Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 315, 18 May 1869, Page 2

Local and General.

New Flax Company. — Those interested in the formation of a new company for the preparation of flax on the chemico-mechani-cal process, met again at White's Hotel last evening. The attendance was numerous, Mr Florance, surgeon, occupying the chair. A provisional committee was appointed aud empowered to publish the prospectus and make all necessary arrangements for the incorporation of the company under the Act. The committee will meet at the same place on Thursday next. We understand that several shares have been applied for, and that there is a probability of operations being commenced in a short time from the present date. Jlf Spout ing. — Yesterday a match and sweepstakes came off on the Riccar_on racecourse, and notwithstanding the very unpleasant weather, were fairly attended. The first event was a flat race of one mile and a-half between Mr Maxwell's Nugget (H. Thorpe), and Mr Delamain's Sunbeam (Richards), for £30 a side. The former had the call, and justified it by coming away and winning easily by quite half a distance. The second, was a sweepstakes between five horses, of £1 each ; distance one mile. Mr Webb's Medora (Storey) proved victorious, after a game struggle, by a head, Mr Cottrell's Dutchman being second, Mr Delamain's Patch third, Mr Osborne's Trump fourth, and Mr Maxwell's Nugget last. Hkathcotk Road Board. — The Board held their usual meeting yesterday, at the Board Oflice, Ferry Road, the following members being present: — Messrs Kennaway (chairman), Fisher, Garland, and Kerr. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. A guarantee had beenreceived from Mr Packer to dedicate for a road part of his section, near Latter's Bridge, for the purpose of increasing the width of the present one, as required by the Boaid before commencing the work, which they had caused to be tendered for. The following tenders for the work were opened: -John Forster, £105; T. Marshall, £50 10s; Thos. S.Lewis, £49. The tender of Thos. S. Lewis was accepted. The Surveyor's report wai read and considered. He had made enquiries of those resident near the Hills Road, who had requested that some repairs might be made to that road, and several had expressed their willingness to assist by supplying, free of charge, horses and carts and labour for the purpose, and the residents near Ollivier's Road would, also, assist to improve the latter road in the same manner The -urveyor. also, stated that Mr J. C. Wilson had offered to give metal for the repairs to Dyers Pass Road, if the Board wouM have the same broken and carted. He also reported that the necessary repairs had been done to the artesian well near Haumer street, a selfacting stop-tap had been fixed, and the general convenieuce of the residents had been studied in the arrangement, but it transpired duriug the meeting of the Board that some person had knocked off the tap, and so damage;! the piping, that the work would have to be done over again. The Surveyor was instructed to report the matter to the police, and give public notice that all persons damagiug the artesian well would be prosecuted. The following resolutions were passed : " That the Surveyor acknowledge Mr Wilson's offer for the supply of metal for the Dyer's Pass Road, and state that his offer cannot be accepted in its present form. That the Surveyor be instructed to proceed with the metalling of the Hill's Road, aud the improvement of Ollivier's Road, in the terms jof his report. That the Surveyor issue notices to parties having gorse hedges bounding on roads belonging to the Board, above the height prescribed by the Ordinance, and request them to cut the same forthwith." The Board, after passin ' sun ry accounts, adjourned until Monday the 31st inst. Wkslkyan Sunday School. — The four teenth anniversary of the Sunday school in connectiou with the Wesleyan Church, Durham street, was celebrated by a soiree and public meeting last evening. Tea was provided in the school-room, which was crowded to overflowing. A public meeting was held in the Church at seven o'clock, the i<ev W T. Buddie presiding. Prayers having been offered by the Rev. A. Reid, the chairman addressed the meeting on the importance of the unday school as an institution of the Church, and referred with gratification to the progress which it had made up to the present time. He concluded by calling upon MrW Harris, joint-superintendent, to readthe annual report. The report stated that at the commencement of the year the total number of scholars was 300, including those attending the Avonside school. Now, the total number was 2 10, — 138 boys, and 102 girls, but this did not include the scholars attending at Avonside. This shewed a nett increase of 10. The eommitte regretted to say that the average attendance, especially in the morning, was les3 than last year, and desired to direct the attention of parents to this matter with a view to securing a more regular attendance of their children in future. Attached to the school were 28 teachers — 20 males 8 lemales',

shewing an increase of 2 on the whole number during the past year. Of these 26 were church members. The committee regretted to say, that with few exceptions, the attendance of teachers had not been so punctual as was essential to the good order and success of- the school, but they trusted that in future teachers would not fail to maintain that degree of punctuality which was so much required as an example to the children under their respective charges. During the year, Mr Connal, who formerly acted as superintendent, had taken | charge of the young men's Bible class, and Mr Munnings had been elected as joint superintendent with Mr W. Harris. The committee bore testimony to the successful working of the young men's Bible class, and that of the young women, which was under the charge of Miss Buddie. A library had been established in connection with the Sunday School, and contained 250 volumes, which were lent out to the children under certain regulations. The library required replenishing, and the committee hoped that contributions would be forthcoming for the purchase of additional books. The chairman then called upon the treasurer, Mr C. B. Taylor to read the financial statement. Mr Taylor stated that two boys connected with the school had obtained employment during the past year, and had devoted their first week's earnings— 30s —to the funds of the school. (Applause.) At the commencement of the year, the former treasurer handed him £15 ls 6d. Including this amount, the receipts had been £18 12s 2d, and the disbursements £18 18s, leaving a balance due to the treasurer of 5s lOd. He did not yet know what amount would be forthcoming from the soiree. The collections at the services on the previous day amounted to £12 12s, and he supposed that, coupled with the tea meeting, about £30 would be the amount of the proceeds. The Rev W. Olliver moved, and Mr C. W. Turner seconded, the adoption of the report and talauce-sheet, wliich was carried unanimously. Several addresses were delivered in the course of ttie evening, and some really fine music sung by the choir. Those intimately concerned are highly pleased at- the success of their fourteenth anniversary. Prison Discipline. — At a meeting of the Court of Aldermen of the City of London hold in February, the subject of prison management and discipline was considered. In the course of the discussion, Alderman Wilsou thus spoke of the new prison at Holloway: — ,( Holloway gaol, he believed, was the best in tlie whole kingdom. The prisoners had good beds and good books; they were allowed pen?, ink, and paper; they ha i the occasional luxury of a bath ; and if they wanted anything they had only to ring a bell, and an officer in uniform waited upon them. (A laugh.) The comforts and indulgences were such, indeed, that among London thieves tho gaol was usually called Tufnell-park. ( A laugh.) The other day, two of them meeting by chance on Ludgate-hill, one said to the other — ' I cay, Tom, how fat and well you look.' ' Yes,' was the reply, ' I have been spending three months at my country house in Tufnell-park and it does me a wor d of good.' (Laughter.) Sir Thomas Gabriel (ironically) — 'Is the place quite full?' Alderman Wils m, continuing, mentioned the case of a young man who had been twenty-one times in gaol, and who, on leaving Holloway prison on one occasion, had an offer made to him of a berth in a ship. He politely declined it, saying he occasionally got £80 a night by taking watches, and that he was devoted to his 'profession.' He said his companions anl he met together at nights, nnd •vhat they got in that way they divided among them. Another prisoner at Holloway wrote upon a slate while there some ironical verses of which this wa9 the first — * I cannot take my walks abroad, I'm under lock and key ; And much the public I applaud, For all their care of me ' " The writer of these lines is a thief in more senses than one, for they originally appeared in London Punch some year or so ago. The Pacific Kailhoad. — It st-ems that the Pacific Railroad, now approaching completion, is something more than >i giganlic enterprise. It is also a stupendous job. The eastern div'sion of it is bi-iug constructed by seventy pers vis, constituting what is known as the " Pacific Railroad King." Its cost will not exceed £20,00 > sterling, but the stock aud bonds issued by the " ring" will represent £64,000,00« i sterling, and the passenger and goodi traffic rates will be so adjusted as to pay a dividend of ten per cent, upon a capital upwards of two-thirds of which is fictitious, while the company — or, in other word, the " ring" — receives a subsidy of £6000 a mile from the Gavernment, besides a laud grant of 12,000 acres a mile, to say nothing of donations of real estate from the ci ies it passes, or of the millions of dollars vhich h.re earned upon such sections of the liin: as are already opened, anil which are applied for purposes of construction Wha' i< the nature of this riiii* ? It is thus described in the last number of the Norlh American Review : — " The members of it are iv Congress ; tliey are the trustees for the bun 'ho'dei-.". they are directors, they are stockholders, theyare contractor*. In Washington they vote the subsidies, in N-w York they receive them, upon the pains they ex,>en I them, and ou the Crelit Mobilier they divide 'hem ver nhifting characters, tbey are ever übiquitous — now engineering a bill, ml now abridge — they receive money into ->ne hand as a corporation, and pay it iiito the other as a contractor." When we come to investigate the origin of this "ring," we find it to have taken its rir-e in fraud ami felony, inch, at least, \3 Uie account given of it by the ablest and mo-it high-toned publication in the United States. " The paternity of bis institution," observes the Review just quoted from, "is currently supposed to be netween General Duff Green and the irrepressible George Francis Train ; or rather, to speak more exactly, some intelligent broker ia supposed to have stolen ' from Green the

charter under which the association was organised, and Train applied the stolen property to the purposes of Pacific Railroad construction." Of all the " rings" which have been organised in the United States for the spoliation of the public or the robbery of the revenue, the Pacific railroad " ring" appears to be the most ingenious, the most comprehensive, and the most efficient in its operations. "As stockholders they own the road, as mortgagees they have a lien upon it, as directors they contract for its construction and as members of the Crelit Mobilier they build it." As the ; e seventy men will shire among them upwards of £40,000,000 sterling, the proc?eds of bonds issued over and above the sum actually disbursed or required for the construction of the line, they will eventually become one of the richest corporations in the world, and, as the North American Review justly remarks, " will surely hereafter constitute a source of corruption in the politics of the land, and a resistless power iv its legislature." ''-'■v/A Handsome Reward. — Tbe foUowing liaAdsome offer of . reward appeared in The Times: — ' One million pounds reward will be giveu for a certified copy of the baptism of Robert Jennings, son of Robert and Ann Jennings; believed to bave been bajit-scd in St Giles's in the Fields, London, in 1704, Address Robert Read, Woodman-street. York-road, Leeds." The Pope.— The Tablet has the follow ing: — On the 11th of April the Sovereign Pontiff will have completed the jubilee of his priesthood; it will be fifty years since he offered up the holy sacrifice for the firs'; time. Upon this occasion the Catholics of Germany are going to send to him, through Prince Charles de Lowenstein, twenty volumes of signatures to an address of devotedness and felicitation. The Bohemians send another address, and each person signing it mentions what gcad work he intends to offer up to Gol in behalf of the Holy Father. At Vienna one address of felicitation is being signed by the clergy, and another by the laity. Austria, it is said, owes an act of reparation to Pius IX. The Tyrolese are animated l*y a similar spirit; the Bivarians intend to send fifty caskets of silver, filled with gold, as an offering of Peter's pence. A Breach of Promise Case. — Some amusement, says the Argus, seems to have teen afforded in the Circuit Court at Sandhurst, by the . case of Slatlery w Maher. an action for breach of promise of marriage. Mr Martley, in opening the case, observed — " I have some time ago read in a newspaper that barristers' clothes should be breeches of promise, but, however that may apply in the old country, where such cases are more frequent than here, 1 think I may say in this country, whatever be the cause — whether young men plunge into marriage so quick that they have not time to think of the possibilities, or the fervour of the climate communicates itself to thera — sofeware these casethat if I and my learned friend (Mr Aspinall) had to rely on them for our articles of dress, I am afraid — very much afraid— we would have to go with slight covering— in fact, I fear we could not raise a fig-leaf between us. ingular to say, however, on this occasion there happens to be no fewer than two cases of breach of promise of marriage in which 1 aud my learned friend are engaged, so that in this Court it can be truly Baid thut we have a pair of breeches apiece." The case was one in which the plaintiff alleged thai she had been betrayed under the promise of marriage, to which the defendant set up the vile defence that he himself was the party deceived. The jury showed what they thought of it by giving plaintiff a verdict for £150.