NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1391, 31 July 1878, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Appointment. —Charles Allison, jun., is gazetted Inspector of Weights and Measures tor the district of the City of Christchurch. Postal.— Post offices have been opened at Bingsland, Lakeside, and Southbridge Junction. The office on Stanmore road has been closed. Refohm Association. —A meeting of the Now Zealand Political Reform Association was held last evening at. the Temperance Hall, Gloucester street, when Mr John Jebeon explained in a lengthy address the programme of the Association. Confirmation, —Last night Dr. Redwood confirmed a largo number of boys and girls, with a few adults, at the Roman Catholic Church, He also conducted the ceremony of blessing “The Stations of the Cross.” The church was crowded during the service. Prison Labob. — An application was recently made by the curator of the Domain gardens for the services of four of the prisoners from Addington gaol, but owing to the small staff of warders the request could not be granted. One warder in attendance on the four men working in the gardens would have left only one to look after eighteen prisoners in the gaol. Theater Royal. Galatea” was repeated last night at the Theatre, the performance terminating with the burlesque of “ Turco the Terrible.” This evening Miss Florence Colville will take her benefit, when, by particular request, the “ School for Scandal” will be presented. The attraction of the comedy, combined with Miss Colville’s popularity as Lady Teazle, should ensure a brilliant house. Children in Trains. —That the railway authorities should facilitate as much as may bo the transit of children to and from school, no one can dispute, but the fact that the young people travel unaccompanied by guardians responsible for their good behaviour has raised the question whether or not a carriage should be set aside for their use, so as to prevent their incommoding travellers who object to boisterous fun. That such an arrangement would bo appreciated is assorted by not a few. The Domain. —A great deal of useful and ornament al work is at present being done in the Domain gardens by charitable aid labor, under the supervision of Mr Armstrong, junr. The edges of the paths are being dotted with choice varieties of trees such as Wellingtonia, Deodara", intermixed with rare pines and cypresses. There is considerable scarcity of rose bushes in the gardens, and contributions would be thankfully received from nurserymen or amateur gardeners possessing a superfluity of them. Child Smothered. —A man named John Lefforb reported at the Police Depot last night, about a quarter-past eight, that some time during the afternoon an infant child about eleven months old, named Sarah Jackson, daughter of Alexander Jackson, a farmer residing in the Lincoln road, had been smothered by her sister, a little girl four years of age. All the information Leffort, who is in Jackson’s employ, could give was that the mother set the elder child to rock the baby in the cradle and the farmer fell asleep on the top of the deceased in the cradle and probably caused her death. An inquest will be held at the house of the child’s parents this afternoon. Tree Planting. —The announcement by the Domain Board that trees for planting can be obtained on application, from the Domain plantations, has created a considerable demand from settlers in various parts of the province. The trees principally in request are the European and American conifer®, oak, ash, sycamore, birch and Oriental and Occidental planes and shrubs. It is curious that considering their commercial value, for carriage works, household furniture, &c., there should be the least request for ash and oak trees, while the less valuable conifer® are in the largest demand. This is probably attributable to their handsome appearance when they have attained their full growth, notwithstanding their inferiority in value. Applicants should bear in mind when sending in their orders to Mr Armstrong that the Board does not sanction any expense in forwarding trees to their destination. Personal application and removal would therefore obviate much unnecessary delay in their transmission. The Weather in the Upper Ashley. —The sudden change in the weather last Sunday, when an almost warm westerly wind replaced the very cold blasts experienced during the last few weeks, has had the effect of thawing, to a partial extent, the caked snow which has so long lain upon the high levels of Upper Canterbury. Our correspondent at the Upper Ashley writes that no less than twelve to eighteen inches of snow has been covering the spurs for some weeks past, not a tussock, in fact, being visible for nearly a fortnight. The cattle and sheep have had very hard times of it, a large percentage being frozen to death. The whole country was under snow, and the surface so hardened by frost that it cannot be expected to melt for many days. From Wharfdale, the properly of Hon. E. Richardson, it is stated that sheep and cattle are starving in all directions. The snow at Mr Richardson’s, near the fund of Richardson’s track, was nearly twenty inches deep on the flats, and it cannot be said that things look at all promising in that part of the country. New Premises. — A very handsome addition will shortly be made to the buildings of Christchurch by the erection of Messrs J. T. Ford and Co.’s new premises in Cashel street. The plan of the buildings has been prepared by Mr A W. Simpson, and the premises are of the Venetian-Gothic style, the material being Coalstream and Cass Peak stone, and relieved with red brick. The main entrance will be by a largo archway, leading to the repository and grain saleroom. The archway will be Hanked on either side with spacious offices, in which the business of the firm will be transacted. The right hand side, on entering, will be devoted to the clerks’ and strong rooms, and in close proximity to the private offices of Messrs Ford and Newton. In connection with the main building, also on the right hand, are a suite of commodious offices with a strong room, which will be let, a portion of the upper part of the building being also let. The repository, iu the centre of the building, will be 09 feet long and 50 feet wide, fitted with ranges of stalls sufficient for the requirements of the firm. The sale room, 05 feet by 50 feet, will be at the rear of the premises, the door being asphalted, the grain and seed sjle rooms, of corresponding dimensions, being above. The whole of the building will be unusually substantial, being constructed altogether of brick and stone. The entire block, when completed, will have a frontage of 50 feet in width, with a depth of 206 feet. The plans of the Hereford street portion of the offi vs are in course of preparation, and will soon be ready. Government Savings Bane. —ln the General Government “ Gazette” of the 25th inst. is published a return of the number and amount of money orders and Savings Bank transactions in the several postal districts of New Zealand during the quarter ending 81st June, 1878, and the corresponding number and amount of the quarter bearing the same monthly date in the previous year. The increased number of the offices open shows an increased proportional amount of transactions completed and an excess in deposits. The increase is shown as follows, (.he quarter ending June 30th, 1877, being first in the following figures Money Order and Savings Bank Offi 'es open, 126 to 141; money orders issued, 22,800 fo 24,516 ; amount issued, £85,402 19s lid to £00,794 18s 7d ; number paid, 17,235 to 18,141 ; amount paid, £63,21)7 16s 7d to £65,852 10s 3d ; accounts opened 3010 to 3373 ; accounts closed, 2162 to 2400; number of deposits, 15,443 to 17,579; number of withdrawals, 15,443 to 15,570; amount of deposits, £170,228 5s 7d to £106,654 15s lid ; amount of withdrawals, £175,142 7s 7d to £180,677 14s 9d ; and the excess of withdrawals, £4085 18s to £6077 Is 2d. There are only four pieces in the colony where the withdrawals exceeded the deposits, and they are —the Thames, New Plymouth, Westport, and Hokitika. Christchurch stands first in the amount of deposits, the figures reaching to £53,556 17* lid, Dunedin follows with £45,468 7s. Wellington comes third on the list with $40,553 tis Id,

Ashburton. —The railway passenger traffic at Ashburton is daily increasing, and in consequence the need of additional accommodation at the station is more preseiegly felt. It is hoped that the Government will be able to enlarge the station without much f urther delay. Dunedin t. Invercargill.— Carriage for goods from Dunedin to Cromwell is £l4 a ton. Owing to the opening of the railway from Invercargill to Kingston, goods can be taken from the former place to Cromwell for somewhere about £7 a ton. No wonder that the local paper says the business people of the goldfields town are seriously thinking of getting their supplies from Southland. A Defect in tub Law. —A curious defect in our criminal law T (says the “Post ” of 25th July) came to light in the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning. A man was sentenced to two months’ hard labor for stealing an overcoat. As he was already undergoing a sentence of three months’ imprisonment for stealing boots at Greytown, the police asked whether the second term was to commence at the expiration of the first. Mr Mansford said he could see nothing in the law of the colony which allowed him to make such an order, the prisoner having been previously' sentenced by another Court, and he supposed the sentences must therefore run concurrently. Me Stout’s Yisionarinkss. —The Auckland “ Herald” has the following on Mr Stout’s views of taxation : —He then argues that a land tax should be hedged about by certain provisions. One of those provisions is that “ industry should not be taxed,” that “if a man improves his land, you ought not to increase the tax as he improves the land.” But apply this to the improvement of land in town, by buildings and otherwise. There the borough taxes improvements, taxes capital sunk, and the rental therefrom accruing, and we are disposed to believe that Mr Stout will find it difficult, in practice, to avoid applying to a general land tax, exactly the same principle which practice has found necessary in Borough and Road Board assessments. The G eological Survey. —An Auckland paper says : —“ We have a promise that Dr. Hector will visit the Thames professionally next season, although we are somewhat at a loss to know when the ‘ geological survey season ’ commences. The following letter on the subject comes from the Colonial Secretary’s department: ‘I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of (he 15th ult., addressed to Sir George Grey, requesting (hat Dr. Hector may be instructed by Government to visit the Thames district, in order that he may be enabled to report upon the quartz reefs there. Sir George Grey has referred your Worship’s letter to the Colonial Secretary, by whom I am directed to inform you that the re-survey of the Thames mines will be the first work of the Geological Survey Department for next season. I have the honor, &<s., G. S. Coopee.” Tub Repeesentation Question. —The “ New Zealand Times ” says : —lt is well known that the Hon. F. Whitaker during last session, before leaving office, had prepared a comprehensive measure dealing with the whole question of representation in this colony, which Bill is known to be based on. Mr Hare’s system of representation, the applicability and necessity of which we have frequently pointed out in our columns. It is now understood that Mr Whitaker will introduce this measure during the present session, unless the principles it embraces are embodied in the Government measures dealing with (he same subject. Wo sincerely wish Mr Whitaker success, being satisfied it is a measure of great merit, and hope the question will be dealt with by the House on its merits, and not made the subject of party squabble, as Mr Whitaker is known to have no desire to make political capital out of it.