Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 731, 26 September 1870, Page 2

Local and General.

High School Engineer Cadet Corps. — On Saturday the competitors for the senior prize were again unsuccessful in scoring the minimum number of points (36) necessary to win. The ranges were 100, 200, and 300 yards, four shots at each. Subjoined is the score:— Ensign A. Da vies, 23; Sergeant W. Martin, 24; Corporal J. Thorton, 33 ; Sapper J. Paxton, 35 ; Sapper W. Corry, 34; Sapper P. Earle, 33. It will again be fired for on November 9.

Dramatic Performance. — The members of the Lyttelton Amateur Dramatic Society gave a performance on Friday evening, in the Colonists' Hall. There was a very good attendance, and the pieces chosen were " To Paris and Back," " Box and Cox," and the " Unfinished Gentleman." The actors were warmly applauded throughout. Kaiafoi Election. — Burgesses are reminded that the nomination of candidates, to fill the extraordinary vacancy caused in the Kaiapoi Borough Council by the resignation of Councillor Hall, will take place on Wednesday next. Nomination papers must be handed in to his Worship the 4 Mayor not later than 4 p.m. to-morrow. Woodend Church School. — A tea meeting and concert, the proceeds of which are to be devoted to effect improvements urgently required to the mistress 1 residence attached to the above school, is advertised for Thursday next. The concert will be given by a party of ladies and gentlemen, under the conductorship of Mr C. Merton. of Fire. — Yesterday at noon the inhabitants of Lyttelton were alarmed by the ringing of the fire-hell. It proved to be a chimney on fire at a house in London street. Lyttelton possesses at the present time but one engine, which i 3 useless for any fire in the centre of the town, and there is no properly constituted fire brigade. Should a fire occur, there is every probability that a great destruction of property will ensue. Oxford. —An entertainment will take place on Monday, October 3, at the Assembly Eooms, for the benefit of the Church of England schools. It will consist of re citations, readings, and songs. The Eev W. H. Cooper has kindly offered his services, as also Mr Billens, of Kaiapoi. The object is well deserving of public support, as the residence of the schoolmaster is sadly in want of repairs, nothing having been done to it since it was first built, eight or nine years ago. Diseased Cattle Acts. — The New Zealand Gazette, dated Sept. 15, contains a proclamation by his Honor the Superintendent, declaring that all that portion of the Middle Island of New Zealand lying to the north of the Hurunui river, and of a straight line from the source of that river to the County of Westland, the County of Westland, and the Provinces of Otago and Southland in the Middle Island, and the Provinces of Auckland and Taranaki in the North Island, shall be deemed to be infected districts within the meaning of the said Acts. The Hon. John Hall at Kowai Pass. — This gentleman met his constituents of the Provincial Council district of Rakaia at Bailey's Accommodation-house on Thursday evening, the 22nd inst., at 7 o'clock. The meeting was well attended, though not so largely as would have been the case had a longer notice been possible. Mr John K. Karslake was voted to the chair, and briefly introduced Mr Hall to the meeting. Mr Hall, in a speech of about an hour and a \ quarter, touched on the various topics of chief interest at the time of the late elections, explaining why he had not then como to address the electors in this part of the district. He explained his views with regard to Provincial institutions, the Waste Lands Regulations, Immigration and Public Works, Education, and the Trespass Ordinance. Considerable discussion took place on the last subject, which happens to be of particular interest in this locality. On the subject of a Thomson's road-steamer, which it is much wished to have for this district, Mr Hall expressed his hope that the boon would be obtained. He advocated the encouragement of the planting of trees in large quantities, and thought that industries of every kind should be started and fostered, such as the manufacture of woollen goods, sugar, &c, as the best means of giving employment to immigrants during the less busy months of the year. The following resolution, proposed by Mr Anson, and seconded by Mr M'llraith, was carried unanimously : — " That this meeting begs to thank Mr Hall for hia kind attendance here to-night, and to express its confidence in him as one of the members for the Provincial Council district of Rakaia." Mr Hall proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, and the meeting terminated with three cheers for Mr Hall. Fatal Accident at the Ashley. — A serious and fatal occurrence took place on Friday morning, at the Ashley, resulting in the death by drowning of a poor fellow named Patrick Coskelly, well known on the North Road as a carter, in the employ of Messrs Belcher and Fairweather. It appears that he was crossing the river on horseback, and that the horse, in the deepest part of the stream, began to rear, throwing the rider and falling on him. It is supposed he must have been stunned by the fall, otherwise the river was not too high for him to have struggled his way out. As it was, he was washed down the stream, and on Saturday evening the body had not been found. It will be remembered that at the last fresh the approach to the bridge was washed away, and has so remained ever since, being unavailable for any traffic, except for foot passengers. Surely it is the duty of the Road Board or the Government, or both, to at once put the bridge in repair, or do they require a few more such cases before they bestir themselves ? Another account of the above says :— A boy, named Thomson, saw the unfortunate man come riding up to the river, from the direction of Saltwater Creek ; on reaching the river bank, the rider had to whip and spur the horse before he could get him to go into the river, which was very low at the time; on getting fairly into the stream, the horse was observed to roll over and unseat his rider, who rolled down the stream, apparently in a state of insensibility ; he appeared to j recover again, and get on his feet near the shore. He put hia hand on his head and, not- j withstanding that the boy called upon him to turn round, he walked straight into the stream, and was swept down by the current. Deceased was well-known in the northern district as a hard-working, honest man.

Oddfellowship.-— The half-yearly meeting will be held in the Hall, Lichfield Btreet, on the 6th October. On the completion of the business the delegates and other brethren will adjourn to a dinner at the White Hart Hotel. Electoral. — The New Zealand Gazette, dated Sept. 16, contains the appointment of the officers to form new Electoral Eolls for the districts named as constituted by "The [Representation Act, 1870." William Donald, City of Christchurch east, City of Christchurch west; William John Warburton Hamilton, Avon, Heathcote; Walter Hippolyte Pilliett, Akaroa. Mr Heller. — Mr Heller received quite an ovation on the occasion of his fareweil benefit on Saturday evening last. All parts of the hall were crowded, and Mr Heller was more rapturously applauded than ever. Before the conclusion of the entertainment, he took occasion to thank the public of Christchurch for the patronage bestowed on his performances during his stay in this city. Mr Heller will perform at Lyttelton to-night and to-morrow night. Halswell River. — A deputation, consisting of Messrs J. Cracroft Wilson, C.8., chairman of the Ha'swell Road Board ; T. A. Pannett, chairman of the Springs Road Board ; J. N. Tosswill, chairman of the Linco'.n Road Board ; — Gebbie, chairman of the Little River Road Board ; J. Murray, and J. Herrick, waited upon his Honor the Superintendent on Saturday, at the Government Buildings, for the purpose of bringing under the notice of the Government the very unsatisfactory condition of the Halswell River and the main Road from Burkes to the Shakspeare Arms. The deputation pointed out that the river was entirely choked up with watercress, and that the land adjoining was thereby seriously damaged. They urged that it would be necessary, in order to remedy the evil complained of, to thoroughly clear out the whole of the river. For this purpose the? requested that the Government would cause an adequate sum to be placed on the estimates at the ensuing meeting of the Council. With regard to the road, the deputation pointed out that it was in a more unsatisfactory condition than any other main road within the same distance of Christchurch; that the bulk of the traffic came from outside the Halswell district ; and that the Halswell being a small district, was not in a position to undertake a work of such magnitude. The opinion of the deputation was, that the boundaries of the several districts abutting on the Halswell should be so altered as to include the river in one district only. In reply, his Honor stated that the Government had already contemplated placing a sum on the estimates for clearing the Halswell, and that the representations made by the deputation would receive every attention. As to the road, his Honor was of opinion that the Government could not do anything, unless they gave a special grant for the portion mentioned, binding the Road Board to spend the money there only. The deputation then withdrew. Pbebbleton. — A meeting of the parishioners of Prebbleton was held at the school-room, on Thursday evening, the Rev. W. E. Paige, incumbent, in the chair. The meeting had been convened by the incumbent and churchwarden for the purpose of considering whether funds could be raised to build a church. The chairman made an earnest appeal to the meeting. He pointed out that the object for which they had met was a very important one, as affecting the whole of the parishioners, and that it was very desirable they should all feel the necessity of meeting to discuss it. He then called upon the churchwarden, Mr E. Prebble, to move the first resolution, which was to the following effect: — "That in the opinion of this meeting, it is desirable to take immediate steps to erect a church." The resolution was seconded by Mr J. N. Tosswill, who entered into an explanation of the circumstances attending the erection of the existing building. Mr Tosswill also said that although no grant could be obtained for church building purposes, there was the present building, estimated to be worth £50 ; there was a sum owing by the school committee, and it was intended to give a series of concerts. Altogether, with the assistance of friends in England, it was hoped that a sum of £150 could be counted on. The subscriptions, when the district was but sparsely populated, had amounted to £140, and it was only reasonable to suppose that three times the amount could now be collected, seeing that the population of the district had greatly increased. Should they only succeed in obtaining £200 or £250 by subscription, this, with the £150 already mentioned, would place them in a position to commence the building. What the vestry proposed was, that a committee should be appointed to collect subscriptions, and that they shouldhandin areport at the Easter parish meeting. Mr Tosswill concluded by impressing upon the meeting the great importance of the work, and the necessity of making a united effort to erect a church that would be a credit to themselves and the district, and one which those who were to succeed them, would have every reason to be proud of. The Rev C. Bowen, who was formerly in pastoral charge of the district, and who was warmly welcomed by the meeting, said he was very glad to see so many of the old familiar faces about him. He was also greatly pleased to think that they intended to erect a suitable church. The existing building was never intended for more than a schoolroom, and he thought the time had come when a church was requisite. A question having been asked as to the state of the parish accounts, Mr J. N. Tosswill explained that the only debt was one on the parsonage. It was proposed to pay a fair rate of interest on this, and lie had reason to believe that the arrangement would be satisfactory to the Rev R. S. Jackson, to whom the debt was due. After some discussion, the resolution was put from the chair and agreed to. Mr L. Slater moved that the following gentleman be

appointed a committee to collect subscriptions, with a request that they report at the Easter parish meeting : — The Incumbent, Churchwarden, Messrs W. Slater, Gabbates, Taylor, Marchant, J. N. Tosswill, Maskrey, and the mover. The resolution was agreed to. A building committee was appointed, consisting of the Incumbent, Churchwarden, and Messrs Maskrey and Tosswill. The Incumbent was appointed Secretary, and Mr J. N. Tosswill Treasurer. The Rev C. Bowen moved a vote of thanks to the chairman, and in doing so, congratulate the parishioners on having secured the services of an able and devoted pastor. Mr S. D. Glyde seconded the motion, stating that he would be happy to contribute and co-operate, on the distinct under standing that no attempt was made to patch up the present building with the money obtained. The chairman, in returning thanks, stated that no such object would be entertained by the vestry. A subscription list was started, and the sum of £91 at once subscribed.