CHRISTCHURCH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 8, 9 December 1892, Page 27

CHRISTCHURCH.

(From our own Correspondent.) Mb and Mbb Neilson, of the Boyal Comic Opera Compony, executed with much pathos at High Mass at the pro-Cathedral on Sunday last as & duet the hymn, " Ecse Panis." Mrs Neilson has a rich, sweet, and powerful soprano voice, and is very happy at the tremolo. She sung at Vespers in the same artistic and finished etyle an *' Aye Maria." Messrs Neilson, Behan, and G. Cronin rendered impressively as a tiio " O Salutaris '* (Mercadante), and Messrs Behan and ' Cronin, Cellini's " Tantum Ergo " with the same pathos and finish. Ten performers known as the " Maupank Minstrels " gave an excellent musical and dramatic entertainment under the anspices of tbe members of tbe St Aloysian Guild in their rooms on Monday evening last. Tbe object of the concert was to raise funds in order to provide the Guild with a supply of suitable books to form a library, and it is pleasing to have to say that the concert was artistically and financially a eaccess. There was a good attendance, and the Bey

Fathers Cummings, T.G., Aobrey, Le Menant, and Bell, also Mr Behan, of the Opera Company, were present. Each performer sang a solo in good style, and the choruses were well rendered, and the jokes were good, cleverly told, and caused much merriment. The reappearance, as one of the corner-man, of Mr J. Bagley— whose talents for the droll and diverting are well knowo, and were displayed on many occasions some years back at parochial entertainmeats—was an agreeable surprise. Mrs D. Scrimigeour, who discharged ably during the evening the duties of accompanist, opened the second part of the entertainment with a well-executed overture on the piano. Mr Mulvihill gave, with much taste, a recitation. Mr Beamish sang in good style the song, " Tne pilot." The next item, a comic song, which Mr J. Bagley sang, was muoh applauded, and Mr J. Finlay gave a capital recitation. Mr A. Dobbs sang well, in character, « Waiting to hear tbe verdict," and Mr J. Hennessy, an ever willing and frequent contributor, rendered, with much taste, a choice vocal selection. The entertainment concluded with the amusing and excellent comedietta, "My Tarn Next." The various characters in the play were ably sustained by Messrs J. Mulvihill, F. Haughey, A. Dobbs, M. J. Beddington, 0. Goggin, M. Hoban, and J. Finlay. Mr Malvihill, as Twitters, a village chemist, and Mr Finlay, as Peggy, a servant-maid, were happily cast, and their acting was excellent.

Williamson's Royal Comic Opera Company still draws good houses. Exeryone was last week in raptures over the " Gondoliers," " Marjorie," and " Old Guard," which are three totally different operas. In "Marjorie" the chief character, the Earl of Chestermere, was given to Mr Byley, and his acting, like his singing, called forth much admiration, and Miss F, Toung aa Marjorie, deserves the highest praise for her conception of the part. Miss Granpner, too, is excellent and her appearance on tbe stage is always the signal for a round of applause. The late Mr Alfred Oellier's tuneful opera " Dorothy," was, with the same minute attention to details, pat on the stage on Friday and Saturday night last. Miss Mary Pollard as Dorothy acted with much ease, sang very archly, and was enthusiastically called before the curtain. Miss F. Toung as Lydia Hawthorne divided hononrs with Miss Pollard, Both tbeße young ladies Bhowed much histrionic ability by their assumption of rustic manners in the first act and their well-feigned fright in the dual scene in the third act. For Monday night next " Pepita," another charming opera, is announced.

The polling for the office of Mayor for the ensuing year for this city took place on Wednesday last, and excited much interest, though the proceedings were quiet and good-humoured throughout the day, A large number of persons thronged around ihe City Council Chamber—which was tbe polling place— and the returning officer and his clerk were kept steadily employed receiving the votes of the burgesses. There were three candidates — Messrs Eden George, William Thomson, and John Tippett Smith. The record of votes was 112?, or 21 less than they were at the Mayoral election last year, and 403 ratepayers polled for Mr George, who was elected by a majority of 13 votes. When the result of the contest was made known in the evening there was much enthusiasm among the crowd, bat the candidates were not Dresent. Mr George, howevar, arrived soon, and addressed the citizens from the box of his cab. He returned thanks to the ratepayers for electing him, and he thanked especially his supporters the labour party. He would endeavour to uphold the dignity of his new office, and he thought that the work of the Council needed a thorough reorganisation, and in a few montha he would perfect and bring under the notice of ratepayers a scheme for this purpose. — Mr J. T. Brice, who waß oppoßed by Messrs W. Thomeon, N. 0. Schumacher, «nd W. Hildyard, was on the Barae day returned for the office of Mayor at Fort Lyttelton. The result of the polling was received with cheers, and tbe newly -elected Mayor was carried shoulder high.

One result of Mr T. M. Lonargan'a recent trip to Europe is the introduction of a new system of a cash railway, which has just been fixed in the Waterloo House. Tbe head office in the colonies for the invention is at Sydney, and the contrivance, which is known as the Laweon Store Service Company's patent, is one of the simplest and yet one of the most effective ever introduced here, and has been pat into position by Mr H. 0. Le Bas, the expert who represents Mr 0. 0. Kemp, the agent for Australasia. The whole service is in splendid

working order, and n fleets great credit on Mr Le Bas. There are two lines of overhead railway similar in idea (o the ordinary railway line with switches and points. The lines, which are circular brass rods about half an inch in diameter and placed a little on the down grade> are suspended from the ceiling by wires, and the work is done by different sized balls wherein the cash and bills are enclosed for conveyance to the cash desk. The money and the bill are placed in the ball, which is elevated in a kind of cage from tbe station over the counter, When the ball reaches tbe top of the rods op which the cage raas, the ball is released on to tbe lines, or rather on to a bridge, which gives the ball the requisite impetus to proceed onward to the desk. Bach station sends a different sized ball, and when tbe money has been received and the bill entered, the ball is elevated and returns whence it came. Should the nearer station to the desk be one for a larger ball, tbe smaller ball which belongs to a further station, passes onward, bnt the larger ball strikes a bntton, which depresses the ball into a net, and from thence into a leather pad, and from the latter into the basket wherefrom the ball is eaßily removed. Since the smaller balls are unable to strike the button they pass on to their own Btations. But it is on the upper floor where the ingenuity of the patentees is shown. The ball comes up from the cash desk below, and as it is necessary that a curve should be made to reach the counter at tbe far side, an ingenious switch arrangement is provided whereby the direct line is blocked, and the ball is sent along the branch line.