NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2206, 14 April 1880, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

John Nnnccn, a well-educated old man of seventy pvas found dead yesterday in a closet attached to a boarding-house in Auckland. Deceased was fond of drink and he died of apoplexy. The Saturday mid-day train running between Timaru and Ashburton will be discontinued after to-morrow.

The sitting of the Tcmnka R. M. Court Avas adjourned until to-morrow in consequence of Air Guinness, R.AL, being detained at Ashburton.

The s.s. Stella is about to make a trip to the Auckland Islands to search for some missing scalers. Sir Win Fox is about ioniako a desperate effort to get back to Parliament. He is a candidate for llangitikci, but a local solicitor threatens to join him in the scramble. The brewers and publicans of the district are said to be divided as to how they wil vote.

The defence department propose to under, take the importation and supply to Volunteer corps of cloth of the same materia and pattern as that used in the clothing o the various arms of her Majesty’s regular service.

Dipthoria has broken out in Hokitika and the Government School has been closed in consequence.

The ease against Graham Mowers of stealing 15 head of cattle from Walker Bros, was heard yesterday at llangiora. A large amount of evidence was taken, and ultimately the accused was committed for trial, bail being allowed, accused in .-£SOO and two sureties of £250. At the same Court, Jervis Wilson was charged with setting fire to eleven stacks of grain at mount Thomas, knowing them to be insured. He was committed for trial. The charge against W. Major of assisting him was remanded to Tuesday next, bail being allowed in £SOO and two sureties of £250 each.

The Ecv. J. U. Davis, Baptist clergyman of Dunedin, after pathetically depicting the state of the labor market to a crowded congregation on Sunday last, thus referred to the brightening prospects of the Colony : Times arc mending. AVool has done well in quantity, quality, and price. Grain is abundant. These arc the life-blood of our trade, as land is its backbone. Freights arc low compared with Adelaide. The pastoral and agricultural interest will thus be soon largely relieved of their diibcuUics, if not restored to their recent ease and prosperity. The pressure is already slackening, AYlren men arc in trouble they lay down their carriages; when they arc getting on they exchange market carts for bugg;cs. I have the pleasure to inform you that the sale of buggies has not decreased—rather otherwise ; that the purchasers are mostly from the country, and that you may therefore righteously infer that wheat at 4s Cd and oats at Is Gd arc not going to ruin the farmers.

An important ’Sale of draught stool: took place at Oainaru yesterday, but the prices realised Avere not satisfactory. The highest bid for a draught mare was 1021 guineas. —Young Vanquisher was sold to the Hon. R. Campbell for 300 guineas. The horse cost Fleming and Hedley £750 two years ago. Glen Lyon, another entire, was sold for £165, a cheap price, as he Avas first as a three-year old at the Oanravu Show last year. The draught mares averaged about 50 guineas. Albert Cornwell,"a Dunedin butcher, Avas proceeded against at the Supreme Court on Alonday by an cx-shopman named Alfred Pritchard Avho sought damages for alleged slander. It seems that Dormvoll suspected Pritchard of retaining money that should have found its Avay to his till, confided his suspicions to his manager, and subsequently made Pritchard turn out his pockets. The shopman was so indignant that he Avept like a child, consulted a lawyer, and, in consequence of this, lost his situation. His Honor Judge Williams decided that the plaintiff must be non-suited on the ground that the couA’ersation between Dornwell and his manager Avas privileged, and there was [no evidence of malice to go to the jury.

A successful application for exemption as a juryman Avas made at the Dunedin Supreme Court on Alonday. The applicant, an ironmonger’s storeman, claimed exemption on the ground that he Avould run the risk of losing a situation that he had just obtained after six months idleness. The appeal melted the heart of Judge Williams.

Births on a railway train arc of sufficiently rare occurrence to justify their mention when they do take place. On Saturday (says the “ Southland News ”) the morning train from Alataura to Invercargill had the number of its passengers unexpectedly increased by what the papers call an “ interesting” event. A doctor was luckily “on board,” and was, of course, only too happy to render his services on the occasion. Alother and child, it may be added, arc “ both doing well.”

Justice’s justice as administered by Air I. N. AVatt, in Dunedin, has long been a by-word. On Alonday that dignitary committed a boy of nine years to the Industrial School for stealing some horse-shoes belonging to a Chinaman. The previous case was that of a Avornan, who, on different occasions, had stolen articles of Avearing apparel from pawnbrokers’ shops and drapery warehouses, but whose offences were only punished with one month’s imprisonment. Truly New Zealand should be proud of her Magistrates. The total quantity of coal used for gasmaking in New Zealand at present is 29,6000 tuns per annum.

The usual monthly meeting of the Tcmnka School Committee aayis held last evening at eight o’clock. Members present—Messrs A. Wilson (Chairman), Harrop, Bussell and Storey. The Head Alaster, Air Alacintosh, reported for the month ending Alarch 31, as follows : —Number on roll: Boys, 196 ; girls, 173 ; total, 369 ; average attendance, boys, 116 ; girls, 92; total, 208 ; Alarch 16, highest number present, boys, 131; girls, 93; total, 224. Accounts amounting to £l4 16s 3d Avcrc passed for payment. The Chairman stated that he and Air E. BroAA'ii had inspected the school, and he Avas extremely pleased at the cleanliness of the children, and everything was considered very satisfactory. Alcssrs Joseph Harrop and William Storey Avcrc appointed Visitors for the ensuing month. After several small matters had been settled the meeting terminated with a vote of thankc to the Chairman.

Here is something for our tailors to deal with. The “Dunedin Star says:—With reference to the local in our yesterday’s issue, intimating that the Government were about to take in hand the importation and supply of material for uniforms for the volunteer force, we may state that the manager of the Mosgicl Woollen Factory submitted to us to-day samples of scarlet cloth, of their manufacture, expresslymade for the purpose. He has been informed that no objection was made to the quality of the material; on the contrary, it is considered a better stuff than, and as cheap as the cloth used for cloth ing in the Imperial infantry forces. The material has also been used by several of the Otago companies, and has given satisfaction. The Defence authorities, however, raise objection to the price of making up the material in the Colony, and to the manner in which it is cut by colonial millitary tailors. We have had submitted to us samples of the Mosgiel Company’s manufacture and of the material of which the British infantry-man’s coat is made, and have no hesitation in declaring for the locally manufactured article. Microscopically examined, the English cloth is coarse, short in the grain, and of bad color, whilst the Colonial is very superior, being closely woven, well dressed, and excellent in color. What have our local military tailors to say in reference to the charge made against them by the Defence Department ? At Invercargill on Saturday Louis Schiiioll, a tailor, was charged on remand with attempting to murder his wife. The complainant, in the course of her evidence, said she was lying in bed with one of her children on the morning of the' 7th inst., when her husband, who had previously got up and left the room, returned with a lighted candle. He then leant over the bed, and witness, who thought he was looking at the child, felt a heavy blow on her forehead, hearing at the same time a great noise. Her husband did not speak, and she did not see him, having her eyes closed, but could feel that he was there. Witness heard something drop heavily on the floor, like a piece of iron, and she sprang out of bed and left the bedroom, the blood from the wound in her forehead streaming down her face. 1 Icr husband ran out and left the house, returning an hour after with a policeman. It was represented that Schmoll was jealous without cause, and though sober, was rather cranky in his habits. Inspector Fox described the pistol used as “ perfect rubbish.” On the Sunday before the oocmv rencc Schmoll had been at the Primitive Methodist church, and afterwards at a prayer meeting, and his wife told him he was a d hypocrite, and also expressed the wish that he might swallow his dinner and die. Schmoll was committed for trial.

The Sydney Exhibition will close on the 20th of the present month. A woman was sel l in a .bar-room at Bailer, N.S.W., recently for 20s and four drinks.

'The “ South Wales Weekly News” publishes the following unique specimen of its ignorance of Australian geography : —“ Mr Alexander Forest’s expedition reports the discovery of many million acres of pasture land in North and West Melbourne.”

Considerable tiro running of trains on the Timaru and Oamaru railway section will come into force on and after to-morrow .April 15, the principal of which arc as follows: —The train leaving Timaru for Ashburton at 7.50 a.nr. ,will leave at 0.15 a.nr.; the 7.35 to Oamaru will leave at 7.20. The South express will leave at 1.16 p.nr,, and the North express at 3.15 p,nr. The train from Ashburton arriving at 7.15 p.nr. will arrive at 8.10 p.trr. The Civil Service Commission arrived in town yesterday from the South, and examined Mr Beethanr 8.M., and Mr Jones, stationmaster, during the afternoon.