NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2576, 23 June 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The meeting of - the Working Men’s League, advertised for this evening, is postponed until to-morrow, owing to the hall being pre-engaged for to-nigbt.

The Timaru Mechanic’s Institute Bill, introduced by Mr Turnbull, was read a first time in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. A first offender for drunkenness was dealt with in the usual way, at the R.M, Court this morning.

Up to two o’clock this afternoon ten of the unemployed had applied at the Borough Council Chambers for passages to Auckland.

There was no sitting of the District Court to-day as previously arranged. Judgment in the case of Young v. O’Callaghan will not, therefore, be given until the next regular sitting of the Court in July. | i Owing to certain suspicious circumstances having come to light with reference to the recent destruction by fire of Mr C, Johnson’s slaughterhouse at the Washdyke, an inquest will be held before Mr Beetham, Coroner, to-morrow morning at 11 o’clock, at the Resident Magistrates’ Court-house. The members of the Masonic fraternity are reminded that the festival of St John' will be celebrated at the Hall of the Caledonian Lodge, Scottish Constitution, Bank Street, to-morrow evening. As the annual report and balance sheet will be presented, and other important business to follow, the lodge business will open punctually at 7 o’clock. The banquet will take place at the close of the lodge.

His Worship the Mayor received, last evening, a telegram from Mr Marsh, Immigration office, at Christchurch, to the effect that he would be much obliged if Mr Lough would give orders for railway fares to twenty of the unemployed, recommended by His Worship. The steamer Albion leaves Lyttelton for the North at three p.m. on Saturday, and if the men arc sent by the morning train, Mr March says be will be able tojjarrangc for their passages to Auckland. The sooner the Borough Council procures that horse scraper and brush the better. The wet weather again to-day has caused the roads to present their usual frightful appearance during rain, while some of the footpaths have fared scarcely any bettor. The footpath at the corner of North street and the main road, turning round by Shepherd’s corner and running up to the corner of Barnard street, opposite the Courthouse, is in a woeful condition. This path is covered in places with small pebbles which serve to hide its condition from the unwary pedestrian, who, however, quickly becomes aware of it on finding his boots sinking into the soft clayey stuff. Another instance (if indeed any is needed) of the defective acoustics of the Timaru Courthouse has just come under our notice. Some time ago a juvenile offender made his appearance before Mr Beetham charged with larceny. The boy was sentenced, as everyone present, including his own father and the officials, imagined, to “ One month’s imprisonment. ’’ Subsequent reference to the charge sheet, however, showed that the sentence was twelve months imprisonment. The lad’s father is still under the impression that the Magistrate said one, and not twelve months’ imprisonment, and fancies that his son is being unjustly detained in custody. This, however, is, of course, nonsense, as the sentence is always entered by the Magistrate on the charge sheet, and there is thus no possibility of a mistake occurring. But the affair affords another and most convincing proof of the total unfitness of the Timaru Courthouse for the transaction of public business. The building is a disgrace, and if mistakes sometimes occur in connection with the proceedings in it, it can hardly be wondered at. In the Legislative Council yesterday afternoon Mr Waterhouse carried a motion for return of all females trained at Normal Schools, showing those now teaching and in other pursuits. The mover said that the Normal Schools were a most expensive part of the educational system, were extravagantly conducted, and that every female who became a teacher cost the country nearly £2OO for her training. The returns of the census taken on April 3, show that the population of Ireland has decreased by 230,000 during the decade. The passengers by the City of New York from Sydney for New Zealand, have been quarantined at Auckland, There is terrible grumbling amongst them in consequence. A weekly ne -rspaper in Maryland announces that the village in which it is published is “too poor to support a temperance society.” Even tho bar-rooms are not doing a thriving business.

The “ N.Y. Herald ” says that Colonel Ingersoll delighted an immense audience last night, and can be snre of many more, for every bad character in. Hew York wants to believe that Christianity is a fraud.

In an article on the political lookout in this colony, the “ Adelaide Register ” says . —“ Sir Georg i Grey’s day is gone by. He is a leader without followers, an advocate without a brief. His rose-tinted democratic views have lost their freshness, and it is scarcely possible that he can conjure up any topic that will be alike novel and exciting. It light he must, he will be like big Harry of the Wynd—for his own hand. The colony is apparently satisfied that Sir George Grey has been ahead y trusted too far and too often, and may '.be content to repose at least for a while its absolute confidence in the present 1U iuistry, who have really done so much to promote the country’s interests and to deserve the gratitude of the constituents

The Cardinal Prince Anck bishop Ku fschkcr, of Vienna, who hasju-S’t died, showed Unit even in so ai islocraJf ie a country as Austria it is possible for a rian to rise from tiie lowest to the highe it rank, lie was the son of a poor weaver in Austria bile-ia, and died prince, arciibi- hop-, and peer, and a man deeply liked raid admired by all classes.

Mr Sutton has given notice of an amendment in the Licensing Bill, for opening public houses on Sunday, between the hour of noon and two p.m., and between the hours of eight and ten in the evening. The House of Representatives yesterday, after a lengthened discussion, fixed the license fee at £4O for houses within boroughs and £25 in country districts. A new regulation will shortly be gazetted imposing an extra charge for the carriage of grain on the railways in bags containing more than four bushels. This has been found necessary owing to the difficulty experienced in handling heavy bags during the past season.

Sir Julius Vogel has presented a South African diamond embedded in clay to the Otago Museum. In his letter he adds;— "It is my hope that this little specimen may lead to a search after diamonds in New Zealand. A high authority has told me it is almost certain diamonds are to be found in New Zealand. I should like, if possible, that the Otago Museum should lend the specimen to someone at Hokitika and at the Thames in order to exhibit it there for a short time, as the miners of those places, as well as of Otago, should see it; But I leave this purely to the discretion of the Museum.”

The Newcastle wing of the Ist Newcastle and Durham Engineer Volunteers underwent a practical test recently. Amongst other things thirty lines of a newspaper column, equal to 240 words, were flashed across the Tyne by means of lamp signals, and read off in thirty minutes. The lamps were the same as used in the army, and this rate is said to be above the average of the regulars.

The retreat of the brigands who captured Suter, the Englishman, and demanded a ransom for him was cut off on the land-side by Turkish troops, and by sea by gun-boats. The Turkish gun-boat recently chased a barque which was believed to have been manned by the brigands, and having vainly summoned them several times to stop, sank her. It is feared that Suter Was on board the barque. In suburban and country land there is at the present time in Sydney an enormous amount of speculation, and rapid fortunes are being made by the prompt and knowing ones. Auctioneers have their regular Saturday sales, with free railway and tramway passes, free luncheons and bands of music.

A curious condition was attached to the renewal of a license at Gisborne the other day. The following is the report from the local paper “N. Finlay applied for a renewal of the license for the Wailofcara Hotel. Mr Finn appeared for the applicant. The only objections the police had against this applicant was that he was unmarried. Mr Finn said his client was a good looking man, and intended entering the bonds of matrimony as soon as he could find a suitable wife. The Bench thought that females were necessary to conduct these places, and granted the license on the understanding that until Finlay gets married, he keeps a married couple on the

premises." Referring to the recent Conference of Local Government bodies at Wellington, a northern journal states : —“The Manawatu Council sent circulars to G 3 County Councils, C 5 borough councils, 293 highway boards, and 21 local boards —that is to say 412 in all; 63 declined to send delegates and 22 agreed to send delegates, no answer whatever being received from the remaining 357, Thus it will be seen that 442 circulars were sent out, 85 replies were received, and only 22 of these were favojablc.”