NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2578, 25 June 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The second of the series of promenade concerts by the members of the Timaru Artillery Band takes place to-night at the Artillery Hall, LeCren’s Terrace.

The football match Oamaru v. Timaru did not take place to-day, owing to the Oamaru men having some difficulty about getting a team together. The event will come off on July 9.

At a meeting of the Timaru School Committee held last evening, Messrs W,, J. Steward and Wm. Balfour were nominated as candidates for election to the Board vice Messrs Lovegrove and Postlethwaite resigned. Mr E. B. Walcot, the Chairman, declined to fye nominated, having instituted proceedings |ii the Supreme Court to test the validity of Mr Howell’s election.

The Borough Council will meet on July 4, for the purpose of adopting the new street levels. Any person who may be desirous of doing so, may either attend the meeting or wait upon the engineer at the Town Hall, and inspect the plan cf the proposed levels.

At the R.M. Court, yesterday, after we went to press, several other k witnesses were examined at the inquest on the burning of 0. Johnston’s slaughter-house at the Washdyke, His Worship having summed up, the jury after about an hour and a half s deliberation brought in a verdict of “Arson against John Tait,” and he was accordingly committed for trial. The accused was brought up this morning before Mr Beetham in the ordinary way, for the Magisterial enquiry into the charge against him. Mr Hamersley appeared on his behalf. Inspector Pender said as additional evidence might be forthcoming, he would like a remand for a day or two. The accused was accordingally remanded until Friday next.

The Timaru agents for the Victoria Insurance Company desire to acknowledge that the. sum of .£lO was placed under the door of their office the other night. They suppose it is “ conscience money,’’ and invite the donor to continue his contributions. What a windfall there would be for the Insurance Companies of New Zealand, if the consciences of the unfortunates who have been * l ' burnt but” pricked .them on to follow a similar course. An accident occurred this aflernon at the top of Gteofgc street, opposite the Club Hotel. A spring cart belonging to Mr Philpot, and driven by Alex. M'K'enzie, collided with ahorse, ridden by Mr Dickens, of Landsboroagh, and the off shaft of the cart pierced the horse in the hind quarters, going in on one side and coming out on the other and causing the blood to jet out in quite a fountain. The horse and the cart were coming from opposite directions when the collision occurred, Mr Dickens was thrown but escaped without injury. The poor horse sustained such injuries that it dropped down dead after walking a few yards.

Messrs Maclean .and Stewart offered at their rooms this afternoon the sections comprising the Scarborough township. There was an excellent attendance and some brisk bidding. The sale did not take place in time for us to publish the results in full, but up to the time of our going to press the lots were realising most satisfactory figures; thus, lot 1 fetched £SB; lot 2, £57; lot 3, £57 ; lot 4, £4O ; lot 5, £2O ; lot 6, £39. The lots were mostly of about an acre each. We will give fuller particulars on Monday.

The Chinese in Auckland are said to be the real proprietors of some restauraunts connected with certain city hotels, and they employ European waiters to render their mysterious disbps palatable. “Lloyd’s Newspaper,” a very well edited paper announces that its circulation is 600,000. This, " Truth” takes it, is really " the largest circulation in the world.” For each issue it uses 640 miles of paper.

Shortly after the Tasman steamer left Hobart for Sydney on May 14, a stow, away was found on board, and arrangements were at once made to land him. Unfortunately, in lowering the boat, the tackle broke, and the stowaway and two seamen were drowned.

In the case Johnston v. Smith, damages for a kick sustained by Johnston’s boy through the defendants racehorse exercising in Albert Park, Auckland, under a permit from the City Council, Judge McDonald held that the Council had no power to give such permit, and therefore Smith was acting illegally.

The “ Oamaru Mail ” states that a little girl named Buckley, whose father is employed on the Breakwater, died very suddenly about 5 o’clock last evening. She was taken ill, and expired before medical aid could be obtained. An inquest was held on Thursady at the Northern Hotel, before T. W. Parker, Esq., Coroner, and a jury of 13. After hearing the evidence of four witnesses, including Dr Fleming, who had made a post mortem examination, the jury returned a verdict of death from natural causes, the opinion of the doctor being that death resulted by suffusion of blood to the brain.

The following is from the “New Zealand Times ”: —“ There are some small whisperings about the revival of the idea of a Middle Party. Yesterday a man in the street interrogated a well-known ultraLiberal member of the House upon the incongruity of a party made up of all head no body or tail. Smiling in a self-satisfied kind of way, the member averred that the body was better developed than his interlocutor was aware of. “It is growing, sir,” said he, “ and there will be a good tail, too, by-and-bye.” One hundred pounds have been forwarded from Dunedin to the Treasurer of the Irish National Land League. A meeting was held at Dunedin yesterday to protest against the abolition of the bottle license. Delegates were appointed to proceed to Wellington by first steamer;

It is rumored in Dunedin that Mr Oliver has definitely accepted the Public Works portfolio.

The balance-sheet of the Union Insurance Company shows an available balance of £25,200 4s 7d, out of which the Directors propose to devote £7500 to payment of the usual dividend of ten per cent, to place £12,500 to the reserve fund, and to carry forward to next year £5200 4s 7d. The sheet shows an increase over the previous year’s business.

The construction of the wharf extension is going rapidly forward, 250 feet of piles having now been sunk. Only five more piles representing another 50 feet require to be sunk to complete the whole distanc of the extension contract. The work of boarding over will not take long the necessary timber, or nearly all of it, being to hand.

On Wednesday night a store, on high piles, used by Messrs Moir and Co,, of Southbrook, succumbed to the weight of 700 bushels of oats which were stored therein. The wet having loosened the Soil round the piles, they sank, and the contents were strewn about. The greater portion, however, of the stock was saved and carted into the mill yesterday.