NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3320, 22 November 1883, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Colonial Secretary is visiting Nelson and Picton,

Mr Weaver, manager of the South Pacific Oil Company at Gisborne, has been thrown from his horse, and bad his leg broken.

A ton of quartz is to be taken from the Queen of Beauty claim at Makara (Wellington) and tested by stampers fitted up at a Wellington foundry.

Edwards, the pedestrian, arrived yesterday in Wellington. The 14 hours contest between him and Scott, will take place on Friday and Saturday of next week.

The Railway Department invite 'tenders for cleaning and repairing clocks on the Christchurch section of the N,Z. Railways for two years, commencing January) 1884.

The bore at the Poverty Bay oil springs is down 380 feet, The Southern Cross Company at Christchurch, are to be asked to lend one of their borers to assist operations at Gisborne,

The Skylaw Hotel, in the Tuapeka district has been burned down. The damage is estimated at £BOO, and it is covered only to the extent of £4OO by policies in the Standard and Norwich Union Companies, Mr Mitchelson, whom the Aucklanders have somewhat prematurely dubbed “the Hon.,” is coming down to Wellington today—presumably to look into the affairs of the Department over which he is to preside.

Major Vaughan Morgan has offered to contribute £SOOO in five yearly instalments to St. George’s Hospital, on the sole condition that the money should be devoted to a fair trial of homoeopathy in the wards of that institution. The offer has been declined by.St. George’s and is now made to any other hospital in London that chooses to accept the condition.

Our morning contemporary to-day has a depressing paragraph entitled “ A Scotch Joke.” The kindest thing the friends of the jokist and paragraphist could do, would be to call in‘ a couple of medical men and communicate with Dr Hacon. The insanity in the literary blood of our contemporary is manifesting itself alarmingly.

A special meeting of the parishioners of St. Mary’s church, Timaru, was held yesterday afternoon to elect a churchwarden in the place of Mr E. B. Wethey, who resigned in consequence of his leaving Timaru. There was a fair attendance, and the Ven. Archdeacon Harper presided. Mr W. M. Sims was elected parishioners’ churchwarden, and Mr B, Woollcombe was elected vestryman in the room of Mr W. M. Sims,

Mr Buckley (of the firm of Buckley, Stafford and Fitzherberfc; is about to proceed to Sydney in the interests of Mr W. J. M. Larnach, M.H.R., the defendant in a libel action, Cook v. Larnach. The plaintiff was formerly Manager o! the Colonial Bank in Wellington. The action has been pending for a long time, but will be heard at the December sittings of the Supreme Court in New South Wales.

Mr Stout denies the accuracy of a statement made by Messrs Clark and Green at the Otago Land Board. It was to the effect that the motion of the meeting a fortnight ago to cancel the Waikouaiti licenses had been negatived before his (Mr Stout’s) motion to cancel them was put and carried. The whole question will be further argued when Mr Stout returns from the Court of Appeal in Wellington, which will not be till the end of this month.

At a meeting of the Temuka School Committe on Tuesday evening, the official report on the examination of the school was read and considered, and it was resolved unanimously—“ That the Committee desire to express their satisfaction at the result of the examination, and the promptitude with which the Inspector’s report has been sent to the Committee. And the Committee congratulate the staff on the high percentage of passes gained, considering the attendant circumstances.”

The last sensation at Dinard has been a f racas between a well known memoer of the Parisian half-world and a Russian prince. The lady was annoyed at the attentions paid by the Russian to a certain English lady, whose divorce, coupled with the antecedent circumstances, was a nine days’ wonder in London about a year or so ago ; she accordingly fell upon her royal friend literally tooth and nail; clawed and cuffed him to her heart’s content, and was with difficulty ejected from the Casino. The Government parade of the O Battery last evening was well attended. There is to be competitive shot and shell practice and gun drill on Anniversary Day, 17th proximo. A public meeting at Hilton on Tuesday evening, in the schoolroom, passed the following resolution—“ That this meeting respectfully request the Government to grant a tri-weekly mail service to Pleasant Valley, Gapes’ Valley, and Hilton > via Temuka, instead of by Geraldine as at present, as a coach is now running three days a week between the two last-named places, the route being more direct than the one taken at present.” Mr Hammond (Inspector of Schools) and his co-adjutor, Mr John Gurr, have completed the pupil teachers’ examination. The following, having passed, are recommended for promotion : —H, Jefcoate, A. Bonn, J, Mcllroy, H. Smith, D. Grant, I. Morton, G. Rowe, I. Gardner, K. Campbell, and L. Manning, promoted to the “ second year” ;J. W. Goldsmith, A. Erskine, F. Brown, E. Bruce, J. Ogilvic, and M. Bussell, promoted to the “ third year” ; B. Hooper, M, McGowan, M. Mahan, J. Rowley, and M. A, Sutherland, promoted to the “ fourth year” ; and B, Brown, A. M. Knight, H. O. Strong, S. E. Dash, and M. E. Fisher having completed the Pupil 1 Teacher’s Course, have been recommended to the Education Department for “District Licenses.” Eleven candidates failed to pass.