ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Faiuplay aiid Justice! —Sir John' Hall's speech was not reported fully in] Satur day's isnuciowing*to the great demands; oh a limited staff at an exceptionajly busy period of the year ; and ijot ie r cause, jis implied, that we desired to show Mr McLachlaft more favejr than his opponent. THe speech, as 'supplied/ by our reporter, is printed elsewhere m; this i.sbuo. ■'■

DEATH.

Tucker.—On November 30th, ahj Allen ton, Ashburton, Mary Elizabeth, be loved wife of Joshui Tucker* aged forty-one years.

DEATH.

Denshike.—On November 30th, at .; Erehwon, Aitken street, William Stanley, irfanb twin son ofFahnieL. and Wi B. Denshire, aged 11 weeks.

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1890. FARMING IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

Farming, whether pastoral or agri cultural, is carried on under great d ifficu lties i n New South Wales. Last year the crops were a total failure owing to drought, and the pastures were burnt up by a scorching sun. This year fine rains have fallen, and an unusually good season was predicted for the pastoralist and agriculturist; but these hopes are,in grave danger of non-fulfilment. Millions', of rabbits are now swarming along the Lachland, Darling, and Murrumbigee rivers, eating up everything before them; while m the Riverina districts a grass hopper plague is assuming alarming proportions, millions of tliese insects spreading themselves over the country and ako devouring everything before them. Thus, what is spared from the scorching rays of the sun, is falling before rabbits and grasshoppers. The outlook is certainly nob a reassuring one for thepastoraiisfcand agriculturist, who, nevertheless seem to" be able, to make both ends meet. How itjis done is a puzzle to New Zealand farmers. Good seasons are the rule m New Zealand, not the exception; but our farmers do not appear to make a rapid fortune notwithstanding. Perhaps this may be explained by the fact that the great proportion of New Zealand produce is exported abroad, instead of being consumed at home; and the profits that should go to the farmer are swallowed up m middlemen's charges, freight, storage, and customs duties. In addition to this the farmers, like everyone else; m New Zealand, are heavily taxed—both directly through the Property Tax, and indirectly through the Customs. But, even with all this heavy handicap— springing from the want of a larger population to consume produce on the spot arid bear a share of taxation— the lot of the New Zealand farmer is immeasurably superior to that of his New South Wales or Victorian neigh bour. Droughts, and rabbits, and grasshoppers, and similar evils, are not entirely unknown m New Zealand, but their inflnence on agricultural and pastoral pursuits 's, not ; serious. Drought m the sense m which it is recognised m the neighbouring colo nies, is scarcely known ;'while the rabbit pest has been so well kept down by wise legislation and pro tective measures that its effects are yearly becoming less. As to the depredations of insects sucK as the grasshopper, this is an evil totally un known. The keen frosts and snows of our vigorous winters keep the colony free from these pests, or reduce their numbers to such an extent that the farmers do not suffer. The only thing that the New Zealand fanner has to complain of is the heavy burden of taxation which he has to bear, owing to the gross mtegovernment and mismanagement of the colony's affairs by incompetent administrators, and for this he has himself largely to blame because he has nbt paid the requisite attention to political affairs he should have done. But there is an apparent change taking plage m this direction, and one which promise* well for the future. The farmer has bestirred him self politically, and the upshot will no doubt be that the burden uncbir which he labors will be lightened, and that he will be able to reap to the full 1 the ad vantages of farming m 3. countjry speci a'.V deigned by native for the pur pose ,_

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Complaints are being made :<» w°i the spread of Bathursfc burr—the of °* Wool growers. As notified elsewhere by advertisement, Mr E. G. Wright's committee meets this vening at 7 o'clock. '

Mows than 1900 Berlin, Germany, store keepers, mostly dry goods men and grocers, have now signed the agreement to close at noon on Sundays and holidays. Emigrants arc returning to Europe m large numbers from the Argentine Republic, finding the country at present m too chaotic a condition to settle m it. MrH. At, Stanley will divulge at a lecture on Tuesday, m London, the atrocities com mitted' by members of the rear guard of his i expedition. The poet Queen of Roumania, who is sbjouring m Wales for her health, is making studies of West scenery and character, which • will figure m a new novel on whichuhe is at work. Mf 3. G. Ward has been returned unop posed for Awarua. Mr James Carrol has been returned for the Eastern Maori district, and Tamati Parata for the Southern dis trict. Strawberry farming pays in' England.' From, a single strawberry farm at Orphinston the, proprietor got 500 tons of fruit, an amount which, at tewopence a pound, repre sents a turnover of more than £9000. " What are you going to do when you are a man '! " asked a gentleman of a four-year old toddler. After a moment's thought: " Well I guess I will be the father of some other little boy." , Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, the C4erman who commands the British army m Ireland, weighs 308 pounds. It m hard to find a horse to carry him with any grace or comfort. The Oamaru Harbour Board has decided to cut up the Otematata run into six amall runs. About 2000 acres of the property is suitable foe cultivation, while the balance is described a a iir3t-clasa grazing country. •Mr J. CL Williamson has, says the "Daily Chronicle/ tried to get Mr and Mrs Kendall to, make a tour of the colonies, and offered them £6003, but they declined on the ground that a provincial tour m England was more profitable. The Kai tangata Coal Company distribute between £700 and £800 m wages fortnightly. Our B&lc\uth& contemporary says that "a good; mac i and a boy can cam from £12 to £14 m a fortnight, and no miner worth his ' salt makes less than 10s a day." A chui eh parade of the United Friendly Societies, took place at Christchurch on Sunday afternoon m the Cathedral, which was densely crowded by the members. Bishop Julius preached. This is the first gathering of the kind held m Christchurcch for many years. .Mr. C. Bates, of Temuka, was knocked down hy his runaway horse on Friday morn ing, '.' the wheels of an American waggon passing over him. He received several, injuries. The horse continued its career as far as the Temuka riverbed, where it jumped over 'a terrace and capsized the trap, which was "badly smashed, but the horse was unin jured. The French law of compulsory division of' lands has resulted -m there being now m Franc c 50,000 proprietors owning an average of 75G • acres ; 500,000 an average of 75 acres ; 5,000, 000 of 7r} acres. There are 1,087,081 holdir tgs m Prussia under 3A acres ; between 3-\ an d 20 acres, 609,828 f from 20 to 200 acres, 389,823; while m the Kingdom of PrusiStia there are only 1180 landowners liable bo to rated at £1500 a year. Tl*e opponents of vivisection, the "Daily Newes'" correspondent m Vienna telegraphs, will be disgusted to hear of an experiment which took place m an hospital there on October 7th. A little dog was made insen sible, fastened to a board, and when his heart had been laid bare an instrument called an episcope was applied, which threw a magnified picture of the dog's heart on the wall opposite, revealing to the eye 3of all present every movement of the heart. The expcrimentilasted half an hour, and, accord ing to the professor, was a successful demon stration of the movement of the living heai-fc, and is therefore of the greatest value to the students of. medicine. Shortly after the publication of Tennyson* famous poem, "A Vision of Sin," the laureate was somewhat startled to receive from Mr Babbage, the renowned arithmetician, a letter which ran as follows :—" Dear Sir, I find iii a recently published poem from your pen entitled " A Vision of Sin " the following .unwarrantable statement:—'Every moment .diesamiin, Everjr moment one is born.' I need hardly point out to you that this calcu lation, if correct, would tend to keep the sum-total of the world's population m a state of perpetual equipoi ;e, whereas it is a well-knowii fact that the said sum-total is constantly on the increase. I would there fore take the liberty of suggesting that m the next edition of your excellent poem the erroneous calculation to which I refer should be corrected as follows: ' Every moment dies a man, And one and a sixteenth is born.' I may add that the exact figures are 1.167; but something must of course be conceded to the laws of metre.—l have the honour to be, sir, ycurs sincerely, C. Babbage." A return has recently been prepared m England 'which shows the astounding pro-' ductiveuess of small holdings as compared with large farms, even when the latter are cultivated on what is known as the "high farming" principle. The number of small allotments of less than an acre was 455,000, and each of these small allotments almost supported a whole family of operatives, or, m other words, about 280,000 acres provided nearly the whole of the food required by two and a quarter millions of people—with the exception of a little tea, sugar and flour required by each family. The number of small holdings, other than "allotments," is 410,000, each of which not only sustains large families but': annually disposes of -large quantities of produce m the shape of veget ables, poultry, eggs, etc. In the daytime and m the northern hemisphere, when without a compass but with a watch, a person may ar rive at an approximation of the meri dian points by the following process, the exact reverse of which holds good m this the southern hemisphere : Point out the hour hand of the watch to the sun and the south is then exactly half-way between the hour and the figure XII. on the watch. Suppose for instance, it is four o'clock: point the hand indicating four to the sun, and two on the watch is exactly south (north; m the southern hemisphere). This method, of course, only applies between 6 a.m., and 6 p.mi, and ia only mathematically correct on March 21 and September 21, but is suffi ciently correct for anyone adrift m a boat or bushed. „. Hollow ay's Ointment and Pills. — Notable Facts.—lntense heat augments the annoyance of skin disease, and encourages the development of febrile disorders; where fore they should, as they may, be removed by these detergent and purifying prepara tions. In stomach complaints, liver affec tions, pains and spasms of the bowels, Holloway's Ointment well rubbed over the affected part immediately gives the greatest ease, prevents congestion and inflammation, checks the threatening diarrhoja and averts incipient cholera. The poorer inhabitants of large cities will find these remedies to be their best friend when any pestilence rages, or when, from unknown causes, eruptions, boils, abscesses, or ulcerations betoken the presence of taints or impurities within the system, and call for instant and effective cupafciy.e medicines. The best medicine known is SANDER and SONS' EUCALPTI EXTRACT. Test it eminent powerful effects m coughs, colds, influenza, etc.—the relief is instantaneous. Thousands give the most gratifying testi mony. His Majesty the King of Italy, and medical syndicates all over the globe, are its patrons. Read the official reports" that accompany each bottle. We have no occa sion to offer rewards m proof of the genuine ness of our references. The official reports of medical clinics and universities, the official communication of the Consul-General for Italy at Melbourne; the diploma awarded International Exhibition, Amsterdam —all these are authentic documents, and, as such, not open to doubt. We at^phere epitome of one of the various cases treated by Siegen, M.D , Professor, etc. Burning of the right hand through the explosion of a small oil stove. The epidermis on the volar and palmer side of the hand of the thirty-year jpid wafciijnt was completely separated and lifted up, W f*F as the joint of tb«fr hand. The likewise Hfjted nails wpi'9 hanging 1qos» and half of the phalnax of the nail pi the middle finger was coal rd(.' The wpunds fchus GoHJty^fcß4 |H?a|ed in' three feejss upier 4*iiy appl»pa£isn $f Eucalyjpt : Extract uwtf fteluE**d4gN. *■

In ordar to prevent the. splitting of the Liberal vote Mr G. W.Russell has retired from the Heathcote contest m favor of Mr Tanner. The Czar, v closing the Russian universi ties,has given his adhesion to the maxim that a little learning is a dangerous thing. The Caledonian Railway Company pio poses to run a .tunnel uuder the Forth, m order to plape its nwl m a position to com pete on equal terius with its rival, the new canti-lever bridge. .The Plymouth Harbour Board bonds, due ou the first of last month, have not been met. On this occasion the Ministry did not step m and assist the Board out of its dilemma. A law lately passed m Denmark provides that every drunken person shall be taken home m a carriage at the expense of the land lord who sold him or her the last glass. A tribe of Indians hitherto unknown to the white man, has been discovered in-the Grand Canon of Colorado. They live m a valley containing 2000 acres of land, inclosed by perpendicular walls, 4000 feet hfgh. < - Two swaggers who came from the West Coast to Christohurch on Saturday have repoite 1 that a mate of theirs, whose name they did not kiiow, had been drowned while crossing the river Doubtful. The police are endeavouring to recover the body. \ A fire broke out o» board the steamer Jane Douglas m Lyfctlcton harbor on Sunday morning. An investigation proved that the fire originated amongst.the coal m the port bunker. The fire was speedily extinguished without much damage resulting. ; The Minister of L&nds addressed .ij crowded meeting of the Mataura electors a| Gove on Friday evening. At the close a v^te.of thanks and confidence was lost,;] and an, amend merit declaring he had lost the confi dence of the electorate through tl4 unsatis factory administration of his Goirernmeiit was carried by 58 to 42! - \ ' '"' -* ■'■ An extraordinary case of a man living with a bullet embedded m his heaiicl was re ; . ferred to m the Melbourne City 'Court on Thursday, last, when a young mall named John Ogilvie Was charged with attempting to commit suicide at his lodging^ IJotham street, Ensfc Melbourne, on 10th ; October. Hi nee that time Ogilvie has been tin inmate of the Melbourne Hospital,- but tlio doctors I failed m their endeavours to exlr.ict'the ! bullet, which still remains m his skull. The case is an unusual one, as .the youug man is stated by the medical ojfficers to W, fit to leave the hospital, and it is said* that he in tends to return to his friends m England! at once. When these facts were uieu;ti,oned.in the City Court, Mr Fanton, who presided, discharged the accused. ; During the yacht rape at Lyttelton "on Saturday afternoon, tlie open bo4.t Lydd, which was leading for the run home, met with a mishap which was the causejof loss of life. The Lydd was running before the wind, and as there was an uncertain sea the little vessel was swamped, and sthe five occupants of the boat—Captain R. L. Owen, Superintendent of the Sailors' Homei Captain James,* of the ship Auckland, and! three of the sailors of the Auckland, were precipi tated into the water. It appears that one of tjhe sailors named Anderson must have lost his. head or got caught in -the; running gear of the boat as he went down j with it. The others swain about until thpy were picked up l»y the yacht Mascottfe. The yacht race was declared off, and the sad fatality cast a gloom over the port on Satur day night. Yes«jrday all the ships m harbour had their flags half-ma st. '

THE ELECTIONS

MR BROWN AT MOUNT SOMERS

Mr Brown addressed the electors ,at, Mount Somers on Saturday.;* evening. There were about 50 ..■electors present. Mr Harvy occupied the chair. Mr Brown as a stranger amongst them, gave a brief f'lccount of himself, and advocated his platform as already enunciated. In reply to questions he said he was m favor of the Private Schools Bill, and pointed out that it could not m any way hurt our present .system, bufc rather strengthen it; would support prohibition if such would close our gaols, md pay our national debt m a few years time, but he had great doubts about such results. Mr Price proposed a hearty vote of thanks, and said the ballot box was the proper place for a vote of confidence. Mr '-Brown concurred. The motion \Vas unanimously agreed to, and a, vote of thanks to the chair brought the meeting to a close- ■ ''<;.> ;

SIR JOHN HALL AT RAKAIA.

Sir John Hall addressed .the electors of the above district ,m the Town Hall, Rakaia, on Thursday, evening. There was a large attendance, and Mr Ooster, chair man of the Road Bqard, presided, and briefly introduced thel,, .speaker," asking that he should be accorded a good hearing, such a one as had ab all other times been given to other candidates. The! meeting was a;mqst orderly pne,,.,and the, speaker was, listened to, most attentively through out, and repeatedly applauded. ; Sir John, m, opening his address, stated that he spoke' to much dis advantage, having already addressed the electors m ten different halls and schools. He spoke on the chief events of last session; »nd said that lie .^luspidmit that the proceedings ta^W whoW *f*M not of a satisfactory nature.' "Stonewalling and general obstruction on the part of a very small section of the House was the cause of much waste of time, and he'much' regretted that the character of repre sentatives was much deteriorating. He hojjed the first duties of the new Parlia ment would be to introduce some measure for stopping the wholesale waste of tijrie m the House. Sir John referred m a most satisfactory manner to the last Financial Statement; on the retrenchment carried out by the late Government, going into considerable detail as to departmental expenditure and loan expenditure. The subject of land settlement was dealt with at length, like wise the subjects of Land Nationalisation, Taxation, Ifirty Government, Federation, Defence, &c. With regard to i the Education question, on which a string feeling seemed to exist, Sir John said that last session nothing at all was done towards any alterations, but during the 1889 session a Bill was introduced for I enabling the Government 1 *to jmake a! grant m aid to private schools, under certain conditions. They were to have a minimum attendance, be up to the standard of State schools m secular teachings, subject to Government inspec tion at all times and many T other con ditions. Those electors who have heard the opinions he had always expressed »n this subject well knew that helgave his vote m favor of this Bill. He would have broken his word had he done otherwise. Some electors are afraid that such a concession would en danger our national system. If he could for one moment think so he would oppose ifc most strenuously. On the con trary, he was fully persuaded that ir would give us peace, and make our system truly national. In this 'opinion he was sup ported by Sir Harry Atkinson, the leader of the present Government, and by Mr Ballance, the leader of the Opposition, and many others, who all stated during the debate that if the Bill wan passed it would not endangejf the; rfational system of which we.are all so proud. With re gaid to female luifirage; Sir John said that during last -session, he was able to bring on the subject; Both tlie debate and the division thereon were noteworthy; the former as showing how purely insig nificant are the arguments which can be brought against the proposal, and that, m fact, the opposition to this imuortant re form rests really upon blind and thought less prejudice. The motion was carried by 37 to. 11. Jps subsequent endeavor tq, afc once pjace this reform on the. Statute Book was not successful. The opinion seemed to be that, although the principle wtm correct, there, was scarcely time to

bring it into practical operation toy tho pi'Cßciit election. He hoped the subject would he further considered m the new Parliament and pressed forw.ird. Two difficulties stood .m the way. First, pro bable opposition m the Legislative Coun cil, and, secondly, the difference amongst our own friends, some of whom would at once give the franchise; to all women, and others, who will m the first instance give it only to those occupyiny an inde pendent position and paying taxes. He sin cerely, trusted that tlwise differences would. not materially/interfere with the practical realisation of'this reform. The speaker continued at length to the effect that he trusted the dfcy I"wasi not far distant when the denial to one half if our population of the right given to every adult male (with the exception of minors, lun&tics and convicts) whatever his qualifications, would no longei. be persisted m. v Sir John then 'enlarged on the question of the "Hare" system of voting, dwelling upon the necessity for the representation of minorities '; he pointed out that the terms Conservative and Liberal as used m this colony were misleading. with regard to. himself if elected, he would stipulate for an independent, position ; he would not be a blind follower of anyone. Should Sir Harry Atkinson b« enabled to resume the active leadership, he might safely say that he speaker) would be found giving him a general support. If unfortunately Sir Harry was was unable to take the lead, a new Government would have to be formed, ,a,nd with regard to this no opinion could at present be expressed. All he could say was that he should support any Ministry whose policy was one of economy and prudence m the matter of public .'finance; of general abstention from borrowing, and of energetic development of our resourses by encouraging legiti mate settlement of the land. He would not support any new fangled theories of taxation or land administration which would deter persons m or out of the colony from investing their capital on the development of our natural resources. (The speaker here resumed his seat amid cheers). In answer to questions, Sir John said that many attempts had been made to encourage the beetroot sugar industry m New Zealand, without succeiss.He would support a bonus for its encourage ment, but did not expect airy great result. He knew the industry was not Carried on successfully m England. He thought that tbeauctioTieers 1 license fee should be fairly divided between town and' country. The advance to the Newl Plymouthj Harbor. Board had been made m the interest of the colony an! with the concurrence of. the Public Accounts Committee, including Mr Ballance. The expense of fortifica tion had .been incurred by the late Government, not by the present. He certainly thought the Colony should share the expense of defending ourselves, and not =always look to tho Old Country. He did not think that school holdings should be fixed by statute. Mr Mitehelson had not said that the Govern ment proposed taking £75,000 off tho Education vote. The qualification of a man should be more considered than his occupation ih selecting a J.P. He con sidered the increased settlement had been owing to'move liberal land laws, and to a sufficiency of land being kept ready for occupation. The perpetual lease system vr«is popular, largely because it contained the right to purchase. Was certainly not m favour or elective J.P.s, or of an elective Governor. The former should be men of character, and the latter should not be a partisan, but above all connection with parties m the colony. He was not m favour of assisted immigration, ejecept perhaps m the case of imall farmers with families. There had been no division on Pyke'a Private Schools Bill last session, and it could therefore be no excuse for the withdrawal of support wrich had been promised to lam (the speaker) before last session. With re gard to wages and reductions Sir John paid he paid his own men six shillings a day and had never thought of any reduc tion. He most strongly denounced the' falsity of the statement that lies had re commended a reduction of laborers'wages to 3s "6d per day, as that was sufficient to 1 live on, the statemenc Avas untrue —m fact it was.a lie and a pure invention of the enemy. Sir .John explained the circum stances of the reduction of salaries m 18 79. The members own salaries were Ifirsfc re duced 25 per cent. Although sor|ie of the railway hands were reduced to 6s per day, others m the service m other parts of the colony had their wages raised to that amount. He did not knpwhqw the money was voted for the Opunaki wharf; but it must have beenincludedin some ot jief vote/ He did nofc agree with all the [Railway Commissioners had done, but would not vote for their removal until afteij further trial. Efforts had been made by 1 himself and others to get the Commissioners, to. make certain reductions m freighjb,' but h*e was not of opinion,that an all round re duction would be advisable, as it would cause a deficiency m, the .revenue, and throw additional burdens on the; tax payers. The Property tax, introduced by his (Sir John's Hall's) Government, did lay a tax on mortgagees. He did not put a^axontea; it was there long before he Came into office. Full information as to all Crown lands available for settlement m the colony could be obtained at the Crown Lands Office. He was of! opinion that if railway men had been dismissed m consequence of their having gone as dele gates"to Wellington it was most unjust. The Commissioners could not) be interfered 1 with m their action.—Mr Broadbent moved that a hearty vote of ihanks be accorded to Sir John Hall for hiss able arid^ statesmanlike address, and spoke at length' j upon the necessity of sending (educated men to represent them. The motion was seconded by Mr Betts, and on being put to the meeting was carried unanimously.' A vote of thanks to the chairman termi nated the meeting. After the public; meeting a very strong Committee was formed to promote Sir John Hajlfs return.

MR WALKER AT MAYFIELD.

On Saturday evening Mr Walker ad dressed the electors at Mayfiel|: school-, room. Mr Kellahah, chairmaii of the School Committee was m the ciiair, and briefly introduced the candidates well known to all. Mr Walker, who was re ceived with applause, spoke for! an hour on the lilies of former addresses,; pointing out the necessity of electing representa tives for agricultural districts, who would support fair treatment to the agricultural interests m respect of the questions of the day—taxation, administration of the land laws, settlement of the land, and railway management. The meeting was the largest ever held m the district, and gave a very attentive hearing to the candidate, frequently applauding the enunciation of his views on the questions spoken upon, After answering a great many questions m a manner that satisfied the meeting on land settlement, local option, borrowing, Mr Walk«r received a hearty vote of thanks on tho motion of ,Mr Dillon, seconded by Mr Keaney. A vote of thanks to tho chairman concluded a most successful meeting.

Tanwti Parata has been re-elected for the Southern Maori electorate, >ith 148 votes ; Ijfciie Make HapelO7 ; Temairaki Taiaroaw; Raniera Erihani 51. Stewart's Island returns are not yet m,, but it is "ex pected they will increase the successful candidate's majority.

The Harvey Comedy Company.

Saturday night is not a good " show " night m AffHburton, and this no doubt accounted for the sparse attendance at

bhu OiMMlowiT Hall ftt tfteopwing of th« Iliirvey comedy se;ison of throe night*. The audience, however, though not lugs, was most enthusiastic, and encored almost every item on the programme. The com pany is not a larae one, but is specially strong m the special lines undertaken, and from the rise to the fall of the curtain the audience are kept m the best of humour. Opening with a minstrel medley of sentiment and humour—the latter greatly predominating—the varied talents uf the-' performers*" at' Jn'Be'' become apparent. , The Harvey Brothers (Bones and Tainbo) "Brim over with fun and frolic, and us comedians and^girtortjoputs, musi cians and variety "artists, win the appro bation of th« audience at once, and retain it throughout. The brothers Ere ably seconded m this direction' b/ Messrs H, Cowan (Tambo), and "V. Magee (Bones), whose store of humour is little behind' that of the first-named really clever performers. Miss Violet Brandon is a damuse who thoroughly understands the business, and Miss Ella Seigfreid contri butes a number of ballads m good style. Mrs Cunard possesses not onlw a naturally good soprano of wide range, buqknows how to use it to the best advantage. Her rendering of the " Song ,that reached my heart," and later on an operafifeselection, was almost faultless, and 1 deservedly encored. The performance throughout is of a varied character, including comedy sketches, musical selections on a variety of instruments, ballad singing, and con cludes with a sidesplitting- extravaganza. As a variety comedy company the Harvey troupe is one of the best wia£ has ev«jr visited the district, and certainly deserved more encouragement than that received on Saturday—the smallest audience to which the company has ever played. The company play"again this evening, when no doubt there will be a better house, and one more m accordance with the merits of the performance.

CORRESPONDENCE.

(We do not hold ourselves responsible! for ihe opinions expiessed' by our correspondents.)

LAND TAX v. PROPERTY TAX.

TO THE* EDITOR. Sir, —Witli your kind permission I would ask for space to reply to Mr Pur nell's letter m your issue of Thursday evening. The Property tax iB objected to on principle because it not only taxes all industry; but'taxes it at its highest value, thus becoming very oppressive, instead ot* taxing the' minimum value, Under the Property tax the more a man improves his property and beautifies his home the more he is taxed upon it;^ '.The principle of the Lttnd'tax is to exempt all VAlue.created by industry and, improveme4tp,»n|l tax on a basis of unimproved value, only. It has been said a man should pay on all his wealth; This may look w«ll on the sur face, and sound well to the ear*' but will the same tax put on all wealth.alike work out justly-and equitably? I think not. For example, one man invests his capital m land, and by a proper system of work* ins; it obtain good results, and improves the quality of the land and' keeps it m good heart. Another, man invests his capital m buildings, or., machinery, which are constantly depreciating m value. Is it just to tax both these investments m the same manner ? I reply, certainly not. This is what the Property tax does. The mode of imposing a tax is as important as 1 the imposition of the tax itself—a prin ; ciple very often-lost sight of. I maintain that, whilst the Property tax may suit some, it is not the •fairest andjmost equi table tax to impose upon all * kinds of! wealth, because it taxes, all tlie product! lof labor and. industry, m, the highest degree, becoming oppressive, and taxes alike that which decreases m value with the using as welhas'that which increase.l). Now, for the Land tax. Your corres pondent, Mr Purnell, wishes to know why I take £7 as the unimproved-value of the farm mentioned m my previous,letter. I will try to explain, The figures you pub lished m a recent iss.ue show .that there are at least 36,000,000 acres which would be taxable under a Land tax (were the Property tax abolished). This, valued at £2 per Acre, would be £72,000,000, which average value would, I think, be a very low one when all the town lands m the colony were taken .at fcjie'same value. One penny m the £ on £72,000,000 would yield £300,000, or within £55,000 of the Property tax returns. But, sir, I contend that all tha land, should be classified ac cording to quality and position—say into four classes; bad, medium, good, and best—and the tax should be graduated accordingly ; the man ' 'having the best land being able jbb pay a larger proportion than the man with, the poor land, and it is onlyjustthatheshoulddofcb. Tjbetaxwould thus fall more equitably upon* those who ought to pay it It will, Itjn'ufc, be seen at a glance that with the lands properly i classified, and a graduated, tax imposed, a a much larger amountihan £300,000 could be raised without ' crushing , anybody. Under this system the small fatmer would pay less than he, now .does, and' the large landowner would have to j&y more than lie now does—in fact,' .nis fair share towards the taxation' imposed on the money borrowed and spent to improve his large holding. If the land were thus classified the valuation^ fcr, taxation pur poses at the present time need not exceed £8 per. acre for the best lands, and could rundown to 10s for the poorest. If all the land of the colony was properly clas sified doubtless the majority" of it would range under the three higher grades, for whilst there is a good deal of poor land m the country, the fertility of the soil of New Zealand as a whole, is a fact proved by it* productive power, when cultivated, either for the growing of grain and root crops or stock raising. This classification and valuation suggested refers 6<ily.to country land, and not to town land),which would be valued on its owii .merits; and taxed accordingly. The reason .!l took £7 per acre as the unimproved' value of the farm m question was 'because °I consider it xs high enough for the p'urppse required, and which 'is amply proved'if the average, unimproved value of the jand of the colony is taken at £21 p?r. acre. If £lO> per acre be "taken 'as the unimproved value for the property In' question, a* put down by Mr Purnell, such a valuation would add so enormously to 1 the general average of the unimproved value that the taX could be proportionately reduced, and not increased as Mr Purnell wishes to> show us it would be, I took what I con sidered to be the highest reasonable value of the property m question for taxation. Sir H. Atkinson tells ÜB.\m vhis recent manifesto that the unimproved value of all the lands of the 'colony |n the last Property Tax return* is put down at £75,000,000, and deducts £33;000,000 tar Crown lands, Native lands* .reserves, &c., leaving a balance' of £42,000,00p as a bask for the Laud Tax scheme, and admits. that it is clear to the .Property Tax De partment ' that the valuations between land and improvements 'have not been correctly made, and assumes that the balance is m favor, of. improvements, and not thp land, thereby reducing the value of the land further afcil^; but when we remember that this valuation was mado some three years ago, and our position as a colony is supposed to have improved yery much = since then byM'easen of our increased exports, 1 ; restore}! credit, etc., and also the, ,fcct> < which is an. open secret* .a'great many, if not thy majority,'.'of' $ie , properties are undervalued, and that tliis number it comparatively few who would part with , their properties at their own- valuation,, even with ten per cent, added, I think it may fairly be assumed that the unim proved value pf the land of the colony would conjudqrably exceed the estimate of

THE .ABHBUBTON GUABPIAN, MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1890.



CASH Advertisements under this heading not exceedin SIXTEEN WORDS 1/-. Addresses may be left at this Office AMERICAN Ice Cream ! American . Ice Cream daily nt H. G. Flowku's, | Confccf-ioner. Ice kept m stock. WANTED^Known— The " Stronsr wear " Boot is the best for Men", j ndies and Children.—W. H. Collier. WANTED Known -Ladies Stockings with Silk Toes and Heck hl bla»k and colors. Is 6d per pair.^-W. H. Collier. h> OOTW, UOUTS, " lveep you.~feet ) Dry and savo Doctor's Bills; have a splendid Stock |n now. Try my Double-soled Shobtters.? 'Every pair Guaranteed. llobert Alcorn, Ashbur tou ClothiiijT Mn,rt, Saunders' ''Builclini's. til ANTEDKnown."-~ForDre^ StuS V V Prints, &c, Trimmings til matcli go to Molford House. Best value m town.—H. Q S EaKRB . - j^ WANTKITKn"owii --For^Sh^eting k Tublings, Calicoes,.Quilte, Towels, Table Napkins, Trny Cloths, D'Oyleys, &c, go to MelfordH<>uße,'-ff-H.'.C.; !|eger«. WAN.TJi'D orory man m the jpounty to have a suit of the <Aaliburton Tweeds.—Robkrt. Auioux, Ashburton Clothing Mart, Saundor's Buildings. WANTED Known.—For firtt-clasf- Millinery and Drapery (marked cheap) go to Melford House. New* Good « t opened.—ll.o. Skoeiw. | W' ANTED Known'— ThTTHeapeSt; Shop to buy Tinware anil Gat; | vanised Iron goods m Ashbartonj is at W. F. ILvjwaf^hd':*, Burnett Strdet. ' J arge stock kevt ou hand. Tin and Iron ware goods made and repaired witlh de^ ; patrh. ' .■•!■■■■■ :)'■■■ ■■ ' •" ''



. 1!' ■■■-■•■ i fm sp-arrow ..TAILOR". t- •- AN!!- ■ • ;. MEN'S : .'..« E R C E R. EAST STUF-ETV Spring and Summer, 1890. TRY THE NEW ZEAL AND CLOTHING FACTOBY FOR Men's Oilonial TWEED SUITS, Boys' an I Youths' Coloni»l TWEED SUIT 3. HATS.—Wu keep the Largest and Itest Selection Hats made to measure; SUITS MADE TO MEASURE. Best workmanship put m evoi?y garment, ; nd a perfect fit guaranteed. Large Selection of Boys' Knicker Suits. Ties, Shirts, Collars, Braces, &c., m Latest Fashion wid Style. B«st Valub jor Cash m District N E VI Z EAIAND GLOTHIHG FACTORY Agent for the Wonderful Wcrtheim Machines W. H WEBBER Manager-. -VTEW ' TSOOKS; BOYS' and GIRLS' OWN ANNUALS, NEW MUSTC. STATIONERY »nd FANCY GOODS, CHRISTMAS and NEW YFAR'S CARDS of New Zealand Scenery. L. F. ANDREWES.& Co. JJi~ T0 JQ A. PER DAY t0 b^ &Zf X o^J TI nuido by persons of either b«x, m their own localities, at work f»r bs. New 1? isiness. All meet with wonderful success Any one can do the work. You don't need capital, or about the same as none. Wo wifl start you. No ((pace to explain here. But you can make snug little fortune honorably and easy. The employment is particularly tipapted co the region m which thin publication circulates. Boys and girls earn nearly as much as men. Full particulars and in* mailed free. Now is the time —don't delay, but write to us. at once. Stinson and Co.. Portland ; Maine, United States. ■ Andrew Black WATCHMAKER, JEWELLER, ETC., Prospect Etuilcliiig 1;?, HAS started business m the above premises and all repairs intrusted to him will bo promptly and thoroughly executed at moderate prices. Watches Cleaned and Examined /^S New Mainsprings fitted £fD All other repairs equally cheap. ANDREW "QLACK Holds Bronze NDREW _L)LACK Medal for a WATCH made by himself and ex hibited at PEOPLES PALACE EXHIBITION, LONDON. SOMERSET LIVERY STABLES. JOHN NEWMAN, Peopriktop. fpHESE old established and favorite JL central Livery Stables are now m my hands, and it will be my constan effort to again bring their business into he front rank, and make these stables what their position and accommodation warrant them— THE PREMIER LIVERY STABLES of the Ashburton County. 3u{Tgi«s, Traps, Saddle Horses,; etc., al -ays.* on hire, with skilful drivers ready the shortest niotice. Open or Close Carriages for Wedding or other parties. Cabs at any hour, day or night. LOOSE BOXES for stallions and race horses. Country customers are guaran teed every .vjcommodation at the lowest current rates' JOHN NEWMAN, Proprietoa. '~~sUTT^icrMFA^^RX fTIHE Largest Stock of JL TWEEDS ever shown m Ashburton to choose from. QUALITY AND FIT GUARANTEED Con*) and see the prices. ; 4SHBURTON >C£prt?fVG MART. LAUNDERS BUILDINGS IR. ALCORN



FOR SALE. McCORMICK WIRE X BINDERS. All m perfect work ing order. CHEAP 10*144 FRIF.DLANDER BROS. SIUG POINT COAL. f I iHLS superior Coal, for household and _1_ steam purposes, e;ui now be obtained from Messrs'J. G. Restell, W. H. Collins & Co., and R. S. Bean^ii any quantity. Special quotations for truck oads. This Coal is perfectly safe m using, leaving no live ashes or soot, and is very cleanly and economical for household purposes, having great heat and lasting power- W. H. WILLIAMS, 10^1 B Manager Shag Point Mine. JAMES BAKER, TIMBER MERCH^T, HAVELOCK STREET Opposite Harrisons Auction Mabt, TXAS IN STOCK Largo Supplies of— Building Timber, Stakes and Posts, Galvanised Corrugated Iron, Builders Ironmongery, Turnery, Furniture, and Fancy Goods IN ENDLESS VARIETY. URNITURE MADE TO ORDER IN A»Y DESIGN AT SHORTEST NOTICE Sole Agent m Ashbnrton for Clegg s Perambulators. Now Allowing— i FASHIONABLE LOT r\. op 'Spring & Summer Goods, THE LATEST FASHION, REASONABLE PRICES, GOOD FIT, and WORKMANSHIP, ought to ensure a ready sale for these Goods. Conic Kurl.r uud timid *X!lie Rush at Xmaa. Our Customers may depend iipon our promise that their orders will bo finished up to time. H. d E. 'CRAIGHEAD, TANORED STREET ASHBURTON !- - TiMAiD mm me ANNUAL MEETING. TO BE HELD on the RACECOURSE, TINWALD, on Thursday, January 1, 1891. President—Dr Tweed. Vick-Presijdkn ra— Mesßrs D. McLean, and C. M. Steaelicy. Jcdge—MrM. StitA Stewards—Messrs J. Begg, G. James, M. Scott, D. I'homas, M. Stitt, GV M. Strachey, H. H. Wright, E. Gates, and Dr Tweed. Clerk of the Course—Mr B. Hanks. Clerk «of thk Scales--Mr A. J. Kelly" Starter—MrD. Thomas. Trkamprer—Mr M. Scott. Haxdicapi'er—Mr J. Cresswell. First Race to Start at 12.30 p.m. PROGRAMME?'. (Approved by the Committee of th« C 'anter bury lockey Clnb.) I.—Hasdioap llukdle Race, of 520sova; nomination, 10s: acceptance, 1(W. The, second liorse to receive 3 soys o utof the Etta'ke Over six flights of hurdles about 3ft 6in high. One niilo and a . half 2. —Maiden Plate, of 15 soys; entrance,! liis. The second horse to rec( jive 2ijov? out of the stake. Weight for age. One; mile. ■'■',■■ !).—Tiswald Cur Handicap, of.' 45 soys; noHiinaiion, 1 soy: accepta" nee, I boy. The second horse to receive 6 soys and the third horse to receive 2, soys out of. the stake. One mile and a half. 4.--TmvALD Handicap Tim k Trot, cri 25 soys; nomination, 10s ; acceptance, 10s. The second horse to receive 5 soys oat of the stake. Weight .mot less than; TOst. About three milesj s.—Welteii"HaNDiCAi', of 2o> isovs; honiina tion, 10s ; acceptance, l'Ja. The second horse to receive 5 soya «,>uf , of the stake. One mile. . : .--. .'■ 6.~NovE^L Race, of 20 «ovs. Winner tb become the property tjf t?he Club, and to be sold by auction. Ufae amount re alised abate 10 / soys to be divided between the Club, and the second horse. Entrance 10s, o'a night «of general entry. Weight Bst. Jjoiy overweight to be declared. Six furlonctj. 7 —Flying Handicap, of 25 sovi; nomina tion, 10a : acorjptance, 10s. The second horse to receive 5 soys' out of the stake. The winner of Tinwalcl Cup or Welter Handicap to carry 7tt> penalty In the event of a horse winning both the fore going events such horse to carry lOlbs penalty. Six furlon gsj B—Consolatioxß—Consolatiox Handicap, of 15 soys. The second horse to receive 2 soya out of the stake. Noirdnation, 10s; to be made to the Secretary immediately after the Flying Handicap is run ; acceptance free, to be notified within five minutes of the declaration o£ weights. Six fur longs. 9. —Hurry Scurry (if time permit) of, 10 soys; entrance, I'Os. For horSea that have never ,won pfublk money. Catch weights. H»lf a icnile. RULES AND REGULATIONS. 1. The meeting will be held under the Rules of Racing. The Trottin/f race under the rules of the New Zealand Trotting Association. 2. No entry will be receiver! except on the condition that all claims, d'.'putfis^ am? objections arising out of the r3»cing, shall be deeded by the Stewards, or whom they may appoint. Their decision on all points con nected with the carrying out of this pro gramme to be fina 3. The races are open to any liorse, com monly resident m .the district from the Ist October, 1890, to the date of meeting, and owned by a person who has resided m the district for the same period. 4. The district above niciitionnl is bounded on the north by the Sehvyn River, and on the south by the Opihi River. 5. Five per cent, will be deducted from the gross of all moneys payable m accord ance with this programme, for the expenses of the course. •■',■. 6. All nomination and acceptance fees to go to the funds of the Club, NOMINATIONS'i Nominations for Hurdle, Tinwald Cup, Trot, Welter, and Flying Handicaps, accom panied by fee, name, age, description, and performances of horse, and colours of rider, must be m writing and m the hands of the Secretary at Scott's Hotel, Tinwald, n later than 9 on SATURDAY, December t 13th, 1890 .WEIGHTS. Weight m be declared on or about December 27th ACCEPTANCES. Acceptances for Handicaps, and Nomina ions for Maiden Plate antl Novel Race must be m the hands of the Secretary, at Scot't's Hotel, Tinwald, not later than 9 p.m. on MONDAY JUwTnber29th, 1890^



•"PKNDERS »re invited for carting from ■JL 50 to 100 yards of shingle for wphtltinsf.—Apply, 11 182 JOHN CRUM. 1 N CONSEQUENCE OF THE Late Strike, an titter collapse of the RETAIL DRAPERY and CLOTHING TRADES has taken place, and the business of the Wftoleanlc Houses is paralysed, and their Warehouses Blocked with the Season's Shipment*; consequently any one m i position to buy cotfld have dons so at Their «wa Prlca m 4 VeraM. Fortnnately for the undersigned, they not being overstocked, were able t« clear lines at prices which will convince our friends, and tne publi* of Ashbur ton, when they see the selling quota tions now marked m Plain Figures on our Goo is that the foregoing state ment regarding the Wholesale Stocks is perfectly reliable, itohellj <X lurnkJlv KAIAPOI HOUSE. fiyf- ... >mJW ,^.—^ .fci-IMii. ~- ■■in— ■■in W iii I I II MM*iw«W»MWMMMM»MI ' W. ZANDER, FISHING TACKLE AND TOBACCONIST'S DEPOT, fttettHßß Ladlks' and Gkkts' Haiedressing Establishment, EAST STREET. 'I'HE Mailing' Season beino now m full J swing, I b«£ to call the attention ot tit anglers to my Large Stock of all requisites for the sport. Every class of Rods,, Baits, Flies, Minnows, Lines, Hooks, &c., «fee, m stock at lowest rates. My Tobacconist's Stock is replete with all the leading Brands m Tobaccos, Cigars, &c. Also, high class Pipes and Fancy Goods of every description. Tennis and Cricketing Materials m great variety for the coming season. Having made a change m my Hair dressing Saloon, I beg to announce that I have engaged a First-class Artist from one of the bent Establishments m Dunedin. He has had 27 years' experience at Home and m the colony. The Saloon is renovated, and now has Two Chaira. Ornamental Hair Work of every descrip tion, as Wigs, Plaits, Coils, Bracelets, Watch Guards, «fee., made up on the premises at short notice. Hakcutting, Shaving, or Shampooing only W FIRST DISPLAY OF Spring Goods, a NDHISW. ARU J\ ndrew- yjnii I BnoMr ■ showing a Beautiful Selection of Millinery, mantles, prims, ginghams, NEW DRESS GOODS BEIGE'S FRENCH CHECKS, RIBBONS, FLOWERS, ETC. 2 CASES of Ladies French BOOTS and SHOES Direct om France. ANDREW ORR. WOOL. WOOL rfHE UNDERSIGNED IS PRE .I PARED TO MAKE LIBERAL CASH ADVANCES Oil the Coming Season s Clip of WOOI, FREE OF COMMISSION. INTEREST AT LOWEST CURRENT RATES. GROWERS have the Choice ot Selling either at the ASHBURTON WOOL SALES, or m CHIUSTCHURCH, or SHIPPING. 1 Shall Hold REGULA R SALES tURING THE SEASON, having arranged with the Ne* Zealand Loast and Mercantile Aoenay Company, Limited, to act as mv Financial Agents and Auctioneers. Every care and attention will be used m displaying, properly lotting, classi fying, and valuing the W, 01. ■ Account Sales will he rendered by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, with their lsual promptitude. WOOLSACKS, TWINE, etc., At Lowest Current Rates. John G. Restell WOOL STORES W*ST STREET, ASHBTJPtCK .