NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2478, 28 February 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Auckland yacht Taniwha has not travelled to Australia in vain. She (has been sold in Melbourne.

An ordinary meeting o£ the Timaru Borough Council will be held this evening at the usual hour. The Rev Father Goutenoire is about to leave Timaru for Waimate. He will be succeeded by the Rev Father Kane. The members of the Volunteer Artillery Band gave their usual open air concert of instrumental music outside the Ship Hotel on Saturday evening. The not profit of the late Catholic art union amounts to £I2OO. As one of the immediate results of the Canterbury Farmers Co-operative movement we understand that shareholders in this neighbourhood who have hitherto had to pay 40s to 45s for Newcastle coal, are being supplied through the Association with the best double screened Newcastle coal on the rail at Timaru, at 81s per ton. Large quantities of grain are coming forward, and arrangements have been made for its storage in town, pending the arrival of ships which have been chartered to convey the Association’s grain to London.

According to the “ London World,” “ footmen are going out, and footwomen are taking their place, Dining the other night in Baton place, the door was opened by one of the latter, in a most charming and becoming livery. Black-and-white mob cap for head-dress, stan d-up collar with white cravat, and a small pin in it, rich brown coat, with livery buttons, cut somewhat like a man’s hunting coat, and buff waistcoat, with a High Church collar. Such was the uniform. I was so struc kwith the upper portion of the dress that I never thought of looking at the extremeties ; but I fancy my eye once caught a glimpse, rtning upstairs, of red stockings, and shoes with silver buckles. During dinner four winsome lassies, all similarly attired,waited on me hand and foot ; and never was a dinner more deftly handed and served.

There is r>ti 11 room for considerable reform in some of the Government departments.- A resident informs us that he has been in communication with one of the bead ollices for the last four weeks, and has expended quite a shillings worth of stamps' and foolscap over an account for five shillings, and this notwithstanding that the items were explicitly stated, and every endeavor was made to comply with the Government conditions in such cases. He has now been requested to make a declaration that the five shillings are clue, and that the money has not been paid. This is certainly red tape with a vengeance.

A lady visitor to Japan says that though the Japanese women are pleasant they are not comely. The noses are flat, the lips thick, and the eyes of the slanting, Mongolian type, and the common custom of shaving off the eye-brows and blackening the teeth, together with an obvious lack of soul, give nearly all faces a vacant, insane expression. Physically they look below par, as if the race were wearing out.

On Saturday evening the Tekapo Hotel, of which Mr Stephen Wheeler in the licensee, was burnt down. Singular to say the house was to have changed hands to-day, Messrs J. and T. Richmond having arranged to take it over, and in view of this a portion of Mrs Wheeler’s property had been carried to the stables in readiness for removal. This property was all that was saved. It appears that there were four men in the house at the time and that the fire occurred at 2 o’clock on Sunday morning. The origin of the fire is a mystery. The house was insured, but to what extent we were unable to ascertain up to the time of going to press. The house of a settler named David McKenzie residing at Geraldine, was totally destroyed by fire last night, It appears that McKenzie was away at the time leaving a little daughter in the house, who, having occasion to visit one of the bedrooms with a lighted candle in her hand managed in some way not yet fully explained to set the place on fire. £4OO worth of damage was done, and the unfortunate McKenzie returned to find himself homeless.

Mr Alexander White,Beswick and Strathallan streets, notifies that he is now landing 450 tons best Newcastle coal ex .Annießow, and that applications for freight or passage by this vessel to New South Wales may be made to him.

Messrs Wade and Shea bootmakers, notify that .they have removed to one of the new shops on the site of the old post office.

Herr Band maim will give a reading at the Public School, to the pupils, this evening. Mr It. B. Walcott. Chairman of the School Commiltce, notifies that parents and friends of pupils may obtain tickets of admission Io the school-room on application to the head master.