NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1495, 30 November 1878, Page 3

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Wesleyan Church.— A Scandinavian ser-

vice will be held in the Durham street Wesleyan Church to-morrow (Sunday), at 3 30 p.m. Fancy Sale. — A fancy sale and promenade concert will take place in the public school, Sydenham, on Mocday evening, December 2nd.

The Immigrant ShipPiako. The general manager of the New Z aland chipping Company Limi ed has receivc-d a telegram from Louden, dated the 26t,h inst., reporting that the Piako would resume her voyage on 20th December, the hull of the ship being uninjured. A larga portion of the cargo has betn sto r ed, damaged by fire. The Wreck of the a s. Taranaki. —The secretary of the General Post-office department has been kind enough to place at our disposal the following telegram“ The mails have been removed from the wreck of the Taranaki. A steamer went from Tauranga to her yesterday evening. The agents have hopes of saving some of the cargo, but the vessel is past recovery. The mails are not much damaged. —(Signed) S. B. Biss.” The “ Southern Provinces Almanac.” —We have received the “ Southern Provinces Almanac, Directory, Diary, and Year-book ” for 1879, being the twenty-sixth year of publication. It is scarcely necessary to say that this issue of the periodical is equal to anything yet published here. There are in it, two excellent maps of Christchurch and Ashburton. The ephemeris, diary, and miscellaneous information has been rendered in the most careful style, and, on the whole, its finish will not disgrace the publishers of the oldest almanac in the Southern Island.

C.J.C. —At the half yearly meeting of the Jockey Club yesterday stewards and officers for the autumn meeting were appointed and several new members elected to the club A good deal of discussion took place as to the date of the meeting, which was finally fixed for Easter Monday and Tuesday. Savage Dog. —Yesterday morning a savage dog rushed into the shop of Mr Booth, hairdresser, of Victoria street, and attacked his little daughter, three years old, and bit her so severely about the face that she had to be conveyed to Dr. Townend’s to have her ■wounds dressed. The dog, a big retriever, had no collar on, and was taken to the police depot and there destroyed. Canterbury College. —Respecting the appointment of a Professor of Classics, the Board of Governors having considered the question of establishing two professorial chairs, one for English language, literature, and history, the other for classics, Professor Brown elected to take the chair for English. The choice rested entirely with him. Railway Employes.—As an evidence of the large traffic which is springing up in connection with the railways of the South Island, and the very extensive employment which they give to labour, it may be mentioned that the railway employes between Christchurch and Invercargill number no less than 27C0 persons, of whom 1500 are employed between here and Oamaru, and 1000 between that place and Invercargill, the balance being made up of servants on the small branch lines. Alarm of Fire. —Yesterday afternoon, about four o’clock, the chimney of a house in which a widow woman named Elizabeth Mitchell resides caught fire. She was ironing at the time, and immediately closed the dampers of the range, and some buckets of water being thrown down, the llaxnes was extinguished in a few minutes. Both fire engines turned out, but their assistance was not needed, as, on their arrival at the house, the fire was out. When Mrs Mitchell found all danger was over she despatched a cabman with the intelligence to the fire brigade station. Education Returns.— ln the returns of average attendance of scholars in the various schools of the colony, telegraphed last night and published in another column, all mention of the district of Canterbury North was omitted. Supposing the other figures are correct, the average attendance in this district would have to be 8933, in order to make up the total stated, and the telegram has been filled in accordingly. This total, however, does not tally with that given in the return published some weeks ago by the Board, in which the strict average is given as 9225, and the working average as 9588. The Canterbury Temperance League. —The terms of membership to this league are five shillings per annum. The forms of pledge have already been published. The promoters wish it to be known that where temperance societies already exist in connection with churches or congregations, or may be separately established, the league will gladly co-operate with such societies without interference with their local management. Lyttelton Choral Society. —This society purposes giving another of their pleasant concerts on Wednesday next, December 4th. The first part will, as usual, consist of songs and instrumental solos. These will be followed by Birch’s pretty operetta of “The Merry Men of Sherwood Forest.” The music of this work possesses the advantage of being light and yet pleasing and effective. It is understood that the rehearsals have satisfied Mr Corriok, the indefatigable conductor. The instrumental parts will be taken by some of the leading Christchurch instrumentalists. Waste Lands Sales.— During Jthe month of November the sum realised from the Waste Lands sales in Canterbury district amounted to £14,786. This shows a vast falling off on the proceeds of the sales in the previous month, which were £130,288. It is stated in a telegram that the large sum received in October in attributable to the squatters of Southland and Canterbury buying up their runs for fear the rent should be increased. If ao, it is peculiar that they did not continue to buy in November. Moreover, the circumstance has to be accounted for that in October and November, 1877, when the scare of increased rents cannot be supposed to have overtaken the squatters, t*>e receipts from sales were £43,871, and £48,199 respectively. This shows conclusively that the supposed reason, whatever measure of truth it may have os explaining the large sales of October, is quite inadequate to explain the exceptionally small aalcs of November.

INQUEST AT Lyttbiton.— An inquest was held at the Mitre Hotel, Lyttelton, yesterday afternoon, on the body of Charles Henry Allan, better known as “ Eopeyurn Charlie,” •who was found drowned in Lyttelton harbour. Mr C, H. Woledge was chosen foreman of the jury, and the following evidence was taken William Webb, sworn, said : I was yesterday working at the Gladstone Pier at 1.30 p.ra., being under the woodwork. I saw the body, which the jury has seen, lying on its back. I informed IVIr Yule, the pier-master. Yincent Belgrave said : I am an hotel keeper. I knew deceased. He was at my house on Monday, the 18th of this month. He went away to get a vessel off the beach, or 9.45 at 10 p.m. He came back at a quarter past eleven and knocked at my back door. Ho refused to go away, saying he wanted a bed. I would not admit him, as he was drunk and noisy. Ho wont away, and some time later I went out to call my dog m, and saw deceased standing in front of Beverly’s. I never saw him again alive. Dan. Sullivan, sworn, said—l am a ballast man belonging to the ballast boat Streamlet. I knew deceased ; he was my mate in the boat. On Monday week ho and I came on shore from the Streamlet in the morning. Wo got drinking together, and in the evening we had a row, being both drunk We fought on the wharf,and afterwards wont aboard the Streamlet, and took some water aboard. There were two other men with us. The other men and myself came ashore and left him aboard, and I have never to my knowledge seen him since. The body in the morgue is that of Charles Allan. William Kule said—l am a seam in belonging to the Janette ketch. I he ketch was lying off Peacock’s Wharf on November 18th. 1 know deceased. Ho came aboard the ketch about twelve that night, and asked for the paddles, and I told him they were in the hold, and I could not get them. _ He had bold of the boat’s painter, but let it go, and went up the wharf again. I never saw deceased again. Next morning I found the boat loose under the Tunnel Wharf, ine painter was hanging out of the bout. I'' l3 was all the evidence forthcoming, and the jury returned a verdict of " Found drowned.

Lyttelton Harbor Boabd.—A meeting of this Board was held at Lyttelton yesterday afternoon. The proceedings are reported in another part of this issue. The South Belt. —That portion of the South Town Belt immediately in front of the railway stat ion is in a very bad state of repair, being exceedingly rough and unpleasant not only for pedestrians but also for vehicle traffic. How that the cabmen are to be placed within the railway station, it is very desirable that the steam road roller should be employed for a day or two on the loose metal at the spot in question. Sudden Death. —Yesterday evening, about half-past six o’clock, a woman about seventythree years of age dropped down suddenly in front of a house about a mile beyond the railway gates on the Harewood road. The man who reported the circumstance forgot to ascertain the woman’s name. She was taken to her home, and Dr. Brittan, of Papanui, was sent for, but of course on his arrival he could only formally report that life was extinct. Fatal Accident. —Last Sunday afternoon a man named David Brown, residing near Wilson’s Bridge, was driving on the Ferry road, when by some means he was thrown out of his trap and his skull was fractured. He was taken to his house and attended by Dr. Frankish, but from the first recovery was doubtful, and he expired at 5 o’clock yesterday morning. An inquest will be held today at the house of the deceased, at 3 p.m. Me W. Clark, C.E.—A short time ago Mr W. Clark, 0.E., whose plan for the drainage of Christchurch is now being carried out, was written to, asking if he would act as engineer for the Christchurch Drainage Board in the matter of purchasing for that body any materials that might be required, and forwarding them on to Christchurch. A reply was received by the last mail, in which he accepted the position and thanked the Board for the confidence they had placed in him.

The Recent Case of Indecency.— The publicity given to the investigation into the charges of obscenity against the man Hayman, has resulted in a number of persons who have been insulted, coming forward for the purpose of identifying the prisoner. In four instances, respectable females have recognised Hayman as the individual who insulted them. He will be again brought up at the Resident|Magistrate’B Court on. Monday morning. The Racecourse Railway. —At the close of the Jockey Club meeting yesterday, Mr Stead said he had pleasure in informing those present, though it was not strictly a Jockey Club matter, that they had settled with Mr Clark for the land in connection with the Racecourse railway, by the payment of the sum of £3OO. They had had a hard struggle to get him to accept that amount. He had at first wanted £4OO, and then £350, but finally had consented to take £3OO. The chairman of the meeting, Mr L. Walker, thought they ought to pass a vote of thanks to Messrs Stead and Lance for the trouble they hud taken in the matter, and the vote was put and carried unanimously. Theatre Royal.— There was a capital house at the Minstrels last night, the same programme being gone through with unabated spirit and success. To-night there will be a complete change in the programme, comprising fresh songs for Messrs Kelly, Ball, Fredericks, and Beaumont Read, comicalities for Mr Courtright, a screaming farce, in which Japanese Tommy will appear, the whole concluding with Offenbach’s operetta “ Monsieur Choufleurie.” In the course of the evening the “ Only Leon” will appear in one of his inimitable feminine impersonations. The Grand Stand. —Some little time ago the Jockey Club referred the question of the erection of a new grand stand to a special committee, as it was felt that, with the great increase in the attendance on the course, consequent upon the enlarged railway facilities and from other causes, the stand [as it at present exists is quite inadequate. The committee have very carefully and fully considered the whole question, and have thought it inopportune at the present time to recommend the erection of a now stand—at least before the next Autumn meeting. It is, however, probable that the recommendation will he made immediately afterwards, and that the building of the new stand will forthwith be proceeded with, so that it may be finished in time for the next Spring meeting.

Machinery from Home. —In connection with the main drainage works of the city it has been found necessary to make arrangements for procuring machinery for pumping and other purposes, including boilers, &c. The boilers can be imported more cheaply into the colony than they can be supplied here, the local manufacturers themselves admitting that they cannot compete with the Home market. One of the principal items in connection with the imported boilers is that ofjfreight. It has been resolved to order the boilers from England, and see if it cannot be so arranged that they can come out in plates to be rivetted on arrival. It has also been resolved to request the Home agent to ship all freight to the Drainage Board by the vessels belonging to the New Zealand Company, if it can be done as cheaply as in vessels belonging to othe companies. Anniversary Sports. An adjourned meeting of the popular sports committee took place yesterday, at 4 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. Present —Messrs John Ollivier (in the chair), 8. P. Andrews, W. Pratt, H. E. Alport, W. R. Mitchell, and J. Hobden. In the absence of Mr Haskins (hon. sec.), the minutes of the last meeting were read by Mr Mitchell and confirmed. The chairman was requested to write to the Government, requesting that December f,l6th may be declared a public holiday in accordance with the custom of the late Province of Canterbury, such day being the anniversary of the settlement of the province. The printed programme was read over, and finally approved. The committee decided to supplement by £lO Mr Wynn Williams’ donation of £5 to the fund for purchasing toys and refreshments for the children. The committee adjourned until next Tuesday, at 4 p.m.

Eaiiavat Trucks. —In reference to the remarks made at the Chamber of Commerce meeting on Thursday, it is said that the amount of railway traffic now existing between Lyttelton and Christchurch is of an exceptional character, and is for the most part duo to the fact that there are several ships in port laden with reaping and binding machines, which from their great bulk require the use of a great many more trucks than ordinary cargo would. Of the 1000 trucks ordered to be constructed on this section of the lino authority has been given for the building of 800 in the Christchurch workshops. Of these only somo sixty or seventy have been actually finished, but the engineer in charge has the woodwork ready for a very great many more, and is only waiting the arrival of the iron work from England. When this arrives it is stated that the whole quantity authorised to be built can be finished in three months. It is quite expected they will be ready by the coming grain season. Water Suppuy.— Yesterday morning the Water Supply Committee with their chairman, accompanied by the Mayor-elect and the majority of the city councillors, paid a visit to Boag’s Springs and the Waimakariri, for the purpose of discovering an eligible spot from whence to convey a supply of water tor the city, in accordance with the suggestions embodied in Mr Clarke’s scheme. The party was accompanied by the city surveyor. It will be remembered that the source from whence the water was to be obtained was to be at such a level as would enable a jet of water to be thrown through a lin. pipe, a hundred feet high in Cathedral square. On arrival at their destination, the committee first visited Boag’s Springs, which they carefully examined to test their capability. Thence they went to a spot below the Lower Protective Works, which they similarly surveyed. Of course without practical tests it was impossible to pronounce with any degree of certainty upon the eligibility of either locality, either as regards the supply of water, as to its adaptability to household purposes, or as to the engineering difficulties to be encountered. The majority of the visitors were rather disposed to favor a point on the river about eleven miles from Christchurch. It remains fur practical tests to be made as to the cost and practicability of the necessary works before the committee can come to any

final decision on the matter. A sample of the water was bottled and brought to Christchurch for analysis by Professor Bickorton.