NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2247, 11 May 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

B.M. Coubt, Kaiapoi.—At this Court, on Tuesday, before the Mayor, Jas. Turner, for being drunk and disorderly, was sentenced to forty-eight hours* imDrisonment. Siix-GBOWMra.—The Philadelphia "Public Ledger" says :—lt is as easy to raise coooont as sheep—easier. By the efforts of the Philadelphian Silk-school, American-grown ooooons will doubtless toon be pieced on sale at Marseilles. Here is one experienoi>, representing six weeks' care of one orop:—There were raised in one American farm-house, just to see how it would work, 30 lbs. of cocooi.a and 15ozs. of eggs. The ooooons are worth at a market 8d and 4d per lb., the eggs from 12s 6i to 16* 6d per oa. A North Oaro lina former narrates how he put up 150 racks this year, 4ft. long x 3ft. wide, and each rack is to accommodate 2000 worms. He expects to raise this summer 1000 barrels of ooooons.

Attempted Spioidb.—At an adiourned sitting of the Chriitohuroh EM, " Court, yesterday, before Messrs Gh L. Lee and J. Marshman, J.P.'g, Annie Smith, who had thrown herself into the Avon near the Worcester street bridge on Monday evening, receded a severe reprimand, and was allowed to go in charge of her husband. Tbbbpasb.—An information has been laid against certain prominent residents in Sangiora for trespass upon Mr R. Chapman's property at Moeraki, in pursuit of game.

Popuiationb.—The census returns jnst oollected give the population of the United States as comprising 25,520,582 males and 24.632,284 females. The German Empire . numbers 45,194,172 souls. Thb Habts.—To-night tho Hart Troupe appear for the last time at Lyttclf.on, after a very successful visit there. A special r>rogramme is announced, the loading feature ■ being Mrs Hart's Highland fling, Mr Hart's " Xiittle Banjo," and his favorite mysterious galvanic performance with Little Tommy, the smallest "living" Negro performer extant. Good TbmpliAßY.—An open meeting under the auspices of tho New Victory Lodge, No. 245, will take place in the Templar Hall, Worcester street, to-morrow evening. Particulars may be obtained on reference to an advertisement in another column. Halcyon Datb.—The tariff of fines exacted at the Resident Magistrate's Court from such offenders as are set down on the charge sheet as drunk and disorderly, has now boon considerably reduced. Indulgence in the most simple form of the offence—the incapable— net complicated by assault and battery, or tnything of that kind, has hitherto been charged for, ar.d condoned, at not lesß than five shillings, which, in most cases,- has been paid, if not cheerfully, at any rate, without re monstrance. This, of course, was when the aspirants were in funds, the time-honored alternative, if they were unable to pay the fine, being twenty-four hours' imprisonment. These terms have been altered. A man can get drunk now, so far as punishment is concerned, five times cheaper than formerly. This morning four of the class of offenders named were ordered to pay only one shilling per head, or go to prison for six hours. In this reduction the proportion of prison to payment does not appear to have been strictly regarded, for, according to the simplest rule, tho sum may be stated thus :—As five shillings is to twenty-four hours, so is one shilling to tho anßwor —Something over four hours and three-quarters : Q.B.D. But this is a mere matter of detail, which of course will be remedied as experience is gainod. Ambbicah Btjtteb ts Oktion.—From a scientific contemporary we extract the following :—The American Consul at Ceylon, Mr Morey, deprecates the packing of butter in tins for shipment to warm olimates. He states that butter arriving at Ceylon from tho United States thus paoked has become ] deteriorated from corrosion of the tin, or from the use of impure salt used in the packing, and that there is r.ot only a loss to the importer, but he implies that it naturally br ngH discredit upon the producer. He says the French are sending to the Indian markets large quantities of Normandy butter, in lib. and 21b. bottles, with mouths about 2in. in diameter, glass-stoppered, and secured with hard white cement, so as to bo perfectly airtight. The butter is fresh ; but, after being packed, about one tableßpoonCul of white pe»rly salt, ahrost imp&lpably fine and exquisitely pure, is put into the neck of the bottle and the stopper inserted. The butter is retailed almost uulimitedly at 2s 61 per lib. bottle, and 2s 3i per lb. in 21b. hollies. Ahotheb Woom-bn Factoby.—Stops are being taken for the establishment of a woollen factory at Masterton. Mr W. H. Benall, the Mayor of the town, hat, it is stated, promised to subscribe £SOO. Joubnaiistio Bktbbpbise—As an instance of journalistic enterprise, we may mention that the Melbourne " Argus " telegraphed to New Zealand for full telegraphic details concerning the wreok of the steamer Tararua. The " Argus " received some 3000 words, which oost it in round figures about £l5O.

City Council.—A special meeting of the Council was held yesterday afternoon, at 4 o'clock. Present—His Worship the Mayor, Councillors Taylor, Treleaven, Oh or rill, Vincent, Cuff, and Hulbert. The minutes of the last ordinary meeting having been read and confirmed, the accounts for the financial year ending March 31st, 1881, were submitted. Or. Vincent moved—" That the accounts for the year ending 31st March, 1881, in compliance with clause 133 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1876, be certified as correct, and that his Worship the Mayor be requested to sign tbem. " Seoonded by Councillor Cuff and carried. The accounts were accordingly signed, and the Council adjourned till Monday, 23rd inet.

United Methodist Chtjbch, Stdbkha.m. —A. to • and public meeting was held in the above church last evening, when about 150 persons Bat down to an excellent repast— Meedames Hall, Hunter, Bellinger, and Clark, a,id the Misses Cox. and E. Smart prosiding at the tablos. The Rev. E. O. Perry presided, and addresses were delivered by the Revs. Taylor and Peters and Mr Bowron. The report stated that the year's receipts trere £l9l 6j lid, and the congregation had considerably inoreaßod rutir.g that period. At the beginning of the year they had a deficit of £2112s ld f and as their expenditure was £6l 18s 3d, a bolanoe of £IOB 16s 7d was left to their credit. . The church was found too small for the congregation, and it was proposed to enlarge and re-seat the building. The usual votes of thanks terminated the proceedings.

Sa&r of Work.-—Attention is drawn to a i ale of the goods left over from the recent Addington bazaar. Trie sale will be held in St. Mary's schoolroom, Addington, to-day, from 3 till 9 o'clock. About .£l5O worth of things will be offered for sale.

Db. Shims' Lectubeb.—The lectures by Dr. Simmi, physiognomist, continue to be moat popular. The Congregational schoolroom wm again crowded lust evening, und the lecture proved highly entertaining and instructive. It is not too much to say that Dr. Simms is the ablest professor of his art ever known to New Zealand audiences.

1.0.0. F., M.U.—The Loyal City of Christ church Dodge, at its ordinary meeting last night, resolved to summon its members for next lodge night to pay a tribute of respect to the memory of the late Bro. Dr. Campbell, on which occasion the lodge will be in mourning, and the funeral office will be performed. The Loyal Star of Waltham Lodge are elsewhere summoned to the funeral of late Bro. Rollett. The Prov. C.S. has received a notification from the Registrar of Friendly Societies of the registration of the new district rules, whioh are now in force, and by I which the initiation fees of proposed members are reduced to one-half of the original fees.

Enoch Abdbn. Dr. ForsterWanstall gave a recitation of the above celebrated production of Poet Laureate, at the District School, Sydenham, last evening, to about forty persons. During the evening several ladies and gentlemen contributed songs, and at the close a vote of thanks was accorded on the motion of Mr Joyce.

Accidents. Two cases for the accident ward were admitted to the Hospital yesterdf.y. A man named Field, employed by Mr Knobs, was driving a team of horses, whioh bolted, and knocking him down the wheels of the van passed over both his legs ; and a workman at Anderson's new building in Oashel street, was injured by a 'fall of earth, ono of his legs being fractured. Aquatic.—The following is an account of the first Trickett-Kirby contest: —A sculling match took place on April 19th on Southampton water between Kirby and Trickett. The water wag rough, a strong north-CBBterly wind blowing right across the course during the time tho race was being rowed, and Trickett was nearly swamped. Kirby led at the start, and for a third of the distance there was a good raoe. Then Trickett gradually began to move away, and won easily. Time, Ao£ min.

BIACKMAILIHG ASSOCIATION. Koeent Social scandals in Paris (says the " Homo News ") hava revouled the existenoe of certain clandestine associations, whioh hare improved blackmailinc into a perfeot trade. It has always been thought that establishments of this kind were only to be found in the feuilletons of Emile Gaboriau, Xavier de Montepin, and other prolifio sensational novelists; but it now appears that ingenious individuals have ohoson as a calling to disoover and keep account of any dangerous or derogatory aotions in the life of well-known persons or those likely to become so, in the sole view of driving bate bargains with the victims at some given period. It will bo diffioult for the police to reaoh these ocoult organisations, whioh flourish in mystery ; but their effect has been clearly felt in some late painful cases, and any one in Paris conscious of a skeleton in a cupboard will live in dread that the seoret blackmailers may have obtained the key of that receptacle, and will assail him with threats to throw it open to the world unless he purchases their silence at an onerous rate.

St. Paul's Chuech.—The soiree and concert in connection with the above church will be held to-morrow evening in the Oddfellows' Hall. A capital programme of music, Ac, hus b,en arranged.

•UAhsTh! *?£* Eic =-The pony Polly, en - th £ CMUO o£ much smoe the races in Dumber, was measured at the Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association a standard at Eangiora, wh en it was conclusively found that Poll, Waß under the neignt of fourteen hands.