NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 995, 3 September 1877, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Loyal City of Christchurch Lodge.— A summoned meeting of the above Lodge will be held this evening, to receive auditor’s report and balance-sheet.

The Municipal Election. —We understand that steps are about to be taken to request the Mayor to call a public meeting of burgesses at an early date to hear the opinions of the candidates for municipal honors. Tai Tapit Racing Club. —At a meeting held at the Ellesmere Arms on Friday night, Mr Judge in the chair, it was determined to form a Racing Club for the district. Several of the most prominent sportsmen in the locality were present, and, from the amount of interest displayed and the promises of support given, a successful launching of the new club may bo predicted. Benefit Concert in Lyttelton.—A benefit concert is advertised to take place on Saturday next in aid of Michael Hawkins, who, it will be remembered, was nearly killed a short time ago by the breaking of a sling whilst discharging cargo on board the Waikato. The performance will be given by members .of the crews of the ships Merope, Waikato, and William Davie, and it is to bo hoped that a bumper house will reward their kindly exertions. Ashburton—Severe Storm. For the past few days the weather has been exceedingly cold and wet, rendering the roads heavy and travelling unpleasant. On Saturday morning a strong south-wester commenced, accompanied by showers of snow and sleet, which lasted all day. The hills, where visible from Ashburton, are covered with snow to the base. There is no doubt that the lambs will suffer severely. Births, Marriages, and Deaths. —During August, in Christchurch city, there were 49 births —19 boys and 30 girls. In the same month last year the number was 5(1 —37 boys and 19 girls. In the Christchurch district there were 110 births, against 112 in August last year. The marriages in the city were exactly 23 in the same month each year. In the district there were 5 this year and 11 last year. The deaths were —in the city 16 this year, 21 last year; in the district 20 this year, 14 last year.

Christchurch City Reserves. The Christchurch City Reserves Bill, introduced in the II uuso ol Representatives by the Hon. Mr Richardson, consists of lour clauses, and three schedules. Its title is “An Act for Vesting certain Reserves in the Major, Councillors, and Citizens of Christchurch.” The first schedule contains the descriptions of four reserves as recreation grounds for the inhabitants of the city of Christchurch. The second is a description of thirty-three parcels of land vested in trust for municipal purposes. The third is a description of two reserves for market places,

Twin Births. —From the local paper at Waikato, we learn that during the current quarter the registrar for the Hamilton district has registered no less than five births of twins. This is a circumstance unprecedented, even for a year, in the Waikato district Bridges in Westland. —A telegram has been received by the “ Kumara Times ” from Mr Barff, to the effect that the Government have agreed to bridge the Hokitika and Teremakau rivers. We hear also that a sum is proposed to be voted towards the erection of a bridge across the Grey to Cobden, but our information is not definite. Perilous Position. —As a mob of fat cattle was being driven through Foxton a large number of the inhabitants turned out to have a look at them. One little boy got into the road, when an immense bullock, from the station of the Hon. J. Johnson, rushed at the child, and carried him on his head for some distance between his two horns. Intense excitement prevailed, the mother thinking her child would be crushed to death, and others looking on in fear, not knowing what to do. At this moment Mr R. Stevens galloped up to the bullock, when the child fell to the ground uninjured, and was picked up. Union Insurance Company. —The Wellington “Post” remarks:—Great curiosity exists just now among our local mercantile men as to who is to be the Wellington agent of the Union Insurance Company. It is known that a large number of applications for the Wellington Agency have been sent in, and as the Union Company already has opened business in Dunedin, some information on the subject is looked for daily. It does not appear, however, to be settled definitely yet whether an agency or a local manager will be appointed, the former now being generally deemed the more advantageous. It is rumoured, but we do not know whether on any trustworthy information, that in the event of an agency being decided on, either Mr J. H. Betlnme or Messrs Bannatyne and Co. would receive the appointment. Gi llon v. Macdonald. —ln the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, last week the case of E. T. Gillon v T. K. Macdonald came on for hearing. The plaintiff claims the sum of £2O from the defendant as his (defendant’s) share of the costs and damages plaintiff paid in the recent libel action, Anderson v Gillon, Kent, and Waters. Mr Barton appeared for plaintiff and Mr Ollivier (Messrs Travers and Ollivier) for the defendant. The plaintiff contends that Macdonald was a partner in the “Argus” proprietory when the libel action was brought by Anderson, and he claims from defendant the sum of £2O. The defence is that Macdonald was not a partner with Gillon, Kent, and Waters when the libel action was decided. The Magistrate has reserved his decision. Post-office Economy. —The Southern portion of the Australian mails, ex Hero, were not forwarded from Auckland by the Taupo. This, says the “ Herald,” was caused simply by the want of tact on the part of those they were sent down to the wharf in charge of. On reaching the end of the wharf the Taupo was just steaming off, and the officers then went round to the A.S.P. Co’s T and borrowed the s.s. Pretty Jane’s dingy. Lowering the eight or ten bags into the boat, the two officials began to pull, but it was evident that their forte was not rowing, for one simply pulled the other round, to the amusement of a large number of spectators. “Stroke ” eased a little, and the dingy was then headed towards the Railway Wharf, when seeing that if a great effort was not made the Taupo would not be overhauled, stroke put on a spurt, and away with the flood the gallant oarsmen pulled over towards Stokes Point, the steamer by this time being fully a quarter of a mile ahead. A more ludicrous scene than the above has not bcenwitnessed on the wharf for a long time. The men ought to have taken the bag to the boathouse, and engaged a couple of watermen, who would have headed the Taupo easily, at a cost of six shillings, and our Southern friends would have had their Australian letters sooner than they can now receive them. At the Bar or the House. —Writing in anticipation of the appearance of Mr George Jones at the bar of the House, and theorising as to his probable behaviour, the Wellington correspondent of the Auckland “Herald” says : —-I have seen men brought before the bar, and who, before going there were, as Chancer says of the miller’s daughter, “ straight as a bolt, and upwright as a dart,” but who looked limp and woe-begone enough when they were done with. I saw John Martin (“ General John Martin !of the Wairarapa Cavalry,” as he labelled his trunks when last passing through i the United States, where he was feted by the j many colonels of that military land, but could not possibly stay the next day if there was a I militia review on) —I saw “Jonnic” before i the bar for some rubbishy little offence against ; privilege. He was pale as his own snowy I vest, his tongue had that dry rattle in his mouth which nervous excitement occasions, 1 and it was with difficulty he could articulate the few sentences of apology which his lawyer i for a consideration had written out for Mm. —Referring to the same case the Wellington “Post” says: —Parliament somehow always makes a mess of it when it gets hold of an unhappy printer charged with breach of privilege. The last previous instance of one being so brought up was that of Mr Thomas M'Kenzie, of the “Independent,” some ten years ago. A sleepy reporter wrote a stupid paragraph at two o’clock in the morning about the hon. member for Caversham, Mr A. J. Burns, unduly occupying the time of the House. Mr Burns made a dreadful row about|the matter next day—being an inexperienced and indeed not over-wise member. So poor Mr M'Kenzie was duly brought up for “breach of privilege,” and thereby half frightened out of what small amount of wits he possessed. Somebody, however, wrote a curious sort of apology for him, which Mr M'Kenzie duly read at the bar of the House. The House thereupon, being eager to be done with the absurd farce, accepted the apology and discharged the trembling culprit. The best of the joke was that the so-called apology simply amounced to an expression of regret that the House could not understand the meaning of the peccant paragraph.