Untitled

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2459, 4 February 1881, Page 3

There were 0000 tickets altogether sold in the Timaru Catholic ArtUuion, Mr Watkins’ Hotel at Eangitata was broken into on Wednesday night, and two cash boxes containing £27 in notes and cash, and a number of bills and notes were abstracted. Detective Kirby yesterday proceeded to the hotel and is at present actively engaged in investigating the robbery. Nothing definite is yet known as to his success at present. Complaint s are still rife o£ reapers and binders getting out of repair and becoming damaged in a mysterious way. One of the common causes of breakdown is the disappearance of small bolts, and the mystery is that these appliances usually tumble off at night, and not when the machines are at work. A great number of swagsmen are travelling about looking wistfully at the harvest fields, and vainly seeking employment, and the mischief done to the reapers and binders is naturally associated with their visits. Such is the terror inspired that we have heard, of one farmer in the Geraldine district who has lately been sleeping out every night with his reaping implements for a pillow and mattrass. A Wellington telegram states that during tke races yesterday considerable dissatisfaction was excited by the action of the police, under .Superintendent Shearman, who sternly suppressed all games of chance, except the two totalisators on the lawn. The racing club had sold the right to games for £22, and about' twenty tables of various kinds Were on the ground ready for action. When the police interfered, the stewards interviewed Superintendent Shearman, to induce him to permit what has always heretofore been allowed at race meetings, but he absolutely refused. Chlorodyne would seem to be as bad as brandy .when imbibed to excess. A woman arid family of destitute children, who were found in rags and misery, being brought before the Lytteitou Bench yesterday, the police stated to the Court that the husband had'informed them that his wife was in the practice of drinking chlorodyne to the value of from £1 to 22s per week, and that this unfortunate circumstance was the cause of their present destitution. One of those awkward “ slips ’twixt cup and lip,” that make the many grin at the calamities of the few; has just occurred to a well-known Timaru resident. After a five years courtship in the Old Country with a view to matrimony, the young man, who is somewhat past the age of puberty, went to Lyttelton on Monday last for the purpose of meeting his adorable and tying the connubial knot. To the surprise of his friends he has returned as he went—a virtuous bachelor. The fickle one—a new arrivalr-had taken time by the forelock, and acting on the principle that “ a bird in the'hand is worth two in the bush,” she got moored for life to the second officer of the vessel in which she took her passage. The jilted one is inconsolable, and although only a few days have elapsed since his disappointment he has fallen off in flesh remarkably.

jfoThp. Opibi bridge for which the Temuka Road Board have just accepted a tender is to be built on the truss principle, and will consist of 47 spans of 30ft each ; the piles arc to be of iron bark, driven to a depth of 14ft; the superstructure to be of kauri and totara ; the .decking to be of kauri. In connection with the contract certain works to protect the banks of the river are to be carried out. The completion of this bridge will be a great boon tothe travelling public as it is a long time since the old one, which this will replace, was destroyed by flood. The contractors are allowed eight months to complete the work, and the amount of the contract is £5211 10s Gd,

A society for the protection, and main- 1 tainance of destitute dogs, has been formed in Christchurch. The object of the promoters is to prevent valuable dogs that have strayed from their owners, or which may happen to be imregisterc 1, being destroyed by the police.

A quantity of tea, salmon, and soap will be offered for sale at Collin s and Co.’s rooms to-morrow. The South Eangitatarailway station will he known on and after Monday next as Woodbridgc.” The Timaru Side School, situated near the entrance to the Public Park, will be opened on Monday next.