NEWS OF THE DAY.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 13, 15 June 1874, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Lincoln Ploughing Match.— A meeting in connection with the Lincoln ploughing match, will be held at Sluis’ Hotel, on Thursday evening next, at 7 o’clock. Musical Festival.— The second practice in connection with the above will take place to-morrow evening, in the Durhamstreet Wesleyan School, at 7 o’clock;

Technical Classes.— ln the Auckland Provincial Council a resolution was carried that the Superintendent be requested to put on the estimates £IOO for technical classes at the Mechanics’ Institute, and a like sum for a similar purpose at the Thames.

Whaling. —Porirua in the province of Wellington was formerly a well-known whaling station, and we observe that an attempt is about to be made to make it so again, a firm at that place having purchased a schooner for the purpose. Whales are reported to be very plentiful on the New Zealand coast. Sons and Daughters of Temperance. —The divisions of Sons and Daughters of Temperance recently organised at Oxford are progessing very favorably. At the last meeting of the Unity division (sons) eight new members were proposed ; and at the meeting of the Concord division (daughters) held on Thursday last five new members were initiated, and four proposed for membership. The Resolution division (sons) at Rangiora is rapidly increasing in numbers. Special Services. Yesterday special services were held in various churches of the city in connection with the united prayer meeting, which has been in force for some time. The preachers were as follows : Durham Street Wesleyan Church, Rev A. F. Douglas ; Free Methodist Church, St. Asaph street, Rev W. J. Habens ; St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Rev J. Buller ; Congregational Church, Rev S. Macfarlane; Baptist Church, Rev J. Westbrook ; Primitive Methodist, Rev R. Morton. During the week special services will be held on each evening at Durham street Church, Free Methodist Church, St Paul’s Presbyterian, Congregational Church, Baptist Church, Free Methodist and St Andrew’s Presbyterian. Service commencing at 7.30.

Fiji Trade. —The “ New Zealand Herald ” says :—We are pleased to notice that the Colonial Government have at last recognised the importance of maintaining steam communication between New Zealand and Fiji. More than once we have urged upon Ministers not to overlook such an important appendage to our commerce, and in doing this were at no little pains in pointing out the course that should be adopted. The information furnished us is that the Auckland SteamPacket Company have entered into an agreement with the authorities at Wellington to run the Star of the South, carrying cargo and passengers, to and from Fiji, calling at all the principal ports between Port Chalmers and Auckland. The arrangements made as to subsidy are, we believe, in all respects satisfactory.

Acclimatisation. —The Auckland Acclimatisation Society, at a recent meeting, resolved to send home for forty couple of partridges, and twelve couple of nightingales, and to New South Wales for some swallows and snipes. The “New Zealand Times” says :—“ A letter from Dr Featherstone, addressed to the which came out by the Californian mail, had in its midst three sheets which should not have been there. They form the concluding portion of a letter relating to the business of an Acclimatisation Society ; but the name of the society is not mentioned, nor is it certain that the letter, of which the sheets are part, was addressed to such a body. Their absence has, no doubt, caused annoyance, if not inconvenience, to somebody in New Zealand ; and we have been requested to state that the Minister for Immigration would be glad to receive such information as would enable him to eud the one and to remove or prevent the other.

Entertainment at Akaeoa. —An entertainment in aid of the Church Sundayschool was given in the Town Hall on Tuesday evening. The attendance was very good, and, although the musical part of the programme was not equal to former occasions, still, the unavoidable absence of the ladies and gentlemen who were to have given vocal and instrumental selections was quite made up by the remarkably good readings and recitations that were given during the evening ; indeed the success of the entertainment, and the thorough appreciation of the audience, showed very plainly the attractive power of judicious selections from standard works, when the authors’ ideas are intelligently and clearly expressed. On no occasion had such a really good and well-rendered selection of readings and recitations been given in Akaroa. Particular mention must be made of Mr Simms’ recitation of Artemus Ward’s paper on spiritualism ; this fairly convulsed the audience with laughter. Mr Bushell read, very well, the latter part of Longfellow’s “ Evangeline,” and one of Thomas Hood's poems. Mr Wiggins’ reading on “ Discontentment” was carefully and pleasingly read. “ Young Lochinvar” was recited with much care by P. Borland, The Rev W. H. Cooper contributed the scene between Hubert and Arthur from “ King John,” the “ Bloomsbury Christening,” the “ Death of Paul Dombey,” and* by particular desire, “ The Bells concluding with “ The Little Vulgar Boy.” The chairman, at the close of the evening, thanked Messrs Boileau and Denny for their kindness in coming forward on a very short notice ; the former presiding at the piano, the latter playing a castinet accompaniment. Mr Denny also sang, in character, an Irish song—“ Kitty Tyrrell”—which was vociferously encored. The boys of Mr Wiggins’ school sang two songs ; and Mr B. Willcocks, who has a very nice voice, volunteered “The moon behind the hill.” Altogether the evening was a most agreeable one,

Mr Dunnett’s Accident.— The friends of Mr Dunnctt will be g'ad to hear that he has so far recovered as to bear removal from Mr Denny’s house to Akaroa, and that owing to the unremitting care and skill with which he has been attended, it is hoped he will soon be able to resume his school duties.

New Brighton Bridge.— A deputation, comprising Messrs Calvert, De Troy, Hopkins, and Barker, waited upon his Honor the Superintendent and the Executive, on Saturday, to urge upon the Government the necessity of erecting a cart bridge over the Avon, in the vicinity of Paynton’s road, so as to shorten the distance between Christchurch and New Brighton, and also to afford increased facilities to the residents of getting their produce to market. The deputation was courteously received by the Superintendent and Executive, the whole of the latter, except the Provincial Solicitor, being present, and the matter was thoroughly discussed. As a strong argument in favor of the erection of the bridge, Mr De Troy pointed out that at present—the river dividing the educational district—the children attending the school were obliged to cross in a punt, whereas if the bridge were erected, besides being a great boon to the district at large, the children would be able to cross the river without any risk. After a lengthened interview, the Government informed the deputation that an engineer should be sent to the spot to report upon the practicability of the erection of the bridge, and to obtain an estimate of the cost. The deputation then withdrew. Rangiora Fire Brigade.—A general meeting of the members of .the Rangiora Fire Brigade, to pass the rules, was held in the Road Board Office, on Friday evening. There was a fair attendance, and Mr J. Johnston, Superintendent of the Brigade, occupied the chair. The chairman explained what had been done by the water supply committee. He informed |the meeting that they had had three wells sunk in different parts of the township, and contemplated sinking a fourth in the vicinity of the Club Hotel. Those finished had been properly bricked and covered with a stone coping with an iron door, and were now ready for use. The committee had also decided upon a site for the engine-house, and obtained the permission of the Road Board to erect it upon their premises, on the western side of the office, this he (the chairman) thought would be a suitable place, and they were indebted to the Board for acceding to their request. The committee had also decided that the two engines should be kept in one shed, and not at separate stations as suggested previously. He also informed the meeting that the Insurance Companies had promised to supply the brigade with a fire‘bell, a number of helmets, and other necessaries, as soon as they can be procured; and he hoped that sufficient funds would soon be collected to enable them to supply the members of the brigade with uniforms. This meeting had been called to consider and adopt rules for the working of the brigade, and he was sorry that all the members were not present, as it was the most important meeting they would have for some time. The sub-committee appointed had drawn up a code of rules, having consulted the Kaiapoi and Christchurch rules in doing so, and when Mr Harris was up a few days ago, he had given them some suggestions with regard to the construction of the brigade, which the committee had adopted, and which would so alter the constitution of it, that he thought it better for the officers elected at the previous meeting to resign, so s to allow the present meeting to elect officers in accordance with the rules then before them. He would resign his office, and believed the others intended to resign theirs. He would call upon the secretary to read the rules. The rules as passed by the committee were then read and adopted. The former officers having resigned their respective positions, the next business of the meeting was the election of their successors. Mr H, Blackett, proposed that Mr J. Johnston, be elected superintendent. Mr E. R. Good seconded the nomination, which was carried unanimously. Mr R. H. Hanna was duly elected captain of No 1 company, and Mr John Lilly of No 2. Messrs J. Carruthers and Thos. Walker were elected branchmen .of Nos 1 and 2 companies respectively. Mr H. Blackett was elected treasurer, and Messrs Buckham, B. R. Good, H. Boyd, and Tribe, with the superintendent, secretary, and treasurer, a financial comittee for the ensuing year. Messrs W. Buss and C. Sims were appointed auditors, and the meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the chairman.

No. 3 Company Volunteers, Akaroa. —The occasion of the weekly parade of the company on Monday evening, in the Town Hall, was taken advantage of to present the cup, given by Captain Bridge, to Private Billings, who made the highest score at the match lately fired by the members of the corps. The attendance on parade consisted of the captain commanding, the second lieutenant, two non-commissioned officers, one bugler, and thirteen rank and file. The cup was presented by Mrs Bridge, who, before handing it to the successful competitor, said, “ Private Billings, it is my pleasing duty this evening to present you with this cup, which you have won on the first occasion on which the corps has competed for a prize. I trust this may not be your last success. The ladies of Akaroa, with myself, take a lively interest in the prosperity of the corps, and join me in wishing everything that can promote its welfare.” Captain Bridge then addressed the members present, and said, “ I cannot allow such an auspicious event as the first presentation of a cup in our corps to pass without saying a few words. Although this is the first occasion of the kind, I hope it will not be the last. There are several who, although unsuccessful on this occasion, I must compliment on their perseverance and attention, and have no doubt, by their keeping steadily together, they will stand a good chance at some future time, whether here or elsewhere. Now I want to suggest to you the desirability of some of you coming forward for the provincial firing. There are many reasons why you should do this, First, then, for the honor of the thing, then for the glory of our corps, and then you must remember it is a very remunerative thing. You have all your expenses liberally paid and the chance of a valuable cup. These are considerations which are not to be overlooked. I hope some of you will be able to carry out what I have suggested, and that one and all, by continued zeal and steady attention to your duty, may in every way advance the honor and glory of our corps.” Three cheers were then given for the winner, and notice was given of a parade on Saturday, when twenty mounted men would proceed to the head of the bay to enlist recruits;

St. Michael's Church.—The Right Bev the Primate willh'old an ordination service in the Church of St. Michael and All Angela on Sunday morning chart, when Mr H. J, Gould will be ordained Deacon. In the evening there will be a confirmation service, Avonside Entertainment. -The second of - the series of winter evening gatherings which are being held fortnightly in the pleasantest of suburban parishes came off with great eclat on Friday last. There was a capital concert supplemented with a charade, which was surprisingly well put on the stage. The ladies and gentlemen who had undertaken the parts belonging to them were not only clever actors, but had evidently worked hard to overcome the drawbacks of lack of sufficient scenery, as one apartment with alight alterations had to do duty for the poet’s bedroom, a room at an inn, and a luxuriously-furnished drawing-room, but they evidently succeeded in pleasing the crowded audience. The organ fund benefited considerably by the proceeds of the evening’s entertainment.

Inquest. —An inqnest was held on Saturday last at the Asylum, Sunnyside, before G. W. Hall, Esq, deputy coroner, on the body of John Graham, farmer, who died there the previous day. Mr Seager, steward, stated that deceased was admitted to the Asylum on the 10th of April, and since his admission had to be attended night and day up to the time of his death. Dr Coward stated that he had attended deceased who was partially paralysed when admitted, and continued to suffer from paralysis until he died. Ho (Dr Coward) had also made a po»t mortem examination and found that deceased had died from inflammation of the brain, which might have been caused by the fall from his horse said to have taken place in December last. The jury returned a verdict of “ died from natural causes."

Central Railway Station.—A motion by Mr Selby Tancred has been placed on the Order Paper for Wednesday next, that .£30,000 be placed on the estimates to bring the passenger station into the city, and a petition signed by about 500 residents of the city and suburbs, headed by his Worshipi the Mayor, will be presented by Dr Turnbull on Tuesday next. The prayer of the petition is to the effect that it is not expedient to remove the paisenger station at any rate further than the import sheds, or to take it away from the locality it at present occupies, unless to a central position in the city. The petition further states that it is deemed inadvisable to take such a step as the removal of the passenger station without consulting the public, and allowing them to express their opinion by means of . a public meeting. Meat Preserving — A new receipe for meat-preserving, by the entire carcase, ifl thus described in a letter by Mr Dolmage to the “ Southern Cross ” —"As a great deal .of attention is at present turning towards the new colonial industry, meat preserving, I send you a receipe given to me by a gentleman in England last year ; at the same time he told me that he would give a bonus of £3OO if one whole carcase was sent home prepared by his receipe. Should any of your readers wish to correspond with him, his address is E. O. Monckton, Esq., Messrs Contts and Co, Strand, London. The receipt is as follows—‘Clean the carcase well, prepare the chamber and make it air-tight by caulking ; generate carbonic acid gas by means of a soda water gas generator, with chalk and acid ; the gas being heavier than the air sinks to the bottom; when the chamber is full of it, it will extinguish a candle lighted. Then throw in the meat till full, and close the chamber. Every second and third day inject more gas by pipes below. As long as the gas lasts the meat will be fresh. 1 From what Mr Monckton said the intention was to have special compartments on board vessels, and the carcases to be put in whole. Hoping it may give a hint to those in that business.—l am, &c, J. O. Dolmage—Auckland, May 25th, 1874."

Football. The match between the Banks, College, and office-bearers, against the remainder of the club, was continued on Saturday last. It was expected that both sides would have mustered stronger than on the previous Saturday, but such was not the case ; in fact, the club were not so well represented, some of their best players being absent, and others unable to come until the game was nearly over. The club, as before, were distinguished by red caps, while their opponents had blue caps. The Banks won the toss, and chose the north goal, that having a slight advantage of the little wind which was blowing, and the sun at their backs. The game was commenced soon after three o’clock, and at first the blue caps, who played well together, had the advantage ; the Reds, however, after about ten minutes’ play, got the ball away from the vicinity of their goal, and for some time threatened capture to that of their opponents. A touch down was obtained by R. Smith for the Reds, but the try was unsuccessful. The ball was then driven towards the centre of the ground by some vigorous play on the part of the- Blues, and was shortly afterwards close to the club goal, but was soon taken back to the centre. At four o’clock, half time was called, and so far neither side had obtained any material advantage, both sides being very equal. The Reds up to this time had been playing well up, but upon changing goals several of their players appeared to have had enough, and in consequence the Blues, who had the advantage of the College boys, were enabled to keep the ball almost always up at the Club goal. The Club for a long time resisted the several attempts made to capture their goal, and on one occasion J, Waxman saved it very cleverly. The Blues were, however, not to be denied, and at about twenty minutes to five R. Rhodes, by a good kick, obtained a goal for them. After this the Reds tried hard to make the game equal, but although they obtained another touch down it was too close to the side of the ground for the place kick to be successful. At five o’clock time was called, and as no other goal had been obtained the Banks, College, and Office-bearers won the match by two goals to one, each side having obtained a goal on the previous Saturday. For the Blues, R. Dobson, Macquarie, Mathias, R, Chapman, E. Ootterill, and Barker were most conspicuous. The College boys were very good in following up the ball, and the success of their side is due in a great measure to their good play in this respect. For the Reds, T. Chapman, J. Waxman, D. and J. Thomson, A. and L. Ollivier, and R. Searell were very energetic in their efforts to save defeat. Bolton, who was unable to be present during the first part of the game, was as usual very useful forwards. Th« game throughout was well contested, and wa hope it will be played again before the season closes. Mr J. Thornton was elected a member of the club.

Agricultural and Pa tobal Association. —A meeting of the committee will be held to-morrow at Tattersall’s, at 3 p.m. Eangioea School Committee. The members of this committee m. t at the Hoad Board office on Friday evening, Mr A. H. Cunningham in the chair. It was decided that the schools be kept open till the latter end of the month of July, and (hat the holidays be given at that rim'*. The arrangements for celebrating tlv opening of the new schools were considered, but eventually deferred till another meeting, when the prizes will also come under consideration. It was resolved to ask the inspector to examine both schools, with the view of deciding the prizes. Also, to recommend to the Board of Education the advisability of procuring labels for them, suitably inscribed. Several suggestions respecting the fences required were made, and it was resolved that the exterior fence consist of black birch posts, rail, and galvanised wires, with a small ditch and bank, to be planted with white thorn. The remaining fences to be decided upon at the adjourned meeting. Tenders were opened for the school furniture, when that of Messrs Boyd and Keir, for £77, was recommended to be accepted, subject to the approval of the Board, there being only one other tender sent in, which was higher, Messrs Boyd and Keir were requested to set a value on such of the furniture as is required to be taken from the present boys’ schools. The meeting then adjourned.