NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2660, 29 September 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The last monolith of the present Breakwater contract, was being filled in to-day. The draught Entire “ Farmer’s Fancy ” the property of the Levels Company, died yesterday from internal inflammation. There was only one item of business transacted at the Timaru R.M. Court this morning. A female appeared for the second time on a Charge of drunkenness in the street and was fined 5s or 48 hours.

What has become of the Timaru Town clock? The Mayor said at the Borough Council meeting on Monday night that he had heard it was to be down that day. Has it been mislaid in some of the railway or shipping offices ? Has it" stopped short never to go (on) again.’’

For disturbing the peace of Temuka by behaving in a riotous manner in the Royal Hotel, D. Ross was yesterday fined 10a or in default 24 hours forced repose in the lock-uo.

The Temuka School Committee have given instructions for the prosecution of parents and guardians in the district, who do not send their children to school. Some half dozen are to be made "an example" of. There are about 340 on the books of the school now, a falling off of 50 since the end of June. Sickness has been the chief cause of the decrease, we believe.

Tenders were opened yesterday by the Hospital Commissioners for the supply of necessaries to the Hospital. The folllowing were the successful tenderers:—For groceries, Messrs Anderson and Co.; meat, Messrs Peacock and Geaney ; coals and firewood, the Brunner Coal Company ; milk, Joseph Ellis ; bread, James Burford and Son ; chimney sweeping, George Beckingham; undertaking, T. Tichbon. Dr McDonald was appointed medical officer to the Hospital. The meeting of the Court Southern Cross, A.O.F. on Tuesday last was summoned for the election of officers for the ensuing term. There was a good attendance of members, and after the usual routine business had been disposed of, the election was proceeded with, and resulted as follows Chief Ranger, Bro G. Warrington ; Sub-Chief Ranger, Bro J, Kirby; Treasurer, Bro J. S. Bennett (re-elected) ; Senior Woodward, Bro T. Foden ; Junior Woodward, Bro H. Bennett; Senior Beadle, Bro J. Stevenson ; Junior Beadle, Bro J. Baker; Secretary, Bro W. Werry (reelected) ; Assistant Secretary, Bro J, Lukey ; Minute Secretary, Bro J. McGowan (re-elected). Dr Lovegrove was elected to the office of Surgeon. The officers elected were duly installed and the various Committees appointed, after which the meeting closed in due form.

Another Bandmann season is spoken of in Melbourne as" an infliction."

The Wellington Cup for the next meeting will be £500; Hutt Park Stakes, £IOO, A piece of land in Willis street, Wellington, was yesterday sold for £75 per foot. The New Zealand Refrigerating Company, Dunedin, expect to have the works ready by February or March. The machinery is coming from London by the Hurunui.

Scarlet lever and scarlatina, cases of which were numerous about Dunedin a short time ago, are said to be dying out there, no fresh cases having been reported during the last fortnight.

The "Ashburton Mail," hitherto published three times a week, will appear daily after October 1, Ashburton people complain that their " resident ” magistrate does not “ reside ” there. Litigants suffer delays in consequence.

A child, two years, old the son of Mr J. T. Wright, farmer, Dunsandel, was yesterday playing about in a dray with a frame on it, and was found at 5 o’clock hanging by his neck to the frame. He had evidently been playing on the frame and slipped through, and was caught by the head. He was quite dead when found. "A Farmer,” writing to the "North Otago Times” concludes lus letter thus : “ Is there a country on the Globe except Otago where agriculturists are content to remain in the plutches of storekeeping comorants 1 No—a thousand times no 1 Why then this apathy ? Arise, sound the tocsin of freedom, and with the cry of Sic semper tyrannis accomplish the great millenium I” Go slow, dear sir, go slow. Intending visitors to Christchurch-had better not reckon on a treat in bearing the Cathedral bells just yet. A correspondent writing to the “ Press” uses these terms in his letter as the description of sounds produced : " harsh discordant cacophonous clang,” " intolerable jumble of violent sound,” irritating infliction,” and suggests that they should be " put down " as other nuisances are. He recommends the ringers to practice some time with the clappers tied, so that they will not offend the ear while learning to swing the bells.

Replying to a deputation who waited upon him to ask for concession in fares on certain days in the week, Mr Hannay, Assistant General Manager of Railways at Dunedin, said that the authorities were collecting information re the passenger traffic with a view to the matter being considered by the Minister for Public Works, and it was likely that the Whole question of the traffic would be reconsidered within a short time.

It has been decided to erect a statue of Robert Burns, in Dunedin.

It is. srid. that Mr Bateman, who was down here some time ago, lecturing in behalf of the Farmers Co-operative Association, intends to stand for Waimate at the next election.

The Oamaru Woollen Factory Company is now going well a-head, directors have been elected, and a site of 2J acres chosen, offered for £550. More than 10,000 shares have been taken up,

The Wesleyan Mutual Improvement Society, Christchurch, have decided by a large majority that Mr Gladstone is a greater stateman and a better man than Disraeli was.

One of the five of the Chinamen suffering from leprosy in the Dunedin Hospital died last week in that institution. The deceased Chinaman had been just upon five years in the hospital.

In the case of McGahey, charged with the murder of Bell, on the West Coast, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty, after an hour and a half’s deliberation.

An Invercargill paper mentions that stone has been brought from Stewart’s Island which bears every indication of being rich in copper ore, A necessary part of an Auckland physician’s surgery furniture now is a calf to supply him with lymph for vaccination purposes.

Grain is to be carried on the Victorian railways at IJd per ton per mile, for distances up to 75 miles; from 75 to 125 miles at Id; 125 to 175 at |d, and for distances exceeding 175 miles at per ton per mile.

The body of Kerns, the mate of the Mary Ogilvie, who was drowned in going off to his vessel in Otago harbor about three weeks ago, was found yesterday underneath the wharf.

Messrs Grant and Forsters’s agent is calling for tenders for three-roomed cottages at To Aroho, to be occupied by the laborers, who will shortly commence operations.

Thomas Douglas, aged 70, accidently fell down in Drury (Auckland) sale-yards, and died shortly afterwards. A medical examination showed that death resulted from inflammation owing to the body being over fat internally and externally.

A contemporary says a Maori at Parihaka is beguiling the tedium of waiting till war is declared by vaccinating his fellows. If this is true it may show that the Maoris recognise the possibility of their being attacked by an enemy more to be feared than the Armed Constabulary, No wonder they hang back from committing a serious breach of the peace. They must wait till they can bear their arms on their shoulders.

How seldom do people inquire as to the purity of the salt they use for various purposes in domestic management. Salt is salt, and the only difference noticed by nine hundred and ninety-nine out of a thousand are differences in coarseness of grain, and in cleanliness of color. A gentleman of Oamaru, in the course of a lecture on the preservation of butter the other day, said it was very difficult to obtain pure salt.

Three Wellington publicans are to be prosecuted for "reducing” their grog from 20 to 50 per cent. These publicans arc sinners. It is too bad, when nearly everybody’s screws in Wellington have been reduced by ten per cent, to reduce their drink also to a still greater extent. Now they must be content with fewer drinks, the drinkers will want them stronger instead of weaker, A meeting was held at Tauranga yesterday for the purpose of getting a requisition to the Hon John Hall to stand for the district, Mr Vesey Stewart agreeing not to come forward if Mr Hall elects to stand. What is the idea ? Do the Tauraugans think that if they were represented by a Minister they would get their district pushed ahead ? They do want a lot of things—railways and roads and a port. A requisition is also being signed asking Mr Sheehan to come forward.

A telephone exchange, the first in the colony, was opened in Christchurh on Saturday, with about thirty subscribers, and one is to be opened in Auckland im mediately with about the same number, and another in Dunedin, Each subscriber has a wire laid from his office or wherever he pleases, to a central office, where all the wires terminate in one room. An attendant here receives an intimation, say from subscriber No. 1, that he wishes to speak to subscriber No. 30, ho makes a junction between the wires of both producing continous electric communication between them, and they converse till they are through. Any two wires can be connected, so that any subscriber can have a chat with all the other subscribers in turn.

Latest news from Taranaki about the Maori scare contains nothing new The Maoris are reported to be busy cultivating, except a few who are behaving rowdily at mixed gatherings of natives and settlers. The settlers, however, are still anxious,and all kinds of rumors are in circulation among them. The only danger, says one correspondent, seems to be lest some young native should have a pop at the constabulary on his own account, which of course might involve serious consequences. The story told by Daniels, of his having been attacked and ceased by some Maoris, has been declared to be a fabrication, but a telegram to-day from the Press Associ lion’s agent at New Plymouth asserts is truth. At the District Court, Oamaru, yesterday, before His Honor Judge Ward, a man named Simmonds was charged with a criminal assault on his own' daughter, a child under 12, The chief witness had delegated the duty of informing tho police to another person, and he neglected io give the information till eleven days after, and the identification of the girl as the one on whom the assault was committed was incomplete, His Honor in discharging the prisoner said—The prisoner is now discharged, hut though he has escaped through a mere technicality, he may take this with ym, that there is not a person present who does not believe him to be the most infamous scoundrel that has ever disgraced the dock. Turn him out of the Court.

A son of the Hen John Martin, Wellington, secured the Michael Harris prize and the first prize of £25 - for second year students in connection' with the’examination of students in medicine and its allied sciences at Guy’s Hospital London,

H. Coxhead, photographer, has taken those premises lately occupied by the Americans, in George Street, near Railway Station, and having made extensive alterations, can now take photos instantaneously. A trial respectfully solicited. Photographic albums and views on sale, and can be seen in the window. —fADVT],