NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1485, 19 November 1878, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Accident in Port. —An accident happened to one of the hands aboard the Hydaspes this morning. He was working cargo in the hold when a piece of machinery fell on him fracturing his right thigh and injuring his back. Dr. Macdonald was called and had the injured man taken to the casual ward.

Musical. —A conference of Tonic Solfaists was held last evening in the Durham street Wesleyan schoolroom for the purpose of inaugurating a Colonial Association oi Soifaiets. The Rev. J. Crump was voted to the chair, and explained the objects of the meeting, A draft of proposed rules, which had been previously circulated throughout New Zealand, was laid before the meeting, and the rules considered sevintim. It was resolved that tile name be the New Zealand 'lonic Sulfa Association ; that the subscription be 7s (id per annum ; and that the depot for tho sale of music, Ac., should be situat ed in Christchurch. lb was decided that a copy of the rules, as adopted by the meeting, should bo sent to the English Tonic Sol-fa College. The election of otlieers for the first year was then proceeded with, and resulted ns follows : President, Rev. J. Crump ; secretary, Mr W, S. Smith ; treasurer, Mr J. B. Slansell; committee —Messrs J. T. M. Smith, G. Brownlee, A. A. North, and C. Pye; four to form a quorum, Tho rules were ordered to be printed and circulated amongst all known sol-faisls throughout tho colony. A good deal of support has been promised from the various centres of population, and the newly-formed association has every appearance of soon bo* coming a very useful and popular one. Tho usual votes of thanks concluded the meeting,

A Water Supply fob Christchurch. — On Friday next the water supply committee will proceed to Boat’s Springs for the purpose of ascertaining if they can be made available at a future date for the supply of water to the city of Christchurch. The City Council. —The City l Council held its usual fortnightly meeting last evening, when a considerable amount of business was transacted. At eleven o’clock it was found (hat there was still a large quantity of business to be gone through, which was likely to occupy several hours, and the meeting was, therefore, adjourned until to-morrow evening. The Bush Fibes in the South. —It will be seen from our Timaru correspondent’s telegram that the bush fires at Waimate and Q-eraldine, far from being extinguished, burst out yesterday with renewed vigour, consequent upon a nor’-west gale again setting in. The unhappy position of those ruined settlers to whom our correspondent refers will surely secure for them some assistance from the people of North Canterbury. City Council Accommodation.— The present City Council appears to have attracted either more popularity or more notoriety than any of its predecessors, for hardly any of its meetings take place except in the presence of a number of interested burgesses. Last evening the audience was unusually large, and, as they were packed away to the number of about a doz en behind the Mayor’s chair, they gave the Council Chamber quite a crowded appearance. Fatal Accident. —A melancholy accident, resulting in the death of a young child, took place yesterday. The infant daughter, aged twenty-one months, of Mr W. Cuddon, residing at Fendaltown, was accidentally drowned, it is supposed by falling over a bridge into a stream in front of the house. A man in the employment of Mr Cuddon, passing by, saw the child in the water, and brought her out. Every means was used to effect restoration, but unavailingly, as life must have been extinct for some minutes before she was taken from the water. Dr. Coward was sent for, and, on arrival, pronounced all further efforts hopeless. Sudden Death. — A gentleman named Newell, from Timaru, died yesterday very suddenly. He had come to Christchurch for the benefit of his health, and to obtain additional medical advice, and was staying at the house of his friend, Mr McNicholls, at Addington. He had previously consulted Dr. Townend, who had pronounced his complaint to be heart and lung disease, and had prescribed for him, and intimated his wish to see him again before he returned to Timaru. Yesterday morning, about seven o’clock, deceased rose, and was going to breakfast when he complained of a suffocating feeling in his throat, and requested Mrs McNicholls to procure some rum for him, which she did, but shortly after he had seated himself at the breakfast table he fell back, and instantly expired. It is supposed that an inquest will be unnecessary, Dr. Townend being able to certify, from his previous examination of the deceased, as to the cause of death. Theatre Boyal. —Considering the attractive bill at the Theatre last night, and the fact that the performance was for the benefit of Messrs Walton and Haygarth, a better house might have been anticipated. Falconer’s famous Irish drama, “Peep o’Day,” was the play produced, and it was most creditably put on the stage. The scenery and effects were both good, the former being greatly enhanced by the use of the lime light in some of the principal scenes. Mr Walton was a satisfactory Harry Kavannagh, though it is not one of his best parts, and Mr Haygarth, his follow btineficiaire, made a not ineffective Barney, though his performance of the character was a long way behind his Nat Q-osling, but the roles are widely dissimilar, each demanding distinct and opposite requisites for excellence. Mr Burford was quite at home as Black Mullens, and in the Foil Dhrriv scene he was ably seconded by Miss Tilly Andrews as Kathleen Kavannagh, Mr Oily Deering was very racy as Father Cleary, and the remainder of the parts were reasonably well sustained. The fair and pattern scenes were acted with spirit, and the play, as a whole, went off to the satisfaction of the audience. “ Peep o’ Day ” will be repeated to-night. Cricket. —A match was played on Saturday last between the Woolston and Eastern Cricket Clubs, resulting in favour of Woolston by 31 runs. Messrs J. W. Davis 19, and E. Buxton 18, were the only double figures for Woolston, and Turner 10 was the only double figure for the Eastern, The bowling of Monck and Buxton for Woolston was very effective. The totals were—Woolston, 71 ; Eastern, 40. A match was also played between the Woolston second eleven and the Wairarapa club, resulting in a victory for the Woolston team in the first innings, the second not being finished. Smith 21, and Falconer 14, were the only double figures for Woolston, and Derrett, 19, was the only double figure for Wairarapa Club. The totals were— Woolston Second Eleven, 86; Wairarapa Club, 45. In the second innings the Woolston men were all disposed of for 13, the top scores being made by Dixon and Falconer, with two apiece. The Wairarapa had lost two wickets for 12 runs. A match was played between the Eastern Club’s second eleven and the Avonville Club on Saturday last, on the grounds of the latter, which resulted in a draw in favour of the Avonville Club. For the Easterns, Mountford and Rogers bowled very well, and for the Avonville’s Atkinson and Shand were very effective. The scores were as follows—-Eastern C. C. Second Eleven, first innings, 51; Avonville C.C., first innings, 81. In the second innings the Easterns had six wickets down for 20 runs when time was called.

Hackney Caeeiage By-Laws. —At a special meeting of the City Council last evening the new by-laws affecting cabs and hackney carriages were considered at some length, and occupied a considerable amount of time. The suggestions made [by the cabmen were considered in connection with the by-laws, and a number of their objections allowed. One of the by-laws recommended that a cheek string should bo fastened to the driver’s wrist, but to this the cabmen very strongly objected, on the ground that the sudden jerks to which they would be liable would not be at all desirable. Cr Clifford sided with the objectors, and thought that if a check string was to be used, and in order to leave the men’s arms and hands free, it would be preferable to have the string fastened to a ring through their noses or round their necks. The clause was struck out, and another one inserted in its stead, substituting a bell for the spring. The drivers of hackney carriages objected to their names being painted outside their vehicles on the ground that, if they were, the elite of Christchurch would not use the carriages so much as they did at present, now that many of them have the appearance of private carriages. Cr. Clifford also championed the objectors in this case, and said he knew of one proprietor three of whose carriages had cost him over a thousand pounds, and he thought it would be manifestly unfair to have such vehicles disfigured with the painted names and numbers painted outside. The Council again gave way, and resolved that it should be sufficient if the name of the proprietor were placed inside the vehicle. The drivers of public vehicles likewise objected to wearing badges, and this was also conceded, and the obnoxious clause struck out. After considering about half the clauses, the rest of the by law w r as postponed till a future meeting.

The City Council’s House. —At last night’s meeting of the City Council fully an hour was taken up in discussion concerning a horse purchased by C'rs. Ick and Clifford on the part of the works committee. While some members of Council were of opinion that the animal in question, which had cost £SO, ought never to have been purchased, as being unfit for the work allotted to it, others wore willing to take it off the Council’s hands. Cr. Wilson volunteered to give a cheque there and then for it lor the sum of £55, adding that he could got £7O for it by noon of the following day. Nearly everyone present had something to say on the subject, and a certain amount of personal feeling appeared to have been imported into the unit,tor. Cr. Ayers suggested that, the offer of Cr. \\ ilsoa should be accepted, as they would then get rid of the objectionable animal and get £5 on their bargain, but il; was felt that they were not horse auctioneers. Ultimately the item was passed tor payment.

The Ministers. —Colonel Whitmore and the Hon Mr Sheehan yesterday visited the Lyttelton gaol and the orphanage. They sailed for Wellington last night in tha Taranaki. In the morning Mr Sheehan visited Raupaki. Election of Mayor at Ashburton.— Monday being the day fixed for receiving nominations for the Ashburton mayoralty, the Returning Officer, Mr Charles Braddell, declared Mr Thomas Bullock duly elected Mayor of Ashburton for the ensuing year, Mr Bullock being the only candidate nominated.[| The Hagley Paek Race Course. —This course is now almost finished, after the expenditure of over £IOO upon it. At present it is very rough, and will require a considerable amount of ashes, watering, and rolling before it will bo fit to be used as a running ground. But no doubt it will be in readiness by the 16th proximo.

Water Auger. —The Christchurch agents of the water auger, which has been fully described in a former issue, Messrs Bain and Warner, are about to make an attempt to obtain artesian water at Sumner. From the trials already made with the auger they are very sanguine of success; and if they do manage to strike water the advantage to the township of Sumner will be inestimable.

Coach Accident in Otago. —The Dunedin “ Herald ” reports that on Friday afternoon last, the coach which runs between Dunedin and Portobello, when approaching the Shiel Hill, was blown over by a gust of wind. There were eight passengers in the conveyance at the time, but only three were in any way hurt —a Mrs McLean, a Mrs Forsyth, and a Mrs Burke, who reside at Tomahawk. One had her right shoulder dislocated, while another sustained concussion of the spine. The Circus. —The final performance of the circus last evening was largely attended, the tent being filled to overflowing. The gymnastic performance of the company was loudly applauded, as also was the clever riding of Mdlle. Rosiere and M. Loyal. Master Queensland, on his trained ponies, was excellent, and the performances of the various horses introduced by Mr Barlow were well deserving the plaudits which they received. The company appear this evening at Rangiora, and thence proceed on a country tour prior to appearing in Dunedin. Sefton. —During the heavy gale which visited the Northern district on Friday a singular accident happened to Mr F. Hodges, butcher, Sefton, while out serving his customers and on his way home, Mr Hodges and another person, who was in the trap, were driving down Carr’s road, when a sudden gust of wind appeared to lift the trap off the road, the whole weight coming on to the shafts. The backhand broke, sending tho shafts into the road. They were also broken, and it was with great difficulty that Mr Hodges held on to the horse, having sprained his wrist and hurt his knee. The injuries are not serious.

Ashley County. —A report of a public meeting held at Amberley on Saturday, respecting the representation of the Kowai riding, and the desirability of bringing tho Counties Act into full operation in the Ashley County, is published in another part of this issue. In the course of his remarks, Mr Fendall gave tho following statistics of tho mode in which the county fund was apportioned among the several included districts:— Waipara, 23 per cent.; Kowai, 16; Ashley, 14; Oxford, 14; Eyreton, 11; Rangiora and Mandeville, 12; Gust, 7; West Eyreton, 3. Total, 100.

A Late Reposted Robbeey. —lf Mrs Bradwell is unfortunate in losing her property, she must certainly be congratulated on her good luck in having it restored to her. The first instance of it was in her recovery o£ the greater part of the valuable property stolen by the man Stanton, who was convicted ( of the offence, and no later than yesterday | proof was given that her good fortune had not deserted her. The notes recently reported to have been stolen out of her parlor were unexpectedly found yesterday in a drawer of a cheffonier that formed part of the furniture of the room. | The Coming Fiee Brigade Demonstration. —This demonstration, on the 16th of December, is likely to be very largely attended, members of other brigades from Invercargill, upwards having signified their intention of being present on the occasion. They will, no doubt, bo hospitably treated by their Christchurch brethren, who intend to entertain them at a dinner before tho procession. On the following day a meeting will be held, with a view to appointing delegates to arrange as to the united New Zealand Fire Brigade demonstration that is to take place in 1879. Inteepboyincial Rifle Match. —A meeting of the selection committee was held last night at the Commercial Hotel, when the following were selected as the team to represent Canterbury in the match with Otago, viz. : Messrs Chapman, Buckley, Hayman, Barnes, Parker, Fox, Pavitt, Ekberg, Gunderson, S. Manning, Cameron, J. B. Hunter, W. Hunter, R. Hill, Appleby, Warner, Thompson, Woodhouse, and Bell. This list, it will be seen, includes five extra men. Any whose names appear in the above list who cannot go to Dunedin are requested to give notice to the secretary. Match practices will take place at the range on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1.30 p.m., when all are requested to attend. Conveyances will leave for the range prior to that hour on each day. The Anniyeesaey Sports. —A deputation of members of the anniversary sports committee waited on the City Council last night, and asked for a donation towards the expenses of the annual sports to be held on the 16th December. They also pointed out the present dangerous condition of the Armagh street bridge, which they stated was not strong enough to bear the strain of the crowds of people who were likely to cross it on that day. The Council stated that this matter should Vj attended to, and that the surveyor should 'oe instructed to examine tho bridge in question with a view to getting it strengthened. After the deputation had withdrawn, the Council granted a sum of £25, provided tho fc the city solicitor gave his opinion that su ch a grant was legal. Charities on the Coast. —The Hokitika morning paper ceases not tq rail at the Government. On the charitable aid question its latest opinion is thus expressed The manner in which the Government have shunted the whole question of charitable aid, that was to bo specially provided for, cannot be deemed by their warmest supporters to be other than disgraceful. It is true that a certain sum of money has been voted by .Parliament for charitable aid, but how far will £50,000 go to support all the institutions of the colony for a period of twelve months ? Considering that about a tenth of the whole could bo quietly absorbed by the Hokitika committee, and then with that they would only meet urgent requirements, it may be easily estimated how far the balance will go amongst tho whole colony, with dozens of districts that can put in equal claims to our own. Tho sum voted will be a mere drop in the bucket to satisfy even a part of the claims, but there is ho chance of increase, and it rests with the people to make tho best of their bargains. Otago University. —The following is the portion of the Dunedin “ Herald’s” report of the meeting of the Otago University Council on Saturday, relating to Mr Bathgate’s resolution for the dieassociation of that institution from tho Now Zealand University : Alter soma conversation, it was resolved—- “ That a special meet ing of the Council should \,i called for Saturday week, at 11 a.m., for tho purpose of discussing Judge Bathgate’s motion for the disaseociation of the Otago fniversity from the Now Zealand University,” The Chairman —It appears that Parliament decided to appoint a Commission. I understand that £IO,OOO was voted towards the expenses of (he Commission. Hon. W. H. Reynolds—Yes ; but I do not know bow it will be carried out. They often vote the money and taka no further action. Judge Bathgate—Wo might see if we can take steps to get a charter for ourselves. Mr Harris— Yesterday I received a letter from Mr Macandrew on other subjects, and ho incidentally mentioned that the resolution which you (Mr Bathgate) proposed was iv. (he right direction, and that it was time to go back to the position, from which \vg ought never to have receded, and he was glad to see that wo hud taken action so far, and hoped that we should not. lo«» any time, but make application to the proper quarter for a proper charter. He mentioned that wo are never more likely toget it than during tho ensuing twelve mouthei