CHRISTCHURCH JOTTINGS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 4956, 20 February 1895, Page 3

CHRISTCHURCH JOTTINGS.

Tho cricket match Canterbury v. Fiji, last week, did not create auy ! great excitement hero, the local men I having about tho "softest thing" c on, that has fallen to their lot in tho ( way of foreign matches for many a ! i year. Despito this fact, several of ' jl our best men—Cuff among others— • were dismissed for a duck; this ' being attributable to the anxiety on 1 ' their part, to put up a big score in a ' limited space of time. The costume * of the native members of tho visiting team, can scarcely he termed pictur- 3 csque, its main feature being its ' extreme brevity. They wear neither ' hats, boots, socks, nor—ahem! trotis- ' ei's, and as far as I could judge, a ' dozen yards of twilled calico would |: provido completo wardrobes for a ' like number of these interesting ' savages, The Royal Comic Opera Company .*• has departed, leaving many aching vacuums in the hearts of our more susceptible Johnnies. The spare time of the athleticallydisposed Christchurch youth, ap- , pears to be devoted either to cycling or swimmingjboth pastimes claiming j thousands among their respective „ votaries. A novelty here, in the shape of a moonlight aquatic canii- | val, was held at the Sumner baths ( on Friday night, when the water c £ was illuminated by coloured tires ] ™ and other pyrotcclinical contriv- £ antes. j The weather during the past week t has been beautifully line, and harvesting is being pursued with all d speed. f The "New Boy" under the able v guardianship of Williamson and o Musgrove, makes bis debut at tho c ' Theatre Royal hero on Saturday a night. ' " 1! The Tariff Commission sils on Thursday afternoon. '' The Hon. W. P. Keeves, as all tlic ° world will by this time know, ad- 'i dressed the electors of Christchurch * on Monday night. The Theatre Royal presented an appearance , calculated to produce ecstacies ' in the breast of the most imperturb- . able theatrical business manager ex- , taut—that is, of course, if the vast , assemblage had not been all dead- ', heads. Long before eight o'clock , every available crevice of the build- , iug was packed with perspiring . humanity—thcludies,ofcourse,being . H well to the fore. A few minutes be- ™ fore the hour appointed, the gas in the body of thcTlieatre was lowered, and the footlights turned up to the ' most dazzling brilliance possible, reminding one very forcibly of the J occasion in which the veteran actor, George Darrell, said to the stage assistants " Keep the limelight on me \ and d anyone else," The curtain rosedisclosingabout2oomore persons ou the stage, among whom I noticed Messrs Collins, Smith, and Buddo, M.H.lt.'s, and Sandford, ex-M.H.R. The Hon. W. P. Reeves appeared on the scene, looking a' trifle nervous, accompanied by the Mayor, gorgeous c in the official regalia. Of Mr Reeves' 1 speech little can be said, save per- ' Imps that what J have done, or a what ice have done, occurred too ' frequently for most people's liking. c The hon. gentleman's refusal to c answer written questions, pro- ° voked a storm of hisses and ° groans, as did the very feeble explanation of tho Sergeant-at- ' A Arms episode. At the conclusion ( ™ 'of the meeting the Chairman uiiin- a tcntionally made a bungle in putting I the resolution and amendment, so J (hat in the show of hands which ' : followed very few appeared to know s which they were voting for. How- ' over, the motion of thanks and con- ' iidence was declared carried amid a '' storm of cheers and groans for the * lion, gentleman. Public opinion 1 generally holds that had the [ Chairman not blundered, the ' amendment which "thanked Mr ' Itceves for his speech, but considered his explanation of Col. Frazer's ap- ' pointment insufficient and unsatis- | factory " would have been carried ' by a substantial majority. j The first of those fearful and wonderful sixpenny-worth's—the popu- ' lar concert—is to be given at the Opera House on Thursday night. The gay and festive Crabb has dis- , appeared from our midst and may [ be looked for in your locality shortly. ' A large number of cases of killiutr | and mutilating valuable horses have , been reported here of late, and as a j |k result three young men have been \ & -committed for trial on a charge of , this species of barbarous and wanton , ■cruelty to dumb animals. ; A matrimonial agency has been j recently established here for the . purpose of assisting shy Cupid, and is already doing phenomenal business. ] A movement is on foot to form a ( " cash amateur " swimming club at 1 New Ilrightou, but it is to be hoped, 1 for the well-being of athletics goner- ] ally that tho effort will not be sue- ' cessful. The professional element ; lias beyond a doubt hopelessly ] crippled and demoralised honest i sport iu Australia, and would do the ' samehereifafew individuals—whose sordid inclinations prevent them ,' contemplating healthy recreation, | without first considering what there j is to be made out of it—had their way. Christchurch hears the doubt ■ ful honor of establishing the first Cash Amateur Bicycle Club in New Zealand, and it is to be hoped that she will not further prostitute the Eaino of amateur athletics by attaching to it this degrading prelix on a .second occasion. V Many of our large mercantile and r other firms have created a new sphere J for feminine industry in employing young ladies as typewriters and shorthand clerks. Tho employment is of a most congenial character, the hours comparatively short (7 hours per day and a half-holiday per week) and the pay much better than that earned by shop and factory assistants. At present there is no public morgue at Christchurch ana residents are very naturally agitating for one, The present law permitting dead bodies to be dumped into the nearest public house to await an inquest, beside being unjust to the licensee's highly dangerous to public health. The cidor-making industry is a rapidly increasing one here, and should commend itself to tho fertile portions of your district. Under proper management this industry , can be made as profitable as dairyA ing or nearly so, 4P The Christchurch Chinaman is not half so enterprising as his North Island compatriot. Here he contents himself with I'uuninj? a laundry, or a cabbage garden. "Fluit" shops or general stores arc as sealed books to him, for which we arc truly thankful. flusiy Cuss,