SHIPPING.

PORT OF LYTTELTON. Arrived. Yesterday. Thomas and Henry, brig, from Dun edin. To-day. Albion, s.s., from Port Chalmers. Hawea, s.s., from Wellington. Sailed. Yesterday. Jane Douglas, s.s., for Kaikoura and WelflSftbh. *■ To-day. Hawea, s.s., for Port Chalmers. AlKmma a-n. f .for .Northern Ports. SHIPPING TELEGRAMS. • j I Pd&T Charmers, Yesterday. Arrived —Arawata, from the North. Sailed—Arawata, for Melbourne via Bluff. v , Wellington, Yesterday. Artived— Antares, barque, from Lon don, after an uneventful passage of 118 days; Hawea, from Picton and Nelson; Penguin, from the South ; Cutty Sark, from.Greymouth. Sailed—Forest Queen, for Lyttelton; Star of the South, ; for the West Coast ; Beautiful Star, for Westport. FO i T Wellington, To-day. Arf ship, from London, after of 111, days. During the voyage, three" passengers, named spectively Miss■ Daye, Air. James Rattray, and Mr„' John IHallum, died from con aumpfjoiL ..

MAIL NOTICES.

Mails close at the. Ashburton Post Office, T< ■ n% ;: -r.!, v-v , ' ■ ,t 5,30a1m. 10 ' , ■■■ ■•To? ('he;-.. at 10a.m. .U’d W. F-i i >i.- - . dow, Hinds, C i-hstr. Winchester, ami Gcr.iGh;---. iy- For L' i>'. nd 10 a.m., i ■ . ■: ■ ■ t G a.m., 10 F- t . irton Forks,- Mount isomers, and Asuuurton Gorge, on Tuesdays apd Fridays,, at 10.30 a m. For Ashton, Water ton and Longbeach, *t 4.30 p.mu daily- , For Wakanui, Elgin, Seafield, New land, and Kyle, op, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, at 6 a. m. Mails arrive at' the Ashburton Post Office , t .- u From Christchurch and Rakaia at 10.25 а. 435, p. m. , and 7-50 p.m. From Chertsey, &c. at 10.20 a.m. daily. From Dupedin and intermediate places at 5.35 p.m. daily. From Temuka and Tiraaru at 10.15 a.m. б. p.m., and 8.15 p.m. daily. From Greenstreet, Ashburton Forks, Mount Somers, and Ashburton Gorge on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 3 p.m. From Ashton, Waterton, and Long beach at 10 a. ipV dajly. ; : * From Elgin, Wakanui, Seafield, New land, on,Tuesdays* Thursdays, •and Saturdays, at 4 p.ra. W. St. G. Douglas, h..;., . .. Postmaster.

DAILY MEMORANDA.

AUCTION SALES. Saturday, January 15. Mr. East street —Standing Crops. Two o'clock. Mr. Alfred Harrison, at his Yards — HoraafLß^qgy.-Harness. Piano, Sewing MadWffi?, •'Furhitnre, fee. ! 12 o’clock. Tuesday, January 18. Robert Wilkin and Co., Tinwald Yards— Horsas and Btore Merino Ewes. ; AMUSEMENTS, &c. - January- 1&-- - tTf Ticket-holders between the Noatul,22Q and 1,230 in Cameron’s the, Champion Race,; at Hie Hotel, at 7-30 p.m. ® vvBbNEsbAY, January 1A ■ Ashburton Town Hall Company, Meeting of Shareholders, Town Hall, at 8 p.m. *, Monday., January. 24 ; • A; v Borough Council, at Borough Council K]’ -Chambers, at ? o’clock. * „ Wednesday' February 2. CTountyr-Gcyincil, at, the County Council Chatfibers, at ll o'clock. 1

TRAVELLERS’ GUIDE.

TrainsSZjeavb Ashburton for Ohrist >CHUßCn and intermediate stations at 6 .a.m?)T3.0:30 a.m., arid (Express) 5.48 p.m. 'l'lii ■ TrainS'Xeave Ashburton for Timaru ANn. Soum, at 7 a.m., 10.36 a.m. (Ex prea&V, arid 1 4.50 p.m.- the" latter pro -1 ceeding no farther than Timaru. Arrive at Ashburton from h 1 ih at 10 24a.m. fExnress), 4.35 v.;.i . .mil “50 p.m. Tnuv-- ac • A'«nst r i:T< from Ti.i .>■ is: ..*.-10.15 . •i a.; t

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS.

All orders ■ for insertion of advertise ments must be written legibly on the face of the advertisement. When no order is given the advertisement will be inserted until countermanded, and charged accord ingly. All : notices of Births, Marriages, or Deaths must be accompanied by the sig nature , of the sender, as a guarantee of good faith. All advertisements and business letters to be addressed The Manager ; literary communications should be addressed to The Editor.

The Ashburton Guardian. THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1881. The Plains Water Supply.

town edition: [lssued,at 5 p.m,]

Now that the most important work yet undertaken for the benefit of the. county—the Plains Water Supply—has been so far carried out that the initiative works can be pronounced a success, the next question to consider is—-What are we to do with the water ? The trial race has been brought down to the railway, at a point about two miles north of Dromore Station ; thence a contract .has been let to continue it for. a dis tance of about five miles to the upper corner of Dundas Farm, the property of Mr. William Saunders, and this con tract has to be completed this week. The farmers will have to distri bute the water from that point, and the various methods of doing this are subjects of consideration amongst them. At this juncture, and while easy and. cheap distribution is the subject exercising Che farmer’s mind, what appears to us a very valu able suggestion is made —valuable because of its simplicity and the apparent certainty of success it bears on the face of it. Mr. E. F. Wright, son of the member for the district, is well known as a practical farmer, and a genius at inventing labor-saving ap pliances, and he has suggested this very simple contrivance we refer to, by means of which the water can be utilised for irrigating the dry plains. He pro poses to have a double-furrow plough constructed, with the shares and mould boards set in opposite directions, and an extra sheath or coulter set on to an arm, so that the plough will turn its two furrows in opposite directions — thus excavating a ditch about 16 inches wide by 6 inches deep, and leaving a bank on each side formed by the ground ploughed. The idea seems so feasible and simple, that we have not the least doubt that it will be-put to test at a very early date. Taking every cost into consideration we should esti mate that a four-horse team would easily excavate ten miles a day of a ditch of. the dimensions mentioned, at a maximum cost of £2 per day. That is to say, each mile of drain would cost the farmer 4s, A few days will see the Pudding Hill stream flowing down the plains, and we hope a few weeks will prove the correctness of our surmise as to the result by the advent of cattle, &c., on the Wakanui, Chertsey, and Seafield lands. Mr. Wright’s idea will no doubt be found a valuable one on all farms where the irrigation of ■ paddocks is at present costly because of the expense attending ditching. The matter is simply a question of obtaining a left-hand mould-board and an extra skeath, the left-hand mould-board being one that may be replaced at any moment by a right-hand, when the channel ploughing has been finished, and ordinary paddock work is required to be resumed.

The San Francisco Mail. —tTp to date of going to press there were no signs of the mail steamer at Auckland. Trotting.—On Saturday next, at five o’clock in the evening, a trotting match comes off on the Winslow course, between Mr. Grice’s Donald, and Mr. Baring’s Dolly, for L 5 a-side. The distance is two miles. Local Industries. —The usual meeting of the Local Industries Association was held last night in the Town Hall (upper room). The Secretary reported having been in communication with Government on the subject of the diamond drill, with a view to its hire for the purpose of pro specting the Mount Somers hills for coal seams. The terms of hire, and all the needful information, would bo forwarded by Government. The Chairman (the Mayor) said he had not yet received any communication from his correspondents in Europe, on the subject of the beetroot sugar industry, but expected letters by next mail. An industrial exhibition for the same evening as the Flower Show, was suggested by Mr. Braddell, and after some discussion, the suggestion took the form of resolution which was passed. The following were appointed a com mittee to make arrangements iof the ex hibition : —Messrs. Braddell, Pojrptz, Hodder, Williamson, Pavitt, Mayo, and Q. P Co*, ~ : :

Co- operative Lectures. —Mr. Bate man’s co-operative lectures at Oamaru have been well received, and great unanimity prevails There is every pros pect of a strong society being successfully formed, making Oamaru the centre. Prophetic. —A New Plymouth tele gram says : —“The Maoris are hot sur prised at Mr., Bryce’s resignation. Te Whiti, they say', prophesied early in De cember that he would not be long in the Government, and therefore it would be no use talking to him.”

New Business.—We are glad to observe that a new establishment has been opened for the sale of chaff and colonial produce generally, by Mr. Frank Dudson, brother of out townsman, Mr. Dudson, saddler. The new premises are in Havelock tweet, next to the drapery store of Everett Bros., and we wish Mr. F. Dudson every success in his new venture.

Going to Hong-Konq. —The Union Steamship Company purpose sending either the Te Anau or Wakatipu to Hong- Kong towards the end of April, with cargo and Chinese passengers, of whom there will probably be a large number. The steamer will proceed to Foo Chdo and bring the first shipment of the new sea son’s teas to New Zealand.

A Challenge.— r Edwards, the pedes trian, to-night forwards a challenge, and the draft articles for a 48 hours’ walking match with young Scott, of Dunedin, for 200 a side, the match to take place at the Garrison Hall, Dunedin, on February 24th, 25th, and 2Gth, T. Sayers, of the Empire Hotel, Dunedin, to be stake holder.

Sporting. —The Cambridge. ( Auckland) people ' held their annual race mi sting yesterday. There was a largo attendance, and the various events were well con tested. The Handicap Hurdle Race was Won by Sportsman,' with Harry Mount, second, and Te Whetumarama third The Cambridge Cup (handicap) wont to Mr., Horsfall’s King Quail, Yatapa being second, Lonehand third, and Foul Play fourth. It Was a grand race, won by a neck. The other events were unimportant.. Not in Accord. —Mr. Shanks add essed a meeting of the suburban ©lectors hi the Theatre Royal, Invercargill, last evening... Between 400 and pOO were present. Mr, Shanks, whb was evidently not in form, spoke very briefly and’disconnectedly, and said nothing of general interest. At the conclusion of his address, a resolution’was passed by a large majority, requesting him to resign. Mr. Shanks, in reply, de clined to accede to tho request, believing that he possessed the confidence ofethe majority of the electors. • I. O. G. iusuhl • meeting the Will and the Way Lodge, held at the Temperance Hall, Tinwald, last evening, it was decided to celebrate their second anniversary trith a tea meeting and entertain thent on Wednesdajq the 17 th February, and a strong committee of brothers and. sisters, were appointed to carry out the celebration - . It Was also announced that the Rev. Mr. Hands had given his consent to lecture on “ Alcohol ” at an early date. It was decided to invite him to lecture to an “ open Lodge,” on Wednesday, the 26th inst. The Vacant Portfolio. —Tho Welling ton correspondent of a contemporary tele graphs yesterday: —“Rumors are still abroad as to the new Native Minister. Mr. J. C. Richmond’s name is freely men tioned, be having just returned from Eng land. The idea is that either some Go vernment member will resign his seat in his favor if the election is secure, or else that he will be called to the Legislative Council, but so far as I can learn, I am disposed to think that there is no truth in the report at present. At any rate it is not likely that the vacancy will be filled for some little time. ”

; Meat Preserving. —The Wellington Post says :—One of the industries which have served to bring the colonies pro minently before the eyes of English and Continental people, viz. —meat preserving and its attendant works,,;is about :to s ,be started in our midst. Wo notice the pros pectus of the Hutt Industrial Company,: Limited, and while wishing the prospec tors every success in the undertaking, we niust express satisfaction 1 that such works are feeing commenced in the heart of a neighborhood which will afford every facility to make the institution a paying one, give employment to a number of in habitants, and enable our producers to find a ready market. These are the in dustries we want.

Drunks. —The advent of harvest has brought into town a large number of men oh the look out for work at reaping. of these men hare wandered over all the colony since last autunin, and have not seen during that time many of those who were “ mates ” with them in previous “years oir tire —Harvest: flretos in this county. The reunions mean a “ willie-waucht for auld langsyno,” and as they aie all men who, like Longfellow’s monks, can “ drink down to their pegs,” the result is a job or two for the con stable. To-day five of these laborers who had taken more than enough were brought before the R. M. Most of them readily “ owned up,’’and all with one exception were dismissed, with a severe reprimand by his Worship. The exception was John Hick son, who had been very rowdy in the Somerset, and had assaulted a waiter. He was fined LI, with the alternative of four days in gaol.>

South Rakaia Domain Board. —An adjourned meeting of the South Rakaia Domain Board was held in the Road Board office on Tuesday last. Present— Mr. 0. N. Mackie (Chairman), and Messrs Robinson, Hartnell, Sharp and Makeig. The Chairman stated that this meeting would have : to elect a Chairman for the year, the meeting having been ad journed from the 3rd inst. 1 for want of a quorum. Mr. 0. N. Mackie was unani mously re-elected Chairman. The Works Committee reported on the fending done and the sowing of gum seed. A letter was received from Mr. J. S. Jameson, quoting prices for iron gates. It was re solved riot to erect iron gates for the present, but instead that a temporary gate of hurdles be put up.till a crop be taken off the land. A letter was received from Mr. H. M'Leari, risking that the balrince of L 3 12s. 6d. , due to him for fencing, be paid to him. It was resolved that if Mr. M‘Lean completes his contract for fencing at the time of the autumn rains he will be paid the sum of L2 7s. 6d., which is the amount due to him on the completion of his contract. Accounts amounting to L2l Bs. Id. were passed for payment, and the Board adjourned.

The Exhibition Beeb.—New Zealand has the credit of having carried off all the first prizes for bulk beer, at the Mel bourne Exhibition* and one of two first prizes for porter. Besides the three first prizes which fell to New Zealand, three second prizes were also awarded, as against ope second prize awarded to Victoria and orio to New South Wples. Bower down the SCB.le pf prigep we find that Victoria has scored a wip of all but one of the third and all but ope of the fourth prizes. This is very creditable for New Zealand, and shows what can be done here in the beer industry. The jury must have had a very pleasant time of it in samphug, as may be gathered from the following ex tract -*■* They sat in a room and the yarious samples were brought to them in glasses. After rejecting the samples con sidered unworthy of a place, those passed were again gone through, and the process ■Was repeated until the final selection was made. Some idea of the work may be gathered from the fact that something like 150 samples ifi many of the classes had to bp adjudicated ppon.” !

CABLE NEWS.

LATEST FROM EUROPE.

(Per Reuter's Agency.) ■ Consols, Wheat and Tallow. London, Jan. 10, . Three Per Cent Consols New Zealand Five Per Cents, have suffered* a decline, and are to-day quoted as follows 10.40 loan, 103 ; 1889 loan, 107 yi. Adelaide wheat, ex warehouse, is quoted at 495. 6d. New Zealand wheat, ex ship, remains at 445. ■ Aus tralian tallow unchanged. • • - The New Zealand Scrip Palling. London, Jan. 11. New Zealand securities are to-day quoted as follows, the prices showing a further decline ; —5 per cent. 10-40 Loan, 103; 5 per cent. 1889 Loan, 107; per cent. 1879-1904 Loan, 97 yi- Troops for the Transvaal. Jan, 11, The reinforcement of cavalry and infantry ordered for service against the Boers, have sailed for Natal. Bombay, Jan. 11. The transports, with regirtients of the Native army ordered to the Transvaal, sailed to-day for Durban in Natal. Minister for War. Constantinople, Jau. 11. Osman Pasha has been appointed Minister for war in the. Turkish Ministry. This is generally' considered to be an indication of warlike intentions towards Greece on the part of the Sultan. Greece Respectfully Declines. . Athens, Jan. 11. , : The Greek Government have had ,under reconsideration the proposal of the Powers that they should arbitrate for; the settlement of the frontier, and has informed the Powers that it must’ decline the proposal unless the bases pf the guarantee to be made to-Greece are first stated. > • ■ More Fighting. Capetown, Jan. 11. News has been received that further hostilities have occurred between the Cape forces and the rebel Basutos. The latter, in considerable numbers, made an attack on Colonel Carrington’s position at MaLting, but were repulsed after heavy fighting. The . enemy suf fered considerable loss. The Boers-v Siege of Cape Town, Jan. 12. Communication, though of an inter mittent character, has again been established bdtween Ijfafal and ;the Transvaal, and information has been received regarding the position of the British ttbbpß at Po'tschefstroofnb - THe Boers have laid siege to the place, but the garrison can hold out for a month, having sufficient supplies for that period, and it is hoped that by that time reinforcements can be sent for the'- relief of the besieged.

AUSTRALIAN

(Pet Renteds Agency.) Safety of Mr. Beckett. Sydney. Jan.l2. ; Mr. Beckett was absent from Sydney at the time of the fire at his premises, he having gone to Shoals Aven. The insurances on the stock are tile Company, .L 4,000, New Zealand Company, 1,4,000 ; City Mutual, Nortlr British and London and Lancashire Companies, each L 2,000; total, Li 4,000. On the building—United Company, L.6,p00, half of which was in the Victoria 5 and Australian Alliance Companies. The Explorers’ Journals. ’ ’ mlearaohs that he has obtained the journaT df Letctrarrit,- the explorer, for the whole of his trip, and Classu’s journal for halfihis journey. Both are in good preservation. Rendered. Houseless. Cooktown, Jan. 12. The French warship D’Estrees re ports that she visited Basilisk Island, the scene of the massacre of the French naturalists, and destroyed a multitude of huts and plantations, but was unable to reach the natives owing to the scrub and rocks. She also found a large barque wrecked hear Brooker Island. The boats had left for Sydney or New .Caledonia, leaving the captain’s wife and sonic, seamen dh board. The Chimborazo. Melbourne, To-day. The Orient Company’s steamship Chimborazo, which recently went ashore in the Backstairs Passage, has arrived here safely. The Inter-colonial Regatta. An Inter-colonial Yachting Regatta, takes place in Port Phillip on Saturday. For the Grand Challenge Race, over the fifteen-mile course, there are seven entries, including the Auckland yacht Taniwha, and the Victorian yacht Janet.

THE LAND LEAGUERS.

[Bv Cable.] London, Jan. 12. The trial of the Irish Land Leaguers at Dublin is still proceeding. The case for the prosecution has closed, and the addresses of counsel for the defence are now being heard. The debate on the Address in Reply was resumed in the House of Commons to-day, and lasted during the greater part of the sitting. Lord Hartington made an exhaustive, speech, in the course of which he severely attacked the Irish Land League, and its mode of action. Alluding to the Land Bill which had been introduced by the Go vernment, he expressed an opinion that its provisions were founded on the lines of justice to both tenants and landlords. The debate stands further adjourned.

Woman in India. —Sorpe amongst the educated men.qf India are desirious tp break the chains that hold the women in slavery. Others still desire to keep them down in abject submission. , A native law? yer, only a short tiine ago, pleaded in the English, court of justice in Calcutta for the “abject dependence of woman,” quoting the “Statutes of Menu,” onq of the most ancient of their old hooks. Menu writes—“ By a girl or a woman advanced in years, nothing must be done even in heir own dwelling-place according to’ her own pleasure.” He classes her with the stupid, the dumb, the blind, and tho deaf. She may be corrected by her lord, to whom her mind, speech, and body are to he kept in subjection,, by. ,p£ a rope or'cane. This is the position of' her who should bo his companion, his help meet, and friend. Is it any wonder that the race has remained so degraded for ages 1

South Rakaia Road Board.

This Board held an adjourned meeting, on Tuesday last. Present; —Messrs. C. N. Mackio, W. L. Allan, and John Lambie, The Clerk was voted to the Chair. j'. , election of chairman. On the motion of Mr, Lambie, seconded -hy Mr. Allan, Mr. C,. : N. Mackie was elected Chairman for' the year. Mr. Mackie then took the Chair. The Clerk’s report was read and received. correspondence. A, letter-was received from the Return ing Officer, informing the Board that Messrs. C. N. Mackie, W. L. Allan, and E. S. Coster, had been elected un opposed. The Chairman stated that he had written to the Commissioner of Crown Lands, with reference to the river planta tion being handed over to the South Rakaia Domain Board, but had not yet received any reply. ; A letter was received from Mr. William Gill, with reference to his claim for damages. On the motion of Mr. Lambie, seconded by Mr. Allan, it was resolved that the sura of Ll 5 be offered to Mr. Gill for gravel taken from his land. A letter was received from Mr. James Copeland, offering to sell the Board land necessary for making the proposed road from Bushy Park to Chertscy, for Ll 5 per acre ; or,’ if the Board will erect sheep proof fencing and gates, he will take LIO per acre. - : -’-Mr. Ritchie wrote, asking what price the Board will give for what land is necessary for the formation of the road from Bushy Park to Chertsey. Mr. Allan proposed, and Mr. Lambie seconded, that Mr. Copeland’s offer to sqU the Board land at Ll 5 per aero bo accepted, and that Mr. Ritchie,''for tho Colonial Investment Agency Company, be offered the same amount for portions of sections 16124 and lsß39—Carried.

THREE CHAIN RESERVE. On the motion of Mr. Allan, seconded by Mr. Lambie, it was resolved that the three-quarter chain road on the three chain reserve be opened from the north west corner of section 25103 to the north west corner of sectioh 16213.' It was resolved that the. Clerk have the road surveyed immediately on receiving a favorable reply from tho Colonial Invest ment and Agency Company, -and get the transfer prepared, so that the road may be open for traffic by the commencement of the grain season. On the motion of Mr. Allan, seconded by Mr. Lambie, it was resolved that no further action be taken with reference to the road to Native Reserve, section 2085, until the next meeting of the Board! THE ROLL. Messrs. Davies and Winter wrote, In forming tho Board that they had com pleted the ratepayers’ roll for tho district, and enclosing their account for , the same. pound well. Mr. G. Shellock, poundkeeper, Rakaia, vwrote, informing the Board that -the well at the new pound was tinibefed with brie inch white pine'boards, arid battened \vith pieces of three by one, from six to twelve inches long. It was resolved that the poundkeeper’s letter be forwarded, to t£e Ashburton County Council, recommend ing that the well be re-timbered with totara.

THE TARIFF; The Ashburton County Council wrote, asking the Board to join with the Council in the protest against the railway tariff. On the motion of Mr, Lambie, seconded by Mr. Allan, the letter was ordered to be acknowledged,'and the Council to be informed that the Board, sympathises with tlie movement for the revision of the railway tariff. •' thistles. The Clerk to the Mount Hutt Road Board wrote, asking the South Rakaia Road Board to pay. half the cost of cutting the thistles on the Boundary road. It was resolved that the Board pay half the cost. ’ MR. PASSMORE ASSAILS THE ELECTION. Mr. F. B. Passmore, wrote, stating that he - wished to put iri writing the objec tions he had raised to the election of members for the South , -iw, o««ta.f S wrrfc-nc wOTiidTHavernTaue the objections, at the late annual meeting, but ho was riot aware that the ■ election had taken place, being under the impres sion that it would not take place till after the annual meeting. He said he was at the Road Board office at two minutes past twelve o’clock, on the day of the election, and at 'that i •tiriie the poll had been declared, and notices posted.’ The Returning Officer stated that it was five’ minutes past twelve when he posted the hoticss, and that it was fully three minutes past twelve when the elec tion took place. He had taken every pre caution to test the accuracy of the time by his watch, and could vouch for it being correct.

. Mr. Passmore pointed out that the election of the three members was illegal, the election having' taken place; before noon.

On the motion of - Mr. ‘ Mackie, seconded Mr. Lambie, it . wa% resolved that Mr. Passmore’s letter h 6 referred- to the Returning Officer. , . TENDERS ACCEPTED. ~ • The Chairman' reported that the tender of James Gardiner for forming the -| chain road, and the* three chain reserve at ss. Bd. per chain had been accepted. >yi ■ , THE CENSUS. ; ffhe Clerk informed the Board that Mr. J. Beswick, Census Enumerator, had written to him asking him to,act as sub enumerator. The Board allowed the Clerk to act. EXTENSION. J. Holdhorough wrote asking for an ex tension of* time for forming Mainwaring road. The Clerk was instructed to in form him that if His contract be not com pleted at the contract - time, his deposit Will be forfeited. NOTICE OP MOTION —A LONGER TETHER WANTED. . •.i .' ’• Mr. Lambic gave notice that he would moveat the next meeting of the Board, that the resolution authorising a fixed deposit of LB,OOO, passed on the 2nd December; 1880, be rescinded, and that the -sum of 000 he the amount deposited. CUTTING DOWN. . The Clerk was instructed to reduce the labor gang. r - j , . , ) : • ACCOUNTS to the am'ounifc of LSOS-lGs. sd; were passed for payment, and the Board adjourned.

The Cardinal Virtues.— Old Parson (whohad once been .'Curate in tho' Parish) —“How do you manage to get on in these bad times, Mr. Johnson 1 ” Farmer ~f ‘Well, Sir, about as bad aa can be ! Last year we lived-ori Faith 1 ; this year’we’re a livin’ in Hope ; and next year I'm afraid we shall have to depend on Charity !” A Young Mother.— A. census enumer- r ; in a New Hampshire town found ohe family the mother’s age was 26, „nd that of her eldest son 14 : years, j nquiry revealed the fact that the mother married when eleven .years and six old to a man 23 years old. She a native of Khoda lsland, and claims to jjd’Ve been the youngest mother in the gtate. " .Worsethan Strong Drink. — A good story conies from a State school not a hundred miles from Te Aro. A teacher,. enthusiastic in the cause of temperance, offered a prize of LI -to any boy in his class who could 'answer the question PsWhat is worse than strong drink ?” The younssteVs were fairly puzzled ; but one dilhunutiye urchin determined to make a shot for tbb fifthy 'liicte; , anc|answered, “ Weak drink.” Tlio liorified master still retains the stakes.

Melbourne Larrikins.

Bishop Moorhouse, in his inaugural address at the opening of the Church of England Assembly of Victoria, re cently, thus refers to the educated larrikin “ I hear it, on the testimony of a public office, that already in Vic toria we are developing a new type of criminal. In the Old Country, he says, and in the early days of the colony, he had no difficulty of getting information about crime. Now, how ever, the educated larrikin is driving the police to their wits’ end. This modern Victorian criminal is intelli gent enough to know the advantages of combination. He keeps his own counsel and baffles the police. Now observe that of this class of 1 crime (the most dangerous of all) there will be absolutely no records in the returns of our Police Courts and Assizes.; For the most part of it is committed with impunity. It goes to swell that enor mous mass of sensual sin of which the law takes no notice ; of which its re turns exhibit no trace, although they are so often fallaciously quoted as a reliable test. of our moral condition. You know what ordinary criminals are. You have yet to learn what intelligent criminals can be—what a scourge to society, what a terrible peril to the common weal th.”

“Take Notice, My Son.”

The Burlington Hatvkcye is not ex. actly a religious newspaper, but,,the following advice to a young man, which we find in its columns, is nearly as good as the average sermon :— (l 'Did you ever notice, rny son, that the man who tells you he cannot believe , the Bible is usually able to- believe almost >any thing else? You will find men, my son, who turn with horror, gnej utter, dip belief from the Bible, and joyfully em brace the teachings of Buddha. It is quite the'thing-qust how, my son, for a civilised, enlightened man, brought up in a Christian country and in an*age of wisdom, J to be-a Bbddhist. And if you ask six men who profess Buddhism who Buddha was, one of them will tell you he was an Egyptian soothsayer, who lived "200 years before Moses ; another will tell you that he brought letters from Phoenicia and introduced them in. Greece; a third will tell you. that she was a beautiful woman of farther. India, bound by her vows to perpetual chastity ; a fourth will, with little'hesitation, say he was a Brahma of the ninth degree and a holy disciple of Confucius; ; and ‘of the other two, one will frankly admiP that he doesn’t know, and the other will say, with some indecision,' that he was either a dervish of the. Nile (whatever that is) or a felo de sc, he can’t be positive which.

“ Before you propose to know more than anybody arid everybody else, my son, be very certain that you are least of two thirds of your fellow men. I don’t want to suppress any inefinatidn you may have toward genuine free thought and cai'eful honest investiga-. tion, my son. I only want you to avoid the great fault of atheism in this day and generation ; I dont want to see you try to build a six-storey house on a one-storey foundation. Before, you critise, condemn, and finally_reYlle_ the work of creation; be pretty con fident that you know something about oj u is blder. in years and experience than yourself—don’t, let me implore .you, don’t turn this world upside down and sit down on it, and flatten fit entirely out, until you have made or secured another one for the rest Of us to live in while you demolish the old one.

THE CHIMNEY CORNER.

ENGINE-DRIVERS ’AND THEIR

WAYS, On the Rail and at Home-

My object here is not to sketch the appearance of engine-drivers, but to convey some idea of .thejr. manners, and habits by a few anecdotes, which will all be true.

;.Mr.: Frith’l “ Railway 3tatia*if , fis'one of the. most popular pictures ever painted, and all the officials in it, are taken from life. The driver-is from-'a photograph ; and it will interest ■ the reader of these lines, should ..he go to see the picture, to know that this very man made, it is believed, the fastest trip ever known. This was from Lon don to Didcot; he accomplished the journey, just fifty-three miles, in forty seven minutes. It happened that a comrade had, run the trip in forty-seven and a half, and Mr. Frith’s hero re solved. to: beat him. He did beat him ; and another first-rate man openly de clared his determination to do it in still less time ; but an order was judiciously issued which stopped this rather alarm ing rivalry. The desire to run exces sively fast is, curiosly enough, generally traceable to the pride each man has in his engine! which" may be compared to the well-known feelipg .of the-- groom towards his horse. 1 he engine-driver has too much rising and; tearing along to care for racing, pjl his o\vn account; but that the “ Rhinoceros” should be beaten by the,“ Hippopotamus;’ is not, to be borne. ; Even good-tempered men become -offensive when championing the merits of their engines; it is so difficult for them to exalt their favorite without depreciating competitors. To what a pitch this feeling goes may be illustrated by a little anecdote. A man Who had just come in from a very long brip.wUM goods train—only those who are familiar with railway work can ap preciate the difference between driving a gobds' train for one hundred and twenty miles and doing the same amount of passenger work—threw his great-coat across his arm, and, swinging his can and basket in his right hand, walked slowly and heavily up the slope homewards, his fireman slouching be hind him. Bed was evidently his im mediate destination, and the poor fellow wanted rest badly enough, . Great, therefore, wasjhe surprise of his chief— and Tmay say’of myself too —to see, abput fifty minutes afterwards, the same driver coming dowri the'slope, followed again by his fireman) carrying greafG 1 coat, can, and basket, all as before. : “ Beg yoltr pardon, sir;" said thfe driver, ‘‘ but I hear you ard argdinglo , send ‘ Kaffir I —this was the name of

the engine—out again to-night, with Tom Baldwin.”

“ Yes,” replied the chief; “ you know we are very short of engines.” “ Well, sir,” returned the man, “ lie’s not a bit of good to her; he don’t understand her, sir; he’ll spoil her; and if you’ll allow me, sir, me and my mate will run the trip to-night.^’ “ You !” exclaimed the superin tendent; “you can’t—you’re knocked up.”

“Not a bit of it, sir,” replied the driver. “ Anyhow, sir, I can do more with ‘ Kaffir 1 than he can, and I’ll never have such an engine drove by him, if 1 can help it.” And out of devotion to his great, ungainly goods engine, the driver, in stead of going to bed, chose to pass another night without sleep, and to run dyer another six or seven score miles of rail.

Sometimes the feeling will manifest itself in a still stranger manner. An excellent plan is adopted on railways of taking the pressure of old boilers—that is, when an engine has run a certain number of miles, although no symptoms of weakness may appear, yet as wear must have been going on, the pressure at which the steam blows off is reduced from, say, one hundred and twenty pounds toone hundred, or perhaps eighty pounds tTthc square inch, by which, of course, the bursting of the boiler is rendered more improbable. It may be noticed here that so great an improve ment in quality of fuel and complete ness of combustion has, during the last few years, been effected, that an engine will run thirty or forty thousand more miles with the same set of tubes than would have worn it out some years back. Of course, when the pressure of steam is reduced, the power of the engine is reduced in proportion, and I have known a driver, whose favorite engine was in the factory for repairs, wait upon the engineer and beg and prhy, as the phrase goes, that authority to forego his intention of diminishing the pressure ; being quite willing to risk his own life and that of his firieman rather than his iron steed should suffer in her reputation for speed and drawing power. Not, be it understood, that any engine has any reputation beyond her driver, and a very select few.

It will be easily understood that engine-drivers are • intensely profes sional; the ruling spirit, I have no doubt, is strong with them in death, though this, of course, I cannot easily prove. I know of one instance, how ever, where the engine,, at some ob stacle, leaped from the line when run ning at great speed on a high embank ment. “ It’s up, mate,” exclaimed the driver, “ but hold on to the brake.” His m?ite did so, w'hile he held on to the regulator. The engine and tender turned right over, and pitched with terrific force into a meadow below. No one could ever account tor the escape of the men, but beyond stunning each of them for a short time, and knocking out the whole of the driver’s front teeth, no great harm was done.

I really think that even a drunken driver would hardly make any mistake ini his signals, and in support of this an odd illustration may be given. A driver, npt : on duty, had been drinVing, and was, in company with his firermn, walk ing in the vicinity of the Elgeware road, when he suddenly started vio lently, and seizing his mate’: arm, shouted— “ Hold hard, mate —hold hard ?’ •'•"YV’Blt’S ' Tile nravierSm—

■fireman. . “ Matter !” roared the driver, “ w'ny, you’re a-running by the red light and he pointed to the crimson glare which streamed through a glass bottle in a chemist’s window. “ Come along; that’s nothing,” said the fireman, trying to drag him on. “ What, run by the red light, and go

afore Dannel in the morning ?” retorted the driver, and no persuasion could or did get him to pass the shop. He was

a Great Western man, and the “ Dan nel” whom he held in such wholesome awe was the celebrated engineer, now Sir Daniel Gooch, and chairman of that line. He was then the locomotive chief, and renowned above all other things for maintaining discipline among his staff, while they cherished a feeling for him very much akin to what we hear of the clannish enthusiasm of thet ancient. Scotch.

1 The subject of the red lights reminds me of color-blindness. I have known one or two instances of men being pro nounced unfit for driving because ot their inability to distinguish one color from another—in fact, from that singu-

lar defect of vision known as color blindness. I do not thin!;, however, that this is quite an accurate way of describing this peculiarity; the men can see a difference in the colors when side by side, but, do what they will, they cannot remember which is the green and which the red light. Gene rally, nearly always indeed, this defect is remediable to the degree needful for the calling by habit, and the gradually acquired knowledge of the colors. Color-blindness in a minor degree is, I fancy, very common. The wrier of these lines, while deriving grea plea sure from the combination of various hues, cannot, for the life-of hm, tell brown ,cloth from green; and always fancies- that grass, with the sun shining on it, is as red as anything he las ever been, told is red. Dr. Cooper, the eminent physician, and medicd super intendent of a large railway, ir one of his elaborate reports stabs that, “color-blindness, which is happily rare —so much so, that many have doubted

its existence—did not present itself in any of the candidates”—for tie year. But partial color-blindness is common enough, and a friend of nine, has authenticated one very strange variety of it, in which, the man suv every object by daylight of a unifo-ra brown hue, but by artificial light he :ould dis tinguish every tint in its moa delicate gradations. He was a skilfil flower painter, but by gaslight only. (To be continued\)

THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1881.



i ' UE CLOTHING £'J at their 1 etail ■.j.laud. AT THE TWUUlitOiiJuia , jeitjLOii. Thousands of the discerning customers testify that. tfye.JSew Zealand Clothing Factory’s are the Very Best Valueftoi? Ready Money. v JIBdHEUBTON BRANCH EAST STREET. p' ,! W SPARROW, . ■ 751* ~«;>r , rr; ui. imager. /COMMERCIAL and \j 17 STATIONERY. FANCY The Undersigned has opened up a NEW ASSORTMENT of the above. Cream, Blue, and Hand - made Notepapera; Ruled, Plainj Fancy, and Repp' ditto. Good-Busineas Envelopes, No. 7, Court, Albert, Queen, Tinted, Repp, and . ©thers-g l.rPpns -t- Giljott’s, Mitchell’s, 5f an 3& u ? r and. Co.’s. Inks—Stephen’s Blue Walkden’s Black and Colored, - AntohUie', .Copying, &c. Workboxes, . Albufhs. Books, &c. ■ JONES, STA'fe&NBJRY AND FANCY GOODS DEPOT, East Street and Baking Square. •S<s i'-ii :: ■■ ■: ■ ■ . ; . 710 : /fr ItETHyEN' AGENCY. ;Gpn<erial Store keeper,'MethVein/ ate aiitborisep for the AfißßUsioN Guardian., agents.; in jEutifrey Carders en- them' will receive prompt



Special Advertisements. O. Carstens & Co. (Late Weston’s), PROSPECT BUILDINGS, Tobacconist, fancy goods, AND STATIONERY. Meerschaum Pipes, G.B.D. Pipes Nail rod, Twist, and Vanity Fair Tobacco Musical Instruments, etc., etc. Haircutting, Shaving and Shampooing. EAST STREET, ASHBURTON. 520*



CAMBRIDGE’S ORANGE QUININE TONIC WINE, Manufactured and sold by the Proprietor for thirteen years Every bottle is guaranteed to contain thirty grains of pure quinine, and is there fore a most valuable strengthening medi cine. Sold in wine bottles at 4s. Cd., and smaller size 2a. 6d. May be obtained in Rakaia from Messrs. Hakdy & Co. As the best proof of the value of an article is the readiness of others to imitate it, see that you get CAMBRIDGE’S ORANGE QUININE TONIC WINE 919 T) ALL PROGRAMME CARDS in very neat styles, with Pencils and Ribbons, printed at the Guardian Office, East street, near Railway Station. WANTED.— THE GUARDIAN tells your Wauls for Is. —cash. THE GUARDIAN is on every Tea Table in Ashburton.



Holloway’s Ointment ane Pills.— Diseases of the skin, ringworm, scurvy, aundice, scrofula or king’s evil, soreheads, and the most inveterate skin disease to which the human frame is subject, cannot be treated with a more safe and certain remedy than Holloway’s Ointment and Pills, which set so perculiarly on the constitution and so purify the , blood, that these diseases are at ' nce eradicated from the .system and a lasting care obtained. They are ■ equa"y efficac : ous i> the cure of turners, bums, scalds, glandular swellings, ulcerous wounds, rheumatism, cortmcted and stiff joints.'These nhedicines opente mHdly and surely. The cures [effected by th*m are 1 mot temporary or apparent only, but complete and permanent.



Wanted- WANTED, a GIRL, about 14. Apply, Mrs. Westbeooke, the Manse, Rakaia. 910 WANTED— Good PLAIN SEWERS will find constant employment by applying to the Office of this Paper. 909 ANTED, a Good PLOUGHMAN, accustomed to work a Machine. Apply, Office of this Paper. 885 WANTED, a good general SERVANT., Apply at once to Sutler's Family Hotel. 869 A GOOD Driver wants E?*IPLQY MENT, who thoroughly under stands the McCormick Machine. Apply early, Dunk and Bay. 914 WANTED TO SELL—Twenty-five SECTIONS, Wakami road. Apply, Patching, Tent-make, East street. 898, WANTED KNOWN—The Largest and Best Stock of Saihileiy in to be found at the shop of S. STEPHENS, Tinwald. Good strong Cart Collars fcolr 155.; Cart Winkers, Bs. fid.; Plough Back-bands, 6s. cash ; Cart Saddles and Breechens, from 505.; Reaping Machine Pole Straps, 2s. Farmers will make a great saving by buying of S. Stephens, Saddler, Tinwald. 871 w i WANTED KNOWN, That HENRY'S PORTRAIT ROOMS, Saunders’ Buildings, East street, Ashburton, are open DAILY, from 9 ni;m. till 5 p.m. Portraits taken in any weather. Great Reduction in Price. . 606 VirTANTED KNOWN—Just arrived VV from England— New, Year, and Birthday Calds. New Zealand Illustrated Annual,-Young Ladies'Jour- ; nal, and Bow Bells, Is. fid. each. Family , Herald and Family Reader,/ Is, each, ' and all other Magazines Supplied at Christ church Prices. Colonial and European Newspapers, School Books,Stationery,<sic.’- A visit solicited. L. l F. AnoreWtCs, East-' street, near Lancaster’s' Butchery!' ■ - 527 ’’ ! WANTED KNOWN—That a Church of England minister’s wife that she saves Ten Shillings a iFjrtnip by using Harper Twelvetfees* Villa Washer, r Wringer, and Mangley, bined; and, although she permits' no rubbing, the ; clofches are beautifully whiter;, and much cleaner than when done’by hand, while the saving in mending has been astonishing. Sold by J. HERNjI- Range Maker and Importer, corner of Manchester and Tuam streets, Christ church ; Price—£9 10s. 700" . WANTED- KNOWN. SOMERSET LIVERY AND BAIT STABLES. <



J W. M‘RAE begs to inform the i , public that he has taken thevboVe:' Stable* from Mr. Bossenberg, and : ia' making extensive repairs. ; : K , Buggies and saddle horses on lure'. 1 ’ Lowest prices and < best attention... 852 '• i ..I. , i Meetings. , 10. G. T. —Unity DEGREE TEMPLE, . THIRD DEGREE MEETING on TUESDAY EVENING, at 8 o'clock; at the Templar Hall. Thomas Williasjls, D.T. : : isr o E- A Meeting of those holding tickets be tween Nos. 1,226 and 1,250, on the Mel bourne Champion Race (Cameron’s Con sultation), .will be held at. the , Ashburton. Hotel, on SATURDAY eveiubg’, the lbth inst., at 7.30 p. m., when profits will be divided. DUNCAN M'KENZIE, 907 Agent. Tenders SOMERS ROAD BOARD. , TENDERS are invited for the*followi- ; . >; ing WORK:— Contract No. 36 —Re-formation, etc., 220 chains, more or less, 5 Off the Yaletta road. Specifications can be seen at the office, Mount Somers, where tenders will-* be received until 1 p.ml on SATURDAY, - - January 15th, 1881. •? The lowest or any tender riot necessarily accepted. , . C. J. WENTWORTH COOKSON,' Jim,/*-'- 917 Surveyor. | ■ . : ■--- v ■: , -ar?i I Public Notices. >;



Education board of the < DISTRICT OF NORTH CANTER- 4 BURY. - 5 ELECTION OF COMMITTED; ' ' The Board, in pursuance: of power that behalf; conferred by 'the Education Act, 1877 (section 64), hereby directs that s a PUBLIC MEETING ol the HOUSE- * ; HOLDERS in every School District 4 throughout the Education . District of North Canterbury, be held on MON- ; DAY, the twenty-fourth day of January, ; one thousand eight hundred and eighty- ' one, at seven o’clock in the-evening, for the Faction m each District\ 0 f Seven Householders (section 64) to form Committee for suck District for flm y«n»- m ending with the fourth Monday in ' Jaaf nary next year. ."s r ! '.h The place of meeting shall be the r SCHOOLHOUSE in each District whiqhv is provided with a Schoolhouse, and this? '■f is understood to mean the Main School house in any District which has mortti Al than one school. | In the Districts in which schools are not yet built, the places of meeting shall 4 be as follows : '' |= Flemington—Wheatstone HoteL ? Hurunui—Hurunui Hotel. Hoteiv r v f Mason’s Flat Horsley ' Ddwttf Station. . , ■j&j The Board - further' directs that the'mwr ; meeting of each School Committee he held in the place appointed for the elections, and immediately after the election the same evening. "" " ' “ The Board requests the Chidmum'i tißri each public meeting to make to the Board immediately after the election, a return os, ; c ; the names of the several elected to form, the , pommitteej . recommends that each Chairman of Com mittee, report his own election as Action as possible. ; J. Y. COLBORNE YeEl, . _ Secretary. Christchurch, Jth Jan., 188L.% '■ 9itf :nr. : am



rjIHEODORE B. ■ fJACOBSEN.i ARCHXT E C T. Note office— HEREFORD STREET, WEST, {,, ChristchurchJ THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN , , : , _*4- i PRICE ONE,. PENNY, rj r ADVERTISERS are! reminded' that ; > I the ASHBURTON GUARDIAN commands the LARQEST CIRCULA TION in the Borough 1 and Suburbs, and * the prices for advertisements are very reasonable.