LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 8, Issue 380, 25 February 1864, Page 3

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

Christchurch Parishioners’ Meeting. —At the adjourned meeting last Thursday evening, Mr. Field, Cliurhwarden, reported that about £35 of the guarantee subscription had already been paid,' ai <! that about <£Bo might be relied on as the total proceeds, leaving a deficiency of about A GO to be made up. During tin.! discussion which followed, some of these to whose dislike of the minister and consequent, unwillingness to contribute the deficit is attributed, refused to assist in freeing the congregation from debt unless the minister Avould resign ;-while, on the other hand, a person, who had at the outset disliked the minister so far as U>

attach his name to the conditional guarantee list, came forward and said that on further acquaintance he had liked him far better, and that lately in a season of affliction he had experienced so much kindness andjattention from the minister and his lady that he took that opportunity of expressing his and his willingness to contribute. Ultimately a subscription was started to clear off the debt, and about ,£l3 was at once subscribed.

The Victoria Avenue Drain —Complaints, not loud but strong, have been made for some time about the constructing ot fhis drain ; partly because of its unprofitableness even though well made, and partly because its construction, as planned and now being executed, is defective in principle and altogether useless for the end proposed. For these complaints we think there is some reason There is another drain in the town lately constructed of the same materials, and the working of which would show whether such drains were suitable or not ; but we believe that though made, it has not been opened at the upper end, and that consequently this test has not-been made use of. as it might have been before the Victoria avenue drain was begun. We hav,e' always had our doubts as to the propriety of putting down brick drains ; and we think that if the Board considered them superior to any other kind, it would hare been well to have tested their efficiency on a small scale, before going to such an outlay as is involved in the construction of the one in question. But there is a still more pertinent objection to this drain jn the extremely unsatisfactory manner in which it has been constructed, especially the latter part of it. The Chairman may think, but he cannot know, that it has been made according to contract; and however honorable or honest the contractors may be, it is very evident, that if they cannot lay the drain exactly according to the terms of the contract, they must deviate a little from it in order to get it done. We do not say that they have done so, but merely that we should not be surprised if they had, and that the Chairman cannot know that they have not. But ignorance on such a point is highly unsatisfactory, and quite justifies 1 the grumbling of the rate-payers. The contractors seem now to be completely nonplussed. They have got into a quicksand ; and if they wish to get through it they must alter their mode of working. But whether they will hit upon one more satisfactory to the rate-payers than that which they have as yet followed, remains to be seen. We symdathize with the Board. They wish to do what would greatly promote the health of the town. There are serious practical difficulties in the way even to experienced men. It cannot be expected that those who are inexperienced will hit upon the right method at once. But it should certainly be their aim not to involve the rate-payers in heavy outlay, where they are not cer tain that their engineering knowledge may not be in fault.

Alarm of Fire. —Considerable excitement was occasioned in the town on Friday evening, by the report that the residence of Mrs. Campbell, about a mile up the river bank road, was on fire. The Garrison ' fire-engine was immediately called out and sent off with a detachment of soldiers tothescene ofthe conflagration. Fortunately it turned out that it was not the house, but a furze hedge behind it, that was burning; and the efforts of the soldiers and others who had come to the rescue were directed by Colonel Logan, who was early on the spot, to preventing the fire from reaching either of the houses threatened—the one already mentioned and the Rev. Mr. Nich oils’— which happily they were enabled to effect. We could not help contrasting the efforts of the soldiers, their Colonel himself carrying water to inspirit their exertions, with the cool inactivity of one or two of the civilians, who stood by criticising or gazing vacantly, without offering the slightest assistance. On the return of the soldiers to town, Mr. Dunleavy, the owner of one of the houses in danger, regaled them with abundance of beer, which was very acceptable after the hot work they had been engaged in. The origin of the fire is not known ; but care should be exercised in the present dry weather, by those burning rubbish or having fires in the open air, that the flames do not spread.

The Silver Eagle left the Downs on the 6th December for Auckland wHti 324 rank aud file and 21 officers of the 12th, 43rd, 68th Foot and Army Hospital Corps, Mr. Crosbie Ward is a passenger by the Parisian, which left Deal for Canterbury on Dec. 13. The conraet for the conveyance of the mail by the Pauama ronte was signed on the 12th December.