To-Day.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5014, 31 July 1894, Page 2

To-Day.

!■ — ~~~ ■ I Cricketers old and young will be in- [ j terested in knowing that the very valuable ; , compilation by "Scoring Board" of Can- ', | terburj's " Roll of Honour" appears in the ' Star this evening. i It is noticeable that in the new Ministry \ of the Chrißtchurch Parliamentary 'Assembly there are four Georges. It would be interesting to know who ib looked upon as George I. among them. Would it not be appropriate to call the new combination the " Brunswick Ministry," and, if so, will the " Impeachment of the House of Brunswick" by the late Charles Bradlaugh apply? The correspondent in last evening's paper who wrote regarding the Corporation 1 , hearse waa scarcely abreast o? the times. ■ j He spoke of the hearse being stored or , J stowed away in some shed or other. The j fact is, the hearse has been run out 1 to the public cemetery, baa there been permanently fixed up by the caretaker, and now accommodates a large number of fowls! Is this a new idea of "blending the living with the dead ? " ' A paragraph in the Cashel Street paper ' recalls a very peculiar incident in connection with the late Mr M'Killigan at the big fire in Hastings. The bank was on fire, and everyone waa making Btrenuoua efforts to save aa much property as possible. Poor M'Killigan was seen to enter the burning building, and coon after he returned by the back door. He was blackened by the smoke, and it appeared as though he had had a very bad time of it. In his hands, the manager held what he had saved — a sieve and a bath sponge 1 Bandsmen are moat anxiouo that the removal of the Band Rotunda should take place at an early date, as they will then be only too pleased to arrange for entertaining the general public with good musical programmes. The long oleaeant evenings will soon be here, and all that will be necessary will be to arrange for the comfort of the bandsmen who are willing to give their services for the amusement of the general public. All hope that the City Council will grant the almost universal desire of the ratepayers in this matter. No one will grudge the Star a Bmall pat on the back in connection with the Fielder entertainment. The whole affair has been an unqualified success, and it ia oheering to think that the blind man and his family will get a large share of assistance from the joint labours of those who were stirred into action by the paragraphs which appeared in this journal. A very great deal of the credit in connection with the promotion of the entertainment must be given to Mr Wilkinson, who has been untiring in his efforts from the first. The congratulations of the Star are offered to all who had anything whatever to do with the benefit entertainment.

Our Oashel street contemporary is not j trong on gold-mining terms. It refers | -his morning to "plater" deposits. Of i lourae it should have been " placer," or J klluvial deposits. The only " plater " leposits known are those fixed np by the 3hinkiea, who have on more than one jccasion gilded leaden pellets and palmed them off on unsuspecting gold-buyers. Glold -"platers" in New Mexico iB distinctly good. The blind man, E. Fielder, sends the following for publication, as the expression of his own feelinga regarding what was done for him. last night. The letter written for him runs as follows :— " Sir, — I wish to tbank hia Worship the Mayor and those kind friends who took part in the concert. I also wish to thank the newspapers for their great help. I owe them all a debt of gratitude which I can never repay for their great kindness towards me.— E. Fielbee." There -will be a caucus meeting of the Opposition this evening at eight o'clock in. the City Council Chambers, when it is hoped that aa many as can make it convenient to do so will put in an appearance. The principal business will be the Appointment of a leader and the fixing of a definite policy upon the line 3' of which the Opposi- | tion will be carried en. There will be stirring times at the Ae&embly to-morrow night, when the new Government will outline its policy. There is ab Lambeth a cock which crows in the early morn, and by ao doing wakes' up a gentleman who wants to be aaleep. The owner was unwilling to part with bis chanticleer, so the neighbour took the case into court: Mr Biron was. the arbitrator, and he gave the complainant no assistance. "You can appeal to the owner'B sense of propriety " he said. "Bat," said the applicant, "he hasn't any." "Then," said ATr Biron, "I have no more to say. You must move elsewhere." Very consoling. The excuses made on behalf of those who are anxious to raise the salaries of already highly-paid officials in the Civil Service are unworthy. With, a tailing revenue, with large numbers of "men appealing in vain for work, with refusals by the Government to relieve the pressure on charitable institutions, there can eurely be no valid excuse for raising the salaries of officials who are not only well paid, but who have been in receipt of high pay for many years. If the members of the Houee— who were returned by the people . to put a stop to the misuse of public funds ' as in the days of the Continuous Ministry j —will but do their duty, these advances i will not be sanctioned. The first truck of the Brockley coal 1 arrived in Chriatchurch on Saturday. j Seeing that this coal mine is situated ! only a few miles from the city, and has : every appearance of being developed into I a large industry, it deserves the support ; of all who desire to Bee the local industries jof the colony advanced. If this coal wof ; the quality and there' is the quantity that ! is represented, with the likelihood of a | large number of hands being employed, ii j is the bounden duty of all to foster and assist to develop it. The question is asked why should we send so much capital out of the colony ? There is no valid reaßon for it. Therefore let us keep the money here, and do our best to assist our native indußtries. The first few fine days experienced have had their effect upon the poisonous pool on the Lincoln Eoad, and last night and this morning, the stench was abominable. Apart altogether from the disgusting nature of the smell which arises from the festering, cesspool, there is the awful danger to the residents of the neighbourhood and the people of the district generally. It !b nothing less than a public scandal on the part of the responsible officers of the local bodies concerned— the Central Board of Health included— that a horrid fever bed should be allowed to exist alongside a public road, and in the midst of a large number of houses. If the nuisance is not at once abated, those - responsible for its existence will be proceeded against by one or two of the inhabitants. Why a prosecution has not been instituted long ere this, can only be attributed on the one hand to the ignorance of the people whqse health ia menaced by the filthy accumulation and, on the other, to the disinclination of the . salaried officers of the local bodies to do their duty.