Lord Hopetoun at Christchurch.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7070, 16 February 1893, Page 1

Lord Hopetoun at Christchurch.

(By TamasATs.) OHEISTOHUEOH. Fbb. 16. The Earl and Countess of Hopetoun and party to-day visited the Museum, lunched with Mr John Deans at Bicoarton, and subsequently drove to the Canterbury racecourse and the Belfast freezing works, and Mr William Doag’s farm where the stud of Clydesdale horses was inspected. To-morrow the party will visit Lyttelton and Lincoln Agricultural College { on Friday proceed to Horsley Down where they will be the guesta of Mr J. D. Lance, and from there they will ride through to Blenheim via Waiau and Eaikoura.

A London journalist has been sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment without bard labour for inciting a man to steal an early copy of the Times, to enable him to telegraph the foreign intelligence to the provinces. , New ideas in paving have lately attracted attention Among these is the paving of a bridge by a German engineer, with indierubber, the result having been so satisfactory as to induce its application on a much larger scale, a point in its favour being that it is much more durable than asphalt, and not slippery. In London (says Siftings) a section of roadway under the gate leading to the departure platform of the St. Fancras terminus has for some time passed been paved with this material, with the effect of deadening the sound made when being passed over on wheels, besides the comfortable elasticity afforded to foot passengers. Another material which is being satisfactorily introduced for this purpose is composed of granulated cork and bitumen pressed into blocks, and which are laid like bricks or wood paving, the special advantage secured in this case being that of elasticity. A good story is going the rounds of the English Press just now, bat it mast be taken with more than a grain of ealt. A member of an important stockbroking firm in London went to bis bankers the other day to obtain some bonds deposited with them for safe keeping, and getting them returned to bis office in a cab. On arrival he was told that a client wished to see him on particular business, and in his excitement he paid and dismissed cabby, forgetting all about the parcel of bonds. When he realised his lose cabby was nowhere to be seen. Communicating his loos to the authorities of Scotland Yard be was relieved to find that cabby bad taken the bonds there. Of course bo did not lose much time in claiming them, and handed to the official his -cheque for £SO la reward the honest cabman. On the official being informed that the bonds were valued at £40,000 ho demanded £2OOO, it being the rule to pay 2 per cent of the value on all articles or valuables so received. Half of the "salvage" goes to the police fund and half to the lucky finder. The astounding wastefulness of American representativea is strongly illustrated (says the London Spectator) bythe-annual report of the Pension Commissioner just presented to Congress. He claims credit far economy in his department, saying that the pensions for this fiscal year will only be £31,090.000 sterling, and next year only £33,000,000, Indeed, though there are 780,000 claims registered in the office for fatnre settlement. he does not think that the total expenditure on pensions will; ever exceed £4,000,000 a year, or say £3 10s taken from every household in the Union! And then they tell us that democracy is always ehsa p It adds a little, perhaps, to the shamefulness of this waste that it is in no way dictated b kindliness to the poor, au immense proportio of the pensioners being freeholders* but it intended to deplete the Treasury,'and s protect great manufacturers at the expert the whole bedv of consumer*,