NEWS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10266, 8 February 1899, Page 5

NEWS OF THE DAY.

There was no public business at the Rangiora Court yesterday. The members of Mr Strang's polo team took their departure by the Rotomahana for Wellington last nisrht. Mr George Craig (of the Customs Department in Wellington J, who has been acting at Lyttelton in the absence of Mr Murphy, returned to Wellington last night. The Auckland representatives at the Championship Athletic Meeting at Dunedin returned homo by the Rotomahana last night. At a special meeting of the Waimate Borough Council on Monday Mr A. M. Taaffe was appointed town clerk. There were 28 applications for the position. Tho attendance at the exhibition of the works of the students -at the School of Art continues very satisfactory. Ihe exhibition will be open again ta-day and in tho overling. At a mesting of the Kaiapoi Borongh Council lost evening soven applications were, received for tho aopointment of town clerk" end surveyor, and Mr S. E. Wright was appointed. The Trustees of the Floral Feto Fund havehad a goodly number of schemes sent in with regard to tho improvement of the river Avon. A meeting will be held in a few days to decide upon what steps shall be taken to adjudicate upon the various proposals submitted. On Sunday night, at Saltwater Creak, a cow owned by Mr D. Cameron, was wounded in the udder and ie-ga with shot from a gun. This is said to be the second cow which has been maimed in a similar manner in this district. A flat-bottomed r>unt, about 25 feet long and live feet wide, is in the possession of the Customs authorities awaiting an owner. ' It was found on the New Brighton beach, and the Department ir_*nd to sell it, if it he not claimed within one month. Mr YV. Melville, for some years manager at Elephant Hill, has been promoted to the managership of Three Springs Station, near Fail-lie. Mr Melville takes up his new duties next week, and wiil be missed by a wide circle of friends from the Waimate district. His Excellency the Governor has intimated to Mr T. E. Green, Chairman of the Committee for erecting the monument of Ngai-~ tabu, at Kaiapohia, that he regrets he will bo unable to unveil the same on Easter Monday, as at that time ho will have engagements in Auckland. A reply is expected from the Premier as to whether he will be able to attend on Easter Monday. In his usual chatty style "Vaulter" comments at considerable length in this week's "Weekly Press" upon the Championship Meeting ctf the N.Z.A.A.A., which was held in Dunedin on Saturday last, and discusses the merit of the various athletic performances, and the unfortunate disqualification of the Aueklander Wilson in the One Mile Walk. Tables of past winners, and comparative banner points are also given. Last week Mr S. Horrell. Horrellville, threshed a crop of barley 75 bushels to the acre. Mr C. Leech, Brooklands, threshed a crop of oats 90 bushels per acre, the straw of which latter crop was 7ft in length. Mr J. Hastie, of Prebbleton, has threshed out a 40 bushel crop of wheat, and a paddock of oats which averaged 47 bushels to the acre. The land is of medium quality. Shortly after midnight piercing shrieks were heard in Cashei street, which, on investigation, proved to proceed from a woman in a highly intoxicated state', whom three policemen were attempting to arrest. She refused, or was incapable or getting up from the wet pavement, and ultimately she had to ! be bodily removed, one constable taking the feet and the other the head end of the damp and almost iinrecognisabie human being. The R.W. Bro. C. Lpuisson, District Grand Master of tho Scottish Constitution of Free and Accepted Masons, has forwarded his resignation of the office to headquarters. The great majority of the Lodges hailing under tho Scottish constitution, having be come impatient with regard to the delay as to tecognltibm, __*ye gdiuT(&€r to / the' freV Zealand Constitution. It i_ay "be noted that | Bro. Louisson has urged upon his Supreme j Grand Lodge in Scotland the necessity of j recognition of the New Zealand Constitution, ,'but without success. Hence the step he has i taken.

There is apparently as much delighted interest to be extracted, from a knotty legal point by.a judge of the Supreme Court as a gardener could assume on the discovery of a rare and beautiful orchid. Counsel in Chambers yesterday asked leave of Mr Justice Denniston to appeal from his Honour's own judgment some stones which had been put on a man's land. There were all sorte of reasons why the appeal should not bo granted apparently, but his Honour hesitated. It was "an exceedingly interesting case he said. Counsel suggested that" his Honour had wrongly interpreted tho law. His Honour had no such doubts, but said if there was the slightest suspicion of wrong interpretation it must he taken into consideration. Finally, however, with great reluctance his Honour said he could not allow his interest in an abstract view of the case to come within the rights of parties. The expenditure of the Charitable Aid Board during the month of January has been as unaer:—lnstitution relief: Ashburton Home, 66 persons relieved, £112 15s 6d ; Female Refuge, 22 persons relieved, £25 16s 8d; Memorial Home, 68 persons relieved, £110 19s sd; Orphanage, 25 persons relieved, £48U9s Id; Samaritan Home, £44 8s lOd; Armagh street Depot, 14/ persons relieved, ±;_7 4s sd. Outdoor Relief: Number of cases relieved, 449; 1274 persons relieved ; total, £609 18s lOd. Maintenance of destitute children: Number relieved, 40; £40 6s. Maintenance of infirm and invalid persons, \£4 6s 2d"; maintenance of children at Industrial Schools, 36 persons relieved, £48 4s lOd ; general expenses, £88 5s 9d; miscellaneous items, £9 3s lOd. Total number of persons relieved, 1533; total expenditure, _/1168 15s 2d.

The monthly meeting of the (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was held in the Council Chambers on Monday evening. Present—Messrs W. Prudhoe (in the chair), J. H. Parker, D. McLaren, Mrs Homan, Miss McLennand and Miss Robison. An apology for absence was received from Mr Hulme. The Inspector's report was read .and confirmed. Miss McPhcrson wrote, tendering her resignation as collector to the society on account of a protracted visit to Australia. Her resignation was accepted with regret, and Mr Townsend was appointed to fill the vacancy. The Inspector was instructed to visit the next sheep fair at.Culverden, and report further to the Committee. A member detailed the gruesome particulars in connection with the destruction of a horse by the police, which had had its leg broken in Colombo street on Saturday last. The Executive was instructed to wait upon Inspector Broham. with a view to having injured animals -destroyed in a more humane and expeditious manner in the future. Surprise was expressed that only one entry.had been received for the prizes offered by the Society for the best team of horses in suburban drags and coaches, and it was decided to extend the time for entries.

The Canterbury Trades and Labour

Council met on Saturday. The Otago j Trades Council wrote, forwarding items for the order paper of the Conference as follow- :—Amendment of the Factories Act, making it illegal to work more than eight hours per day ; Eight Houre Bill, with a maximum of eight hours for five days and j four hours for one day ; Wages Protection j Bill, Government Accident Insurance Bill; State tailoring workshops to be established in Wellington ; that some united effort be made to establish a tramway employees' ] union in each centre; that petitions in favour of the Labour Bills be circulated by j Conference Jfor presentation to the Legistative Council. Tho Sir George Grey Memorial Committee, Auckland, wrote requesting the Council to collect subscriptions for the purpose of erectirg a memorial in' their city, and from the Hon. W. P. Reeves requesting the Council to collect some mode--rate amount towards an Imperial tribute to , tho deceased statesman. Tt was decided to ] forward copies of both communications to the affiliated Unifcns, and inform them that the secretary of the Council would be glad , to receive any amount that they donated or subscribed to either memorial. Mr F. G. Wilson was appointed assistant secretary. The executive were empowered to draw up the order paper for Conference to be held in Christchurch at Easter.

A Banco sitting of the Supreme Qourt will be held to-day, when tho case of the •*ydcnhain Go-psl Mission, a motion of Mr Russell for an originating summons, will be heard. A change of venue has been granted on the motion ot the deiend_nts in the case uf the Ashburton County Council v the Bonk of New Zealand instates Company. it is probable that the case will be heard in Christchurch on March Ist. It is a good thing to have a capable- cc?.'s clerk in a solicitors office. In Chambers yesterday counsel was pointing out that it would be impossible i • ara'w up a bill of costs equal to an amount mentioned by liis learned friend opposing. "Ah," said Mr Justice Denniston, "it ad depends upon your costs clerk." A good?costs clerk must be a pearl beyond price. A somewhat peculiar coincidence appeared on the shipping telegraph board yesterday. _.i; Wellington the Warrimoo arrived with the Vancouver mail, at Auckland the Elingamite arrived with the Brindisi mail, and at the Bluff the Monowai arrived from Hobart with an English mail. The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are 'disappointed at finding that there is only one entry for the prizes offered for the best team of horses in suburban drags and coaches, and have decided to extend the date for the closing of the entries for another week. The Lyttelton Borough Council have refused to sanction an application for holding bicycle races on certain streets in the borough, on the ground that they have no legal power to do so. A special committee has been set up by the Lyttelton Borough Council to consider the question of erecting public abattoirs for the borough. Dunedin, Wanganui. and Auckland have already established abattoirs of their own, and Invercargill has raised a loan for the same purpose. "Afterwards, and other Stories," the new book by lan Maclaren, has just arrived, and is sure to be welcomed by thousands of readers. Obtainable from Fountain Barber, Cashei street. 9401 Mr T. Keily, late of Southbridge, announces in our advertising columns that- he has taken over the Tatter-all's Hotel, and will be pleased to see old friends. 9428 Your wise investment in bicycle pleasure for '99 demands that you read the new Waverley Catalogue, free on application to Waverley Cycle Depot, 217, Colombo street, Christchurch.—(Advt... Gould and Co.'s Quinine Wine restores exhausted vitality. Sufferers from depression, weakness, tired and languid feeling, poverty of blood, &c, should take our Quinine Wine, prepared from sound Spanish wine and pure quinine. Price, 3s 6d per bottle. Hobden and Cole, next Ballantyne.—(Advt.) "Swift" Cycles aro like the current of swift waters, they carry everything before them. Just landed, the Austral "Swift,"' with '99 improvements. Weight 271b, price £22. Write to the Austral Cycle Agency, Limited, Colombo street, for an Illustrated Art Catalogue, sent post free on application. 9257 Half-mile 2iew Zealand record flyingstart reduced to 57sec by A. W. Humphreys mounted en a Waverley, at Lancaster Park, on January 13th. Waverley Cycle Depot, 217 Colombo street. 2396 Morris, photographer, -' from Dunedin, personally takes all the portraits in Colombo street. Call and see new specimens.—[Advt.] Further Reductions ie Groceries :—Oatmeal reduced to 3s per bag, Californian tinned apricots, peaches and pears reduced to 8d per tin, sharps 4s 9d per sack, kerosene 5i 6d per tin. sugar (sparkling white crystals) 2d per lb with tea.—Hubbard, Hall and Co. Having received a shipment of B.S.A. 1899 bicycle fittings, we can execute orders built of these at £19. Boyd and Son, Gloucester street, Christchuroh. Telephone 658. 8851 The famous Elswick cycle bearings, stated by English cycling journals to be perfection. j£ea.landia bicychjs-titted with-1899 pattern ' Elswick -bcarings,v jtwin rolljsr chains, and Dunlop tyres, foi?£2l. Oats, Lowry and Co., makers, ChriiJtchurch.—(Advt.) H you require a tonic take the bestSyrup of Hypophosphates. Barnett, Chemist, lib bottle, 4s 6d; £lb, 2s 6d. 16

Two Nuts to Crack.—Excelsior and Red Biid Bicycles. —Send for catalogues. Barlow Cycle Manufacturing Company, Manchester street.

A New Departure in the Drapery Business.—.We have just completed arrangemnts with Australasian Free Insurance Association, giving us the sole right to issue policies of insurance in Christchurch and suburbs, free of charge or ccat of any kind to all buyers of drapery and clothing to the value of seven shillings and sixpence and over. Our £50 policy holds good for seven days from date of issue, and renewed with every purchasa of 7s 6d worth of goods. Our £100 policy is good for twenty-eight days from the date of issue. These policies keep all customers dealing regularly with us constantly insured without cost, and all payments are guaranteed by the, Scottish Metropolitan Life Assurance Company,, of High street, Dunedin. By dealing with us regularly you are always insured against accident without cost to yourself. Send for one of our pocketbooks, giving full particulars, it will pay you. Shaw, Robinson and Co., 213 Cashei street, Christchurch.