NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2227, 18 April 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Political. —Mr E. C. J. Stevens, M.H.R for Christchurch City, will address his constituents on Thursday next, at the Academy of Music, at 7.30 p m. Voluntbeh Fanov Faib. —The work of arranging for the Volunteer Fancy Fair, to bo held in the Drill-shed, commences to-day. The articles for sale will be exceedingly varied, and no doubt, as it is intended to mark them at reasonable prices, there will be a brisk sale. The Fancy Fair opens on Wednesday next.

Warning as to Firm —Apropos of a recent paragraph in regard to ih« distress pre valent in Christchurch, »o have been requested by a resident in St, Asaph street east to draw the attention of the police to the fact that empty houses are repeatedly left without a caretaker, pending the arrival of a fresh tenant. Unoccupied tenements are soon wrecked by thoughtless larrrikins, panes of glass are broken remorstle, Bly,andaltogeth- r mare damage is done in one night than can be repaired by a sum of money equivalent to tho wages of a caretaker for several weoke. But the most serious ingredient in such neglect is tho danger to which adjoining houses would be exposed in the event of fire being sot to cn empty house, that ark of refuge to homeless wanderers, who light the pipe of peace, and puff away with such content as a hungry stomach allows, regardless alike of tho interests of property-holders and of insurance companies. Tub Sparrow Nuisance. —Wo (“Oamaru Mail ’’) are informed that tho sparrows have done an immense amount of damage to the grain. This has been shown by the faot that in some places the grain was scarcely worth threshing, particularly along the head and foot ridges of the paddocks.

The 0.J.0. Meeting. — A general meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club was held on Saturday afternoon, at which a large amount of business was disposed of, including the case of Mata, and two questions in dispute tubmittod to the club for their decision by tho local clubs of Bangiora and Kaiapoi. The question of the totalisators was considered and disposed of in committee, as there will probably be legal proceedings taken in connection with it. Two notices of motion were postponed, owing to pressure of business. Disqualification of Mata. —The Canterbury Jockey Club at their meeting on Saturday afternoon took into consideration the disqualification of Mata and tho jockey Bay by the Victorian Eaoing Club. It appeared from the statement of tho chairman, that he had taken tho necessary stops to obtain from the Melbourne Club information as to the evidence on which the disqualification was passed upon horse and rider, but the Victorian Club did not respond. Under these circumstances the 0.J.0. have determined not to endorse the disqualification, not having any evidence to go upon.

Ashburton Caledonian Society..— Mr J. Maclean Dunn, secretary to the above society, has received the following letter from tho Governor’s private secretary “ Government House, Wellington, April 12th, 1881. Sir, —In reply to your letter of the 4th inat., I am directed to inform you that his Excellency has much pleasure in acceding to the request of tho Ashburton Caledonian Society, that he should become a patron ond 'life member of that society.—l am, sir, yours,&c., E. D. Murray, private secretary.”

Sbafield Wbbleyan Church.— The third anniversary of the above church was celebrated on Good Friday with a tea meeting, of which Mr Aitkin, of Ashburton, was caterer. There was a large attendance of the residents of tho district present, together with several persons from Ashburton. Tho tables were presided over by Meodamea Brown, Bruce, Oollison, Hardwick, Jones, Biohardson, and McLean, and the Misses Cowan, Hardwick and Lawrie. The Ebv. Mr Beal afterwards addressed the meeting, and stated there was a debt of £46 6s 3d on the church. Messrs Jones, Hoddor, Buchanan, Olson, Crisp and JBerriman also addressed the meeting, Addington Basaab. -The Bazaar, which opens to-day and to-morrow, in the small Oddfollo-s’ Hall, Lichfield street, will no doubt attract a large number of visitors at this festive time. The great interest taken in it by those who have had the matter in band during the past six months, should be a sufficient assurance that everything will be carried out in an attractive stylo. Abundant provision has been made of useful and fancy articles which have been marked at low prices. There will also be a great variety of other attractions. The Bazaar is in aid of the S. Mary’s Church organ fund, and no doubt tho object will commend itself to the sympathy of many persons outside the parish of Addington. The Bazaar will be continued tomorrow.

Fibb on Sonday Morning.—A firo broke out in the premises of Mr Q-eo. Troleaven, corn-factor, Armagh street, Christchurch, at 330 a.m. yesterday morning. Constable W. J. Simpson saw it first and gave the alarm, and aroused Mr J. Treleaven, who was sleeping on the promises. The fire originated about the chimney in the loft, and had got a strong hold before the Brigade arrived, but there was a good supply of water and the fire was soon extinguished, although about £IOO worth of damage was done. The premises were insured as follows in the different offices —On the stock, £BOO, in the Union and South British ; on the building and machinery, in the same offices, £I2OO ; and a now brick building is insured in the Union Company for £250. The loss incurred was chiefly through damage done to the grain by the water. White Island. —The “ Bay of Plenty Times ” has the following ; —“ A volcanic eruption has taken place on White Island, resulting in the conversion of the flat which formerly existed on the far side of the hot lake into an active volcano. The now crater reaches from near the landing to Big Ben, the name of one of the blow holes on the island, which is also showing unusual activity. The changes on the left-hand side of the island are greater than those on the right. The steam from the crater is visible for a considerable distance at sea. The long stretch of land lying between the hot lake and the shore on White Island has been covered with a fine black deposit from the now crater formed on the far side of the lake. The wooden tramway has bean altogether hidden, and the change in the face of the country is very remarkable. We are informed that there appears to bo more pure sulphur on the island now than formerly.”

The Winter Pax,ace at St. PetbbsBITIiG. —About 3000 persons live in the Winter at St. Petersburg, some of whom have been born, baptised, confirmed, and married within its walls. There are families which have even had the honor of dying out in it; and in St. Petersburg, a contemporary states, the story finds common acceptance that there is a meadow somewhere on its roof where cows are put out to graze. Certain it is that there are huge cisterns on the roof which in winter have to be kept from freezing by healing furnaces in the lofts below. It is said that before the Russian architectural mind thought of these furnaces the water in the cisterns was kept in a liquid state during winter by rod hot cannon balls, which, after being heated on the roof, were dropped into the water. When one of these forced its way through the load into a lady’s apartment, nearly setting fire to the Palace, the system of heating was changed. Dkgbadino Custom, —lt is a barbarous reality in civilised England that girls are still commonly employed in carrying mud for briokmakers. A writer in the London “Telegraph ” says that “ bare-legged to the knee many of them, and beplastered from head to foot with clay splashes, drudging harder than driven slaves ever yet drudged, oome of those girls carry as much as a hundredweight and a-half at a load, and continue that work at the rate of half a ton an hour for nine hours a day. Their earnings are 12s a week.” The writer justly concludes:—“When one considers that five tons for 2s represents less than 4Jd per ton for self-loading and carrying, and recollects at the same time that a broadbacked sir-foot coalheaver would grumble tremendously were he asked to carry fifty sacks of coal —five tons—a distance of forty or fifty yards in a single day, it seems more than a little shameful that with all our vaunted tender regard for our women and children, such brute drudgery as hauling and carrying wet clay should still be rccognitod as women’s work.”

Fbijit PiLi'EMNa. — A good deal of dissatisfaction is expressed amongst importers of fruit from Australia at the amount of pilfering which occurs on board the steamers. It is no unfrtquent occurrence, says the “New Ze land '.Times,” to find cases denuded of half their contents, and the packing so carefully re-arranged that it is only when delivery has been taken that the theft is revealed. Presumably there is no means of effectually checking this on board the steamers, for the bills of lading for fruit consignments, in addition to the usual printed reservations and exceptions in regard to liabilities of the shipowner, generally bear written across the face the words “ Not accountable lor pillage or decay.” How far this will hold good in law as regards pillage is likely, we hoar, to bo soon tested by action for recovery of value of a oaso of oranges from which nearly all the contents wore abstracted during the voyage from Sydney. Within reasonable limits no doubt fruit importers would put up with au occasional filching from the fruit sent them, but it has in aeveral instances during the present season gone beyond all reasonable levy of toll.

Kowai Hoad District. —The Assessment ~°. ur * : "'“f .held at Balcairn on Saturday ; Mr Uaieb '''Bitefoord, Bg j uc jg 0i presiding. Some were allowed by the valuer (air L. O. Williams), the only one of interest being where an owner claimed a reduction for some land not improved. Tho valuer objiotrd to the reduction, on the ground that a property must be valued as a whole, as if the Loart allowed reduction for portions not improved no Valuer could do his work unless very largely paid. The Judge agreed, and tho objection was disallowed.

Ashburton Sparrow Club. —A meeting, presided over by Mr Bullock, was hold last Thursday evening in Ashburton, at which the following resolutions were carried :—“ That a club for the removal of the sparrow pest bo formed in the County of Ashburton." “That a provisional committee bo appointed to 1 'Tange for the formation of tho club, fixing the amount of subscription, procuring poisoned wheat, and making other necessary arrangements, and to report at a meeting to be held at as early a date as possible." Mr H. O. Jacobson, at tho request of the meeting, consented to act us hon. secretary. Lyttelton Fire Brigade Picnic. —At picnic, held on Good Friday at Governor’s Bay, the foot race, for which Mr George Ayers had given a handsome silver cup, was won by Mr L. Bamford. Tho cricket match, Fire Police v Fire Brigade, was won by the latter, the police scoring but 88 to tho brigade’s 102. The following were the respective elevens ;—Brigade : E. Treleaven, J. Childs, S. Derbidge, IS. Dorbidgo, B. Lister, J. Bell, E. Wells, 8. Bamford, W. Fooiney, A. Sedeole, J. Fenton. Police: W. Huoyard, George Ayers, W. Childs, J. Bennington, 8. Wright, T. Oatbro, J. Milnes, J. Owen, J, Graham, A. Foot, W, B. Allwright.

Ev reton District Board of Health.— The merubers of the Boad Board sat as a Board cf Health on Monday last. The chairman (Mr Wilson) reported an outbreak of typhoid fever in Sneyd street, and stated that ho had appointed Dr, Ovonden, us medical officer, to deal with the matter, and Mr Pinching as_ inspector of nuisances. The chairman’s action was approved. A report from the medical officer was read, and one from tho Inspector referring to tho action which had boon taken. The latter had distributed chloride of lime to be used as a disinfectant, and had caused the removal of several nuisances. Tho reports were adopted. Further action was left in tho chairman’s hands.

Bkomlkt.—The yearly treat and distribution of prizes to the children attending the district school, was held last Thursday in one of Mr Attwood’s paddocks. Tho children assembled at ten o'clock, and were regaled with buns and cakes at intervals during the day. Quantities of apples, sent by Mr W. Wilson, with lollies, wore also distributed. Tho usual games of cricket, As., took place. Mr J. T. Fisher, M.H.8., and Mrs Fisher haying received an invitation, arrived in the afternoon, and seemed highly amused with the pleasure of the children. At 3.30 the children,to the number of about 130, were assembled in the eohool-room, which had boon tastefully decorated, and sot down to a bountiful tea, provided by the ladies of the district. The tables were re furnished for the parents and visitors, when upwards of 100 persons partook of tho good things supplied. After tea a platform was erected, and the distribution of prizes took place. Mr Attwood, in a few well-chosen words, introduced Mr and Mrs Fisher, who had consented to distribute the prizes. Mr Fisher spoke of the pleasure it gave him to officiate on that occasion, and proceeded to distribute the prizes to tho winners as follows i—Annie Keighley, Edgar Cook, Alfred Palmer, George Wise, Agnes Popperell, Ellen Wise, Matilda Woodham, Gertrude Gallop, Arthur Berry, Albert Brooker, Elijah Oooksley, Harry Wakely. Mrs Fisher’s first prize for sewing, a handsome lady’s companion, was awarded to Annie Oamfield; Mrs Sandford’s second prize, a lady’s companion, Annie Keighley ; knitting prize, M. J. Palmer; crochet prize, A. Popporell; Mr Fisher’s prize, a handsome writing desk, to the boy who had walked the greatest distance to and from school, was awarded to T. Palmer, he having walked 924 miles; Mr Attwood’s prize, a pretty workbox, was given to B. A. Palmer, who had walked 963 i miles. The writing prizes, one in each standard (books), were awarded to - Y., A. Oamfield ; IV., X. Widdowson; 111., A. Palmer ; 11., Q. Wise ; 1., A. Berry. The master's prizes for home work (books), J. S. Berry, A. Oamfield, A. Keighley, G, Wise. Mr Fisher asked for three cheers for Mr Attwood for the interest he had taken and for the committee who had so ably assisted him in his duties. These having been given, Mr Attwood called for three cheers for the ladies, as he thought they deserved them for their liberality, and also for the way they had worked that day. Cheers were given to Mr and Mrs Fisher for their kindness and good wishes, and with three hearty cheers to tho master and mistress, a capital day’s amusement was brought to a close. Each child who had not gained a prize received a book as a present and encouragement to persevere.