NEWS OF THE DAY

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2199, 14 March 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Caution. —From advices received per the lost Ban Francisco mail by a firm in Christchurch, the public would do well to be cautious in dealing with largely adrortised Boston na’ch firms.

Working Men’s Club at Pout. A meeting was held on last Friday night, at Dalcroy House, Dampler’s Bay, Lytte l *a to form a “ Working Men’s t'lub and Mutual School of Arts.” The following resolutions were road and carried at the meeting : —“ That a Working Men’s Club be formed “That Messrs Bradshaw, Gannaway, and Shaw, canvass for members,” Mr W. B. A Bright was appointed president, and Mr J R. Wiloott secretary. The subscription to the clnb was fixed st sixpence per week; the entrance fee two shillings and sixpence. The meeting then adjourned until Wednesday night, the 16th instant, at half-past seven o’clock. Primitive Methodists. —The Her. J. Clover, who has been minister to the Primitive Methodist Church, Cambridge Terrace, for the past two years, has been appointed, by a recent District meeting, to the Oamaru station. On the occasion of his removal, a farewell tea and valedictory service are announoed for to-morrow evening. Addresses will be delivered by several ministers and laymen. The Eer. Josiah Ward succeeds Mr Clover in the charge of this church. Mr Ward is expected to reach Christchurch about the middle of April. He is the son of the late Mr Ward, the first missionary in New Zealand of the Primitive Methodist body. Lyttelton Magistrate's Court.—J. J. Donovan, described as a oommision agent, and who was captured on board the steamer Hawea by Constable Lawlor on Saturday night, was charged at this Court this morning with embezzling 15s, the property of A. Mcßaoban, and remanded to Christchurch for trial. A charge preferred againt the proprietor of the Mitre Hotel for keeping his house open during prohibited hours was admitted, and an explanation being given as to how the door happened to be open, he was fined 40s, An exti nsion of license was granted to Q-. B. Dance, Head of the Bay, for PortViotoiia race day, the 17th instant.

Ashburton Caledonian Society —At a meeting of the above society, held last Friday evening, Mr J. Maclean Dunn was appointed secretary. Dr, Stewart suggested that they should give a cordial Scotch welcome to his Excellency the Governor, who was a Scotchman of noble descent. Messrs Saunders, Douglas, Dr. Stewart, and the secretary were appointed a committee to draw up an address and to bare it illuminated. It we* also suggested that as many members as possible should appear in Highland costume, and that the society’s piper should be pitiert.

Fibb. —At 10.35 on Saturday night the firo bells rang out an alarm. A fire was observed by Mr Cook, chemist, in the rear of the boot factory of Messrs Lightband, Allan and 00., Hereford street, where a detached cottage of four rooms wag discovered on fire. The domestic offices are situated within about four inches of the cottage, between which a lot of refuse paper had been deposited, and it is supposed that a lighted match bad been carelessly thrown on the heap, hence the fire. The fire brigade were soon on the spot, and the flames were put out after about £5 damage had been done to the cottage, the contents of which were uninjured. Masonic. —The opening of the Lodge of Concord at Fapanui to-morrow evening promises to be quite a red letter day in the annals of Masonry here. The ceremony of consecration and installation will be performed by R.W. District G.M. Bro. Donald, assisted by the V.W. Deputy Diet. G.M. Bro. H. Thomson and the Grand Lodge officers, and will take place in the Town Hall, which for the present will be used as the lodgeroom. The musical part of the cereiqony will be rendered by a choir of the brethren, including amongst others Bros. F. Hobbs, McOardell, Funston, Mackintosh, &o. A very large gathering of brethren of all constitutions is expected, and the new lodge will begin its career with much eclat. Brethren from a distance well be enabled to reach the scone easily, as Bro. Peterkin has made arrangements for special tram service on the evening in question :—Leaving the Square at 6.40 p.m. and 8 p.m.; leaving Papaaui at 7.12 p.m., 9 p.m., and II p.m. "Nhw Zhaiand Country Journal.”— The March number of this excellent publication is to hand, and fully sustains the reputation already gained by it. The illustration this month is a well executed picture of the Clydesdale stallion Prince Royal. Mr Potts’ over-welcome chatty paper, “ Out in the Open,” is devoted to a continuance of notes on sea fowl, and will be read with interest and pleasure. Mr Gray has another paper on the “ Chemistry of Manures,” which contains a large amount of useful information to farmers. An article on bee-keeping gives some sound advice on a subject which is just how attracting a good deal of attention, and Mr Armstrong continues his short history of the grasses. “Oavesson" ro'ates in' brief and well-chosen language the events |in the sporting and cricketing worlds for the past month, and the remainder of the number is composed of articles which will be found to contain much useful and interesting information alike to the farming community and the general public. Thb Druids.— The Lyttelton Hearts of Oak Ledge held their fortnightly meeting at the Foresters’ Hall, Lyttelton, on Thursday evening. The attendance of members and visitors was unusually large. P.D.P, Bro. Swinnerton, D.P. Bro. Samuels, P.A. Bro. Williams, P.A. Bro. Thompson, P.A. Bro. Ryan, A.D. Bro. Raven were present ; also, the officers of the Pioneer, Hope of St. Albans, and Athelstan lodges, who paid an official visit, and were received with a hearty welcome by the brethren of the Lyttelton Hearts of Oak lodge. A groat deal of lodge business was gone through, two candidates were initiated by the A.D., Bro. Gillies, assisted by the P.A., Bro. Williams. D.P., Bro. Samuels stated that this lodge had been severed from No. 13 and placed in a new district, No. 20, and that a district president would have to be nominated. Bros. Lawrence, Ryan, and Willstead, P.A.’s, were eligible for election. The P.D.P. thanked the brethren of the Hearts of Oak for the reception paid him and the officers of Pioneer, Hope of St. Albans, and Athelstan, and was pleased to see how the lodge was advancing. The lodge was then closed in due form by the A.D., Bro, Gillies, and the visiting brethren retired to Bro. Simmons’ for refreshments. On thb Wbono Sobnt. —There was a little excitement on last Saturday afternoon at the Lyttelton Custom House, consequent upon a reported case of smuggling. It was a false alarm, however, and altogether a bogus find, unluckily for the Lytteltan Sergeant of Police, though the amusement attending it for the on-lookers probably exceeded that which would have ensued had it been a genuine one. The sergeant “spotted” a foreigner carrying a sack of ambiguous contents along Norwich Quay. It has been the opinion of many that a good deal of dodging the revenue is done about the Port in what might be called a retail way, a sort of small parcel system of evasion. The immunity from arrest which the alleged perpetrators enjoy is attributed to the supposed circumstance that it is carried on not in the dark and silent hours of the night, but in the broad light of open day, under, as it were, the shadow of the very Custom-house itself. Whether or not thoughts like unto these were passing through the sergeant’s mind at the moment his eye first rested upon the sack and the foreigner is not known, but as he immediately called upon the man to explain what the nature of his package was they probably were. Possessing the full confidence which a conscious innocence imparts, the bearer of the suspected “bonanza ” in reply to the demand to explain said in broken English that “ dish vash mine peeshness ” and otherwise declined to accede to the request. The sergeant bogged to differ, considering no doubt that a disclosure was about to take place which would bo very much in the way of his own business. The more unwilling the owner of the sack became the nearer did suspicion in the other’s mind become orystalised into conviction. What the sergeant’s inward feelings must have been when upon the sack being opened (apparently with so much reluctance on its owner’s part) a large piece of tobacco was uncovered maybe well imagined, but what they were a minute later when ho found the tobacco had passed through the Customs in the usual way must not be described. Hie embarrassment was by no means relieved when the owner of the bag, throwing its across his shoulder, and stepping out of the presence of the officer of Customs before whom he had been taken, remarked, “it vssh only a beet of fun mit der polesohman." Licbnsin® Court —The meeting of Licensing Commissioners for the Christchurch : district will bo again adjourned on Tuesday ( next to the following day, at noon. i Kaiapoi Pabmbbs’ Club.— The meeting ; of this club, called for Friday evening, was I adjourned till Thursday next, owing to the t annual meeting of the O. A. and P, Associa- ] tion being held on that evening. , Minibtb* bob Public Wosza.—Some of i the residents of the Northern district are ex- i peeling an early visit from the Hon. Mr < Oliver, when he will be communicated with in e reference to the railway extension, t

Sudden Death. —Last evening an elderly man, named Davis, died suddenly at his residence in the Hazledean road. Dr. Townend, who had attended deceased for some time past, certifies that death resulted from natural causes.

The Gothbkob’s Movements. —On Saturday evening his Excellency attended the banquet at the Oddfellows’ Hall. Yesterday he was present at Divine service—in the morning at St, Michael’s, and in the evening at St. Luke’s. At eight this morning he left Christchurch for the South by special train, accompanied by the Premier. The train will stop for a short time at Oamaru, where an address will be presented. On his return from the South, his Excellency will sleep at Timaru one night, and at Ashburton he will stop a short time, where the customary addresses will be presented. Hotel Impeoyements. —Mr J. Coker has just completed some large addition* to his hotel, comprising a billiard room, private bar, lavatories and bedrooms. The billiard room is a spacious, well lighted apartment, fitted with all the latest improvements. At one end is a handsomely-furnished private bar, having on each side of it a cosy little room. The lavatories are most complete, hot and cold water being laid on and every convenience. A staircase leads to the bedrooms, which are high and airy. On the landing i* Mr Coker's office, where one can spend a very pleasant hour inspecting the many artistic curiosities there collected. This is lighted by a very handsome stained glass window and prettily fitted up. Altogether, the additions will go still further to render Mr Coker’s hotel one of the best appoints 1 in the district. The Waitaba. —We are informed by the New Zealand Shipping Company, Limited, that their ship Waitara when leaving Bluff harbor, in charge of the pilot, on her homeward voyage, touched on the rocks, the wind having died away. The vessel has been examined by a diver, who reports some damage to her plates. A strong south-west wind having sprung up on Saturday evening, the Waitara proceeded under sail to Port Chalmers, where she arrived at two o’clock yesterday, and was towed alongside the pier by the Koputai, The Waitara will probably require to discharge a little of her cargo before going into dry dock. Her detention is not expected to be long, as the damage sustained is believed not to be serious.

I.O.G.T.—The Dauntless Lodge of Good Templars gave an excellent entertainment in the Templar Hall on Friday night last. There was a large attendance of the public present. An excellent programme of songs and recitation* bad been prepared for the occasion, and these were rendered with more than usual ability and taste. The invitation of the committee to bring bouquets of flowers was responded to in a liberal manner. During the interval a large quantity of fruits, such as apples, pears, plums, grapes and oranges were distributed amongst the audience. Mr J. T. Smith presided, and gave a short temperance address. On the motion of Mr H. Bennetts, seconded by Mr Buxton, a cordial vote of thanks was accorded to the hind friends who had carried out the programme so successfully. With a generous thoughtfulness the flowers -a ere presented to the patients of the Christchurch Hospital on Saturday morning, and were gratefully accepted. Supposed Dbowkins at Sumner. —On Saturday afternoon a young man named George Innis, an employe of Messrs Ballantyne and Co., was reported as having been drowned at Sumner. Messrs S. L. Bell and George Walker found bis clothes, and also a Maori kit containing food and fruit. In his purse was a return ticket by Hayward’s ’bus and some cash. The clothes were found on the rocks about a mile below the town. After watching in vain for nearly an hoar to see if any bather returned, they took the clothes to Patterson's Hotel, and reported the matter to the police. The unfortunate youth is a son of Mr George Innis, who lives near the Eastern Hotel, and it was known that he went to Sumner on Saturday for a trip. The clothes have been identified, and there is but little doubt that the poor youth went into the water and was swept out by a wave. He was highly respected by the firm where ho was employed, his quiet and unassuming demeanor haring made him a general favorite. Oxford Paces. —Single tickets will be issued from all stations to Oxford on Thursday, 17th instant. Port Victoria Races.— The acceptances for these races, to be held on the 17th inst., at the Head of the Bay, will be fonnd in an advertisement in another column. St. John’s Temperance Society.—A meeting of the above will be held this evening in the schoolroom. A varied programme has been prepared for the occasion, including readings, music, &c.

An eagle flying down from his eyrie on a lofty rock seized a lamb and carried him aloft in his talons. A jackdaw, witnessing the capture of the lamb, was stirred with envy, and said to himself, “ Why, that looks as easy os starting a big newspaper,” and he determined to emulate the strength and flight of the eagle. He flew around with a great whirr of his wings, and finally settled upon a large ram, with the intention of carrying him off anyhow; but his claws becoming tangled in the fleece, he was not able to release himself, although he fluttered with his wings as much as he could. The shepherd, seeing what bad happened, ran up and caught him, and, clipping his wings, took him home for the children to play with. On their asking, “ Father, what kind of a bird is that ?” he replied, “ To my certain knowledge he is a daw, but he will have it he is an eagle.” This fable teaches a great many things, and, among others, that starting a big newspaper is an undertaking that should be seriously considered in advance. —“Galveston News.”