NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3016, 27 November 1882, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Borough Council will meet this evening at 7 o’clock.

Very few have arrived at Gisborne for the land sales.

At the Benevolent Asylum carnival, Dunedin, £SOO was taken in two days. The wife of a settler in the Wellington province gave birth on the 23rd inst., to female twins, joined together at the back.

A cottage belonging to an old pensioner has been burned down at Ahaura on the West Coast. The veteran loses all his medals and papers.

The formation of a New Zealand Educational Institute is probable. A great meeting of delegates will be held in Christchurch during the Christmas vacation. For the Auckland Cup race, £IOO to £3O has been taken about Vortex, and £ISOO to 15 against Vortex and Tricotrxn for the Cup and steeplechase. Mr White, Grown Solicitor, is informed that the Ryans have been committed to New Zealand, and will leave in about a fortnight hence. A . lad at Kamo (Auckland), was acci. dentally killed the other day, by the discharge of a gun which he was about to clean.

. The Colonial Sugar Refining Company have secured a 50 years lease of part of the fore shore at North Shore, Auckland. The buildings will be proceeded with immediately.

At the inquest on the body of John Gordon who committed suicide in the Dunedin lock-up, a verdict of suicide while in a state of temporary insanity was returned.

The Southern Cross Oil Company at Gisborne will sink their shaft another 100 feet. Oil is still rising through the bottom. The first load of petroleum leaves the mine this week.

Owing to negligence at the points, the down Waikato train on Saturday ran into a siding at New Market. The result was, fortunately, not more serious than a collision with, and consequent damage to some trucks.

On Thursday evening next FArchdeacon Harper is announced to lecture in the Barnard street hall, on the Transit of Venus. The lecturer’s known acquaintance with astronomical science is a sufficient guarantee that a treat may be expected. Public meetings of ratepayers to discuss the proposal of the Harbor Board to borrow £IOO,OOO for the purpose of completing the Timaru harbor works, are to be held as follows:—Timaru, Wednesday 29th inst; Washdyke, Thursday 30th ; Pleasant Point, Friday Dec. Ist; Pareora, Saturday Dec. 2.

The “ Otago Daily Times” is on its knees again, beslavering the new Governor before he arrives. “We shall be all the better for a wise head and a firm hand to guide, and possibly also to restrain us in these manhood-suffrage days ; and such we hope to find in Sir William Jervois.

The Admiralty will try the experiment of supplying New Zealand salt beef to the Royal Navy. They are calling for an experimental shipment of 10,000 lbs in casks from the chief ports. If the result is satisfactory the Admiral will arrange for a large annual supplyTwo strong-minded females at the Thames have entered into partnership as brokers for the sale and purchase of mining stock, and have secured an office in the principal business quarter of the town. Cannon Wilberforce says there are 100 publichouses upon property which provides the endowment for the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Crowds of people from the country remained in Gisborne on Saturday night expecting to witness a performance by the ‘•Tambour Major Company,’’ who, however, did not arrive per Rotorua till four o’clock yesterday, A rather painful accident happened to Private Beri, of the Temuka Rifles this morning at the rifle range. He was down at the butts marking, when the bullet, after hitting the target, re-bounded and hit him just above the eyeball of the right eye. He arrived in Timaru by the Express train to consult Dr Wilkins.

At a meeting of the Railway League at Greymouth, the following resolution was carried unanimously:—That the Greymouth League co-operate with Reef ton and Christchurch, and use all legitimate measures in advocating the construction of the line to the West Coast; and that in the opinion of this meeting any line to this coast should include Eeefton, which should certainly f-e connected with Greymouth either direct or by a branch line.”

The “New Zealand Herald” has been permanently enlarged. It contains eight large pages daily and twelve on Saturday. At the New fear it will be printed by one of Hoe’s “ Webb” machines, which prints from a reel of paper 6000 yards in length, eight pages of paper at the rate of 15,000 copies an hour, cutting, folding and counting automatically, without further attendance then one man. If our contemporary’s internal excellence corresponds with his size, he will be a great power in the land,

A Commillee meeting of the Teamka \ r iluntecr Fire Brigade will be held tbit evening at 8 p.m. An important meeting of the Good Samaritan Tent, 1.0. R. is advertised to be held in the Hall,Russell Square, to-morrow evening at 7 30 o’clock.

Dr Wilkins, of Christchurch, specialist fo ll diseases of the eye, ear, and throat, has arrived in Tiraarn, and may be consulted at the Grosveuur Hotel for five days. The Rev. Herman Gollancz, Jewish Babbi at Manchester, recently referred to the serious illness of the Archbishop of Canterbury, in most feeling terms, and invoked the prayers of all the Jews, on behalf of one who had led the popular sympathy for the persecuted Jews in Russia.

A young cricketer in Melbourne named Bruce, a Scotch College boy, is coming into prominence. The other Saturday he was presented with a gold Chain and Maltese cross the inscription on which denotes the reason of the presentation : “To W. Bruce, by the M.C.O. for his excellent play in the Cup match, M.O.C. v, Richmond C.C., in memory of the notable feat of having obtained eight wickets for nine runs, 14th October, 1882.

With regard to the changes made in the Government Insurance Deoartment, it is not intended toclose the industrial branch, nor to limit its sphere of usefulness, but it will be worked in complete harmony with the ordinary branch, The object of the Government is to ofler insurance in the form best suited to industrial requirements. It is not intended at present to divide the profits anually, but a scheme of insurance with deferred profits at a rate lower than the non-participating rates of other offices is about to be introduced. The next division of profits will be made as at December 31, 1885. In accordance with the recent legislation altering t he currency of the financial year, the books will be closed on the 31st prox. and accounts published for the six months which commenced on July 1 last. The new insurances for little more than four momhs of the period referred to exceed £400,000, and the business generally evidences lasting qualities.