NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2691, 3 November 1881, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The membora of the Lifeboat Lodge 1.0.G.T., meet this evening in the Foresters’ Hall to elect Lodge officers and Grand Lodge representative. At the Education Board’s meeting yesterday, after the reporters left, it was resolved to call for tenders for the erection of a portion (the infant room) of the proposed new school buildings at Temuka, This portion is estimated to cost £6OO or £7OO, and the whole of the buildings, which when completed, will accommodate 370 children, £3OOO. The Board have set aside £SOO towards the cost of the first portion. Small sums were granted to the Geraldine, Temuka, Waimate and St # Andrews’ schools for repairs and improvements, and accounts amounting to £2i 9a 6d were passed for payment. Half the pleasant garden attached to the Bank of New Zealand buildings, which has hitherto afforded so decided a relief to the ranges of shop and office fronts in the main street of the town, has now been cleared away, to make room for offices for the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, and the difference in the appearance of that portion of the street is most striking. The section has been cleared to the back, and an opening is being made through the concrete wall near the Town Hall, for an outlet into George street.

The freezing machinery for the Dunedin Meat Preserving Company, is now on the way out in the ship Hurunui, and plans for buildings, which will be erected at Burnside, are being prepared. The Borough Council of South Dunedin give notice of an intention to borrow £SOOO to obtain a water-supply. The Temuka Road Board have accepted a tender of £139 for tarring and painting the Opihi bridge.

The Te Whiti business has infused new life into the Volunteer Corps and no mistake. Most of those who have not gone to the front, are desperately defending their hearths and homes by means of extra drills, mounting guard, doing sentry duty and so forth, all which is very reassuring.

Mr Tanner sold to Mr Millar, 4330 acres of land in Hawke’s Bay, yesterday with 15.000 long-wool sheep, for £40,000 half down, A good sized trade between a tanner and a miller.

Two hundred and five entries have been received for the dog show at Christchurch.

The collection at the Christchurch Cathedral opening services reached £206. A poor fellow named Fall, a butcher at Kaiapoi, tripped when crossing the local railway line the other evening, breaking his leg. He lay on the ground till found next morniug.

The following is reported to have occurred in a New Plymouth school recently: A small boy was asked to name some part of his own body. He thought a moment, and then replied " Bowels, which are five in number —a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes w and y.” The business of the legal profession must he looking up. The District Court Judge and Resident Magistrate at Wellington has resigned, in order to go into practice. This would bear the explanation that while lawyer’s and judge’s work are both increasng, only the pay of the former does so. A carter crossing the Waihao river the other day carelessly ran his dray against the pile engine in use in putting a bridge over the river. He capsized and smashed the engine, and five men working on it had a narrow escape from being smashed too. Miss Fitzer, aged 17, is a cool headed young lady. She tried to get into a train at Caversham yesterday while it was in motion and fell between the platform and the carriages. That did not show coolhesdedness; but after falling she stretched herself along close to the platform till the train was stopped, and she was helped out not much the worse for the accident.

A family resident in one of the suburbs of Dunedin was seized with an illness last week but, was unable to ascertain the cause for some days. At length the head of the household suggested that the water was impure, and caused it to be run off. This having been done, a painter’s brush covered with paint was discovered at the bottom of the tank. The family were being slowly poisoned by white lead, owing to a painter being too lazy to remove a brush which he had accidentally lost in painting the tank. A monster hotel has just been opened at Rockaway Beach, distant from New York about 40 miles. It is seven storeys high, is constructed of 31,200,000 feet of timber, and contains 1200 rooms. To the main floor there are 50 entrances. The front piazza is 1400 feet long by 70 wide. The piazza at either end of the building is 400 feet long and 56 feet wide. The kitchen has 22 steam tables. Three miles of sewerpipes have been laid, 30 miles of water-pipes and 32 of gas. Seven thousand people to dinner is not reckoned a “boom ” by any means.

A paper was read at the Wesland Institute yesterday by R. H. Bakewell, M.D., on the “ Protraction of inflammatory action in detached portions of dead animal bodies.” The author stated that he had for some years been engaged in investigation into the pathology of inflammation,and had discovered that inflammation to the extent of the formation of the pus or matte r could be produced artificially after death* particularly in the eyes of animals killed by violence and detached from the body. Illustrative specimen’s were shown. Dr Gillies presided and stated that the experiments detailed were most interesting and important —where does the “ importance” come in ?

The “ Manawatu Standard records an amusing incident which took place at the Palmerston Anglican church on a recent Sunday evening. A Maori, accompanied by his wahine, entered the sacred edifice shortly after the service commenced, but, apparently thinking it was not good enough very soon beat a retreat. Presently the couple returned, however, and remained until the plate was handed round. Now was the aboriginal inhabitant troubled—what should he vive? Pulling out a handfull of silver he showed it to a lad sitting next him, making signs in an enquiring kind of way as to the correct amount. He held up half-a-crown; at this the lad shook his head, as if to intimate a small one would do. Just then the collection-plate was put in front of him, while he kept up his enquiries. He was advised to give a shilling, but declined saying, soto voce, “ I think hickapenny enough.” By this time he had made up his mind, and motioning to the churchwarden he held up a two shilling piece, and spoke loud enough to draw the attention of the congregation, “ You give me one herring hickapenny, I give you two herring.” The change was produced, the coin deposited, and the little scene terminated amid the manifestationof some merriment on the part of several members of the congregation. The “Ashburton Guardian,” tells the following story of a * ‘brave volunteer ” ; At the R.M., Court yesterday, a most extraordinary application was made to the Bench. Among the volunteers who left last week was a resident of Treverton, who burning to fight for his country and glory, succeeded in persuading his better half to allow him to "go for” Te Whiti, and' arranged that half his pay should be drawn by his wife during his martial career. He succeeded in his efforts, and with the rest of the Ashburton contingent arrived in Wellington. Whether he got sea sick on the trip, or homesick, or if his courage oozed out on the news that actual fighting was the prospect facing him deponent sayeth not, but he telegraphed to his wife to see Sergeant Felton, and to ask him to have a warrant issued for his arrest for wife-desertion. The application was made in due form and naturally excited the riaability of all present. The Bench made enquiries from the applicant as to iwhether, she was cognisant of her husband’a intention to become a soldier. She weepingly replied in the affirmative, and added that he had been taking private drills for the past six weeks so as to ensure his admittance to the army. The Magistrate said he could not make any order, and the applicant then applied for a guarantee that her gallant soldier should not be slaughtered. His .Worship said he did not think there was any great risk of bloodshed, but could not give any decision on such a subject.