NEWS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLIV, Issue 6850, 7 September 1887, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Licensing Bench.—The Licensing Committee for the South-West District of Christchurch did not meet yesterday as there wa? no business to transact. Football..—The Otago representative football team arrived yesterday by tho s s Tarawera from Wellington. The footballers were met at the station by tho Rev. J. Hoatson and Mr T. L. Sm'th, and conducted to the White Hart Hotel, whero they reside during their sojourn here, Mandeville and Rangiora Koad BoAitn.—The monthly meeting on Friday last lapsed for want of a- quorum, Mr McIntyre only being present, who adjourned the meeting till Friday next, Oth in«t. The Volunteers.—Major Xewall inspected the Lyttelton volunteers on Monday evening. There were- present—Naval Artillery—Lieut. Arnold. 50 gunners- N Battery, Capt. O'Brien, Lieut-s. Mclutyre, Brice, Assistant - Surgeon Lewis, <fi gunners. A Warrant Issued Against a Ci.krgyman.—At tlie Resident Court yesterday Mr Beetham granted a warrant under the Fugitive Offenders Act, 1881 for theextraditionat Adelaide of the Rev. Wm. Kadcliire, whose creditors have taken the proceedings consequent on his departure, it is supposed, vti route for England] Constable Edward Stunner takes the warrant for execution, leaving to-morrow Wing Play.—ln it« account of the Wellington-Otago Football match, the Press Association says that the wing play of the former "cramped to a large extent" the play of the "two cracke" of the latter. The Wellingtons are admitted to have an all-round back team slightly superior to Otago, while the latter possessed better forwards. An opinion expressed by more than one Otago representative is that the wings did aot "cramp to a very Urge extent ''their play, and the impression left on the minds of the visiting team was that had the wings strengthened the scrams, the backs would have had better opportunities of scoring, and probably have prevented the draw. lit does appear to be rather peculiar that the match should only result in a draw if the iastitution of wings is so effective as the Press Association telegram tried to make out.

AsHBt'RTON BOBOUOH E.VGINKER.—The Ashburton Borough Council has resolved to pay the Borough Engineer, Mr C. E. Fooks, a retaining feo of £25 per annum and a commission of 7 per cent, on the value of all borough works carried out under his supervision. For several ;\ears past Mr Fooks has boon paiil the i per cent, commission only. On ;i motion that a retaining fee Xv paid in addition to the commission, the Councillor* spoke in high terms of praise of the value at the Engi-nt-er's past services to the borough. Fikk. — Yesterday afternoon, about twenty minutes past four o'clock an empty" four-roomed cottage, situate m Hereford street cast, took tire. The I'irc Brigade turned oa,, but were unable to save the buildintr, which was totally destroyed, together with the scullery attached. The origin of the tire is at present unknown. The house was owned by Mr Charles Walsh, and insured in the Equitable oflice for £11)0. Pkksoxau—The large circle of friends and acquaintances of Mr Geo. Booth will regret to learn of his being seriously ill. Mr Booth presided at Mr Henry Thomsons meeting at. the West Christ church Schoolroom on Monday eveninir, and at the conclusion he was taken ill. and had to be conveyed to his home. He is stated to be suffering from an effusion of blood on the brain, and on making inquiries last evening we learned he was in a critical condition.

British Israelis*!.—Or. Sunday afternoon Mr R. Bell gave the first of a series of lectures on thw subject in the Oddfellows" Chambers, l.ichtleld street. Mr Mcllaffie was in the chair. The chairman, in introducing: the lecturer, made a few reniarks showing the connection between the second and third petitions of the Lord's Prayer and the subject about to l>o brought, before the audience. The lecturer showed the distinction between the houses of Israel and Jtidah, dwelling on the revolt of the Ten Tribes, as recorded in the Ist Book of Kings, tracing their history down to the Assyrian Captivity; and. from various passages of Scripture, showing Israel not cast off, but to be restored. It was arranged to continue the lectures in the same place next, Sunday.

CiinisTcnrßCH Bicyci.i: Climi. — The seventh annual meethin of the above Club was held at head-quarters last night, Mr N. Oates (Captain) presiding. Nineteen new members wore elected. The balancesheet and report for the past year was passed as read. The election of officers resulted as follows:—Patron, Sir Julius Vogel; President, M. Sandstein; VicePresidents, Messrs A. K. G. Rhodes, It. C. Bishop, N. Oates, and A. Avers (subject to approval of the. latter); Captain, A. C. Andrews; Sub-Captains, C. Xankivell, J. W. Painter; Committee, Messrs North (re-elected), T. Hayward, G. Brewer, J. Oates, with Captain, Sub-Captains, Hon. See. and Hon. Treas. {ejr ojlirio) ; Hon. Sec, T. .T. Butcher; Hon. Treas., W. Barker ; Buglers, G. Lummis and W. Snook ; Auditors, W. Havwardand T. F. Richards. The meeting adjourned until Tuesday next, the. loth SeptemlxT, to discuss rnles, &c. A vete of thanks to the chair and to the retiring oflicers terminated the proceedings.

Watektox IjOix;£, I.O.O.F.—The sixth anniversary of the Loyal YVaterlon Lodge, 1.0.0. F., M.U., was celebrated in the "Waterton Library on Friday evening. The celebration took rhe form ot a tea, concert, and ball, and pasucd off most successfully. P.G. Bro. Pearson, who presided at the concert, took occasion to speak of the great progress the Lodge had made, and also drew attention to the benefits conferred by the Order on its members. Sonus, re'eitations, &c, were rendered by a number of well-known amateurs, and the Waterton Church ch~>ir contributed several vocal items, which were much appreciated. The gathering was a most enjoyable one, and will lx> plea-santly remembered by all who were present.

What wnx the Public Auditor sat? —Among the accounts presented to the Ashburton Borough Council on Monday was an item of £1 Ins for the hire of the Oddfellows' Hall on the occasion of a public meeting. Two councillors objected to the account being passed for payment, and thereupon something more, than a zephyr began to waft through the Chamber. It. was argued that Sir Julius Vogel had been invited by a number of burgesses to address a public meeting, and that the hire of the Hall was fairly chargeable to the Borough. One of the dissentients replied that others besides burgesses had signed the requisition, add that "anybody" might come along to deliver an address, and the Borough be asked to pay the cost. A councillor indignantly objected to the term "anybody." . Sir Julius Vogel. was the Colonial Treasurer, and should bo spoken of in a respectful manner. His address was for the benefit of tho country at a large, and it v/as in bad taste for one or two " hot-headed partisans " now to raise trivial objections to paying for the hire of the Hall. A somewhat heated discussion ensued, but finally the account was passed for payment, two councillors dissenting.

Concert at Sydenham. —A concert was held in the Wesleyan Sunday-scfaoolrooin, Colombo road, Sydenham, last evening, the proceeds of which were in aid of the pianoforte fund of the school. There was a large attendance, every seat being occupied. A little alteration had to be made in the programme owing to the absence of Mr and Mrs G. T. Booth, consequent upon the illness of Mr Geo. Booth, senr. Miti Booth, who was to have acted as accompanist, was represented by her sinter, Miss Hall, who kindly undertook the duties. The programme was a varied one, and comprised some excellent items, and the various performers acquitted themselves creditably. The following ladies and gentlemen took part:—Mrs and Miss Amos, Mrs Hoult, Miss Scales, Miss Needham, Messrs H. Beare, Watt, Tregear, Kowe, George Kelly. Hollow and Brinkman, and Masters Woodham and Hollow (2). Mr George Daltry acted as conductor with his accustomed ability.

The Lioknsixu Act.—Some attention needs to be given to the position of our Licensing Committees in reapeet to fcho payment of exponses to witnesses. The gentlemen who constitute fche Committees are appointed to administer the licensing law without fear, favor, or partiality, and to properly carry out their functions they aro compelled to obtain evidence. As is well known, witnesses do refuse to attend unless their expenses arc paid. Consequently their evidence, no matter how valuable it might be, is lost and none know how far this want of evidence may effect a case. An instance occurred on Monday, when an applicant was given the benefit of the doubt l>ecause the Committee had neither the means to pay, nor the power to guarantee the expenses of the witnesses it was desirable to pall. If the Committees are to perform their duties to the satisfaction of the district* they represent it stands to reason that better facilities should be aJlbrded them for procuring evidence.

Naw MuNiciiML Building at LYrrrcr.TON.—It very frequently happens that in a contract covering a large sum of money a considerable slice of the profits are made out of extras, and it is generally with difficulty these can be kept down. It speaks very highly for the professional .skill of Messrs Collins and Harman, the architects of the new Court-house and Municipal Buildings at Lyttelton, tli.it in a contract amounting to Jt'itM.K) so accurately were the plans and specification drawn that the extras amounted to the email sum of i>42 18s lid, and of this amount a small proportion wan for furniture, and could not fairly be charged to the building. Mr Collins attended theCouncilmeethigonMonday evening and handed in his ecrtittcate for the final payment to the contra Mors, Messrs flollis and Williams, of ±.0443. Several of the Councillors spoke in high terms of the satisfaction which both the architects itud the contractors had given in the performance of the work, which had been carried out very faithfully. The Council took possessionyesti-ivlay, but it is not yet derided if there shall be; a formal opening.

Thk Elkctorai. Roi.ij".—lt Is very probable that before the present election is over instanc s will be found in which there has been gross tarn pering with the registration of persons not entitled to vote at the elections. The pressure of work on the Registration officers, we flnd, has already been taken advantage of by unscrupulous individuals. A case is furnished to us, in which a gentleman, who for private reasons did not wish to have his name placed on a certain roll, finding it there, made inquiry of the Registration Officer as to the cause of its insertion on the list. He was at once shown the claim sent in, which he pronounces contains a forgery of his signature, and that there is little doubt of it. The attesting witness's name is that of a man who died recently, and therefore cannot be Interviewed. The subject, however, Iβ undergoing very, close investigation, and a claim has also been unearthed in which the purported attesting witness at the date of the claim was over a hundred miles away. The number of names on the rolls in duplicate, ac well as of persons who have ceased to reside in the districts and are dead, is truly alarming when it is seen how far some of them can be easily personated. A system of registration which would obviate this duplicity i.s cminciitlv needed.

Sitpbkmk Count .—uiT a *l^, ruptcy yesterday, and dISSS la Meases on the list. To-day n. E« of tk» will be held at 11 am J <nco • PoMTic.vu-Sir Julius Vokol ~,U -"? a meeting at Papanui last n there was a large/attciHW ,*N , spoke for abuut an hour and a half r ,, rt !lu > I t ravelling over the same K rcmn I ll'i I'" 1 ? I has occupied during his* S "»«<*& here. A vote of thanks was u™M*» the close of the address by Mr ?' u wl »* and carried with acclamation " ar^r St. Asapii sti»-:i-:t riTirrrvi k. MK.VT SIIt'ICTY.-At the usnnl lM|, ««>V«. held last Friday cvoni,,g.a mShorT , * amusing articles were rwiVl <v V,I J "Portfolio" Affer thenS,!""* criticism the meeting terminated \ot 1-nday eA-cmng the subject w?u C* essuy on " Phrenology." by a member " Tub Syhesiiam iW'ii. Em rrn-v A public meeting of burgt-ssos of Sy«w£"~ wi Ibe held at tho° Odd fellows' lfe? Colombo street, this evoninc for th« '* pose of hearing the views of the n^ CouS teS fOr C,M,,On tO "•• Thkatrk Royal.-Tho Hubo opened their season last nWt i>t o Theatre Royal, to a very good house ft , iirst part comprised the usual chair bui? ness, tlie scene bein.n the deck of Jk steamer Bullhlo. Miss Veruo actod , interlocutress. Mr Santley's son.' •• ti *§\l» Kngland'H Glory," was well suni* Mr \\ alter Keen, who is an exceodS clever comedian, was very uootl in Xi nautical song, "When the K ood e hl«v going. lAhss Tessie Cleveland snniJ . waltz souk very well indeed. Mr w Hugo and Mr Chas. lluijo .utetl a» •' Bones " and "Tambo," aim kept th,. fn n going. Some of the jokes, it ~m y £ noted, might with advantage lie omiUmT as being somewhat too broad. i n t he second part a song and dance tiy ni x l)er formers was well jjivon. Miss" I'r'i>, ( .i||. Verne gave soniu very K rod lightning changes these being excellently ilo ne Miss Lily arren, a young lady with a pleasant sympathetic voice,•sang, "Th» Young Brigade-" well. Mr Walter Keen, who at once established himself as a prime favorite, sang a coiuir sune. "You Dirty Boy" very hmnorously, hfj business being good. After Miss Verneand y\v Maher had sung a character duet a capital sketch, entitled " A Gniiiu of Cards," was played, in which .Messrs W and C. Hugo and Mr A. Santley appeared This had the merit of being both new and funny. Miss Verne then gave a Tyrolean song well, and also a character sketch Messrs Malier and Watts appeared in an Irish sjwialty, and Miss Tessie Cleveland sang a ballad. Mr Keen's song, "Right Before the Missis," elicited loud applatim and the performance concluded with I very funny farce, which differed from the generality of these productions in that it was smart and funny. The company appear again this evening.

tJiisi.B' High School.—This ischial will reopen oji Thursday, September N«w pupils arc required to uttend on t.UiMlin'nrc vious.

1.0. G.T- Tho Hope of Cliriatrhinvli Lmlot will hold a grand open meeting in Ihv Drnida' Hall. Worcester street, this evening, <'umlnoncing at oight o'clock. U.H.C. —The annual iconora! mei'ling of the Cmterb-ry IJowiiiß Club will be held on Thursday, the 15th instant, instead of Kridny tho l(!th. as formerly advertised. tspoui tNo.—The setcliuK on the Sprint; Mi-ot-in iv of t.ho Hotithcoto Itaclni; Ulub will t;ik« pli\co at 3 p.m. to-tlny at tho Kinpirc Hold. Kouuii oy Catarrh corrects otTcneivv otlon at onco. Complete euro of worHt chronic onsee i»iso iineqnallod as Burble for diphtheria, mrc ihro;s,t, foul breath.— (Axivr.l "Ilouoii OX trues."—Why Ruttcr pilosf ln»< mediate roliof mid. coiuuloU) curi? Kunrnntccd. Ask for " Kouirh on Hies." Suro i:\irti for itchinje. prot nidiujTi bleodiny, or <uiy form of pileu.— {Advt.J

For Chilblains and TMuniituitic Pnius, Biistcr'd Anodyno Liniment, is urn I|UhUwl. ForC.thappod Hands, use Baxters nctcrKcnt and ICuiolliont.

For Throat and Choet use Baxter's Lungr Pn sorver. As a lilood Puritlor. Bjixtei's Altiriuivo Elixir is uueiiuivllcd. —(Adv.]