The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1880.

Kumara Times, Issue 1039, 29 January 1880, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1880.

At a meeting of the new Local School Committee, held in the Town Hall last evening, Mr R. J. Sedclon was unanimously re-elected chairman for the ensuing twelve months. Mr Wylde tendered his resignation as Secretary and Treasurer which was received with regret ; and, after a slight discussion, Mr Campbell accepted the appointment pro tem. There was no other business transacted, and the meeting adjourned until Monday next. The lecture delivered by the Rev. Heavinghan Root, of Greymouth, at the Theatre Royal last evening on “Father Matthew and Temperance ” was one of the greatest treats, in this form, it has ever been our lot to be present at. We regret that pressure on our space will not allow of a detailed notice of the reverend gentleman’s lecture, but his eloquent pathos, his splendid elocution, his quiet though humorous recital of some amusing anecdote, taken together with the masterly style in which he handled the subject, frequently elicited those emotional bursts of applause which must have been as gratifying to the lecturer as they . were spontaneous on the part of the audience. Mr R. J. Seddon occupied the chair, and in thanking the lecturer very truly remarked that should he again favor this town on another occasion, he would receive a most hearty welcome. We observe that, to meet the wishes of a number of persons who enjoy an occasional relaxation in the shape of a drive in the country, Mr Rugg has laid on a special four-horse coach for Spinghead, a place whose notoriety for water-cresses is proverbial. To those who have never seen the magnificent view obtainable at “Blake’s Look-out” this is an opportunity they should take advantage of. The directors of the New Zealand Shipping Company and the Ur ion Insurance Company, have decided to vote each one hundred guineas to the fund for the relief of the distress in Ireland. The unerring barometer of natural prosperity, the marriage rate, is at a low ebb in England. The rate during the current year, 11. G per 1000, is 18 per cent lower than the average rate for the corresponding period of the past forty years. So low a rate has not prevailed since the statistics were first gathered.

At the election of the Education Gom- ; mittee for the city of Nelson, Mrs Gibbs was among those elected. / Tbjg ‘‘andiphone ” is the name of an •American invention, spoken of very highly, for enabling the deaf to hear. The “ audiphone ” looks like a large square Japanese fan, made of carbonised rubber ; on the back is a cord stretched from the upper edge to the handle, which cord is made to regulate the tension. When used, the upper edge of the fan is against the two front teeth. Three Italian bicyclists have just performed the journey from Milan to Lyons lin five days. The distance exceeds [slightly 550 miles. They therefore travelled at the rate of 110 miles eacli day, and -kept up this extraordinary speed for five successive days, traversing the rutty, illpaved roads and the worse paved streets of villages and towns. Dr. W, Landau, chief rabbi of Dresden, lately celebrated the 25th anniversary of his rabbinate. On this occasion the King of Saxony decorated him with the Order of Albrecht, first class. This fact is worthy of notice, considering that it is little more than 30 years ago that Jews were‘first allowed to reside in Dresden.