DAILY MEMORANDA.

AUCTION SALES. Saturday, March 14. \[r Thos. Bullock, at the Arcade, Burnett street —Horses and Sundries Tuesday, March 17 Messrs Matson, Cox and C)., at the Ashburton Saleyards—Stock Messrs Miles and Co., at the Ashburton Tarda —Sheep MEETINGS, AMUSEMENTS, Eto. Friday, Ma*ch lb. • Lonbgeach Road Board at Road Board Office. Saturday, March 14. Ashburton Coursing 01*jb—Meeting at the Somerset Hotel, at 7 30 Monday, March 16 Arcade Chambers —Star of Ashburton, U.A.0.D., at 8 o’clock Borough Council, at Borough Council Cham hors, at 7-30 Tuesday, March 17 ft Oddfellows' Hall—lrish Concert, at 8 Wednesday, March 25 Ashburton Building and Investment So oiaty—Annual Meeting, Arcade Cham > bon, at 3 o’clock Orange Hall—Star of the East, 1.0.G.T., meeting at 8 o’clock Thursday, March 26 linwald Saleyards—Annual Ram and Ewe Fair Friday, March 27. isiburton County Council —At Council Chambers, 11a.m. Friday, April 3 Oddfellows’ Hall-Baptist Church Anm versary Tea Meeting town Hall—“Messiah,’’ at 8 o’clock Saturday, April 4 Aakanui Road Board, at Road Board • office, Moore street, at 10.30 a.m. Tuesday, April 14. Ashburton School Committee—Monthly Meeting, in the Schoolroom, at 7.30 Wednesday, April 15 Tinwald Annual Races Wednesday, April 29 Ashburton Racing Club—Autumn Meet ing ________________

MAIL NOTICES.

ItTaila close at the Ashburton Post Office follows: — For Christchurch and. North at 6 a.m. 10.30 a.m., and 5 p.m., daily. For Chertsey Rakaia, See,, at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. For Dunedin, Tinwald, Winslow, Hinds, Coldstream, Rangitata, Orari, Winchester, and Geraldine, at 10 a.m. daily. *fov Temuka, at 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., For Tima»*u and South, at 6 a.m., 10 *.m., and 430 p.m., daily. For Greenstreet and Ashburton Forks, Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 10.45 ** For Wakanui, Elgin, Seaview, Seafield, and Kyle, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, at 6.80 a. m. For Mount Somers, on Tuesdays and aturdays, at 6 a.m. and 430 p.m. For Mayfield, on Tuesdays and Satur days, at 6 a.m. For Ashton, Waterton and Longbeach, at 430 p.m. daily. For Flemington, on Mondays, Wednes days, and Fridays, at 4 30 p. m. For Howlands, on Tuesdays and Fri days at 10.30 a.m. ftTnila arrive at the Ashburton Post 03&C6 — Yxorn Christchurch and Rakaia at 10.15 am., 435 p.m., and 7.20 p.m. From Chertsey, &c. at 10.15 a.m. and 435 p-m. daily. From Dunedin and intermediate places at •n.m. daily. From Temuka and Timaru at 10.40 a.m. p.tfO 0.m., and 8 p.m. daily. From Greenstreet and Ashburton Forks, Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 10 Mount Somers »nd Ashburton Gorge, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, at 6 a,m. and 4 30 p.m., and on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. From Mayfield, on Tuesdays and Satur days, at 10.5 a.m. From Ashton, Waterton, and Long, beach at 10 a. m. daily. , . From Newlands, on Tuesdays and Fri days, at 2.30 p.m. From Flemington on Tuesdays, Thurs- Jays, and Saturdays, at 10 a.ra. From Elgin, Wakanui, Seafield, and Kyle on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sat urdays, At 4 p.m.

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1885. The Police and the Licensing Act.

The Police in all parts of the colony have testified to the difficulty of ob taining convictions against publicans for breaches of the Licensing Act. That this testimony is not unsupported by facts has repeatedly been shown, but never more clearly than in the prosecu tion recently directed against a Meth ven publican. In this particular case a licensee bearing an exceptionally good character was charged with having sup plied drink during prohibited hours. The charge, in the opinion of the pre siding Magistrate, was sustained by the evidence of two of the recipients of the drink; and we may at once say that, while holding the very highest compara tive opinion of the manner in which the defendant’s house is conducted, we fully concurred in the decision. The defendant, however, appealed, and the case came before Judge Ward in the District Court on Wednesday last. In the higher Court the two material witnesses already referred to showed a much more precise recol lection of times and events than they had exhibited in the lower. Cer tain flagrant discrepancies in their evi dence induced Judge Ward very pro perly to reject it, and consequently the conviction in the lower Court was quashed. The course of this prosecu tion and its ultimate fate very aptly illustrate the difficulties of which the Police complain. They rely upon evi dence which is either given with reluct ance or malevolence, and on such testimony the Court has the greatest difficulty in arriving at the merits of the case. Witnesses favoraby disposed to wards the accused are invariably afflicted with the least retentive memo ries ; by some recurrent accident they have never carried watches at a time when a knowledge of the hour would have been important to the case, and their recollection of facts is too vague to guide the judgment of the Court. . Witnesses of the other class —those who give their evi dence with an avidity, bias and precise ness which must at once excite the incredulity of the presiding justice —are even more difficult to value. An in formant is always regarded by the British schoolboy as the most ignoble miscreant, and even when that school boy has developed Jnto a man and reached the magisterial chair it is not unnatural that he should retain some of his early impressions with regard to Queen’s evidence. But we submit that the Police should not rely upon such evidence: it is neither fair to the Magis trate nor the accused that they should do so. The licensing laws are as

much to be observed as any other enactment of the legislature, and it devolves upon the Police to see for themselves that their provisions are enforced. The Police know as well as we do that offences against the Act are of daily occurrence in every hotel in the colony; the knowledge is common pro perty, and it is quite time that the re presentatives of the law were aroused to a proper sense of their obligations. Those obligations have been so long neglected that it may have become particularly unpleasant to now under take them ; but many other duties of a Police officer are not distinguished for the pleasure afforded by their execu tion, The police should announce their intention to inspect the licensed houses nightly, this announcement should be rigorously carried out, and any offence against the existing laws as rigorously reported and punished. If these laws are too harsh they should be modified, but public interest, public decency, and public opinion demand that the law standing upon the Statute Book shall be enforced without fear or favor.

Sir Julius Vogel has received the fol lowing telegram from the Agent-General in reference to the West Coast railway delegatee:—“Delegates working diao-eetly and safely. Tentative steps necessary at present. Please inform Canterbury and Nelson.”

The annual meeting of the Ashburton Coursing Club will be held at the Somer set hotel to-morrow evening.

A correspondent signing himself “ Humanity ” has written to us in refer ence to the Ashburton School Committee, but we do not think any good purpose could at present be served by giving pub licity to his remarks.

The following details as to the number of Volunteers in Canterbury are given by the Lyttelton Times ;—Lyttei ton .aavals, 03 ; E Battery, 63 ; City Guards, 40 ; Christchurch Rifles, 2d; Sydenham Rifles, 62 ; Scottish Company (a), 63 ' Christ’s College Rifles, 63 ; Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry (6), 6.3 ; Ashburton Rifles, 50 ; Temuka Rifles, 50 ; Timaru Artillery, 50; Timaru Navals, 46—total, 634

A summary of the speech delivered by theColonialTreasurer at the banquet given to him last night by the Mayor and citizens of Christchurch, is published in another column.

The telephone is about being intro duced into Tunis under very singular cir cumstances. A Frenchman, who was 'on'ce a priest of the Premonatrants in Paris, afterwards a Trappist in Algeria, and is now a Mussulman at Kairman, has

been invested with the charge of p Kouba or shrine. Though ha is said to gpeak Arabic admirably and to preach on the Koran with great unction, he finds the offerings of believers who visit the shrine come in slowly. Accordingly a telephone is being fitted up which will convey to him i,n his chamber the questions put to the saint'by the Arab ptlgpinjs. By the same agency he will be able to’ return re plies calculated to startle and amaze the! natives. This is making science the hand maid of religion in a way little contem plated by devout believers in the Koran, j

We know that there is nothing on earth equal to Hop Bitters as a family medicine. Look lor. —[AdvT.J Skinny Men.—“ Wells’ Health Re.newer restores and vigor, curd dyspepsia, in? potence, debility. fUc N.Z, Drug Co, General Agents. *

Indigestion and Liver Complaints.—For* these complaints Baxter’s Compound Quinine Pills have proved a specific, acting powerfully on the liver and mildly on the stomach, bold everywhere, or post free from J. Baxter, Chemist, Christchurch, for 19 or 44 stamps.

A other unfortunate, —Again we must draw the attention o' ur 1-caders to the feet that a £2,424 stock of Clotm.£ aad D | pery, in the estate of Dennis O u.,. ' - I ding in Jkyttelton and Cristchurch, now bank- . r,upt, purchased by H. E. May & Co., of I the Hall, High street, for £954, or only a little over one-third of its yalpe. H. E. M. ' and Co. are now selling it at half the marked i price, which stxjrely ought to secure a speedy I clearance. ]

Mails for Europe, etc., per R.M. steam ship Kimutaka will close at Ashburton to-morrow morning at ten o’clock. A supplementary mail, fur despatch per ex press train, will close at 5 p.m. Last evening as one of the trains laden with the homeward bound southern ex cursionists was travelling between i un sandel and BauKside, an alarm was raised I that one of the passengers had fallen be tween the carriages. It appeared that ] one of the male excursionists hailing from Timaru, who had evidently imbibed rather freely in the Cathedral City, essayed to pass from one carriage to an other, and in doing so fell between the carriages on to the centre of the road. As soon as the lengthy train was brought to a standstill one of the engines was sent back up the line in order to pick up what was thought would only be portions of the dead body of the passenger. A search was made up and down the line for some considerable time, but without finding a single trace of the individual, and at last it was rumored that the affair was a hoax. After a delay of nearly two hours the train resumed its journey southwards. This morning the mystery was solved by an individual ‘ turning up” at the Dunsanuel Hotel in time for an early break fast, where he gave an account of his narrow escape, telling the _ landlord that the whole train of carriages had passed over him the previous evening, and that he had walked to the neatest straw stack where he had passed the night very comfortably. The hero <■£ the ad venture, none the worse tor his fall, beyond a few cuts and scratches on the legs and face, resumed his journey to Timaru this morning by the express. The Oamaru Mail has gone one better. It says A local lately appeared in a Christchurch paper stating that a certain gentleman had six plums that weighed 18 ounces, shortly afterwards this statement was capped by an assurauje that Mr Slaly, of Ashburton, had six plums that weighed ?3 ounces. At this the cognoscenti marvelled, but what will they say when wo tell them that six plums grown at Ote ksike, in this district, were found to weigh 24 ounces ?

A luminous tree grows in a valley near

Tuscarora, Nevada, US. A. At certain seasons the foliage gives out sufficient light to enable anyone near to read small print, while the luminous leaves can bo seen a mile avay. The phenomenon is attributed to parasites.

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT

ASHBURTON—To-day.

(Before H. 0. S. Baddeley, Esq., R.M.

Riotous Conduct. Murdo McKenzie was charged with having been drunk and with having behaved in a riotous manner in a public street. He was further charged with having damaged a constable’s shako. —Constable Beddek described ihe condition and behavior of the accused- He had been very violent, and his arrest had been effected with difficulty. The accused had also employed very offensive language.—A witness corroborated the evidence of the constable.—His Worship said that the accused had acted more like a maniac than a sane man. The accused was mulct in the following penalties :

20a and costa, with the alternative of 48 hours’ imprisonment for drunkenness ; 60s and costs, with the alternative of one months’ imprisonment for offensive language ; and ordered to pay amount of damage to constable’s uniform 14s 6d, coat of witness Bs, and cab hire 2s, with the alternative of seven days’ imprison ment. CIVIL OASES. Ashburton Guardian Company v W. Dalgetty, claim L2 9a 6d.—Mr Purnell for the plaintiffs. Judgment by default for the amount claimed and costa. Grant v Green, claim L 8 2s —Mr Branson for plaintiff. Judgment for plaintiff for the amount claimed and costs. The defendant was ordered to pay 30s per month. Cheese and Butter Factory Company v T. Vddis, claim L 5 19s 6d—Judgment by default for the amount claimed and costa.

A. Orr v R. Thompson, claim L 9 5s. — Judgment by default for the amount claimed and costa. Wood, Shand and Co. v G. Cox, claim L 65 8s Bd. —Mr Purnell for the plaintiffs. Defendant had confessed to judgment, and Mr Parnell applied for solicitors and witnesses costa in addition to the amount of the claim, The applica tion was granted. Boyd v Betts, claim Ll2 —LB had been paid into Court, Mr Wilding for plain tiff, Mr Branson for defendant. This was a claim for carting oats. As the de fendant had not filed a set-off with par ticulars and practically had no defence judgment was given for the amount claimed and costs.

Hicks v Morris, claim L 4 ss.—This was a case which had been adjourned for the purpose of taking the evidence of Thomas Hicks, senior, Woodville.— Judgment was now given for the amount claimed and co r ts.

Jones v Mcßae, claim LlO, the value of a horse alleged to have been improperly acquired by the defendant from the plain tiff —Mr Wilding for the plaintiff, Mr Branson for the defendant All witnesses wore ordered out of Court. C. Jones, a laborer, the plaintiff, said he recollected being in Ashburton on 7 th January. He went to the Somerset Hotel, having tied a mare he jhad been riding outside the house. He subsequently saw the defendant at the latter’s stables.— F. Hill, the proprietor of the hotel, had made overtures for the purchase of the

[, mare, and it had been arranged that the u defendant should try her in his hansom 1 cab. The mare was tried, and the defen ’ dant offered another horse in exchange for her. Witness had been drunk for some y time, A trotting match was ultimately J? arranged. Witness recollected starting “ for the match; he believed the distance n was from Winslow to the bridge, but he was very drunk at the time, and had no • very clear idea as to what did occur. A - referee was appointed, who had exerted s himself to keep witness on his horse, a Witness did not recollect who the referee , was, but he thought it was a friend of the a defendant. The following morning witness % found himself lying at the side of i the road between Tinwald and the 3 bridge. Witness had since heard that the J match had been hors/? for hops§. He had > found defendant’s horse at Ti.nwahJ, and j had since been unablo tp discover the • whereabouts of his own horse. Defendant > had first said that it was at Kaikoura, and | then that it was at Rakala.—To Mr Bran son : He could not fix the date of the 1 ! match. Hill had offered witness L 6 10s for the mare but he would not accept it, Witn.eas was hard up it the time, and ! would haye taken leas than her tfalue for ! the mare. He had ogareff her to Hill for L 7. He had seen the defendant the fol io wing day ; wlcneiw was very drunk at the time • he no recollection of signing . any 6 receipt; the red?* peared to be signed by him. He ... taken possession of defendant’s horse and i had sold it. Witness did nqt know a man named Mabin. (Mabin was called into 1 Court, and witness said he thought he < (Mabin) was the man to whom he had sold tffe d'.fondant’s horse). —Tq Mr * Wilding: Witness was still drunk when t he sold defendant’s horse to IVJEabin. V|ftt- 1 ness had sold it because he was hard up, without money or friends.—J, Heseltine said that aany in January b e had Be P“ n -'laintiff and defendant together, jj the -i fcha defendant op [fche Witness had uk.. - chain* £ other side of the bridge, and.a further on had met the plaintiff. Witn> s« o, had spoken to plaintiff, and immed ate’y ra afterwards the defendant joined them, G

Both the parties appeared sober. Wit ness had had some conversation this morning with the defendant in respect to the case. Witness had told Mr Oaygill that the plaintiff had been very drunk. (The witness at this stage was submitted to a very severe examination by the Bench and Mr Wilding, and ultimately staled that he thought the plaintiff had been drunk) The defendant had said to witness, <( What is up with him ? On witness replying that the plaintiff wished to dismount, defendant addressing the latter said. “Oome on, you are not so - - drunk as all that.” The plaintiff was mounted on one of the defendant s horses.—To Mr Branson : The defendant helped plaintiff off his horse. Witness thought the assistance was given on account of the plaintiff being drunk. At the suggestion of the Bench the wit ness referred to an entry in his books which enabled him to say that it was about the 7th January he had seen the parties together.—The plaintiff, recalled, said that about the time of the transac tion he had been drunk for weeks. Re ferring again to the receipt produced (dated 16th January) witness said the signature was like, but he would not admit that it was, his.—J. McUae, the defendant, said the plaintiff had offered the mare, subject of this action, to witness for sale. The plaintiff appeared at the time to have had a few drinks. Witness would not buy the mare, and plaintiff had subsequently ir'ed to sell her else where. Still later the defendant, who was more annoying than drunk, came to the witness and proposed an exchange.pf horses. Witness had offered to give de fondant a horse for his mare and 50s, The defendant had offered to trot witness to determine which should pay the 50s. Wit ness had agreed to this proposition, pro vided referees were appointed. The de fendant was perfectly sober, and had se lected the referees. The match took place and witness won. The receipt pro duced, signed by plaintiff, was given to witness by plaintiff about seven days after the match. Plaintiff had not questioned the transaction until about two weeks ago. Witness then learnt that he (plaintiff) had been advised by his solicitor to seize the mare, and witness had com municated with the police.—To Mr Wild ing . Witness still had the horse obtained from the plaintiff. Witness would not sell her. He might take L4O if he was hard up. He valued her at L 8 10a when he bought her. The plaintiff only had two drinks previous to the match, but after it he feigned drunkenness. The parties had exchanged horses The match was merely to determine which should pay the other 50s. After the match witness had left the plaintiff on the other side of the bridge.—J. Mabin, a shepherd, had lately purchased a horse from plaintiff. Plaintiff may have had a glass or two at the time of the transaction, but was not drunk. Witness had bought the horse for defendant.—To Mr Wild ing : Witness received nothing from de fendant for negotiating the purchase. Witness had given a cheque for LI and L 3 10s in cash for the horse. He usually paid his accounts by cheque, ahe trans action took place in the Somerset Hotel. The receipt produced was signed at the time.—To the Bench : The defendant may have understood that witness was purchasing the horse on his own account. He did not. Gilbert McOandish said that he had been present when the parties to the present action had agreed to exchange horses, and determine by a trotting match which should pay the other 60s. Witness was referree at the request of plaintiff The defendant won the match. Plaintiff was sober at the time the match was arranged. Immediately before the start plaintiff had two drinks at the Winslow Hotel, and during the race was slightly elevated. The plaintiff had, prior to the race, asked wit ness not to be very particular about the mare breaking. The plaintiff had made other improper overtures in reference to the match. Witness was sober at the time; he was not a friend of the defendant. —Counsel having addressed the Bench, His Worship said in regard to a conten tion raised by Mr Wilding, that ho did not regard the trotting match as a gambling transaction, but thit it had been arranged to determine the respective value of the horses. He did not think it had been shown that the plaintiff was in such a state of intoxication as to be unable to transact business. The case was a par ticularly “ nasty " one. He was com pelled having carefully considered the evidence to nonsuit the plaintiff. No costs would be allowed,

111-treating a Horse —James Taylor was charged with having ill-treated a horse by neglecting to supply it with proper nourishment and shelter. Constable Beddek said that on the night of the 26th February he had noticed a horse tied to a post near the Somerset Hotel. Witness having been informed that the horse had been tied in the same position for nearly twelve hours, caused it to be removed to Mcßae’s stables. Witness had later on the same night discovered the accused in an outhouse at the back of the Commercial Hotel.—William Scott said he had seen the horse tied as described by the last witness from 11 am. on the day men tioned in the information until taken charge of by the police,—J. Mcßae cor roborated the evidence of the previous witnesses.—Mr Wilding objected to the information, contending that to comply with sub-section 1 section 7 of the Police Offences Act, and section 47 of the J us tices of the Peace Act, three separate charges should have been specified—one of failing to provide water, another for failing to provide food, and another for failing to provide shelter. —The objection was upheld, and the information dis missed.

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Sydney, March 6,

■4n inquest was commenced yesterday on the bodies of tlie twp women killed aboard the Nemesis, and was adjourned till Wednesday. At a Patriotic Fund meeting held at Newcastle last night, an amendment con demnatory of the Government’s action was carried by a large majority. There is likely to be a stormy session, and it ia said that a special Opposition will be organised. The English Eleven are playing Eigh teen Juniors on the new ground at Ash field,

Adelaide, March 6. Tffe Governor has received a telegram from Lord Derby, saying that the Govern ment are carefully considering the patri otic offer of troops, and if a force ia despatched in August, either singly from the colony or acting jointly with others, the Government will gladly receive it. It is important that each colonial regiment should drill togetjher during a mouth or more before embarking. " Melbourne, March 6.

Coronet, the strong favorite in the Aus tralian Cup, ran last.' Ho took A strong lead, but at the back of the course qol "r,d was never seen again, rr ’ *>," j of kerosene have Ten thousand cases being condemned as being below the buTl!* dard.

Qwing to the stringent steps talfen fqr the reduction of vermin by the lessees pit the Malice blocks, the rabbit nuisance has been reduced to a minimum.

BANQUET TO SIR JULIUS VOGEL.

At the Queen’s Theatre, Christchurch, last night, the Hon Sir Julius Vogel, Colonial Treasurer and M. H, R. for Christchurch North, was entertained at a public banquet. It is estimated that there were 300 gentlemen present, including most of the leading public men of Canter bury, and fcthe spacious gallery of the Theatre was well filled with ladies. In replying to the toast of his health, Sir Julius Vogel said he was at a loss to ex press his feelings at the kind way in which he had been treated by the people of Christchurch, The fact that notwith- I standing his absence, he was returned by the largest majority in the colony, and the generous manner in which his Com mittee had acted, were circumstances which he felt he could only repay by placing at their disposal to the fullest ex tent the poor abilities he possessed. All would agree that on the present occasion he should introduce as little controversial matter as possible, and he hoped that what he did say would not wound the feelings of any present, even though they might belong to opposite sides of the House. He would take an early opportunity, proba bly next week, of addressing his consti tuents when he would mors fully explain his views. When he returned to the colony twelve months ago he had no in tention of re entering public life, but he felt so keen’y the sad position of affairs ; there seemed such a want of confidence, that he couli not resist the invitation to tty if there remained in him any of the old power, as there certainly did of the old wish, to be of benefit to the colony. Of the many proffers of seats he then re ceived he accepted that from Christ church, mainly because he felt the warm support manifested would be of great assistance to him. Any influence he possessed had been much increased by the warm support and advice he received from friends in Canterbury. Particulars relating to his j fining the Government and to the history of the last session would be more in place in his address to his constituents. There was one subject which so occupied the minds of men, and indeed of the fair sex, throughout the colonies, that he would not omit reference to it. Every person must be desirous of knowing the intentions of the Government as to rendering aid to the Mother Country in regard to the Soudan campaign, and also as to placing this colony in a fairly effi cient condition of defence. Were the people of New Zealand to run the chance of loss, not only of that resulting from the visit of a privateer, but of that severe shock that would be felt by all, if a powerful English colony like this were lying helpless at the mercy of an enemy 1 Material losses would sink into insignifi cance before such humiliation as that. Ihe circumstances of New Zealand and New South Wales were so different that what was expedient in one case might not be so in the other. Firstly, nothing could give to the offer of troops from New Zea land or any other colony that freshness and spontaneity which distinguished that of New South Wales, which had stood forth as the representative of the Colonial Empire ready to aid England if necessary. Would it not be mistaken patriotism to ofier to send men to defend other parts of the Empire, when we had not done suffi cient 1 1 defend ourselves ? The Govern ment did not think anything should be done without consulting Parliament. If it were decided to send men to the Sou dan, no doubt a very fine body might be sent. In defending this colony we were defending the interest of the whole Em pire, for our disasters or successes would have an effect throughout that Empire. He looked upon these colonies as nurseries for the future defence of the Empire, and felt that we should be doing the best thing for the glory of the British Crown by raising up men capable of both extend ing the prosperity of the colonies and of defending the honor of the British in these seas. The Government had deter mined to propose a definite scheme by which, within a reasonable time, they would put into an efficient condition of defence the four principal harbors of Now Zealand, viz., Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Dunedin; It was not, however, enough to say they intended making these proposals to Parliament. The present was a stirring time, when there was more or less emergency. No time, therefore, must be lost in mounting the guns now in the colony. He (Sir Julius) could not help feeling that while he would not in the smallest degree de rogate from the patriotic action of New South Wales, the Soudan war, apart from the necessity of avenging Gordon, was not one which would excite much enthu siasm throughout the Empire. It might, however, be well for Parliament to con sider whether this colony could not con tribute, not men—whom the solony could not spare—but perhaps money or produce for the aid of the troops fighting in the desert. - Referring to the East and West Coast Railway, he said it was not new to the greater part of them that he was a great and ardent believer in it. He had committed himself to it when he stood before them, and had told them fairly that, in his opinion, we should first seek to have it done by private enter prise, and if it could not bo done In that way, it was a work that ought to be done by the colony. He might say that the more he thought of it the more convinced he was of the justice of the view he had taken. And this view was taken by his colleagues, two of whom—Messrs Stout and Larnaoh—had just been on a visit to the West Coast, and, he was happy to say, had become as enthusiastic as himself. He thought he mjght embody their opinion in half-a-dozen words by saying they had come back with the idea that it would be sinful to neglect the development of the West Coast. And they would allow him, perhaps, to say, as he had referred to the name of the latest member of the Minis-

try, the Hon the Minister of Mines, that he (Sir Julius) thought it was of the utmost importance to the colony that | mining should be duly encouraged. In I selecting Mr Larnach to take the position of Minister of Mines the Government had selected one who would make a nice dis crimination as to the limits within which assistance should be given to this import ant industry. He was quite sure the Go vernment would not only have performed a duty to the colony, but also done a benefit to the whole world if they could succeed in bringing to light the vast deposits of gold which he believed still to exist in the colony. A large amount of the distress existing in the world was due to the depreciation and waste of the universal legal tender. The discovery of additional gold mines here would have a beneficial effect. They had only to see the assistance which Victoria gave in the shape of diamond drills. One of the principal causes of the change in circumstances that Victoria was now enjoying, was due to the encouragement given by the Government to mining industries. Victoria was now one of the mopt. prosperous of the colonies —from having been a few > ears ago one of the most depressed, 4- considerable por tion of her prosperity was due to the fact that the colony had a Government which seemed to understand her wants. He did not agree with those who alleged that the prospeJi" ? f a colon y we , re not “tooted by the prudence of those wuu "? n Juoted Government. Now, he did not think that it was necessary foy him to point out the fact than wten this railway to the West Coast was, be would not say finished, but in course of construction, it would bring vast trade to Christchurch, and would

:i vakea a vast amount of productive en t ' prise, which would do good not only to J . istchurch, but the whole of that stjrip uf the Island which was known as tfye Eagt ooa§t. The people here would haTQ of their I tg i

ducts for those of the West Coast. The timber trade alone would be enormous, and he did not think it would be easy to magnify the extent it would reach when the railways were in progress and the har« bora of the West C >ast were made equal to the acommadation of large steamers and i hips. He had recently been on a visit to Auckland, and when he saw the

gigantic proportions which the timber trade had reached there, and its effect on the whole distr ; ct he thought that he could not exaggerate the effects that would follow whan they were able to export not only rei pine, which he be* lieved would be found merchantable, not only in the colonies, but elsewhere, but •also the black birch, which he believed would be found one of the most valuable* i trees of the country. And now as to the question of what were the probabilities of this railway being carried out by a com | pany in England. He thought they were fairly good ; and it would be interesting to them to know that on Wednesday ha had telegraphed to the Agent*General to know what the delegates were doing, and he had that afternoon received a reply he thought they would think satisfactory: “ Delegates working discreetly and safely. Tentative steps necessary at present. Please inform Canterbury and Nelson.” Now, he thought that telegram was very satisfactory. It showed moat of all that that they were working harmoniously with, and to a certain extent, it might be supposed, with the aid of, the Agent- General ; and secondly, it showed that they had a knowledge of what they were doing, and that they were not idle. He was convinced himself that it would be best if carried out by private enterprise, but at the same time ha was of opinion tha% if it was not, it was a railway that the colony would . have to undertake to construct itself. He would like to refer to another question which was of great interest to the colony. He had heard it said, that an endeavor would be made to get up an opposition between town and country on the subject of local government. He hoped no such idea was entertained, for a greater fallacy than to suppose an antagonism between the interests of town and country could not be found, for the prosperity of the country depended upon the prosperity of every part. At Auckland, when address ing a meeting, he had thrown oat the idea that the Government would consult the Chairmen of County Councils and the Mayors of Municipalities ; but this Idea had been abandoned, as the Hovernmoht had made up their minds as to what they would sumbit to Parliament. The scheme would provide for only two local bodies—* the Municipalities and the County Coun cils—having to be dealt with. Obviously it must be so arranged as to give the sub divisions of the Counties power and con trol over funds. Whilst agreeing to this it was the opinion of the Government that the local bodies should have separate and ' reliable functions, and not have to come up to the Assembly as suppliants—he would not use the word “ beggars”—ask ing for this road and that bridge. They wanted to foster a spirit of self-reliance in the local districts, and (this could only be done by placing them in possession of means for their own wants. The main objects of local government were the effecting of local improvements in the shape of roads and bridges, and attend ing to sanitary objects. The last term 1 had a very wide range of meaning, and included attention to the dwellings of the laboring classes, the progress of settlement on the land, aud that suggestion in the report of the Unemployed Commission—the forma tion of village settlements. The Govern ment was deeply impressed with the necessity of planting the working popula tion on the land, from which they might add to their incomes by gardening and bee farming They considered that such settlement in the neighborhood of largo towns would prevent a recurrence of the unemployed difficulty. They were not blind to the fact also that it was necessary for colonists to use their own productions as much as possible, and to buy less from the foreign market. He was glad to be able to say that his colleague, Mr Bal lance, who was an enthusiast on the sub iect of village settlements, would be down here in two or three weeks’ time, and {would be able to arrange with the local authorities for a fair trial being given to the system. He denied that there was any possibility of a return to ' the Provincial system, which was abso lutely dead, but the Government thought that one feature of it might, in some sort, be revived; that feature was the delega tion of certain powers to the local bodies, in some instances, though the principle would not apply to all. They thought that the police, which, for the sake of economy, had a central organisation, might be more under the control of the local bodies. To sum up, he would say that the principles were, first, to make as little of a sudden wrench in changing as possible; next, to do whatever was dona - in harmony with the feelings of the local bodies themselves, and lastly, to so arrange that whatever was done might be of an elastic nature, so that it should not follow that what was suitable for ' one part of the colony should be arbitrarily applied to another. Ha paid a warm tribute to the memory of William Sefton Mcorhouse, remarking that he felt that the proposals of the Government in 1869 were not so large in proportion as the heroic proposals made to a mere handful of people to construct the Lyttelton tunnel. Canterbury should also be proud of the fact that the local New Zealand Shipping Company had been the pioneer of direst steam. He would not, however, undervalue the ser vices of the Shaw-Savill and Albion Com pany, but must express his deep regret at the death of one of their directors, Mr Galbraith. With regard to the manage ment of the railways, the people of Christ church had that day seen a sight which they would not perhaps have seen had not the Stout-Yoge! Government bean in power—the large number of visitors from Timaru. Cheap excursion trains'were 4 part of the policy introduced by tfyoHon. B. Biohardsqn. not without con sideration and great opposition. These trains inaugurated a new era of railway management. The Government’s idea was that it was better that six persona should contribute to railways thanthst one should do so; therefore thay strove to induce the ' public to use the linos. He believed, however, that they would not get an absolutely satisfactory management of the railways, no matter how good the Minister, till they were vested in non-politioai .. boards. The Government were of opinion generally, that, in order to prevent scrambling for new lines, it should-be distinctly understood as soon as possible what were to be considered as trunk lines, though it was not to be expected that* these were, therefore, to be made all at once. If the colony was to be protected from scrambling the persons asking for railways should be prepared to bear part of the coat. ' Dealing with the subject of finance,' Sir Julius said that the brilliant success of the last million Idan was a coni-

piece vindication of the policy of the Go vernment last session. Information at his

hand led him to believe that New Zealand

in comparison with other countries, - was exceptionally prosperous. Auckland and other parts of the Horth Island were ex ceeaingiy prosperous, SP* it was not to be* expected that the depression would tong continue to rage in other portions of -the colony. He : condludad" by again yhrmly thanking the people of Obristoburch for their kindly reception. ' J

The speech of the Colonial Treasurer was received with great approbation throughout, and at the close tvas loudly applaudetl.

the ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1885.



NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS



Advertisements for The Ashburton Guardian must be sent in not later than S p.m., with the number of insertion, written plainly on the copy, otherwise they will be inserted until counter manded, and charged accordingly. Re place Advertisements must be supplied the day previous to that on which they are to be inserted. Special notices can be received up to 3.30 p.m., but will be charged double rates. , 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 ieit us U) be addressed The Manager ; literary communications should be addressed to The Editor. ___



Wanted. WAN.TED Known —That all debts due in the estate of John Beecher must be paid to him on or before the 21st 1 instant, or legal proceedings will be taken to recover same. John Beecher 3 383 WANTED, for the country—A strong ; Girl. Appl>, on Saturday, at Mrs Randall. Town Hall. 3 373 WANTED Known—An experienced ( Monthly Nurse, open for engage ment. Apply Mrs Hampton, Princes street. 3 381 '\TTANTh D Known—Before buying Dress Materials, Ulsters, Jackets, Dolmans, Millinery, etc , call and inspect our stock. The cheapest first-class Drapery and Millinery Establishment in Ashburton — H. C. fcEOERS, ealya’ Buildings, East I Street. WANTED Known—Wertheim Sew ing Machines can be had on Time Payments at the New Zealand Clothing Factory’s Branch, East street, Ashburton. WANTED Known Mangling done. Mrs Manhire, North east Belt. LOBIOUS NEWS. Andrew Orr will give away on Saturday 100 pairs men’s boots at 6j 9J ; 60 pairs can vas slippers at 2s 6d ; 30 pairs cricketing boots at 6s 6d ; 100 pairs Kaiapoi trousers at lls 6d—every article at half-price. TED Known—Fresh Flounders „re daily despatched direct - from our own boat, now fishing at Lake Elles mere. Delivery guaranteed within eight hours from time of catching. All orders received at my shop will be immediately executed ou arrival of the train. W. O. Page, East street, Ashburton. 11 2151 ITT" ANTED Known—Boots ! Boots 1 Y T That Hayes and Go. are Clearing a few desperate liues of Boots, etc., to wit, Ladies’ Leather, 4s 6d; Men’s Shooters, Pegged, 10s; Men’s Elastic sides, 9s, and a lot of odd lines that must be cleared at once. 7 1278 WANTED Known—Umbrellas at Is lid, six doz Buttons for Is, China Matting at 6d, Ladies’ Hose at 6d, Cor sets at 2a 3d, Shircing at 4£ i, To wels 3£d, 36-inch Oilcloth 9d, Calicoes Is 4d. Andrew Qrr’s Cheap Sale 2 185 2 276 2 263 2 237



WANTED KNOWN— Robert Elston, Bill Poster, Theatpioal Agent, etc., Town Hall, Ashburton. Theatrical companies and others visiting Ashburton should communicate with the above. Orders by post or telegram promptly attended to. 760 WANTED Known Removed.— Jones and Bradshaw, Corn and Chaff Dealtrs, have removed to the large premises in Havelock street near'y oppo site Mr A. Harrison’s auction rooms (lately occupied by Messrs Robinson and Townsend), where they will be better able to comply with the demands of their trade. Jones and » eadshaw. WANTED Known—C. Hawkin’s, of Tinwald, having decided to com pete with either,, Christchurch or Ashbur ton, in price and quality of Boots, will, Ist January, 1885, Sell for Cash Only, ac the following reduced rates : —Men’s Harvest Bluchers, tips and nailed,, 6s 9d; Shooter Boots, 10s 3d; Women’s Strong Lace Boots, 8s 6d ; Leather Elastic, 9s 6d; Children's all reduced from Is per pair. Motto—“ Small Pro fits and Quick Returns.” C, Haw .in’s, Boot and Shoemaker. 12 2393



Special Advertisements. NOTICE TO PATIENT*?, Dr. sohwarzbaoh, m.d.. Specialist on Diseases of the Eye, Ear and Throat, Clarendon Hotel, Christ church. Hours —from 10 to 1. The Doctor will remain until about the middle of March, and will accept no serious cases for treatment at the end of his stay. Dimant and Coe, ARE authorised LOCAL AGENTS for Singer’s SEWING M A OHINES, and are prepared to receive PAYMENTS and afford all information in connection therewith. Treadle and Hand Machines on Time Payments. A supply of Machine extras on hand. CORNER EAST AND TANORBD STREETS, ASHBURTON. 11 2181



T> T7t \7 AAT Bookseller, Stationer, JO Hi V XxiA j Fancy Goods Dealer, Jewellery, Cutlery, Concertinas, Accor dions, and Tobacconist’s Sundries. Country Stores supplied at special rates. Young Ladies' Journals (Feb. No.) for Is 3d. Subscribers wanted. R. BEVAN, SAUNDERS’ BUILDINGS, (Next Shop to Quill’s Hotel.) Read, mark, learn and INWARDLY DIGEST, and to accomplish the above feat, visit my estab lishment, and lighten your inward gloom by appeasing your appetite for the beauti ful by inspecting the most delightfully ARTISTIC EASTER CARDS ! ever imported into Ashburton (direct from Home), You are then at liberty to in spect the contents of a large case of books personally selected, and just received ibe ieve it was Lord W°l/*d 6 y who naid (ho happen* to be the most p opujar man of the day, and one must squeeze a little pouularity into advertisements), “ A man j who aspires to great heights should read incessantly, and never forget his news- and I say the same ! Read ! Read 1 Read > When both you and my self will be considerably benefited. Not having room to give a detailed Ji£t p.. the contents of my shelves, I can only nn eb. by saying—Come and see for yourselves, and if you are disappointed come again.— Nothing like Perseverance !



Groceries CHEAPER THAN EVER JAMES McGREGOR’S, Tancbed Street. Sugars—English Cat Loaf- 6d per lb B Bea* White Crystal, S£d per lb Beat ffnowdrop, 4d per lb (Reductions by the mat) Teas, Is 3d, la 6d, 2s, 2a 6d, and 2a 9d Box Tea from 13s 6d per box Canterbury Cakea, lOd each- Rice, Sd Mixed Biscuits, 6d Lunch Biscuits, 3d Currants, 6i Raisins, Yd New Figs, 1® P er hex Best Sago, ,3d JReir Muscatels, Is 6d Oysters, fid . Cairn’s Marmalade, 8d Peacock’s Jaw, 6£d Herrings, 7d Keillor’s Marmalade, 9d Salmon, 8d Cheese, 6d per lb English Piokhs, 8d Other articles equally cheap. iames moGREGOE, Tancred Street. 12 2342 Caution. SOME unscrupulous firms wo trying to force on the New Zealand people a Nostrum, under the cloak that it is ifiade in the United States— WHICH IS NOT TRUE. Under this pretence they are trying to deceive the Public and Incautious Pur chasers into the belief that they are the Genuine AMERICAN HOP BITTERS. We wish to warn all honest and unsus- Deotii? < ? people against this DECEPTION, and lo"ca n the attention once more to the facts that*the genuine American Co.’s BOP Are pot up in Squre, P* n ® , - ,e £'. colored Bottles, with White La. aide, printed in Black Letters, and Hop Cluster; and, on the other side, Yellow Label, with, Directions In Red Letters, in English and German, and the name of “Dr Soule” blown in every Bottle. This is the only luna in which Genuine -AMERICAN HOP BITTERS ate put



Thomas F. Farley’s, BOOKSELLER STATIONER, Saundehs’ Buildings, .*“Abt Ashbubton



Special Advertisements. | SELLING OFF FANCY GOODS, TOYS, BOOKS, STATIONARY, &c. Must be sold —even if at a loss YALBNTIHKCj ALEN TI N 1 IO To Sait everybody at prices that cannot be beaten. Andrewes Bros., Booksellers, Stationers, &c., Ashburton.



NOTICE TO CONSUMERS OF COAL. THE undersigned are now landing, ex B.s Hauroto, the Best N ewcastle Coal Imported for the season A TRIAL SOLICITED They have also added to their stocks of Building Materials the following lines, viz, Y.D.L Timber and Palings Kauri Timber, Flooring and Lining Roofing Iron, Doors and Sashes Lime, Cement, Fencing Materials, &0., And every requisite for the trade. MACPHERSON, FILMER AND CO. (late A. Hayes), SAWMILLERS, TIMBER, COAL, AND FIREWOOD MERCHANTS. East street, Ashburton.



26 Branches Now Open 25 THE NEW~ ZEALAND Clothing Factory Are now Showing NEWEST STYLES in SPRING &- SUMMER CLOTHING, Manufactured from the renowned Wear Resisting MOSGIEL TWEEDS The fit and workmanship of every gar ment is undoubtedly unsurpassed, while the large production and increased busi ness enables the proprietors to offer special advantages as to price. Men’s, Boys' and Children’s Clothing in every variety at Wholesale Prices. Shirts, Hats, Hosiery, Blankets, Rugs, Portmanteaux, and every requisite at WHOLESALE PRICES. Note the address — NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY, EAST STREET, Ashburton 25 Branches Now Open 26



Davis’s gURPLUS STOCK OF FURNITURE Now aelling off at HALF-PRICE. Must be sold to make room for NEW STOCK. Parties about to Furnish will SAVE 50 Per Cent. BY PUOHASINQ AT W. DAVIS’S FURNITURE WAREHOUSE, BAST STREET SOUTH, Ashburton 9 1729



EBRUARY LIST. Union Shirting, Wincey Checks, 4|d. Window Muslin for Short Blinds, Hd. Unbleached Table Damask, Reduced to 10|d. White Twilled Calico, a Bargain, Bid. Women’s White Hose, 2s lid dozen. Black Dress Fringes, quarter price, 6H Women’s Lisle Gloves, 4-buttons, 4Jd.



Scarlet Merino, all wool, 3s 6d, reduced to la lid. Black Velveteen, a great Bargain, mi. Black Persian Cords, usually la i?d» P ow 9|d. Dress Goods, A useful Line for House Dresses, 4|d. Black Lappet Lace, for Ties, etc , Id. American Leathers, regular price la 3d, now 10|d. 47 Men’s Tweed Sac Suits, 27s 6d, now 17s 6d. 37 Boys’ and youths’ Trouser Suitp, 20s, now 12s _6d. 34 Pairs Men’s Trousers and Vests, a Bargain, 10s lid. Small Boys’ 'f unip Suits, cheap, 6s Up, 50 Dozen Men’s Socks, sjd. 75 Dozen Men’s Merino Socks Bfd. Men’s fljtrd H'eft Hats, New Goods, 6s 6d, now Is lid. 200 Dozen Turkey Red Handkerchiefs, 3|d. H. B. May & Co., THE HALL



Victoria House. Season sale commencing on January 16xh, & continuing FOR FIVE WEE&6 ONLY. REMARKABLE REALITIES ! GLARING REDUCTIONS ; ; jpSt- For Convincing proof and Special Prices See Windowaiis^ Dimaut and |Coe, READY-MONIT v DRAPERS, CLOTHIERS, Av., In premises lately occupied by Orr an. 4 Op., <?orP : East and Tancred stre ASHBURTON,



and dull feelings always preceed sick ness, which nothing but Hop Bitters wilj banish. Read.—[Aovr.l DON’T Dig IN the House. “Rouugh oq Rats ’’ clears out rats, ipipe, beetles, roaches, tdes. auts, insects, motes, jack oea-Duga, . N.Z. ©fug Co.. rabbits, gophers. auv ... General Agents. 1