NEWS OF THE DAY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3374, 26 January 1884, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The strike among the Te Aroha miners is collapsing, many of the men having accepted 8s per day. On Sunday next, the Rev B, P. Pole will preach in the Baptist Denominational Church E street, morning and evening; The Timaru High School is announced to re-open on Monday, 28th inst. The scale of fees appears in an advertisement in another column. The “ Oamaru Mail ” mentions that that town is now honored by the presence “of several notorious characters,whose presence is calculated to produce prophecies of robberies to come.’ The statutory meeting of householders for the purpose of electing School Committees for the ensuing year takes place on Monday evening. Every year there are more books and publications relating to art. issued in the English language than in any other. The German comes next, and the French third.

There is scarcely a spot throughout the whole world that is not in intimate telegraphic connection with England, To carry out this tremendous undertaking and bring about this amazing result, not less than £80,000,000 have been expended, and there is no less than 8000 miles of cable at the bottom of the ocean.

The installation of officers of the Loyal Alexandrova Lodge, 1.0.0. F., Temuka, took place on Wednesday evening, and was conducted by Bro William Eeid, Grand Secretary, who officiated as Grand Master. A luncheon which followed was very successful, and the whole affair constituted a very pleasing re-union. Last Saturday, a great number of men were in town looking for employment as harvesters, and again to-day there are a great many who have come to Timaru on the same errand. Many are from Otago, and have been attracted hither by the harvest in this district being earlier than in the South.

The other day in coming alongside the wharf, the s.s. Koranui brought her nose into collision with the timbers, breaking one of the fender piles, a tie, and other parts of the wharf, doing damage it is estimated, to the extent of £25. This has now been almost repaired under Mr Hamilton’s directions. Had the boat’s bow crashed in between two of the piles, still more serious mischief might have occurred.

The Dunedin “ Star," referring to Mr Wakefield’s speech at Leeston, says:—“The elector who moved the vote of thanks to Mr Edward Wakefield at the meeting at Leeston on the 15th inst., must be, unconsciously or otherwise, a bit of a wag. He is reported to have said that “he thought it was a fine thing for this community to have listened to a gentleman so fluent as Mr Wakefield was.” Flueney of language is exactly the quality for Which Mr Wakefield is distinguished Well finished, highly burnished, is the coin he offers; but it lacks the ring of the true metal, and in the crucial test the alloy is betrayed,"

The Taupiri Coal Mining Company, Auckland, have declared a dividend of 15 per cent per annum. It is stated that His Excellency the Governor proposes to reside for one month each year at Lake Wanaka.

The gross tonnage of vessels entered inwards at Wellington during 1883 exceeded that of 1882 by 100,000 tons,

At a Chinese gambling den in Auckland on Thursday night, a row took place, and two Celestials were severely wounded.

The body of an unknown man has been found on the beach at Onehunga, by a Mr Neville, who was out shooting.

A trotting match between Bella and Councillor took place at Makikihi yesterday, for £SO aside, Bella won easily.

Mr Kelly’s Junction Hotel, Tiki, Coromandel, has been burned down. There is no insurance, no property has been saved, and the origin of the fire is unknown.

At the annual meeting of subscribers to the Auckland Sailors’ Rest, the report showed 10,000 seamen had during the year visited the institution. Bishop Oowie has been re-elected President.

The Pomeroy Company have just closed a most successful season in Auckland on the last night. Miss Pomeroy played “Hamlet” and her protegee and Miss Olaribel Greenwood played “ Ophelia,"

The Governor with Miss Jervoia arrived yes', erday afternoon at Invercargill from the Lakes. They were to-day to visit Stewart’s Island and thence go to the West Coast Sounds,

Mr Toloher’s store at Lawrence has been burned down. A good deal of uninsured property was destroyed. The premises were insured in the Colonial Office for £l6O. Incendiarism is suspected.

An information for arson has been sworn before the Mayor of Marton against four Maoris in the Murimoto district. It seems a dispute arose about a title to land, and the accused burned down a whare. The matterjhas been pending eight months. A man named Henry Woods has been arrested at Auckland ostensibly on a charge of vagrancy, but it is reported he is know n to have slept on the premises burned down last night at Mount Eden, and there are good reasons for believing he set fire to the place.

The “Youth” company will open on Monday evening, in “ London Assurance,” and the cast, which appears in another column, shows that this fine comedy will be done justice to. Mr J, B. Greville is a host in himself, and there are the names of several other old friends.

The Newton School Committee, Auckland, in consequence of alleged religious feeling in the district, revoked its nomination of Dennis O’Donoghue, 8.A., to the vacant head mastership of the Newton East School, and upon the Chairman’s casting vote nominated the Rev. B. Coates, M.A., instead. An important sale of merino sheep was held yesterday at Dunedin, being the flock of C. C. Boyes, Kawarau Falls Station. There was spirited competition, and altogether nineteen thousand sheep were sold, in lots of from 1500 to 3500. Ewes brought from 9s lOd for five-year-olds to 14s Id for four-tooths; and wethers from 7s lOd for eight-tooths to 12s 9d for twotooths.

A peculiar case came before the Supreme Court, Dunedin, yesterday. It was that of Ellen Forder v.Wm. Brown. The parties had cohabited for nineteen years, and now plaintiff sued to be held a partner in the property acquired. One point taken for the defence was that as the plaintiff had £2OO in the Bank, which she had placed there out of the business, a dairy, she had considerably the best of it. His Honor reserved judgment. A joke "by Mr James Ashcroft in Dunedin, who is not generally a very humorous person, has been thought worth telegraphing, He was acting as official assignee, in a certain bankruptcy. The liabilities of the debtor were £1461 and his assets £IOO. The only property in the estate was a microscope—“ and this,” said Mr Ashcroft, might prove useful to see the assets with.”

The Greymouth Borough Council last night accepted the tender of Mr J, M. Watson, Dunedin, for the Cobden Bridge. The amount was £14,746 19s. The other tenders were from J. Anderson, Christchurch, £15,218, and M. O’Connor, Christchurch, £16,465. The acceptance of any tender is conditional on the ratepayers declaring their approval of the work at a poll to be taken.

A very commodious store-shed and offices have just bean constructed on the beach in the rear of the Harbor Engineer’s office, for the reception of articles belonging to the Harbor Master’s Department. It is expected that in the course of two or three months, the contractors will shift their mixing plant from its present position at the shore end of the Breakwater to the other end of the fore shore, opposite George street, and this will allow of the Board’s still further extending the storage buildings.

Some interesting statistics have been collected about London trains. 1609 trains start every day between 10 a.m. and 11p.m. for the London termini, which is rather more than two a minute on an average. Nor does this calculation include the underground trains. During the same time, 2,200 trains are despatched from the London termini, 1,750 of which are devoted to the traffic within an area of 30 miles round London. 398 trains leave Broad street alone each day, whilst 321 start from Liverpool street. —“ Figaro.”

The wife of Mr J, Macdonald, M.H.8., has had a narrow escape from poisoning. She was taking medicine as a remedy for sick headache, and when in the act of swallowing her usual dose observed a peculiar and unusual taste and ejected it from her mouth, not, however, before having swallowed a portion. On the bottle being examined it was found to contain a solution of strychnine, which Mr Macdonald procured about two years ago for the purpose of poisoning birds, and which nobody was aware was in the house. Happily she recovered after medical attendance.

A writer to “ Vanity Fair ” says that wandering Americans are demoralising and deteriorating London. “ The nasal twang is heard in all our streets, and the keen, vulpine face starns from every hotel window.” Here are the epithets applied to the detested Yankees :—“Unendurable, forward, obtrusive, inquisitive, impertinent, familiar,ungentlomanly brutal, grovelling, undignified, vulgar, ungreoeful, witless, shallow.”