Local & General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5616, 12 May 1886, Page 3

Local & General.

♦ Last evening's St John Ambulance lecture was given by Dr Thomas. Forty-five persons were present, and Mr Evans moved a vote of thanks to the lecturer, which was carried enthusiastically. An exhibition of an entirely novel fire extinguisher will take place on the circus ground, Gloucester street, this evening at 7.30. It will be given under the supervision of the full Fire Brigade. Constable Allen left for Dunedin by the express yesterday to catch the s.s. Wairarapa at the Bluff, and proceed to Melbourne to bring back W. H. Messenger, who has been apprehended there on a charge of deserting his wife and six children. At yesterday's meeting of the Christchurch Presbytery, a Committee was appointed to consider the Premier's reply re the annexation of the New Hebrides by the French, and to draw up a resolution to be submitted for the approval of a special meeting of the Presbytery. The Girlß Friendly Society is doing good preventive work, and deserves recognition and support. There are on the books 164 members, and of course funds are much needed. To supply this want, a sale of work is to be held to-morrow in the recreation room, Gloucester street west. Ameetingof theKowaiPass Domainßoard was held at Davies* Hotel on Monday, Mr Colthart in the chair. The principal busi- ! ness was to receive tenders for the lease of I the ground, which fell to Mr Kain for the sum of £28 per annum. The Board agreed to have the gorse cleaned out from the trees, and the outside fence repaired. A meeting of the Christchurch Drainage Board was held last night. Amongst the correspondence dealt with was a rather startling letter from the Bank of New Zealand with reference to the overdraft. The letter i with previous correspondence will be found reported in extenso. A meeting of the Council of the South Canterbury Technical School was j held in the Mechanics' Institute, Timaru, i on Monday evening. The Chairman (Mr Dawson) gave a short sketch of the work accomplished during the past j year. Mr Bourne complimented the Chairman on the interest displayed by him in the movement, after which the Council adjourned. The Directors of the Southern Crosß Petroleum Company have received advices from Kotokautuku that the bore on Friday last was down 430 f t, and that the drill was 258 ft in advance of the pipes, with a fair show of oil. The works diary further states that the quantity of gas in the bore is I sufficient to support a continuous flame ] when ignited. At a meeting of the Lyttelton Naval Artillery on Monday night the following promotions were made : — Lieutenant Eose to be Captain ; C. P. 0. Arnold to be Senior Lieutenant} Petty-Officer Toomey to be Chief Petty-Officer ; Petty-Officer M'William^ and Gunner Riley to be first-class Petty-Officers ; and Gunner J. Sinclair to be second-class Petty-Officer. A meeting of the Amuri Licensing Committee was held at the Resident Magistrate's Court, Waiau, on May 4, for electing a chairman for the ensuing year ; present — All the members, viz., Messrs A. W. Rutherford, J. Macfarlane, G. W. M'Rae, J. H. Davison, and R. Corbett. Mr A. W. Rutherford moved— " That Mr G. W. M'Rae be elected Chairman of the Committee." Seconded by Mr James Macfarlane, and carried unanimously. The meeting then adjourned. About 400 of the residents along the Malvern and Whitecliffs branch railways yesterday availed themselves of the opportunity to visit Christchurch, afforded by the running of cheap excursion trains on those lines. A few of the excursionists visited Lyttelton, and spent a short timo in looking round the wharves and shipping. The day waß anything but suitable for an excursion, as a cold wind w?s blowing, with occasional showers of rain. The train left Port on its return journey at 4.45 p.m., in time to catch the train leaving Christchurch for the Malvern district at 5.25. Mr Frank Hobbß, one of the City Inspectors, is at present engaged in inspecting the licensed lodging houses within the Belts, and in reminding the proprietors thereof that it is time to take out their annual licenses. Some few of them apppar to entertain the idea that it if* not necessary to comply with the law in respect to the latter point. They will probably be convinced in a practical manner by the institution of legal proceedings against them. A Gin tube well is to be sunk to the second artesian stratum for the purpose of supplying water to Morten's block. It is to be Bituated in an open alley within the block. Mr Stocks, the well-known contractor, has been entrusted with the task of putting it down, and has already commenced operations. The plan pursued will be similar to that adopted by the City Surveyor in putting down the various second stratum wells recently sunk for fire prevention and street- watering purposes. The scheme for erecting a statue to the memory of Scotland's great bard seems to have turned out rather a dismal failure. A Press Association telegram from Dunedin says : — At a meeting of the Committee to erect a statue in Dunedin to the poet Burns, it was stated that various entertainments held recently to augment the fund had resulted in a loss of £206. Some £310 is required to complete the undertaking. From a statement made it appears the subcollectors received subscriptions which do not seem to be accounted for. A concert and ball were held on May 7 at the Bch.oolb.ouse, Hororata. Recitations, Bongs, glees, a farce and instrumental music were rendered very successfully by the Misses Smith, E. Thorn, Wagner, A. Thorn, L. Derrett, M. and R. King, Messrs T. Coughlan, A. Home, Whakely, Smith, S. Carlton and H. Coughlan. At the conclusion of the performance Mr Coughlan, on behalf of the Secretary and members of the band, thanked the audience for their attendance in a Bhort and neat address. A well-attended ball followed, and dancing was indulged in till " daylight did appear." Mr J. L. Scott addressed the , electora of Sydenham last evening. After giving his views on the various questions likely to affect the country during the coming session, he took occasion to I reply to the attacks made upon him by Mr S. P. Andrews, the various points made by him being received with loud applause. Mr Webber moved—" That a vote of thanks be given to Mr Scott for his able address, and the clear and satisfactory manner in which he had answered the questions put to him." This was carried unanimously. — Mr S. P. Andrews met the electors at the Borough school last night, Mr Whiting in the chair. There was a large audience. Mr Andrews spoke at some length on the subjects indicated in the synopsis advertised, and stated that Mr J. L. Scott's schedule of prices, as provided to the Government, had more effect in reducing the wages at the workshops than the ten per cent reduction. Mr Bell moved, and Mr Bowden seconded, a hearty vote of thanks and confidence in Mr Andrews as the most suitable person to represent this constituency in Parliament. This was carried without dissent amid great applause. A lady residing in Augusta, Maine, U.S., has ordered a set of false teeth for her aged pony.

J Numerous instances are on record of I the large income that may be made by a professional beggar. Another case has just been discovered in Paris. A. woman of about 75 yeara of age, who has been in the habit of begging in the streets of the capital for forty years past, turns out, according to a statement in the Bdbats, to possess a fortune estimated at five hundred thousand francs. She lived at the suburb of Levallois Perret, whence she came to Paris every day to exercise her vocation. Her property eon- \ sists of thirty houses, railway shares in different Companies, and obligations of the City of Paris. The discovery was made by one of her habitual benefactors, who is stated to have engaged not to prosecute . her on condition that Bhe will henceforth abandon her profession and give a thousand francs to the poor. Signs are not wanting to show that the clerical ascendency over Frenchwomen is already on the decline f and will ere long be a thing of the past. A lady belonging to the upper middle class, bas just given to the City of Angers the magnificent sum of eight thou- ! sand pounds to be expended on the founda- ! tion of an orphan asylum, with these con- • ditions : that the staff of the orphanage ; consist in perpetuo solely of laymen and j laywomen, and that it shall remain entirely j under civil, to the exclusion of all religious control. What will Bishop Freppel, of j Angers, say to that? The initiative of this ; lady — by ' name Mdme Girauld-Lesourd — '-. is all the more remarkable as showing the . sense of moral responsibility now recog- ! nised by _ thoughtful Frenchwomen, and ; their readiness to share the burdens while ; deprived of the privileges of citizenship. ! The late Lord Houghton wittily observed '] that the French Eevolution, although not I according political rights to women, felt no ' scruple about cutting off their heads as • political offenders. The Third Eepublic • will surely be more generous, and not long ; refuse women their rights, while accepting • their money. Eight thousand pounds, : moreover, although a handsome donation I anywhere, is all the handsomer in France, where fortunes are more equally divided than among ourselves. And it is a donation, not a bequest — in other words, 60 much luxury, ease, and display sacrificed for the Bake of the helpless and unhappy. For the quarter ended March 31, the births and arrivals in the Colony of Victoria were 32,978, Jand the deaths and ' departures 23,097. The population on ! March 31 was 1,001,756. j