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South Canterbury Times, Issue 6240, 12 June 1890, Page 3

His Honour Judge Ward sits here tomorrow to bear the case Mercer and wife v. Waimato County Council, claim £6O damages for injuries sustained through a defective bridge in the charge of the council.

Now that the new electoral districts have heen constituted, electors will do well to see that their names are properly enrolled, especially those on the margins of the altered districts. The registration officers are charged with the preparation of the new rolls from the old ones, and will do their utmost to make the new rolls perfect, but there must be many cases in which they will meet with difficulty in deciding to which district particular electors belong, particularly those with “ residential ” qualifications. Newcomers should obtain, fill, and send in forms of application for registration, or “ transfers ” as the case may require.

A meeting was held at Pleasant Point on Wednesday evening to consider the feasibility of acquiring a block of land near the township on which to form a village settlement. Considering that little publicity had been given there was a large attendance. Colonej Eichbaum was called to the chair. From the absence of Government land in the vicinity it was considered useless to approach the Government, and it was decided to make enquiries from private owners regarding terms, and a committee,, consisting of Messrs Kay, Qoldatone, Lund, Smith and J. O’Neil, was appointed for this purpose. Colonel Eiehbaum kindly offered to act as secretary. Fourteen names were put down and there is no doubt that if a suitable block can be obtained on favourable terms the number would be very largely increased.

A spieler named Williams was sentenced to three months imprisonment as a vagrant at Christchurch on Wednesday, and he has also a charge of perjury to answer. In reply to the charge of vagrancy be swore that ho got an “honest” living as a betting man, and that certain moneys he had were received by him from a Mr Hackahaw as winnings on a certain race. Unfortunately for the liar Mr Eaokshaw came into court before the proceedings were over, and swore that he had never made a bet with Williams or paid him money. Williams claimed to " know ” several racing men, such as Butler, Tancrod, Hill and Poole. He knew Mr Tancred well, had put money on a totalisator for him. On farther examination however, ho admitted that he had only put money on the totalisator once for Mr Tancred, and that was through some one else.

Bishop Julios, in the course of a speech at Lyttelton on Tuesday, said he did not know why he should he considered as the especial friend of the working classes, for ho did not see how a minister of God could well bo otherwise.—Ho had found a great difference between the people of Australia and those of New Zealand, inasmuch as the people of tho former were for ever cracking their country up, while the residents in New Zealand were for ever running theirs down. i—There was one very important thing he had noticed in Christchurch, and that was the largo amount of poverty which existed as compared with the other colonies. Of course he was glad to say that it existed nothing like it did in London, but still there was far too much of it.—He did not want to go into politics, but he could not help thinking that the large blocks of waste land could bo used with better advantage to the people. They had sufficient land if properly thrown open to make work fog every man, woman and child in New Zealand, and many more besides.

The Auckland Harbour Board are considering the question of increasing tho berthage and j storing accommodation. j

The Wuipa County Council have decided to nek kindred bodies throughout the Waikato district to protest with them against tbe introduction of stoats and weasels.

Mr Bryce, writing to friends, states that he will not stand for any electorate in Now Zealand at the forthcoming elections except Waikato.

Mr Joyce, member for Lyttelton, told his constituents last night that the prince of New Zealand’s absentees draws £85,000 a year from the colony. He should be considered a separate national debt. As determined on last night, a petition was being signed to-day to bo presented to the Hospital Board to-morrow, asking them to postpone accepting a tender for any alteration to tho drainage until an outside expert has been called in to report upon it. A Christchurch gentleman is named, who, we understand, has offered to report for a moderate fee.

The almost entire absence of wind for a long time past in the Tokomairio district (says the Bruce Herald) has been phenomenal. There are pieces of paper lying on the roadside which have maintained tho same position for fully six months. There has not been such a calm period for at least nine years. Tbe harbourmaster this morning commenced to shift the barque Duke of Argyle to a berth at the Main wharf, and had unmoored her for the purpose when he received a message that the s.s. Colao will be here to-morrow. Previously ho had been informed that she would not be hero till Monday. Tho barque had therefore to be taken back to tbe buoy again, as it was not worth while bringing her to the wharf for half a day. Shipmasters may well complain of having to be shunted in favour of steamers, but the rule is to that effect, and there is no help for it so long es the wharfage is insufficient for the work to ba done.

Tho winding up of a company is a queer operation, a sort of financial surgery, and a painful thing too, as soma Tiraaru people, to their sorrow, know. In speaking on a Bill to facilitate tho winding up of companies at Home, Sir Michael Hicks Beach referred to a land company which has been in process of liquidation for tho last 20 years and tho work is not completed yet. The shares not being fully paid up, the official is making a call upon past shareholders, or their representatives, who sold their shares within a year before the commencement of the windingup, and who are still liable for calls under certain conditions. Thus a rude awakening is being experienced in some quarters, it is stated, for example, that a widow with a lar<rg family haa received a notification requiring payment of the call upon shares which her late husband sold over 20 years ago.

We are in recopt of azelie supplement containing a revised list of rates and fares on the Government railways, to come into force on July Ist. The principal alteration made is a return to the return ticket system for all days of the week, the return tickets being available for return the day after issue, or from Saturday to Monday, on journeys not over 20 miles, for return journeys over twenty and not over 300 miles, for one month ; over 300 miles for two months, the mileage to be counted one way. The journey must bo commenced on the day of issue, but may be broken either in going or returning for distances of over twenty miles. The increased charge is a mere trills, Id and 2d for 21 miles ; Is 5d and 2s Id for 300 miles. A new rule provides for allowing school boarders to go home for a holiday and back within two months for a single fare. The goods rates aro practically unchanged.

The whole British consular service, it is declared, needs overhauling. It is the most highly paid and the most incompetentin the world. Its traditions are aristocratic, whereas its duties are purely commercial, and as such they are despised by the gentlemen who, because their families happen to possess the mysterious gift of “ interest ” get jobbed into consular offices. A British consul should simply be to the State what the ordinary commercial traveller is to a private firm. This is what he is compelled to bo by tho Americans, and the result is that the only consular reports published in the language which are really useful to business men or students of economic science are those that come from the consuls of the United States. We are constantly getting letters from commercial travellers complaining about the ignorance, tho arogance, and the sloth of English consuls, and contrasting them invidiously with the consuls of Germany and the American Republic. A vegetable cartridge shell, which is entirely consumed in firing, has been brought out in France. The cartridge has scarcely half the weight of one with a metal shell, thecostis considerably less, and the inconvenience of removing the shell after each shot is avoided.

The past has been a wonderful year for British shipbuilders, as the aggregate tonnage has actually exceeded that of 1893, winch beat the record. The latter was 1,250,000, and that of 1889 1,272,000 tons. The order in which the shipyards stand is this : —The Clyde, the Tyne, the Wear, the Tees, the Harllopools, Belfast, the Mersey, Hull, and Leith. It is interesting to note the reviving prosperity of Ireland under the firm rule of Mr Balfour. In 1888 Belfast built 34,000 tons of shipping. Last year it constructed 80,000 tons. It is stated (says the Sydney Morning Herald) that the falling off in the coal trade of Newcastle is so marked that both the miners and storekeepers regard with dismay the position of affairs, 3 here aro many of the very large steamers which now load solely southern coal. As was pointed out some time ago a considerable margin is left in favour of the southern coal where large cargoes are concerned. The manager of one Hne of big carriers reckoned that close upon £2OO was saved upon a single cargo as compared with the Newcastle coal, and this was not taking into the calculation the cost of shifting porta. If that bo so, if a largo steamer can be loaded in Sydney with coal from the southern mines for £2OO less than would be paid were she sent to Newcastle for her cargo, it is no wonder fewer steamers employed in the foreign trade find their way to Newcastle. Our correspondent says that rumours are about that a reduction is likely to bo made in the prices of coal at the port of Newcastle. At the London Sheriff’s Court, a few days ago, Mrs Emma (Jarman, of 7. Rugby Place Komptown, Brighton, sued the Hove Electric Light Company to recover £IOOO aa damages for the loss of her husband, who was killed by a shook from one of their electric wires. The defendant company were lighting a portion of Brighton by means of the electric light, and in consequence one of their wires was hung over the premises of of Messrs Abby and Hallolt, brewers. The plaintiff’s husband, Thomas Hill Qarraan, was employed there as an engineer and night watchman. On the night of July 14, 1889. he was engaged in the latter capacity, having as a portion of his duty to attend to a vat on the top of the building, over which was hung an electric wire. That wire, it was admitted, on the part of the defendant company, was negligently hung in a drooping position, and the deceased, in attending to the vat in question, accidentally touched the wire. The result was that the unfortunate man was killed on the spot by the current. The jury gave a verdict for tho plaintiff, and awarded £3OO as compensation ; £2OO for the widow, and £IOO for each child. Judgment was accordingly entered cost?,