Wo have passed in 1879 a' year of hard trial-—trial of a kind, however, not un common in the history of the world, and -we most take the ebb and flow.of life’s tide as it comes—-take adversity with a stiff tipper lip and a stout • heart, and prosperity with a‘ soul grateful to that Almighty ■ Giver, the birth of, ■ whose blessed Son we leave labor to-day to cele brate. . His birth was heralded by the grand old anthem, “ Peace on earth, good will towards men,” and as it recurs to our memory to-day, let us forget our past troubles, and look forward to a better future. Our lot may have been hard in 1 the immediate past, but Hhat of our countrymen in the land we left behind us tiM been harder still, and to many thou sands of them there Christmas wiU dawn dark and dreary, on hearts desolate and sorrow-stricken. *

There are times in a man’s life when he eares not to say all he would.' A journalist le called- upon all through the year, and on every passing subject, to, utter his thoughts; but at a time like this, when • has more to do with his own heart •bd his own life, it is better to leave un written the many, thoughts that crowd Upon the writer. To us who now write ’tiie people of this county have been especially kind. In our short career We have been conscious of many short- but these have been borne with forbearance.' For this leniency we are grateful,'and in the general resolve that every man will make for amendment in the year whose birth chimes'will soon ring ■ upon us wo merge our own, and we re iterate to our readers, with earnestness and hope, the happy salutations of the season, A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Ye ar.

! This “ GuAßniAr. ” — The new machi nery for printing the “Guardian” is in domae of erection, and it is quite .within the bounds of possibility that we may appear-in our new- form on the first of

January. ‘' Fikr Brigade. — 1 The Fire Brigade Committee held a meeting last night, and adopted a- report to be presented to the Borough Council. Caledonian Society.— As the games are to begin-sharpat 10 a.m., the mem bers and pipers of the Society are re quested to assemble at the Bridge at 9 a.HL, from whence they will inarch to the . grounds, Raymond’s Diorama.—An entertain ment of a very pleasing nature took place in the Rakaia schoolroom on Friday even ing, consisting- of scenes in the adven - tores of Livingstone and Stanley in South Africa, and also, pictures of the Zulu war. The descriptive lecture was of a very ir . tereating nature, and very ably delivered. Sokhe Of the scenes were sufficiently • humorous to evoke hearty laughter, par . ticularly from the juvenile portion of the audience, and the entertainment was a great success. . “ Pinafore.” —The name of “ Pirn fore ”is getting a trifle stale now.-a-days. ■ Last. night at a meeting of the Fire . Brigade a question was brought up about S- contract Mr. Samuel Hardley had in hand ; and it appeared from what was 5 said that Hardley had hardly finished the job to the satisfaction of the brigade. One .member asked if it was usual to pass jobs before completion, and the answer was promptly given “Hardly ever,”

Christmas Decorations. — Our towns ' men .have not forgotten the time-honored .'Christniastide, ana the quantity of verdure displayed yesterday in the shops of our jlocal tradesman was a sign that the old jen&eUishinents 0 f the home country had ' not been forgotten. The number of country visitors was unprecedented, and we have heard more than one: business

man declare that yesterday waa the best record ofc cash gales he had, known for months. ■ The Rivers. —Owing to the flooded State of the river, three waggons have

r been" stack up ”at Dlgby’a Ford. One with wool,, from Buccleuch Station, belongs to Mr. Hay T. Smith, the bottom teer of wool being in the water ; another is Mr. Corsbie’s, of Alford Station ; and - the third is Mr. J. Spencer’s. Mr. Cors bie’s waggon is wool-laden, and Mr. Spencer’s is loaded with timber. Two days’ incessant rain- in the hills no doubt earned the flood, not only in the Ashbur ton, but also in. the Rakaia and Rangitata.

Racsno Club. — A meeting of the .. Bacing Committee was held yesterday afternoon, at which were present Messrs. • S. Sunders, 0. C. Fooks, C. W. Ireland, ; and Ji Wilkie—Mr. Saunders presiding. * It was resolved that the stakes in the races won by -Orange Peel be paid over to the second horse, and the Treasurer was empowered to hand over the money. It was decided that: a general meeting of the members t be held, at the Road Board Offioe on Friday, Jan- 2, at eight ' receive bdii&co'jhoot* A balance of L*o ~ due by the Club to the Tre'asurer was ; autlvriwd ip be paid.' ; SponmVWe understand that - Ifcjftthe'intention .of the railway author!' . tirirtorup an ea^ra'train from Ashh ur ion to#i?iwp’f' ; bn;/NeW .Year’s Day. The .K otdmary train.at-II aim.' will have a large “Triages .attached, to accom- Idesitbps. of seeing, the first part of the pro- JHfl horse racing. Another ye 'Ashburton at 12.50 for inters to Winslow that in«Mhy ‘.the•' B^l5■ .ordinary special at 5. S0 f and if they sen the fag-end of the -temalatill; the. 7 p.ra.

of their 'Magazine, ’’ just leS^^™33Seiii.' : " Jt'oontaina 12 of: the pieces, waltzes, .. The first piece is ‘liSifffffiniwilft valsa'. cle i salon by Turner, en- - ffext', follow' the well- * * 'the Mountain Belle,” cornea .Sfcrartss’ wbrld- by the charm ffl|PMMwiini)f which .every. Votary of Ijpei* delighted. Next fol- songs, “Still Bishop’s Cfthia wain'” We B'Cheautiful melody “ Blu !i»-characteristic modula * Waiting,” and five Christy ballads-—making HBMwfe 1 jjterof the cheapest shilling’s- B|H|^^ah)rtpoiifl t ever published, The HHUjwQßdit on ml engage w * tß ? 1 ...

Measles. —The ship Auckland has arrived at Port Chalmers, and has been put into quarantine. She has 40 cases of measles on board. Oocirrr Council Offices. — An adver tisement in another column announces that the County Council’aoffices in Baring Square, will be the Council’s official domicile after the 22nd inst.

Telegraph Communication. — The Lyt telton and Christchurch post-offices are to be connected by telegraph, and it is ex pected that by Saturday the Lyttelton Harbor Board will be placed in communi cation with the Heads and the pilot station. -

: Rain in the North. —Recent rains in the North Island, says a telegram received this morning, have brought down for the Auckland Timber Company 440 logs, and the. prospect of more is high. The average rainfall last week was 3.75 inches, exceeding the entire months of December in the last fifteen years..

Railway Reductions. —lt was rumored in Christchurch on Monday that over 70 hands in the various departments at the Christchurch terminus had received, or were about to receive notice that their services would bo dispensed with at an early date, and that some 9s. a day em ployees would be reduced to Bs. a day.

B.M. Court. —On Tuesday morning the Resident Magistrate had a light calendar, only six cases being set down for hearing. In two of these there was no appearance, three others were decided in favor of plaintiffs with costs, and one was adjourned till the 30th. . One of the de cided cases was a suit for rates at the in stance of the Borough Council.

Heavy Weather.— The coach running between Christchurch and Hokitika has been knocked out of time. A telegram from Hokitika says that though due on Saturday the conveyance has not arrived. It has been detained at the Bealey, with fourteen passengers and a heavy mail. It has been blowing a gale of wind there for four days, with heavy rain, and is still blowing ard raining. All traffic by land or sea is stopped. The rivers are flooded, and there is no sign of abatement.

Certificates of Merit —Those scholars of the Borough schools who have earned by their attention, diligence, and aptitude, the certificates. of merit awarded by the School Committee, and which will bear the attestations of the examiners, the head master, and the Chairman of Com mittee, will have these important docu ments forwarded to them in letters by the secretary, Mr. Ward, who well deserves the hearty cheers for him on Monday by the scholars, for the unflagging interest he still takes in the school. Economy in Railway Expenditure.— We understand it is the intention of the Railway Departrr ent to economise its expenditure. At present there are four waymeu on each six-mile length of the permanent way. These sections are now to be extended to seven miles, thus doing away with about 20 per cent of the labor employed. This is the sort of economy which is usually the outcome of Parlia mentary debates. The highly paid officials are retained, even where there is a surplus of them, but the men who do the really necessary work of keeping the line in working order are to have a larger share of work to do, and those considered superfluous are to look' elsewhere for the means of livelihood.

Somebody Wrong. —At the Court on Tuesday, in a case in which a man named Parkinson sued defendant. Little, for LBl6s, a witness swore that he had seen the summons placed in the envelope, had taken the document to Little, and given it to him into his own hand on the Saturday night. Defendant just as positively swore he never saw nor heard anything of the summons until the Sunday morning following, when he got it from his wife. Either one or other of these gentlemen must have a very oblique recollection of things, or they, sadly misunderstand the nature of an oath. The Magistrate will doubtless be able next Court-day to say who is who.

Pedigree Wheat. —At the suggestion of Mr. W. Kennaway, Secretary to the Agent-General, Mr. W. H. Mold, of Ash ford, Kent, England, the grower of heavy pedigree wheat known as “ Mold’s ennobled red and white,” has written to the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, with a vijw of having this wheat tried by the farmers in this Pro vincial district. Dr. M f Murtrie, com missioned by the American Minister, visited Mr. Mold’s farm last year, and re ported that 70 acres sown with this wheat produced more than 170 acres of ordinary American wheat. That gentleman tmk away 200 sacks tq be distributed in America, It it stated that on one root as many as 106 heads have been grown. Only half the usual quantity of this seed is required, and it is sown a month earlier, as it requires mofe tpqe qqd vqon\.

The Chanqfj of Tariff. —The Wel lington correspondent of the Auckland “ Star ” writes Upon enquiry it is stated to be quite erroneous that large sums were made by clearances in anticipation of the tariff changes.' The only firm here which did well on its clearance was that of Turnbull and Co., and they are not in any way connected with politics or poli ticians. That firm alone cleared fully half the tobacco taken out of bond. They also took out their oilmen’s stores. They acted partly on their own judgment and partly on that of a commercial friend, who said the duty on tobacco would certainly be faised'sixpehce. The firms who came off worst were Johnston’s and Levin’s, each of which has a representative in the House ind ate Government supporters, having cleared out the day before the change an unusually large amount of sugar, but re markably little of those articles on which the duty -is increased. • Johnston’s firm was much about the same. Neither firm made anything out of tariff changes, but rather the reverse.

H.M.S. Pinafore vs Cour*. —During the hearing of the celebrated grog case on Dec. 11, considerable amusement was caused by Mr. Fitzherbert asking if spirits Were never watered before being sent out. On receiving the answer' “never,” he looked up and remarked, “ What, never." and the answer was given with increased emphasis, “ No, never.” The temptation was too great, and pat came the “ What, never,” and the answer “ Well, hardly ever,” amid the prolonged laughter of those in Court, in which the Bench heartily joined.—“ Wanganui Chronicle.”

TELEGRAPHIC.

UNKNOWN

(l . , .<J)ON, Dec. 19. Best Australian • . o.i tallow, 30s Gd. There is a serious . .no in Silesia. Dec. 20. At a ConsV'rv vth meeting at Leeds, Sir Stafford North mr : irnde a speech, in which ho stated th: • me policy of Govern ment was unaffected by Afghan affairs. It continues to be defence, not annexation. Arrived—Loch Dee. -Dec. 21. ■Latest news from the Cape states that the.. British troops, have taken the strong hold of Seoocoeni. . Two officers were killed and four wounded. Paris, Dec. 21. The Ministry have resigned, and Monsieur Freycinet is forming a now Ministry. ' Calcutta, Dec. .20. General Gough arrived at Jugdulluk unopposed yesterday. Numbers of Ghilzais were hovering about, but they were a disorganised rabble. The other tribes are quiet. General Norman is rapidly advancing. Dec. 21. Ths latest intelligence from General Roberts on Dec. 18 reports all well and no further fighting. He is remaining on the defensive at Sherpar. He urges General Gough’s immediate advance in light order, and says he will meet with no opposition. When reinforcements have arrived he can settle. Cabul affairs without difficulty. General Gough left to-daj r with 1,400 men and four guns. The road to Cabul is clear.

Calcutta, Dec. 22. General Gough was continuing to ad vance yesterday. The Ghilzais harassing his troops, he attacked and defeated them, driving them from the heights. Bright reports that a general advance of rein forceme its &c., reaches Gandamak shortly, and will then co-operate with General Gough.

(Ase Special.) London, Dec. 21. General Gough is marching on Cabul with two thousand five hundred men, and six guns. Secocoeni’s reported killed. The revolutionary party is active in the ' 5j finish provinces. Government has ordered the arrest of the leaders of the party, including many military officers. London, Dec. 23. Latest news from Afghanistan states that General Stewart has been dispatched with a strong force to Candahar for the purpose of relieving General Roberts. The Empress of Russia is seriously ill with pleurisy. It is feared it will end fatally. Edison is reported to have overcome his difficulties in connection with the general use of electric light, and a heavy fall in gas shares has attended the circu lation of the report. (Argus Special. ) London. Dec. 21. The impression is increasing that Par liament will be dissolved in spring. The Italian Embassy is pressing for an extension of time for their intended des patch of exhibits to the Melbourne Ex hibition by a man-of-war. O.ie thousand exhibits are expected. Holland lias voted L 1,700 ; is backward.

AUSTRALIAN.

( Reutfr's. ) Sydney, Doc. 23. The Executive will consider the bush rangersl cases to-day. Arrived—City of Sydney. ( Special.) Sydney, Dec. 23. The Sunday school teacher charged with violent assault on a pupil was acquitted. Pastor Chiniquy shortly proceeds to New Zealand. He states that he has netted L 4,700 during his Australian tour.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

Auckland. Deo. 23

The Glenslg took down the pumps and steam-engine to the wrecked steamer Taupe, Another attempt to raise her will be made in a few days. Prince David N'ga, eldest son of King George of Tonga, who accompanied the Rev. Shirley Baker, has died of dropsy, Mr. Baker intends removing the body to Tonga, and a lead coffin, hermetically sealed, has been procured. Deceased was 54 years of agq, Dr, Steins, the new Catholic Bishop of Auckland arrived by the Ringarooma at a very early hour. He was received by a deputation of clergy and laity, and was conducted to bis residence at Ponaonby, A public reception will he given at the Cathedral this evening.

Government Engineer notifies that Dempsey’s men must obtain judgment in all oases against Dempsey before. Govern ment can pay their claims. Government has served notice on Dempsey to proceed with the contract in seven days from the 20th.

The City Council Works Committee, after considering the petition received from the unemployed, has recommended the Mayor to urge on Government the ne cessity for immediately startingworkon the Newmarket contract and Dempsey’s re clamation.

Mr. G. E. Alderton, of the “Northern Advocate,” leaves for England to bring out 100 immigrants to settle on Captain Colbeck’s 25;000 are block in the North.

Archbishop Stein, the new Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, obtained a public reception at St. Patrick’s Cathedral to-night. It was crowded to excess. Ad dresses were presented to him from the clergy, laity, the Christian Doctrine So ciety, and Hibernian Benefit Society. He spoke in reply at some length. He hoped to have the co-operation of the clergy and laity in.his work, and that the latter would guard the faith they had received, and hand it down to their children. As to the education question-it was difficult to say much about it, and he would refrain from speaking on the subject at present. The nigger troupe of H.M.S. Cor morant gave a very successful enferiain at the Lome Street Hall in aid of the widow and children of the late James Boyle, who was killed at Fort Britomart. Stephen Horne has been committed for trial for stabbing his wife; also, for felonious assault, on a man named Ray mond, who endeavoured to protect the woman. Bail was refused.

The Harbour Board declined to make a grant to the Regatta Fund, on the ground that the expenditure was-contrary to law. Graham town, Deo. 25.

The Alburnia mine is looking well. The Manager expects 3000 oz. by the end of the month.

Steps are being taken to make prepara tions to receive the Minister of Public Works, who is ■ expected to visit the Thames in January.'

New Plymouth, Deo. 22. The case of James vHitl. for indecent assault, is still going ‘ <m. | All the wit nesses have been’ examined, and Dr. O’Carrol was called on behalf of the Crown, -as a witness to give rebutting evidence. The, Counsel for prisoner and ■Crown have, addressed the jury, and the Judge summed up. The jury have retired to consider their verdict. : - New Plymouth, Dec. 22. James Hill, hospital steward, charged with indecent assault, was again arraigned, the jury he was tried before last week not agreeing to a verdict. Several witnesses were examined, and the trial was ad journed until to-morrow. A meeting of the County Council will be held to consider its financial position. According to the report of the Committee it appeared that there are assets of L 1316 to meet liabilities of L 4454. It was de cided to wait upon. Major Atkinson on his return, and represcnt'to him that much of the expenditure has been on Government roads, and to see if he cannot assist them in the matter.' New Plymouth, Dec. 24. - In Hill’s case, for indecent assault, the second jury were locked up all niglit, and •this morning were discharged, without ■ finding a verdict. The Judge then ordered that the prisoner should he aga'n indicted for the same charge at the next Criminal Sittings of the District Court on the 22nd January, next. The opinion of many is that no jury will be found to agree, and tiiat the case should be removed to another district. Wanganui, Dec. 22. The celebrated entire horse the Painter died suddenly. He was purchased in Sydney by Mr Mangham, the breeder, for LGOO. Wellington, Dec. 23. Colonel Reader has* been appointed Commissioner of the Armed Constabulary for the whole Colony. The schooner Jane Anderson, owned by Mr. Keith Ramsay, of Dunedin, went ashore on the Manawatu bar, while being towed out by the ss. Huia, yesterday afternoon. She is very badly damaged, and likely to become a total wreck. The vessel is insured for L 859, and the cargo for L 350 in the National. A fearful accident occurred on the tram way to-day t.> a young man named James Robertson, a cadet employed at the Tele graph Department, who was killed instan taneously. It appears that deceased was riding in the first carriage, and on attempt in g to get oft'he was thrown under the wheels. The body was fearfully mangled, one leg and one arm being broken, and portions of his chest, besides several parts of his head, being completely smashed. Im mediately the accident was observed the tram car was stopped, and medical assist ance procured, but it was of no avail, life being extinct. Deceased was 19 years of age, and universally respected. The accident has caused quite a gloom over the town An inquest will'he held. Wellington, Dec. 2.4, At the Magistrates Court ;' P. K. Watty, for an alleged perjury' in a declaration made before the Deputy-Commissioner of Stanps, wa» dismissed. Another charge of the same nature arising out of the case is now being heard. The annual meeting of the Wellington Building Society was held last night. The report and balance-sheet showed a satis factory result.

Oa.maru, Dec. 23. Henry Fell, charged with forging the signature of Messrs. Wilson and Co. (Dunedin) to three cheques, was committed fer trial. I i Dunedin, Dec. 22. A public meeting of the friends and sympathisers of Ijlr. H. S. Fish will be held to-night. jThe opinion that h) action of the present Mayor was un generous in takiiig advantage of a legal process to be returned, was strongly ex pressed at the Council meeting yesterday. Judge Williams, in dismissing a moti m for summons to! call upon a discharged debtor to contribute to the amount of 10s. in the £ on his liabilities when he became bankrupt, expressed the opinion that the clause of the Act, 1807, was in force in respect of person) who became bankrupt under that Act. The application was dis missed, as the applicant had no locus standi in the court. The proceedings ought to have been taken at Auckland, the district in which the debtor became bank rupt. Dunedin, Dec. 23.

In the Supreme Court to-day, Mr. M‘Donald, Mr. Williamson’s attorney, ob tained injunctionsagainst Messrs. D’Orsay Ogden, H. F. Towle, and H. M'Lean of the Juvenile Troubadours’ Troupe, with costs, to restrain them from performing “H.M.S. Pinafore” in New Zealand. Proceedings are to be taken against other persons. At the City Council meeting to-day, Councillor Webb moved Council request the Mayor to resign his office, on the ground that he does not hold it by right of popular eleetior , as intended by the Legislature when framing the Municipal Corporations Act. As there was an objection to the suspension of Standing orders, the motion could not be put. It was eventually decided by a large majority that the Mayoral salary for the ensuing year should bo LI. Councillor Fish did not vote.

There are great complaints among the men employed at Mullocky Gully on the Government contract, Otago central line, about non-payment of wages. The ship Bruce, from Calcutta, struck the middle bank at the entrance between the north and south channel at about 2 p.m. She came in without a pilot, and in defiance of a signal that the bar was dangerous. The tug Koputai towed her off at 4 p.m, Dunedin, Deo. 24,

A large public meeting of the sympathi sers with Mr. Fish was held last evening, when resolutions expressing sympathy with Mr. Fish, and disapproval of Mr. Walters’ conduct, were passed. A peti tion was numerously signed, calling on the Mayor to resign. For Mr. Fish’s expenses subscription lists were opened, and dona tions from 10 guineas to five shillings each were freely given. Mr. H. Driver, M. H.R. , moved one of the resolutions.

James Brogden, of the firm of Messrs. John Brogden and Sons, is on his way to the Colony in connection with matters in dispute between that firm and the Govern ment.

LATEST.

LATEST FROM EUROPE.

( Renter's 7 e’egrams.) London, Dec. "2?. The total quantity of wheat afloat for Great Britan is 206,000 quarters. Mr. Waddy, the Liberal candidate, has been elected for Sheffield, by a narrow majority.

AUSTRALIAN.

(Reuter's Telegram. ) Melbourne, Dec.' 24. Sailed- Claud Hamilton. Sydney, Dec; 24. The wool show at the International Ex hibition -is the finest ever seen in the co'onies. There were 401 exhibitors. J iseph W. Aarons, Wellington, is first for the best bale i f combing wool in grease The list includes entries'from. Tasmania, ..Queensland, Viet >ria, South Australia, New Zealand, and the United States The classification of the entries is as fol lows :—-Fine combing wool (merino) in grease, clothing wool (merino) in grease, fine combing wool (merino) washed, cloth ing wool (merino) washed—New S »uth Wales, 83 ; Tasmania, 23 ; Queensland, 4(i ; Victoria, 12 ; South Australia, 2-; "total. 166. Strong combing Wool in g ease and str mg combing wool washed— -N ew South Wales, 10; Tasmania, 6, 'Queensland, 20 ; Victoria, 6 ; South Australia G ; and New Zealand, 4 ; total, 52. Wool in grease, from any variety o sheep other than merin > and wool washed from any variety of sheep than merino—. Now South Wales, 13 ; Queensland, 5 ; New Zealand, 3 ; total, 21. Bales o. merino wo d—New South Wa’es, 39 ; Tas mania*; 12 ; Queensland, 10 ; Victoria, 8 ; So ith Australia, 1; and New Zealand, I; total 71. Extra exhibits of ordinary commercial bates, fleeces, samples, or col lections of foreign or colonial wools -New South Wales, 19 ; Tasmania, 22 ; Queens land, 12 ; Victoria, 7; South Australia, '5; New Zj.ila il, 4; Unite 1 States, 21 ; total, 91. Altogether New South Wales contributes 164 exhibits ; Tasmania, 53 ; Queensland, 93 ; Victoria, 33, South Australia, 12 ; New Zealand, 12 : United States, 24 ; total, 401. It will be seen t.h tt the United States sends twice as many exhibits as New Zealand. The Executive Council have sentenced the bushrangers Williams and Bennett to imprisonment for life, and three years in irons. The others will bo hanged on the 20th January. Sailed—Wakatipu, for Wellington.

Per our Special Wire.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

New Plymouth, Dec. 2t.

JohnTUll (brother of James Hill) who was tried yesterday was arrai pied this morning on a cha go of indecently assault ing Caroline Tttrchi, an Italian girl, at Inglewood. After hearing the evidence the jury brought in a verdict of guilty. He was sentenced to 12 months’ imprison ment with hard labor.

Wellington, Dec. 24.

- Captain . Bendall, Secretary to the Under writers’ Association, vis'ted t! e scene of the wreck of the schooner Jane Anderson, at Manawatu bar this morn ing. A telegram from him states that should the woithsr mo’e,- t , the vessel will be relaunched without Having sustained any serious injury.

At the annu il meeting of the Buil’in •• Society, the report and balance sue showed sat’sFuctiry progress The Wellington v. Wanganui eiioket match concluded to-day. The following are the total scores : —Wellington, first innings, 78 ; Wan garni , first innings, 120 (of which Barton made 75 not out); Wellington, second innings, 62 ; Wan ganui, second innings, 21 for the loss of four wickets. Wanganui won by six wickets.

The jury, at the inquest on the lad Robertson, killed by the tramway, re turned a verdict of accidental death through jumping off the car while it was in motion. No blame is attributable to any one.

January 2nd has been proclaimed a Bank holiday throughout the Provincial district of Otago. April sth is the date fixed for the trial of the Native prisoners arrested, on the west coast for illegal trespass on settlers’ land. The trial will take place at the Supreme Court here. The Hon. John Hall has been appointed Postmaster-General and Commissioner of Telegraphs. R. J. Davies, Deputy-Regi. trar at Christchurch of the Supreme Court, and Deputy-Sheriff for the district, has been dismissed from the public service, and Andrew R. Bloxam has been appointed in his stead.

Thu Mayors of various Municipal Coun cils have been gazetted Justices of the Peace under the Municipal Corporations Act.

The bonus payable for the exportation of rabbit skins will cease after the 31st March, 1880. Alterations and additions to the rates for the conveyance, delivery, and storage of goods, parcels, &c., on the New Zea land railways appear in the “ Gazette.” Blenheim, Dec. 24.

The “Marlborough Express” was sold to-day to Messrs. Furness and Boundy. Mr. Furness for a year past has been foreman on the “Express,” and Mr. Boundy was for eleven years in connection with a iNelson newspaper. The transfer will take place on Dec. 31. Acceptances for the Marlborough Cup close on 27th Deo. Gbetmoutii, Dec. 24. Mr. Masters, M.H.8., on his arrival in the Wanganui to-day, was met by the Mayer and a largo number of citizens, and complimented him on his action in Parliament. Dunedin, Dec. 24. Entries have been received from Christ church, Timaru, and Wanganui for the principal handicap events to be run at the Caledonian Sports on January Ist, 2nd, and 3rd. A meeting of the Committee formed at last night’s meeting atthe Athenaeum Hall was held this morning, at which Wa d Committees were formed to canvass for subscriptions, and for names to the petition requesting Mr. Walter to resign the M lyoralty.

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Per Tararua, at Auckland. NEW SOUTH WALES. Sydney, Dec. 18. The Last Sj'dney election excited great interest, being the first in which the abolition of denominational schools; as proposed in.-.theljßil.l before Parliament, was made’a test-.'point by the "candidates. Mr. Ren wick was supported by the non sectarian, temperance, and dissenting parties, and duly elected, .beating Mr. Tooth, who was supported by the Roman Catholic and Anglican ppbJic, and in some .measure by the mercaritile'interest. Donqr gx Congregationalist minister), and alveen were - also '• candidates. .Arch bishop Vaughan recommended .Tooth’s candidature. : _•••--

. question in .^he-Assembly elicited the fact that 18 sisters ofthe Roman Catholic ‘religion were employed as' teachers under the Council of Education, with aggregate salaries amounting to Ll6lß. The Premier yesterday introduced a Bill declaring that the lands set apart in '.he early days for church and school pur „,3U:)—the income f--*r which is at present nostly among Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Wesleyan churches— shall henceforth be Crown lands, and dedicated to_public institutions. These lands are and valuable. - Wentworth’s grey stud has been -auctioned. Goldsborough’s brother fetched 1500 guineas, the Hon. Jas. White being the' purchaser. Chrysolite was bought by Mr. Biles for 1030 guineas, Rapid Bay SDO guineas, Fenlong 760. The bidding was not spirited. The inhabitants of Beetrunga have hade a ver ■ handsome presentation to Constable Wyles, who was one of the nine shat distinguished themselves in captur '.ng-the Want abadgery bushrangers. The -presentation, consists of a heavy gold ruyh, to which is- attached a medal the size of a florin. VICTORIA. Melbourne, Dee. 17. Government have assented to the Customs and Stamp duties. A deputation of the City Council has asked Government to give a site in Flin ders street for a grain imrket. Govern ment promised it consideration. A supply Bill of a quarter million sterling passed through all its stages in Assembly. The House adjourned to-day til! 20th January, then to be prorogued till Ist February, and disolved next day, thl general election in a fortnight after. QUEENSLAND. Brisbane, Dec. 17.

John Whelan lias been committed for trial for the wilful • murder of his wife at Oopperfield. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Adelaide, Dec. 18.

The competition for the Government bonus of L4OD, for the best machine that can reap and clean wheat fit for bagging, took place to-day on Rigg’s farm, one mile on the Adelaide side of Gawler. The reaper was to be good, and well adapted for the work. Two thou sand or three thousand people, repre senting the Ministry, Legislature, mer chants, and farmers were present. There were 27 entries, but only 18 machines were on the ground, and of these about a dozen were only at work. The fault with many machines was that they broke the grain and left too much wheat in the chaff. Several of them were too cumbrous and expensive. The implement . which appeared , to do the work best, was made by Forsyth and Daniel, of Laura, but it is doubtf.il whether it will sufficiently meet the conditions, so as to be entitled to the boo 'a. A.i" her trial will bo made before the deoiaion .a gi.ce;>. The machines at wop.k included V ■<s 'd a and. Yankee. D. Bowonaan took the prize for wheat harvesters, and S. W, Tott, of Adelaide,' for their stripping machines, and Miller Bros. :for mowing machines.

CORRESPONDENCE.

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.

FARMERS’ CORN EXCHANGE.

To the Editor. Sir, —The proceedings of the members of the Corn Exchange, so fully recorded in your Tuesday’s issue are commendable. I was pleased to find you, in your leader, in clear and well aimed remarks, made re ference to the good recommendations put forth by those who took part in the meet ing referred to. The farmers as a body, throughout the length and breadth of New Zealand, are indeed under d&jp obligation to the gentlemen who have in terested themselves on behalf of the farmers. There is a great amoii&t of good likely to be t-he -o itoome of that'ebmpara tively small meeting held at the Corn Ex change last Saturday. The lethargical farmer, as some term him, will soon take advantage of a' course which is sure to give him additions to his present net income. It 'will be necessary for him to bear in mind the vast progress in almost every de partment of material production which lias been witnessed during the past cen tury. Even now-a-days a girl of fifteen steering a team of horses in a case of ab solute necessity can mow with a machine more grass both faster and better than five men could cut it by hand. Such labor saving machines as double and t.-eble furrow ploughs, reapers and binders, steam thrashers, cultivators, horse-rakes, &c., have combined to render farming less rugged and risk}’, far more efficient, and more productive thiin formerly. It would be keeping well within the mark to say that an average day’s work produces now twice the food, fibre, cloth, or ware that it did a century ago. But while production has thus been so wonderfully increased by the invention of machinery* which ren ders labor more effective, no cor responding improvement has been made in the usual machinery of distribu tion. Traffic, through all its multiform ramifications) is continually sucking the life-blood of industry. There is no doubt that there is room for improvement. Mr. Parke Godwin, ah eminent apostle of free trade, in his ingenuous youth wrote thus, pertinently and forcibly : —“ Com merce is designed to bring'the producer and consumer into relation ; thau is, if it has any object. But in itself it produces nothing : it adds nothing to the comnio ditics which it circulates. It is obviously, then, for the general interest to reduce commercial agents to the smallest num ber, and to carry over the excess to some productive employment ” . . • “ In our societies, precisely the contrary takes

place ; the agents of commerce are multi plied beyond measure ; designed only to play a subordinate part, they have usurped the highest rank; they absorb the largest portion of the common divi dend, out of all manner of proportion to the services they render; they hold the producer in a servile dependence; they reduce to its lowest terms the wages of [ woi-ktueli, and they extort from the con sumer- With' ut mercy. ” “ Blind competition, so much boasted of by the Political Economist, has largely contributed to the evil. Traffickers, in consequence of it, give themselves up to a! regular war against each other ; and, in order that they may not be beaten, they are ready to resort to any. expedient. They .lie,- cheat, and falsify products; they adulterate grains, meats, wines, sugars' ; they would poison the commu nity,' if they dared, as we hare recently seen in- oho or two instances; and they spoliate the public in a thousand modes, by exchange, brokerage, usury, bankruptcy : in short, they deceive in every way, and defraud ’ at all seasons ; yet commerce, in our cor rupted societies, is the moat certain way of arriving rt fortune, honor, and distinc tion. " ‘ ; We speak hero only of interme diate commerce, by which we hiean the commerce that consists in buying from one in order to sell to another. The manufacturer and the mechanic belong to the class of productive laborers, although rheir functions are often complicated with the character and views of commerce, strictly speaking. ”

“ We know very well that humanity must employ a portion of its force in the transportation of products, in order to bring them within reach of the consumer. But it is evident that it ought to devote to this task only tho force that is rigorously necessary ; every expenditure of time or money beyond this minimum being a real loss for society. ” Now, air, you will, I think, quite agree with me that tho true distinction as here taken, is that commerce is essentially a producer, since eachcaimot advantageously produce all that is required to satisfy bis wants ; but it is not necessary nor desirable that commerce, should appro priate the grist and leave only the toll to production. There must l>e, it is true, men em ployed—call them‘middle-men, hucksters, or what you like—in exchanging the pro ducts of the agriculturist, or realising - upon them ; but where one self supported institution can do this work it would cer tainly be a great " waste-gate ” stopped. The establishment <>f a Corn Exchange as a means of shipping grain in place of the middle man or grain trafficker is to be likened unto the results from the establishment of a co-operative system. It is remarkable how, in many cases great results came out of small beginnings. It is recorded that only some thirty five yeai*s-' since a dozen poor, humble, ignorant weavers mob in the back room of a mean tarem at Roch dale in Lancashire, to devise ways’ and means of improving their condition The political agitations of the time had reached them, and Chartism, free trade, &0. , were doubtless discussed, as . were strikes and the kindred engines of trades unions. The larger number of tho little company could not feel that any decided or practical good was likely to be realised from any or all of these devices. At length one of them spoke to this effect: — ‘‘lf we cannot command higher wages, our best course is to try to make our pre sent earnings go further than they now do. In this age, every great enterprise is prose cuted by combination or companies. Thus, railroads are constructed, canals dug, and many things achieved that would else be impossible. Let us imitate the project ovs of these works oil the small' s-'.-iic dictated by scanty means by com bining io buy J 'wholesale i rice, the necessaries or life. ” After discussion, the suggestion was approved, and an attempt to reduce it to practice resolved on. The origin < f this li tie business is of interest, viz.', a basis of organisation for the Roch dale Society of Equitable Pioneers was forthwith drawn up, and signed by each of those present, who were to pay twenty pence per week into the common fund of •the Association to form a working capital Only a part were able to do this on the instant, and a year was thenceforth spent in accumulating a cash capital of L2B, wherewith to launch the new store. Meantime their number had increased to twenty-eight, and they had hired and rudely fitted up a building in Toad Lane for their store, which was duly opened, in presence of the assembled associates and their families, on the evening of December 21st, 1844. Rent and fitting up had absorbed nearly half their capital, so that barely Ll 4 remained for invest ment in those prime necessaries, flour, butter, sugar. As they could not afford clerk hire, their store was opened in the evenings only ; tho members by turns waiting upon purchasers. Scoffers and and sceptics stood around to hoot and jeer, but the pioneers minded their own busi ness, and let the heathen rage. Such was the humble beginning of an association of workers for scanty wages, which has ever since been in prosperous activity, and which has grown, in the course of a quarter of a century, into a company of 67,000 members, wielding a capital of over Lloo,ooo, buying grain by the cargo, to be ground in their mill and sold to members and customers as flour or bread, while cattle are likewise bought by it in scores, slaughtered, cut up, and sold out as required. A clothing-store, a dry goods store, three shoe-stores, and five meat-shops, besides a magnificent central warehouse are among the structures owned and used by the pioneers, whose library ot five thousand well-chosen volumes, and reading-rooms supplied with the best newspaper? are free to the members and their families, two and a-half per cent, of >■ the profits of the business being devoted to educational uses. To buy only the most substantial and serviceable fabrics, to offer no adulterated or inferior article, to buy and sell for cash only ; to charge moderate prices ; and to divide all profits equitably among the members—such are the cardinal principles propounded and lived up to by the equitable piouet ra.

It seems to me that the few members who gave the Canterbury Corn Exchange such support on Saturday last have the same object in view as the few weavers had when the latter started the Rochdale Society of equitable pioneers. I hope the farmers will support those grand points so forcib y put forward as the cardinal prin ciples upon which the Corn Exchange should be worked. If they do, succesawUl inevitably follow.—l am, Ac.,

P. N. C.

'Thursday, December 25, 1879.]

THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN.

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