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Press, Volume X, Issue 1142, 6 July 1866, Page 2

The Kaiapoi Bell.—As a system of preserving one uniform time is conducive to the ! interests of every community, the thanks of j the residents of Kaiapoi are due to William Wilson, Esq., for the great boon that he has conferred on the town m the shape of the bell, which up to the last few days has been very successfully attended to by Mr W. L. Powell, the late tollkecper at the Swing bridge. The bell has been rung very regularly at eight am., twelve p.m., and five p.m., until quite ktely ; and now those people who have been in the habit of setting their watches by the ball, find that they are out of their reckoning, and that a difference exists between the time of strikin" the bell and that kept at the Post-office. We trust that this inconsistency may be rectified, as it must prove a great cause of annoyance to men in business. This grievance bears also upon the question of closing shops, offices, &c, which cannot be effected simultaneously unless some uniform system of time-keeping is adopted. Kaiapoi Steeplechases-—We have been informed that the above-named steeplechases will take place on Thursday, August 2, and that a good-programme is arranged, the particulars of wliich will appear as soon as the preliminaries are settled. Licensed Victuallers' Association*. — The annual meeting of the Licensed Victuallers' Association was held at Mr. Samuels' White Horse hotel, last evening. After some preliminary business had been disposed of, the election of officers for the ensuing year was proceeded with. Mr. J. H. Tompkins, Mr Morton, and Mr Barnard (the late treasurer), were each proposed as president for the eneuing year. Mr Tompkins declined the honor, and Mr Morton withdrew iv favor of Mr

Barnard, who was duly elected for th« cnsuin; year Mr l ™ k .■lccted treasurer in place of Mr J. H._iomp Wnslho declined P to act. Theelechon for member* of committee then took plate, and Hr . Hart, Morton and S.muel* were Glared duly elected The stak-mento the accounts was road, and gave general satistacTon "nd great hopes were entertained tha the society would in a short time be in a ourLlng y state, A vote of thanks was moved to the retiring president and treasurer, SI were responded to by. both officers, after which tho meeting separated. Meeting of Ratepayers.- A special meeting of ratepayers of the Ellesmere disH t was held at the Road Board ofl.ee Leeston. on Tuesday, July 3. The following members were present-Messrs X L. Lee (chai.man), CL. Bridge, and C. F. Knyvett, and a numerous attendance of the residents in the district. Tho Chairman explained that the reasons for calling the meeting were to inform thera of the present unsatisfactory flnancial position of the Board and the necessity of levying a rate should the Government i: still refuse to furnish tho Board with funds. After some questions had been put by the ratepayers to the Chairman, and satisfactorily answered, it was moved by Mr Miles, seconded by Mr Enyvett, and carried unanimously, ""That from the statements made this day by the Chairman of the Ellesmere Road Board, with respect to the amount of moneys received by the Board for expenditure in the district, this meeting is of opinion that a strong representation of tho wants of the district, by a numerously signed petition, should be made by those who hare an interest in the district, and laid before His Honor the Superintendent without delay, in order to obtain a larger grant than has been hitherto accorded, for the purpose of opening up the district for settlement, by making roads, bridges, culverts, &c , which from the nature of the country are very much wanted ;" and " That the Board be requested to draw up a petition in accordance with this resolution, and to get as many signatures as possible." The meeting thereupon broke up, after which the Board proceeded to transact ordinary business. Land Sales.—Yesterday the following land was disposed of at the Government buildings : —Ashley, 79 acres; Ashburton, 447 acres ; Christchurch, 50 acres ; Ellesmere, 75 acres ; Lincoln, 80 acres ; Mandeville, 50 acres; Malvern, 40 ac-es ; Oxford, 23 acres ; Timaru, 160 acres ; Waipara, 866 acres. Total, 1870 acres, yielding £3740. West Coast Traffic. —The following is the return of cattle driven past Mr Blake's camp, on tho road to Hokitika, during the fortnight ending June 30:—On June 21, sixty-seven j on the 23rd, thirty-seven ; on the 25th, ono hundred and eight; and on the 26th, thirty-one. Thb Baptist Church.—The half-yearly meeting of the Baptist Church took place on Tuesday last at the Chapel, in Lichfield street. An excellent tea was provided, after which the chair was taken by the Rev. J. Thornton. The proceedings commenced by a hymn and n prayer. The report was then read by Mr J. W. Baker, the secretary, and was unanimously adopted. The Minister, at a former meeting, had expressed a wish to retire from the field of his labors, as he had been subjected to a series of persecutions since his "arrival in Christchurch. The members of the church, however, having determined to express their esteem in some tangible form, a number of them subscribed to fill a purse, elaborately worked by a lady, and it was agreed that it should be presented to MrThornton by Mr W. S .Baker, the senior deacon. Accordingly Mr Baker, having very gracefully introduced the subject, read the followingaddress:— " Testimonial from the officers and members of the Baptist Church, Lichfield street, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand, presented to the Rev. J. Thornton, pastor, July 3, 1866. Dear Sir,—Painfully aware of the great weight of mental anguish which for so long a time you have endured, and which has in a great measure been promoted by those whose duty it should have been to countenance and support you, we deem ourselves bound, as members of a christian community, to offer you our sincere and heartfelt sympathy, and to thus state to you openly and publicly our entire; confidence in your christian integrity and moral worth, as well as great usefulness in the 1 church of Christ. Too well do we know that scandal is much more easy to invent than to remove. Your christian conduct is to our minds the best possible refutation of the disparaging insinuations so industriously circulated against you. Your candid avowal of your willingness to retire from your present sphere of labor, we fully appreciate, and as frank and candid as was your offer is our rejection of it. It is with the greatest pleasure we bear this our testimony to the value of yonr labors amongst us. Well are we award of the privations you have so patiently endured in-our service, and most earnestly do we hope and pray that jou may long be spared to break the Bread of Life, and to develop the glorious truths of the Gospel of Christ in our midst. We entreat you to allow vague and ill-conditioned reports to disturb your minds no longer. Rest assured that you are surrounded by those who regard them not, but •who will, " should they assume too grave and serious an aspect," take such steps as may be necessary to bring the same to a summary con-, elusion. As additional evidence of the sentiments of esteem and affection we entertain, the members of the church and congregation have subscribed to form a purse, which we beg you to accept as a small token thereof." Mr.. Thornton having replied in appropriate and feeling terms, interesting addresses were delivered by Messrs. Easton, Cricks, Chapman,; Walker and Cawkwell. The meeting, which was a most interesting one, having concluded, the address, which has been beautifully written on vellum, was numerously signed by the officers and members of the church.