South Canterbury Times, FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 1880. NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2221, 30 April 1880, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 1880. NEWS OF THE DAY.

A number of elegant trophies, to be competed for at the Timaru Amateur Athletic Club’s annual sports meeting, arc now on view at Messrs G. and T. Young’s. They comprise a massive Silver Challenge Cup, and a large variety of useful articles in silverware. The trophies are mostly valuable for their novelty of design,elaborate workmanship, and artistic finish, and they arc undoubtedly a credit to the manufacturer.

Our well-known townsman, Mr B. Gibson, having entered into partnership with Mr Cockroft, jeweller, the premises of tbe latter are being extended, and in the course of a few days the establishment will be renovated and furnished'with one of the largest and choicest stocks of jewellery in this part of the colony. We have it on tolerably good authority that Mr Sperrey, commissioner under the property tax, has issued instructions to the assessors that in cases where they have any doubt as to the property coming within the scope of the Act, which fixes a limit of £SOO, they are to fix an excessive valuation, and allow the persons aggrieved to appeal and prove that the value of their property is lesi than the amount estimated. This is a rough and ready way of doing business that will vastly add to the unpopularity of this exceedingly objectionable system of taxation.

It is hard for a poor man to bo robbed of his watch, but it is doubly hard to be robbed of his liberty along with it. thich is the fate of McNally. Being of a convivial disposition, advantage was taken of his weakness some time ago to deprive him ol Jus watch, and the alleged thief was committed for trial, McNally being bound over to prosecute at the Supreme Court, Timaru. Unfortunately that institution only sits twice a year, and while the supposed culprit was awaiting trial, McNally hearing that his father was sick resolved to visit the home of his boyhood. He went down to Dunedin, got on the spree, and had the misfortune to be arrested just as he was about to depart for the old country, McNally is now in the same establishment with the man who robbed him—the Timaru Gaol —awaiting the advent of a judge and jury. / r ter such a lesson it is probable that when next McNally is robbed he will say as little about it as possible.

The pleuro-pneumonia scare has led to an extremely sensible stroke of policy on the part of the Geraldine County Council. At their meeting to-day, it was resolved to request the Government to issue an order in Council, prohibiting the importation of cattle by sea to the South Island, whether from the North Island or from the Australian Colonics, If such a prohibition is enforced and strictly carried out, it will effectua''y prevent the cattle plague from travelling across Cook’s Straits, and stockowners of Canterbury, Otago, and other parts of this island will be spared an enormous loss. The South Island, at present, is free from cattle disease, and no effort should be spared to keep it so. It is impossible to compliment the Geraldine members too highly on the wisdom of their proposal. It is no matter for surprise that the Dog Tax should engross the attention of the Geraldine county members. Dogs are to the County Council what ratepayers are to the County Hoad Boards. In other words the dogs of the county are about the only sources of revenue left to the county members. This year the Council has determined that no stone shall be left unturned to secure the dog rates, and five dog inspectors have been appointed on the payment by results principle. These revenue officers are to receive 10 per cent, on their collections, or a shilling for every dog. Owners of sagacious quadrupeds in the country, had therefore better look out, lest their collarless pets should be collared in spite of them.

Six stacks of wheat, belonging to the Bank of New South Wales, at Lceston, were burned down yesterday. It is supposed to be the work of an incendiary. The stacks were insured in the Norwich Union for £250, which will not nearly cover the loss.

Resolutions, emphatically condemning the action of the Christchurch Drainage Board, were passed by a crowded meeting of ratepayers last evening. A new anecdote is told of Bishop Peck, of Syracuse. The Bishop’s weight is be tween 350 and 400 pounds, and when in the dead watch, and middle of the night his bed crushed under him, the gentleman whose house he was visiting ran up stairs in great alarm. “ What is the matter bishop?” anxiously inquired the host. “Nothing at all,” groaned the clergyman ; “just tell your wife, if I’m not here in the morning, to look for me in the cellar,”

Mr R. Hudson, of self-raising flour fame is about to erect a coffee palace on a magnificent scale, in front of the Masonic Hall, Dunedin. Mr Hudson is a practical temperance reformer. He never exhibits on the platform but he makes many genuine converts.

Mr Tyson, the famous wrestler, has lately been trying his sinews on the antimony deposits at Tuapeka, Otago. As the result of his efforts, a fine lode between two or three feet in thickness has been opened and traced for 1500 feet. The ore has been tested and is declared, to be worth from £lO to £l6 per ton, besides containing from 1 to 2,Jozs of gold to the ton. Tunnels are being driven on the lode from both sides of the hill in which it occurs.

Wales is still the stronghold of the Mormons in Great Britain, although their army, which numbers GOO, cannot be called a formidable one. Of course they must have their conference like everyone else ; so 150 out of GUO assembled at Merthyr to settle whether Mormonism was to be the religion of England when the Established Church was disestablished. As it was somewhat difficult to determine when this event would take place, the discussion was deferred to a future occasion, and the* conference broke up to the tunc of “ Annie Lisle” and “ The Men of Harlech.”

All OplGtol innnimr connected with the recent accident to the steamer Manawatu, was held at Wellington yesterday. Several witnesses were examined, and the evidence went to show great neglect in not attending to the boiler. The cause of the accident was attributed to salt in the boiler. John Symons, the only certificated engineer on board gave evidence that he only went for one trip in the steamer, as she could not clear at the Customs without having a certificated engineer on board. He denied being in charge of the engines, as he received no remuneration and was not on the articles. AMr Scagcr was in charge of the engine-room during the trip to Wanganui. Witness was ceitain that if the water in the boiler had been tested according to the rule the accident would not have occurred. Mr Scagcr was not a certificated engineer. Judgment was reserved ti to-day. The Cape “ Times ” of February 10, says: —" Cetewayo is engaged in making mental notes. He has calculated that each charge bred by the foreign man-of-war now in Table Bay, in saluting the fort was of the value of an ox. He also concludes that it is more expensive to keep armaments in Europe than in Zululand. His Majesty also regards the Queen’s conduct in not answering bis message of contrition as showing a great lack of courtesy, but he remains confident of his return to Zululand. For the present bis chief regret is that his connubial circle is so unbearably small.” Another paragraph n the same paper says;—Cetewayo, accompanied by Captain Poole, R.A., Mr Interpreter Longcast, and suite, made a semi-oflic : al visit to the ex-Chief Langalibalcle, at the latter’s residence on the Cape Flats, on Saturday last. His Majesty drove in a carriage which was hired for the occasion. The first part of the. visit was very stiff amt roinuil, imo the two illustrious prisoners ‘thawed’ during the course of the interview, and the parting was most cordial.'’

Charles Tedder, a workman at the Lyltdgraving dock, had his leg fractured yesterday by a fal 1 . Colonel Synge, recently captured by Creek brigands, is an olliccr who has done service in the British army. He lost an arm in the Indian mutiny, and after the fall of Colonel Booth, of the 43rd Light Infantry, together with half a dozen officers of the same regiment at the Gate !’a, in the New Zealand war, Colonel Synge, who succeeded to the command, indicted a serious punishment on the tribes at Ta Papa, in the same district, carrying their ride pits with the bayonet and killing over 2000 of their number. Colonel Synge is a man of estimable character aud humane disposition, and it was doubtless for those (qualities that ho was selected by Minister Layard to distribute relief to the suffering refugees, in the discharge of which duty he was captured by Greek cut-throats.

Tire Taupe district is the happy possessor of an expert horse-stealer. The “ Hawkes Bay Herald’, records his exploits “ The fellow stole a horse some little time ago at Woodthorpe, and, having disposed of it near Tarawera, stole another horse there and rode to Cambridge, in the Waikato, where he got rid of the second horse and stole another. He then rode to Tauranga, disposed of the third horse; stole another, and made to Ohinemutu. There he again stole a horse and rode to Taupo, at which place he appropriated the telegraph line-man’s horse, which was not missed until the horse-stealer had passed Tarawera with it. The telegraph wires were then resorted to, and the horse belonging to the department was found at Kessington, quite knocked up. The man’s swag, saddle, aud bridle, were found in t’ c scrub between Kessington and Woodthoiq and the last that was heard of himself was that he had been to Omaha.”

W. Hurcombe, has on hand 2,000 dozen Stewart Island Oysters, also a red English Maclccral, and other varieties of Fish, also, a large supply of Rabbits.