TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CI, Issue 11921, 19 June 1899, Page 5

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

The Talune, which left Wellington on June 9, was successful in her search for the Perthshire, having picked up the disabled steamer near Norfolk Island on Tuesday last. The Talune, with the Shire liner in tow, passed Newcastle yesterday, and was expected to reach Sydney at daylight this morning. ■ ■

Last night in the Lyceum Mr W. W. Collins lectured on “ The Agnostic’s Indebtedness to Christianity.” A slight shock of .eatbquake was felt at Rangsora at about 7-.2Q on Saturday morning. :

Mr O’Bryen Hoare gave addresses in the Art Gallery yesterday on “ Growth ” and ‘ Life the Cripples.” * There was a large attendance at the Band Rotunda in Victria Square yesterday after noon when the Woolston Brass Band played a programme of music.

- . •smjjuut Aarep uo aiajaai « oauS ‘jauoissituuioO Aarep ?uoujuj9aoq JH, ‘uooms'jjc aqi up JP-W sbav A'Bprnqt’g uo Avoqg aqp Tho Rev Rather Hyland, who has been in '"' charge of the Ross parish, on the -West ■ Coast, has-been appointed to the Rangiora ‘ Catholic parish, and will take up his duties ' within a few days.. .. . -A private telegram received from Auckland contains the intelligence that Mdlle, Trebelli. who recently commenced a second tour of New Zealand, sang in , Haydn’s “Creation” on Friday night, before one of the largest audiences ever assembled in that city. On Friday evening a successful public . meeting'was held at the Wesleyan Church, ■= Kaiapoi. Mr Moore, M.H.R., presided, - and addresses were delivered by the Revs «!.. Orchard, W. J. Gow and others. The collection was for the benefit of the rescue work fuhd.

• In connection with, the presentation of the ‘ Christchurch Meat CompanyVWinter Show trophy, which 'wad won'by the Temuka Boad Board, district, it has been decided ’ fopzcaenfc each contributor, with a framed photograph of th® trophy. The . presentation Will, be held in the Temuka Hall during the next fortnight. . Miss Lilian Edger, M-A. , gave the second of her lectures on theosophy last night at ; • HMI. .■- iThe President of the Theosophical , Society, Mr. J. B. Wither, ' was in' the chair; /There was a very, good *■ attendance; and the audience followed the . lecturer's clear and eloquent address with close, attention. Miss Edger will give another public lecture on “ The. Growth of the Christ Spirit” at the Choral Hail tomorrow evening. / On /Thursday evening, a special cOngre- ■ gatiphal meeting of the Gust Presbyterian ■ Church took place, to consider the pro- < jeCb.of raising a Centenary Fund, of about ,i .one hundred .guineas, for the " purpose of adding to the manse and erecting a suitable • .vestry to the church. .The chair was oc- ‘ copied by the Bev F. Stubbs, and there .'■'■waS;'considering the weather, a fairly good ‘ attendance. Details of the scheme having been laid before the meeting, a motion api. proving of The same was unanimously car- • t-riedi It was decided to secure' the cooperation of the Oxford portion of the : a charge, and a Building Committee was set up; to act in conjunction with the managers jn arranging for a systematic canvass and m carrying out all necessary 'a’rrange/.ments. ■ •. - -Mf” ’

The Rev L. M. Isitt is expected to arrive at Wellington by the Gothic on June '26. A public welcome will ■be tendered to him in Christchurch on July 3. ■ , It is understood that the report of Mr G. J. Reakes, M.R.C.V.S., of the Department of Agriculture, on the slaughterhouses from which the Christchurch meat supply is derived was forwarded to to the Mayor on Saturday.

On account pf the importance of the movement, and the great number of countries which will be officially represented, President M’Kinley will preside at the Commercial Congress to be held in October at Philadelphia. Colonel Hume, of the Defence Department, Sir James Hector, and Mr J. W. Joynt, Registrar of the New Zealand University, were among the passengers who arrived in Christchurch by the express on Saturday evening.

The building trade is very.brisk in Ashburton. The starting of the freezing works brought a large influx 6f people, and house accommodation has been severely taxed. The builders have their hands full, and one architect has orders for plans for twelve new dwellinghouses. Messrs C. N. Or bell, A.. E. G. Rhodes and Rev C. H. Garland were among the passengers who left for the south by the express on Saturday. Messrs D. Rutherford, .T. W. Gale, J. A. Gilruth, Government Veterinary Surgeon, and J. G. Ritchie, Secretary of the Agricultural Department, went north by the Rotomabana on Saturday evening. At a meeting of the ratepayers in the Wakanui Road district, on Saturday, it was decided to close a road in the Fairfield district leading past Mr Langley’s property down to Lamb’s Road; and to open a new road'through the Freezing Company’s land, in continuation of Lamb’s road to the works. This will greatly shorten the driving route to the Fairfield wo/ks.

The show of the Christchurch Pigeon, Poultry and Canary Society was brought to a close on Saturday evening. A large number of the exhibits were sold, almost double the number of previous years. Forty lards were sold, at an aggregate sum of £66. Country people Were the principal purchasers, and the whole results of the show •prove that there is a much larger interest being taken in poultry matters than hitherto”. What appear to have been cases of deliberate dog-poisoning occurred at Islington last Thursday and Friday.” Mr J. R, Charlton, M.R.O.V S., noticed on Thursday his bull-terrier Wasp showing symptoms of poisoning, being, indeed, in a precarious state, but by prompt and long-continued treatment she was saved, though at one time respiration had almost ceased. On Friday, on going to give her night’s feed to the fox-terrier Neidpath Dolly—who the previous night had whelped two line dog puppies to Mr S. H .Graves’s (Ashburton) imported dog Cowley Pat—-Mr Charlton found her dead. Mr Charlton did all he could to save the puppies, but they died the following morning. A postmortem examination on the mother, on Saturday, by Mr Lilico, M.R.C.V.S., with Mr Giiruth, Chief Government Veterinarian, showed that death had been caused by an irritant poison/ and the intestines of the animal will be sent to Professor Bickerton for analysis. The bull-terrier was first prize winner at the Canterbury Kennel Club’s show,last October; Neidpath Dolly (well-known in Christchurch as Quiz) was chiefly valuable from her breeding, being tip only living descendant of Champion Vert Galant (imp..), and being from Cham- - pion Divert (imp.) ; she had produced some good stock, amongst them Hone Toia, a winner at Christchurch and other shows. It is believed the poison must have been administered directly, as though there are numbers of drovers’ and other dogs about Islington ho other case of poisoning has been. reported. Both dogs were absolutely inoffensive.

Roll Up.—Last- week of Great Drapery -Sale in Oddfellows’ Hall, Street. Greater bargains than ever, all the stock must be sold this week, enormous sacrifices, another immense crowd visited this sale on Saturday. Shop early to-day, and avoid afternoon rush. Positively your last chance of securing such wonderful bargains. 9675

By the ’Frisco mail boat Oates, Lowry and Co. received a large shipment of the famous Solar Acetylene Gas Lamps for Cycles; also, Carbide, and can now supply the public. 62

Most perfect and up-to-date bicycle for 1899, which has just arrived per s.s. Ribston, is the Waverley Bicycle; also latest stock of accessories in New Zealand. Repairs a speciality. Inspection invited at Waverley Cycle Depot, 217, Colombo Street, Christchurch. 2396

Cyclists who require their machines well and carefully repaired should send them to the “Premiers”, of the cycling trade, Boyd and Son, Gloucester Street. Telephone 658. 2374

Evenden’s Patent Roofing and Fencing Nails, neatest and best; perfectly watertight. Recommended by architects, and can be obtained from all ironmongers.

X 2414 Hubbard, Hall and Co., agents for Flora Soap. Large stock always on hand. 2384

“ SCHOLARING ”AT HOME. / A Napier parent has taken his child from school, where she was only in the first standard, although eleven years of age. He informed the truant officer that what further “ scholaring ”, the girl required he would give her at home/ and wrote a letter to the head-master, of which the following is a verbatim copy; 5-2-99 to the Hed master Der ser, i :dont dhink i shell bee abell to send —aney more, pleas to give (her sister) her books and wat belongs to her and i must dow wat i can at horn.”

A SMALL PROFIT. As an instance of the'wealth winch can be readily acquired by those who go upon the land may be mentioned (says the “ Oamaru Mail ”) the case of a farmer Alma; The settler in question seiu a consignment of two tons of onions to Bunco in for sale. These were sold in lots of from one to four bags, and the whole lot realised a total of £2 11s lOd. Against this Were charges for railage, commission, etc., totalling £1 12s sd, leaving a net return of 19s sd. This was remitted by postal notes, and, as the commission on the notes Was charged to the settler, his receipts were further diminished to 19s lid. His own charges preliminary to despatch were 8s for bags and 8S for carting from Alma to Oamaru, which further reduced the returns to 3s or at the rate of Is 6|d per ton. Go on the land, young man.

A SNAKE IN THE GRASS. Dr F. W. Mackenzie writes to the “New Zealand Times” as follows:—The country is divided irito opposing camps at the present time ; and every available argument is being used on the one side to convince iis thatlhe dews of Glenlivetaredeadly poison, and on the other. side, to harden up . the opinion that the apostle was right as to the value of a little wine for the indigestion from which so many people suffer. The controversy has been interesting, and of some value in eliciting information as to the habits of various peoples, and in doing away with the evils of the trade, which were painful to both parties; but it has been used as a stalking-horse by the Evil One to hide the spread of a habit more insidious in its progress, and more terrible in its demoralising effects, than any which has yet fastened on the inhabitants of ttyis fail country. The habit of smoking opium cs

.steadily spreading its horrid grip round the young people, and to-day there are hundreds who are victims to it. The habit was introduced by an alien people, upon whom the poison was forced by the British nation at the cannon’s mouth. At first it wa» largely confined to the gambling dens, and among Europeans to those of both sexes who frequented those dens ; but now it has got a firm hold on many beyond the influence of such places, and i.s rapidly spreading. It is a habit which, once contracted, drags its victim down past hope of reclamation, and destroys the self-respect and moral sense more in six months than the alcohol habit does in as many years. The habit is yet in its infancy, and now i.s the time to root it out. All parties arc at one as to the evil of this curse, and I call upon those who love their country, who love manliness and self-respect, and who have the happiness of their fellows at heart, to unite to drive this fiend out of our fair country. Wo have every opportunity; we make our own laws, and we have no greedy British merchants to force the poison upon our fair land, ,so let us be up and doing while there is yet'time. I trust that abler and more powerful citizens may join in urging the Government to move rapidly, and with no uncertain steps, to nip the foul growth in the bud. ‘