TOWN & COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XLV, Issue 4716, 27 March 1876, Page 2

TOWN & COUNTRY.

Deapees’ and Clothiehs’ Association. An adjourned general meeting will be held this evening Pigeon Match.—A pigeon match will be held to-daj at the Sawyers’ Arms, Papanui ; shooting will commence at 1 p.m. Theateb Royal.—The performances of the Marionettes, on Saturday, were pretty largely patronised, and gave the usual amount of satisfaction.

New Thbatbb.—Mr Bayleo left for Dunedin on Friday last to obtain plans, &0., for the new Theatre to be erected in place of the present building in Gloucester street. On Mr Baylee’a return, when all matters regarding site, &0., are concluded, steps will be taken for the formation of a company Assault.—On Friday evening, as a lad belonging to the ship Himalaya, was escorting a young lady relative of bis from the ship, then lying at the Gladstone wharf, to her home, they wore accosted by two men, evidently sailors, who made us of very insulting remarks, and upon the lad remonstrating with them they turned upon him, knocked him down, otherwise ill-treated him, and made good their escape. It is a great pity that the perpetrators of such a gross outrage cannot be brought to justice.

Theatrical.— Mr Hosting proceeded to Wellington on Saturday, to play a short season in that city. Mr and Mrs George Darrell have been playing .to good booses in Invercargill. The Pnncess Theatre in DMedia remains unlot, Mr Hoskins having been unable to come to terms with the proprietor. Mr Baylee left for Dunedin on Friday last, to obtain plans, &0., for the new Theatre in Christchurch. Frculein Fanny, la premiere danseuse of the Colonies, accompanies Madame Simonsen’s Opera Company as directress of the corps de ballet. Gas. — The Timaru Herald states that the new gas factory will be in thorough working order and ready for use this evening. Further than an illumination outside the Gas Company’s office, on the Great South road, we understand that there is to be no demonstration on the occasion of the opening of the worts. Gas fittings have been placed in moat of the principal business places in the town, and fitters are still busily employed in a large number of other buildings, including several public places and private dwellings. Mutton Birds. The Timaru Herald states that an enormous flight, or rather two flights of these birds were observed on Friday passing from South to North along the coast. The first one commenced early in the forenoon, and must have extended fully two miles in length by a quarter in breadth. In the afternoon a second flight was seen, which, though not so dense os the first, must have reached for some six or seven miles in length. The birds were all flying very close to the sea, the inner edge of the lines being only about a hundred yards from the beach. Southern Railway.— The Timaru Herald states that very rapid progress is being made by Mr Proudfoot, the contractor for the section of the Great Southern railway from the Paraora to the Otaio. The rails are now laid to within three quarters of a mile from the Otaio station, to which place the line will probably be opened for public traffic in about a month from this date. Messrs Ogilvie and Jones are proceeding expeditiously with the work of erecting the necessary buildings at the Otaio, which consist of a commodious goods shed, a fifth-class station, and a very neat four-roomed cottage for the station master.

Stone Breaking Machines.— The Levels and Waimate Road Boards have (says the South Canterbury Times) imported two of these most useful machines for the purpose of breaking metal for the roads in their respective Districts, and are now being put together on the ground occupied by the Timaru Landing and Shipping Company. They are both of a similar size, and wore manufactured by H. R. Marsden, of Soho Foundry, Leeds, from Blake’s patent. The machinery takes in blocks of stone of any size up to 15in by 9in, and is capable of crushing seventy tons of stone per day. They are fitted with new patent cubing jaws, and with a new patent revolving iron screen. The one for the Waimate Road Board has also a steam engine imported with it, but the one for the Levels has not. Through the introduction of such machines into South Canterbury we shall be enabled to have our roads metalled at a much cheaper rate, and better material used than is at present the case. The cost of the machine for the Levels Road Board will be, when delivered, about £235.

The German War Estimates. The struggle in the German Diet over the estimates and the proper means of meeting their increased demands, says the Pall Mall Qasette, has arisen from the action of a force which was not reckoned at its full weight when the existing Constitution was hastily framed—that of the voices of the minor States in the Federal Council. Many of these, the smaller members particularly, before 1866 hardly knew what military expenditure meant. Lying as they did around or in some cases almost enclosed by Prussian territory, they felt themselves covered practically against foreign foes by Prussian arms, and consequently made their own petty military organization as nominal as possible, unless the Sovereign happened to be addicted personally to playing with soldiers. Sadowa and Sedan have swept away this easy state of things, and brought a new period, which finds each one of them obliged to submit its subjects to the conscription, and pay its fixed “matricular" contribution to the Imperial war expenditure. Bat the representatives of these states intheFederal Council are numerous ; and they are universally enjoined to resist an addition to this burden, since the responsibility of collecting it would of course fall more directly on the Local Governments than the payment of any indirect tax levied by the Diet. Hence it was that Herr Delbriick bad to waive the proposal in vain advocated by the metropolitan Press to meet the new estimates by an increase of these contributions. He, or rather his chief, decided to ask fresh taxes. But these the Diet, more directly representing Germany at large than the Council, is chary of yielding to. Hence, the difficulty that has arisen in the path of the Government, and which is not likely to be lessened by the discovery deputies have made that, although thirteen millions extra of marks are asked for 1876, the actual estimates only account for rather lees than five millions, the rest being required to compensate the War Office for giving up the practice hitherto pursued of using savings made on one part of the army to swell the credit allowed for others.

The Wab in Atchin.— According to the latest accounts from Sumatra, the third Dutch expedition against Atchin was about to commence operations, though, as the military contributor of the Cologne Gazette remarks the season for active hostilities, which lasts from the end of October to the end of April, is somewhat far advanced. The most favourable point of attack is stated to be Koerwing Eabla on the western coast, from which place the position occupied by the Atchinese on the mountain ridge beyond the Era ton might be taken in the rear. The Dutch look upon this ridge,which is about twelve kilometres from the Eraton, as a most important strategical centre, the occupation of which by their troops would finally decide the war in their favour. The writer in the Cologne Gazette , however, thinks it probable that the present expedition will not attempt anything more than to recover the positions in the plain between the Eraton and the heights which have been conquered by the Atchinese, so as in some degree to secure the headquarters of the Dutch army against the danger of being surrounded by their enemies. How difficult this (ask is likely to be, is shown by the events of the campaign of 1875. Besides the garrison of the Eraton —which consisted of two and a half battalions under Colonel Pel, an eight centimetre horse-battery, and a company of garrison artillery—four complete battalions and two horse-batteries were concentrated on the Coast; yet with this force of nearly 6000 men the Dutch were finally compelled to abandon to the > enemy nearly onehalf of the territory they had conquered. The Dutch blockading squadron at that time consisted of one screw-steamer of the first class, three of the second, and six of the third, two iron paddle steamers, a steam tranport ship, twelve ironclad steam launches, two steam tugs, aud two other steamers. Since then tramways have been laid down between the coast and the Eraton, an artesian well has been opened, and an ice machine established, which baa greatly improved the health of the troops. What further preparations have been made for this year’s campaign does not at present appear, but the writer ia the Cologne Gazette thinks they cannot be very considerable, as no reports have been received from the many foreign ships which visit the harbours of Batavia and Java of the engagement of large numbers of coolies or porters, which would be absolutely necessary in order to conduct the operations on a larger scale than hitherto.