NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2389, 12 November 1880, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Wc understand that Mr Cork, having invested freely in Mr Bell’s consultation on the C.J.C. Handicap, drew the first horse, valued at £13(1.

At the Waimate R. M. Court, yesterday, before R. Beetham, Esq., U.M., and W. J. Stewart, J.P., J. Kaan for drunkenness and using abusive lange was fined 10s and costs 9s. A few civil cases were disposed of.

A new cricket Club was formed last night to be called “ The Crusaders.” Messrs Hughes, Lawrence and King have been elected Captain, Secretary, and Treasurer respectively. The opening match of the Club comes off on Nov. 20.

A few weeks ago a salmon weighing sixty four pounds was captured in the Tay. It was sold at three shillings a pound, and fetched £'.) 12s, or about the cost of three ordinary sheep.

Mr Shcrrin, a journalist whose adventures arc “ familiar as household words ” has passed through the flames. He was a lodger in the Rising Sun Hotel, Wairarapa, when it was burned the other night and he lost all his books and documents.

A fatal accident occurred at Wanganui last Sunday by which a little girl the daughter of Mr GK S. Robertson lost her life. It seems that the family had been to Sunday school and while crossing the river in the punt at the ferry, the little one fell into the river and was drowned. Sir Hercules Robinson’s popularity even extends to America. This is what a New York paper said of him :—“ Sir Hercules is one of the numerous sons of an Irish clergyman by the daughter of Sir Hercules Langrish. He has an Irishman’s love of horseflesh, and never missed an Australian race of any importance, Of conciliatory disposition, he always got along very well when Governor, and is deemed a safe man by the Colonial Ol'tlcc.” A return has been printed, showing the rate per cent of the cost of collecting Customs revenue at the various ports in the colony, JTaking the four principal ports, Lyttelton and Christchurch, with a gross collection of £151,310, costs £2 18s 6d per cent for collection ; Auckland,with £175,1(18, costs £2 17s (Id per cent ; Wellington, with £112,001), costs £2 11s 9d per cent; and Dunedin and Port Chalmers, with £285,018, —"iJAd has the following:—“ A whaling captain declares that a now breed of whales has made its appearance in the Arctic seas. They are supposed to have come from the open sea at the Pole. They arc very much larger than the old whales, and very gentle and confiding. In former years when a whale was harpooned, the rest of the breed threw up their flukes and made off. The new breed do not seem to mind in the least the capture of one of their number.”

The following paragraph is clipped from the llangitikci “ Advocate"; —“ On Saturday last we noticed a quantity of potatoes being taken up the line from Wanganui, they having been shipped to that port from the South Island. “Wheat also is being brought in considerable quantities from the same quarter. “We know’ of one miller in the district, who, a few days ago, received ;K)00 bushels. All this affords melancholy evidence of the apathy on the part of our farmers. “We have abundance of fertile land and a mild and genial climate, and yet we have to import wheat and potatoes to feed our scanty population.” A military individual sporting the name of “ Captain D, Standish, H.M. Second Dragoon Guards?” who says he is “on leave” has lighted on the volunteer warriors of the North like a bombshell. “ A Guard,” writing to the Wellington “ Chronicle,” says : —“ No such a person is to be found in the Army List, and it is only fair to suppose that his ‘on leave’ refers to a period of existence w’hen, after ‘ lagging’ a few odd years, lie w'as dismissed from her Majesty’s forces with a ticket.” “ Volunteer” also writes: —“ As for ‘ Captain Standish,’ who describes himself as ‘ on leave,” I would like to know the nature of his ; leave’ —whether he has ‘ taken French leave,’ or is on an ‘ enforced leave’ for the benefit of his regiment,’ or whether he is on ‘ ticket of leave.’ ” The editor wisely concludes This is the last letter we can find room for on this matter.

If the business people of Timaru display a little unanimity, the dust will be kept down for them during the ensuing summer months, at the nominal cost of from Is to ;3s per week, acccording to the size of their establishments. Some are under the impression that the work should be done by the Corporation but it need scarcely be pointed out that such a proceeding would be unfair to the ratepayers as a body. Then again it is a well-known fact that public bodies never succeed in doing this kind of work so effectively as it can be done by private enterprise. The following paragraph from the “Wellington Chronicle" of Nov. 4, will show how the watering of the streets is mismanaged by the Wellington City Council: —There seems to be a want of method in the way some of the Corporation work is carried out, notably that of street watering. Shopkeepers open in the morning and clean and dust their shops, and in an hour or so, find their labor has been rendered useless by the clouds of dust, which envelope everything. No doubt, after the dust storm has had full lling in ruining the goods of jewellers and drapers, tilling the eyes, and souring the tempers of all whose business calls them into the street, the water carts will be put on as usual.

It will be observed by our report of the Christchurch races that Le Loup has won the Christchurch Plate, making the three most important events in the Metropolitan meeting. Mr Carr, .District Engineer at Napier, has received notice that his services will be dispensed with after Jan. 1. This is taken as indicating the total stoppage of all railway works, The Jbush settlers in Hawkes’ Bay district are in a state of groat pecuniary distress, being unable to pay the instalments due on their lands, and some of them in absolute want. One Melbourne man got up fourteen £2,000 sweeps, and fully one-third of his patrons were women. Retrenchment still goes on apace says the “Wellington Chronicle.” During the present month another batch of thirty of the noble army of Civil Servants will fall victims to the sad necessities of the country. So far as can be ascertained there arc no highly paid sinecurists amongst the thirty, though it is said that some conspicuous occupants of fat billets will soon be thrown, like so many more, upon a “ cold, cold world.”

The fragrant ditch that from time immemorial has nourished at the back of the Council Chambers will soon be a thing of the past. A number of workmen arc rapidly converting it into a concrete sewer, and the public will soon be able to breathe freely. About one third ol the cost of removing this usual odorous nuisance, has been borne by Ross Sims ACo., who are engaged filling up the deep hollow known as Bank street Gully. At a meeting of creditors in Wellington the following cheerful state of the bankrupt's affairs was revealed :—“Land set down by the bankrupt as worth £1,300 (and which was mortgaged to Mills and Co., for £2,000) would now only sell for £2,000. The furniture valued at £IOO was worth about £IBO, and £l3O worth of this had been voted to the debtor. The plant stated to be worth £1(10 had realised £7 13s. The book debts (£100) were wholly valueless, as were the others (£7). Of the large sums due on contracts, the greater part was owing by parties who were themselves bankrupts,and on the rest there were large liens. The other alleged assets were similar in result to the above. The trustees had realised about £OOO, and the expenditure had been the same amount, the principal outgoing being for interest on mortgages.”

“ A man in his time plays many parts.” Colonel Reader, whose early years were spent in drilling soldiers, is at present varying life's journey in Dunedin by inspecting the police. The gallant Colonel is expected in Timaru every day.