NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2096, 10 December 1879, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY .

The Estimate of the Public Works have been recast since the news received of the floating of the five million loan, and in consequence the delivery of the Statement ment was postponed until last evening. In the Supreme Court, Wellington, in Chambers, on Monday His Honor the Chief Justice made an order compelling the Inspector of Police to hand over to the New Zealand creditors, the property taken from one Gleich at the time of his arrest for fradulent bankruptcy at Adelaide. The order was made in consequence of the appeal, the Court having decided that the New Zealand creditors had preferential claims over the Adelaide creditors by Gleich having changed his domicile by visiting England.

The Italian lunatic who assaulted a doctor at Wanganui on Saturday and then escaped proceeded to the racecourse and burned down the fencing there, setting fire to it in twenty places. He then threatened the custodian with a knife. He was captured by the police near the Heads on Saturday.

There are some clever policeman up north. At Nelson on Dec. 2 a young woman named Alice Sutter was brought before the Bench on an information lodged by the police charging her with murder. The Crown Prsecutor said that in looking ||over the evidence he found nothing '’that would warrant a conviction for murder whatever there might be of manslaughter or concealmant of birth, and he was therefore not in a position to to press the charge. Of course the accused was discharged. The following begging appeal appears in the Nelson “Mail. ” It would not look very well alongside of one of Captain Jack Barry’s immigration lectures; —Should any of our readers have more Fruit or vegetables than they require for their own use, they can do a great kindness by forwarding such of their supply as they can afford to part with to the Immigration Barracks, where there are now a number of children just landed after a long voyage, to whom the produce of the garden would be a great treat.

What may happen to a railway traveller who uses a ticket taken out by another passenger has been demonstrated by a passenger named Charles Young. Several days ago the ticket having been used between Dunedin and Invercargill, one Saturday, was sold to Young who travelled back the same route with it on the following Monday. The ticket although available for return was not transferable, and as the number of passengers that travel down south is very limited the fraud was detected, and Young was trapped. He was defended by counsel and in consequence,Mr Isaac Newton Watt, R.M., reserved his decision. After having slept, dreamt, snored and probably wept over the matter, Mr Watt on Monday delivered a half column judgment ready for the lithographer, in which he fined Young 25s and costs. Young believes he is deeply wronged as he paid 10s originally for the ticket, and he was compelled to remain in Dunedin for a fortnight awaiting the magistrates’ decision, during which time he lost a situation up country. Referring to the floating of the New Zealand loan the Dunedin “ Herald,” of yesterday, says:—“ This good news has set the Minister for Public Works to remodelling his Statement, which will probably be delivered to-night. Would that it could have the effect of setting the Colonial Treasurer to modify his Budget also! Notwithstanding that the exemption has been raised from £3OO to £SOO, the Property Tax is still a bitter thing. “New Chum ” in the “ Press ” offers the following dismal appeal on behalf of the immigrants who have just arrived at Lyttelton :—“ Can you give any advice what new chums are to do in the present state of trade in the Colony ? Young fellows like myself, led away by the glowing reports of New Zealand in the Old Country leave comfortable homes, and are induced to come out herein order to better themselves. They arrive here and cannot get even the most menial work to do, simply because they are new chums and have been led away by the high-flown gas of Sir Julius Vogel. I myself have been in the Colony three months vainly endeavoring to get work of any sort. I cannot even get pick and shovel work, the railway being all full. What are we to do? Surely something ought to be done to enable us to keep the wolf from the door.” The Supreme Court opened at 11 a.m., to-day. A report of the proceedings will be found in another column. The sly grog evil at Waimatc is receiving the attention of the civic authorities. At the last meeting of the Borough Council it was resolved to communicate with the Sergeant of Police, calling his attention to the extensive sale of sly grog in the district and requesting him to use his best endeavors to put down the evil. It is refreshing to find a municipal body bestirring itself in this useful manner.

The railway contracts in course of construction in Canterbury amount to £BO,OOO

At the annual Grand Lodge Meeting of Good Templars at Christchurch yesterday the G.W.C.T. paid the following acknowledgement to the Press “The Press of the colony have placed this Grand Lodge under obligations for the man-' ner in which the meetings held and the lectures delivered under the auspices of the Order, have been reported, and the fair and corteous manner in which our measures and methods have been discussed. The changed tone of the general Press towards the temperance reformation, and the attention given to the liquor controversy is one of the most encouraging signs of the times,” After this there should be no necessity of reforming the “ Imps.” It is rumored in Dunedin that proceedings will be taken against Messrs Towle and Ogden for an infriugment of the Authors’ Copyright Act.

The Committee of the Waimate Public Library has appointed a deputation, consisting of Dr Deane, Messrs Ward and F, Gaitt, to wait upon the Borough Council to urge upon them the necessity of setting apart a central site for the library.

Acting on the principle that “ the early bird catches the worm” a resident of Waimate named J. W. Gaitt has applied for the position of Inspector of Nuisances for the borough of Waimate. The consideration of the application has been deferred till the new by-laws are in operation.

The latest idea in advertising was started the other evening by the Dunedin Athenamm Committee. As a means of raising the wind it was proposed to use the inside of the book covers for advertising purposes. The proposition was not adopted lest it might lead to the introduction of advertising window blinds and shutters and do away with the bill poster.

Mr Thomas Hawke a farmer in Temuka was badly gored by a bull on Sunday. The intervention of his dog probably saved his life.

It is intended at the next meeting of the Chamber of Commerce to move a resolution requesting the Government to decline Timaru a Port of Registry. The result will be that all locally owned vessels will be registered as belonging to Timaru instead of Lyttelton, or elsewhere, as is at present the case, and the proper port will derive credit for the fleet.

Next Thursday a special meeting’’of the Harbor Board will be held for the purpose of considering the following by-law, that on and after the first day of January, 1880, the harbor dues to be levied at the port shall be as follows:—Sailing vessels, not being coasters, each trip Id per ton register; sailing vessels, being coasters, each trip 2d per ton register; steamers, not being coasters, (id per ton on goods landed or shipped; steamers, being coasters, 2d per ton register. The Loftus Troupe are evidently not appreciated in Melbourne. Referring to their production of “The Naughty Duchess” the “ Argus” says;—“ It is a coarse burlesque of the‘Grand Duchess of Gerolstein,’and is full of vulgar buffoonery, which is unrelieved by any musical attraction. The Company is singularly weak in musical resources, and no effort is made to play burlesque with the graceful appointments which usually accompany and form the principal charm of that species of dramatic entertainment.

By private telegram an important item of banking intelligence has just been received (says the “ Melbourne Argus,” of November 27th.) It is communicated that the directors of the Union Bank of Australia, now an unlimited bank, intend to take advantage of the Act recently passed by the Imperial Legislature and to register the bank under the Companies Act 1802 to 1879, increasing the amount of the shares from £25, the present paid up amount, to £75 each, the additional £SO per share being intended to be exclusively guarantee or •“ reserve” capital. Under the intended registration, the paid-up capital will be as at present, £1,500,000; the paid-up reserve fund as at present, £800,000; the new reserve or guarantee capital, £3,000,000. The total paid-up and subscribed capital and reserve will be £5,000,000. The shareholders will thus know precisely the limit of their responsibility, and the public will be guaranteed to the extent of £3,800,000 over and above the paid-up capital of the bank. A special meeting of the shareholders is called for 12th of January next, in London, to give effect to the proposals of the directors. The tendency of this most desirable proceeding will be to do away with any deterrent influence attaching to unlimited liability in the minds of investors, and to maintain the shares list in a satisfactory position as to the wealth and respectability of the proprietors.

The shipping interest will be glad to learn that Timaru is about to have the advantage of a good addition to its practical and skilled stevedors. H. Wilson and Co, who have had thirteen years practical experience at Lyttelton, have transferred their attention to this port, and have made all the necessary arrangements for loading and discharging shipping with every possible convenience and dcspach. Messrs Jonas, Hart, and Wildic submitted to auction to-day the property in the estate of Mr W. Parsons, at Kingsdown, about six miles on the Main South road. There was a large attendance and the property, consisting of 150 acres, was knocked down to Mr George Gabites at £lB per acre. His Honor Judge Johnston expressed his opinion of the Waimatc libel prosecution very emphatically. On the announcement being made that the Grand Jury had found “no Dill ” against Alfred Fisher, His Honor exclaimed—■“ Ah! That's the libel case. I can only say I am very happy they have found no bill. Such rubbish I It had no business to come here at all.” At the Supreme Court to-day no bills were returned in the case of W. B. Nightingale charged with larceny, and Alfred Fisherindictedfor libel. His Honor appeared to be disgusted at the Waimate libel case having been referred to the Crown Prosecutor at all. True bills were found against the other prisoners.

Some amusement was created at the Supreme Court to-day by the extraordinary simplicity of a person named Patrick Finn who was charged with; forgery and uttering. On being required to plead Finn said he was guilty of writing the cheque. His Honor:—Did you forge it? Prisoner:—l did not do it intentionally, sir. His Honor: Do you mean to say that you haye a right to - use ■ another man’s name •? Prisoner:—l thought it was like borrowing the money sir. • His Honor :—Then if you put your hand into another man’s pocket and abstracted his watch you consider you would only be borrowing his watch! (Laughter.)' Prisoner :—I didn’t do it with the intention of cheating the man. (Renewed laughter.) It transpired that Mr Finn after cashing the cheque wrote to his employer apologising for having taken the liberty to “ borrow his good name.” The employer being called said he believed Patrick was not “over intelligent” and His Honor decided that three months’ education in gaol would be to his advantage.

A social tea meeting was held in the Primitive Methodist Church, Barnard street, last evening, and after the tea was finished the residue was sold. It was resolved to to hold these meetings regularly as they tended to make the congregation more social. It is also intended to hold a bazaar on a future date.