Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 563, 10 March 1870, Page 2

Local and General.

EuicxoßAi,.— The electiou of Mr Richard Westcnra, junr., as representative of Akaroa, aud of Mr J. B. Sheath, as representative of Tinmru, in the Provincial Council, is notified iii a Gazette issued yesterday. Thbatre Royal. — The performances at tile theatre last evening, consisting of " The Swiss Swains," the farce of " Which is Which," and the burlesque of "FraDiavolo," wore largely patronised, all parts of the Rouse being well attended.

Leitiifield.— Barlow's dogs and monkeys made their appearance at this place on Monday, and gave a performance in a marquee on Mr Pnget's grounds. The audience, although a- limited one, thoroughly appreciated the entertainment, and were only disappointed that engagements in the south compelled the troupe to make a somewhat abrupt departure, and to relinquish the other performances advertised to be given in this district.

Cricket. — A match will be played on the U.C.C.C. ground on Saturday next, at 1.30 p.m., between the following, who have learned cricket in England and the Colonies respectively: — England — Odell, Stevens, Dickinson, Maples, Souter, Wood, Blakiston, Main waring. Miles, Turner, Hawdon, and Lee. Colonies — Fowler, Harley, Cox, Cotterill, Moore, Parkerson, Condell, Eeade, Mason, Hobbs, Rutherford, and Cox. Atu&kt Exhibition. — There was a large atvfcndance at the special entertainment given last night, upwards of two hundred entering the building after seven o'clock. A very attractive programme was gone through with great success, making the reunion one of the most pleasant yet held. Amongst the vocalists were Mesdames Hawdon and Innes, Messrs Nesfleld, Walton, Sherbrooke Walker, and Waitt. In addition to the instrumental selections of the band, under the leadership of Mr Biinz. Mr J. Thompson played one of his charming flute solos, with his wonted success.

Masonic. — We understand that Mr C W, Bishop has resigned the office of Deputy District Grand Master.

Kowai Pass School.— The public meeting of the residents of this district, advertised by the Chairman of the Board of Education, took place at Bailey's Accommodation House on the evening of Marcli 3, and all the proceedings passed off most satisfactorily. Mr J. K. Karslake was chairman of the meeting, and Mr Mainwaring, the secretary of the Board of Education, was present to give any information required. The necessary resolutions, in accordance with the Education Ordinance, affirming the wish of the district that it should be formed into an educational district were passed, and a school committee of nine members was duly elected. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the chairman.

The Thames Goldfields. — A private letter from Auckland, dated Feb. 22, and received in Dunedin, says :— Everything is very dull here ; the share market is absolutely in a state of collapse. Long Drive shares which formerly fetched £200, now

hang fire at £27, and will probably go lower. Shares in Hunt's (Shotover) claim, which ranked at .£224,000 when formed, are now selling at lls, equal to £12,500. The reefs are in many cases very promising, and no doubt a great deal of money can be made by those who are buying at low prices, when confidence is regained. Ido not think that that will be for some time yet, as almost everyone here has been bitten, and is ready to go into fits of disgust at the bare mention of quarts! now. •ij Salmon. — A Hobart Town paper of Feb. w says :— Sir Robert Officer, one of the Salmon Commissioners, reports that he has seen salmon several times jump about in the Derwent. Once, when some dozen persons were looking from the front window of his house, several fish, their identity with the salmon to his mind being beyond a doubt, were seen very distinctly leaping in the water. Sir Robert, in conjunction with other gentlemen, is shortly going to attempt capturing some of these fish by the use of a trammel net, so as to place beyond all doubt the fact of there being salmon in the Derwent. Mr Barker, of Rose Garland, states that he has seen salmon in the Derwent in great numbers. The common trout and salmon trout in the ponds are thriving excellently, and some small salmon have lately been turned out into the River Plenty.

Dunedin Jockey Clgb Races. — The following weights, &c, for these races were declared on March 7: — Handicap Trotting Race — Magic, aged, scratch ; Ranger, aged, 350 yds ; Struggler, 6 yrs, 550 yds. Dunedin Handicap — Kuottingley, 6 yrs, list 41b ; Wild Boy, 5 yra, 9st lalb ; Miss Flat, 5 yrs, 9st 6lb ; Atalanta, aged, 9st 6lb ; Foretop, 4 yrs. 9st ; Miss King, 5 yrs, Bst 121 b ; Musician, aged, Bst 41b ; Lady Ellen, aged, Bst •>lb ; Banjo, aged, Bst 2lb ; Southeru Chief, 4 yrs, 7st 121 b ; Captain Scott, 5 yrs, 7st 10lb ; Novice, 4 yrs, 7st 3lb ; Arundel, 3 yrs, 6st 121 b ; Water witch, 3 yrs, 6st slb ; Hard Times, 3 yrs, sst 101 b. Handicap Hurdle Race — Don Pedro, aged,

list 41b; Star^of the South, 6 yrs, list; Banjo, aged, list; Musician, aged, list; Rouen, 6 yrs, lOst 51b ; Sir Charles, 5 yrs, 9st 12lb ; Chance, 6 yrs, 9st 2lb ; Captain Cook, 3 yrs, 6st 101 b. Handicappers —T. J. Edwards, W. H. Taggart, Arthur Smith.

The Moonlight Gold Company.— A private telegram received in Christchurch yesterday states that it was reported in Greymouth that " good gold had been struck on another part of the reef " in this company's claim. A correspondent of the Westport paper, writing on March 1, says : — I believe the Government purpose shortly running a track between this portion of the coast and the Little Grey; at least a gentleman returned to Charleston on Saturday, having visited the Moonlight diggings and Ahaura township in order to ascertain the best route for a track. He appears to be of opinion that its point of junction with the Coast road will be at a point between Brighton and Razorback, such route possessing the advantage of shortness, and thecouutry being less broken. The same party expressed himself very unfavourably of the Moonlight Quartz Reefing Company. Little or no work had been done in a systematic manner, and the plates after two days' crushing, showed no veßtige of gold.

The < 'arandinis. — Both parts of the concert lust evening opened with a piano- forre duet, by the young ladies, and these pieces, with a fantasia by Miss Kosina, formed the whole of the instrumental music. Madame Carandini was unfortunately suffering from a slight cold and was thus scarcely so successful in her solos aa on ths previous evening. "Ever of Ihee," in the first part made it very noticeable, but in the subsequent rendering of " Je£s ! e,the Flowerof Dunblane"it was scarcely so perceptible, and the Bong therefore went much the best of the two. The solos of the Misses Carandini were, however, the gems of the evening. Miss Fannies voice is undoubted ly the finer of the two, but Miss Kosina surpasses in expression, and this invariably carries the audience with her. Perhaps no greater proof of this could be given than her rendering of "Ring on Sweet angelus," and " I cannot mind my wheel, Mother," whicb was given in response to an enthusiastic encore. Miss Fannie, in the fir.U part, fairly j deserved an encore for her exquisite singing! of " Somebody's Darling." " Una Voce,' from "II Barbiere," in the second part, was however more adapted to her style, bein? of a more brilliant character, and was therefore re-demanded. Amongst the concerted pieces were an operatic selection "The Enchantress" (Balfe), by the company, and an operatic duet, " My suffering and sorrows " (Donizetti) by Madame Carandini and Mr Sherwin. Though not having much taste for either, they being scarcely so suited to the company as the simpler pieces, we must give " The Enchantress "a decided preference over the duet. Of the concerted pieces " Soft Fall the Dews of the Summer Night," by the Misse3

Carandini, and " Sainted Mother," by Madame and Miss Rosina Carandini, the former was loudly encored, and it was certainly the best performance we have yet had during the present series from the young ladies. Mr Sherwin's best effort was perhaps, "In this Old Chair," for the rendering of which he was loudly applauded. ' : The Gipsied Laughing Chorus " terminated the concert.

A School of Arts in Dunedin. — We find the following in our Dunedin contemporary of March 8 : —The School of Art has been opened in the New Post-office, and the rooms in connection with it have been fitted with the necessary requisites for the pursuance of such studies. It is satisfactory to find that the young ladies' class, though as yet it numbers but few members, contans some who have attained a considerable degree of proficiency. The class meets from one till four o'clock p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. A young men's class, attended by ftbout 45 pupils from the High School as well as others, meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a teachers' class on Saturdays. The opening of an evening class for artisans is under consideration, and if formed will no doubt be numerously attended. Such a class would have the effect of popularising the institution, the advantages of which are sure to be more largely availed of when they become more generally known.

Flax.— A correspondent, writing to an Otago paper regarding the cultivation of flax, gives the following hints, which he says are the results of twenty years'observations: — I observed, whenever soil was laid over the roots of flix, either in the operation of fencing or the forming of road lines, the growth of the plant has been greatly increased, even although the top dressing used was in many instances nothing but poor clay. The opening of ditches also, in the operation of fencing or otherwise, has a most beneficial effect, by admitting air to the roots, which is one of the most powerful agents in all cultural operations. The system I would adopt would be to open ditches ten or twelve feet apart, and about two and a half feet deep, and the same in width, and to spread the soil taken out of the ditches over the surface amongst the roots of the plants, if manure, such as bone-dust, could be applied at the rate of from four to six cwt. per acre, the increase of growth would very soon repay the outlay. The opening of so many ditches may be objected to, on account of their tendency to dry the land too much; but I am convinced the admission of atmospheric air to the roots will more than compensate for the want of moisture, and draining in many localities is much wanted. Those having land under flax may soon prove the value of the above suggestions. The cultivation of flax land will tend greatly to increase the growth of grasses and thereby increase feed for cattle, which seldom eat'flax uuless they are short of better feed. A correspondent of an Auckland paper suggests that salt should be used as a preventive of spontaneous combustion in flax. He says: — When ' our' farmers cannot have their hay perfectly dry, they are in the habit of sprinkling salt among the hay as they are stacking it, which saves it from the effects of the damp and fermentation, and spontaneous combustion, which would result in the destruction of the stack. What I would suggest, therefore, is this: either that salt should be sprinkled among the flix when packing it; or that pieces of woollen cloth, saturated with salt, and thoroughly dried, should be put in each bale. > Devices of this kind need not be resorted to if the flax be perfectly dry.

Kowat Road Board.— At a general meeting of the ratepayers of this district, held on Monday at the office, Northport, the minutes of the last general meeting were read and confirmed. The chairman then proceeded to open the business of the evening, which was to elect a member to serve on the hoard in the plate of Mr Benn, who has resigned. Mr Robert Herbertson was proposed by Mr Donald Cameron, and seconded by Mr Chas. Turner; no other candidate having been brought forward," Mr Herbertson was declared duly elected. At a meeting of the board held on March 7 at the office at Northport, the following members were present: — Messrs Fendall, Pemberton, Hiatt, and Herbertson. The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed. Mr Fendall was proposed as chairman by Mr Charles Hiatt, and seconded by Mr C. F. Pemberton. The meeting confirmed the action taken by Messrs Fendall and Pemberton at Leithfield on Feb. 7. A letter was read from the Secretary for Public Works, staling that the £50 promised by the Government in aid of the repairs to the Ashley Bridge would be paid to the board on receiving from the chairman a certificate that £100 had been expended in that work. The chairman was requested to forward the necessary certificate to the Government, and also to write to the Bank of New Zealand, Kaiapoi, requesting them to apply at the Treasury for the . above amount. A letter was read from the Chairman of the Ashley Road Board, requesting the Kowai Road Board to pay over a proportion of 4 9-th's of the funds in hand at the time of the separation of the districts, and also a share of thfe plant. It was resolved that the consideration of the letter should be deferred until the next meeting, there not being a full Board. The clerk was instructed to write to the • Chairman of the Ashley Road Board to that effect. The Chairman of the Board was requested to give notice to Messrs Benn and Walker, in accordance with Clause 67 of Roads Ordinance 1869, that they be requested 'to trim the gorse hedge of Rural Section No. 587, being the western boundary of that section through Leithlield. A petition was read from Mr J. F.. Carter, Mr Henry Lough and others, requesting permission to cut a drain across a road running westward from the North Road near Brown's Bridge. The surveyor was directed to examine and report \ipon the same at the uext meeting. The question of theLeith-j field Pound was again brought before the

Board. The chairman was empowered to make arrangements with any person who might be willing to undertake the office of poundkeeper for the period of two months, at a rate not exceeding £2 per month. The clerk was directed to write to the Secretary for Public Works to know if the 25 per cent, of the Government grant of £225, will be paid to the Bank of New Zealand, Kaiapoi, on their application for the same; and also to ask whether the appointment of poundkeeper still rests with the Superintendent, or, as the Pound had been handed over to the Road Board, whether it rests with the Board. David Millar's tender of £11 I9s, for work to be performed on Douglas' Track, was accepted.

Board of Conservatoks. — The customary meeting of the Board was held at noon yesterday : present — Messrs R. J. S. Harman (in the chair), J. N. Toss will, and A. Duncan. The chairman stated that himself and Mr Peacock had been unable to define the Hue of overflow as required by the Board in considering the proportion of rates to be levied within and beyond it, and they would prefer the Board deciding the matter as a body. He also reported, in reference to the rate roll, that the whole of it would be ready as soon as the Christchurch city roll was completed. There were one or two trifling difficulties in connection with one district, but these would speedily be overcome. Mr Tosswill was gratified to hear this, and said he wished to again urge upon the Board the desirability of striking their rate without any unnecessary loss of time. The Road Boards wished to levy their rates for the year, but would not do so until they heard what was the amount to be fixed for conservation of the Waimakariri. They also wished to arrange so that the clerk in collecting the local rates might leave notice of the other. Mr Tosswill further adverted to the inconvenience that would accrue from one boundary of the conservation district cutting through the middle of some of the Road Districts, instead of embracing the whole of them. Some correspondence respecting a further advance of £1000 from the Union Bank of Australia was read, but the terms set forth in the manager's letter not meeting with the approval of the Board, the chairman was requested to again communicate with that gentleman upon the matter. The chairman reported that since last meeting he had visited the protective works and found that although the river had come more over to this side, near M'Lean's, everything was in a most satisfactory state. At No. 2 embankment also, the works suggested by himself and Mr Peacock had answered very well, doing a great deal of good. The stream now ru^s in a direct line, from a quarter of a mile above the embankment, right across the point of the groin. He went a considerable distance up the river with the overseer, and found that the two cuttings projected for drawing the stream back to the centre of the river bed would have great effect, and result in more good than anything they had yet done. Whilst on this visit it had struck him that it would be much more satisfactory for the overseer to have a permanent residence near the No. 2 embankment, and where a plantation might be established for hereafter supplying the works with cuttings. He had therefore looked about and found a block of twenty acres closely contiguous to the road which the Board might be able to secure on favourable terms. In addition to this he would suggest that a level) should be purchased for the overseer. Mr Duncan, whilst approving the suggestion of a permanent residence and a plantation, thought the Board would be able to obtain a grant of 20 acres from the Government out of the land reserved as subject to overflow. There were places high enough to be safe for such a purpose, and he did not anticipate any difficulty in obtaining what was desired. Mr Tosswill agreed with the scheme, and had himself intended to bring it before the Board. The cuttings planted as an experiment had succeeded remarkably well, and he should much like to see the matter carried out on a large scale. After some further conversation, the chairman was requested to apply to the Government for a plot of land us referred to by Mr Duncan. It was decided to give Mr Crawford, the surveyor, no. ice that his services would not be required after three months from the present date. Mr Duncan moved that a select committee, consisting of the chairman and Mr Tosswill, be appointed to consider what alterations were desirable in the present Act, and report upon the same to the Board. In doing so, he said many amendments might be introduced, amongst which was one whereby the Board would be able to take the Municipal or Road Board rate lists as a basis for levying their rates, without having to prepare a separate one, and have it separately approved by the Resident Magistrate, before taking action upon it. Their rates would be struck at the same time as those of the local bodies, and the course he referred to would effect a saving of both time and money. Mr Tosswill seconded the motion, remarking that the Act, as at present worded, was productive of considerable ill-feeling against the Board. It was geuerally held to give the Board too much power in the mode of collecting the rate, and in many other respects it might be amended with considerable advantage. The motion was carried, and the Board adjourned.