NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2666, 6 October 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Steady progress is being made with the laying of the water pipes, and the busier streets of the town, which have been left till last, were invaded by the trenching force to-day. Mr Littlejohn is getting on rapidly with the fixing of the. town clock. The machinery was hoisted into the clock chamber through the dial spaces yesterday, and the dial skeletons put in place. A good deal of curiosity was excited in passers-by by the sight of the various pieces.

A commencement has been made with the contract for extending the Bank gully sewer through the beach reclamation, men being at work to-day with shovel and scoop removing shingle on the line of woik. This reclamation will prove a tax on the Borough, for as it goes on the sewer will need lengthening more or less every year.

Mr Nugent Wood, R.M., at Temuka yesterday fined a man Bray 10s and costs, for using bad Jangnagp within thp hearing of school children, and threatened to fine him £5 if he did it again. The charge was brought by the Winchester School Committee,

Mr Bmtham yesterday gave a couple of men a powerful caution not to appear before him again for drunkenness, lining them £5 each. The Resident Magistrate at Lyttelton has also taken a new departure In dealing with the cases of men who appear before the Court on a charge of sneering from excessive drinking. He said it was not right that they should put the country to expense, and when they had recovered get off . ; cot free. Accordingly,he commenced yesterday hy sending back a man to be Anally dealt with by the eiramitting Magistrate after he had recovered from his drunk.

That ever effective religio-social drama, the contest over the opening of museums on Sundays, is about to he presented in Auckland. The preliminary notice has been given, a petition being in course of signature praying that the museum may be opened. The cast will no doubt, as elsewhere, include a number of first-rate performers.

The steamer Hero arrived at Auckland from Sydney yesterday. She was passed by the Health Officer. .

The Good Templars of Christchurch have passed a resolution applauding the action of the local Licensing Bench during thcr seven years of office.

A few cases of scarlatina and typhoid are reported in Dunedin, but they are described as being generally mild in character,, andas by no means suggesting the idea of an epidemic. Captain McGillivray, of the.Wanaka, has been transferred to the Taiaroa for the Fiji trade, and Captain Anderson, of the Taiaroa, takes the Wanaka. The statement that has gone the round that the Wallsend Colliery had been jumped turns out to be untrue, though stated as a fact by the Greymouth “ Star.”

The Hon T. Dick stands for Dunedin. Mr W. D. Stewart is not likely to stand again. Captain Scott, R.N., is out for Roslyn. Mr Andrew Kinross, a Grcyite, is out for Awarua, Invercargill.

The New Zealand Rifle Association having received a Parliamentary grant, the Committee are making arrangements for paying to the winners at the late meeting at Nelson the amounts which were deducted from the prizes. The Rev. S. W. Dunn, who was recently before the Presbytery, as a sufferer from an attack on his character in the Auckland “ Observer,” has passed his examination, and has been admitted as a licentiate of the Presbyterian Church. The brigantine Flirt, from Lcvuka, reports that on H.M.S. Emerald arriving at Levuka with Sir Arthur Gordon, she was ordered into quarantine for seven days. The High Commissioner is now at Levuka engaged in his Island business. A Mr Climie sought to recover from the Wellington Corporation £2OOO, being 2J per cent commission on £BO,OOO, the estimated cost of a drainage scheme for the city, of which the claimant prepared plans* The case was heard before a jury in the Supreme Court, and concluded yesterday) the plaintiff being awarded £IOOO,

A certain merchant not a hundred miles from Dunedin had occasioned to send by rail a consignment of cocoanuts, and enquire of the goods clerk as to the freight chargeable. This promising young gentleman looked down the tariff, and finding nothing about cocoanuts there, charged for cocoi, which was the nearest article he could get at.

A six-roomed house near Papanui, belonging to Mr Joseph Manning, a dairyman, was burned down late on Monday night last. The family were asleep when the fire broke out, and it was with the greatest difficulty the children were rescued. The house was insured in the Victoria office for £2OO. Among the articles in the house which were burned, there was a sum of money amounting to £3O. In Dunedin yesterday, at the creditors’ meeting of Wilkins and Co., cordial manufacturers, Davidson, one of the firm refused to be sworn unless he knew what questions would be put to him. Wilkins stated that they had been in business eleven months, and the liabilities were £3534, the principal creditors being Neill Bros, and the Bank of New Zealand. The creditors passed a resolution to have Davidson’s conduct brought before the Court for ininfliction of penalties.

A complimentary dinner was given in the Royal Hotel on Tuesday,to Mr Bass late station master at Temuka, who is being transferred to Waimate. Mr Bass has been a long time in the neighborhood of Temuka, as before he took charge of the station there, he was station master at Winchester, and his never-failing courtesy to all who were brought into contact with him has made him a host of friends and well-wishers, while his care in carrying out the duties of his office, must cause him to be ranked high among the departmental servants, as a trustworthy officer. We understand that Mr Donaldson, whom Mr Bass replaces at Waimate, will take charge of Temuka, for some time if not permanently.