NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2466, 12 February 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The English Mail via San Francisco will arrive at Timaru, this evening at 8.15. p.m. The office will be open to the public for the delivery of letters, from 9 to 10 p.m,, also correspondence usually delivered by the letter carrier may also be obtained at the delivery counter. The private box lobby will be kept open till 10.30. this evening.

Anglers beware of congers’ tails! Yesterday afternoon an angler fishing from oil' the wharf hooked a conger cel between five and six feet long, and of proportionate thickness. While kneeling to disengage the writhing fish from the line, its tail came smartly in contact with the fisherman’s forehead inflicting a nasty cut, which bled profusely.

A reporter of the “ Thames Advertiser ’’ has arrived from To Aroha, bringing intelligence of the diabolical murder of a Maori named Simon, holding a good position by a Russian named John Procogy, a miner, who has been arrested, with blood stains on his clothes. The throat of the murdered man was cut from ear to ear.

Inspector Typhoid has succeeded Inspector Habens,and the Inspector of Prisons in Auckland.

A gentleman who passed through St‘ Andrews yesterday informs us that there are about 100 swaggers and harvest hands waiting about the place Micawber-like, for “ something to turn up.”

The returns of imports and exports for 1880 are as followslmports, £0,102.0 11; exports, £0,352,107. The chief items arewool, £3,10!),300; wheat, £632,913 ; oats, £169,800; tallow, £110,535; barley, £81,783. These are the correct official figures for 1880, which have just been revised.

The Auckland Board of Education has resolved to have nothing whatever to be with Sir W. Fox’s temperance classics. They will neither handle his books or prizes. Their attitude towards Sir Williams’ pet hobby is one of 11 Touch not! taste not handle not”!

At the annual meeting of shareholders of the “ Morning Herald ” Company, held at Dunedin yesterday, the balance sheet showed a loss of £327 13s 3d on the year’s transactions, the revenue being £9651 10s 3d, and the expenditure £9979 3s 6d,

Great preparations are being made for the grain season. 'J he New Zealand Shipping Company announces a fleet of eighteen iron vessels, with a tonnage of 30,000. lloyse, Stead, and Co. also publish a list of nine snips to sail for the United Kingdom, or the Continent, as desired, and Shaw,Saville A Co. have five-5 essels. These altogether give 15,000 tons more.

The following arrangement has been made in regard in the payment of the property lax : —ln any town in which there is an office of a Deputy Commissioner the tax must be paid at that office, hut with this exception payment may be made to the Tostmaster at any Post-office connected with which there is a telegraph station or money order office, and in any such case the Postmaster will give an interim receipt, which will be followed by a complete official receipt from the Deputy Commissioner of the district. Still further it has been arranged that any taxpayer may forward the amount due by him to the Deputy Commissioner in a registered letter, P.O. Order, cheque, Bank draft, or in cash.

A gentleman called at our office this morning and and shewed us a soft-looking parcel wrapped in oilcloth and neatly labelled, “ How much do you think this cost me coming from Sydney he asked. It weighed about six; pounds, and we suggested Is (id or 2s at the most, A bill of costs was immediately placed before us headed “ Cuff and Graham,” and intimating that the parcel had travelled cx Wakatipu. Here are the items:—’“Freight from Sydney, 5s ; duty, (is ; wharfage, Is ; passing entries, 5s ; railway charges, Is Cd. Total, 18s (id.” The parcel contained a couple of light swing hammocks. The invoice price in Sydney was 32s (id and the cost of transit 18s Gd. This beats the book-post hollow. We intended sending some Christmas trinkets to the little folks in Sydney, as an ordinary parcel but we have now altered our intentions. Our presents will be made up in the smallest compass possible and we shall patronise mail-bags. News of a shocking affair comes from Edithburg, in South Australia. A farmer named Kubale went into that town the other morning, and reported to the police that his daughter, aged IG, had been found dead in her bed with a gash across her forehead. The police immediately went out and found the case as stated. According to Kubale he slept in tne same room as the girl and a little boy aged 11. He heard no noise during the night, but on awakening in the morning found her dead. It transpired that Kubale went home in the evening intoxicated, and there being strong suspicions that he murdered the girl,he was arrested. At the inquest, however the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons unknown, and the father of the girl was discharged from custody; great dissatisfaction was expressed at the result of the inquiry. The doctor’s evidence showed that death resulted from the blow of a blunt instrument. A wine bottle was produced with which the wound might have been inflicted. Evidence was given that when the prisoner was arranging for a coffin he spoke of the wound on the forehead being a boil, and blood coming ; also, that on the previous Sunday the prisoner threatened to turn the deceased out of the house. Kuhale’s sons gave evidence of an unsatisfactory character, leaving the impression that they knew more about the occurrence than they would tell. Kubale was afterwards brought before the Magistrates on a charge of murdering his daughter, and evidence of a most damaging nature given against him. The case was adjourned.

Mr F. J, Wilson, Architect, invites tenders for the erection of a dwelling house. D. McGuinness and Co. announce that they have just added a quarter of a thousand cases of Griffin’s celebrated pale a'e to the cargo of the Ship Hotel. Sunday School anniversary services will be held in ths Primitive Methodist Church to-morrow at II a.m., and at G. 30 p.m., and there will be an afternoon service for the children at 2.30 p.m. The anniversary soiree will take place at the Barnard-strcet Oddfellows’ Hall on Tuesday evening, after which addresses will be delivered, to be followed by hymns and rccitatations from the children. On Wednesday next the annual picnic in connection with the school will take place,