NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2209, 25 March 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Oamabu Post and Telegraph Offices, —The question of amalgamating these offices has long been mooted, and, wo understand, has recently been again brought under the notice of Government. The propriety of the change is apparent to those acquainted with local requirements, and, in the event of its being made, it is more than probable that Mr Day, the popular and efficient manager of the Oamaru Telegraph Office, will commence mercantile life in Eaiapoi. The transference of Mr W. H. Ferens from the Oamaru to the Dunedin Post Office will deprive Oamaru of the services of another painstaking official. Fllesmbrb Assessment Court. — The objection Court, which should have been held yesterday at Leoston, was postponed to Friday, the 25th inst., owing to the Judge (Mr G. L. Lee) being unable to be present. Ashburton Exhibition.—Tho Industrial Exhibition et Ashburton was opened yesterday by his Excellency the Governor. The exhibition comprises a very large number of exhibits, and generally as the first attempt at a thing of the kind in Ashburton, may be conB dered a success. Property Tax —Up to tho 24th instant the sum of £51,752 has been paid in this district, including Post Office returns, so far as rec ived. la addition to the above amount, £IBB4 of the tax on properly in tho Canterbury district bos been, for the sake of convenience, paid in Wellington. This makes the total to da e to £53,636. Fire at Pigeon Bay. —An extensive fire recurred on Monday at Pigeon Bay, resulting in iho destruction of considerable property. It is reported that tho fire did some damage to the Messrs Hay’s place, and burnt up about fifty or sixty acres of grass belonging to Messrs Goodwin, also some sheep and a large quantity of cut firewood and growing limber on Mrs Marshall’s land. Accident —Shortly before eight o'clock on Tuesday morning an accident of a rather serious nature happened to a daughter of Mr Qilmour’a, Dunsandel. As the girl was riding after some young horses, the one on which she was mounted became unmanageable, and she in fear either fell to tho ground or threw herself off, fracturing both bones of tho left leg close to the ankle joint. Dr. Chapman, of Leeston, was speedily in attendance to_ set the limb, and the sufferer is now progressing favorably.

E.M. Court, Southbbidgb.— At the above Court, on Thursday, before Dr. Donald, 8.M., and H. F. Hill and J. R. Campbell, Esqrs., J.P.’s, Jessie Brackenridge charged Archer with having assaulted'her at Doyleston. Several witnesses were examined on both sides, but the evidence was'so contradictory, that the Bench dismissed the case. Neilson Beach was charged by tho police with having an unregistered dog in his possession, and fined 10s. E. Brady and F, Collins were each fined 30s—10s for drunkenness, and 20s for obscene language, Falmer v Hayes—a claim for wages due—was adjourned, the defendant being absent, and the Bench having no jurisdiction unless by consent of both parties. Mr Lougbnan was present to conduct the case for plaintiff. W. J. G. Bluett v John Grab am, claim £7 5a sd, balance duo to plaintiff through defendants not clearing some cattle bought at Leeston sale, which, according to the conditions of sale, were afterwards sold at his risk. After hearing evidence, the case was adjourned till April 28th. Smithson v Oonelly, claim £6 12s lOd ; judgment by default for amount claimed and costa.

Local Industries. —The “ Bay of Plenty Times ” says there is some talk of getting up a company in that district for the manufacture of beet-root sugar and fruit preserving. It is considered that by combining the two industries, the company would be in a position to undersell the Tasmanian fruit-preservers, and thus drive Tasmanian preserves from tho market. There would bo the further advantage of stimulating a branch of farming which has not hitherto been practised here to any extent. The Waibabapa Beeps. Those reefs rpparently give good prospects of payable gold, if we (“New Zealand Times”) may judge by a specimen lot of stone about thirtyfive pounds in weight gent into town on Saturday to be tested by Mr Ashcroft’s new patent quartz crusher. The result was very satisfactory, as heavy specks of gold could bo seen with the naked eye scattered freely all through the sample. The exact locality where the specimens were selected is at present kept secret for various reasons. Sly Gbgq Selling. —At the Dunedin Licensing Court Mr Weldon, Inspector of Police, expressed the opinion that tho most effective way of putting a stop to sly grog selling was to establish a sufficient number of legitimate houses. As instancing this, he said he had had two men—sharp ones, too — engaged for some time past in searching for sly grog cases in the city. They had returned to him empty-handed, and said there were so many hotels now, that sly grog-selling did not pay. Daisy Improvement. —Milk refrigerators are coming into use in the Taiori. One farmer, says a Dunedin paper, who sends milk to town by rail twice a day, has a machine of this nature, and his production, after being subjected to the cooling process, is said to keep well for three or four days, even n the summer season. Another farmer in the same line of business is having a refrigerator made by a local firm. The principal of cooling consists in keeping up a constant stream of cold water through a series of pipes, over which the milk flows gently into cans.

The Fbize Cantata.—lt will be remembered that on the opening of the Melbourne Exhibition a prize cantata was performed. It does not appear to meet with much approval at home. The “Athecasum” of 18th December says : —“ Wo have had opportunity of examining the prize work—the cantata ‘ Victoria,’ by Leon Caron—and are sorry to have to express an unfavorable opinion of it. It is impossible honestly to describe it as anything but trash ; and the conclusion is forced upon us that either the standard of musical ability at Melbourne must be very low, or that the judges, who, wo ore given to understand, were mostly amateurs, were altogether unqualified for their work.’’

Outside Opinion.—Mr 8. Swabrick. for thirty years general manager of the Great Eastern Railway, is at present in New Zealand, being engaged in a tour round the world. On being interviewed at Ohinemutu on the subject of New Zealand Railways, by a correspondent of the Auckland “ Herald,” be expressed an opinion that a lack of energy exists, and that our Government do not study their own interests sufficiently by devoting more attention to the interests of the travelling public. He considers that the authorities should work the railways—say for a period of three years —on a clearance of expenses only, and devote the residue to the benefit of their customers, and that greater travelling facilities, with a reduction of the tariff, would quickly enhance their funds. A Ibbeiblb Soabb.—Those engaged at Mr Good's City Sawmills, says the “ Colonist ” of March 22nd, received what was to them a terrible scare yesterday. One of the employes, who was attending to the boiler furnace, having shovelled some wood, &0., into the furnace, noticed on top of the rubbish what he took to Le a packet of brads or something of that sort, and he at once drew the small package from the furnace. On examining it, however, he was horrified to discover that the parcel consisted of a dozen packages of dynamite, and on his telling his fellowworkmen of the fact the feeling became general that they had all had a miraculous escape from a terrible death. We have been informed that the package alluded to was evidently dropped whilst removing goods from one store to another by the local agents for the lithofrooteur. A Successful Mining Company.—lt is but seldom (says the “Inangahua Herald”) in mining enterprise that a venture can be pointed out that has enjoyed such uninterrupted success as the United Alpine, since the company began to declare dividends, about June last. Since then, nine dividends have been declared, varying from 8d to Is 3d per share, and the company being divided into 32.000 shares, this represents a total of £13,066 13s 4d, or 8s 2d per scrip. In addition to dividing this handsome sum amongst the shareholders, the company have erected machinery partly out of profits, besides opening out the mine and otherwise developing certainly the most permanent, and probably the most valuable gold-mining property in Now Zealand, there being a certainty of at least five years’ stone to be obtained that will supply the crushing power at present avail able from the levels opened ; and there is every indication of the stone maintaining the good average quality of that which has been treated during the successful operations of the past nine months. Fibb Damp in Mines —Mr Flimsoll suggests that fire-damp should be withdrawn from mines by pipes, just as the water is pumped up from the sump. He would make a “sump ” for the gas in the highest part of the roof, and then allow the gas to escape from the workings up a vertical tube to the sump, whence it would be pumped to the surface, and employed for lighting the village. Mr Flimsoll thinks that such a plan would give absolute and immediate control to the manager of a pit over any gases which might be lodging in the recess of the mine, and he suggests that if bis remedy bo found useless, some scientific or philanthropic body should offer a premium of £20,000 for the discovery of a means of entirely preventing coal mine explosions. M. Somzse, a Belgian engineer, purposes to utilise the safety lamp for revealing the presence of fire-damp in collieries. It is well known that the flame of the lamp elongates and acquires a higher calorific power when in air which contains light carburretted hydrogen or marsh gas. A piece of metal is so placed as to be elongated by this flame; this produces electric contact, and causes a bell to ring. Hanlah'b Success. The extraordinary success of Hanlan with the sculls (says the “ Evening News ”) has led several ingenious people to conjecture that the secret of his speed must be accounted for by the existence of some artificial contrivance in his boats. We are aware that this theory has been put forward more than once, and by some is firmly believed in; but until some evidence be adduced to support it we mutt be content to believe that Hanlan’s successes have been due to his superior prowess and skill as a sculler. The following letter may, therefore, be taken for what it is worth : linked the world ; we licked the British ? Why was Hanlan beaten by Ross and Rylcy ? Because ho rowed in an ordinary shell. And why was it a certainty he could lick the Australian giants ? Because of the ingenuity of his trainer, who, throe years ago, discovered that a shell filled with gas would lift lsin. out of the water when the pressure was off the swivels, so that there is not the resistance when the sculls are out of the water, and it glides over instead of -under the surface. But the grand secret is the sliding seat, which is connected with a two-bladed fan -fixed amidships, and which revolves as you slide, so that the pace is very fast with only half pressure i on the sculls ; and, barring accident, we are 1 sure to pocket your dollars without any risk, i Your reporter will have an opportunity of I inspecting a shell of the same kind soon as < completed.—Taurs, &a., Canadian.” i

Dbpaetueb op His Excellency.— His Excellency Kir Arthur H. Gordon and bl Is left last evening at bix o’clock by the steamer Hinemoa for Wellington.

Bhitish Isbahl Association. —This association held an ordinary general meeting last evening in the Templar Hall. Worcester street, the president (Mr T- 8. Lambert) in the chair. After some business had been got through, the secretary opened the subject for the evening’s discussion, ie., " The Language, Customs, and Physiognomy of Israel.” Mr Gee read a few articles bearing on the subject, after which the meeting terminated in the usual way.