South Canterbury Times. SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1880. NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2246, 29 May 1880, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1880. NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Board of Education invito application for the post of second master at the Waimato school.

The programme of the Timaru Steeplechase meeting, to be held on June 18, .will bo found in another column.

A man named Robert Beadle, was arrested yesterday at Dunedin for larceny of a watch and chain. The theft was committed in one of the Timaru Hotels. Beadle will be brought up at the R.M. Court, here, in the course of a day or two.

The usual weekly meeting of the Life Boat Lodge, No. 101,1.0.G.T., was held last evening in the Oddfellows Hall Sophia street, Bro. J.E. Lyle W.C.T., presided. After the Customary preliminaries, a member from the Dunedin Lodge was admitted on clearance and two candidates were initiated. The meeting was then opened for harmony and several excellent songs and recitations were contributed, the proceedings terminating at 9.30 p.m. A very pleasant entertainment was given last evening at the Queen's Hall, in aid of the funds of the Tknaru Library. The attendance was by no means so large as the object of the gathering warranted, as the back seats were almost empty. The entertainment itself, consisting of a number of songs, readings, recitations, and pianoforte selections by lady and gentleman amateurs, can, only be described as most successful, as was evidenced by the number of encores demanded. Wo arc pleased to learn that a second entertainment will bo given shortly, which it is to be hoped will be better attended. A series, of .well-organised winter evening entertainments of this kind would be welcomed by many, and if some local magician could be retained to assist, or an occasional dramatic sketch was given—even if the “ dresses and effects ” were home made—the series could hardly fail to bo a success. Perhaps our amateurs may think the hint worth acting upon. In our report of the South Canterbury Jockey Club meeting, the Timaru Cup, of 50 sovs. was inadvertently ommitted from the programme of the forthcoming Steeplechase meeting. The following officers were appointed : Stewards : Messrs J. W. White, E. G. Kerr, M. Jonas, J. A. Gamack, and T. Hall ; Judge, Mr M. Studholmc ; Starter, Mr E. Stanscll ; Clerk of Course, Mr A. St. G. Hamcrsloy ; Handicappcr, Mr Shcrwin ; Clerk of the Scales, Mr J. Mciklc. A Sub-Committee consisting of Messrs G. Laing-Meason, T. Hall, E. Stanscll, and J. Mciklc was appointed to prepare the course for the meeting.

A batch of Mormon converts arc awaiting the next ’Frisco mail steamer at Auckland in custody of a Mormon Elder. They hail chiefly from Australia and Canterbury. This accounts for the recent extraordinary decrease in the admissions to Sunnysidc. If the Elders arc wise the will pay a visit to Wanganui,

Wm Collins, a groom at Napier who shot himself in the head yesterday morning died in the afternoon. Domestic unhapiness was the cause.

A novelty in boat building is thus referred to by the Nelson “Mail” of Friday last:— For some time past Mr J. Lukins of the Port has been engaged in constructing a boat to be propelled by a screw, which, in itself, is a novelty. It has been designated the “ boomerang” propeller, and in shape very much resembles the weapon used by the Australiau natives. The screw will be moved by a shaft, which in turn will work an innumerable number of cog wheels, the multiplying power of which is 10£, that is to say for every turn of the shaft the propeller will revolve ten and a half times. Steam is to be • dispensed with altogether, the shaft being turned by those in the boat. As there is room for a dozen to work this will not be a difficult task. The boat is only a small one, being 14 feet on the keel and 17 feet overall. She has been named the Boomerang. The machinery was tried this morning in the presence of our reporter and worked admirably. Mr Lukins expects to get about 5 knots per hour out of his boat. The Boomerang was launched this afternoon, and to-night will make her trial trip.

On Thursday night about eleven o’clock a dray with a dead horse attached, belonging to an old Nelson settler named John Kruse, was found in the Waimea river, Kruse is supposed to have been drowned and swept down the river.

The 11 Southland Times ” is in a position to say that the Waimea Plains Eailway Company intend-to open the line ns soon as completed, so that they may be entitled to the 7 per cent guaranteed by the Government.

The miners engaged on the Kumara sludge channel contract having had their wages reduced to 9s per day have expressed their dissatisfaction by calling a meeting and passing the following resolution: —“ On account of the exceptional nature of the weather and cost of living in the district, it is the opinion of this meeting that a.- reduction in the current rate of wages, which has lately taken place ,at one of the public works here, is unjustifiable and most injurious to thoinlmbitants.”

The “Post” states that “a statement having been made that the Minister for Public Works has directed the hours of labor of railway hands to he increased from eight to nine hours, on enquiry we find that no such instructions emanated from the Minister, but during the time of exceptional pressure from grain and goods traffic lately, men were called on by the Traffic Manager to work an extra hour, this being purely a temporary expedient to meet a special case.”

A writ for the for the Waitaki election has been issued. The nomination of candidates takes place on the Bth June, and the election on the 16th. The three candidates arc busily engaged' in addressing the electors in different parts of the district, and there is, some difficulty at the present time in telling which of the three stands the best chance of being returned.

A person; named Edward Lane was sentcnced,by the Ashburton Bench yesterday to six months imprisonment for robbing a poor laborer of his watch during a spree.

It is thought that if there is really a white woman among the Carpentaria blacks she must be the wife of the captain of the Earl of Hardwick, which, while sailing round from Adelaide to India, was abandoned seven years ago in Torres Strait. A painful sensation was caused in Hastings, England, recently, by a statement that some of the occupants of a boarding-school in a fashionable submb wore shockingly treated. It appears that the Health Officer, acting ujion the complaints of parties, proceeded to Mount Pleasant Terraco, and in a school kept there found two scholars apparently rail faring from starvation. One girl, aged fourteen, was in a fearful state, and was removed to Hastings Workhouse. Bho weighed 351 b, and on being washed it was found necessary to remove all her toes, they being rotten. There were eight boarders some supposed to be illegitimate. The police are investigating the matter.

A great many calculations have been made recently respecting the debt/of New Zealand, and it may be interesting to try another way in which to look at it. A few figures show that every morning the colonists of New Zealand rise out of their beds, Sundays included, they have to pay to the English capitalist £4,153 18s lid for interest on the colonial debt, which now amounts to £1,51 !7(r'pcr annum.

In the Court of Appeal, yesterday, the rule for leave to appeal in the groat turnip seed case of Cleve v. King was discharged.

The local committee for the Timaru district notify that they arc prepared to receive exhibits, which they will forward to Melbourne free of cost. Mr J. 11. Sutter, Chairman of the Committee, will give all necessary information to persons desirous of forwarding exhibits.