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Colonist, Volume XXXVII, Issue 7828, 4 January 1894, Page 3

Vitaii Statistics.— There were registered for the month of December, 6 marriages, 21 births, and 4 deaths. 1 Cbioket. —In Ithe matoh. United A v. United B (Junior 'Championship), to take place at the Pari ori Saturday afternoon, oommenoing at two o'clock eharp, the following will be tbe players .—United B : Messrs Kitohing, Hall, Menary, Williamß, W Dee Ward, Martin, Frank, ( Sherwoo*l, F Graham and Mills ; emergency^ J- Graham. United A : Messrs Page, Barltrop, G Dee. G Stiles, Gibßon, C Bird, Ingham, Bray, Boroughs, Fitzwiliiams and Lipscombe.— A matoh will be played at the Park on Saturday afternoon between tbe Wakapuaka and United Olubs, oommenoing at half-paat one sharp, when tbe following will represent the United : Messrs Corder, Pellew, Hale, Graham (3), Blinace (2), Stiles, Oakley and Leaper. New Ybab at Collingwood.— Great interest was taken this year in the sports that were to be held at Collingwood on New Year's Day, and a number of persons left Takaka, some on horseback and some per steamer Lady Barkly, to be present. Those by the steamer had a pleasant trip up, but those who went overland reoeived a considerable wetting. On Monday forenoon the rain was falling so heavily that the Committee decided to postpone the sports until the next day, and Captain Stevens waa interviewed, and kindly consented to delay the steamer until four o'clock on Tuesday afternoon. Ne?t day the weather waß, if anything worse, when the Committee again met, and decided to postpone the sports until Tuesday, February 20. On the latter date the local Court of Foresters will hold their annual gathering, and the two events will doubtless attract a considerable number of spectators on February 20. CouQBEGATioNAii Chdrch. — We learn that a hearty and unanimous call has been given by the members and adherents of the Congregational Church of Nelson to the Rev Edmund C. Isaao, late of Kyneton, Victoria, and formerly assistant to the Rev Ossian Davis, of Bournemouth, England, and who has been occupying the pulpit of the Nelson Church for the past three months, to undertake the pastorate permanently, and are glad tp add that Mr Isaao has accepted the invitation to settle in Nelson. Fibb.— On Tuesday, Deoember 26th, a fire took place at the Moutere Bluffs, on the premises of Mr John Oldham, resulting in the deßtruotion of a four»Btalled stable and cart-shed, oontaining ten pounds worih of grain seed, about two tons of chaff, and a lot of tools and harness, valued altogether at £14Q. Mr H E Oldham states that he left tbe plaoe all right oh that morning, going abont a mile away to plough ; and at about 11 o'olook be saw smoke and flames rising from the stable He ran at. onoe to tbe scene, but oould do nothing, 'as Jhe fire bad got too strong a hold. Be' is' of J opiniipri that the fire occurred tbrough matohes 'having been oarelessly dropped in the stable. The etable was insured in the New Zealand offiae for £100. Richmond Sppbis.— At a meeting of the Richmond Sports Committee it was decided not to hold the sports that were postposed on" Monday last, for some time; to come, and to return the entrance and acceptance money. The Committee may," perhaps, see their way to hold their sports at Easter, but before then there is no holiday on which they, could depend on scouring a large attendance. The Weathib and thb Crops.— The remarkably changeable, and at times most unseasonable, weather ia having an id j orious effect on the country. Witty bo maoh rain vegetation Ipoks bright and green, but we regret to hear that both rust and smn t exist on some of tbe farms in the Waimeas, In Canterbury, too,, harvest proßpeots do not appear to: be brightening. Tbe Timaru correspondent of the ' Lyttelton Times ' wrote the other day ai follows : — The continuance of dull and damp weather is reducing the proßpeot of a good harWflt'iß'Somh-Cant^-buiry, whioh the strong grnwth of spring ; gav^ promise 0f.., Except on ■ wet, land*, wjt sowing was retarded and the seed then got i._ jjadlj; there ig a good length ofßtraw, and the beads are filing nipely, bnt there is a' good deal of rust in the wheat and o! smut in tlie oats. I_ECTOBE.,-rMr Joseph Symes delivered a lecture, in ttye Theatre Royal last evening; which was" listened to with evident interest by a not very large audience, "the unpleasant weather haying doubtless deterred many from being present. k. The Timaru people, so far as their break■water is' concerned, appear to be in a bad case. The local ' limes 'says : — " Everyone oan see that .many of the concrete blocks l&ing oh the parapet recess of the breakwater 'Sre splitting and coining to pieces in chunks, but the total at#oan£ pf disintegration the blocks are undergoing is'not at air indicated by the easily visible fraoturings and separ * ations. Mr Marchant has drawn our re. prter's attention to the fact that of some of the blocks it might be said that not one pebble remains cemented to another. The concrete can be crumbled quite easily in the j fingers, and the fingers are: whitened with the deposit of carbonate of magnesia wbiofy

haßri,«U_spljwJed-j the limes oft; t>ie.Vi Portland oement^. .-JA;. sjnylq.r.diffiqi|lty.presentedoitselfrwitn fepardTo^somfl^f t'le.breakwaiters; iri Engrand'. l The?oh|ni%a actibh'set'aphy tfie's^awator afeti^g onHhe "concrete -was 'giveu 9sthe.Te(is6a-4ortttß.trouble of disintegration. There is no :appearante qf any such thing so far as the Napier breakwater is. concerned. • The Wellington correspondent of the ' Wairarapa : Daily ' says : — *'• How ia this fo- • sweating ?• ahe Wellington Hbspftal autho rities recently aocepted a lender for making seventy nightshirts at 7d each. Fancy making nightshirts at , 7d 3ach.> A., magnificent remuneration this. Truly a new « Song of the Shirt,' with the^old refrain of .poverty, squalor, and rags, as an aooompanimerit, in this bright free, country; of our?,' r where the horrors of 'sweating,' the wearisome soulsickening toil of miserable women for a few pence, ia supposed to be. unknown.; , Seventy shirts at 7d each, that is just._e2 os\lod for the job. Ah industrious, ha*d working woman, nimble with her heetHe and - eipert mth her sewing maohine, can .make, I am told, six nightshirts in a working day of 12 hours; and for this jgrinding, drudgery she reoeives the princely pay, of *3s'6oVper day, or 3£' d per hour. Then she hasWfind,'bf course; thread and needles, and perhaps light Ho Jetitible her to earn this dole. Times being hard^-I suppose .there are many who, would be. glad to earn the nforiey, but I wonder whether; the Hospital people have ever 'given it & thought that someone must * sweat ' to do this little job at the prioa."