TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 1888, 8 January 1867, Page 2

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

.//PaiiibHv Meetiko,—At'.. St :,Micliabl's/ : Scliool-roora': last ; ;night the 'parishioners ■ elected Messrs-iHawkes and March church-; warden's; fire vestrymen and.a school corn'mittee werealso.elected; . .;' ;/ MAaisTEKiAt^On,: ,M'Nabb, : an elderly man, was brought .up at the Resident-Magistrate's Court, itangiora, before. W. B'. Pauli, Esq., .R.M.; Charged with attempting Jo. commit a rape upon a girl under tea years of age:/. : Several witnesses/ were examine.l, and-prisoner ; was duly committedjfortrial./■; > v \ .':■ RtFLE.., A'parade/of the Yeomanry Cavalry,' Engineers and the first battalion of Kifle Volunteers will take place this evening, in Latimer square, at 6,30, forthe'purpose of the presentation of the prizes given by the Rifle Association', and competedfor at the late meeting at Hillsborough. It is- : an occasion upon" which; it ia..desirable ■that every; man should muster. , ; , .:.; trate's Court; yestetday, Charles Stanton and Alice/] Fyfield, .bpthsof/.them old;offenders, 'were pharged. under /the/Vagrancy Act with being illegally on the premises of Mr Brooker. .They were :each'.sentenced to two months' imprisonment, with hard, labour. J. Btoett and. J; Brown -were charged with hating assaultedß. Bulmer. ;.;The' former was disnu>sed,'andthelatter;was fined £lO. '■:'/ /■'Pbize Siltkk we had the opportunity of seeing the Silver Cup presented by Mr & AiHargreavesjfor/competitionby the inemoers of Nos. land 2 batteries, Lyttelton Volunteer ; Artillery.;.;,'>lt ;■is very beautiful in design o and of ;;exceileht;/workmariship,' and valued at £lolos.- ; All enrolled ;membersiin the- batteries will be entitled to compete. The Cup will be exhibited kv Mr Walker's shop-window, Londonlstreet, for; a ■few-days. ' '■;"■;'•" *.'.' KoySfciAii ;GAzEixE.—A" Provincial G$ zettemuei yesterday notifies; the;assent of his Honor-the Superintendent to certain rates' struck; ' : by the Hokitika, Municipal Council ;the, resignation 0f.,-6. A; E. Ross; Esq., of. the-office of Provincial Treasurer,'; and the appointment of P. E. Stewart; .Esq.j; .in his stead;i J also: the 'appointment of MSP> Thomson,: ;'Esq.,i,: as; Assistant. Provincial Treasurer. The/tee«ealso'-.containsseve-; ral notices under'., the Deh'tbrs";an'd Creditors Acts; the accounts:of^the^Englishagency •for the quarter-ending September 30, 1866, and'adescription of the'reservesi made on the recommendation of Council;/■■:;■ :,/Oxfobd Sports.—On ; Tuesday,;the Ist instant, a'series of atliletic; sports took; place in Mr/ZLewis's ;paddock; Oxford./and;;were; in' every respect attended with success. .The day, : with the.; exception of a somewhat strong nor'-wester, was. 'most favourable;:;for outdoor amusement;.:,.The,number;of visitors was- large, and tue : ;sports^in-;which,great rivalry/was;; displayed;; were;both; /numerous and well 'cbMuctedi;"'. V: enjoyable day was spent, and the managing committee had every reason;/to.;be satisfied with the result of their/efforts in arranging and carrying ouj;; : the;;.seyeral Retails'of:the programme.- ; -' : "''-"' :: :i;^']^'Oxfobd Road Boabd!-r? The annual general meeting of the Oxford ratepayers took place at the Road Board Office, on Tuesday, the Ist instant, at. noon, for the purpose of/electing; three new members in-.- place of those whose term of 'officehad :;Mr S;v;Redfern;;;Chairman; v of ;the' : Boards/presided, and;-: after: stating the business of,, the day, and the; qualification required/by/aU candidates, read, the balance-sheet "for. the. past year, which represented the Bpard,not^.; withstanding its'previous economical manage--ment, as being pome ten pounds in arrears., Mr Redfem. called.the; attention of the ratepayers to.. this deficit, and also to :the fact that little)' could 'be. expected; from Government duringthecoming year;-which,-if the operations of the Board : were limited, must stand/as their excuse.'.. He: also : remiuded those desirous of holding office, that it would be no enviable position, and that if they came forward they .must,be. prepared,to, give'a great-deal; ; of;time;/and; reap little reward. •Thefollowing, nominations then took place: --Mr 'seconded by Mr Ross; .Mr ■Pagett; proposed Mr T. Marah,/seconded; by: Mr., Walker;: Mr Leurs; proposed by Mr K.; Kenwick, seconded by Mr:Reed; : : Mr;Reed, proposed by Mr /Leurs,: seconded by Mr/Batchelor; Mr J. Lee, proposed by Mr Seed, ; seconded by;Mrßyde; and Mr Walker,' proposed/by Mr Gordon, and seconded by Mr Pagett.-No other candidate being proposed, the show of hands was taken, when Mr Leurs, with; 13; Mr Reed,;with 11, and Mr Gee, with ll,stood highest oh the list.-.. Mr D., Fisher then de-manded-a poll, which was at once commenced, ahdfclosed at 4;pim^/with:/the,following result":—Mr Lours, 49 ;;Mr Reed, r 47.; MrD. Fisher, 39 ;. Mr Lee, 21; Mr.Walker, li; ; and Mr Pagett,',l2.. .The first three were accord:irigiy;;declareddulyelected; /after ;which;/a ■yoteof thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings. We take this opportunity of congratulating.this Road Board upon:the .excellent 'manner/in ■ which they have /conducted /their affairs during the past/twelve, months, It is true that the Board closed their, financialyear with a deficit of £10," but this, is as nothing when the pecuniary embarrassment under which the Board has suffered is considered.' ; We; cannot better eulogise their//conduct; than;.,by; recording < the rare occurrence that the ratepayers are universally satisfied with the actions of the Board,;.and .the result of their.labours.' '■''■'"

V. RIFLB SIIOOTINO/ExTRAORDINAIIf,—III the recent Australian Inter-colonial rifle match, ; at Melbourne, Mr M'Clure, one of the competitors,: made, seven bulla eycs. : out | of ten: shots at 900 yards with a Whitworth rifle, and Mr. J, .W. Pawcett, at;7oo yards, made nine consecutive bulls eyes.. At 800 yards, Mr J.. Sharp, of Sydney, in his ten shots, made centres of the whole number,; ;/ Southland.—The. Provincial Councils of Southland is appointed to meet on the 14th .inst^/The. Tories gays ;—The session will be an important 0ne.... Many questions,''not onljj of local but of colonial interest,' will have to be considered./ Among those that have? a. more immediate local interest may be classed .the::i; Railway ; Leasing".Ordinance, 1 and the. Operations of the new Audit Act. Again, the question of the actual financial position of the province, as respecting tho General Qorornment, requires to be clearly understood. :;:■■'lt is essential that the question should be put to, and definitely answered by, the General Government V" Is tho province to receive the" usual three-eighths of the customs and the pastoral revenue V'-:'i ■'■■:«■■"■■ ;':; Compensation to Auckland Sbttlbrs.— The following letter has been addressed by the. Colonial Secretary to the Superintendent, in roply to a communication from his Honor requesting to know when the awards mado to settlers of compensation for losses through the:war.would bo paid:—Colonial Secretary's Ofllce,; Wellington, December? 11,:. 1866. Sir,—l have : to acknowledge the receipt of yourllonor's letter No. ,344, of tholst mst,, transmitting.certain documents. in reference to claims to.compensation for losses arising out of the war, in the province of Auckland ; and with respect to the latter part of the letter, I have to state that, as your Honoris doubtless .aware, the Legislature always. contemplated that any claims ot this kind which were allowed should be.defrayed; out of the proceeds of any became avail-

able for the purpose,;- No other provision has been made for tlie payment of theib claims and, so soon as available funds arise from the sale of the confiscated-lands, after the advances made on account of the liabilities and expenses connected with these lands are discharged, payments will' be made on account of the; compensation claims, I observe that your Honor, while the Provincial Government administered the confiscated lands, proposed to allow six per cent, interest on tho unpaid balances, but the Colonial Legislature has never authorised tlie payment., of any such interest, nor has it been ,80 paid in the case of similar claims in the province of Taranaki, or elsewhere. Unless, therefore, the Legislature should 'hereafter authorise interest to be paid (a contingency not probable) the Government has no power or means, of paying it; and the claimants have in the present case the less claim for interest, as they hare already been paid in the aggregate about two-fifths of the amount, awarded, which payment has been ;made from the general revenues of the colony, .before funds were available from the sale of confiscated lands. One of the returns forwarded by your Honor also bliowb that tlie sum of £B3O 18s id has been paid to the claimants in excess lof the final awards, in consequence of the disallowance or reduction of their claims; ana I have to request your Honor, to be good enough to cause this sum to be recovered and paid. to the Government agent at Auckland, in order that it may be applied towards meeting the expenses now being incurred in connection with the confiscated lands.