NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2321, 25 August 1880, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Mr J. if. Sutter was yesterday appoiuted Chairman of the Timaru Chamber of Commerce for the ensuing twelve months, Mr H. Cain, vice-president, and Messrs Roberts and Christopher, auditors. The annual general meeting adjourned about 5 pan. for o week.

The latest novelty in New Zealand is n panorama of the Kelly gang, painted by Mr T. Nicholson, scenic artist, which will shortly be exhibited in Timaru.

Why don’t the Ministry lind something for the garrulous member for Cheviot to do. This is what that highly accomplished individual offered to do in the way of retrenchment. We quote from “Hansard”: —“I could save £5,000 by discharging useless railway ollicers. I could easily save £15,000 by putting a stop to the extravagance, the waste, the reckless, thoughtless proceedings going on in the workshops. I could save £25,000 by obtaining stores at first hand and in the best market, instead of the wayin which they arc now obtained. I could save £10,500 by dismissing forty engineers who are now doing far more harm than good; and 1 could save at least £52,000 by a reduction of 121 per cent on wages all round.

The following lively little anecdote is telegraphed from Hawera. It is reported that liana, one of the Opunakc natives, went to the Parihaka meeting, and Te Whiti, hearing that he had knocked down fences on the journey up, ordered him to go down and put them up again, liana refused telling Te Whiti he did not care about being sent to Dunedin gaol, and that he preferred living with his wife. Te Whiti asked where his wife was. liana replied, “In Ifawera, selling land. This made Te Whiti angry, and belaid, “ Do you not know your wife is doing wrong? Toll her to come to Parihaka.” liana declined to put up the fences and declined to send his wife to Parihaka.

One of the most dejected persons in the custody of the police is Murray Cowell Kavern, the Mutton Bank forger. On being arrested recently in Melbourne, on a warrant from New Zealand, he told the detective, with tears in his eyes, that he wished he had made out the forged drogue for some thousands instead of filling it up for a miserable £75.

Magistrate Watt, of Dunedin, is a source of perplexity, not only to the police who invariably receive the poorest encouragement at his hands, hut to the municipal authorities. The other day he dismissed a number of sly grog prosecutions, because he thought proper to disbelieve the evidence of the informers, and since then he has discharged a batch of informations under the city by-laws because a few hours elapsed between the alleged offences and the commencement of proceedings. Has leather grown so scarce that a presentation cannot be made to this judicial luminary?

“ Apropos ” of Dr. Wallis’ latest move, the following story comes in :—A youthful secularist inquired the other day—“ Father, are you in favor of reading the Diblc in public schoois ?” The father replied that he was so thoroughly. The youth continued, “ Well, I thought so ; for you never read it at home.” This ended the discussion in the family for the day.” The Invercargill Corporation are in a state of borrowed bliss, in consequence of the flourishing state of their finances. They have just succeeded in arranging with their bankers for a heavy overdraft on the strength of their new loan.

A curious disappearance is just now causing a good deal of excitement at Rakaia. It appears that a boy whose age is about 16, named Bontan, left his homo at Addington on Aug. 6, for Rakaia ) where he was apprenticed. He was seen to arrive by the evening train at Rakaia, on the day in question, and to be standing on the Rakaia platform. This, however, is the last that was seen of him. His parents naturally supposed that he was at his employers, and so some time elapsed before he was missed. The matter has been placed in the hands of the police, but up to the present trine they have been unable to solve the mystery. The editor of “Vanity Pair” (London) writes “I am daily assailed by my friends who, either on their own account or on account of somebody else, implore me in the name of friendship to ‘ keep ’ such and such a thing ‘ out of the paper.’ Being of an amiable disposition, I am always inclined to indulge them ; but it really must have a limit, for if it goes on I shall either have to present my readers with a handsome blank page, or else I must take the advice given to an editor, to have no friends and live in a cellar.”

There is a good anecdote told of the late Bishop Selwyn. If it is not true it ought to be. Wandering after his manner through through the streets of a mining village in the Black Country, he came across a group of men engaged in the strange pastime of seeing who amongst the number could tell the most outrageous lie. They had got funds together to purchase a new tin kettle, which was to be awarded to the successful contestant. The good Bishop learned with wonder, not unmixed with indignation, the strange trial of skill being made. It appeared wicked to him and he expostulated with the liars on the heinousness of the action. They failed, however, to sec any harm in the transaction, and told the Bishop so. He, to their amazement, told them he had never told a lie in his life. On hearing this assertion, a stalwart miner called out, “ Gic the governor the kettle.” The other afternoon live companions arrived at Invercargill from the Bluff jby train. Peeling “ dry,” they repaired to the Railway Hotel, and made for a quiet little room. A few seconds having elapsed, none of the party being anxious to “ shout,” and as there wci e no dice, it was proposed to have “ a bob in.” This was readily assented to, and accordingly a coin was thrown up, the arrangement being that the “ odd man” or “odd woman” was to part for the drinks. There were several rounds, during which one of the tossers lost the lining of one of his pockets. He reported the occurrence to the police, alleging that he had been relieved of £4. Thereupon (says the“ Southland Times”) Detective Tuohy summoned the licensee of the hotel at the Police Court for allowing an unlawful game to be played in his house, but as there was nothing in the Act to render tossing for drinks unlawful, and the landlord was absent when the alleged misdemeanor took place, the information was dismissed.

l’'ifty telegraph employees have been dismissed, many of them old and valuable hands.

Sporting men dream that a white-faced chestnut is to bo the winner of the Hawkcshury (hand Handicap. There are three white-faced chestnuts entered for the event.

A Maori girl was arrested at Otaki for larceny, and was placed in the lock-up there but owing to the assistance of a man named Rumscy she was enabled to pull up the Jlooiing boards of her cell and effect her escape. Einnsey was committed for trial for aiding and abetting, but on behalf of the girl her counsel contended that no offence had been committed, as there was no law under which a person who escaped from custody before trial could be punished. The Court upheld the objection and dismissed the information against the girl.

Overtures have been made for Ned Kelly’s armour by a Sydney journal. In connection with this it may be mentioned that the reporter of the same paper—who has since given a really excellent account of the Temora rush—armed himself, on setting out from Cootamundra last week, with a pair of revolvers, a ride, and, it is said a bowic knife. He has returned safely, having neither killed himself nor anyone else.

A promising but as j'et undeveloped genius in the legal profession, who till now has been doomed to bud forth as an articled clerk was recently emboldened to make formal application for admission to the police court to’practice as an attorney. To the question of the examination paper “ what are the rights of a minor ?” he wrote, “To dig for gold.” To another, “ What are the rights of a sea-captain ?” he wrote the equally deep-down reply, “ To shoot the crew.” The astounded listeners thought he should look for honors in a higher court. A Port Darwin telegram in the “ South Australian Register ” says:—The Warden has decided in favor of the original holders of the ground at the Margaret rush which was jumped. The junipers arc well satisfied with the washing up of the stolen dirt_ While the row was going on above ground, some of the miners were stowing away large lumps of gold below. It is estimated that 1000 ounce have been taken from the patch, which is 15 by7s yards.”