NEWS OF THE DAY

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2220, 7 April 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Police Oouet. —This morning, before G. L Lee, Esq., J.P.,Pat Ryan was fined 10s for being drunk and disorderly. Richard Luke, alias John Jackson, alias Charles Ellis, alias Jas. Mills, brought up on warrant, chargad with obtaining £2 16s from John McNamara by means of a valueless cheque, was, on application of the police, remanded till Monday, April 11th, for the production of further evidence.

I.O.G.T.—The Dauntless Lodge of Good Templars will hold the usual monthly open meeting in the Templar Hall, to-morrow evening. The Bev. J. Wilson, lately from England, will deliver an address on tho temperance question. Songs and recitations will be rendered during the evening.

Sydenham Bobouhh School.—A meeting of the committee of this school was held on Tuesday evening last. All the members were present. Mr George Booth was nominated for the vacant seat on the Board of Education. The question of home-lessons was then considered, and, after considerable discussion, was left to the headmaster to carry out in accordance with certain written suggestions made by him to the committee. It was also decided that the Bev. H. B. Cooks and the headmaster should wait upon the Board of Education to urge that certain improvements be made in the school buildings, as more accommodation is needed to keep pace with the increased attendance. The meeting then adjourned. Kaiapoi Institute.—The monthly meeting of the committee was held on Monday evening. Present—Messrs Caleb Smith (president), Mathews, Evans, Pinching, Soulby, Clark, and Goldthorpe. After some delay in obtaining the minute-book, business was gone on with. A unanimous vote of thanks was passed to Mr S. S. Powell, ex-librarian, for the careful way in which he had carried out the duties of that office, as well as for his punctual attendance in the same. Mr B. H. Mathews undertook to act as librarian pro tem, A notice of motion was given to have the effect of admitting members who paid 10s, in advance, per annum to the use of the readingroom only. Mr Goldthorpe’s notice of motion to reduce the members’ yearly subscription to 10a 6d, was deferred. After passing some routine matters, the meeting adjourned. Slop Woes.—Yesterday, at the Eeeident Magistrate’s Court, in a case under consideration, a paper was produced, which purported to be a contract made with the Avon Boad Board for road making. It was necessary for the party sueing to prove the contract before the merits of bis case could bo touched. Great, therefore, was his trouble, and that of his counsel, when counsel on the other side objected to the document, or any evidence dsducible from it, being received. It had three defects. It was not stamped, the specification had not been signed, and it did not bear the seal of the Board, It was submitted that it was doubtful whether or not the first objection could be got over by paying a fine, but there could be no mistake about the others, they were fatal. The magistrate concurred, and the case went no further, plaintiff having to pay a good round sum in costs, expenses of witnesses, and solicitor’s fee. Fatal Accident to a Timabu Tbadesman.—By a newspaper from Capetown, dated February 15 th, intelligence has been received of the death by drowning of Mr M. Whitridge, formerly a draper in Shepherd’s Buildings, Timaru, who left that town for South Africa some months ago. The fatal accident occurred at Umgeni Falls, Howioh, Natal. Mr Whitridge, who is described as a transport rider, had his waggons outspanned on the city side of the river. In the evening he went back to Howioh to dine at a hotel, intending to return again to his waggons. It was running when he started back, and being pitch dark he was unable to find his waggons. He asked some Dutchmen, whose waggons were outspanned four hundred yards nearer the river than his own, to show him the way, but they refused to venture abroad on such a night. A Kafir was induced to go with him on his promising a reward of 10s. They went off, and nothing more was seen of Whitridge till his body was found at the foot of the fall three days afterwards. The deceased was fifty-three years of age, and leaves a wife and three children.—“S. O. Times.” A Beats Policeman.— A notice which appeared in the police orders a few days ago mentions the grant of a gratuity of £2 to Constable Maguire, 90 H, for special gallantry in saving life from a burning house in Whitechapel. When Maguire arrived on the scene the fire was carrying all before it; but, bearing that there was some one on the first floor, he rushed through the smoko and flame and rescued a woman, whom he carried in his arms down to the street. The fresh air revived her, and she then told her preserver that her husband was lying on a bed in the room they had just quitted. Maguire thereupon returned to the blazing building, forced his way through thicker flame and smoke than ho had faced before, and brought the man down in safety. It was but just barely accomplished in time, for the gallant constable was almost suffocated by the smoke, and badly scorched. This case is to be recommended to the Boyul Humane Society.—London paper Shipment of Cheese.—The ship Orari is all but full for London, and to-day the cheese from the Peninsula and elsewhere, the trial shipment, consisting of 40 tons or thereabouts, will bo put on board. The New Zealand Shipping Company has gone to some expense to make the experiment a success, in the hope no doubt that the day is not far distant when the export of cheese from this colony to the home country will bo an item of importance. The company has put the freight at the yory equitable figure of Id per lb.

Open Air Music.— Mr Hamilton’s Band will play,for the last time this season, this evening in Latimer square, commencing at 7.30, when the following programme will bs given :—’March in Scipio, Handel; mazurka, “ May Queen ” Maxwell; schottiache, “Primrose,” Vane • duet (cornets), “I would that my love,” Mendelssohn ; Scotch air. Anon ; meditation ) Religiose), Leybaoh; valae, “ Mignonette,” Hamilton ; galop (part vocal), “ Festival,” Hamilton; National Anthem.

Sudden Death.—On Wednesday morning Mr A. Fennell, storekeeper and postmaster at Fernside, who slap for some years acted as railway station master, died somewhat suddenly, death being ascribed by his medical attendant to heart disease. Deceased was a pensioned marine color-sergeant. Ho was generally respected by all with whom he came in contact in the district.

Temporary Teanßpehs. Transfers of publicans’ licenses were sanctioned yesterday at the R.M. Court by Mr J. Nugent Wood, Commissioner, as follows : ■ John Barrett to M. McGovern, hotel, Borough Hotel, Christchurch!; Bush ford to Marsden, hotel, Heathcote Valley Hotel ; Summerhay’s trustees to Jowett, wine and beer, Cave Rook Hotel, Sumner,

Papanui Domain Board. The above Board hold its first meeting at Wild’s Hotel on Monday evening. On the motion of Mr D. Thomas, seconded by Mr W. Moir, Mr B. M. Cress well was unanimously elected chairman. Messrs Cresswell, Thomas, Harper and Moir were appointed to form a deputation to wait on the Solwyn County Council, respect, fully asking for a grant for planting, &o. Messrs Cresswell, Jackson, Fhilpott and Munroe were elected as a works committee until next meeting. After other business of routine nature was disposed of, and the futur place of meeting fixed upon, the meetin adjourned. The Fieh Brigade. —The annual general meeting of the Christchurch Fire Brigade was held last evening in the library of the Lichfield street station. The superintendent of the Brigade, Mr W. Harris, presided, Mr William Day, chairman of the Insurance Association, and Messrs W. B. Mitchell and E. H. Banks, of the Fire Police, were present. The Chairman made his annual statement, similar in substance to that presented to the City Council, paying a high oulogium to Foreman Turton for his zeal. The election of officers resulted as follows :—Secretary, A. Pillow; treasurer (reelected), G. D. Marsh ; librarian (re-elected), W. Johnson. Committee —Messrs P. N. Johnston, J. Frazer, E. Smith, A. W. Shurrock, and J. Anderson, Auditors—Messrs A. W. Doran and J. Anderson. The treasurer’s statement showed the year’s receipts to be £9O 19s lls; expenditure, £4O 6s 2d ; leaving a balance of £SO 13a 9d to the good. The Treasurer stated that since the close of the financial year the sum of £36 5s had been received. The next business was two presentations of photographs of the winning team at the late time contest on Boxing Day at the Agricultural and Pastoral Association grounds on the occasion of the Friendly Societies’ fete—one being made to Superintendent Harris and the other to Foreman Turton. The presentations were made by Mr W. Day, in his usual felicitous style. The following toasts were duly honored—“ The Superintendent of the Brigade,” “Foreman Turton,” “The winning team,” “The Bangiora and losing team,” “The officers of the Brigade,” and “The Insurance Association.” Several songs were sung at intervals, and the National Anthem concluded an enjoyable evening. The meeting over, a ludicrous incident took place. Tt.e hand engine was run out, and as he descended the stairs Foreman Turton was forcibly seized, and hauled aloft, the drag ropes were handled, the torches lit, and Foreman Turton was “ run homo ” amidst the hurrahs of his comrades. Squabble at Timabu.— The local “Times” of Tuesday last says :—For some time past a dispute has been pending between the contractor for the supply of ironbark piles for the new wharf at the breakwater and (the officers of the Harbor Board. As rapidly as the timber was landed it was inspected by the officers, and half of it condemned, on the ground that it was not sound to the core. In vain the contractor has threatened, expostulated and beseecbed the Board to submit the logs to the arbitration of experts. Failing in his efforts, the exasperated contractor arrived on the scene by rail to-day, and forthwith interviewed the manager of the Government Landing Service. The interview was brief, but exciting. Dispensing with the usual forms of salutation the contractor, viewing the superintendent of surf boats from stem to stern authoritatively and peremptorily intimated that he would take back the piles, good, bad, and indifferent, and demanded immediate possession. The manager of the service promptly got his back up and firmly refused to surrender a solitary log until certain harbor charges were settled. Instead of receiving payment, he was rewarded with a prompt but unexpected settlement for the exasperated contractor, with surprising agility, contrived to get his right foot between the manager’s logs, and by a rapid aidu revolution the commander of the surf boats measured his length in the mud. As he rose, with features in which mortification, insulted dignity, and blood and clay were combined, one of the crowd, which the exciting and exhilirating combat bad attracted, was observed hastening townwards at a pace that would have done credit to O’Connor, the champion pedestrian. This was the foreman of works for the Harbor Board, who had

passively watched events until the collapse of the renowned manager of the surf boats showed too clearly that the prowess of the Harbor Board’s staff was in serious jeopardy. In a short time he returned with a couple of the largest policemen available, and the manager to his evident relief was rescued from the clutches of the contractor. Subsequently Inspector Pender appeared on the scene and inspected the mud and blood, but after hearing the merits of the case he wisely advised the belligerents to heal their sores in the pleasantest way possible. It is not unlikely, however, that more will be beard of this extraordinary and amusing encounter.