NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2577, 24 June 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY .

Telegrams for transmission arc now received at the post office counter, the nice little office to the left on entering the post office having been closed, it feeing proposed to turn it to other uses. The following is the team chosen to represent Timaru to-morrow at the football match with the Oamaru men:— Messrs Chapman, Eicbbaum, Hedley, King, Lough, Maokay, Pigeon, sen., Reid, Shirtcliffe, Smith (captain), Shepherd, Turner, and Wilson. Play commences at 1.30 p.m. The Oamaru team returns by the last train to-morrow afternoon.

At a meeting of Coursing Club delegates held at Tapanui on Thursday, it was resolyed “ That the South Canterbury Club have the management of the Waterloo Cup meeting of 1882, provided they can show a suitable ground.” Mr Boyd Thomson promised the meeting a good ground and abundance of hares at the Levels. It was then further resolved “ That nominations for the forthcoming Waterloo be received only by the Secretary of the Club of which the nominator is a member, and by him to be forwarded to the Secretary of the South Canterbury Club.” The first crossing-sweeper ever known in Timaru, in the memory, that is, of the oldest inhabitant, took up his stand this morning, and soon cleared a nice clean pathway from the Bank of New Zealand corner to the Immigration Office, opposite, and from thence to George street, thus enabling the public to get to the railway station without sinking up to their ankles in mud. Judging by appearances our first crossing-sweeper did to-day, as ho deserved, a rattling trade. An inebriate who pleaded that he was a teetotaller, but had been beguiled into trying an alcholic remedy for a bad cold “ just once in a way" was fined 5s at the R.M. Court to-day.

Messrs Maclean and Stewart will hold a very important land sale to-morrow, at their rooms, when the whole of the sections in the township of Scarborough will be submitted to the hammer. Scarborough bids fair to develop into a charming seaside resort, and being within an easy walk of Timaru, it will doubtless become a favorite place of residence for business men and others who may be desirous of securing fresh country air at a reasonable distance from the scene of their daily labors. The new township is situated at the other side of Saltwater Creek, alongside the railway, and adjoining the beach. Exceptionally favorable terms are offered to purchasers, and the title is under the Land Transfer Act. Plans of the property may be seen throughout the town. An adjourned sitting of the Licensing Court, was held at Waimate yesterday when the case of the Masonic Hotel, St. Andrews, was considered. At the last sitting of the Court it will be remembered there were two applications in connection with this house, J. J. Daily, the present licensee, applying to have his license renewed and Mr W, Brown applying for a new license. The application was held over until yesterday, when Mr Brown’s application for a new license was withdrawn, Mr White, who appeared for Mr Brown, informing the Bench that an application for transfer of license from Daily to Brown would be made shortly by both applicants.

We understand (says the “ West Coast Times ”) that Messrs Park and Anderson who have just returned from the East Coast, have bought Strachan’s drapery business at Timaru, and will leave shortly to take possession. Mr Park was nine years with Messrs Crerar and Co., stationers in this town, and for the last three and a-half years has been managing the same business for Messrs Manson and Co., Revel street. His partner, Mr Anderson, has been managing the drapery establishment of Messrs Manson and Co. for some time back. We wish the above gentlemen success and prosperity in their venture.

The vital statistics for the month of May have been published. Timaru occupies a conspicuously good position in the mortality tables, the death rate for the month having only been 0.7 G per 1000 of the population, Caversham, a suburb of Dunedin, heads the list with 2.25, and Sydenham comes next with 2 01. Of Die large towns, the death rate has been the highest in Auckland and the lowest in Christchurch.

Mr A. W, Hogg, formerly editor of this journal, who left here to take the literary management of the “ Wairarapa Star,” has become one of the proprietors of thav paper. We cordially wish Mr Hogg sue cess in his new undertaking.

$£A Dimcdiu telegram states that Mr Henry Driver has bought the Clarendon estate, Waili9la, from Mr Oiaik, of Victoria, paying £lO per acre, the total being £20,000. -

Three jurors summoned upon the Washdyke fire inquest failed to put in an appearance when called this morning. They were fined 20s each, His Worship commenting severely on their absence. Subsequently one of them turned up, about ten minutes late, and, in reply to his Worship, pleaded that his watch was slow. His Worship told him to take his seat, but added that his watch had no business to be slow. His Worship said that if the jurymen who were fined 20s did not pay their fine immediately, they would be fined £5 each additional.

A large fortune has been left to , the Duchess of Edinburgh by her father, the Czar Alexander 11., whose will has been proved. The personality consists of 48,000,000 roubles, lying to the credit of the Czar with some London Bankers. Fortyeight millions is a large sum, especially in roubles, and it is not an insignificant amount even in pounds sterling. The amount may be put roundly at £4,800,000. His late Majesty paid perhaps an unconscious compliment to the stability of the English order of things when ho selected London bankers for taking care of his immense wealth.

Invercargill is going ahead. It has been estimated that during the past two years 1400 feet frontage of public and business premises have been erected in the principal thoroughfares of the town. At a meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce the following resolution was carried :—“ That this Chamber is desirous of bringing under the notice of the Government the desirability of introducing a decimal system of weights and measures, and *hat Government be urged to pave the way by using the cental or lOOlbs in Government contracts, in railway carriage, and in Customs returns."

A writer in a Melbourne contemporary says ;—Up at Muddleditch the police sergeant acts as Clerk of Petty Sessions, The other day he asked in Court for an almanac in order to find out what day of the week and month “this day week” would be. On being asked whether a remand for eight days would be a remand to that day week, he thus oracularly delivered himself .—“ Eight days is eight days with civilians, but in the eyes of the law seven days is eight days ; so a remand for eight days is always filled up with nine days I” This settled the question, The sale of Chinese women is by no means uncommon in Sydney. The “News” states that “the price of a Chinese woman delivered in Sydney is £3B; but two Chinese women only cost £52. Therefore the heathen Chinese import their women in couples. The importer never sees his women before they arrive, and then he generally selects the best looking one. The other is shown round to a number of well-to-do Chinese, and after they have inspected her, she is submitted to what may be called public auction,” At a recent sale a girl of nineteen years was, after some spirited bidding, sold for £l2O.

A writer in the Melbourne “Herald” speaks of the Assembly as follows : —Those who have visited a country circus half a dozen times in succession will remember how the first interest in the performance waned night by night, until the stale jokes of the clown, the weary cantering of the pie-bald poncj.with the posturing of the grinning young lady perched upon one leg upon a pack saddle, became absolutely abhorrent* So with the proceedings in our Assembly. We never get anything new now-a-days. wit has fled in disgust from the Chamber, and reason slumbers. The droning is somnolent in its influence, like the burr of a water mill, or the monotonous groaning of the crank of an engine.

The fallowing ought to put a stop to the absurd yarns that are being so eagerly swallowed by Australians about machinery in Hanlan’s boat “To disabuse the public mind (says a Sydney paper) of the idea that Hanlan’s boat is fixed up with a secret motor, and to give the Canadian all the merit he deserves for having so easily defeated the Australian scullers, it is but fair to state that Hanlan, upon hearing of a rumour of a similar nature in allowed the boat in which he had rowed against Trickett to be submitted to public inspection for some days. It may be added that neither Trickett or Laycock gives any credence to this wild chimera.” The Parisians are very much engrossed with the question of how and where they shad bury themselves in the future. The cemeteries have been crowded until they will bear no more crowding. Although there are 20 of them, their limits are now reached, and the Perfect of the Seine is trying to overcome the repugnances of the populace to railway funerals. His proposal is to purchase a very handsome site 20 miles from the city, and for making arrangements for having all funerals take place hereafter from a railway station, from which the procession can be transported almost bodily from the cemetery. The Western (Riverton) “ Star” states that it has received valuable evidence as to the existence of salmon in the Aparima Paver, of a nature which almost places the matter beyond doubt. Mr A. T. Andei'sou of Strathmore—a gentleman who has had large experience in salmon fisheries in Scotland, and is thoroughly acquainted with the habits and appearance of the fish —while crossing the liver at Bayswater ford recently observed a fish about two feet in length which he is positive was a : ’salmon. This testimony, in conjunction with other evidence in Hie possession pf the Aceliraa'isation Society as to the success of the introduction experiment, is sufficient to warrant the Society taking such steps as will phve Ihe matter beyond doubt.

At an inquest held in Sydney on Ibc body oi' a person named Buckley, a Gippslancl squatter, Ids brother said that the dccca-cd took a mob of cattle to Sale, and received £l2O and a draft for £'2o cash. He was a strong and healthy man, 32 years of age. He occasionally went on the spree for a week or two. The landlord of the holer in Sydney where the deceased lived swore he ordered over 2000 drinks during three weeks at his house. There is no doubt it was acaseof alcoholic poisoning. Evidence was given that he was served with 100 cobblers daily, and that the landlord paid his own account by an order in Buckley’s favour for £126.

Anderson and Hughes have been committed for trail for the robbery of jewellery at Christchurch.

A meeting of the Working Men’s Labor Exchange will be held this evening at the Oddfellows’ Hall, Barnard Street, The St. John’s Day Festival, will be ce l ebrated at the Hall of the Caledonian Lodge, Bank street this evening.

The Timaru Artillery Brass Band wil give the second of their series of promenade concerts, at the old Artillery Hall, LeCren’s Terrace, to-morrow evening. Attention is called to L. Abraham’s announcement of his “ Entertainment” . n the Melbourne Grand National Steeplechase, and Grand National Hurdle Race.

We would draw our readers’ attention to Messrs Wood and Smith’s announcement in our advertising columns of blankets, drapery, and clothing at ridiculously low prices. This enterprising firm has lately found it necessary, in order to keep pace with the requirements of an ever-increasing business, to open a new branch establishment in George street, opposite the Club Hotel.

Attention is directed to the announcement in another column of Messrs Davies and Murphy, the well-known drapers, who have commenced to-day an eight weeks’ clearing sale of drapery, clothing, boots, and shoes, and other goods, at prices that ought to ensure a speedy clearance. Ladies are recommended to peruse the prices of the goods quoted in the advertisement and they will see that some genuine bargains are on sale.