NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7069, 15 February 1893, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

It will be seen from a telegram in another column that the s.s, Hauroto, which calls at Timaru to-morrow, is taking gifts of produce, etc., for the sufferers by the floods in Queensland, free of charge. We would call the attention of our readers to a lengthy advertisement inserted by the Eev. 0. C, Brown, of the Baptist Church, in reply to a challenge made by Mr J. King (on behalf of the Ohrisfadelphians) to a public debate. Subject—“ The Trinitarian and Christian belief versus the Christadelphian Unitarian doctrines as set forth by the late Dr Thomas, of America."

A match will be played to-morrow at Ashburton between the first elevens of the Timaru and Ashburton Cricket Clubs. The following will represent the Timaru Cricket Club:—Jefferson, Pritt, Perry, Baymond, Smith, Postlethwailo, Hargreaves, Fraser, Maloomson, Wicksteed, and Buchanan; emergencies -Blake and LeOren The Timaru team will journey to Ashburton by to-day’s express.

One of Mr A. McDonald’s carters met with an accident to his spring dray in the Arcade yesterday afternoon. He was coming in with a load of paper, when the harness gave way and let the dray down on the shafts, which were slightly injured. la the fall the horse was struck on the fetlock of the foreleg and an artery was severed. The horse bled a good deal, until Mr Smith, farrier, came a!on» and nodaged the foot, thus stopping the flow of blood. No damage was done beyond that slated to cart and harness

The Wellington correspondent of the Christchurch Press telegraphed on Monday night as follows : - Mr Ballsnoe’s colleagues say that he is improving at Wanganui, where be has resumed occupation of his own house, and they are confident that he jvill be able to load the House nest session, but from what can be gathered from other sources the wish is father to the thought and the probabilities of the Premier taking an active part in next session’s campaign are extremely doubtful Ministers take a hop'ful view of the general election outlook, and expect to carry at least one of the Dunedin seats with Messrs Pinker ton and Barnshaw. They reckon Messrs Beeves and Sandford certainties for Christohurch. The prospects for Wellington city are however not over bright. It is unlikely that the session will begin till the latter end of June.

On Sunday afternoon, says the Lyttelton Times, a bottle was picked up on the New Brighton beaoh by Mr Henderson, of Messrs Boss and GHendining’s and on being opened was found to contain a piece of paper, on which wes the following writing in a boy’s hand : e< The finder of this to send to my mother. Dear mother, you told me never to see you again, but to go and do something for my own living. I’m not going to do so. I’m going to drown myself at the Sumner Ferry.” " Over.” On the other side the address “Mrs Q-roig, London street, Lyttelton," was written in the same band. Mr Henderson handed the paper to the police, who mado enquiries at Lyttelton and found that a Mrs Q-reig did live in London street, Lyttelton, up to two years ago, but removed to Sydenham then. They are now enquiring at Sydenham.

At the bowling green on Thursday and Saturday last there were large musters of players, and some very good play was shown. During the last few afternoons the final ties for Mr Waddell’s prises were played off, with the following result .—Goooh 21, beat Hart li; Balfour 21, best White 18 ; GHllman 22,

beat Balfour 16; and Qillman 22, beat Gooch 18. Gillman thus carries off first prize, a pair of bowls, and Gooch takes second prize, a handsome leather bowl case. About forty members have entered for the prizes presented by Dr Beid and Mr Ferguson. The handicaps will be drawn to-day or to-morrow, and the play off will start at once. The committee will push on the matches as quickly as possible, as other prizes have to be played for later on,

Lieutenant-Colonel Hume has received a communication from the New South Wales police authorities (says the Evening Post} with reference to the advertisements of one Gray, appearing iu certain New Zealand papers, to the! effect that he has been authorised by the Hon. the Attorney-General of that colony to dispose of certain properties in Bathurst and Baadwiok,New South Wales, belonging to “ the estate of Edward Mort, Esq , M.L.O ,” on the oo operative principle. The communication proceeds This is a fraud, there being no permission given and no ouch properties belonging to this estate.” The communication Staten that Gray' is receiving a large number of registered letters from New Z aland, and the New South Wales authorities therefore consider it advisable to acquaint the New Zealand police with the nature of the affair.

Temuka has been the scene of two large funerals lately, members of wall known families having died. On Friday the remains of the late Mr Joseph Blanchard Woodhead were carried to their last resting-place, the occasion being one that caused the attendance not only of friends from the neighbourhood, but also from a distance. Mr Woodhead was the youngest son of Mr G. Woodhead, of Milford,, the family being old settlers and much respected. On Sunday Miss Paterson, of the well known Springfield family, who had died from an apoplectic stroke a few days previously, was buried. The funeral cortege was one of the largest ever seen in Temuka, and the tributes of affection and sympathy in the shape of floral wreaths and devices were numerous and beautiful. The last offices of the Church in each instance were conducted by the Eev. J. Barclay, assisted by the Eev. J, Dickson, To Mr Woodhead was also accorded the honours of a masonic funeral.

The New Zealand Herald says;—A member of the Legislature, who takes an interest in the various schemes formulated for dealing with Native lands, states that, so far from their being only 13,000 cases of all kinds (as named in a Parliamentary return) before the Native Lands Court, his conviction is that at the present time the number is nearer 18,000. As showing the difficulty of elevating the Natives in the social fcale, until the lands reserved for their maintenance are individualised, instead of being hold tribally, bo mentions an incident which took place the other day. One hapu, more enterprising and industrious than another, fenced a piece of land and commenced to cultivate it, with a view of enjoying the fruits of their industry. Another hapu of the same tribe, seeing what was done, became indignant, came along and said, The land belongs to all of us,” and pulled down the fencing.

! The full force of Monday’s gale was felt in the Geraldine district, many trees being uprooted or denuded of their branches. Great havoc was done in the various orchard#, trees being literally stripped of their fruit. Many stacks were unroofed and stooks blown over, the damage thus sustained taking some time to repair. The greatest injury occurred in the township Mr Ft. H. Pearpoint’s largo glass verandah was almost wrecked. Fortunately but little of the glass suffered, as immediately the gale commenced shaking the verandah, Mr Fearpoint had a rope thrown over it, lashing it to the fence on either side of the building. Both ends were, however, blown out, causing the glass and iron roofing to sway up and down considerably. The roof of an old landmark, a house belonging to Mr S, Hewlings, opposite the post office, was also damaged, the thatch at one part being almost stripped off. On this being observed, a near neighbour rendered kindly assistance and pre- j vented any further denudation of the roof taking place Monday night was very cold and frosty, and yesterday morning a keen wind blow from the north-east with fine weather.

The Uawhe’s Bay Herald, in its report of the destructive fire at Hastings on Thursday last, says that the town, although possessing a manual fire engine, a siaunch and capable fire brigade, and about 700 ft or 800 ft of more or less indifferent hose, found itself quite unprovided with any adequate means for staying the progress of a big fire. This should bo qualified by saying that there was a good water supply available ie the shape of what is called the sewer, but which is more than that, for into it runs at the rate of about 400 gal a minute the overflow from a number of artesian wells and the subsoil drainage of the township, the latter finding its way into tha sewer principally by a creek at the eastern end of the town. A number of properly-designed openings into this sewer exist at intervals of fire chains along (he main street, so that given sufficient pumping power and hose there should be no i difficulty about fire extinction in Hastings, The same paper states that the loss will probably prove to bo not more than £23,000 when what has been saved comes to be reckoned, and the insurances amount to £15,954, divided among the following offices: - Liverpool, London, and Globe £I6OO National £I2OO, Imperial £IOOO, Norwich Union £2075, United £250, Commercial i Union £2OOO, Pbccnix £BSO, New Zealand £I7OO, Alliance £1125, Standard £BIO, Victoria £1250, North German £4OO, Manchester £250, South British £1444.

The Press of yesterday has the following : —The residents at Port were shocked in more ways than one on Sunday morning. From an early hour a large number of gentlemen, who have hitherto been considered of unimpeachable respectability and whose seats at church are very seldom vacaut, were to bo seen iu twos and threes standing near the public bouse doors and back entrances. From the manner in which they kept an eye on anyone approaching, and the expression of their countenances as the doors were from time to time opened to admit “ lodgers ’’ and “ travellers,” a stranger might hare imagined that they were watching their opportunity to slip in and have a drink on the quiet.

However, they never seemed to screw their courage up to that point, and remained on duty throughout the day, relieving each other at in* tervals. In the evening matters assumed a still graver aspect. Somo of the churches were half empty, while a number of their most prominent members and supporters were to be found where they had been all day—standing round their favourite hotels. The public became interested. Numbers of people took pity on the apparently demented church-goers, and tried to gain admittance to thr hotels, possibly with the intention of bringing them refresh* meuts, but the publicans were obdurate and refused to allow drink to be sold on their premises on Sunday, even in such an emergency. The church-goers marked their appreciation of these services in books provided for the purpose, and late in the evening retired to their much needed rest. Further enquiry elioited the information that these gentlemen were the members of the local Prohibition League, who had formed themselves into a Vigilance Committee for checking Sunday drinking, and this was their first Sunday on duty. WHAT SPOILS A LADY’S APPEARAN OH? A bad complexion! which is generally brought about by the use of a bad soap. Peak's Soap makes the bands whilo and fair, the complexion bright and clear, and the skin smooth and soft as velvet, as is amply testified by thousands. —[Advt ]