The Star. MONDAY, MAT 16, 1893.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6489, 16 May 1898, Page 2

The Star. MONDAY, MAT 16, 1893 .

SUMNER NOTES.

♦ [From Our Correspondent.] The Borough Council accounts underwent an examination through the hands of the auditor recently, when he remarked that it was a pleasure to examine books so neatly and methodically kept, and that the Council was fortunate in possessing the services of a Town Clerk who understood his business so thoroughly. He also congratulated the Council upon its financial position. We were quite aware before of Sumner's unusually healthy position as regards its finance, but it is always gratifying to be reminded of the fact. Parents now-a-days appear to exercise too little discretion in allowing their boys the use of firearms. It seems to me that as soon as a boy reaches the manly age of twelve or at most fourteen years, he considers himself quite old enough to handle a gun, and unfortunately his parents frequently share the idea. The consequence is that these generally reckless youths are let loose upon the community to work their sweet will. If men like one of our erstwhile Sumner resideats, Mr Bowring, come to grief in the excitement of shooting how can we expect excitable boys to use more discretion under similar circumstances. It is ten to one that the average boy will become so elated upon the possession of a gun of any sort that he will fire at anything and everything without calculating where the shot may go, if, which is more than likely, he misses his aim. Such is probably the explanation of what happened recently when some residents were startled by a crash, which suggested broken windows, and upon investigation such was proved to be the case, a bullet from a pea-rifle having

done the mischief. The people are, of course, justly incensed, not, as they explain, on account of the cost of the glass, but of the danger. Fortunately, no one happened to have had a fanoy to stand between the boy's gun and the window that time, but upon another occasion somebody might happen to be in the way , °", 18 bullet, and one can only surmise what the consequences would be. 1 accidentally met a member of the JJeantofymg Association the other day, when he exclaimed, " Oh ! I am so glad I IVB1 V 8 "t yOU - Per haps you can teU me why there is any objection raised to placing the proposed scoria building upon +if Ve T ik ? I have examined the plans at the Lyttelton Harbour Board's office, and it appears to me that the little building, instead of being a disfigurement, will be an improvement, and as it is to have a seat round it, it will be a distinct gain to the public. His idea exactly coincides with my own, and which I have expressed before. It appears to me that the objection emanates from the brain of one solitary individual. We have been having such exceedingly high tides lately that part of the breakwater near the baths has been washed away. This is very unfortunate for the fishermen, as it formed a splendid little anchorage for their boats. lam glad Ido not live on or near the Fishermen's Flat, as I saw some of the houses completely surrounded by water, aud most of the land between the sea and the tram line is still, to say the least of it, extremely swampy. One night the tram lines were just visible, the road being submerged ; and another night even the lines wero not clear. But I suppose it is only what we must expect, as we generally follow "the other side," and Sydney appears to have been having rather a rough time of it lately.