TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVIII, Issue 12973, 14 November 1902, Page 5

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

f The usual Thursday civil sittings of tie Christchurch Magistrate's Court were not held yesterday. At the Waipawa county election Mr A. E. Jull defeated the Hon W. 0. Smith by a substantial majority. The south express was an unusually long one yesterday morning, consisting of sixteen carriages and two engines. Yesterday a ihao was arrested at Lyttelton by Constable Connell,' oji a charge of having stolen a fishing net, which 'had) been sot in the harbour. As the prison-breaking case was before the Supreme Court till nearly seven o'clock last evening, and to-day is a. holiday, the remaining criminal cases will be taken at eleven o'clock on Monday morning.' Coughing in Court seemed) to annoy his Honor the Judge in the Supreme Court yesterday.' Up remarked that if people could not restrain* themselves, they should! go outside, as outside was the place to cough. At a meeting of. the Vestry of St> Saviour's .Church,.West Lyttelton, held on Wednesday eivening, id was decided! to proceed with the erection of a parish schoolroom, . and the tender of Messrs Hollis and Brown was accepted for the work. Arrangements have been completed for the first appearance in Christchurch at the Theatre Royal to-morrow evening-, of " The Wrong Mr Wright," the farce-comedy that lias achieved such widespread popularity in all parts of Australasia, through the medium of Mr George Willoughby and his London Company. . ' In referring to certain evidence of identity in_.thei Supreme Court yesterday, his Honor said that a man could be positive as to the identity of another without noticing the clothe® he wore, while a woman could be equally positive, and, in addition, would be able to describe the costume of another womani from her bonnet to her boots, even if she got but a cursory glance. The statement of Customs duties collected during the week ending Nov. 7 at Lyttellton is as follows:—Spirits £2105 19s, cigars, cigarettes and snuff £2BB 16s 4d, tobacco £B9l 14s 3d, win© £232 4s Bd, beer £BB, tea £l2l 7s 6d, coffee, cocoa and chocolate £3, sugar, molasses and) treacle £207 10s, weight £655 Ss, ad valorem' £3119 17s 6d, other duties.' £306 6s, total for t&e week £BO2O 3s 3d. Messrs Wirth Bros, have* completed the purchase of another dapple-grey thoroughbred steeplechaser from Mr A. M'Lelland, Northcote- Road, Papanui. The animal, which competed at a recent race meeting, •will be trained in what is known in circus fiailance as " school riding." This is the bird purchase which Messrs Wirth Bros, have made from the' same owner since their arrival in Christchurch. The Union Company's annual excursion to the West Coast Sounds will- be made in January next, the steamer employed being the Waikare, which has proved itself most admirably adapted for the purpose. It is intended this trip to spend two. days extra in Milford Sounds', thereby giving ample time to visit the Sutherland .Falls. ' Already a large. number of passengers have bt'en booked, and the berthing list is filling rapidly.

At the Supreme Court yesterday, Michael O'Bryan was called to answer a charge to having broken the terms of a probation order. Sergeant M'Kay, the Probation Officer, stated that O'Bryan had beeni released on condition of paying a sum of £1 per month.. He had not paid this, and had been convicted for theft from; a till. Moreover, he had been associating with convicted thieves and drunkards. There was £9 due, and he had paid £ll. Mr Donnelly, who appeared for O'Bryan, said that he was on two years' probation, and that the time had been passed When he committed the /theft spoken of by the Probation Officer. His Honor, Mr Justice Denniston, said that he would give the man another chaince. He ordered O'Bryan to pay £2 at once and £1 a week till the remainder was pair off, and admitted him to a further period of probation of nine months. At the conclusion of the roll-stuffing case at Amberley yesterday a lady, who had been subpoenaed by the Kegistrar, of Electors to give evidence against her husband, who, however, pleaded guilty, came forward, and, with an uncompromising mien and firm voice, demanded her expenses, including train fare from Christchurch. Constable Roche, in soothing tones, promised to see that she was paid, and was rewarded with a fervent " God bless you," as she withdrew out of hearing. The constable raised a hearty laugh, in which the Bench joined, by remarking that the lady was evidently unaware that her husband, having been fined with costs, would havo to pay her expenses. The lady's success) induced others in exactly the same position to make a similar application, and: tfoey were as promptly assured that their expenses would bo paid. After the Courti rose, Constable Boche had quite a lively time, explaining the position to the witnesses, and one lady, making her disappointment a personal grievance against him, declared that they would see that the candidate he was going to support in the elec#onj.:jrojild noftget in.

The Ashburton traders will observe a close holiday to-day on account of the Christchurch Show.

The Talune, from Sydney, arrived at Wellington yesterday morning. Her mails will reach Christchurch to-day. Owing to the prevalence *of scarlet fever in the district, the East Oxford district school has been closed, by order of the Health Officer, for a fortnight.

The Rangioi-a Fire Brigade has received a donation of £1 Is from Mr J. Webber, in recognition of services rendered at the fire on his premises last Friday. The following are the returns of stock slaughtered for human consumption during October, at the Ashburton abattoirs, Fairfield : —Cattle 85, condemned 1; sheep 882, condemned 8; lambs, 32; pigs, ,69. To-day the s.-s. Cygnet is to run a ses trip outside Lyttelton Heads in the afternoon. The s.s. John Anderson will make trips during the day to Diamond Harbour and Purau, and the launches Canterbury, Lyttelton and Waiwera will run at short intervals to Governor's Bay. A telegram from Gisborne states that the outcome of the no-license contest there is the formation of » league to seek reforms, but opposed to prohibition. . Mr Douglas Lysnar is the organiser, and prominent men, including members, of the Licensing Committee have given' dn their names. An extra express train ivill leave Christclraroh for Timaru at 10.20 a.m. to-morrow, arriving at Timaru at 2.5 p.m. It will stop" at the same stations as the ordinary express is tabled to stop at, and is for passengers up to Timaru inclusive. The! ordinary express will take passengers for south of Timaru only. Similar special trains will leave on Monday and Tuesday.

Motor-car contests, motor-bicycle racing, athletic and cycling races, together with a display of fireworks, will be conducted by the Pioneer Amateur Bicycle and Athletic Club at Lancaster Park to-night. The programme will be finished in time to allowoountry visitors to catch the evening trains. Large entries hia\;e been received for the different events,' and the gathering promises to be as successful as those held in previous -years.

At the Amber ley Magistrate's Court yesterday, defendant in a case pleaded drunkenness as an excuse for his' offence, and -a witness, who was not very clear in his evidence, admitted that he, too, had been a little the worse for liquor. Subsequently, in explanation of their condition, it was stated'that the date of the-, offence was -market day at Amber-ley, and .two Parliamentary candidates being in the township, wooing the electors, there were plenty of free; drinks to he had.

The authorities of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association desire it to be known that the police have been instructed to prevent people standing on the seats which has been placed round the ring on the show grounds. The idea in making the improvement was to enable the first row of spectators to sit down, so that those behind might see over their heads. Yesterday, however, large numbers of people stood upon the seat, and it has been decided to take steps to prevent the practice in future.

In response to the cablegram which appeared in a recent issue of this paper announcing that the menagerie at the Sydney Zoo was to be sold, Messrs Wirth Bros. have despatched their treasurer, Mr Martin,'to Sydney, with instructions to buy up the whole "menagerie, if possible. Among the collection are several young lions, and Mons Ragoul, the famous wild beast trainer, has undertaken to tame these animals and teach them to perform in the same manner as Wirths' tigers, within three months from the date of his taking charge of them.

On Wednesday a public meeting was held at the Eyreton Road Board Office, for the consideration of the proposal to raisei a special loan of £IOOO, to obtain the Government subsidy of a similar amount, for the construction of embankments and other protective works along both, sides of the Eyre River and both sides of the Waimaikariri River to the Eyre outlet. There was an attendance of about thirty-six, and) Mr J. Wright, chairman of the Eyretom Road Board, presided. He stated the authority of the ratepayers in the affected 1 area would have to be obtained before the loam could be raised, and it was proposed to give as security the rents on certain) of the Eyre . reserves, and if these were not sufficient an annual rate of not exceeding one-tenth of a penny in the £. Only £45 per year would 1 be required from the reserve refits, leaving £79 per annum to meet other expenses? Mr R. M. Wright, surveyor to the Board, stated that £374 17s lid had been contributed towards the Eyre protective works, and that the total expenditure since 1877 had been £3869 lis, and the income from the reserves £3494 3s, the works being now indebted £B3 8s id to the general funds of the Board. After a discussion ib was resolved, on the motion of Mr R. Evans, that the Chairman) of the Road Board should be required to take the poll on the question of the special loan. Oa the motion) of Mr Lloyd a hearty vote of thanks was accordedy to Mr D. Buddo, M.H.R., who was present, for the interest he had) taken in obtaining the Government grant for the Eyre overflow protective! works. The meeting then ended! with a vote of thanks to the Chairman and Road Board. ,?

The farmer who drives a •M'Corniick is happy in the harvest time. 2204

Don't walk—Take a ride in an " Easy " road cart, price £ll 10s. Morrow. Bassett and Co., Cashel Street. 2204

The "M'Cormick" reaper and binder gains the " gold medal" at the Show—every time.'y "204 For the convenience of country customers the I) I C. will be open until twelve o'clock to-day. 2203

Hulbert and Co. (opposite. Strange's) will keep their premises open until noon to-day, for convenience c'f country visitors. Hubert's will hold a special display of the latest novelties in hats, ties, shirts, etc., to-day and to-morrow. 2 07 Good work done at fair prices in Watch, Clock and Jewellery Repairs or new work. Clarke and Co., Jewellers. X 3054

Boyd and Son, Gloucester Street, are devoting their large appliances and staff almost exclusively to bicycle repairs. Results, very best work at lowest prices. X 2588

Pianos and Organs, new instruments, 10s per month, no deposit; five years' guarantee. Milner and Thompson. X 2961 How very thick and long your daughter's hair seems to be growing, Mrs Smith. Yes, I was recommended by a friend, who has u«ed it for some time, to try Hendy's Egg Julep, for strengthening it, and really the result is wonderful. It has already grown several inches longer, and has cured tho dandruff completely. You should certainly try it W. Strange and Co. are sole agents for Christchurch. Bottles Is. X 2896 Special value in 18ct. Wedding Rings, Ladies' and Gents' Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire and Engagement Rings, Electroplate, *■*<• S Clarke and Co., opposite Reece's. ' X 3054

A novelty at the Christchurch Agricultural Show this year will be .Oates, Lowry and Co.'s exhibit of a new 10-horsepowcr motor-car, capable of travelling at fifty miles an hour. X 1571 How to make a man happy. There are many ways, but a very simple one is by the use'' of Century Soft Rubber Hair Curlers. If" any lady doubts this, try them. X 3145 Queen Silver that never change colour, wears white throughout, half-dozen teaspoons 2s 3d, desert spoons and forks 4s 3d, table spoons and forks 5s 9d, desert knives from 4s 9d, table knives 5s 9d halfdozen. Fletcher Direct Importers, Lower JHicb Street,. . X 2565 '

Mr Thomas'Harrison has been elected a member of the Ashburton County Council for Mount Somers Riding by a substantial majority. f

A telegram, from Auckland says that private advice from Apia reports that the island of Savau is in eruption, five or six craters smoking and flaming there. One village was covered with two inches of ashes.

A citizens' welcome home was given to Colonel Porter at Gisborne yesterday. The Mayor presided. Replying to the speeches Colonel Porter paid a tribute to the New Zealanders, mentioning the opinion of their work expressed by Lord Kitchener. At the meeting of the Presbyterian Assembly at Wellington yesterday, the trustees of Mrs Jesse Tufcchen announced a gift to the Hall, Otago, of property valued at £6OO. It also was announced that Mr J. Adam, Otago, had given a farm of 114 acres at Tokomairo, as a donation towards a bursary. As several members of the Marlborough Land and Railway League are in town during this week, a meeting has been arranged with the committee of the Chamber of Commerce, to be held to-morrow morning at ten o'clock, in order to discuss matters in connection with the para railway. The Scottish concert, under the auspices of the Scottish Society of New Zealand, to bo given in the Canterbury Hall to-night, will be under the patronage of the Premier, the Mayor of Christchurch, the officers of the war vessels in Port, and the Highland Rifles. The members of the society will march in procession from the rooms in Hereford Street, headed by the pipers, to the hall. The programme is very full and varied.

Open-air meetings in connection with the no-license campaign, were held at St Albans on Wednesday, and at Richmond on Thursday. Messrs Devereux, Gates, Nott, M'Cullough and King addressed the meetings, each of which was well attended. An open-air meeting was held at Sydenham last night, when the Rev Thomas Fee gave an address on the "Success of No License in Clutha." About 200 people were present. Messrs King and M'Cullopgh'also delivered addresses. \

At the Amberley Magistrate's Court, yesterday, before Mr C. A. Wray, S.M., Thomas Miller, for whom Mr Cresswell appeared, was charged with using indecent language at Leithfield. The offence 'had been committed when he was under the influence of liquor, and after hearing evidence the Bench sentenced him to imprisonment until the rising of the Court. On his own application, a prohibition order was issued against accused. The fleeces of the sheep which competed for the Merino Cup, 1901-2, were scoured by Mr W. Nicholls, Kaputane Works, Belfast, and after being judged, were sold by auction, Mr Nicholls being the buyer. The bale was shipped to London and sold at the September sales for Is lOd per lb, the highest price for New Zealand wool at that series. The brokers' report on the wool says: "We carefully examined all your scoured wool offeree? in the recent auctions, especially the one bale marked ' Stud' No. 719. This was thoroughly well got up, and was evidently appreciated, as it realised Is lOd per lb, the highest price obtained for any' New Zealand wool during the series. With regard to the Kaputane wools, they are always well scoured and well-classed, and we do not think ib would be easy to send forward wools moro carefully got up." The Conservative candidate for the Ashburton seat found himself in a rather awkward predicament at the luncheon given to Mr Seddon yesterday afternoon. He was allotted one of the seats next to the Premier, and soon found himself on most friendly terms with the leader of his political opponents. Gaining' confidence as the meal progressed, he assured Mr Seddon that he had made it his business to tell the electors that they owed a great deal to the Government and its progressive legislation. "Then why do you want to eradicate us, root and branch?" the Premier blandly inquired. The company laughed uproariously, and the unhappy candidate blushed to his finger-tips. While addressing a meeting of electors on the previous evening, he had compared the Government to a Californian thistle, and urged that it should be eradicated root and 'branch. A mutual friend had repeated the phrase to Mr Seddon.

At the Magistrate's Court at Timaru, yesterday, before Messrs Stuart and Holdgate, J.P.'s, four seamen of the ship Oamaru were charged with wilful disobedience of lawful orders. Mr Rolleston appeared for Captain Tullerton, and Mr Moor© fbr the defendants. The defence was that the men had some justification for refusing to work, because they wanted working clothes and boots, and the captain would not give them money to get these necessaries. There were also complaints about the quantity and quality of the food suppled. The captain and first officer stated that the defendants refused to turn to the work of discharging cargo on Tuesday morning, and the former denied that anything had been said to him about clothes, or any complaint made about the quantity of food. There had been reason to complain of the quality of the food during the voyage, owing to the incompetence of the cook, and the officers had to suffer for that as well as the men. The third mate and steward were called to prove that the food was served out according to regulations. The defendants, however, and other of the seamen, complained strongly in their evidence of the insufficiency of the food. It was a case of first come first served, and the last at the galley often got nothing, while the first had not too much. The Bench decided that they could not take, into account anything that happened at sea. The defendants and several of their mates called as witnesses, asserted that the the captain refused to listen) at all to requests for money for clothes. Some who went ashore last Saturday night got five shillings each, and were refused _ any more on Monday morning, the holiday, and one of those who received five shillings said he spent some of it- on loaves of bread, the bread on the ship being particularly had. The fourth man did not refuse to work, he had been at work on deck attending to the hatch, and was willing to continue at that, but refused to go below, alleging that he was partially disabled and unfit for work below. The Bench convicted all four, and fined them 20s and 7s costs each, in default,' seven days' imprisonment. IMPORTS AND EXPORTS. During the quarter ended Sept. 30, the imports to the colony amounted in value to £3,216,891, against £3,314,936 for the corresponding period last year. Imports from the United Kingdom were £1,873,667, from the United States £396,468, from Australia £555,067. The exports during the same period amounted to £2,806,823, against £2,432,820 for the September quarter of 1902. The escorts to the United Kingdom were £1,598,313, against £1,475,828. The exports to Australia increased from £534,488 to £839,964, but those to South Africa decreased from £256,572 to £170,424. A HANDBOOK FOR MARINERS. Captain Blackburne, nautical adviser to the Government, has completed the preparation of a handbook which should prove invaluable to shipmasters navigating the New Zealand coasts., The Guide contains tide and sun tables, \ a description of the principal harbours of the colony, and a variety of other useful information. The work will bo issued shortly. A NEW ANCHOR. The increase of the size and tonnage of British ships has necessitated the finding of some more safe method of anchoring vessels than that which sufficed' for small craft. Several tests (says an exchange) have been made of a new device, and, according to exj pexts, they,. have .proved highly, successful

The main part of the new anchor is a heavy cast-iron plate, which cannot readily be moved once it has reached- the bottom and is covered by sand or slime. This plate lias a. hole in the centre, and is connected witn a chain which passes through a ring whicli is fastened to the surface of the plate. W order that It may sink into tho sand or slime, the end of a metal pipe, to the top of which is attached a flexible hose or tube is placed over the hole in the plate, and through this hos'e and pipe water is then, forced bv means of a pump sn board the vessel. The result is that the soil or sand of the sea bed is washed out from under the metal plate, which can then easily sink into its destined place, the sand closing m again above it. When the anchor is to be weighed the process is reversed, and tho anchor easily raised.