NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2095, 9 December 1879, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The fanners of some of the Victorian districts are combining with the view of shipping wheat to England on their own account, and thus dispensing with the services of middle men.

Babbits arc becoming a fearful pest in the Otama district, Otago, the crops, otherwise very promising, being destroyed wholesale. Borne farmers have had to re-sow their paddocks. The English or Canadian thistle has made its appearance in the Southland agricultural districts.

Mr-Henry Manders, late M.H.R. for Wakatip, has been gazetted a certificated accountant in bankruptcy. It is to be hoped Mr Maunders will recollect the old adage, “ Charity begins at home.” The attention of the Temuka Resident Magistrate’s Court will probably be occupied for some time to-morow by a charge of larceny of valuable documents from a house in the Main South road. Temuka. during the absence of the occupier.

Who is he? The “N. Z. Herald” of Nov. 29, says :—The Eastern question has at last been brought home to the people of Auckland in a truly realistic fashion. Yesterday afternoon one of the followers of the False Prophet might have been seen strolling up and down Queen street attired in the orthodox baggy breeches and fez of the Faithful. He was the subject of much speculation and curiosity by the passers-by. Many of the feminine Giaours took surreptitious squints at him to sec whether this imitator of Solomon looked as if he had been married muchly. The external indications did not favor that view, as he had a nobby head of hair; whereas, if he had been “ sealed,” his head would probably have been as smooth as a billiard ball. Another story current is that the “Turk” is a Yorkshireman —perhaps one of the Anglicised pashas whose services were dispensed with by the Sultan at the conclusion of the Berlin Treaty. It is terrible to contemplate what mischief a little well-directed energy may accomplish. Miss Fiddler, a young lady who started business in Dunedin some time ago as a teacher of the art of domestic cookery, has just completed a professional tour of New Zealand, and is about to leave for Tasmania. While Miss Fiddler has done a large amount of work in the boiling and stewing lino, it is alleged that her lessons have utterly ruined the decorum and domestic peace of many a well-regulated establishment. Ladies whose tender lingers were rarely soiled by anything worse than the keys of a piano, have betaken themselves to the kitchen, and it is quite a common thing for their husbands to find them enamelled with dough. One gentleman informs us that some fancy fowls that he would [not have taken any money for, perished during his absence, his helpmate on returning from a cooking lesson having decided to try her proficiency in boning fowls. Another declares that his household and all that inhabits it is being ruined and surfeited with puddings, pancakes, and dishes bearing unpronounceable names. It is quite possible to have too much of a good thing.

The “ Herald" states that a curious ease came before the Bench on Nov. 28, in which a wife sued.her husband for maintenance for herself and child. It appeared from the statements made in court [during the trial that defendant, who is a foreigner, had loved, “not wisely, but too wellthat he had been locked up for a whole night by his betrothed and her mother, which effectual measure brought him up to the altar in due season, defendant understanding that, by doing ' so he saved his fiancee’s honor and his own expenses, as the mother-in-law was to maintain his wife. Being a foreigner, his solicitor urged that he did not understand the obligations involved in the marriage contract, being under the impression that it was “ a joint-stock company affair, with limited liability.” The mother-in-law could not sec tire matter in that light, and regarded his interpretation as wholly foreign to the contract. For some unexplained reason, defendant only lived with his wife for three weeks in her father’s house but he had henceforth after his departure, well or ill punctuady paid her 10s per week. The suit was in the nature of an application for further maintenance, but Mr Barstow, in the face of the fact that the defendant was a seaman, only earning about £5 10s a month, declined to issue such an order. The child he remarked, belonged to both parties, and it was the mother’s duty to aid in the maintenance of the child as well as that of the father.

A recent issue of the “Hawke’s Bay Herald” says:—“A dreadful occurence is reported by telegram from Auckland. We are told that ‘at the Wesleyan district meeting, Kaughey and Willis, candidates for the Ministry, expired.’ Nothing is said of the cause of death, but a special message to hand later leads us to believe that they were murdered by the telegraph wires.” There have been several theories thrown out to account for the mystery. Probably it was the “expiring” effort of a new cadet. Some of the Southern papers have been making sentimental appeals against the 15 per cent duty on preserved milk, on the ground that it is used for the sustenance of our infants. But as the tariff is in the nature of a protective measure it might naturally be expected that the Treasurer would protect the local producer, and stimulate the local industry, by having babies brought up in the natural way. Hindman, who was injured by an accident at Lyttelton, on Saturday, died yesterday.

At the Oamaru District Court yesterday, John Wilhoffts, for larceny was sentenced to 12 months. In bankruptcy, the certificate of J. T. Evans was suspended for three months, and that of George Alexander Harris, late hotelkeeper of Duntroon, for two years.

Mr H. P. Lance has accepted the office of handicappcr for the Dunedin Jockey Club in place of Mr Moore. Henry Madden, a Benevolent refugee has been found drowned on the Ocean Beach, Dunedin.

Mr W. A. Crosbie, late manager of the Dunedin tramways, has been appointed goods traffic manager on the Dunedin railways, vice Mr W. C, Norman, resigned. A man, whilst engaged cleaning a well yesterday at Waimate, was nastily cut about the head by the falling of some stones and earth into the well. He was immediately hauled up by a fellow workman and Dr Deane was sent for. The wounds inflicted were found not to be serious.

A lad named Woods, whilst playing on the beach last evening, was caught by a large roller and washed out into deep water. Fortunately a man who was passing noticed the accident and immediately dashed in and rescued the boy from his perilous position.

The Timaru Regatta Committee, at a meeting last evening adopted a prize list for the forthcoming regatta and decided that entries must be in on or before the evening of Friday next to which date the meeting then adjourned.

An Auckland telegram received last night states that a man named Wrenginger narrowly escaped death while handling dynamite. It exploded, carrying away his upper lip and a portion of his nose, and grazing his forehead.

As the result of through railway communication large quantities of fat cattle are regularly forwarded from this district to the Dunedin market. News from Auckland states that the Coromandel goldfield is looking up again. 1166 ounces of gold were brought from it yesterday.

Auckland has produced a fighting bankrupt named Win. Kirby. Kirby filed for £IOO, and his assets were £3OO. At a meeting of his creditors yesterday he showed a disposition to take it out of the best man amongst his creditors, but the police being sent for, and appearing on the scene, he subsided.

Our readers are reminded that the D’Orsay Ogden English Opera Company will make their first appearance at the Theatre Royal this evening, when the new opera-bouffe “ the Doctor of Alcantara ” will be produced. We have already given a description of the plot of the piece. It has had a capital reception at the hands of large audiences elsewhere, and wc have no donut it will afford the audience abundant satisfaction.

The criminal calendar of the Supreme Court is published elsewhere. The Court will open at 10 a.m. to-morrow.

The weights for the Publican’s Handicap and Hurdle race at the Oamaru races on December 26 and 27 will be made known tomorrow evening.

This morning Mr Charles Robertson of the linn of Robertson Bros, and Martin, sawmillers Waimate, while engaged in sawing a log jammed his hand completely lacerating the forefinger- He will be incapaciatcd for work for some time.

Messrs Wood and Smith, successors to Mr J. Billantyne, invite the public to a special show of choice hall-room and evening costnmes, to be held in their new shops Shepherd's buildings, on Thursday, Dec. 11.