NEWS OF THE WEEK.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 175, 4 August 1876, Page 11

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

A new Catholic Church has just been completed in Christchurch, at a cost of .£2,000. It is expected that it will before long be consecrated by the Most Rev. the Lord Bishop of Wellington. We understand that Mr. John Manning, who was for some time editor of the ' New Zealand Celt,' is now editing the ' American Celt/ in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.

The Wellington correspondent of the ' Wairarapa Standard ' writes :—lt: — It is very proper that members from the country should attend the Education Board, but the game is not always worth the candle. One of our evening papers tells of a member from your parts who came to Wellington to explain that .£lO had. to be added to a school contract, and that his trip cost the Board .£B. Two members came from Wanganui to attend a famous Masonic festival recently, but it is understood that the Education Board had to pay all the travelling expenses.

We observe that Mr. J. P. Armstrong intends shortly to favor the residents of the Dunstan district with one of his interesting lectures on Victoria.

The report of the Victorian Inspector-General of Penal Establishments and Gaols for the year 1875 gives the following returns : — " Males able to read and write, 5158 ; females, 751 ; males, able to read only, 1377 ; females, 1159 j males unable to read, 1115; females, 604. It -will be seen from this statement that while 5904 prisoners were able to read and write, 2536 able to read, there were only 1719 persons imprisoned during the year who were altogether uneducated." From this it will be seen that an acquaintance with the three R's is not in all cases the insurmountable impediment to the commission of crime, which some would appear anxious to prove it to be. In fact, in Victoria at least, ignorance seems to be rather, a safeguard than otherwise if we may judge from the above. At any rate it is clear that there are different kinds of education.

The ' Dunstan Times' says : — " The continued hard frosts have enabled skaters to indulge to their hearts' content in that healthy exercise. At both Alexandra and Clyde there are Lxrge reservoirs, and for the past two or three weeks, at both places, skating and sliding has been the chief amusement. Though the present has been so far the hardest winter we have had for some years, there has been little snow in the low-lying country, consequently the roads are beautiful for travelling. On the mountain tops and exposed places, a great deal of snow has fallen."

On the invitation of Mr. E. B. Cargill, Chairman of the Walton Park Coal Mining Company, a number of gentlemen left Dunedin by special train on Thursday last, for the purpose of visiting the Company's mine at Green Island. On arriving at the bottom of the pit-shaft, which was approached on foot along the drive, Mr. Cargill explained the benefits conferred on the City of Dunedin by the enterprise of the Company in question, and spoke in high terms of the quality of the coal, 26,000 tons of which had been sent into the city within the last two years, and which, being equal to 20,000 tons of Newcastle, sold at 355. per ton, had been the means of keeping in the country ,£35,000, which must otherwise have bean expended on the purchase of foreign fuel. With the views j^p forward in this gentleman's statement we agree to a considera le extent. The proximity of the mine to Dunedin is a very divided advantage. The coal undoubtedly is very valuable, and when the prejudice that unfortunately obtains against it has been overcome, as it is sure to be in time, it will be found largely to contribute to purposes of economy comfort. The Melbourne ' Argus' having given currency to certain reports of a nature prejudicial to Mr. Taller man, so well known because of his laudable exertions in endeavoring to carry to a successful issue the trade in preserved meats between the colonies and Great Britain, the gentleman in question has addressed to that journal a letter of •expostulation, in which he makes it clear that the matters laid to his charge are totally groundless. There is no doubt that Mr. Tallerman has proved himself a great benefactor both of the Australian colonies and of the people of Great Britain. It is owing to him that a more profitable use is found for the cattle of colonial runs than that formerly afforded, and he must be accredited with placing within the reach of the needy artisans of the old country means of providing for themselves and their children the nourishing food necessary for them ; it would therefore be but becoming that he should be treated with the consideration due to one who has bravely undertaken and firmly carried out a great work; and we should have expected that a newspaper occupying the position of the 'Argus'

would have hesitated before giving 'circulation to rumors, whose falsehood it has only required a short statement of facts to make' evident.

The " merry brown hares" appear destined to play as embarrassing a part in Victoria as the rabbits are playing at present in Southland. The dunes ' Guardian ' gives ominous, details of their increasing numbers.

At an early hour on Friday morning last an alarm of fire occurred at Timaru. An office belonging to Messrs. Geddye and Whits, coal merchants, was found to be in flames. The glare was excessive, and it was feared that there would be a repetition of the great fire that took place in this town some years ago. However, fortunately the apprehension proved groundless, and the affair terminated with the destruction of the building iv which the conflagration originated Sib Chables (3-avan Duffy; continues to employ his talents for the furtherance of worthy objects. We find that he has undertaken to deliver a number of lectures in aid of various useful and charitable institutions, in Ballarut for the Mechanics' Institute and the Public Library, in Kyneton for the Hospital and tha Hibernian Hall, in Sandhurst for the Fire Brigade and the Mechanics' Institute, in Geelong for the Free Public Library, and iv Melbourne for the new Catholic Church at Sorrento.

The theatres continue to be well supported. Mr. Talbot, at the Queen's, enjoys unvaryiug success, and at the Princess .the Lingards are still an immense attraction.

We learn from the ' Weekly Argus ' that at Addison's Flat, Westport, a party of miners have just finished a tunnel 3000 ft. in length, and another party have nearly finished'a tunnel- which is 5500 ft. long. At the Caledonian, German Jack's, and Giles' Terraces, similar gigantic tunnels have been put in. Mr. Broad says these tunnels '' are monuments of the industry and perseverance of the miner."

A special meeting of the Otago Harbour Board was held on Thursday, 27th ult. A memorandum having been read from Captain Thomson stating his regret that, owing to a heavy sea on the bar, the mail steamer City of New York had been detained for three tides, Mr. Eeeves recommended that the harrowing procees should be at once proceeded with, as thus a depth of two or three feet might be obtained. In connection with the wharves and quays reserves, Mr.'Davie moved an amendment, which was carried to the following effect: — "That the Board assents to the proposal of the Government to exclude from its endowment the triangular piece of land reclaimed by the Government between the Railway and Castle-street, with the view to enable the Government to carry out certain obligations it has entered into in connection with the same. That in assenting to this, the Board desires it to be distinctly understood that it is without prejudice to its rights as respects the Wharves and Quays Reser/es at present under the management of the Corporation." The Engineer reported as follows with respect to reclamation : — " Total cubical content of material deposited in area bounded by Rattray, Crawford, and Jettystreets, and cross wharf, as per tracing attached, 108,846 cubic yards. Less reclamation effected by General Government, from information supplied by District Engineer, 13,766 ; balance, 95,080 cubic yards. Deduct further, material deposited free of cost, say 5080 cubic yards. Total reclamation effected by Provincial Government, 93,000' cubic yards." We are requested to state that the usual meeting of the Dunedin branch of the H.A.C.B.S. will be held in Fleming's South Australian Hall, on Monday evening, at 7.30.