NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2475, 23 February 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY .

The Lyttelton Harbor Board propose to reduce the wharfage rate on grain from 2s to Is per ton.

A man named Edward Stephenson is supposed to have been drowned through the capsizing of his boat at Kerikeri, Russell,

The following chairmen of Harbor Boards were elected yesterday : —Dunedin, Mr Keith Ramsay; Lyttelton, Hon Mr Richardson; Wellington, Mr W. Levin; Auckland, Mr F. E. Compton ; Bluff, Mr D. Smythe. J. W. Gaitt has been appointed Inspector of Nuisances for the Borough of Waixnate at 10s per week. ;G. Bryant has received the appointment of Borough Scavenger. The Borough Council has instructed a committee to report on the wages paid to the borough servants with a view to retrenchment. ‘

The Patatere land job is progressing slowly but steadily. The Government have selected 29,000 acres as an equivalent for the Patetere advances. Mr Cusson, district surveyor, Hamilton, is to mark off the are a. The natives demur to several items of the Government account for advances, and t his is likely to cause complications.

Vigorous efforts to float the s.s. Taupo have been resumed. The steamers Waitaki and Glenelg proceeded to the Tapranga Heads yesterday, in order to try to pull the Taupo off the rocks, where' she had stuck fasten the previous day. After two hours hard work, they had to give up. The Taupo has been lifted, but is still held, by the rock and the contractors now propose to get a fresh grip, and so lift her clear of all rocks by next Tuesday, by which time both steamers will have another try. A contumacious railway traveller named Frank Hoffman has had the pleasure of contributing £2 to the consolidated revenue., Hoffman was travelling from Christchurch to Lyttelton on Sunday, Feb. 13, when a railway porter having occasion to remonstrate with him for smoking, he cursed and swore dreadfully.

A German named Schumaker received a month from the Ashburton Bench yesterday for removing a pair of trousers from the carpet bag of a fellow traveller by the Methven train. The owner of the trousers only became aware of his loss when h 6 saw his unmentionables suspended at the head of Schumaker’s bed in the Methven Hotel, i

There is a small roadside village on the line between Dunedin and Port Chalmers composed of a few huts and weatherboard cottages called Sawyer’s Bay. Its inhabitants are notorious for thrift and obstinacy. An illustration of the latter was given a short time ago, when the Government attempted to change the name of the settlement by writing up “ Macdermidtown ” .on the railway signboard. The new name, which was intended to perpetuate the memory of a local identity, was obliterated the same night, for next morning the signboard resembled the outside of a coffin. The obstinate people of Sawyer's Bay have now given forth an example of their thrift, the local School Committee having resolved to establish a class for teaching laundry work, under the direction of an experienced laundress.

The Borough Council of Ashburton have a tried and valued foreman of works named Brown, a portion of whose duties it is to drive trespassing cattle to the pound. Yesterday he summoned a ratepayer named Martin, whose cow had been impounded, for abusive arid threatening language. Marlin had threatened to tie Brown to the cow’s tail,and cut his head off with a whip. Martin was also summoned for allowing his cow to wander, but the information had to be dismissed, as a horse instead of a cow had been sworn to. Judgment in the abusive language case was also reserved, Martin objecting to being summoned for the violation of a “ statue ” or monument, instead of a “ statute.”

The New Zealand Shipping Company’s shares are going up. At Christchurch yesterday 350 were sold at par (£5.) Hitherto they have been quoted at £4 to £4los, but it is only lately they have reached even that point. Considering the reserve fund of the Company and the steady dividend paid, it has always been a matter of surprise that shares remained so low. Two men named George Edmond and Joseph Radford have , had to pay £5 5s under the Cruelty to Animals Act for wilfully driving over a flock of sheep on the Akaroaroad, whereby the leg of one was broken, and several were maimed. The evidence showed that a mob of 3500 were being driven by a man named Ferguson, when Radford and Edmond, who were the worse for drink, came up in a buggy, rode deliberately through the sheep several times, used insolent, abusive, and threatening language to the drover, sncl struck him with a whip. A number of the sheep were badly hurt, and about half a dozen were lost through the reckless and inhumane conduct of the offenders. The Bench in dealing with the case expressed their opinion that the conduct of the defendants was wilful, cruel, and reprehensible in the extreme.

A large store owned by Fabian Bros, at Greytown, Wellington district, was burned down on Monday about midnight. The insurances are:—Victoria, £SOO ; New Zealand. £3OO. Stock - Northern, £1000; London Liverpool and Globe, £500; Victoria, £IOOO. Of the latter amount, £SOO is re-insured in the South British and £250 in the Union.

Callanan’s sweep on the Dunedin Cup, will be drawn this evening at 7 o’clock sharp. Tickets may be obtained up to 6 o’clock.

Mr Strachan’s clearing sale, will be continued until March 7, when the drawing of his third gift art union will take place. The drawing of Mr 1\ J. Bell’s consultation on the Dunedin Cup will take place at 8 o’clock to-night, at the Grosvenor Buildings.