NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1297, 16 May 1878, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

C.Y.C.—The members of the O.Y.C. returned to town last evening from their encampment at Ashburton. The Health op the City.—The sanitary committee of the City Council yesterday visited some of the localities within the city boundaries which most require improvement in the way of drainage, &c.

Election ok Auditors.—The nomination of two auditors for the city takes place on the 23rd inst., the election, if necessary, on June Ist. The same dates have also been fixed for the election of auditors for the borough of Sydenham. Mbbivale. —The first of a series of parish entertainments will be given to-morrow night at the schoolroom, Merivale. There will be readings, songs, duets, and part songs, together with a short lecture on “ Humour” by the Rev. T. Flavcll.

Home Ships.—The New Zealand Shipping Company have chartered the Margaret Galbraith, owned by the Albion Shipping Company, and now in Wellington, to load wheat at Port Chalmers. She will bo their next vessel from that port.

| IDeainage Boabd.—The nomination of a member to servo on the Drainage Board for the south-eastern portion of the city in the room of the late Mr T. D. Jones will take place at St. John’s schoolroom on the 23nd inst. The poll, if necessary, will be taken on the 27th inst. . • ~ . Accident at Leithfield.—At Leith field, on Saturday, a boy named Edward Bebson was severely kicked in the face by a pony which he and his elder brother had been riding. The youth’s lower jaw was broken, and some of his teeth knocked out. Medical attendance was quickly obtained.

The Defaulter Hunteb.—We are informed that the amount of defalcations of the man Hunter in his accounts with the Survey Department is comparatively small, though the whole of his liabilities are supposed to reach the sum stated in yesterday’s issue.

Rakaia Gorge Bridge.—This desirable work, for which tenders have been invited, will not only be a great public convenience, but also one of the handsomest bridges in the province. It will be a single-span iron girder bridge, of 180 ft. span, extending from the island to the north bank of the Rakaia.

Volunteers. —A general monthly parade of the Christchurch Volunteer Artillery, Engineers, and City Guards took place last night at the Drill-shed, under the command of Major Lean. There was a good attendance of the men of each company,, Complimentary Dinner to Mr R. Wilkin. —The complimentary dinner to Mr R. Wilkin on the occasion of his visit to England will take 1 place on the 21st inst., and is expected to be very largely attended. It will be held in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Messrs J. O. Sheppard and Cookson being the caterers. Pedestbianism. The walking match between Bowley and Pentecost, fifty miles, in which the former concedes half an hour’s start to the latter, will take place on Saturday next in the Oddfellows’ Hall. A start will be made at noon, and several gentlemen have volunteered to act as time-keepers, &c.

Fire Brigade Practice.—The usual monthly wet practice of the Christchurch Fire Brigade took place last night. The two steamers, Extinguisher and Deluge, were stationed at Lane’s Mill, and the hose was tested with satisfactory results. The brigade went through their ordinary practice drill under the charge of Mr Superintendent Harris.

High School. —The piece of ground at the corner of Worcester street west and Antigua street, chosen as the site of the Boys’ High School, is now cleared, and the boring for the foundation being proceeded with, Ihe borings to the shingle bed vary from 4ft. 6in. to lift., with an average of 6ft. 6in. About forty borings have been made, and this operation will probably be completed to-day, when the ground will be ready for laying the foundation of the building. Domain. —ln consequence of the severe drought and the recent high winds the footpaths in the Domain have been worn into wide holes, and the sand drifted into great wreaths over the borders, covering the plants that fringe them. Hitherto the footpaths in the Domain hare been top-dressed with soil, but at the present time none being available, it has been found necessary to repair them with shingle. After the larger stones have been picked off, the ground will be well rolled, and the result will be that in winter the paths will be more solid, and in the summer months will be better adapted to withstand the drought and high winds.

Leeston Town Hall Co. —The annual meeting of shareholders was held in the Town Hall, Leeston, on Monday evening, May 13th. There was a numerous attendance, and Mr George Sandrey was voted to the chair. The Treasurer produc d accounts and a balance sheet, which had been duly audited, showing receipts during the year £136 14s 9d ; expenditure, £l3l 13s 7d ; credit balance, £5 Is 2d. The balance sheet was approved and adopted. The following officers were appointed :—President, Mr Barnett j Yice- president, Mr Killner; Directors, Messrs Douglas, Jameson, J. Marison, Bennett, J. Wills, Blackler; Secretary, Mr Lewis; Treasurer, Mr Smithson ; auditors, Messrs Emms and Sandrey.

Poultry Association. —We remind members of this association that the adjourned meeting takes place to-night at Radcliffe’s Hotel. The matter for consideration will be the importation of canaries, &c., by. the society, to be afterwards disposed of to the members. At the meeting to-night it will be for the members to say to what extent they will aid the society in the proposed importation by becoming purchasers. There can be no doubt that the infusion of new blood into both canary and poultry classes will be of infinite benefit to breeders here, and greatly improve the quality of our shows.

Release of Pbisonebs feom Gaol.—A rumour has been in circulation for a day or two that in certain cases prisoners had been detained in Lyttelton Gaol beyond the proper time of their imprisonment. Enquiries made show that the report was absolutely without foundation, but that one or more prisoners might have obtained a larger remission and thus been released earlier, if their behaviour in gaol had been such as to entitle them to the full number of good marks obtainable. This system of marks appears to be working very satisfactorily, and by holding out inducements to prisoners to conduct themselves well, materially promotes the successful management of the gaol. A remission of as much as one-fourth of a sentence may be obtained when the behaviour of a prisoner has been satisfactory to the governor of the gaol. There is, however, no title to any remission ; it is simply an act of grace.

The Crown Redress Act of New Zealand. —Mr Courtney, in the House of Commons in the absence of Mr E. Jenkins, asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether an Act had been passed by the New Zealand Legislature called the Crown Redress (No. 2) Act, and whether it had bcenjreserved for her Majesty’s approval; whether it was a provision of this Act that persons having claims against the New Zealand Government should he deprived of any remedy against that Government for any claim arising after the passing of the Act “ unless the petition setting forth the relief sought shall be filed within twelve months after the claim or demand has arisen ; ” and whether any remonstrance had been or would be sent to the New Zealand Government on the subject. Sir M. Hicks-Beach said : An Act called the Crown Redress Act has been passed in New Zealand and was not reserved for her Majesty’s approval. The sixth section enacts that no person shall bo entitled to prosecute any claims under the Act unless the petition setting forth the relief sought shall be filed within twelve months after the claim or demand has arisen. An objection to the Act was received subsequent to Us parsing, which has been communicated to the Governor pf; Sfevr Zealaad

Fire at Capt. Fisheb’s.—The police have been endeavoring to discover by what means the fire at Capt. Fisher’s on Sunday was caused, but have been unsuccessful in their endeavors.

1.0.0. F reception committee of the Loyal Avon Lodge, appointed to receive Bro. Harmon, the Deputy G-.S. of the American Lodges, have received a telegram, intimating that he will be in Christchurch on Saturday next. He is at present engaged in officially visiting the Wellington lodges. The banquet will take place at the White Hart on Monday, when it is expected that the D.Q-.S. will give an interesting account of the progress of the order in America, and his experience of its working in New Zealand. The Kingston Fibe.—At the inquest on the bodies of the three men burned to death by the fire at the Terminus Hotel, Kingston, the jury returned the following verdict : “ That the deceased men were accidentally suffocated and burned to death at the Terminus Hotel, Kingston.” At the subsequent inquest as to the cause of the fire, a verdict was returned that there was no evidence to show how it originated. The landlord was of opinion that it must have been caused by one of the deceased men striking a match to light his pipe. Football. —The following team was chosen by the committee last night to play against the restof the club, on .Cranmer square, next Saturday:—Messrs A. H. Anderson, W. H. Atack, C. Bolton, E. J. Cotterill, J. R. Evans, J. Field, W. Hartland, R. Lanauze, Q-. S. Mathias, W. Million, A. M. Ollivier, L. M. Ollivier, W. Potts, M. Smith, W. Stringer, and J. Wilkin, Emergency, E. A. Pavitt and T. Ross. The colors will be: Club, blue and white; Sixteen, red and black. The Club will be captained by Mr J. Millton, and as this will be the last game before the match with the 5.C.F.0., it is to be hoped that there will be a large attendance, so that the Fifteen may get as much practice as possible.

Accidents. —An accident occurred on Tuesday at Lightband and Allan’s boot factory, by which one of the lads employed therein was injured. It appears that a hole had been cut in the floor for the purpose of effecting some alteration, and the lad did not observe it. He fell some distance, but his fall was broken somewhat by a parcel of boots he was carrying at the time. He was, however, rendered insensible.—The friends of Mr D. McGuinness will learn with regret that he met with rather a serious accident yesterday. He was driving in company with Messrs O’Callaghan and Washbourne from Chertsey to Rakaia in a four-wheeled buggy. On arriving at Rakaia the driver of the vehicle, in attempting to turn a corner unfortunately capsized the buggy, throwing out the three occupants. Messrs O’Gallaghan and Washbourne escaped with a few bruises, but Mr McQ-uinness had his leg broken just above the ankle besides receiving some severe contusions on the head. He was brought to town in a goods van, and subsequently conveyed home, where he was attended by Dr, Doyle. New Recreation Ground—A preliminaiy meeting of the promoters of a new scheme for providing a recreation ground on the eastern side of the town was held yesterday afternoon at the White Hart Hotel. The scheme, as explained to the meeting, is to float a company to purchase a block of land of about 100 acres on the east side of the town, the inner circle of which it is proposed to convert into a recreation ground on which to hold sports, picnics, cricket matches, &c. The outer portion of the block circumscribing the recreation reserve would have a frontage to an open road, and be subdivided into building blocks, under certain restrictions, so as to ensure the erection of a superior class of buildings. The plan commands itself from a commercial point of view, as it would greatly increase the value of property on the eastern belt, and also supply a want much felt by the inhabitants of that locality. There will be an influential provisional directory, and a meeting will he called at an early date for the full consideration of the scheme.

The Mexican Boedeb Raids. —The American mail brings particulars of the late collision on the Mexican border, near El Paso, between the State troops and a Mexican mob. The affair arose out of a dispute about some salt ponds, from which the Mexicans had derived their salt supply. Some settlers from the States took possession of the salt ponds, and their agent and ex-Judge Howard endeavoured to exclude the Mexicans from the use of them. A State Senator named Cardie interfered on behalf of the Mexicans’ rights, and Howard shot him. Howard gave himself up to the civil authorities, but the Mexicans became greatly excited, and twenty of the State troops who were protecting him were surrounded by a mob of 300 Mexicans. The surrender of Howard was demanded and refused, whereupon the Mexicans attacked the troops, shooting five and a merchant named Ellis. The remaining troops intrenched themselves and held out for three days, when, on the 17th instant, having run short of ammunition, they surrendered. Howard was shot on the spot, as well as two others. Arrangements were being made for sending-down troops to the assistance of those who were prisoners. A Suspicions Accident.— ln connection with the death of Luke Harris, says the “ New Zealander,” at Masterton, a few days ago, we are informed that circumstances have come to light which render it necessary that a fresh investigation should be held respecting the cause of death. It will be recollected that death was caused by deceased falling from a loft at the Empire stables, Masterton. Some relatives of deceased proceeded to the Wairarapa to see to the funeral, and on making enquiries they found that certain circumstances were not adduced at the inquest. It is said that the hat worn by deceased was found by his relatives in the loft, spotted with blood, and it is also asserted that there were cuts .on the head which were not caused by the fall alone. These matters having been reported to the Wellington police, inquiries are being made, and we shall probably be able to make known the result to-morrow. It is possible that everything of a suspicious character may be satisfactorily explained, but, if not, a fresh investigation will of course b© held.

Weasels foe New Zealand. —The London correspondent of the “ Argus " writes : “ What is the use of it ?” is a disparaging remark one often hears, as regards the existence of many things, from wasps to the House of Peers ; and it is a question difficult to answer. One can only hope that there is more in the thing in question than meets the eye, as in the case, for example, of toads, bookmakers—l don’t mean novelists, but welchers —spiders, stinging nettles, and home rulers. We endeavour to think that nature has made no mistakes ; that “ not a moth with vain desire, is frizzled iu a fruitless fire, or but subserves another’s gain.” And anything that encourages this sanguine view is welcome. The 500 weasels sent for to this country by New Zealand, to thin its rabbits, is in this regard a good sign, for until now who has ever seen any use in weasels? A pound a head is offered for them, which is more than what used to be given in the good old times for wolves’ heads. But there is a difficulty, it seems, “in supplying your esteemed order as per maiL” It is not easy, as we all know, to catch a weasel asleep; imagine, then, the difficulty of catching 500 of them.

Mr Tanceed and the “Otago Dailt Times.” —In its issue of May 11th the “ Otago Duly Times” made the amende to the Chancellor of the University for its err.'iieous attack upon him. The apology concludes at follows : —We yield to none in respect for the unblemished character of Mr Tai crod, and wo hope that none of his subordinates will ever give cause for his being called to render an account for any wrong doing in the University, for which, although personally entirely blameless, he would nevertheless as its chief executive officer be regarded in the eyes of all men as ifficndly responsible. In this as we now learn, there has been no wrong doing, the being but a phantom of the muddled b~ ,m °* the Press Age: cy. Never l heless, f«- the unwitting share which we have Aad_ in it—although more sinned against (dan eimung yet a little sinning too—we- aesiro to express our regret ard sincere ap'-logies to the Chancellor snd officers of the University, for having piled up the agonv. A s for our hysterical glorification of Oisgo, we shall cheerfully bear all the chaffing it deserves*

Timaett Gaol. - The additions to the Titnaru Gaol, for which tenders are invited, will comprise two solitary colls in the male division, and one refractory cell. Two cells will also be added to the female division, all of these being constructed of concrete. Other necessary storage accommodation is included in the plan, which has been prepared in the Public Works Office. Mutual Impeovembnt Association. — The usual weekly meeting of this association was held last evening, when Mr Oonnal occupied the chair. The evening was devoted to a debate on the question “ Whether it is desirable to allow free Chinese immigration.” Messrs Black and Willstead spoke in the affirmative, and Messrs Allison, Gabites, Schmidt, Prudhoe and Shelton in the nega« tive. After Mr Black had replied, the chairman summed up, and the meeting clo-'ed. Supposed Suicide. —Yesterday afternoon Mrs Robinson, the wife of Robert Robinson, a farmer residing at Avonside, found a lady’s straw hat, soaked with water, on the bank of the river, opposite Cowlishaw’s corner. Mr Robinson went to the spot, aud found near it seven £1 notes and 15s6d in silver, also a pair of new black kid gloves, together with a bill showing that they had been purchased the same day at the shop of Messrs Strange and Co. He likewise found a piece of black ribbon and a handkerchief with the name “A. Bowling” marked on one corner. Mr Robinson at once brought the articles to the Police Depot, and detective Walker immediately went to Messrs Strange and Co.’s shop and learned that a young lady had that morning, about 10 o’clock, changed a cheque of Mr Hardy Johnston’s for £B, paying out of it for the gloves, and receiving in change the exact amount found. From further enquiries the detective learned that Miss Bowling had for two months been day governess for Mr Johnston’s children, and had been discharged on the previous day. Mrs Robinson had a few minutes after twelve seen a lady rise from a rail of the fence close to where the articles were found, but did not notice in what direction she went, neither did she hear a splash or a scream. Miss Bowling is sister to Mrs Hansman, of the Feathers Hotel, Addington, with whom she resided. She had left home yesterday at the usual hour, 9.30, and Mrs Hansman wr-s under the impression that she had gone to Mr Johneton’s, as she had said nothing of being discharged. Nothing unusual was then observable in her manner. Miss Bowling had lately been in a desponding state of mind in consequence of the drowning of one of her brothers, who was first officer on board the Avalanche, wrecked in the English Channel. Another brother was recently drowned in the North Island. Where Miss Bowling is supposed to have thrown herself into the river the water is sft or 6ft deep. The police yesterday afternoon dragged the river, but did not succeed in recovering the body, the willows on the bank interfering considerably with their operations. The body was found this morning about sixty yards below where the money and other articles had been found. It was removed to the Hospital, where an inquest will be held, probably tomorrow* j : -s ■