LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6074, 11 January 1898, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Presbytery op Chris tchurch. — The "Eev &. B. Inglis was elected this morning .as moderator of the Presbytery of Christ- J church for the ensuing year. Dr Lamb. —Dr Lamb has so far recovered as to be able to attend the meeting of Presbytery to-day. He was accorded a hearty reception and formally associated • with the Presbytery. j Tarring the Streets. — The work of dressing the roadway in Hereford Street, between Manchester and High Streets, with coaltar and sand was begun to day, operations being started at the east cud of j the section to be treated. I Druidism. — At the ordinary meeting of ; the Bud of Hope Lodge of Druids, Rangiora, held on Monday evening, it was resolved to specially summon the Lodge for the next meeting, to consider a proposal to join the District Grand Lodge. | Not a Coveted Position.-:- At the meeting of the Agricultural College Board to-day some difficulty was experienced in wetting a Chairman for the ensuing year. Nearly every member of the Board was proposed for the position, but they all with one accord began to make excuse, and in the end Mr H. Overton (who has held the position for five years) was induced to again accept office. Latimer and Cranmer- Squares. — A very great improvement is about to be made to Latimer and Cranmer Squares ; the footpaths crossing them are to be dressed with coal-tar and sand in the manner so successfully adopted in Cathedral Square. The work of preparing the paths for the dressing has already beet completed. The improvement is one which will be greatly appreciated, for the condition ' of the paths hitherto has been such as to afford a very good excuse for those passengers who preferred to walk on the grass which was laid down with so much care. Kaiapoi School Committee. — The monthly nieeting of this committee was held last evening; present — Messrs Moore (in the chair), Feldwdck, Coup, Armitage, . Clark, Ellen, Cayerhill, Young and Butcher. •Correspondence was received from the Boartlof Education, stating that the three retiring members of the Board were Messrs Saunders, Hardy and Westenra, and asking the committee for nominations. It was decided to defer the matter. Accounts to £1 lis 6d were passed for payment. •It was resolved to leave the question of prizes for consideration of the ne»v committee, which would be elected in about two months. It was also decided to forward copy of a minute passed at a former meeting to the headmaster relative to the supply of requisites to scholars. Mr Ellen asked if information had been obtained as to the means by which entrance fees|were raised for joining the North Canterbury Teachers' Association, and the chairman was authorised to make enquiries. The subject of arranging forms to supply parents with particulars of each child's rate of passes at the annual examinations was left in the hands of tbe chairman and Mr Ellen. The meeting then closed. City Council Loan. — The Christchurch City Council invites tenders for a special loan of .£l6-10, in debentuies of .£4O each, for. a period of thirty years, bearing interest at 4 per cent, payable half-yearly. ! Acknowledgment. — Mrs Herrick desires to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt , of £1 7s, per the Rev J. J. Doke, from the Sydenham schoolboys' camp at Governor's Bay, collected at Sunday afternoon's service. Carter's Bridge, Tinwald. — The work of putting a full-width bridge across the # road between Tinwald and Ashburton has bnen completed, and. the members of the Tinwald Town Board met ou Saturday, and formally opened the structure for traffic. Personal. — Inspector Broham, who has obtained three months' leave of absence, will leave Christchurch on Saturday. He will spend the first part of his holiday on the West Coast, and afterwards go onto Auckland. — Professor Mathew and Mr T. Maude were, passengers for the north by the steamer Penguin yesterday. I Water-Supply. — The tender of Mr J. W. Thomas for constructing the race to supply Moeraki, Femside and Rangiora •with water has been accepted by the . Waimakariri- Ashley Water-supply Board. The length of the section is eleven miles, •the amount of -the tender .£45-1 2s 2s, and the contract is to be completed within two .months. i Abattoirs. — Mr W. Sharp, engineer to jthe Invercargill Town Council, arrived in Christchurch last evening by the express, j The Invercargill Town Council, which j intends constructing public abattoirs for j Invercargill in the near future, has deputed Mr Sharp to visit the Islington freezing works and the Wanganui abattoirs, with a view to selecting the class of machinery which is most suitable for the success of the enterprise. Skeleton Keys. — At Timaru yesterday ' a man named M'Clusky was convicted of having a bunch of skeleton keys, housebreaking instruments, in his possession without lawful excuse. He wa3 arrested in a hut at St Andrews on another charge, and on two constables searching him at the time a bunch of eight keys, four of which were picklocks, were found in his coat pocket, wrapped up in paper. He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment. Ono of the skeletons was tried on the outer doors of tlie police office, and it opened two of thorn. A charge against the same man of receiving stolen money was dismissed after hearing the statement of the case, a3 there was no means of identifying the money as having been • stolen. A Conservative Cabman. — An unusually j spirited discussion took place yesterday morning at the cabstand in the Triangle, the subject under consideration being as to 1 whether some arrangement could not be I come to whereby the dashing off of two or three cabs at once to cater for a faie could j not be obviated. A suggestion to the effect I that a rule should be made whereby all i cabmen on the stand should stand down from their boxes excepting the front cab j and four-wheeler Avas canvassed and met with general approval, there being only one dissentient ; but he proved a host in himself and in the wordy war which ensued he stood to his guns in a most resolute man- ! ner. All the blandishments of his brethren were rejected with scorn, and he utterly declined to be coerced into any such newfangled arrangement. Hubbard, Hall and Co. for Christmas hams, Christmas fruits, preserving sugars •tuns, and all kinds of general groceries at lowest prices. * 913

Old Age Pensioners.— A mass meeting is convened for to-night in Cathedral Square. Sa.i.e of Fruit. — An auction sale of 1 fruit will be held by Messrs Ayers, Beauj champ and Co. at 2.30 p.m. to-morrow. I Swimming.— A meeting of the committee of the Lancaster Park Swimming Club was held on Friday evening; present — Mr R. ' O. Duncan (in the chair), Messrs J. Hillary, W. Bergh, N. Francis, E. Priestnall, D; Steinmetz and the hon treasurer and j hon secretary. The captain reported that I the lease from the ground company ' was complete. Correspondence was read from Messrs T. Brown, H. W. Jennings, G. F. White and Wi. Bate, all , of whom forwarded donations for prizes. It was resolved to hold a juniors' race on_Feb. 3, and also to hold the first annual wice„ meeting on March 5, when prizes ' amounting to the value of nearly -320 will be raced for. The programme for the meeting was drawn up, seventeen new members were elected and, after passing accounts, the meeting closed.