords a curious commentary on the vaunted civilisation of the Maoris. Henare Matua says: —" If you persist to take goods to the Maori settlements after the publication of this my notice to you, and if you are outwitted by the Maori children, or if your goods are stolen, and if you make a charge against such children, they will not be in the wrong, but you will be wrong, because you have seen this notice, and afterwards you took your goods to the native settlements. Friend. European, cease to take your goods to the native settlements. Build a shop or store for yourself in some town to which the Maori and Europeans may go to purchase goods from you. My Maori friends, do not let such Europeans come to your settlements. Send them away, and let them go on the road with their goods, If you wish for goods go to the town and buy them, where you can buy goods at lower prices than you can obtain them from packmen, and where you can get the exact goods you are in want of."

Plurality of Bars. —Commenting on the cases which have come before the Courts, involving the question of what constitutes a public-house bar, the " Otago Daily Times" says : —" The wording of the Act is extremely obscure, but whatever may be the proper legal construction of its language, there can be little doubt that it was never intended that a bar, having separate apertures for the accommodation of different:, classes of customers, but nevertheless being, to all intents, a single bar, and capable of being managed by one person, should be treated as though it were an aggregation of several places for the sale of drink. The Licensing Courts, like the public, have been in the habit of regarding the matter in this light, and no mischief has resulted as far as we are aware, nor does there appear to be any sufficient justification for raising such a technical point, in the teeth of long usage. The object of the provision of the Act was, we apprehend, to prevent the landlord of a large house opening a number of distinct bars on the street fine, under cover of a single license ; for since there is scarcely a respectable hotel in the colony (perhaps not one), which does not possess at least two means of gaining access to its street bar, it cannot be supposed that the Assembly overlooked such a patent fact when considering the Licensing Bill."

Timaru District Court.—Two cases of peculiar character now before the district Court at Timaru are thus noticed in the "Herald" of Wednesday :—On the list of bankruptcy cases set down for disposal at the district Court yesterday morning, was one in which Thomas Hudson made application for an order of discharge. On the case being called, Mr Hammersley, who appeared in support of the application, stated that Hudson had died suddenly the previous night, but asked for an order to bo made, so as to clear the estate. His Honor said it was out of his power to grant an order in favor of a dead man. Hudson had been present in the Court the whole of the previous day, thinking his case would come on then. He has, however, got released from his debts in a manner he little expected. Hudson ivas well known in Timaru, having been for some time engaged in the butchering business.—A very important and, to a number of people in Timaru, interesting action, is at present pending in the Court, and will be heard on the 9th hist. It is one in which the Union Bank of Australia sues Mr George Cliff and another for £2OO damages, and has arisen out of the row which occurred a month or two ago with reference to the possession of the new bank buildings.

Aurieerous Quartz in Marlborough. —A discovery of auriferous quartz, which the people and Press of Marlborough seem to think a good deal of, has been made at Golden Point, about five and a half miles from Pic con. The "Marlborough Press " says : —" Mr Monk, of the Ship Hotel, one of the prospectors of the quartz reef at Golden Point, has some magnificent specimens cm view taken from the claim. The stone literally bristled with gold, and if the reef turns out according to the prospect already obtained, it will be as rich as anything ever found in the colony. Some time since a company was formed to work the same claim from which the rich specimens recently obtained were broken out, and after a trial of some stone from it, it was given up and was allowed to Ho neglected until it fell into the prospectors' hands, who are likely to be well paid for their enterprise. The stone crushed some time since contained sufficient gold to encourage the proprietors to continue working, but it was supposed that the reef dipped into the sea, and it would be impossible to work it, and it was in consequence abandoned. Eecent explorations have shown that the reef makes into the hill, and the specimens were obtained in this direction ; so that should the reef-turn out equal to expectations, there will be any quantity of stone to work, and if the yield of gold bears any proportion to that shown in the specimens, the locality of the olaiin will be found to be aptly named Golden Point." Mr Monk has since proceeded to Wellington, where he has with him a number of very rich specimens obtained from the claim,

Another Alleged'Abdttction.—A rather peculiar case happened at the Maori Kaik, Qtago Heads, during the last week. It appears, says the "Guardian," according to a statement made, that a half-caste girl about fourteen years of age, named Emma Eussell, not returning home during one night, her parents went m search, of her, and during the day found her, when she stated she had been lost in the bush, but afterwards admitted she had stopped with a fisherman, named John Eichard Burns, who, upon leaving in the morning, told her to state she had been lost in the bush the preceding night. When Burns became aware that the girl had told her parents, he immediately left the Kaik, and he is supposed to have gone to Canterbury. The girl's father gave information to the police, and a warrant has been issued for Burns's arrest. Items. —Napier boasts of now having one of the finest town clocks in the colony, presented to the townspeople by the late Sir Donald M'Lean.—Seven fresh applications for hotel licenses at Kumara have been refused by the Warden, Mr Price.—The Lydia Howarde company are still playing at Kumara with success, but Miss Navaro and Miss Nye are shortly expected to join the Wellington Theatre Company.—The Nelson College football players intend sending a team to Wellington this week, for the purpose of playing the conquering match with the Wellington Collegians. —Messrs Edmondson and Sellars, have received their certificate of discharge in bankruptcy. —In Q-reymouth, milk from the Ist of July, is to be charged at 9d per quart, " until grass becomes more plentiful." —The Bank of New South Wales is about to open a branch in Beef ton.