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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 21 September 1880, Page 2

Captain Edwin telegraphs to-day:—Bad weather approaching in any direction between west and south and s:mtb-eg3t, The glass will further rise. Expect considerable sea within twelve hours. At the meeting of the Baths Company last evening, considerable discussion took place as to the dirtiness of the baths during the last bathing season. Mr. Finch stated that he had called the attention of the Secretary to the matter, and he (Mr. Finch) had seen the bathkeeper drunk at the baths during the time he should have been attending to his dutje*, Mr. Smith said, "Did you report to me that you saw him drunk ?" Mr. Finch : "No, but I M 4 you about his dirtiness." Mr. Smith : ''And difja'tl go down at once and sec to itMr, finch : "Then they got dirtier afterwards." Mr. Jaa, Familton stated his opinion that the falling oif in the number of bathers last setson was owing to the very dirty state of the baths.

" A Settler" writes to us as follows t—- " As I was passing along a certain road in theWaiareka Road District the other day, I eaw a laborer engaged by the Board metalling tlje road with straw. He was depositing a bit here and there in holes. I asked him what he was dsmg, and he said that he was mending the road, I call it setting snares for unwary drivers and horsemen. In my opinion metal is the best. There is plenty of material at hand, and let us honOf t/je immortal Mac.Vdam by utilising it after the approved fashion.

The three lads, Jajjjex Lamont, James Snllivan, and John OXougfclin, charged with stealing a whip from a cart at the Commercial Stables, were brought up at the ltesident Magistrate's Court to-day for sentence. The boy Lamont was discharged on hj» father undertaking to obtain for him employment jn the country and to j look after the boy personally, Sullivan and' O'Loughlin were sentenced to serve one and two years respectively in the Industrial School, Dunedin. The Shag Point Colliery is now in full swing. About 35 waggopx go north and south daily. The sitting of the Warden's Court atj Livingstone fixed for to-morrow has been j postponed until the 6th October. j

A meeting of the Committee appointed to get np an entertainment in aid of the funds of the Fire Brigade took place last night at the Star and Garter Hotel. The chair was occupied by Mr. Humphrey, and there were fourteen gentlemen present. The draft programme, a» drawn up by the Programme Committee, was submitted ifi tjie meeting and adopted. It was reported thas $e tickets are selling well—over 200 front seats I being already disposed of. After making arrangement far the decorating of the . Hall with mottoes and eyergreens, the Committee' adjourned tili Monday next.

A Sunday school will be commenced in the North School on nc-t Sunday. A handbill informs us that it is independent of any sect, aud we understand that it is .being established for the purpose of inducing those children of the neigborhood who do not now attend Sunday school, to do so. . We understand that Mr. Holmes has sold liis fine three-year-old colt Cashier, by the Banker, to a northern gentleman. The colt was sent north on Saturday. The price has not transpired, but we believe the figure was a satisfactory one. It is pleasing to find that the northerners form so correct an estimate of the draught horses of this district as to come here to secure their sires. Onr Palmerston correspondent writes : The weather here continues very dry, and rain is much required for the young crops. So far, however, they have not suffered much- from the dryness of the season, and those on naturally moist soils are looking remarkably well. In •eome of the drier localities they have been rather stunted in growth, and a few good showers would be highly welcome. Still,' our farmers have every prospect before them of a successful harvest. A considerable area has been planted with wheat, and the work of sowing oats, barley, and potatoes is in progress, but it is greatly retarded by the wftßt of raifl. Feed is getting somewhat suanty in some places. There was a very good muster of No. 1 Company at the Captain's parade last evening. After the non-commis3ioned officers had drilled the corps for a short time in turn, the members of the band fell into the I'finks. and the whole were put through an hour's smart flrili, pavticiilar atteiitiqn bging given to marching. At the plose of the drill several new members were elected. Captain Supintey reminded the corps that the first church parade would take place on Sunday next, the Company to fall in on the Old Cricket Ground at 10 o'clock. He mentioned that the Band had obtained permission to muster some time before the Company to play sacred splectipi»s. W? uridewjtancJ that the music to be porformed on the occasion will includo selections from Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Mozart, and that the whole of the marches played during the day will consist of sacred music.

Ngapara has produced another candidate fpr the Humane Society's medal. On Saturday last, fjve children, the eldest of wliqm as\is eight years' old, -were playing by the creek that runs through the township when a little girl, Annio Crutch, who was on a visit to the township with her mother, fell into the water. "With admirable presence of mind, a little boy, aged seven years and nine months (William Stichbury, son of the station.-master), get fo wop]; to extricate the unfortunate girl from her perilous position. He managed to catch her by the legs, and was drawing her up on to the bank ; when she commenced to struggle, got free from his grasp, and sank. He then, with the help of a railway sleeper, managed to reach to her, and after some difficulty succeeded in landing her safely. This is not the first time he has done the same thing, having saved h'is own sister from drowning about two years ago. We may proudly say that this district is becoming prolific in Humane Society's medallists, but there never was a more candidate than the little "Trojan" of only A new invention, in the shape of a resonator, formed of a couple of gold plates, which can be placed in the mouth of a singer or a public speaker, is, according to report, likely to produce a revolution in vocal performance, inventor, Signor Bach, has recently exhibited the article in Lonrjon, and shown tl.at by its use a remarkable inprefiso in volume and body of sound is to be obtained. He maintains that it will enable conductors to produce powerful effects with a small number of choralists. The invention has be°n highly commended by some of the greatest authorities. The Guardian of the 7th July says A Ministctio.l Bill against drunkenness about to be considered by the Dutch States-General proposes to limit public-houses to one per 300 inhabitants in towns qf -50,000 one per 400 in towns or 20,000, one per 3QQ in towns of 10,000, and one per 250 in all smaller places. It proposes to forbid the supply of intoxicants to children under sixteen, to impose from one to eight days' imprisonment for supplying intoxicants to persons already ch'iiji}:, Rnd to award a day's impj-ispniijent, vyith fine o,f 10 flqrins, for. being drunk in the streets.

There is, it seems, a certain Mexican ant which stores honey in the bodies of the workers. First, it bites the end of the ab» domen, thereby setting up an inflammation, which closes the apertures of the body. Then it feeds the maimed creature with honey, po'Jfjng it into the mouth of the living honey-pot just ad the hep pours honey into its crop. This process is cqntin#ally repeated until the body of the store-ant is distended to an astouishing size with honey, the stiiy i>£ffig stretched to such an extent that it is Buhicienfcly transparent to show the honey withiu. It cannot escape, for it 3 hfl.4y is so heavy that its limbs are insufficient to carry it, and so it remains in the nest until

tJie honey is wanted. In Mexico these ants are so pleptjfji} that they form regular article? of comiperog, beiflg spls by measupg in the markets, and used fpr tlje purpose of making mead, Specimens may be seen in the British Museum. The following letter is addressed to the editor of the Lyttelton Times :—"I should like to ask through the columns of your joupgal. if it is usual for the head teacher of a large school of g.Qmg 300 children, to be racing over the country after stray scljglars during school hours. Hardly a week passes but our head master may be seen, sometimes on foot and sometimes on horseback, boy hunting. The other day he was seen escorting six small boys ranging from six to eleven | years af. fjge. »nd the most curious part of it was they had nob bgpp playing truant, but had chosen to go to another school. Qfi another occasion he had captured a small boy of about seven ; and, armed with a fopmid* able strap, he conducted the weeping urchin to his own school. This may appear very ridiculous, but it is true, and is much commented on in the neighborhood. I should like to know if the head teachers of the East and West Christchusch schools do the same thing.—l am, &c., Inquirer." Aft English traveller in France writes " As a rpnpjng commentary on Lord Derby's remarks on temperance, J would suggest thaf the example aet at Frepch railway stations

should be followed in England. People, q. rale, do not get drunk on their railway jour.neys ; but what a comfort to the thirgty above all, to the poor travellers is the fountain of delicious water to be found at most stopping stations on French lines. You see here alike first and third-class 'passengers alighting to fill their carafe—a striking contrast to - the condition of things in England, where at som,f important stations, Hastings for instance, a glass of Water is not to be had for love or money. Surely..the of drinking fountains at railway stations is not

too much to be asked of our railway companies, if not in the interests of the drunkard, at; .least, in the interests of the. public-at large." We. ask, Why. shbuld not the example set by the French be followed in this Colony ?" The following extract from a private letter recently received in Timaru from a business man in Wellington speaks for itself: " Wellington is very poor. We have a large working and useless population, -but really no moneyed -people.. - In fact you- would-be surprised what .a miserable place it is considering that it is the seat of Government. . . . The only people -who" do enjoy themselves a little are the middle class, and just now they are all at their wits' end to make both ends meet. In all my travels I never saw such bad times as exist in Wellington- at present, and it will be years 1 efore the place recovers. The population has decreased at least 4000. There are over 400 houses empty. Jients are reduced from 30s to 15s per week. Land lias fallen from Llo to L 7 per foot, and I see no sign of a rise taking place. No building, no work, and the people clearing out daily; such is the present state of the Empire City. There is, however, plenty of money in the hands of solioitovs to advance on mortgage, but no security is forthcoming."

On the Ist of next month the new law relating to receipt and other stamps will come into force, and as this introduces several alterations in the present practice, it may be worth while (remarks the Post) to explain its provisions, That which has already excited some attention and some little grumbling is the proviso that " all receipts* given to her Majesty or to any person on her behalf, shall be chargeable with stamp duty under the provisions of the Stamp Act, 1575, and any exemption of such receipts from stamp duty is repealed," That is to say, all Government officers will have to give penny-stamped receipts for their monthly salaries, and Government cqfltraptftr-5 for- their- contract payments. But, on the other hand, "all receipts given by or on behalf of • the.' corporation of any county, borough, road board, education board, or harbor board" are declared exempt 'from duty, as also are transfers registered under "The Governmentlnsurance and Annuities Act, lS7±," and aU assignments or of life insurance policies effected with any company or association. But transfers of shares in publio companies are to be taxed 10s, and foreclosures are to be liable to the same duties as conveyances on sale, while valuations are to be subject to duties ranging from Is (for appraisements up to L2O value) to LI, the latter being leviable on valuations exceeding LSOO.