Local & General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4884, 24 February 1894, Page 5

Local & General.

9 Ths Electoral 801l. — A few persons attended at the Linwoocl Borough Council office lasb evening to register their names on the electoral roll. The office will be open again for the purpose on Thursday next. The Flotjndeb Fishery. — In reply to a letter which Mr G. Tibb3 wrote to the Premier on the subject of the flounder fishery, he has received a memorandum, stating that tha Government has not yet decided upon a course oi action, butoxpeots to do so at an early date. Btjbwood Section Sale. —In consequence of surveys being incomplete, and in order to suit the convenience of several intending buyers, the sale of these sections is postponed to Saturday, March 3, when the sale will take place. The sale of Mr J. J. Wilson's farm is postponed to the same date. Hail. — Very little idea obtains in Christohuroh of the severity in the upland districts of the hailstorm which passed across Canterbury on Feb. 2. Seven hundred acres o£ crop on an estate above Methven were laid as flat as if they had been trodden down by cattle, the extreme force of the storm seeming to be centred there. A little distance away a reaper and binder expert had driven into e, paddock to see the working of eight Woods' machines, when the storm came on. Immediately tha reaper and binder teams, and the trap-horse, were tearing over the paddock, absolutely beyond control, though the drivers of all but the trap stuck to their places. Fortunately the storm travelled rapidly, and was soon past, and co damage to machines, vehicle, or homes resulted. The grain here was a good deal beaten out. This year in the annals of the Lord Mayoralty of London wiil be memorable the adoption by the new chief magistrate, Tyler, of the eleotiic light in hia official coach, not the gorgeous old tumbril that belongs to civio history, and makes its appearance every 9th of November in the barbaric procession for the benefit of the maases, but a new and splendid example of modern coachbuilding and decorative art in blaok, gold, and red. This sumptuous vehiole ia aow ohargsd with electric batteries and lamps, and bo illuminated will flash through murky London with the fitful brilliance of a firefly. There is every reason to believe this bright example will be followed by the wealthy " carriage folks " of London, and the waiting rowa of vehicles on great caremoniaa will become lines of " light and leading i"

Scndat Lectttbhs.— Mr W. W. Colhne will deliver a lecture to-morrow evening, at the Lyceum, Manchester Street, The subject will be "The Churoh ana Eeform." SaiiE9 of Peuit.— Meßsra J. Claris .Mid'. Sou announce a sale of bananaß and llzneaat their rooms on Monday. The hop? of Bale will be advertised on Monday morti\ng. Messrs Ayere, Beauebamp tod Co,, will algo offer a consignment of fruit ftti thoir rooms oh the same day, the time to be notified on Monday. Cantbbbttry Enoinbbbs. —A church, parade of this company will tak,a place tomorrow afternoon, at St Mary's, Adding^ ton. They will leave the drillahed, Cashel Street, at 2.30 p.m., and will be accom* panled by the Engineers' Band and the pipera of the old Scottish Eifleo. The Bev< W. Bean, oliaplain of the corps, will officiate at the divine Bervice. PiCNic.-~The employees in the tailoring department of Messrs J. Ballantyne and; Co. held their annual picnic at Woodend on Thursday. The party, numbering over s|xty adults, were conveyed in drags, sup* plied by Mr Delamain. Various gameff were indulged in, and, after a visit to the Maori pah, the party returned to town at 9.30 p.m., af tier spending a most enjoyable day. North Oanterburt Caledonian Societt. — The entries for the handicap pedestrian events at this society's annual sports, to be held next Thursday, closed on Thursday last. For the eight events the phenomenal number of about one hundred and ninety entries were received — seventy more than at any of the society's previous gatherings. The handicaps will appear in Tuesday's Lyttelton Times, and everything points to the meeting being thoroughly successful. SHoETHAND.—The first instalment of theory certificates for a knowledge of phonography for last season's work has jußt been received from England by Mr C. H. Gilby, of the Christchurch School of Shorthand. The following are the names of the recipients of these certificates, which admit their holders to membership of the Phonetic Society: — St George Atkinson, Isaac D&lmer, William O. Kempthorne, Arthur W. Salter. 1$ is worthy of note that Mr Atkinson's success was achieved after a course of only twelve weekly lessons of one hour each. Eats.— Great annoyance haa been, for some time past, caused to the executive of a Christchuroh company, by the depredations of rats. No sample of grain or seed could be left for the night with any probability of its being found in the morning, and the position was serious. The rodents avoided poison, and evaded the enticements of traps, even though the charms of aniseed were added to the bait. The managing director, driven to his wits' end, sought for guinea pigs, which he had heard would effectually scare the rats away. At much trouble and some expense he obtained a pair, and triumphantly loosed them in the sample-room as the establishment closed in the evening. Next morning the manager and staff entered the sampleroom and found — the rata had killed and eaten the guinea pigs ! An effeotual rat exterminator is urgently required. Sunday Services. — At the Darham Street Wesleyan Church the Bev H. E. Dewsbury will preach in the morning and the Eev J. N. Buttle in the evening. At the East Belt Church the Eev F. W. Isitt will preach in the morning and the Eev H. K. Dewsbury in the evening. Mr J. Mundy will conduct the service at the Sumner Public School in the evening* At the Sydenham Wesleyan Churoh harvest festival services will be hold. The Eev T. W. Vealie; of the Methodist Episcopal Church, America, will preach in the morning and afternoon, and the EevF. W. leitt in the evening. At the Oxford Terrace Baptist Tabernacle the Eev A . Collins, of Auckland; will conduct both services. At the Trinity Congregational Church' the Eev F. Seth Smith will preach in the moraing, and the Eev W. Morley in the evening. At the Primitive Methodiat Church, Cambridge Terrace, the Eev J. Dawspn will conduct both, the morning and evening services. At the Linwood Primitive Methodißt Church. Mr Heath will conduct the morning, and Mr G. B. Ffroat the evening service. At the Methodist Free Church. St Asaph Street, the Eev T. Norrie, of Pakakura, Auckland, will preach in the morning and the Eev S. Potts in the evening. At the Sydenham Baptist Church the anniversary services will be held. The Eev A. Mitchell will preach in the morning and tha Eev W. Barnett in the evening. In the afternoon Mr Farr will deliver an address to schoiarn and their parents. Mr T. Martin wili preach at the Church of Christ in the evening. The Central Mission will hold meetings in the Oddfellows' Hall morning, afternoon and evening. Mr Theodore Wright will give an address at the Tuam Street Hall in the afternoon. At the Bible Christian Church, Lower High Street, the Bav A. Peter 3, of Wellington, will preaoh morning and evening. The usual services will be held at the Chriatadelphian meeting room, Druids' Hall, Worcester Street. Sydenham Working Men's Club.-— The annual dinner of the Sydenham and Addington Working Men's Club was held k3t evening to. the rooms o! the club, Sydenbam, and proved a success m every way. Mr Hawley occupied the chair, and there was a large attendance. An excellent repast was 'nerved, and a most enjoyable evening spent. The toaet of "The Con-' Btitution of the House of Representatives/' was responded to by Mr W. W. Collins, one of the memb&rs for Christchurch, in a neat fipeef h, in the course of which he made the BUggestlofi that the members of the Club should make mental improvement one of their chief aims, and that debating classes should bo inaugurated. The chairman al&o touched upon this matter. The other toasts wero — "Tha Mayor and Councillors of Sydenham," responded toby the Mayor 3 " The Officers of tha Sydenham Working Men's Club," responded to by the chairman j "The Visitors;" "Kindred Socleties }" '"the Ladies," and others. Duriag the evening a number of excellent songs were sung by Messrs Lilly, M'Namara, Hooper, Forayth and others. Beoit&tions were given by Messrs Hawley &nd Grier. Mr Brookett played the accompaniments. The English ooal strike extended over twelve weeks j it kept 250,000 men out of employment and reduced tens of thousands of families to destitution; the loss in minera' wages alone ia computed at £4,500,000, and the loss in industries dependent upon ooal mining is put at £4i,700fi00 ; the minera' funda exhausted by the fight amountad to .£300,000 and public charity was drawn upon to the extent of .£700,000. These losses together amounted to ten millions sterling, and it is said that the loss of manufacturers' and mine owners' profits and the indireot injury to trade would bring the total up to thirty millions sterling. A Canadian newspaper, the Globe of Toronto, publiehed a wood engraving, grouping together sixteen portraits, which it calls the " grand old men of the day." The sixteen consist o£ Kriiger, Frederick Douglas, Oliver Wendell Holmes, President Schenok, Hung Chang, Ferdinand de Lesseps, C&stelar, Sir Henry Parkea, Leo XIII, W. E. Gladstone, Prince Bißmarok, Koaauth, Tolstoi, Verdi, King Christian and Ibsen. The four oldest men are Louis Cotrath (ninety- one years), Ferdinand do Lesseps (eighty-eight), Oliver Wendell Holmes (eighty-four), William Ewart Gladstone (eighty-four on Dec. 29). The two youngest are Tolstoi and Ibsen (both sixty-five). Prince Bismarck and Sir Henry Parkeß may be said to bo nearly the same ege, the Prinoe being the younger man by fit'fcy-Bix days. The United agea are upwards of one thousand three hundred yeara. Mr Herrick desires to acknowledge, with sincere thanks, tho receipt of the following during the past fortnight : — Clothing, Mesclames Eldrod, JRhodes, Yonnjr, Ashwin ' and Tendall, Messrs Ssnith, J. B. "Way, .T. Girder and Koiapoi friend ; vegetables, Mrs Judrre Denniston, Messrs Goodwin, A. E. Butcher and J. Toms ; fruit, Mesdaines Jennings, Bvoughton, Pig-eon, Peacock and Newlyn, Messrs Goodwin, Thomas Wilson, A. B. Butcher, Dalmer and friends ; boots, Mrs Kinsoy and ilr Baxter j pastry, a friend; moat, Mrs Bowen; bread, Mr Crowe ; bacon, Mrs Cunnington ; oatmeal, &c, Mr J. Garder; poultry, Mrs Judge Denniston ; periodicals, Misses Ashwin. The following was received from members of the Dorcas Guild d'Ting the past fortnight :— No. 57, three garments and 8s ; 25, two garments ; 94, four do ; 95, four do ; 2, ono pieeo Arcsa matorial and Is; 3, one piece dress material and Is ; J. Y., three garments ; Springstou Dorcas Guild, one parcel of slothing.

Springfibld Spoets.— A meeting of the committee was held on Thursday evening, £.* Keane's Hotel, Mr Barker in the chair. Mr Davey, the secretary, presented the balance-sheet, showing a balance of £2 11s 3d in hand. The accounts were unanimously adopted. Messrs Cooper and D. Naiemith were appointed joint trustees. Votes of thanks to Mr Keane for the use of the room, and to Mr Cooper, olosad the meeting. A Good Dat's Thbebhins.— On Wednesday last a threshing machine made a good tally on Mr John Donaughey*B farm at Bolleston. Although prevented for two hours from working by a strong easterly wind, it put through 1801 bushels. The crop was of oats, and yielded fifty bushels per acre. The machine is the property of Mr James M'Veigh, of Tai Tapu, and is managed and driven by Mr G. MaginneSß, of Greenpark. West Eyketon. — A meeting of the residents of this district was held in the Bohoolroom on Wednesday evening, to consider the question of the approaching licensing election. There was an excellent attendance. After diaonasion it was unani-' mously agreed to nominate Mr W. Turner for a seat on the Licensing Bench. It was further agreed to form a committee tp assist in securing the return of the. candidates to be nominated by the temperance party. Tuast Steebt Thbatbji.— The «' World's Trio and American Novelty Company " drew a very good house at the Tuam Street theatre last evening. The pro* gramme given on the opening night was reproduced. The audienoe was most en- | thusiastic, and encores greeted every item. To-night the same programme will be produced for the last time, as on Monday evening there will be an entiro change of items. On that night late trams will be run to suit the convenience of suburban residents. "The Good Samaritan." — In the course of the trial of Gunn at Wellington for a breach of the Gaming and Lotteries Act, evidence was called as to the com-* meroial value of the medicines sold by him. William Henry Woods, chemist. Cuba Street, said he analysed a bottle of the medicine which was handed to him by Acting-Detective Gantley. It contained a spirituous preparation of camphor, peppermint, ginger and some kind of gum— a very harmless mixture, worth about Id an ounce, or 2d a bottle. The pills were an ordinary aperient pill, worth about Id a dozen. The Weather.— Our Timaru correspondent writes : — A very sudden change of weather occurred in South Canterbury yesterday morning. The previous day had been calm and very hot, and yesterday morning opened with a promise of a Bimilarly hot day. About 9 a.m., however, a strong southerly wind set in, which blew all day and overcast the sky. Towards evening the clouds became deneer and threatened rain. 16 is to be hoped the tala "will hold oS, as there w a large area of grain still in Btook.— Bain set in at Dunedin yesterday evening, and a telegram received from Invercargill last night states that rain had been falling there for twenty-four hours. Bakaia.— On Wednesday evening a conversezione waa held iu the Town Hall, South Bakaia, in aid of the library fund of the Church of England Sunday Bohool, The attendance waa very fair, and a pleasant evening was ggtbi. A number of pictures, engravings, photographs, books 6nd curios had been leai, and were nicely arranged and much appreciated. Bishop Julius was present, and gave a short address on Sunday echodl matters, and was followed by the E*v« 3. Holland, T. A. Hamilton and T. F, Farley. Refreshments were provided by several ladies of tbe parish, and vocal and isfltramental muttfc was given. The result of the enrtortain- j ment financially waa come £$. The singing I of the National Anthem brought a pleasant evening to a close. Chabitable'Aid,— The following ia a statement of the expenditure upon charitable aid in the North Canterbury district during the month of January :— Institution relief was afforded to 155 persons, at a cost of £289 183, the particulars being— Orphanage, £56 9a 4d ; Ashburton Home, J894 13b lid] Memorial Home, .£62 18s Id: Female ßefuge, iS2S IGa Bd. Outdoor relief to 1390 persons coat £4ft7 l7a 7d. Money allowances amounted to £246 llslOd; rations, J8193 4a 9d; fuel, £12 15s 2d; drugs and medical attendance, £19; casual relief, M fia lOd. Forty. seven destitute children and infirm and ■ invalid persons were boarded out, at a coßt of £57 7s 3d. The children had been maintained at the industrial uohool at a cost of £67 0s 4d. The general expenses were £91 13a 6d, and the total expenditure was £986 10a 6d. OBrnjABT. — Our Okain's Bay correspondent writes :— Canterbury^ piaaeer* are fast passing away, and to the list rif those who have departed baa now to be added the same of Mr W. Moore, ojf Okain's Bay. He was born in Devonsmre on Sept. 3, 1819. He went to Gua&sey at twenty years of age, leaving tiat pfaise for \ New Zealand ia 1851 in the ship Sir | George Pollock. Soon after Jub akxitel at i Lyttelton he, with his wife and taut children, settled in Okain'e Bay, wftete he has since resided. He was Chairman of the Okain's District Boad Board for fire years, and waß Chairman of the local School Committee for atout tfie B9»m,e time. He, however, took an active part ipi any matters of interest in the district, and was all along one of the staunQhesfcii^p!porters of the Church of England day and Sunday schools. Some six years ago fce retired from active work on his farm., tyfe son,Mr C. S, F. Moore, taking it over. The old gentleman then thought of settling in Christchurch, when before his deparcura he was entertained at a farewell dinner by' upwards of fifty of his oldest friends. He, however, could not settle away from tbe locality in which he had spent so many years, so returned. His death, which was dec to inflammation of the lunge, took place at about 10.15 a.m. on Thursday morning. Mrs Moore died about seven years ago, Of a family of, a&WB -only two.

Bonß and one daughter Burvive theiy parents. The funeral takes place oa Sunday afternoon. Compliments.— The British Aiutralatian referring to the establishment of the New Zealand Press Agency in London says;— It is surely a sign of reviving prosperity in New Zealand that an influential syndicate consisting of four daily and five weekly New Zealand newspapers have decided that the time and hour hare arrived for them to opfcu branph offices in, London. Their joint quarters will be at 2 and 3, Imperial Buildings, Irad* gate Cirous, which for convenience sake have been comprehensively christened the New Zealand Press Agenoy. * * • The third and fourth daily papers attached to this syndicate are the Lyttelton Timsi and Star. Both belong to one proprietary, though separately edited and produced. They are published in the City of Christ* ohurohj and the editorials of the firstnamed, more especially, carry great weight throughout New^ Zealand. The weekly Canterbury Times is modelled on the Mel* bourne Australaiian, and doeß not fall far short in its perfeotions of that admirable - journal. No English provinolaj journal we have ever seen oan approaoh in compre* hensiyenesß and all-round interest these colonial miscellanies. , The Secretary of the Christobwch. Hospital desires to acknowledge, wita thanks, toe receipt of a quantity of clotting from Mies Ida, Cowllehaw, and periodicals from Mr Beath and B. C.