CHRISTCHURCH.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3355, 23 September 1879, Page 2

CHRISTCHURCH.

Last night.

The following messages were received by the telegraph office jesterday:—" A query has been asked as to the validity of the Ashley election contingent on the Kaiapoi polling place being availed of by 33 natives which were struck off the Kaiapoi roll, and whose names were merely printed on a slip and attached to the end of the Ashley roll.

There were only four or five women at the opening performance of the Loftus Troupe at the Gaiety Theatre last night. The building was crowded although the prices were above the usual standard. The performance was greatly disappointing to those wbo had come to revel in indecency of which so much had been heard.

' Hiscock and Haymnu have taken a lease of the Theatre Royal, Wellington, for a year, and McLean's Juvenile Troubadors left Lyttelton this morning to open there tomorrow.

The man Bobertson, who was arrested for passing a valueless cheque at Asbburton, and escaped with reprimand last week, was arrested here on a similar charge yesterday.

llobertson was sentenced to six weeks' hard labour by the Magistrate this morning, who treated him. singularly enough as a first offender, as only one charge was brought against him. He has never been employed permanently on the Lyttelton Times.

' The Unemployed, A number of unemployed met in Cathedral Square to-day, and were informed by «ome members of their committee that Mr Austin, the Government Engineer, has promised to provide work for any number of men at "Weka Pass to. day to those desirous of starting tomorrow Two or three persons, who said they had worked at the Waipara extension, then addressed the meeting and stated that men were hardly able to roake "tucker" on the pay they received for piece work there. It was useless to think that married men were going np with the idea that they would be able to send anything down to their families. A body of men at once proceeded to the Government Buildings and asked Mr Austin for a day's work. They were received by the district engineer who anticipating such a visit was fully prepared for the occasion. Employ ment was offered to as many as chose to go on the railway works at the Weka Pan section of the Amberly and Brunnerton line, together with free passes, and tents and tools would be supplied on arrival on on the ground. Between forty and fifty only availed themselves of the oiler, though, men will leave Christchurch for the tcene of operations by the first train

Jto-morrow. There is no occasion for any man in Canterbury to be out of employ? ment willing-to work, for upon application at the Public Works Department, he can be forwarded to the railway works now iti course of construclion, and if they arc found insufficient to meet the requirements of the unemployed, the Government are quite propared to proceed with other sections.

A public meeting was held at Lyttelton to arrange for the regatta on the Ist of January. The balance sheet of last year showed credit of thirty-four pounds odd. It was stated that it would have -been sixty pounds, but the committee paid £25 to the winner of Shaw, Saville'* Cup, which, although, promised by the representatives of that firm, they refused to give them cup or cheque. Lyttelton Times Sick Fund Society successfully, repeated the comedy " Society " on Saturday night at Sunnyside Asylum. Besides the patients a large number of visitors were- present. Dr Florence died suddenly yesterday morning from appoplexy. The Drainage Board to-day was deputationised by a number of men who wanted work, and the Board promised to begin some extra works at once to afford employment. The* drainage scheme for Christchurch provides amongst other things a large watertight cistern some 30 feet in diameter as a receptaclo for sewage wbere it is to be pumped. The site chosen has turned out to be a quicksand atter weeks of pumping, which had ibe effect of lowering the surface of the surrounding ground for yards. The Engineer had to give it up to-day. He recommended the Board either to chance sinking the walls of the tank till they found bottom or give up the site. As the system was devised on the basis of present site this will cause great trouble and expense.