South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), Saturday 28 March 1885, page 3


MISCELLANEOUS.

Large Ordhr tor Cosned Beef tor India.— The Acting Chief Secretary (the Hon. T. Playford) on Monday afternoon received fhp. fnHn-win!7 ielenmm from the

Governor of Bombay:— 'Government will be obliged if you can send to Eombay by next mail 34,0C0 1b. corned beef. Pay ment Indian Government.' Mr. Playford says there will be no difficulty ex perienced in complying with this request. He has placed himself in communication with Mr. L. Conrad, butcher, Adelaide, on the subject, and that gentleman states that he can undertake the order, for which he has quoted a price. Large quantities of cornad beef .are exported from South Aus ttalia to India, Ceylon, Cape, and the Mauritius. Mr. Conrad has many tons of the beef in stock, and he would be prepared to dispatch it whenever required. One of onr reporters visited his cellars. The beef is cut up in the shop and placed into a shoot, through which it passes into a tank in the cellar. It is taken frorr the tank, and the brine or pickle is then injected into it by means of a trickling needle. It is next weil 'salted, and then it is stored in a tank, where it is allowed to remain for a few days. After this it is ready for Sacking. It is racked in casks oi ICO or 200 )., and in these it is said to keep in prime condition. The ordinary price for the beef is about 3d. alb., but in this case it 13 pro bable a less sum will be quoted. This is the first time an order for beef haa _ueen re ceived here from the Government in _ India. It is supposed the beef ia required for the troops, and thai the Government are taking necessary precautions against any emergency. Mr. L. Conrad has undertaken the order for 34,000 lb. of corned beef for the Indian Government, and the contract has been let to him. The price is a trifle over threepence a a pound.

Fece Grass from the Interior.— The Hon. John Oozier has left at our office a couple of very fine specimens of Mitchell grass, which he has received from his son, Mr. Harry Crozier, who sent them down from ms ran, near LakeBulka, in the Grey .Ranges, to show the condition of the country up to the recent rains. The grass is three feet long, having heads like young wheat heads, and is the result of six weeks' growth. A Distinguished Visitor. — On board the Orient steamer Orient, which arrived from London on Thursday morning, were, amongst other passengers, Mr. and Mrs. J. G. S. Anderson. Mr. Anderson is one of the managers of the Orient Company, and his purpose in coming to the colonies is to relieve Mr. G. Skelton yuill, the Australian Manager, resident at Sydney, whilst Mr. Yuill proceeds on a 'trip to Europe. Mrs. Garret Anderson ha3 a world-wide celebrity as one of the first lady doctors. Building Improvements, Ruddle-street. — Among: the recent improvements notice able in Bundle-street are premises erected by Messrs. D. Garlick & Son, architects, for Messrs. E. ess W. Hackett, situated en the site which wa3 previously occupied by the Town and Country Eank_ and Mr. 'Wohlcke. The new building ha.3 [a frontage to Bundle-street of 23 feet with a depth of 56 feet. On the ground floor are two shop3 and living rooms, all 13 ft. 6 in. hisjh. The first and second floors, which are 12 feet high, are designed with a view to their being occupied By a photographer's establishment or any other business reauiring abundant light aad ventila tion. The Building is built of brick through out, obtained from the .Blackwood kilns. The two front3 are finished in Portland cement, tastefully relieved with rusticated and fluted pilasters at the angles. The windows are finished with moulded cornices and scrolled pediments. Credit is due to the contractors, Messrs. C. Farr & Sons, for the expeditious and efficient manner in which they carried out the work, the whole having been in hand only three months from the time of signing the contract. An Adelaide Arcade.— 'We have been informed that Messrs. Beck & Co. have been negotiating to purchase the lease of Barker and Chambers's Sturt Horse Bazaar, in Grenfell-street, and also Gay's premises, the scene of the late disastrous fire, with a view to building an arcade, running right through to Rundle-street. The arrangements for the erection of the proposed Arcade from Rundle street to Grenfell-street are now approaching completion, and it is probable that within about a month the work will be actually com-menced. It is to be pushed forward with rapidity, and will give employment to 200 men. We understand that the cost of the building will be about £15,000. The Hon. J , C. Bray.— A circular despatch from Lord Derby to Sir W. C. F. Robinson, published in last week's Gazette, contains the intimation that it is Her Majesty's pleasure that Mr. J. C. Bray, the late 'Prime Minister' of this colony, shall retain the title of honourable within the limits of South Australia. St. Patrick's Day.— The anniversary of St. Patrick's Day was celebrated pretty well all over the colony on March 17 in a more or less noteworthy manner. A good programme of sports was gone through at the Adelaide Oval under the auspices of the Hibernian Australasian Catholic Benefit Society, and a very successful concert _was given in the Town Hall in the evening, at which his Excellency the Governor attended, and Irish melodies were sung by several popular vocalists. Picnics, sports, and concerts were_ held in celebration of the day in many leading towns throughout the colony. The weather was very warm, but otherwise it was nearly all that could be desired for out ot-door sports. ~Strike at Petersburg. — Mr. Jones received a telegram from his officers on Thursday evening, March 19, which stated that thirty-four men had struck work at the second camp for higher wages. There are three camps or sites at distances of seven, fourteen, and twenty-two miles from Petersburg, and the total number of men employed on them is 260. They were all offered piecework at the ordinary rates, but, with the exception of about twelve of them, they preferred the 5s. 6d. a day. It was stated that they were satisfied with this, and the Conservator of Water was sur prised to receive intelligence of the strike, which he attributes to the influence of a few discontented persons. On Friday morning he sent the following telegrams to his officers at the Second Camp : — 'At once pay off the thirty four men on strike. Not to be re-employed at reservoirs. No increase of rate of wages will be approved.' On Friday he received a telegram saying that the majority of the men employed are satisfied, and that those on strike are single men. The Conservator of Water states that he has received applica tions for work from a number of men, and that he will have no difficulty in filling up any vacancies caused. Our correspondent telegranhs from Petersburg, March 21. — 'The strike at the Railway Beservoir has ended. It wa3 principally caused by a few single men. The total number paid off is twenty- seven ; all the remainder are working contentedly. The men paid off left the camp without the slightest disturbance.' It will be remem bered that the men were sent to Petersburg by the Government in response to the urgent demands of work for the unemployed. The Claim to Granite Island.— The claim preferred by Mr. J. A. Johnson to Granite Island has, we are informed, been abandoned. No further claim ha3 yefc been made by this gentleman in respect of the land order he holds. Probate and Letters of Administra tion.— The following have been granted during Lhe past week : — Probates. — Johann T. Weinert, £50; Johann G. Pfeiffer, £520 ; Joseph H. Horasby, £4,600 ; Jacob Lav/son, £190; William Newman, £1,000; Henry Taylor, £1,000; Samuel Saunders, £1,850 Michael Snigg, £2,800 ; William Bain, £3S0. Letters of Administration. — Eliaa Salom, £1,500 ; Richard Paterson, £20. Under In tercolonial Probate Act.— Probate (New Z land)— David Hart, £79. An Adelaide-made Organ.— On Mon afternoon we had an opportunity of hearing a fine two-manual chamber organ, which Las been built for Mr. G. S. Hale, and placed !i a room specially erected for the reception of the instrument at his residence in Sydenham road, Norwood. Mr. W. G. Eendall, of Stepney, well known as an organ builder, was the maker, and his work is most creditable in every way, the combinations harmonizing well, and the appearance of the instrument 13 highly pleasing. The great organ compass is from CC to Go in alt, and comprising 56 notes, the stops being open diapason, metal, S feet ; stop diapason and clarabella, wood, S feet ; dulciana, metal, 8 feet ; principal, metal, 4 feet ; and fifteenth, metal, A feet. The swell organ compass is the same as the other, a lieblich gedackt, wood and metal, S feet ; harmonic flute, metal, 4 feel; ; and oboe, reed, metal, S feet, being provided. The pipes for the latter stop are for the present missing, and a violetta 2-feet ha3 been substituted temporarily. There are three couplers— swell to great, swell to pedal, and great to pedal — and two composition pedals for altering the stops in the great organ, besides a swell pedal, which operates on a swell case 2J- inches in thickness. The organ is voiced to a pressure of three inches cf wind, and the action i3 of most modern con struction, all parts subject to damage by friction being bushed and working on nickel centres. All the interior workings are con structed of well-seasoned oak, mahogany, and clear Spine, the whole of which is polished and varnished. The touch is light and elastic, and as a consequence all movements are conspicuous by the_ absence of noise. The case is 'rnads of imitation black walnut, panelled in pitch pine, and the full-speaking eight-feet frpnt projecting console is elabo rately stencilled and gilded, producing an uncommon but pretty effect. A alight de parture has been made in the position of the pedals, which radiate, and are thus rendered more convenient to the player. The number of pipes when the oboe set is completed will be 62-i. Those stops perhaps most acceptable to the ear are the clarabella, which on the great organ is exceedingly full, and the violin diapason, which on the swell is alike good. Tha instrument stands about 12 feet high, is 10 feet wide and about 6 ft. 6 in. deep, the provision for a blower being made at the right side. There are very few instruments of this description in private families in the colony, and Mr. Hale has been induced to nrocure his at a cost of £250, for practice and tuition. An Historian of London in Adelaide.— The P^ev. 'William J. Loftie, who is known in literary circles now as ths historian of London, was a passenger by the Orient, which arrived at the Semaphore on Thurs day week. He i3 accompanied by Mrs. Loftie and children, with wnom he proceeds 'with the steamer to Melbourne. Mr. Lottie proposes to return to Adelaide in a few days. He will then go on to Albany by the mail steamer, and after transacting some business there he will rejoin his family in Melbourne. The rev. gentleman holds the office of assis tant chaplain at the Chapel Royal, Savoy. He is moie distinguished as a writer than'a preacher, and his latest work, 'The History of London,' 2 vols., which has run into the secqnd edition, has been well received by the critics and the public. He has come to Aus tralia for the benefit of his health, and he purposes returning by the Orient on her pas sage home. Projected Building Improvements. — New buildings are to be erected upon the block in Pirie-street adjoining that unique structure known as Selbome Chambers, and from the designs of the same architect, Mr. John Haslam, also for the 3ame proprietor, air, J, H. Symcn, Q.Q, The buildings will

consist of three shops 37 ft. x 15 feet. 6 ia. with a grillroom in the rear 44 ft. G in. x 33 ft. 6 in. This will be specially fitted up as a first-class grill after the London style, with a buffet for ladies' and gentlemen's dining-room, and all the needful arrange ments. The ceiling ia to be formed in nine panels, supported upon ornamental columns. The first floor will be devoted to residence, ladies' dining-room, and a showroom over the two shops. The front elevation will be of brick, with cement and stone dressings. and in much the sains style as Selbome Chambers. This will complete the block, and cover the whole of the ground Jon the north side of Pirie-street, forming one row from King William-street to Freeman-street, thus adding greatly to the architectural characteristics of the thoroughfare, The contract has been let to Mr. W. Bogers. The Parliamentary Buildings. — The new Houses of Parliament are now showing signs of substantial progress, and in a very Ehort time the wails of tne stately edifice will be towering high above the ugly hoarding by which it is surrounded. The basement floor and the foundations of the tower have been completed. The workmen are now approach ing the ground, floor, and all the granite in the walls will soon have been put in. The latter work has been pushed forward rapidly, and the contractors now propose to begin the marble work. The maxble used in the out side work is to be sand rubbed. To facilitate operations a tramway has been laid down from the station to the site, and four immense cranes are employed in moving the blocks of stone [into tfieir places, Messrs. W. F. Gray & Co.'s contract for the ventila tion of tha old buildinc; has been completed. Freemasonry Items. — The Mount Gambier Lodge of Freemasons have re solved to surrender the English warrant, under which they have been working for the last seventeen years, and to make application for a warrant under the South Australian Constitution. This may be considered a source of congratulation to the well-wishers of Masonry throughout the colony, perfect unanimity amongst the craf fc lately working under the English Constitution being now thoroughly established, The Lodges formerly working under the Scotch Constitution were absolutely unanimous from the first, and only one Lodge of the Irish Constitution re tains its connection with the parent Grand Lodge; a very large number of its members are, however, individually desirous of joining the South Australian Grand Lodge, but as the ownership of some very valuable property might he jeopardized by the Lodge leaving the Irish Constitution the severance cannot at present be effected. The utmost friendli ness, notwithstanding, prevails between the members of the Irish and South Australian Constitutions, as evinced by the fact that the last meeting of the South Australian Grand juodge was held at the Irish Masonic Hall, Way mouth-streetj kindly lent for the occasion by ihe trustees. The members of the Mount Gambier Lodge have from the first been in favour of the establishment of the South Australian Grand Lodge, but thought it wise to delay action until recognition of its supremacy was granted by the Grand Lodge of England. The assurances recently received from His Eoyal Highness the Prince of Wales (the Grand Master of England) and Colonel Clerke (the Grand Secretary) of their willingness to support the wishes of their douth Australian brethren have satisfied the members of the Mount Gambier Lodge that delay is no longer necessary, and they have accordingly given in tbeir allegiance to the Hon. S. J. 'Way, the Chief Justice, as Grand Master of South Australian Freemasonry. Celebration of the Emperor William's Birthday.— Monday, March 23, being the anniversary of the birthday of the Emperor of Germany, who ha3 now attained his SSfch year, it was duly observed by the members of the German Club. In the evening a largely attended concert was given in the Albert Hall. The proceedings opened with Ae^ German National Hymn, the tune of which is the same a3 the British National Anthem, and the audience cheered heartily. Vocal and instrumental music followed, which was greatly enjoyed. A ball succeeded the concert, and dancing was kept up with great zest till an early hour next morning. At the supper the usual loyal toasts, both English and German, were drunk with enthusiasm, A Golden Wedding. — A correspondent writes :— '' On the 1st instant Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Barnes, of Bowden-on-the-Hiil. cele brated their golden wedding. They arrived in this colony with one daughter in the year 1S37 per ship Coromandel. Their firsi son was born on North-terrace shortly after their arrival. During their forty-eight years' experience of colonial life they, in common with most old colonistSj have seen many ups and downs. On the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding-day they received the con gratulations of exactly fifty descendants, namely, five sons, three daughters, thirty seven grandchildren, and five greatgrand children, as well as the good wishes of a large circle of friends.'