South Canterbury Times. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1879. NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Volume XV, Issue 2068, 8 November 1879, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1879. NEWS OF THE DAY.

+.—~ We have to apologise to our readers for any defections in the present isssue, the same being rendered necessary by our removal into new premises to l day.

The Banks in Timaru will be closed on Monday and Wednesday next.

A bench of magistrates, to consider licensing of slaughterhouses, will sit in Timaru on January 15,1880.

he report of the Committee re the Wash dyke .-’chool, adiv.es Mr Kirby to find other scholastic appointment at his earliest convenience.

ihe Chimo Cricket Club yesterday played a scratch match at the Saltwater Creek, sides being chosen by Messrs Olemance and King. The scores were, Clemance’s side, 124 ; King’s side, 128. The following is a list of the players chosen by the Vinebester 0.0. to represent that Club in the match agoinst the Chimo CO. viz.:—Dr Pish, Messrs Hugnes, Gr. Smith, Murray, Dunnet, James Patterson, Beatson, Kenneally, Wise, H. Smith, Longney, Roberts, and Taylor. The 0 Press,” of yesterday contains the following mysterious advertisement:— “ Wanted, 5 dumb Boys, to manage the affairs of the Avon Koad Board. None over 15 years of age need apply.” It appears (hat, af er all, there is some comfort in having companions inmisfor une A Southern exchange says :— *' One would think, to read Major Atkinson's statement, that New Zealand was the only country in (he wor'd that was burdened with a heavy deficit, but we observe that in New South Wa es the nine months’ revenue to Septemher 30 h was £3 298 564, against expenditure £4.0(5,742, shewing a deficit of £718,178 ”

It appears that the übiquitous land tax gatherer his had his eye on the Chatham Islands, and the residents have been roused into action by his presence, and ha ? e ap 1 pointed a committee to consider the in jus' tice of the laud fax act being in force in the island. They say that 'hey receive no due proportion of the expenditure in return for the duties collected Irom the islands, amounting from £ISOO to £2OOO a year, the Government expenditure not exceeding £SOO a-year ; that they are not responsib'e for, and do not benefit by, the national debt. The signaturea of the committee acting for the islanders are Edward Chud' leigh, Walker Moore, William Hunt, W. Harm Ergott, Deidrich Popen, D. i-haw. Sir George Grey has rather thoughlessly one would say, for so old a politician (says the parliamentary correspondent of tne Nelson “ Mail”), made an enemy of Wi Tako, a very influential old chief, who lives in Wellington. They met near the Par* liamentary bui l dings a few days ago, and Sir George refused to shake the great brown hand held out to him, because ho had heard that Wi Tako had been busy canvassing the Maori members in the op' posite interest. The old chief shook his grizzled head and said, “ Perhaps you’ll want to shake hands with me some day and then we’ll see.” The letter read in the House from some of the Maoris recently was probably the offspring of the dark* skinned old gentleman’s indignation, but it is not likely the last, as be is bring all his influence to bear on the side of the present Government,

A tradesman in Invercargill is, according to a local paper, puzzled by the working of the railway tariff. He says that while goods weighing a hundredweight cost him a shilling for carriage, a package of quarter that weight for the distance is charged iwo shillings. He thinks seriously of advising his agents to keep on hand a half - hundred of bricks or some stone ballast, or pig’iron, or something so as to bring up the weight and lessen the cost of transit.

“ /Egles ” says that even to this day when the blind lead ihe blind there is a fall into the ditch. Home person of inquir' ing mind wrote to the eduor of the “ Glas. gow Weekly Maid,” apparently to solve a geographieal question In answers to correspondents ( august 2nd), the following interesting information is suppled “P, s.—« delaide is in Victoria (Australia) not in New Zealand.”

A Wellington exchange states that the shock of earthquake experienced at Palmerston ( N orth) on Thursday morning was very violent. Its advent was pro' ceeded by a loud rumbling noise, followed by a most vie ent shaking, during which the ground seemed to rise and fad. causing buildings to sway from side to side, while dors and windows rattled with the vibration. The shock, which appeared to travel from north west to south east, lasted for a couple of second ■>, and made itself felt by its extreme violence.

The Harapipi correspondent, of the “ Waikato Times,” writing on the 22nd inst, states : ■he sale sale of the Government land inthePirongia distric (a subject that was brought rather prominently before the public some time back) is about as far off as ii ever was. ftera gre*t deal of red tape and officialism, a Government surveyor was sent up to survey the land; a job that lasted him and his assistants some s : x months or more. As soon as ha hrd finished, another surveyor wes sent up to inspect, who stated tha>- it is all wrong, and cow the job is to be done over again. A lot of this land coul I have been sold years aeo if it had not been for the humbugging system that the late Government have seen fit to adopt; in fact, people are warning to buy some of it now and cannot. This is a small sample of •fir George Grey’s system of the land for the people, and the people for the land ; and. in the meantime, the road board are losing the rates on it, as there are no rates to be had on Govern' mem land. A great deal of this land was bought by the Government from one of those dreadful Auckland land-sharks, who always paid the rates on it, something like £2O per annum.