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South Canterbury Times, Issue 7268, 22 July 1893, Page 3

Mr George Pearson has bis usual invitation in another column. It i« worth reading.

The increase of rabbits in the Mackenzie Country is attributed to the working of the evolution principle. It is said they are developing hooked claws to enable them to climb the wire fences.

A concert is advertised to take place in St. Mary’s schoolroom on Monday evening, July 24th. As several of Timaru’a favourite artists are to appear, the concert promises to be a great success.

The silver pine of Westland, which has been neglected till lately, is found to be a good timber for sleepers, and is coming into extensive use for that and other purposes. There is a large quantity of this timber on the West Coast.

Cricketers will be interested to learn that the Agents’-Qeneral match at Ewell, London, on May 23, resulted in the combined New Zealand and Tasmania team beating All Australia. Mr W. B. Perceval, the AgentGeneral for New Zealand, made the top score (34) out of a total of 110 in the first innings, The match was confined to officials connected with the several agencies of the colonies in London.

There was an excellent attendance at the Theatre Royal this afternoon to witness the matinee performance by the Liliputian Opera Company. The theatre was specially darkened for the occasion, and the performance was greatly enjoyed. Our readers are again reminded that the piece this evening is " The Pirates of Penzance,” for which special preparations have been made.

The iron barque Aldergrove, from Lyttelton to London, was nearly lost in the ice on her recent voyage round Cape Horn. She Bailed past ice for several days, and had a narrow escape from being wrecked on the bergs and from capsizing in squalls on several occasions

A further notice of the concert in aid of the Mechanics’ Institute will be found in our advertising columns. No effort is being spared by our leading vocalists and instru* mentalists to provide a really first class entertainment it is hoped the public wiil turn up in good numbers to encourage them, and also to assist the funds of the Institute.

A New Zealander now in England writes out to his friends : “ Our farmers complain about the rates ; but they should be here, and they would have then good cause to grumble. In the country they have to pay 2s lid in the £ and in the towns 6s lOd. I heard of one case where a farmer had to pay £7O for tithes.”

At the meeting of the Napier Harbour Board last Tuesday, the engineer reported that heavy sea? on the 7th and Bth were the heaviest experienced since the harbour works started. Two monoliths were damaged, and repairs to the wharf would cost from £IOO to £2OO. The dredge on being put together, was found to be minus several things, and a tally of what was found to be wanting was ordered to be kept, with a view to making a claim on the builders. The dredge—which is something like the Taniwha —cost £6OOO at Home, and will cost about £IOOO to put together. The engineer, Mr Carr, submitted a rough plan of the western mole, and it was resolved to call at once for tenders for itaconstruction.

Says the Reef lon Guardian Our worthy Magistrate was visibly shocked at the Court during the hearing of a case in which some facts relating to the trade transactions of a Beefton hotelkeeoer were being elicited. It appeared that the hotelkeeper in question had paid £250 for beer sold by him during the last ten months. His Worship asked how many hotels there were in the town, and being told that the number was nineteen, ho remarked that supposing each hotel did an equal amount of business the amount paid to brewers during the last ton months by the Beefton publioaue was no less a sum than £4750. ” Goodness gracious !” exclaimed His Worship, " this is awful.” Mr Free pointed out that this amount only represented a portion of the sum spent in drink in the town, as a great many preferred whisky to beer. The facte seemed to be a terrible revelation to the Magistrate. Ladies. -For Afternoon Tea use Apish, brook’s Royal Desert and Onslow Biscuits —[Advt’J _______