LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3351, 4 January 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

«-2w E Amber^y-Blttpp Line.— lt is defirohn Small, working n a shin le it h dh £ ixm broken by a fall of sMogle. Ho was •emoved to Lincoln, when Dr. Gutbi'e liuckly set the limb.,. The sufferer is progressing favourably. The Theough Teaffio. — The express aram went right through to Dunedin tKa morning. The large engine and carriages ivent very slowly over the Eangitata bridge, ;he defection at the repaired portion, howjver, being far less than was anticipated. A ;rain of 12 goods trucks was also sent along ;he line south during the morning. The Department intend running special goods trains at every opportunity until the accumulation of goods caused by stoppage through bhe late floods has been cleared away. 11 Railway Waggons.— During the last fortnight 30 additional waggons have been turned out of the railway workshops and placed on the lines. The workmen are putting the waggons together as expeditiously as possible, in the hope of having something like an adequate supply for the coming grain season ; * but as soon as finished they seem to bo absorbed into the general work without; easing the strain upon the roll'ng stock as hoped for, this being no doubt accounted for by the corresponding increase in the goods traffic. . ' Heavy t. Light Ploughing. — A largo settler j*i the Oainaru district writing to a gentleman in Christahurch to-day, when referring to the heavy crops which he has been rfayoured with this season, while those of bis [neighbours are light and unsatisfactory, [attributes the cause of his success to deep ploughing only. He gives it as his opinion that the soil should be ploughed at least from 9 to 12 inches after it has borne three crops, and says his experience tolls him that to farm successfully in the mid-lands of the Middle 1 * Island, cultivation by steam will have to come into general use. "Lyttelton. Times". Sick Fund Society.—A general meeKug of the members was held this afternoon, Mr J. Hebden in tho chair. The Secretary reported that 91 employes had already joined the Society. The following officei'3 were elected for the ensuing year : — Patron, W. Beeves ; President, R. A. Loughnan j Vice-President, J. Hebden ; Secretary, GL H. Nelson s TreaI surer, J. 0. Wilkin ; Committee, Messrs J. Dunlop. F. C. East, A. Foster, Gkettdn, Gr. I Gerard, Hatch, and Travis. It was decided to ask Messrs W. Reeves and W.J.W. Hamilton to act as Trustcos for the Society, The meeting then terminated. \j Chbistchuech Watee Supply. — Coun« |/cil\ors Cass and Wilson, representing the I Water Supply Committee, arranged this v morning with Mr J. Anderson, of the I Canterbury Foundry, for the casting of aI cylinder 3ft in diameter, 25ft in length, and Tin I thickness, which is tobe sunkinan lslandinthe IWaimakaririfor the purpose of testing Mr ItW. White's scheme for supplying Chnstlchurch with water. Should the experiment; Uprove successful and the scheme be adopted, I Mr- Anderson has stated his readiness to I supply the nine cylinders of same dimensions, Laud also the necessary pipes required. Mr I White has kindly promised to personaHy superintend the arrangements for the expert- [ ment gratuitously. ' Inquest. — An inquest was held at noon ■ to-day, before J. W. S. Coward, Esq., i Coroner, on tho body of Christopher BeyI nolds, a carpenter who resided in the Hazel- . I dean road, Sydenham, and died suddenly on. Thursday night. From tho evidence it ap- " peared that the deceased partook of a hearty J supper about 10 o'clock that night, and went • to bed .- shortly afterwards. About 11. p.m. • j his wife Tieard him moaning and tried to awake him but could not do so. She then ' aroused her daughter and sent her forDr," ' Frankish, who on his arrival found the mai , dead. The post-mortem examination made 4 3 by Dr Frankish showed that death had re« * , suited from apoplexy, and the jury returnc J a verdict — "Died from natural causes." 1 / The Lyttelton Times.— Our morning 1 contemporary, tho Lyttelton Times, appear; q to-day in an enlarged form, and by tho Q change, which is announced as a permanent one, it has developed into an eight-page s journal, and has become the largest dai'y " newspaper in tho Colony. There are, we thin':, y few who will grudge our contemporary the k prominent position it is now occupying since its premiership lias been obtained by | the steady and untiring energy put forth. 8 since the birth of the settlement, and by the ', enterprise and sound judgment displayed by r its promoters in catering for the- reading public. The arrangement of tho Lyltelto.t Times m its new form seems both compact 3 and convenient, features that will doubtless 3 commend themselves alike to readers and ad- ■ vcrtisera. Reapers and" Bindebs' Contest.— The following entries were received this monr ig by tho Secretary to the Agricultural and r Pastoral Association for the reapers and > binders' contest, to take place in a few days . on Mr Boag's farm :— Wood, Shand and Co i " V?« 0 A' fl ; 'L K T lkln and °°-> " °sborne » , 2 n . d^ Mas . 8I J l0 ?^ Mor «w> Bassett and Co., 5 "M'Cormick;,' Mason, Struthers and Co > " Harvester King " and " Marsh Harvester •'' . J. L. Fleming, tho "Buckeye." It may be 3 mentioned that the Committee of the Asso nation have been fortunate in securing a fine 3 upstanding crop for the machines to work in ■ and the paddocks in which tho trial is to ; take place will be selected by the subj committee on Tuesday next. This will , be the largest and most important trial we have yet had of these valuable machines 7 and a very numerous attendance of the ! farming community and others interested may be looked for. _ f Goods Teaffio on tee CnßiSTCHTracn: - and Dunedin Lines.— Some idea of the increasing goods traffic on the Christchurch and Dunedin. sections of railway may ha realised by a glance at the comparative returns now published, which show that on those sections alone tho revonues received for the four weeks ending Nov. 16, 1878, amounted to . £37,936, as against £26,851 of the corresponiing four weeks of the previous year. For , ;he four weeks ending laat Oct. *19, the int pease of toaffic has been at the rate of 33 p e j cent, and for tho four weeks ending Nov. 16 last the increase was at tho rate of 30 per cent. This, it must bo remembered was Tan increase to the ordinary traffio between the grain and wool seasons, during which, an ext traordinary addition to the working might nob , be expected. This extra tax on the rolling stock , may no doubt account for tho straits to , winch tho department have often lately been put to to supply the demand for goods waggons. " St Stephen's, Lincoln.-A bazaar in aid of tho church organ fund was held nt tho schoolroom, Lincoln, on New Year's Day and was in every way a great success, the amount of tempting things exposed to viewcould not fa'l to satisfy the most fastidious to winch was added many of the more usofuL class, such as flour, wheat, oats, harness, & c The bazaar was opened about two o'clock* but the heavy trade did not set in until towards evening, after the close of tho sports at wtich time the room was densely crowded' and all appeared to bo disposing of the various goods at a rapid rate, besides which there were numerous raffles during the evening, which appeared to take well. The managing body had also made provision for the comfort of the inner man by having tea tables spread in the adjoining room, wliich also appeared to be well patronfsed. As soon as the sales became at all slow, Mr H. E. Alport mounted on a chair and commenced soJUng by auction, but it soon became evident that it would be impossible to got through aJI that evening, in spite of the energy of tho auctioneer, and spirit of the bidding, and shortly after 11 o'clock it was announced that tho auction would be postponed until another convenient date. Hearty cheers were given to tho auctioneer, and to tho ladies, and a movement was made for homo. Lyttelton REGATTA.-The prizes won at the regatta wore distributed at the MiJre Hotel, Lyttelton, last night. Heathcote Road Boaed. — Tho annual meeting of ratepayers of tho Heathcote dis,nct took place yesterday, tho report and balance sheet being unanimously adopted. A report of the proceedings will bo found in another column. fT,?? B T,^ aH^ WAB.-Tho telegram aboui tho fight m tho Eurum Valley reached us i» rather an ambiguous form. The following is the stylo m which it appears in tho Araus*— iiombay, Doc. 18.— Some of tho native tribe* m tho Kurum Valley show a hostile disposi, °?\ o Three mon wwoe *o killed, and two office** 2? •£? mo i n Wero w ° unded » in an attack by theMangals yesterday on tho baggage train attached to General' Roberts' column! They were, however, defeated with heavy loss.

Bibb is thb Pbicb op Milk. — Forty •milkmen announce that inconsequence oi the J -scarcity of grass, they intend raising the I price of their milk to 5d a quart. I The Mails. — The outward English mo ill was despatched per s.s. Tararua to Auckland^ last evening, where the mail boat meet 3 her and takes mails and passengers on to Sni Francisco. Trust and Loan Company.— lt is under stood that Mr Bowen, M.H.R. for Kaiapoi, is to succeed My Carvuthers as Inspector of tliiß Company for New Zealand. We are not aware at present whofcher this will lead to a : vacancy in the representation for Kaiapoi. | Amateur Opera. — The amateurs c having nightly rehearsals at the Gaiety Theatre, and making excellent progress. The tickets are rapidly being disposed of, so that the first performance of Maiuha by amateurs in Christohurch promises in every sense to be a success. Burnham Industrial School. — Yesterday the children at this school had their annual trip to Lyttolton. They arrived by the 9 a.m. train and were taken over to Rhodes' Bay in the Government steam launch and somo boats, kindly lent for the occasion. The weather was boautifu^y fine, and a very enjoyablo day was spent. Additional Railway Carriages. — The fifteen additional railway carriages which were to have been brought up from Invercargill for the holiday traffic on the Christchurch JVne, but which were detained in consequence of the breaking down of the Rangitata bridge, will reach here to-day and will be retained on this portion of the line. Sale of Property. — The well-known estate of the Messrs H. and J. Parker, in the Waimate district, has been sold during the week to Messrs Driver and Co., of Dunedin. The price at which tliis fine estate of 9500 acres changed hands has not transpired, but it is believed to have been satisfactory to the sellers. It wa3 bought in at a recent sale in Christchurch, at £9 10s per acre. r~ Ashburton. — The weather in this District / has undergone a delightful change the last /two days, and will now have a marked effect in the improvement of our crops. On Thursday night a slight drizzling rain commenced to fall, and continued until early morning, which will improve the feed in the parched up paddocks. The rain was succeeded by a Vbeatitifiilly cool and fine day yesterday. I.O.O.F.M.U.— The annual meeting of the Xoyal Woodond Lodge was hold, as usual, at the end of the year. Tharo were about 30 members present. The following officers were elected, viz.: — Bro. J. Stokes, N.G.5 Bvo. W. Murfitt, V.G.; Bro. F. Horrell, Secretary ; P. G. Conway, R.S., to the V.G.j tind P. G. Eder, R.S., to the V.G. This Lodge continues to prosper, and is increasing in numerical strength. An Hallucination. — An unfortunate man was found in a very depressed state by the police at Ashburton on Friday last. His name is Patrick Arnech. Ho has not been drinking, but appears to be suffering from somo mental disease and hallucination. He told the policoman to take him somewhevo so that they could shoot him, as he was tired of living. He wished Constable Maroney to do it. He was ultimately sent to the Asylum. Theatre Royal. — The Baker and Parron Company repeated the American drama "Lisa Eccles last evening, the attendance •being moderately good. The various songs and dances which virtually constitute the entertainment again found favour with the audience, as also did the evolutions of the liliputian army. The piece will be played again to-night. On Monday evening the company is to appear for tho last, and on that occasion tho performance is to be for the joint benefit of Messrs Baker and Farron. I Ashburton Borouoh Water Supply. — On Thursday Mr Hardy-Johnston, together with tho Mayor and Councillors of the Ashburton borough, visited tho spot indicated on Messrs Fooks and Sons' plan for bringing the water into the town for fire prevention and other purposes. Mr Edward Saunders drove the party to the place where it is intended to take the water from the Ashburton a'iver; and after the inspection of several spots had beon made, Mr Johnston handed in his report at a special meeting of the Council held for the purpose of its consideration the came evening. TheEnolish Cricketers in Victoria— Some of tho Englishmen, before tho big match on Boxing Day, gave the Melbourne cricketers a taste of their quality. Throe of them played for thoM.C.C.C. against Eighteen of Hotham, and made 203 runs between them. Hornby treated the unlucky fieldsmen to an innings of 106, ho and Gibson making nearly 200 before tho first wicket fell. Lord Harris •went in next, and scored 88, and Hone followed with 9. The total of the day's play ■was 362 for seven wickets, Gibson 83. In another match Lucas made 70, and some of his comrades smaller scores. The Stewart Family. — " Rainbow Revels" was repeated laßt evening for tho last time at the Oddfellows' Hall to a large attendance, and was as enthusiastically received as on any previous occasion. Miss Dooy Stewart's rendering of "Robert toi quo j'aime" was loudly applauded, and the Misses Maggie and Nellie Stewart had to repeat tho "Caller Herein'" and "Maid of Athens." To-night a sparkling entertainment entitled "If," also written for this talented family by Mr Garnet Walch, will be produced, with new songs and dances, and judging from the programme, a most enjoyable evening's amusement may be looked for. • Want op Steam Cranes. — The want of / *team cranes in tho wharves in Port is j becoming a very serious matter. Our ship- { ping is increasing rapidly, and tho ' Harbour Board, to keep pace with tho i requirements, are constructing additional ) -wharf accommodation ; but this will j bo rendered comparatively useless as there j are not nearly sufficient cranes to carry | on the work of discharging vessels. The I matter has been represented to tho GovernI anent upon several occasions, but no action [ ■• appears to have been taken in the matter. 1 '"Unless some additional cranes are provided at j -once a serious loss will arise to vessels 1 through delay in discharge of their cargo. j Only yesterday, on the master of _ a vessel \ applying for a crane to discharge his vessel, /he waß told that it would be about a fortnight before he could have it. It is to be hoped that immediate stops will be taken to remove Buch a stigma from our port. Cricket. — The return match between the little River Club and Akaroa was played on the ground, of the latter at Robinson's Bay on Boxing Day. Some of tho best players of the .Akaroa team were away, and this, coupled with the high wind that was blowing, was against the home team. The Little River men bowled very well, and their fielding was also J highly commended, tho result boing an easy victory for Little River by eight wickets and one run. On tho following day the Little River Club played Barry's Bay on tho ground of the former. The bowling of the local men is rather ancient, which accounts for double figures being obtained by most of the homo team. Tho result was a win for Little River in one innings and 25 runs to spare. The return match »ith the Mount Herbert Club and Little River was played on the beach near Wascoe's Hotel on Saturday. This was a very close game, Little River eventually winning by 5 runs. The play of H. and J. Radford and J. Tyson for Little River, and Reeves and Smith for Mount Herbert was very good. Railway Picnic. — A meeting of Railway employes was held last night in tho accountant's room at the Christchurch station for the purpose of determining what place should bo selected as the site for the annual picnic, and arranging preliminaries for tho picnic. Tho attendance was not vory numerous. Mr Back, tho trafHo manager, was called to the chair, and in his opening romarks said that he feared that there was some misapprehension as to the object for which the meeting had been called. He hid fully expected to see the room crowded, as the mattor o£ the choico of site was altogether in the hands of the railway employes generally, and no decision would be come to until all had had an opportunity of oxpressing their wishes. Ho was afraid that an impression had gone abroad that the site had already been determined on, but this was not the case. Under tho circumstances, it would probably bo well to adjourn tho meeting till some evening next wcek\ Mr Crosbie stated that the Committee appointed at tho former meeting had mot somo five or six times, and drafted a programmo, which, ho bolievcd, would bo found? vory complete, and which it would be for tho general meoting to approve or amend. Mr Bain said that one printing firm in the city had offerod to print the programmes for nothing, and another had printed tho subscription lists on tho same terms. Aftei Borne further discussion, it was roßolved thai the meeting should be adjourned till Wednesday next, at 8 o'olook in tho evening, whoc the site on which to hold the annual picnic And sports will be decided upon, and the report of the- interim, Coßxaaltee will be re ■ceived.

f. DBAuaHT Stock por the Colony.— We learn by special wire fvomDunedin that the Clydesdale horse Ealbowie has arrived there in the Norval in excellent condition. He is described by competent judges as a magnificent animal. The horse Bonnie Scotland -that died on the voyage out in the same vessel was valued at £1500. Sudden Death. — A builder named Christopher Reynolds, residing in Hazoldean road, Sydenham, died suddenly early yesterday morning. He had retired to bed on the previous night, immediately after taking a hearty supper, and was apparently in excellent health. During the night Mrs Reynolds was disturbed by his sighing very heavily, and endeavoured to rouse him. Finding she could not succeed in her efforts, she became alarmed, and despatched hor daughter forDr F/ankish and Dr Collins. Before either medical gentleman could attend, however, Mr Reynolds had breathed h-'s last. An inquest will be held at deceased's residence to-day at noon.