CHRISTCHURCH.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2972, 24 August 1878, Page 2

CHRISTCHURCH.

This day.

At a meeting of the Harbor Board yesterday Mr Harman called attention to the loss of interest which would be entailed upon the Board if the Government persisted in the system of having that portion of wharfage dues which is paid through the railway "department forwarded to ■Wellington and then returned to -Lyt-. telton. The Board expressed by motion it is necessary to have a Eesident Magistrate at Lyttelton. . . A painful case of destitution took place at Ashburton, where an old man, 64' years of age, lay without food among flax in the river bed three days. He was discovered by the Sergeant of Police in the last stage of inaction. A largely attended-meeting was held at Lincoln yesterday. The action of the Government re the grain duty was condemned, and the following resolution was carried: That the President be requested to represent to the Government the injustice of the proposal to abolish the protective duty on grain, while regaining the protection duty on timber, and the ad valorem duty of 10 percent, on corn bags. Also that it be pointed out that grain producers in this colony pay the highest wages of any agricultural country, while the freight for grain to the home, market is also higher than that of the other Australasian Colonies. The missing man and child have turned up. They had gone to Wellington, and have been sent back by the police in the j s.s. Arawata. :■ . • Friday. The market quotations are:—Fat cattle, £10. to £16; light weight heifers, £8 to £10; steers, £6 to £6 10s; sheep, cross breeds, 6s .64 to 7s 2d. Business in the grain market has been quiet during the week, and there have been.few sales. The trade in beer and spirits has been brisk. ■„; , ■ .. ; ■-.. ■.. •■:- '•-■ '

An accident happened to-day to Mr Overton, of Kaiapoi, who was thrown from his buggy and aeriously injured. A largely attended meeting of chemists was held last night, over 27 being present, when they formed themselves into a Pharmaceutical Society in conjunction with Wellington and other JNew Zealand kindred societies.