South Canterbury Times, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1881. NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2690, 2 November 1881, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1881. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Eight births, one marriage,' and three deaths wore registered in the Terauka registry office last month. The Tiraaru Harbor Board meet tomorrow for the transaction of general business. The Timaru Cemetery Board, Messrs Sutter,Hamilton, Harney, Jackson, Archer, Beltield, and Jonas, have been appointed Trustees of the North Timaru cemetery reserve.

At the monthly meeting of the Timaru High School Board last night, Mr. F. LeCren, the newly appointed representative of the Geraldine County Council, took his seat for the first time. The Waimate Borough Council have applied to the Education Department for authority to nominate a member to the Board, and in reply have been informed that the Department had no power to interfere unless it might be on the resignation of one of the Governor’s nominees; if such a case occurred the application would be further considered. The average attendance at the High School during the month was 134. The appointment of Mr Walton, 8.A., who has been four months at work in the school, was confirmed, the salary being £2OO a year. It was resolved to spend £3O on books for prizes this year, and special prizes of £2 2s each would be given by Messrs Eichbaum and Duval.

The public school at Geraldine is closed on account of the large number of children kept at home to nurse their measles.

A colored man was committed for trial at Auckland yesterday, for a criminal assault on a girl of fourteen,

An old man named Farrow, aged 75, had his thigh btoken by tripping across a kite string in a street in Auckland yesterday. . The Dunedin City Council ask lor some one to act as Health Officer, to look after scarlet fever.

Except “in case of emergency” the Governor cannot compel Volunteers to go on active service more than twenty miles from the head-quarters of their respective corps,

The privileges for the Christchurch Metropolitan meeting next week were Sold yesterday and produced £l6O. Cheviot is favorite for the Welcome Stakes, Amulet for the Derby, Grip for the Handicap, and Mata for the Cup.

The chief prize-winner in Abbott’s (Auckland) £IO,OOO sweep is a member of the Thames Naval Brigade, and is now on the West Coast on active service.

It was rumored in Ashburton yesterday that Mr Nugent Wood, R.M., received a telegram from head quarters on Saturday apprising him of his immediate removal to Lawrence.

Messrs Lundon and Haybittle’s and Messrs Bradley and Drummond’s premises were destroyed by fire on Monday. The insurances are about |£3ooo, and the loss at least twice that amount.

Some Maoris were interrogated at the Marton railway station the other morning as to whether they were going to join the Parihaka “prophet,” aud they replied# " Kapai Te Whiti; he will make the pakehas run away.” At a meeting of the promoters of the promoters of the Catholic Endowment Association at Wellington, presided over by Bishop Redwood, it was decided to at once float the company, influential offers of support having been received from all parts of the colony. A man named Bucknell was recently killed by falling down a torpedo shaft near Melbourne. The officers of the torpedo boats and of the Artillery who had made and used it denied that the hole belonged to them, so the jury could do no more than advise the Government to give it to some person and make him responsible for accidents.

A nothern contemporary says the volunteers at the front will not find the campaign all “ beer and skittles” and encouragingly reminds them that the exposure of camping out, and the peculiar diseases that arise when men most do congregate in camps, kill more men than the shot and shell of an enemy do.

£3ood was voted last session for the construction of water-reservoir at Kumara, and other works to assist the mining industry, A public meeting of miners the other night passed resolutions calling upon the Government to spend the money without delay. Can’t they wait till the Government have done with Te Whiti? The Kumara is not cooked yet, if the potato is, One thing at a time. Messrs Davidson and Conyers, Dunedin, have succeeded in turning out a quantity of “ crucible,” “ silver,” or '* razor ” steel. Mr Conyers has written to the Government to the effect that in the event of hostilities breaking out they are in a position to turn out Captain Noble’s elongated steel shot, small Armstrong guns, shells, duplicated parts of guns and gun carriages, or other war material or appliances required in actual service. The schooner Conflict has returned to Cooktown from visiting the Lizard Islands where she found Fuller and Watson’s Beche-de-mer station strewn with furniture, books, See. There were traces on the beach of ten large canoes. Underclothing and dresses belonging to Mrs Watson and children were also discov’crd, but there were no signs of the owners. A thorough search was made for them, but it resulted unsuccessfully. The lady and her children were left at the station while Mr Watson visited another place a hundred miles off. Search parties have now been despatched from Cooktown.

At a public meeting at Christchurch on Monday night, presided over by the Mayor, to consider the advisability of raising a loan of £20,000 for the construction of waterworks to supply the City of Christchurch with water for fire prevention purposes, street watering, and channel flushing, upon a special rate of 2d in the £ upon the rateable property in the City, it was almost unanimously resolved that it was undesirable to proceed further in the matter. As, however, there was a small attendance at the meeting the Mayor announced that he could not take the resolution as an expression of opinion of the whole of the ratepayers, and a poll would be taken in accordance with the law.

The Eev. Father Heneberry, at Creswick, Victoria, reccntly’.gave the origin of dancing, as follows When the devil was cast out of Heaven, ho dropped right down into Hell, but the paving stonos being too hot for his feet, be commenced to hop and skip about quite lively (whence originated the phrase, “ dance like the devil,”), and ever since his imps have danced jigs, polkas, and quadrilles.”