NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1631, 13 May 1879, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Much Needed.—At last something is to be done towards making the R.M. Court of the Cathedral city—not ornamental, for that would bo impossible—but moderately habitable. Tbe City Surveyor has received instructions to undertake " certain necessary repairs " to that ancient fabric, which, without doubt, was fearfully and wonderfully made at first, and has lost nothing of its remarkable charae'er through the lapse of time. The only thing that can be said in favor of the Court and its surroundings is that everything is delightfully in keeping, the Maori-whare-like confinement of the sacred precincts being accompanied by eccentric efforts at ventilation in the wrong places, which at certain sea ©ns of the yeir produce higt ly interesting effects, on the general principle of uniformity. The wretched little crib, indeed, leaks abominably: curiously enough, the worst leak occurs in the roof immediately over where the prisoners are placed, which may be considered very gratifying by some bloodthirsty peopL-. How much bettor would Mr William Hoskins bo able to give expression to the b'autitul lines of Richelieu, wherein the Cardinal informs hie King " that for justice every place is a temple and all seasons summer," were he placed under the ghower-bath in our R.M. Court. flow the actor would be able to "feel" the situation, at least, and understand the full meaning of the Cardinal's generous expression of opinion. But the Resident Mugis trate's Court is to be repaired and its leaks stopped, and perhaps it will be liked none the lrss by frequenters by being thus made to , lose its charade.

Stbeet Ceossinos.—By a resolution of the works committee of the City Council, the city surveyor has been directed to have various street crossings in the city put in a state of repair. This was a matter which might with advantage have received attention before now, but on the principle that we ought to be thankful for small mercies the public should for this consideration on the part of civic authorities, rejoice and be glad.

Geuaidine Reserves. —The reaervoa committee at a meeting held to further consider the question of dealing with these reserve!!, utter aomo in reference to mat!era of detail, filled in the blanks in the conditions, and hereafter the necessary arrangements will bo mado by the committee for disposing of the leases by public auction,

A Clean Sheet.—At the Resident Magistrate's Court today there wus not a single ohs* to be brought before the Court. Sfringfield Road District. —Sometime ago a petition w>;b submitted to Government by residents of the Springfield Road District, praying that the district might be annexed to the Borough of Ohristohureh. Since then a counter petition has been presented, and in reply to a request from Mr Hinton to know how the matter was to be settled, a communication ha?, been received to the effect that inasmuch as the counter petition contains the signatures of more than one-third of the resident householderi in the district proposed to bo annexed, and as moreover the number of signal uros to it is considerably in excess of those to the original petition, the Q-overnment have determined that the Springfield district, cannot bo annexed to the borough desired by the original petition. Theatrical. —It is understood that the monopoly in theatrical matters which at present exists in Christchurch will not long continue. A company is said to be in course of formation comprising many old Christchurch favorites, to giro burlesque and opera louffe at the Q-aiely. Thb City Solicitobbhip.—At & meeting of the City Council last night, the Council went into committee to consider the appointment of a city solicitor, in accordance with the terms of the advertisement. There was only two applications, and after a good deal of discussion it was resolved not to make the appointment. A notice of motion was given by Cr. Jenkins to rescind the resolution in reference to the appointment, passed At a previous meeting. Farewell Benefit. —The farewell benefit of Miss Amy Johns will take place on Friday evening at the Gaiety Theatre, on which occasion this talented young burlesque actrees will bo assisted by Mr and Mrs Walter Hill, Mr J. P. Hydes, and a host of auxiliary talent. A capital programme has been prepared for the occasion, which will, no doubt, draw together a crowded house. Theatbe Royal. waß repeated last night. There was an excellent house, and the piece went very well, the applause being frequent and genuine. This evening it will be withdrawn in favor of " Two Men of Sundy Bar," one of Mr D'Orsay Ogden's specialities. This drama was very popular in Melbourne, where it had a long run, and will probably hit the popular taste in Christchurch.

Zealandia.—Arrangements are in progress by which the panorama of New Zealand views, recently exhibited here, which were painted by Mr J. S. Willis, will be purchased by a company in Dunedin, with a view to carrying out the original intention of the projectors, viz., a tour through the Australasian colonies and to England. Mr J. M. Perrier will retain his post of lecturer, for which no more qualified person could be selected, and Mr H. Seymour will act as business manager. It is expected that the panorama will leave for Australia in the course of a month or so. From here it will proceed to Auckland, and thence to Sydney. Mutual Impeoyembnt Association.—

The first ordinary meeting of the Wesleyan Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association wes held in the vestry of Durham street church last evening. There were over twenty members present. The rules of the society were read and confirmed, after which the

meeting proceeded to tho election of officers for the ensuing session. Tho following were chosen by ballot : —President, Rev. A. Reid ; vice-presidents, Rev. W. Baumber and Messrs. Conual and Roes ; secretary, Mr England ; treasurer, Mr Hull; managing committee, Messrs. Allen, Peak, Prudhoe, and Turnar. After a recitation and reading by two of the members, the meeting was closed with the benediction. The Sydney and Melbouene Exhibitions. —At the next meeting of the City Council Cr. Ayers will move the following resolution —" That the Council take steps to secure the representation of Christchurch at the Sydney and Melbourne Exhibitions. That for this purpose the town clerk prepare a statement of the statistics of the city, comprehending its assessment, net value, amount of rate, working expenses, and other particulars. That twelve photographic views of the principal public "buildings, views of streets and gardens, be taken. That a banner, with the arras and device, be also prepared. That a committee, consisting of the Mayor, Crs. Jenkins, Gapes, Wilson, and the mover, be appointed to carry out the above, in the illumination of the statistics, selection of views, and all necessary measures whatever."

South Cantebbuby Coubsing- Club.—A committee meeting of the above club was held on Saturday evening at the Royal Hotel, Terr ;na. Present —Messrs Thomson (chair • mar), Charteris, Dr. Hayes, J. Paterson, Wilson, Mcßratney, Bolton, secretary. A letter was read from Mr H. D. Maepberson, expressing regret at his inability to attend the meeting. The secretary stated that he had received no reply to the letter he had written to the secretary of tho South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, asking them on what grounds they refused to pay for 116 hawks' heads sent to them, as the Coursing Club had a letter from the Acclimatisation Society, ex pressing their willingness to assist the club by paying one shilling per head for all hawks killed in South Canterbury. Resolved that the secrotary of the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society be seem about the matter. It was proposed by Dr. Hayes, and seconded by Mr Charteris—" That Mr S. C. Earr be telegraph;d to asking him whether the Governor had given his sanction to coursing hares on Messrs Smith and Deuison's property at PeelPoreßt, as recommended by the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society. Mr Chateris proposed, and it was seconded by Dr. Hayes and carried —" That the nominal ions for the next coursing meeting bo extended from Monday, 11th, to Friday, 16th inst. Dr. Maclntyre and Mr De Eenzy were elected members of the club. The meetiug terminated with the usual compliments to tho chair.

Taxation.—The following is an ex'rac! from tho recent address by Captain Russell to his constituents at Nsi pier:— It was the fashion for public men to express themselves in favor of taxing the wealthy classes. His own idea was that the first duty of a representatives was to see that as few taxes as possible were imposed. He knew some favored tho idea of putting on a heavy tax "to burst up the large estates." Had they ever coi - sidered tho result of such a proceeding ? Let us take our own province as an instance, and suppose fifty of our richest men taxed to the extent of £SOO a year each. They might think there was £25,000 down, without the poor man being taxed at all; hut, if bo, they made a serious mistake. Had they noticed the effect of the fall in wool, and seen how materially it had affected the whole community ? If the fifty richest mn in the province were *taxed|£soo each it would mean £25,000 worth of labor dispenfod with, and 250 men out of employment. As a rule, the wealth of our richest men was devoted to the improvement and management of their estates ; they did not keep up extensive establishments, with srarkling wines and showy carriages. The immediate effect of tho tax would be that a large working population would he thrown out of employment, wages would fall ; and tho next year the wealthy settlers would find themselves recouped for their exl;ra taxation by the cheapness of labor. To confine the operation of a tax to any ono class was impossible ; it would mevitably be felt throughout tho whoje community, Spobting.— Tho long expee'ed steeplechaser Lone Hand, loft Port Phillip by the Tararua on Saturday lust. Conskuvancy Ratks.—A return of tho rates pud by the several districts within the jurisdiction of the South Waimakariri Board of Conservators during the past year appe.irs elsewhere. Sydenham Boeough Council. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Council took place last night. A great quantity of business was got through, and amongst other resolutions one was massed limitinrr the duration of tho Council 'o meetings to lt> p.m. Cab Accident. — Shortly'after nine o'clock last, evening, a hansom cab, driven by Thomas Kerr, was rounding the corner of Gloucester and Colombo streets when tho axle broke, and the cab was toppled oyer, There wis a lady inside at the time, | but, fortunately, neither the fare nor the cab man WM hurt^

City Council.—The usual weekly meeiing of tins Council w;>s held last evening, when a considerable amount of business was transacted in a comparatively short apace of time, the Council adjourning at half-past ten o'clock. At the close of the meeting the Mayor read over to the councillors a small memo, he had nride during the evening embodying the number of times each councillor had sp iken, together with the time he had occupied. Amatettb Opeba.—Mr H. F. Towle purposes pr.xlucing "H.M.S Pinaforo " and " Ernani " by the members of his opera class, in the course of about a fortnight. Excellent progress has been made with both pieces, and the first named, which has now reached its 244th right in London, will be given by Mr Towlo's class for the first time in New Zealand. The performance will introduce to Christchurch playgoers two new musical aspirants, a basso and baritone, of the quality of whose voices report speaks highly.

Injur? to Telegraph Wibes. —In a case heard at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday for injuring the telegraph wires in the removal of a house, by which they were broken, a fine was inflicted, coupled with the payment of the amount of damage done. As in all cases, the Telegraph Department, whoa applied to to raise the wires for any necessary purpose, so as to place them out of the reach of harm, are willing to comply with the request, there is no necessity to risk doing damage to the line. A heavy penalty will, for the future, be imposed in every ease where the condition is disregarded. The amount of pecuniary damage done is a small consideration compared with the inconvenience to the public arising from the interruption of telegraphic communication. The Dbt/ids. —The members ef the Pioneer Lodge, 47, held their usual fortnightly meeting last night, at the lodge room, Wellington Hotel, Tuam street, Bro. Rose, A.D., presiding. A Brother from the Belmore Lodge, Sydney, handed in his clearance, being desirous of joining the lodge ; also a Brother from the Ullswater Lodge, Victoria, being desirous of having the services of this lodge's doctor. Several accounts were passed for payment, and a candidate was proposed for membership.

Betubn of Criminal and Civil Cases. —The returns of these cases for the Courts in the northern districts for the year 1878 shows that at Kaiapoi 237 persons were arrested, 67 discharged or dismissed, 2 committed for trial, and 168 summarily convicted. In civil cases the number of cases tried was 288, the aggregate amount sued for £2166, and the aggregate amount recovered £1968. At Rangiora there were 155 arrests, 40 discharged and dismissed, and 115 summarily convicted. Number of civil cases 208, aggregate amount sued for £2156, recovered £1532. Amberley—s2 arrests, 13 discharged and dismissed, 39 summarily dealt with. Number of civil cases 130, aggregate amount sued for £1620, recovered £l2O/. Oxford—97 arrests, 29 discharged and dismissed, 1 committed for trial, 67 summarily dealt with. Number of civil cases 185, aggregate amount sued for £1322, recovered £963.

The Waimakabibi. —It will be interesting to many to learn that the south branch of the Waim>ikariri is now quite dry, and that there is but little water in the other portions of the river. It may be mentioned that, as a consequence, the overseer of the Board of Conservators has been compelled to sink fifteen feet below the level of the river to obtain water for mixing the concrete used in the works.

Moose's Centenary. The adjourned meeting with reference to the celebration of the centenary of Thos. Moore will be held this evening at the Commercial Hotel. City Council.—The annual meeting of the City Council, for the purpose of considering the accounts, will be held at seven o'clock this evening. Temperance Meeting. A temperance meeting will be held this evening in the hall, Montreal street North, when, in addition to addresses by the Eev. Mr Smalley and other friends of the cause, there will be songs and recitations. At the close of the meeting steps will be taken to remodel the Star of St. Albans Lodge.