NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2667, 7 October 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Canterbury Farmers’ Co-operative Association hold their first general meeting of shareholders since getting well to work, at their offices to-morrow, when we understand a very favorable report and balance sheet will be presented. Five Directors and auditors will have to, be elected at this meeting. A lecture was given by Mr T. S. Mannering, of Fernside, last evening in the Congregational Church, the Rev. Mr Hallowes presiding. The subject selected was an interesting one, which carried the congregation to times of antiquity and into* the midst of the nomad Israelites assembled at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Tabernacle in the Wilderness was the theme upon which the speaker had fixed for his discourse, and the subject was illustrated by an exceedingly clever model of the supposed construction of this remarkable edifice, a model upon which the children of the Orphan Home at Bristol, England, had expended no inconsiderable ingenuity. The lecturer endeavored to show that the materials used in and the mode of construction of this early place of worship were in themselves types of the Christ that appeared upon the scene some centuries afterwards. The component parts of the structure were taken in detail, and conclusions arrived at, according to the lecturer’s ideas, of what they were intended by the Divine Architect to be the symbol. It was shown that Paul himself took his types of Christianity from the Tabernacle and not from the Temple. It was pointed out that the architecture of the building was neither Egyptian nor Syrian, its style being in itself something wholly different from that which would be expected from a people whose ideas would most likely become imbued somewhat with those of the nations with whom a considerable portion of their lives had been spent. The fact of the edifice lasting through the space of some four and a half centuries, though primarily constructed of wood, was pointed to as a proof that the Divine will had planned its construction. Mr Mannering entered minutely into the ornamentation and utensils used in the sacrificial services that prevailed at that period. At the conclusion votes of thanks were passed to the lecturer.

Mr Barstow, R.M. at Auckland, retired from the Bench yesterday. The members of the Bar expressed regret at his retirement.

The Maoris about Auckland are said to be taking great interest in vaccination. No wonder sthe operation must remind them of their former tatooings, which they used to be so proud of. Shearing commenced in the North Island last week, and so did the clipping of grass paddocks by grasshoppers. It is stated that building contracts to the extent of £30,000 will be shortly let in Ashburton. Montgomery and Co. are going to build a row of shops. The Otago School returns for the quarter show 18,382 children on the Irolls at the commencement of the quarter, at the end 19,178; average attendance 15,190. This is about one thousand less than before the outbreak of measles.

A Maori did a smart thing at Masterton the other day. His horse was impounded, and fees and damages amounted to £2 7s 6d, No owner claiming the beast, it was put up to auction in due course, when the Maori proprietor bought the horse for 6s 6d, thus saving £2 Is. The gossips ©{Wellington are greatly puzzled at the trip of Messrs Hall and Atkinson to the West Coast, to see Mr Rolleston. First they concluded that it had something to do with Mr Wakefield, the breaking down of Mr Rolleston’s asserted objections to him as a colleague. Now they have it that the Ministers went up to see Mr Bryce, and offer him a seat in the Cabinet. The Patea “ Mail ” says it “ has every reason to believe ” that the offer was made and declined, and the story teems to be accepted in Wellington.

Two-thirds of the piles required for thd extension of the Rangitata traffic bridge, have now been driven.

Dunedin hawkers are said to up in arms against the prospect of having to take out a license in every borough they visit. They think that to be asked to pay for eight licenses is beyond reason.

Captain Edwin telegraphed yesterday afternoon that a heavy sea might be ex. pected after six hours, and rain after twelve hours. The rain came within six hours; the heavy sea has not put in an appearance yet. The “ Australasian ” characterises the revival of the cry of " Protection ” at home as an unworthy expedient of the Tory party to catch a few votes here and there.

The Invercargill Hospital Committee are rubbing their hands and smiling all over their faces now we guess. They have just had £2OO given them for the use of the Institution, £IOO given by Mr J. T. Thomson, C.E., and £IOO the proceeds of a Scottish entertainment.

There seems to be a lot of spare eash in Invercargill. Over £7O has been collected there for the persecuted Jews in Southern Russia, and more is coming in. The Weilingtonians are giving still more liberally though, over £4OO being now on the subscription lists in that city. The superstition of some Canadians is almost incredible. It is stated that many Canadian farmers were so fully convinced that the world was to come to an end on July 15 that they put no crops in this year.

To show the extraordinary way in which the property tax operates, we may state that one of the Wairarapa brewers has had to pay the tax even on his beer stamps. This, says the “Star,” is a novelty in taxation worthy of the present administrators.

Bis Honor Justice Johnston, in sentencing Moritzon, an employee of the Standard Insurance Office, for embezzling securities, said the business of the Company had been conducted in a slovenly and unsatisfactory manner, from day to day, or hand to mouth, as it were.

The Wanganui Boating Club intend to propose to other boating clubs in the colony that a general association should be formed, for the purpose of fostering amateur rowing by widening the interest taken in it. It is rather early for such an association to do much good, the distances between the different clubs being so great. The City of Sydney, with the London mails of 18th ult,, left San Franciso for for Auckland on Sunday, the 25th, being one day later than time-table date. The Australia, with the September colonial mails arrived at San Francisco on the 3rd inst, being three days earlier than time, table date.

At the last meeting of the Temuka Road Board, the local Fire Brigade asked the Board to sink a few more wells about the town, for fire prevention purposes. The supply of water for other purposes, flushing drains, &c., was considered along with this request, and ultimately it was decided to advise the townspeople to take steps to bring in a supply of water by a race from the river, according to one of the several plans prepared some time ago. The Board would agree to pay a part of the cost if the townspeople benefitted would agree to pay a special rate to cover the remainder. The Government is circulating a large number of copies of the Maori " Gazette ” amongst the natives at the present time, warning them against the small-pox, and urging them to get themselves and their children vaccinated without delay as there is no knowing when the disease may cross over from Australia. It also gives a graphic account of the ravages of this terrible malady amongst the North American Indians in 1837, instancing amongst other tribes theAssineboines,which numbered 9000 before the advent of the small-pox, and were nearly exterminated by its ravages, also the Blackfeet Indians, who left 4000 tents standing, all the inmates having perished. Sixty thousand people were said to have been swept off in that year.

Considerable excitement has been caused lately at Queenstown (says a Southern journal) on account of the outcrop of the Moke Creek copper-lode having been traced by the men now employed by the Company to something like 1000 ft. above the known outcrop of the lode near the creek. Shaw and party have found indications of the lode, with some copper ore, on the southern slope of Ben Lomond. It is said that several parties have made application for one piece of ground between the Company’s lease and the lake. About a dozen men are employed by the Moke Creek Company putting in trenches along the line of lode, and ore has been found in several places at less than 10 feet from the surface. This last discovery goes to confirm the opinions expressed by Dr Hector, Mr Hackett, and other experts —viz,, that the Moke Creek copper-lode is true and persistent. This lode appears to be exceptional in its out-crop, as very few of the lodes or reefs in New Zealand make much show near the surface.

Bather a peculiar case, says the “New Zealand Times,” involving the shirking of marital responsibilities on the part of a wife, came under the notice of the local police on Saturday last. A constable found a man in the street who was evidently suffering from a fit of some kind or other. The officer, after ascertaining the residence of the sufferer, with the assistance of some by-standers took him home. The hour being rather late, the police were compelled to arouse the inmates, and after repeated knocking at the door, an upstair window was raised, and the “ good lady ” demanded the occasion of the disturbance. Upon being informed of the nature of the men’s errand, and of the illness of her husband, the woman sternly upbraided the men for visiting her domicile at that hour of the night, and directed them to take her husband to the Hospital, which she remarked was the proper place for him. She positively refused to descend the stairs, and the policeman had no option but to bestow his patient as best he could. The wife had evidently forgotten her marriage obligations to “ Love, honor, and obey,’’ which she took upon herself on the most important day of her life.

At the meeting of the Board of Health for the Temuka Road District on Tuesday last, an exhaustive report by Dr J. S. Hayes upon the sanitary condition of Winchester was read. The report was dated Oct, 3, and stated that since August 24 there bad been fifteen case of typhoid or low fever in or near Winchester, five of which had been of [exceptional severity and of the fifteen persons stricken, two had died. These were members of one family, Mr Budd’s, the first among whom the disease made its appearance. Dr Hayes in searching for the probable source of the outbreak, found that the water closet, which had been in use about twelve years, was placed above the house pump—in respect of the underground stream of water which in this district runs through the shingle subsoil at a very slight depth beneath the surface, These relative positions he regards as "of dangerous significance as bearing upon the pollution of the source from which the pump water was supplied.” He states that of the other five families attacked, four were supplied with milk from Mr Budd’s farm, and the " fatal activity of milk as a vehicle of contagion,” suggested itself as the most probable cause of the spread of the disease. Of the fifteen persons attacked, two had died, six were recoverd, two were recovering and five were still ill. Dr Hayes concludes his report with the suggestion that “ some endeavors might be made to instruct the people generally in sanitary science, such as the use of disinfectants, protective measures to be adopted in cases of infectious diseases, &c."

The Texas newspapers are advising the people of that State to cultivate the eucalyptus. A large part of that State’s wide area is free from trees. The eucalyptus is valuable not only for its wood, but also because it is a defence against malaria. An attempt was made to introduce it in southern Georgia several years ago, but the tree succumbed to the cold winter of 1876-7. It has been very successfully cultivated in California.