NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2322, 26 August 1880, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

. The ordinary monthly meeting of the South Canterbury Board of Education takes place on Wednesday next. Some important business will be discussed.

Mr G. 0. Clayton has been appointed Clerk of the Works, during the erection of the new St. Mary’s Church, the foundation stone of which will be laid on Sept. 9.

A chess match, Timaru v. Temuka, took place last evening, the Temuka men winning seven games out of twelve. A match with the Ashburton Club is on the tapis, when, if all accounts are correct, our local men will have to mind their p’s and

Stem moorings were yesterday laid under the lee of the Breakwater, for theaccommodation of steamers visiting this port. Tire diver descended yesterday afternoon, for the purpose of examining the work along the southern side of the present contract. He reported that in every case the blocks were deposited on the solid rock.

On Tuesday night the members of the Otago Institute were treated to a couple of papers entitled—“ Notes on some specimens of migratory salmonidie,” byMrW. Arthur, and “ Periodic verticil oscillations in the sun’s atmosphere,” by H. Skey. A paper on the language of the learned gorilla is in course of preparation. The Dunedin City Council have just given an illustration of what can be done in the way of retrenchment, by reducing their expenditure by upwards of £IO,OOO per annum. The reductions arc as follows : Salaries, £790 Is (id ; officers disjrensed with, £OIO ; outside labor disjrensed with, £BOO 17s ; metal supply decrease, £8,372 —total, £IO,OBI Is Gd. It is believed that a further reduction of several thousands might be effected if the officers’ salaries, some of which reach £350, were reduced to a reasonable figure. A country correspondent who has been severely button-holed, thus bewails his misfortunes : —lt does not matter where you go, or whom you meet, you are at once buttonholed for a subscription to this school fence, or that Sunday school, or the other service of song; and as the promoters of each fund arc .artful enough to engage the services of, all tire best looking and most attractive young ladies in the district as collectors, it is impossible to refuse subscribing, so you just have to give in at once and look as happy as you can. People’s ideas differ as to what constitutes “ Society.” For instance, the editor and proprietor of a newspaper in Tasmania was recently remonstrated with by a young clergyman, who pointed out to him that his organ of public opinion was chiefly made up of scurrility, blasphemy, and indecency. In the full fury of his zeal, the young ecclesiastic wound up by saying, “In England a man who edited such a paper would be considered outside the social pale.” The editor calmly replied, “In Tasmania, Sir, no man is considered outside the social pale until he’s hanged.” * The late gale shook Wellington to its foundations, smashing windows, producing an epidemic of nervous headaches, completely prostrating the old ladies in the Government buildings, partially destroying the new drill shed, and postponing the only entertainment on Saturday evening —a concert. At Kilburnie—a suburban village—a large residence was completely knocked to smithereens, the back premises telescoping into [the front parlor, to the intense consternation of the occupants. A female pedestrian was blown literally off her legs> her drapings acting as a parachute, and when she dropped again on terra frma she came down with such force that she suffered a fracture of one of her limbs.

A word-rate of 11s lOd per word has been introduced by the Indo-European Telegraph Company for messages between New Zealand and England. The previous scale was somewhat complicated, and expensive for short messages. A Waimatc tradesman havintr sought the protection of the bankruptcy Court the other day had his windows artistically covered with whitewash. Subsequently to make the improvement still more suggestive, a judgment summons and another legal document were attached to the glass with the inscription beneath “Too late! too late ! you cannot enter now.”

The unfortunate Celestial, Ah Song, who so unexpectedly evinced signs of life after he had been mourned as dead by his friends, did not long survive his return to consciousness. He died yesterday afternoon, and his body was removed to the Sportsman’s Arms hotel to await an inquest which, it is expected, will not take place until this evening, owing to Mr Beetham being away at the Waimate E.M. Court today. The gardeners’ camp at Saltwater Creek is filled with Chinamen, whom the news of the mishap to their countryman had summoned from all quarters.

George Askloy, alias “Brummy,” was arrested yesterday, at Duntroon, by mounted constable Black, on a charge of obtaining board and money of the value of £4 6s from Mr Orr, of the Waitaki hotel, by false pretences.

There will probably be no sitting of the District Court until September 1.

At the 11. M. Court, this morning, before F. LeCrcn, Esq., -T.P., a first offender, for drunkenness, was discharged with a caution. •John Pound was then charged, under the Destitute Persons Act, of 1877, with deserting his illegitimate child. Mr Reid appeared for the accused, who pleaded “ not guilty.” He was remanded until to-morrow. It may be stated that when the accused was brought before the Auckland Bench on this charge the other day, the counsel by whom he was repi e. sented affirmed that he had been improperly arrested, as he had arranged with the mother for the maintenance of his child ; had actually paid down money in advance for that purpose, and was leaving the colony with the mother’s full knowledge and consent. It is stated that there are three charges pending against Pound of wilful destruction to property in connection with the late smashing of window glass in Timaru.

The pile-driving machine was erected this morning at the Breakwater, and about eleven o’clock the first pile of the temporarywharf was got in—to the water. The fact is, a slight accidcnt’occurred in getting the pile into position, and it fell over on its side with a splash into the water, and is now resting peacefully on the rock at the bottom. Subsequent efforts have, however, been more successful, and with the driving of the first pile, the work of constructing the wharf may be said to have fairly begun. The “ Lyttelton Times ” says that the steamers Hawca and Hinemoa had a run last week from Lyttelton to Wellington, when the Hawea heat the Government boat by- an hour and more. The skipper of the latter boat was being “ chaffed” after his arrival at Wellington on his being beaten by the Hawea, when he replied, “What can .you expect when the Government have just taken 10 per cent off the screw?”

Further particulars concerning the clerk at the Lands Department, Sydney,who drew £BOO and then absconded from the colony, and an an account of whose proceedings appeared in our issue of last evening, state that a detective started after him by the last San Francisco steamer. It seems the clerk hid himself on board the ship till the vessel was at the heads. He was then seen by the pilot, who, when shown the photograph recognised him. The Sydney authorities have telegraphed to England, asking if the extradition treaty is still in force, and a reply has been received in the affirmative.

A Leicestershire paper says that an amusing scene lately occurred in a church at Penpont. The assistant had “exchanged” with a neighbor, and the stranger, not aware that in the Established congregation the collection was always taken with the ladle, allowed no opportunity for it between the last psalm and the blessing. The people were visibly amused, the moie that the incumbent, a man of rather irritable temper, was observed to be trying but ineffectually, to arrest the attention of the preacher by a series of short, sharp, and significant coughs. When the people began to move out at the doors he could stand it no longer, but rushed out of his pew, caught a fugitive by the shoulder, ordered him to seize a ladle, and the beadle another, and intercept the collection that threatened to elude him altogether The most of the congregation, however, had already escaped by other doors, having much to do to restrain their laughter till they got into the open air. On the two toll collectors returning they reported a sura of Is. “ Four shillings !” exclaimed the venerable divine, with undisguised contempt ; and he proceeded to open the Sabbath class, held immediately after the service. The following ha s been contributed to the Christchurch “ Star: —’Twas sunset, when a wayworn, wearv traveller, staggering under the weight of his voluminous swag which was tied in a dirty pocket handkerchief, approached the Waipara Bridge. He said he had walked from Kaiapoi, and was bound for the Weka Pass. He was hungry and athirst, and the genial overseer invited him to join those assembled at the supper table. He didn’t require much pressing. He joined. Three large plates of Irish stew disappeared within the insatiable maw of this modest tramp. He was evidently laying in a stock of provisions. “Cook,” said the overseer, “make me a bit of toast.” “Ah!” said this festive cuss, “ While you are about it, you may make me a bit.” The astonished cook made it, and it disappeared. “ I say, ole man ; make us another bit.” Cook stood aghast, but the toast didn’t come. And this heathen Chinee said he could get a better supper in any second-class hashhouse any day. He left—rapidly.

The railway line from Kapua to Malta - toko, which Mr Oliver in the Public Works Statement says will be gone on with during the year, has been finished for nearly three months, and trains run regularly to Makatoko.

O’Connor, the Timaru ped, walked a mile in thirteen seconds under seven minutes last evening at the Christchurch Theatre Eoyal.

A concert and entertainment takes place in the Wesleyan school-room, Bank-street, this evening. Thompson’s well-known Diorama of the American War will open for a short season in Timaru, at the Theatre Boyal, on Tuesday next. Mr C. B. Eichbaum, chemist and druggist, has just received per ship Khorassan, a large stock of Grimault’s cigarettes, nursery and bathing requisites, besides a great variety of medical novelties, patent medicines, and drugs of the purest quality, llis advertisement appears elsewhere.