NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1388, 27 July 1878, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Charitable Aid.—A meeting of the Charitable Aid Board will be held at seven o’clock this evening at the Hospital. Legal.—His Honor Mr Justice Johnston sat in Chambers yesterday, when several formal applications were disposed of. German Church.—The Rev. W. H. Keast will hold service in this Church tomorrow.

Evangelistic.—Mr Bates will hold service in the Oddfellows’s Hall to-morrow evening. St. John’s Church, Lyttelton.—The Rev. J. Hill will lecture in this Church tomorrow evening on “The precious things of the Bible.” Colombo Road Wesleyan Church. — The Revs. W. Pee and J. S. Smalley will deliver evangelistic addresses to-morrow evening in the above church. Infectious Diseases. —Seven cases of infectious disease have been reported in this district since the 12th July, viz.: —Typhoid, 1; scarletina, 2 ; scarlet fever, 3 ; diphtheria, 1. Hew Railway.—The preliminary notice of the Mount Hutt and Alford Forest railway company appears among the advertisements to-day. The company is to bo registered under the Joint-Stock Companies Act, and to be constructed under the District Railways Act, 1877. Education in Canterbury.—The quarterly return of the number of schools in the North Canterbury district, the attendance thereat, and the number of teachers therein, has just been published. The total number of schools, including the Normal school, is 109. Of these, two, viz, Bslcairn and Barr Hill, have been opened during the quarter. The number of teachers employed is 325, of whom 157 are mules and 168 fe rales, exclusive of 29 sewing mistresses. The total number of children on the rolls at the beginning of the quarter was 12,253, and at the end of the quarter 13,022; the average weekly number being 12,304. The average attendance shows that the strict total weekly average has been 8833, and the working average 9337. The Ministerial Policy.—At the entertainment given by the Zealandia Minstrels on Thursday evening, a rather felicitous hit was made by Sambo on the present state of affairs political. He mentioned to his brother burnt-corkists that he had seen a gentleman in a local insurance office endeavoring to obtain an insurance on the life of Sir George Grey, but unsuccessfully. Sambo went on to say that he knew the cause, but that he ■would give his brethren three guesses to find out. This they did, but failed, when the corner man said in a tone of regret, “ The manager said there was not a man in New Zealand who could make out Sir George Grey’s policy.” This observation was received with loud applause. Theatre Royal.—Goldsmith’s comedy, “ She Stoops to Conquer,” was performed last night at 'the Theatre Royal. Miss Florence Colville as Mrs Hardcastle, and Mr Hoskins as Young Marlow, were the life and soul of the piece, [and they were ably supported by Mr J. P. Hydes as Tony Lumpkin, Mr J. F. Graham as Hastings, and Mr Walter Hill as Old Hardcastle. The comedy was generally well performed. This evening (here will be a very attractive performance—- “ Pygmalion and Galatea ” and “ The Serious Family” should draw a bumper house. A change in the cast has been made, Mrs Searle appearing in the first piece as Daphne, and Lady Sowerby Creamly in “ The Serious Family.” On Monday “Leah ” will be produced, to be followed by novelties. Sefton. —An adjourned meeting of the farmers and others residing in this district was held at Mr Kamsay’s Sefton Hotel on Thursday night, Mr C. S. Edward in the chair. The chairman said he had communicated with the Kaiipoi Farmers’ Club as requested, and had much pleasure in reading the very favorable reply. (Letter road), It would now bo the business of the meeting to take the necessary steps to procure a quantity of prepared grain for distribution amongst those who required it. Proposed by J. Moss, seconded by Mr J. McLeod, and carried —“That a committee be formed for the purpose of procuring and preparing a quantity of poisoned grain for the destruction of sparrows, the grain to be sold at a price to cover actual expenses.” The following were elected a committee : —Mr John Vallance, jun., Mr John Moss, Mr Jas. Ferguson, Mr John McLeod, Mr A. Yallance, jun., Mr F. Hodges, Mr John Baird, Mr M. Hanna, Mr John CufFell. A vote of thanks to the chairman brought the meeting to a close. Pianoforte Manufactory. Messrs C. L. Cutler and Go. have established a pianoforte manufactory in Lichfield street, opposite the Oddfellows’ Hall. On a recent visit it was found that they had six pianos in hand in various stages of completion. Two finished ones are very excellent instruments both as to tone and workmanship. One of these is an exhibition model in Spanish mahogany case, trichord to middle C, and similar to one for which Mr Cutler obtained first prize at the London Workman’s Exhibition in 1872. The other is a handsome drawing-room model, with cylinder fall, in Italian walnut case, trichord to middle 0. Both these pianos are full sized cottage, and the touch and tone are excellent, the latter being sweet and brilliant with great fullness. No New Zealand wood has been used in their construction. These pianos will be on view at Mr Ekberg’s sewing machine depot, Triangle. It is satisfactory to learn, as showing a disposition to encourage a local industry, that the above pianos have been manufactured to the order of Christchurch residents. Amongst the others is a trichord oblique, giving I2Jin. longer bass string than a full-sized cottage, and when completed will be one of the most powerful instruments in the colony. Messrs Cutler and Co. are adding appliances to their factory, and hope to be able shortly to turn out a large number of instruments. An Old Story Retold.—The appointment of Mr Bradshaw to the Otago Waste Lands Board gives the “ Star ” occasion for the following retrospect Eleven years ago Mr Bradshaw was perhaps the most unpopular man in Otago. Mr Stafford, upon the election of Mr Mucandrew as Superintendent by an overwhelming majority over Mr Thomas Dick, absolutely refused to recommend the Governor to delegate to him the ordinary powers under the Goldfields Act ; and on April 16th, 1867, Mr Bradshaw was sent down as General Government Agent for the Otago Goldfields with plenary powers. A tremendous row, it will be recollected, was the consequence of this very injudicious action of the Government, in which Sir Julius Yogel took a leading part, and secured that firm support of the ultraProvincial party which eventually placed him in the Cabinet, which favor he rather ungratefully repaid by giving Provincialism its covp dc (jraoc. So the wheel turns round. Who could in 1867 have ever considered it possible that Mr Macandrew won m. be a Minister of the Crown, or that being so he would select Mr Bradshaw to fill an important and responsible administrative office ? An L t nconsidered PHOFiT.—What a valuable product can bo obtained trom (lie refuse from gasworks is shown by t.ho following paragraph from the “London Times” The Bradford Corporation have accepted the tender of Mr Stouart, of Manchester, offering £10,359 per annum for seven years for the ammoniacal liquor produced at the Bradford g’.s works during that period from July Ist. There were several f enders, the highest being £10,600. The price paid under the expiring contract has bee £BOO per annum during the past fen years. The holder of this contract was among the competitors for the new contract, and Ids tender was not £BOO a year but £8000! The discovery in the liquor of a certain chemical substance used in aniline dyes has greatly enha

Advertising and Contract-Letting.— The following mysterious hint appears in the “Dunedin Herald ” of a late date, and mysterious though it is, should attract attention: — “ If all be true that is now stated, the Government might dispense with advertising altogether, so far as some contracts are concerned. But more of this anon.” Coursing.—The third meet of the Canterbury Coursing Club took place yesterday, in the North Park, where bares were somewhat scarce. The first courses in the Sapling Stakes and Canterbury Cup were run off, and the ties will be decided to-day. The ground chosen will depend upon the scarcity or otherwise of hares. The meet will bo atßiccarton Hotel, at 9.30 a.m. It was generally supposed yesterday that the scarcity of hares arose from the fact that the bares have been snared to a great extent by poachers. For the Canterbury Cup the following dogs will have to run deciding courses :—Gazelle v. Frolic ; Magic v. Goll Goll; Leo v. Gill Gill; Le Rouge v. Spring. Education in China.—John Chinaman always has been a human puzzle. Judging from various accounts, he is now awaking to the advantages of fuller and more complete communications than he at present enjoys with the “ Western barbarians” —otherwise, English and American people. In Hong Kong, evening schools are to be forthwith started, at which the English language is to be taught to the Chinese scholars, “to the exclusion of all other kinds of teaching;” the intention therein being, we are told, that the pupils shall be thus educated to fit them “ for becoming servants, shoppeople, and artisans for the Australian and American fields of labor.” Whilst from another source we also learn that in the city of Hartford, in America, the Chinese Government is maintaining at an expense of 100,000 dollirs a year a school whereat “ more than a hundred Chinese boys are going through an educational course that is to last fifteen years.” A Spanish Use fob the Lemon Verbena.—ln a recently issued work (says the “Gardener’s Chronicle”) entitled “Among the Spanish People,” the author speaks of the value of the scented verbena. He draws a comparison between its cultivation •with us merely ns a scented garden plant and its systematic collection and storing in Spain for winter use. With the Spaniards it is said to form one of the finest stomachics and cordials, and is taken either made into a decoction and drank cold with water and sugar as a tonic, or with the morning and evening cup of tea. A sprig of about five or six leaves of the lemon verbena is first put into the cup and the hot tea poured upon it. By “using this it is said “you will never suffer from flatulence, never be made nervous and old maidish, never have cholera, diarrhoea, or loss of appetite. Besides, the flavor is simply delicious ; no one who has once drank their pekoe with will ever again drink it without a sprig of lemon verbena. By-law Concerning Swine.—The Board of Health have bad the following by-law re swine drafted by Messrs Garrick and Cowlishaw : —“ The Christchurch Drainage Board, as the Local Board of Health for the district, constituted by the second section of the Christchurch District Drainage Act, 1875, in pursuance of the powers and authorities in that behalf vested in them by the Public Health Act, 1876, the Christchurch Drainage Board as such Local Board of Health for the said district, do hereby direct and order as follows : —l. No person shall keep, or suffer to be kept, any swine within the said district within 100 ft. of a dwelling house. 2. Every person who shall keep, or suffer to be kept, any swine within the said district, within 100 ft. of a dwelling house, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding £lO, and to a further penalty not exceeding £1 for every day during which such person shall so keep the same, or suffer the same to be so kept as aforesaid.” A New Religion of Peace.—A good deal has been heard lately of the tenets of Te Kooti’s religion. A new religion as between Pakeha and Maori has also been apparently in vogue during the recess, but its tenets do not appear to have been precisely formulated until the other day by the “ Poverty Bay Herald,” which has the following :—lf he (the Maori) openly rebels against the laws of his Queen and the land he lives in, he is provided with an annual income, a large house is built for him, and he is offered the pick of the best sections in the town. If he sells land honorably to a European and is fairly paid for it, ho is indirectly assisted by the Government, to get back his land, and an opportunity is afforded to him to sell it over again, he at the same time sticking to the original purchase money. If he gets into debt he is equally as well protected from any of those petty annoyances European debtors are subjected to. A Poverty Bay Swindle.—The following story (says the Poverty Bay “ Standard”) communicated to us by a correspoudent, is too good to be lost sight of: —“Rather a barefaced swindle was perpetrated in one of tho out-districts the other day. A load of goods was sent to a person who is not considered one of the best of marks. Among other things on the dray was a cask of beer, and the carter received instructions to bring it back if the money was not paid on delivery. Tho load arrived safely at its destination, but as the money was not forthcoming, the beer was left on the dray to be ready to start home again on the followin» morning, when a small re! urn load was put on the dray beside the cask, the carter congratulating himself on having carried out his instructions so well. Arrived home again, two men jumped into the dray to take off the beer, when to their astonishment the cask was empty! ” Accident to an Engine Driver.—The engine driver on the Whitechffs Branch railway had last night a very narro w escape of instantaneous death. It appears that his engine had lately been undergoing repairs, and that he heard something wrong, and got from his footplate to the step of the engine to listen carefully. In leaning from the step his body encountered the lever of the points close to the South Malvern station. The lever struck him on the hip, causing him to let go his hold of the rail of the engine, and he fell on his head, cutting the scalp from the left temple to the right for about six inches. The stoker at once stopped tho train, assisted him into a carriage, and then proceeded to Horndon Junction. A telegram was immediately sent to Sheffield to stop the train there, and bring with it Dr. Meadows, but unfortunately the telegram was about a minute late. A special train was sent to Sheffield, and Dr. Meadows reached the sufferer about 6.15 p.m,, two hours after the accident, and attended to his wounds, which consisted of a crescent shaped scalp wound, some six inches in length, and two severe abrasions on the arms. The injured man, with Dr. Meadows in attendance, was taken by special Lain to the Christchurch HospiUl last night. The Licensing Law.—A very grave defect in tho licensing law (says the “New Zealander ”) was brought to light by a somewhat peculiar application made by Mr Ollivier. Mr Ollivier applied to his Worship, Mr Mansford, as chairman of the Licensing Bench, for the transfer of the license of the Karori Hotel under the following circumstances ;—Thomas Carter, who held the license, had been ejected by the owners of the house, Messrs Mace and Arkell, hut Carter, feeling his power to dictate terms, inasmuch as he held tho license for the house, refused to back the application for tho transfer. Sir Ollivier, under these circumstances, a.nked that a transfer of the license might be made to Jane Uindge, in accordance with an Ordinance o£ the provincial Council of "Wellington, i 859. His Woiship d .ferred his decision till he had looked the law upon the subject, and later on in the day his Worship informed Mr Ollivier that ho had discovered that the Ordinance ho referred to had been repealed by tho Publicans’ House Management Act, 1874, and (hat consequently the consent of the holder of tho license would have lo be obtained before the transfer could be effected. Mr Ollivier naturally expressed his surprise that provision for such cases had been lost sight of in the General Licensing Act. The matter is rather serious, and steps should bo taken during next session to provide a remedy, or it is quite possible that a great dial ot loss and serious inconvenience may result from tho action of spitefully inclined or unscrupulous men holding licenses in their names.

Poisoning a Greyhound.— Mr 12. W. Roper’s greyhound Lome, which had been entered tor the Sapling Slakes, died a day or two back under suspicious circumstances. The cause of the animal’s death was poison, and there is great reason to believe that it was not an accidental circumstance. Ms Driver and the Premier.— The notions of Mr Driver, one of the candidates for Roslyn, on the subject of quietness appear to be singular. If there is one man in the colony upon whom one would fix as an embodiment of disquiet it would bo the Head ot the Government. But the candidate in question said “If he went to Wellington he should be a follower of Sir George Grey, because he admired the quiet and judicious manner in which he was managing the atlairs of the colony, so entirely different from what one might suppose from hearing him on the platform.” The Counties Act. — The Tauranga County Council resolved at a recent meeting to bring the whole of the Counties Act into operat ion. The chairman, Mr G. B. Morris, remarked that the Council, having taken this important step, must not shut their eyes to the fact that having brought the Act into full operation, increased taxation would follow. He had for some time known that a strong desire to bring the Act into operation existed in the Council, and, for his own part, he was quite willing to share the responsibility of having done so. The Obdeb fob New Trucks. —The Minister for Public Works (says the “Dunedin Herald”) xb will bo remembered, informed a deputation recently that 800 railway trucks had been ordered to be made in the colony. He also stated that he had been compelled to send home for an interim supply, as the colonially manufactured ones would not be ready in time. The home order was stated to be merely a supplementary one. From a statement by the hon. gentleman to the Port Chalmers deputation yesterday, it appears that the said supplementary home order was for 1000 trucks.

Catholic Church. —The ceremony of reopenin'' the Catholic Church, after the extensive alterations which have been made, will bo performed to-morrow by tho Eight Ecv. Dr. RedC.J.C.—A special general meeting of the C.J.C. will be held at Radeliffe’s Hotel on Monday next, at 4 p.m. Canterbury Cricket Association.—Ap adjourned meeting of the above will be held this evening at Radcliffe’s Commercial Hotel.