NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1666, 23 June 1879, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Committee Meetings. —Meetings of the public works and finance committees met this morning. The latter passed the usual weekly accounts, which will be submitted to the Council at its meeting this morning. The Fbost.— King Frost has brought a certain amount of trouble with him on this the first visit of the season. In parenthesis, it may be mentioned, as a singular fact, that whereas the first genuine fall of snow in 1878 occurred on the 21st of June, this year it came within a day of that date, namely, on the 22nd, yesterday, and began to fall during the hours of morning service. There was a heavy frost last night, and this morning the streets were proportionately hard and slippery, the latter being in a condition most delectable to the yout ful mind, which might have been seen exercising itself in all manner of ingenious devices to improve the situation. A good many accidents of a minor character occurred during the morning. Three gentlemen were seen to invert the order of their physical being, without notice, on the footpath simultaneously, and many other little incidents of the kind occurred during the day. A cart horse slipped down on Hereford street bridge, and another came to grief in a similar way at the foot of Colombo street.

A Welcome Stbanohh.— Last week some natives caught in the Waiau, a tributary of the Wuiroa river, a strange fish, which they describe as a largo fish about eighteen inches long, which, when cooked, was of a rod colour, and remarkably fine eating. The Acclimatisation Society liberated, three years since, a quantity of salmon fry in the upper waters of the Mohaka, and there is little doubt that the stranger was a well-grown American salmon. There is no native fish that has red flesh, and we may therefore take it for granted that the efforts of the Acclimatisation Society have been crowned with • recess.

Eunawat Houses. —As Mr Charles lumber's four-in-hand oach was going to Tai Tapu on Saturday, the driver got his whip entangled in or.o of the wheels, and when he alighted to disentangle it, the horses belted. The coach was full of passengers at the time. The horses started off at a gallop in the direction of Christchurch, and on arriv ing at the Junction, went towards Prebbleton. Messrs Franks and lumber followed the coach, but could find no traces of it, and they came to the conclusion that the coach was upset on the river bed between the Junction and Prebbleton. Subsequently, however, the coach and horses turn d up all right at Seaton’s stables, where they had been taken by a cabman who found them in Cashel street, as the horses were quietly trotting homo. The puesengera, shortly after the horses made off, had managed to got out of the coach without accident : they are certainly to be congratulated on having escaped so easily from what was a very awkward position. Hospital Church Service. Yesterday morning the second church service was hold in the Hospital, the Ecr. Mr Knowles presiding, and as on the first occasion, there was a good attendance. It may ba nientio ed that the Dean of Christchurch 1 or Mr Watts, Hospital steward, will gladly rco ivo subscriptions towards defraying the cost of the harmor ium, hooka, &c,, purchased. At the express wish of the Dean, the me of the harmonium has been tendered to the nonconformist ministers who hold services at the Hospital on Sunday afternoons, and to the Young Women’s Christian Association, numbers of which attend during the week.

Gun Accident. Humphrey White, a ftrm laborer, aged twenty one, in the employ of Mr J. Brulstiaw, farmer, of Scuthbridge, was out shooting on Saturday near the farm, when the gun burst, shattering his left hand. He was taken to Dr. Chapman’s, who attended Ins injuries and advised his removal to Christchurch. Ho came to town first train this morning, and was admi ted into the Hospital, whore he is progressing favourably.

Second Flogging op Mahdbbs. —The prisoner Manders, .who is undergoing a sentence for indecent assault, received his second flogging on Saturday morning at Lyttelton. Fatal Accident.— Mr Joyce, a farmer near Springfield station, Ashburton Forks, was killed on Friday afternoon. He was sinking a well, which had reached a depth of 180 ft. His mate had pulled him up to within 10ft. of the surface, when the windlass capsized, and ho fell to the bottom, receiving fatal injuries. Mb Tbieb’s Retirement —'The finance and public works committee met on Saturday evening to consider the question of Mr Tribe’s retirement from the position of collector to the City Council. The determination at which the committee arrived will be submitted in the form of a recommendation to the Council at this evening’s meeting. Inquest.—An inquest was held on Saturday afternoon at the gaol, Addington, upon the bsdy of Chas. Brown,who was found dead in his cell on t ie previous morning, as reported on Saturday. Deceased was undergoing a sentence of three months’ imprisonment for vagrancy. After hearing evidence the jury found that he had died from congestion of the lungs, and that his death had been acclerated by intemperance. Kaiapoi Bohouqu Drainage Wouks. - The drainage works of the town, so far as completed, gave free egress to the river for the deluge of rain which fell on Saturday. In some cases it was to bo regretted that the Corporation had not a larger sum available for such works, as there are places in the centre of the borough —Raven street, Charles and Sewell streets —in which the drains might be made to carry the water from low land into the river more quickly. Suddbn Dbath.—A case of sudden dea'h was reported yesterday as having occurred on Teviotdalo Run. A man named Michael Flynn, in the employment of Mr Thornton, who had taken a contract for ploughing from Mr Greenwood, was taken suddenly ill and attempted to make his way back to the hut. He was subsequently found by his male, Thomas Rock, on the track quite exhausted, and died n few minutes before shelter was reached. An inquest will be held to-day. Ashbubton County Council. special meeting re water supply on Friday, the question of whether the rate required to be lo ded for the purpose of defraying interest on loan should be equally divided, and that one half should be an acreage rate, while the other half should be levied on property according to its rateable value was discussed. It was resolved on the motion of Cr. Cameron, seconded by Cr, Coster—" That the wa'er supply rate bo an acreage rate.” Clauses 31 to 32 of the Act which has been drafted fo • submission to Parliament, were amended in accordance with this resolution. Kaiapoi Police Depot—lt is highly desirable that the police authorities should include in the next estimates a request for a sufficient sum to place the police barrack of this town in decent order. The building is in the last stage of decay, and being situated on a low foundation tire bottom timbers have

rotted away, so as to give the constables’ rooms and inspector’s office a list to northward. A sou’-wester like that experienced on Friday night must have made itself sensibly felt to the inmates. The building, it may fairly bo said, is not fit for habitation, and it is a matter of wonder how its tenants exist in such a shanty. The Workmen on the Ambeelby Ex-tension.—-Communication has been restored between North and South of the Waipara. The workmen who were camped North of the Waipara were supplied with sufficient bread and meat from Q-lennmrk Station, through the kindness of Mr G. 11. Moore, who is praised for the manner in which ho has met the exigencies of the case. The regular caterer, Mr Chandler, made a very praiseworthy attempt to cross the river to-day and happily succeeded, so that all privations have been now overcome, and, with the exception of a few habitual growlers, everyone teemed to be satisfied that the best had been done under the adverse circumstances. The New Zealand Institute.— ln an article entitled “Science in the Colonies ” the “ Australasian ” thus refers to the New Zealand Institute: —“If we turn to the other colonies we shall see a wonderful amount of activity manifested. The New Zealand Institute is justly the boast of that coleny. Its transactions are full of valuable matter, full of sound and lasting work, and the way in which the book is annually got up, for printing, style, and illustration, leaves scarcely anything to bo desired. Scarcely anything wo say, because it is pretty evident that authors at a distance are not allowed the privilege of correcting the press. Thus very apparent and 1 very grave typographical errors are sometimes seen, which should never be allowed to creep in. One cannot help a feeling of regret at reflecting that Victoria has nothing to present to the scientific world like the ‘ Transactions of the New Zealand Institute.” Obgan Recital —At the organ recital, to bo given by Mr Landergan at St. Joan’s Church on Thursday evening, the following will be the programme ; —Processional Hymn, “ Angel Voices over Singing (Church Hymns), Arthur Sullivan ; address; overture, “ Occasional Oratorio,” Handel ; solo, “Nazareth,” Gounod; Adagio” (G minor quartette), Spohr; “War March” (“Athalie”), Mendelssohn ; duet, “ The Lord is a Man of War” (“Israel in Egypt”), Handel; “Adagio” (clarionet quintette), Mozart; hymn 136, “ All People that on Earth do Dwell,” Old Hundredth; Offertoire (G major), Lnfebure Wcly ; quartette, “ God is a Spirit” (“Woman of Samaria”), Sir W. Sterndale Bennett; offertory sentences (during offertory), Barnby; “Larghetto” (D major, symphony), Beethoven; “Hallelujah Chorus” (“ Messiah”), Handel; hymn 10, “ Glory to Thee my God this night” Tallis. The offertory will bo in aid of additions to the organ, to which it is proposed to add a trumpet to groat organ, and a 16ft. opendiapaaon to pelal organ. Last Week’s Rain.— Respecting the effects of the rainfall of last week in the Northern district, our correspondent writes: “ The almost complete system of arterial drainage in the country has admitted of the rainfall passing away as rapidly as it came down. Fifteen years ago last week’s rain would have remained on the low lands and then existing swamps for many weeks. Such a heavy downpour has been anxiously looked for, and invariably the moisture has reached a depth of eleven inches, which is sufficient for the present purposes; but, after the farms have been ploughed, their owners will bo anxious for a like bountiful rain, seeing that the summer drought baked the clay soils to a depth of three feet. The rivers have kept their bounds, and are now shrinking to their ordinary level. Traffic, which was interrupted on the North road by the Waipara, is expected to bo resumed to day. On Saturday it was crossed by Mr H. Rhodes, of Amberloy, who swam his horse over from the Weka Pass side. The rain ceased on Sunday morning, after which there was a light snowfall. The flood at Amberloy has subsided. Yesterday H. McLean’s hotel was threatened with an inundation, till an outlet was opened and the lake along the road, past Bcnn and Co.’s store, was lowered. The Ashley and its confluents were all full yesterday, but no serious damage is yet reported. The Eyre, a tributary of the Waimakariri, was flooded, and, in consequence of the embankment past Mr Marmaduke Dixon’s farm not being completed, some of the adjoining land was covered by the overflow. In the Oxford district, from which the Eyre has its rise, (he force of the tempest was keenly felt. The Oust district was tolerably free. The Ohoka drains, for the most part, wore inadequate to meet the emergency, though sufficient for ordinary purposes. There was no remarkable rise in the Waimakariri, and the drains thereto soon relieved themselves. Hotel Billiard-booms. —It is understood that in future the police intend prosecuting the owners of billiard-rooms in connection with hotels, where the rooms are kept open after eleven o’clock. Ambeelet-Shfion Ploughing Match.— The meeting on this subject, which was to have been held at Amberley last Saturday, lapsed in consequence of the inclemency of the weather, lb is intended to hold the meeting on Saturday evening next. A Hazabuous Journey. Two young men named John Neale and H. Rhodes had a very narrow escape from drowning on Saturday evening in attempting to ford the river Kowai, near Leithfield. They were washed out of their saddles, and only saved themselves by hanging on to a wire fence. The horses, which were carried down stream, ultimately succeeded in reaching the bank. The Ret. G. T. Watkins.— This clergyman, who has for the last ten years had charge of the Greymouth district, died somewhat suddenly. His loss will be greatly regretted by his parishioners, by whom he was much beloved. The reverend gentleman was an active member of tbe Masonic body, having filled the offices of W M. and chaplain I at various timer.

East and West Coast Railway.—We (“ Grey River Argus”) understand that Government will cou menoe almost mmeiiatcly the construction o£ the East and West Coasts Railway.

1.0.0. F., M.U.—The half-yearly meeting of the Loyal City of Christchurch Lodge will be held this evening at 7 30, the secretary being in attendance at 5 30. The business will consist of the payment of contributions, election of officers, the taking into consideration of Dr. Townend’s resignation, and the election of another doctor, if necessary. School Sayings Pan.es. — A correspondent of the “Otago Daily Times” writeslt seems to me, upon a review of the subject, that the objectors to the system have, after all, altogether the best of it. The objection that it would breed a nation of misers is not a fair one. The system would teach thrift if it (aught anything ; but the same thing can be as well taught, and bettor, without the school banks, while they would in some respects have a probable evil effect. The proposal for the establishment of the system would appear to bo a kind of harmless craze, emanating from the brain of a theorising philanthropist, and whether or not it is carried out matters really very little. Judging from the fact that the head ma : t?ra of schools appear to be against it, its working would not likely be carried on with that enthusiasm and spirit which would be requisite to make it successful. Proposed Licensing Bill. —At a recent meeting in Dunedin Mr H. Feld wick gave the following summary of anew Licensing Bill, to be introduced next session by the Government : -(ht). The Act is to come into force on 3L«t December, 1870. (2nd). All contrary Acts will be repealed. (3). The licensing districts shall be boroughs, wards _of boroughs, ridings of counties, road districts outside counties, and other districts which the Governor in-Council may constitute. (4th), No new licenses shall bo granted unless by determination of ratepayers. (sth) A poll of ratepayers, in terms of the Regulation of Local Elections Act, 1876, shall bo taken to decide whether in any district the number of publicans’ licenses shall be increased. (GJ)). The affirmation of a proposal by ratepayers to increase licenses shsll not make granting by the Licensing Court imperative. (7th). At any meeting of the Licensing Court, a petition or memorial signed by two-thirds of residents or ratepayers of the district shall compel the Licensing Court to refuse a license for any particular house for whi-h license maybe sought. (Bih). The hours during which hquora may be sold are to be restricted to between 6 am. and 10 pm. (9th). An extension to 12 p.m. may be granted within boroughs. (10th). Selling liquor on Sundays, except to lodgers or Iwna fide travellers, will subject to a penally not exceeding ten pounds for every separate offence committed on the same day. (lUh) A ho no, fide traveller must be a resident five miles away from the licensed premises, at which ho may obtain liquor, and must have travelled at least that distance ou the day when ho shall be supplied. (12t.b). The tine for false representation as to having the qualification of a bona fide traveller shall be not exceeding five pounds. City Council.—This council will hold its usual weekly meeting to-night. Sydenham Borough Council. The usual fortnightly meeting of this Council will take place this evening.