The Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1890 LOCAL AND GENERAL

Chicago has 200 women physicians in ac tive practice in medicine.

Four thousand spinners at Warsaw are destitute and out of work.

Protestants in America give £2,250,000 a year to religion. The theatre annually gets £40,000,000. Thursday 24th inst., being the second day of the Ashburton Race meeting will be observed as a holiday by all the Banks having agencies at Ashburton and Rakaia.

The revenue returns for the colony for the financial year ended 31st March were com pleted yesterday afternoon, and prove the surplns to be £115,174. The accounts, however, have not been audited, and some slight alterations may yet be made. " What is an Agnostic ?" asked Rollo, who was reading something by Huxley. "An Agnostic," replied his Uncle George, "is a man who loudly declares that he knows nothing, and gets mad and abuses you if you believe him. He says he doesn't know anything, but he really thinks he knows everything," Writing of Ohinemutu; the " Vagabond" says:—One can very well understand why there are no snakes or other vermin in New Zealand. No sensible ophidian, and we have authority that the serpent is more subtile than any beast of the field, would ever live in a country part of which appears to be only a few inches above the infernal regions, and with here and there holes in the bottom."

In the non-Catholic press there seems to be an impression that Mofokai is the only place where-Catholic priests and nuns devote their lives to the carp of the lepers. As a matter of fact, besides those in'the Pacific, there are leper hospitals founded and conducted by Catholic missionaries and religious in Trinidad, Madagascar, Japan, China, and India. There are nine Catholic priests now at Molakai.—(" Tablet.") The " Press" says that it js currently re ported iv town that Mr Duncan Cameron has purchased from the executors, of the late Mr George Gould their interest! in tile well known Springfield Station property at Methven. It is understood that the price of the station was between £120,000 and i£li?s,ooo, which is the largest sum paid fo a freehold estate in Canterbury for some time past. Proud parents in Sydney have found a new way of keeping before their fellow citizens the fact that unto them a son or daughter is born. Not content with advertising the mere birth, they now make the formal announcement of christening, with the name given to the little stranger, the date and place of baptism, and the name of the officiating parson, The sections qf the " announcement column of the " Sydney Telegcaph " arc now headed respectively-— "Births," "Christenings," "Marriages," and "In Momoriam."

The "Becfton Guai'dian," writing of the Dr McLeod who has just been sent to Sydney to answer certain serious charges, and who, it appeal's, was recently on the West Coast, says :—" Th?s disgrccg to a profession noted for high and limn initarian feciing, had the horrible cruelty on one occasion in Ross, to refrain from binding up and healing the wounds and broken limb of a miner who Jiad be: ft smashed up in a mining accident, nor would ho proceed to assuage the man\j jxiin, until a promissory note had been drawn out, for the payment of his services." The annual meeting of Parishioners wps held in the Church of St. John, ]>arr Hill, on Sunday, Present —Key. H. Collins who presided, Messrs C. IS. Alington, J. Irwin, J, Sponson, ]). Hurst, and A- Maxwell. The statement of accounts showed a credit balance, of £3 103 Sd, The following were nominated <is Churchwardens : Messrs AJing ton and Hurst, and Mcssr3 Spooner. T. I{. Mills, T. Mutta, S. Hurst, and A. Maxwell, Vestrymen. A vole of thanks was passed to Messrs Croskie and Maxwell for decorating the church for the harvest thanksgiving. The, usual weekly meeting of the Ashburton Lodge, No. 29, LG.G.T., was hold in the Templar Hall on Friday evening 1 Ith inst, The Lodge was opened with the usuil cere mony at 7.30, when the business of the evening was discussed, several candidates were proposed and seven initiated into the fraternal bonds of Templary. During the evening the Lodge resolved to present D,D,G.C.T., Bro. A. Paterson with a diploma' emblematical of the institution, for the able and efficient manner in which he had fulfilled the duties of that office. The business being finished the C.T. reminded the members that on their next meeting as they were to receive an official visit from the Grand Secretary Bro Cameron, he hoped to see a large attendance of members on that occassion. Several songs readings etc, were then contributed by the members, after which the Lodge Avas closed in due form by Bro Pearson, Chief Templar. There has (says Truth) beeu a terrific fus at Constantinople in consequence of a German photographer having rashly attempted to take an instantaneous photograph of the Sultan as his Majesty was proceeding on horseback to the mosque. He was detected by a function ary, and the guard at once rushed upon him, smashed all his insraments to atoms, and dragged him off to prison, where he dis covered that he was in a truly serious plight, for the Koran strictly forbids the depicting of the human form, and his attempt to photograph the Sultan was therefore re garded as treason of a peculiarly diabolical kind. If the culprit had not been a foreigner he would have beeen quietly strangled, or otherwise got rid of; but,, thanks to the energetic intervention of his Ambassador, he was released after a month's

imprisonment, on condition that he quitted, Turkey at once and for ever. ' The, " Irish Times " London correspondent says:—-"Another romance of Royalty is in social circulation to the effect that a younger sister of the Duchess of Fife has followed that princess's patriotic lead by falling in love with a native nobleman—an Englishman this time. The royal choice is a young earl, not by any means among the wealthiest members of his order, but personally what they call in Scotland "a very pretty man " of good intellectual gifts and high character. It is said that the heir apparent fully approves the earl's successful suit, while the Queen, though regretting the limited rent-roll, has decided not to interfere. Her Majesty has set her face sternly against the race of German fortune huuters, who are henceforth excluded from the royal matri monial market—an exclusion for which, by all accounts, they have to blame the in tractable Battonberg."

wThe Annual Parish meeting in connection itli St Stephen's Church will be held to morrow evening in the Church Schoolroom at 7.30

West street was aninteresting sight to-day and a'stranger visiting the town would-have been greatly struck with the appearance it presented. There were over thirty drays ranged up in front of tho stores, all in course of either discharging their loads of grain, or waiting their turn to do so. Over a hun dred handsome horsos, used in hauling the grain to store, helped to make up a specta cle not seen every day.

The opening meet of the season of the County Hunt Club was fixed for yesterday at the usual place Scotsdean ,but the hounds were not taken out, as it had been decided not to hunt at all until sufficent rain had fallen to soften the ground slightly. In its present state it would be almost certain to cripple most of the horses, and probably some of the riders. It is to be hoped that the next meet will not have to suffer the same fate.

An English exchange states that Count yon Moltke is an enthusiastic chess-player. It is the field-marshal's habit to play every night. True however, to his "rule of self discipline, he rises from the chess-board at 10 punctually, his hour for going to bed. At that hour his valet, Wurst, enters the room, and, no matter how deeply the old soldier may be immersed in the game, he gets up and marches off to bed. Yon Moltke is also a passionate lover of music, and on most nights of the week music is discoursed at his residence. Yon Moltke sits by the fire playing chess, but attentively listening to the music. It is his boast that he can follow every note of the music even while giving his mind to the problem on the board before him."

A decree recently issued by Prince Bis mark, re'ating to illegible signatures, rea4 tm follows:—" Several gentlemen from whom I receive documents write their names fa such a manner that, although it may serve to their own eyes to represent those namea) it is to others quite incomprehensible. This is absolutely inadmissible, and a legibli signature is not only an official duty, but also a duty dictated by politeness. Not only I myself, but everybody who receives an official document has the right to expect the signature attached to it to be easily decipher able, without being obliged to refer for assistance to an official list. I should b« very unwilling to be obliged to call the attention of certain gentlemen particularly and personally to this matter, but I shall be compelled to resort to that course if occasion be again given for such a step. 1 request officially that every official shall write his name, not in such a manner that it may be deciphered, but so that it can be easily read at the first glance.

TELEGRAPHIC. HOME AND FOREIGN.

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London, April 15 and 16. The Ulster Unionists Executive have expressed approval of Mr Bal four's Irish Land Purchase Bill. Madame Melba hjis been engaged to appear at the Covent Gai'den Theatre in " Hamlet," " Lohengrin," ajvd " Es meralda." A report is current that Sir F. N. Broome, late Governor of Western Australia, will succeed Sir G. W. Dcs Voeux as Governor of Hong Kong. Stanley has left Brindisi for London via Paris. His reception in London takes place on the 2nd prox., and the Prince of "Wales will preside on the occasion.

AUSTRALIAN.

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TASMANIA. Hobart, April 16. The R.M.S. Tongai-iro arrived from London via the Cape at 3 this morning aid sailed again for New Zealand at 6 p.m. She brings 20 passengers for Australian ports and 8-3 . for New Zealand.

England and Portugal.

THE EXPEDITION AGAINST MPONDO. [per press association.] London, April 15. Replying to questions in the House of Commons, Sir James Ferguson states that the authorities at Lisbon had re ceived no intimation of the proposed expedition against Mpondo in Shire district, but that if it was ascertained that such attack was contemplated im mediate orders would be issued direct ing the expedition to be abandoned. The Delagoa Railway dispute is still unsettled, A telegram from Delagoa Bay con fh-ms the news of a Portuguese expedi tion, 1200 strong, being despatched to attack Mpondo, Shire*.

Supreme Court.

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New Plymouth, April. 17. The Supreme Court opened this morn ing. The cases are unimportant. The case of Smith for stealing a watch is now going on.

Proposed Union of Dairy Factories.

PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Dunedin, April 16. At the invitation-of Mr Siiwers, Govern ment Dairy Instructor, a meeting is to be held next week to discuss the advisability ,pf forming..^ union of factories in the South Island, especially with the view of securing co-operation in shipping dairy produce to the Home market. Favorable replies have been received from nearly all the factories in the South Island.

SPORTING.

TIMARU RACES. [rER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Racecourse, April 16. For the S.C.J.O. races, the weather is dull, but the attendance lair. Hurdles. Waitangi ... ... ... 1 Cathedral 2 Won easily. Dividend—£llos 6d. District Plate. Liberator ... ... ... 1 Road Metal 2 Pennine 3 Won by a bare length. Dividend— £12 7s.

Southern Towns.

GORE

[By D. M. Wright.]

Gore, the centre of the southern agri cultural, industry, is a rapidly-growing town, on a stretch of flat, dreary looking country, bounded on either hand by low ranges of hills. So far as business premises are concerned, the town apppears to do a large trade, if one may judge, by the fact that there is no proportional background of private residences to the somewhat busy central street. Gore | people fancy that their town will soon be the largest inland town in New Zealand, but I fear in this they are sadly mistaken, as the cities of Christchurch and Inver cargill leave it very far behind, and unless appearances are very deceiving, it will re quire to put on very great speed to out strip Ashburton in the race for position and importance. Gore has, however, the advantage of Ashburton, in that it is the centre of a gold digging and rabbiting district. This probably accounts for its having seven hotels. It is also a railway junction, being the meeting place of the Lunsden branch and TtHe main line to | Invercargill. Ido not?'suppose it is pos sible to find a less picturesque spot than Gore. It is. almost treeless, and quite devoid of elements of beauty. Its posi- j tion, as a flat between hills,' might be thought superior to that of Ashburton, but the weird looking range of the Hokonuis is a poor substitute for the grand" Alps that form the back ground to the latter town, mantled about by forests, and crowned with snows that take every hue of the setting sun. Gore is very proud of its new asphalt pavements, but I was unable to see any remarkable elements of superiority in these rather rough footways. Gas is about to be introduced, and an enterpris ing storekeeper is busy selling gas fittings as he himself advertises, "To lighten the darkness of Gore." The town runs two papers, the "Mataura Ensign" and the " Southern Standard," the latter being, in my opinion, in every point the better. Gordon, a small township across the river, bearing the same relationship to Gore that Tinwald does to Ashburton, is about to amalgamate, and thus swell the apparent population of the latter place. Altogether the northern agricultural centre does not suffer by comparison with its southern rival.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

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Auckland, April 16; His Excellency the Governor is recover ing from his indisposition. It is reported thac owing to the con tinued downpour of rain the township of Kawakawa, Bay of Islands, is almost surrounded by water.

Wang-anui, April 16. The Ministerial party returned by river to-day from their trip along the main Trunk b'ne. The Hons Fergus and Capt. Russell landed at Upokongoro and took horse to - catch the midday train at Aramoho for Wellington. All speak highly of the magnificent country, and IMr Christie Murray declares the Wan-1 ganui river to be the most beautiful of any he has yet seen in the world. There has been a rainfall of two inches here since Monday, and it has done much good. Wellington, April 16. Messrs Mnrray and Casey's drapery establishment, Cuba street, has been burglariously entered ; but, atlthough the shop has been thoroughly ransacked the proprietors only miss a few .shillings w f 6rth of coppers. Mi-Michael Prendergast, Justice of the Peace' at Palmerston North, has been committed to the Wellington Lunatic Asylum,

The Federated Wharf Laborers' Union, have taken strong objection to the system initiated by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce in setting up a Permanent Board of Arbitration, it being considered that such a Board should be a fairly representative body, and not appointed by any single interest. The matter is to be brought before the Trades and Labor Council. Christchurch, April 16. The first annual meeting of the Canter buiy Grocers' Association was held to day, Mr J. H. Gilchrist was re-elected President. . The report stated that the Association was in a very flourishing condition, witß 87 members. It wjvs decided to close members' places of busi ness at 6 p.m. on Saturdays. The Association includes grocers of Christ church, Lyttelton, Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Ashburton, Akaroa, and other country districts. Timaru, April 16.

The Timaru Harbqr Boa.rd yesterday instructed their Engineer to fix by next meeting a point beyond which the shingle cannot be allowed to accumulate along the breakwater without damage to the harbor, and earmarked £10,000 of loan balance to meet future expenditure on the shingle if needed. A minority ob jected to the latter that the liability was too remote. The Board resolved to pro ceed with the drafting of a Bill to enable them to make levies on the local rating bodies, to save, the cost of collecting a separate harbor rate,

Addington Live Stock Market.

Christchurch, April 16. There was a large attendance at the market to-day.

" Store Sheep.—There was not so heavy an entry by far, as during the past week the demand. ,has diminished, The lines disposed of included two-tooth ewes at 9s ; sound mouth ewes, 6s to 7s ; four, six, and eight-tooth ewes, 3s ; merino ewes (boilers) from Is 7cl to 2s lid ; cross breds, 3s to 4s. Store lambs realised from 1 3s 4d to ss, according to quality.' Severa j lines were v withdrawn, not. realising owners' reserves.

Lambs. —There was a heavy entry of lambs, over 1200 being yarded. Some prime heavy freezers fetched 17s ; other kinds brought from 10s to 15s 6d; in ferior quality, 4s to 6s. \Fat Sheep.—Over 5000 were yarded in the fat pens, but, there was more than a third of them unfitted to occupy the position. These were very dull of sale, and brought from l|d to Ifd per lb. Best wether and maiden ewe mutton realised from 2^d to 2£d per lb. One or two prime pens of wethers brought a trifle over this.

Fat Cattle.—lß2 head were yarded, and the demand caused a slight advance in prices, though nothing warranting a general rise on last quotations. Store and Dairy Cattle.—There was a small entry of stores, the principal lines being three-year-old steers and yearlings. ,The former fetched up to £4 2s 6d ; yearlings of mixed sexes fetched from 14s to 295, according to quality. The sale of good* dairy cows and springers was equal to last quotation, up to £7 being realised for good cows in full profit. ? .PiGS.-s-The largest number, of pigs entered since last winter was yarded to day. They included some good sorts o baconers and porkers, some fine animals being offered. Prices are unaltered.

SMITH'S GARDENS.

A CHAT WITH THE GARDENER.

THE LIFE OF A PIONEER.

[By Carle Doddie.] Twelve or thirteen years ago, when the writer first came from Nelson to settle in Ashburton, there was a sad scarcity of fruit. I cannot say that like the way ward Hebrews, I longed for the flesh-pots of Egypt, because for both good and cheap mutton Egypt or any other country under the sun had but a poor say with Ashbur ton. But I did long in the hot nor'west days for fruit, and I frequently longed in vain, . I had come from one of the most beautiful cities in the colony, where the_ climate was of the mildest, the scenery superb, and fruio abundant. Cherries were particularly so, and in many parts the Kentish cherry was looked upon more in the light of a weed than as a regular tree that was grown in earnest for fruit. Every home had a' fruit tree or so just handy, and fruit, was accordingly cheap. The Nelson people spoke proudly of their city and district as " The Garden of New Zealand," and truly it was then a land of fruit and flowers. Naturally, Ashburbon was not a pleasant experience after Nelson. But the County of Ashburton was but poorly settled then. The land craze was at its height, and excited men famishing with an almost insatiable earth hunger, were rushing hither and thither, trying to buy up every acre that was offered. Canny men sold at good prices, and made money ; impulsive un-^ thinking, and unskilled men bought at very high prices, and lost largely. But if the craze sent many men soon after into the Bankruptcy Court from over specula tion in land, and others to the same sanctuary because of the ruinous prices they had paid for the acres they honestly intended to live on, it brought many men to this country who knew what they were doing, and gave us a class of farmers of whom any country might be proud. But although fche land was soon settled, the settlers did not take to fruit rearing very readily. Wheat was the great staple, and gardens and orchards were long neglected, so that for a good number of years our fruit had to be be imported, and even our early potatoes came from Christchurch. But by and by men cropped up who had the sense to "keep sticking in a tree." Those trees grew, in the natural course of things, and in time reached fruitage. Now, we have reached that point when we are in a position, if need be, to export to Nelson enough apples to keep her population supplied throughout the winter, and other cities' as well. Unlike Nelson, we have not as yet, thank God, had a visitation of the codlin moth,, £0 that the crops of fruit are both healthy and abundant.

THIS YEAR'S CHOP is perhaps the most abundant, and, for quality and size of fruit, the best we have ever yet gathered, and everybody's orchards, great and small—from the tree or two in the back garden to the orchards of many acres—have yielded their very best. All the orchardmen who cared to do so, and not a few amateurs, have dis played in shop windows and elsewhere some of the most magnificent samples of apples that could be shown anywhere in the world.

Not having been near the celebrated Smithfield gardens for nearly two years, , circumstances having always stood in the way, I determined to redeem the time, and to visit old George and have an inter view with him about times past, times present, and things in general. I may here state that in the course of our talk Mr Smith gave me a rapid sketch of his whole life, and that I will repro duce it before I close, as the life histories of old pioners like him are interesting to both old hands and new chums. But meanwhile Jet; me make mention of a few things he brought under my notice. Sitting in the room with him where he does most of his. fruit business with the public, and which maom adjoins his well known vinery, my attention was drawn to one small apple standing apart from the rest. With the inquisitiviness which is natural to my craft, I .picked the little crab of thing up, and found that it was very b>dly blighted, indeed. Galling his attention to the apple, Mr Smith gave me his experience in treating the

SCALY BLIGHT. He told me that there was a gluey kind of matter securing the scale to-the bark that was almost invulnerable to any pre paration not strong enough to injure the I wood of the tree. He had found this to be the case in his own experience, and his experience clinked in here with that of Mr Henry Redwood. He therefore gave up attempting to remove the scale by the mere strength of an application. Instead of doing thi3, he.devotes his attention to applying a strong preparation of caustic soda to' the bark. Mis object is to ,so poison the wood that when, in the course of nature, the insects hatch, they have no food to live upon, except the poisoned bark. He used other preparations as well, or rather other ingredients with the soda, but all with the, main idea in view —to he ready with the wood well poisoned when the inserts hatch out. He has been quite successful this way, and believes that it is the only way to secure clean trees.

A RARE TABLE. After some further talk, I had a look into his grape houSQ whepe. plenty of ripe grappa—beautiful Black Hamburg—still hung in tempting clusters ; and then I ■went to- the house to see his "sample room." Oh, how that room would have made our teeth water in 1877 on one of the hot nor'-west autumn days. On a large table in the middle of the room there were laid out, and carefully named, no less than 146 yarieties, of apples ! I shall not attempt the names, nor even a description of that tabled but shall con tempt myself with the remark that there were apples there of every size, shape, and coloring—the latter of the very !'ricliest and most varied. He told me that, the samples there shown were, of course, only the autumn and winter keeping apples, the early sorts having long ago gone to fulfil that beautiful mission for which they were sent npon this earth. In looking at that table, one could hardly blame old Adam for being led astray, if his temptation took the form of such superb pippins, pearmains, codlins, etc., as were spread out there.

PRIZE APPLES. Mr Smith has been a regular ex hibitor at the Christchurch and other shows, and has been fairly successful. He tells me that the Ribstone Pippin is unconquerable at Christchurch,' and that as a flavour apple it deserves its position*. But there are other apples in the world besides the delightful Ribstone, and these ought to be encouraged. Ho would like to see the Ribstones put in a class by themselves, and prizes offered for superi ority to individual growers of Ribstones. This apple is difficult to manage. It is a shy bearer, and many growers find, year after year, that an abundance of blossom gives place to an equally abundant fruit formation ; but long before the fruifc has half-reached maturity, the immature apples drop off, and but a very small proportion of the crop ripens. ! One apple that took my eye was, a beautifully formed fruit, with a rich carnation and gold coat. Unfortunately, Mr Smith had allowed the name of this apple to drift away from him. It was one of his importations from Australia, and had not promised ..well for a long time, and so had been rather neglected. It was the only tree of the kind he had, and this was its first year of fruiting ; but now that it gave fruit like that, its name would be hunted up, and it would no more be a neglected tree. In color i|. resembles the "Maiden ( s Blush," but i!/ is widely different in shape. The Golden Spire,"

too, is a beautiful apple. This tree Mr Smith raised in a pot and planted out last year. It has fruited well this season. CIDER. Mr Smith has good hopes of the cider industry yet. Though not admitting that any failure had been made, he was quits willing to allow that the highest point of excellence had not been reached by some makers. The fault, however, scarcely lay with the., makers, and as the best kinds of cider apples were more ex tensively grown and became available to cider makers, a very marked improve ment would be noticeable in the liquor they turned out. GARDEN WINE. My friend entertained me to a glass of gooseberry wine. He made it two years ago, but the supply was now on its last legs. If he had managed to make that wine effervesce, I should at once have said it was a bottle of the ordinary " fiz " of commerce—certainly a good deal more pleasant tipple than much of what is sold for champagne. It was clear as amber, of excellent flavor, and a delicious ",wa gang." Mr Smith has made about 100 gallons this year and last, and is not a little proud of its. quality. And now let me tell you a little of his PERSONA! HISTORY.

Mr George Tayler Smith was born at Rothiemay, in Banffshire, in 1831. His father waa a farmer, and was blessed with a family of nine—three girls and six boys. That family has been pretty well spread. Four of the sons came to Hew Zealand, and two went to America. Two of the sisters are in England, and one only, of all the family, remains in Scotland—at Aberdeen. One of the American brothers died at New London some time ago, and Charles died in the Geraldine district. One brother—Mr W. T. Smith—is still in the Alford, Forest; and few Ashburtonians of five or six years ago did not know^Hay T. Smith, one of the most knowing men in sheep matters in the colony. Hay was essentially a man of the farm, with a natural turn for sheep, and wh«n he came to New Zealand he took employment with the late Captain McLean. It was with him that he developed that well-known aptitude of his for sheep management. He is now in the North Island and doing well. Educated at the Fordyce Academy," a bursar of the late Lady Jane Tayler,, aunt of the present Duke of Fife, who re cently secured to wife a daughter of the Prince of Wales, George's first work was as an apprentice in the garden of this lady's husband—Major Tayler. Space will allow me to do no more than rapidly run over a few-: of the places he held afterwards." He was for some time in the Troup garden of Gordon Campbell, Esq., c* Troup and Glenlyon. After a winter in the celebrated nurseries of Dickson and Sons, Edinburgh, that firm sent him to Wardlaw Eamsay, Esq., of Whitehall, near Hawthornden, the birthplace of the celebrated apple seedling of that name, and George has often seen the original tree in. the den itself. Two years after wards a place was again found for him to pursue the practical ttudy of forest tree and shrub lore in the nursery;" thence to the Earl Lindsey, of Lindsey, at Uffing ton House, where he spent four years in charge of the forcing house; thence to London to the great nurseries of Hender son and Co., where the work was entirely among pot flowers, and fruit trees in pots for orchard house culture. There were acres under glass there, and a tremendous business was done in hiring out pot plants and trees in pots for the adornment of the fashionable assemblies in the great metropolis. Fashionable life is costly, j and money is not spared in this kind of adornment—the bill in some cases /run ning to thousands of pounds for one night s display of flowers, eto,., on tables, in rooms, on the staircases, the balconies, and so forth, of the city mansions. Lord | Denman was his nexb master^ son of the j ■Chief Justice of that name, who was associated, as counsel with Brougham and Lyndhurst in the defence of Queen Catherine. Smith was Lord Denman's head gardener for four years, and after occupying a similar position for four years at Anstey Hall, Trumpington, in Cambridge, h.e sailed in the.. " British- Empire" for Lyttelton, New Zealand, in 1864. • .

NEW ZEALAND MFK. His first work in -New Zealand was the laying out of a garden at Opawa for the late Mr J. L. Coster, the well-known banker. But after the work at Home, gardening in New Zealand, as a trades man, did not offer great inducements. The Waimea or Six-Mile rush had just then i broken out, so he caught the gold fever, and the year after his arrival saw him -

A DIGGRR, He took th§ old and the first track through the Weka Pass, over the Saddle, past Lance's aiid Taylor's, -by the Tere makau, and travelled from Darkey's Terrace to Jackson's Bay, swagging and prospecting all- the way -with his mate. But it was on the. Three-Mile that he made his gold, and he also did well south of the Grey, and had one or two good claims along the.coast. He has even been up Mount Cook among the glaciers from the other side. It was from no love of mountain climbing he dared that region of ice, but went in quest of gold. He had many narrow escapes in this inhospit able region, but he. came out all right, and even got gold in the riverbed. After nearly five years' gold hunting with fair success, he went with his mate for a spell to Sydney to rid himself of the lumbago [by the heat of the New .South Wales climate. But while there the Gympie rush broke out, and he and his mate were off, of course. It was here he met Mr Stephen Potter, our local brickmaker, and George tells me that Mr Potter ought never to have left the Lady Mary claim, for it ■turned out well, and is doing well now. Prom Gympie the two mates made for Charters Towers, where poor Ted Reddin was drowned in the recent floods. It was but a poor place in George's time, with only one hotel, and a scrap of a paper that he saw two fellows printing in a shed. A year and a half afterwards saw him re nounce digging altogether, and come back to Christchurch, He then went to be gardener to Mr Angus Macdonald, and after three years in his employ came to Ashburton and bought fourteen acres on the creek. It was a wilderness then, and many people thought he had purchased his ruin; but the thousands of visitors who annually throng to his gardens and purchase his fruit are hardly of the same opinion now, for that wilderness has blossomed as the rose, until it has become one of the show places of the Hub-

The New Plymouth Murder.

l New Plymouth, April 16. A New Plymouth telegram last night informed us that the police have dis covered a ( clue in the murder case of great importance, and they are now confident of being abtato prove that the Maori now in custody committed the murder. It appears the boots which the prisoner wore when arrested have been identified as belonging'to the murdered man. Deceased purchased them from the Co-operative Store, and afterwards had the heels partly taken off. The man who made the altera r tion in the boots can identify them beyond a doubt. Accused states that he pur chased the boots at a store in Opunake, and the police are prepared to prove that he did not. The police are accumulating other evidence of a damaging character and there is now little doubt that they have got the right man in custody.

[per peess association.]

CURRENT TOPICS.

In view of the radical changes which have been effected in the electoral dis tricts the work of compiling the new rolls will be one involving an enormous amount of- labor and trouble, so much indeed that owing £o v the exceedingly small pay. allowed to 'Registration officers it is exceedingly doubtful whether it will be satisfactorily accom plished. An old registration,.officer writing to the Press points out^that batches of electors must be transfe^recl from our roU to another and wldsjhftt he feels certain that many errors ynU. take place in spite of all care and. supervision. He urges that one course only is open to get "sf clear,' fresh start and that is to destroyl all existing rolls and to call for fresh claims to vote from all the electors of the./colony* in their respective new, districts. - t"SSfe quite concur as to the expediency of this proposal, and hope that in. the new Registration Act which ~is"*,to be introduced next session, provision: Mil be made accordingly. But. not*only would we make a ocleani: sweep ;rthis time and start with- new rollsi but it, should also be provided ,thatt imme diately after every election' the'/paines' of all persons who did not record their. votes thereat, should be struck, off,'', leaving it to them,' if they so r desire, to re-register. This would constitute a complete and effectual means of purg ing the rolls, and would do away with the possibility of the retention of dead men's names for x years an(J years, has has hitherto often, been the case,' with the result of affording, abundant facilities for personation.

Another useful suggestion as to a desirable amendment of the law is made by the ".Auckland Star," in connection with the liability of auctioneers^: :?AOn the face of it (says our contemporary), there seems to be something unequal, if not iniquitous, in a law = which pro tects an auctioneer in; such' circum stances as the following ;—A., wisKing the realise his property and leave the colony on short notice; commissions 8., an auctioneer, to sell his real and per sonal possessions, worth perhaps £500. The sale takes place in due course; "terms, cash on the'fall of the ham mer;" but when- Ay;asks Bl to''settle up, the latter puts him off, with some excuse—in fact, - humbugs - and .delays him so that he cannot leave at the time fixed. A. perhaps take legal proceed ings to compel a settlement, but in the meantime B. files his schedule in bank ruptcy, and though A. may find that his £500 have gone;to pay the debts of 8., who has no assets, he has no re dress at law. Or, let us state the case in another way. J A poor woman's husband dies, and the widow, being without the means to defray the'funeral < expenses, sends some of her household goods to an auction mart to raise a little money. They realise a few pounds. Before she receives the proceeds, however^ the auctioneer's estate. has passed into bankruptcy, and the widow finds her self literally with a desolated home) and with a debt hanging over her.- - Again, a woman sells up her furniture to raise funds to take her to Australia; ' She is unable to get the money from the auctioneer, and is ultimately left home less, and perhaps penniless.:- In- none of these cases is there any remedy. If an auctioneer becomes bankrupt, per sons whose goods have been sold simply rank as ordinary creditors, and when the estate is without assets, they lose all. Such is the state, of the :law in New Zealand at. the present time, and there is much reason in;the contention that • ah. alteration w. re quired in the interests of justice and commercial morality. "Why should not the proceeds of such sales as we hare instanced, minus commission, when instructions have been given to sell for cash only, be viewed as trust moneys, payable to the principal on demand, or within some reasonable time, fixed by the law or trade usage 1 We fail to see that this would be any hardship upon an auctioneer. -' These men ought to have sufficient capital to carry on/business without intermeddling with the moneys of their principals. Unless when it is specifically provided that the goods may be sold on credit, at the risk of the owner, the actioneer who sells pro duce or other goods should be prepared to render account sales immediately; failing. to render such account, after demand and make settlement .within seven days, he should be liable to pro secution for embezzlement, and the onus placed upon him of proving that the failure to settle' is not due to | criminality on his part. The fact, that some -'auctioneers and commission. agents do business on such a footing is proof positive" that to treat proceeds of sales as. trust moneys would in no. way qripple trade or hinder the free ex change of commodities. On. the con trary, it might be expected to stimu late trade by the greater sense of security it would give, and it would assuredly place business upon a much more satisfactory basis by doing, away with, the lunhealthyj competition <?f men who enter upon auctioneering business with -insufficient capital, ( or, with ncfc capital at all, trusting toTkieep things moving by using the' money? of "their principals."

The : niggardliness with which the Government - doles , out .land .for settlement is a source of complaint all over the colony, and we are glad to see that among other journals which have taken them, sharply to task on this account is the Wellington "Post/ with whose remarks: on the subject we entirely concur. Our - contemporary says:—" It is to the shame, of the Government that they refuse or neglect to offer sufficient land to enable all to settle who wish to,do so. There is an ample supply of the. raw material. There is no difficulty in finding. vast areas of admirable land on which .men would gladly settle, but they are not ' allowed to do so. The -Government will, not open it up for ,sale. Their policy is not to satisfy the demand or settle th,e country. They simply throw, down little bits of land to be scrambled for, and" then irry to take credit for . there being so'many people unable to ..'-: get what they want. The result of this policy is that men with "small, capital and less patience naturally, get tired after " having competed .unsuc cessfully two ;or three timWjJin scrambles where the speculator Jws. just as much chance of winning, the prize ms the "6on c fide settler, and they seek a place- of settlement in some other colony the rulers of which are wiser than ours, After every land. ea]» it i|

I'HE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1890*



PHOGBAPHERS, 218, High. Street, -■-, Christchurch TOWNEND S. Bilious and Liver Pills CURE Nervousness,, Headache, Acidity, Heart burn, Pains between the Shoulders, Pal pitation of the Heart, Interrupted Sleep, Harassing Dreams, Tendency to start, to I be Frightened, Spasms, Flatulence, Cos tiveness, Skin Eruptions,% Impure Blood, and Bilious Disorders. Price —Is and 2s 6d. By post free for 30 stamps. W. P. TOWNEND, Pharmaceutical Chemist, 183 Colombo Street, Christchurcb, DRAIN-ft HELD PIPES A LARGE supply of various SIZES •Iwaja Id STOCK, for SALS la iarga or j ■mall quantities. SPSCIIL quotations given for large qatotitfei, GEO. JAMESON, ASSBUHTON & KAKAIA. 3+172 . OHEtiTSEY SHEEP DIP. FARMERS OF THE OHEB'ISEY DISTRICT. IBavo ranch pleasure !a atitfsjj that roy tebder for the CHERTS EY DIP h»a been tooepted, «od 'hit J will uv MURTON & WHITES' PREMIER DIP throughout tha season. My man will be at the Chertiey balo y»id« every MONDAY, WEDN&SDAY, and FBIDAY, daring the Season com menolng MAROH 19 h, from 8 o'clock till four. Prlotß for Dipping Id por head till 14th APRIL, Ifl to 14th MAY. X would BtroDgly' adviad F*tmora to Dip E»r y. InaUuotloa? can ba left with 6lt McDWAii, Oberttey. D. THOMAS, 8 84 Achbu.-too QtJOD PAOIMTTS VALDE FAOtSIXJS. (" "What -we do we do well.") nr HE CHBISTCHURCH DENTAL .1 SURGERY Cashel Street, Christchurch, next Robin son's Boot Store and at the Octagon, Dunedin. All opprations at strictly uniform and moderate charges Consultation free. S. MYEBS~and CO., SURGEON DENTISTS. NITROUS OXIDE GAS administered. This Anaesthetic leaves no unpleasant effects, and by its use the extraction of . Bad Stumps and Teeth is rendered per fectly Painless and effective. Ad minis tered daily. Fee for administration of Gas, ss. Extraction, 2s 6d a, tooth. Hours of attendance, 9 a.m. to S p.m. Private residence, 93 East Belt. The acknowledged superiory of AMERICAN DENTISTRY in the con struction of Artificial Teeth, the most finished workmanship, and replacing the most teeth TEMPORARILY ALMOST IMMEDIATELY after extraction, have established our reputation, A single Artificial Tooth, 10s, complete set, Upper and Lower, Temporary and Permanent £10 10s ; Artificial Teeth and Dentures made by other dentists re modelled at small cost, Stepping, Scal ivj Perfect and Painless (By Special Ptrm!fß;on of the Hon. the Colonial Secretary,) GRAND NOMI3MATIOAL ABT UNION rpHB Undersigned having decided, s through epeoial influential request, to disf 030 of hm splendid and unequalled COLLECTION OF COINS on view in fha FxMbitlon, brgß io inform the Public that Tickets aro now ready for iasae 4000 MEMBERS AT 10s EAOH. TIKST Pbxzb : The Collection, of 2000 Coins as now exhibited in Danedfn. Feoond Pbizs : A Duplicate Collection of tho above, consisting of about 700 Coins For pftlcivirs flee ha-dbille. Ihe Irawing will be under the Super via'ou cf an Icfluatitial C'rcmiitea of Gentlemen. For fu.tho? pirficu'ars oop'y to BENRY ZANDER, Aahburtai STEPHENS BROS. NOW having opened their Establishment IN BURNETT STREET Beg to intimate that they have been so fortunate as to have secured a regular supply of EUTTER & CHEESE FROM the. well-known Dairies of Messrs Small, Wilson, and Horsey, so customers can rely upon getting their choice from any of those Dairies which we consider are equal to any in Canter bury. We also wish to draw attention to our TEAS, which are now just Blended, and we would like anyone who loves a rejfil good cup of tea to call for a sample. We have too in addition to the above a very nice assortment of CROCKERY AND GLASSWARE BRDSHWARE ETC., ETC. And any goods not kept in Stock will if equired ba procured promptly. Parcels ill be delivered and Customers waited pon if desired. ' STEPHENS T)ROS I TEPHENS _O R O S:, i Burnett Street. :



__ Wanted. ) Cash Advr(iseme\its under this heading, n. exceeding 1G \>vonh, ONE SHILLING Addresses ■may be lejt at this Office. LONG Evening Gloves can be had at Melford House.—H. 0. Seoees. . W" ANTED KNOWN. —A lot' of Packing Cases for sale, Cheap.— W. H. Collier, "The Comer." ; i,\ 'ANTED KNOWN—The "Strong *'5 Wear " Boot is the best for Men, Ladies, and Children. —W. H. Collier, "The Corner." A Nice Little Piano, Iron Frame in Walnut Case, good tone, 25s per month ; others from 30s, 35s and 40s, monthly.—H. M. Jones. WANTED every man in the County to have a suit of the Ashburton Tweeds.—Robert Alcorn, Ashburton Clothing Mart, Saver's Buildings. WANTED Known—For first class Drapery; if you want good value for your money, go to H. C. Segebs, Melford House. STOP~THAT COUGH! By using Flower's Cough Drops. Guaranteed efficacious. Can only be obtained at H. G. Flower's, Confectioner, East Street. 3JL9I WANTED Known —One hundred and fifty Ladies' and Children's Ulsters bought a great bargain (good qualities), now selling very cheap —H. C. Segers. Melford House. "A/T KS KENNEDY and Miss Cameron, IVI Moore Street — Teachers of Scientific Dress-cutting. Bodices cut and fitted. Dressmaking in all its branches. Riding habits a speciality. 12J69 WITH one of my Tweed overcoats or ■ a Sewn seam Waterproof and a pair of my double-soled shooters on, you can smile at La Grippe and Influenza as they pass.—Robert Alcorn, Ashburton Clothing M< jrt, Saunders' Buildings. ANTED Known—The Cheapest Shop to buy Tinware and Gal vanised Iron goods in Ashburton, is at W. F. Han:naford's, Burnett Street, A large stock kept on hand. Tin and Iron ware goods made and repaired with des patch. K~~ EATING'S COUGH LOZENGES cure Coughs, Asthma, Bronchitis. Medical testimony states that no other medicine is so effectual in the cure, of these dangerous maladies. One Lozenge alone gives ease, one or two at bedtime ensures rest. For relieving difficulty of breathing they are invaluable. They contain no opium nor any violent-drug. Sold by all Chemists, in Tina, Is l|d and 2s 9d each. WANTBD^NOWN rjIHAT Mr Charles Ryel, of Ashbur- I ton, has taken a shop next to Han rahan, Baker, Triangle, for convenience of Town and Country people, to supply Fish, Oysters, and Codlivev Oil, Orders p-omptly attended. 105 - C. RYEL. £20 REWARD. IN consequence of the amount of Poach ing going ou in the Creeks on the Lngmhor Estate, the above reward will be paid to anyone giving infoi-mution that will load to a conviction. From this date No One will be per mitted to FISH in tho Creeks on the Laghmhor Estate, * DONALD McLEAN Laghmor, Ist April, 1889/ ! SELL ING" O F F" PREVIOUS TO STOCK-TAKING. BOOKS, Stationery, Fancy Goods, Music, etc., at Greatly Reduced Prices, for Cash. N.Z. Jubilee Chronicle. L. F. ANDREWES & CO. 'MOUNT lIUTT ROAD BOARD. \1 OTICE is hereby given that in accor l"N dance with the provisions of "The Road Boards Act, 1882," and amendments thereto, and the Regulations of the "Local Elections Act, 1876," an Election of two persons in the place of Messrs W McMillan and J. Jackson, to serve on the Mount Hutt Rond Board will take place MONDAY,. sth May, 1890, at the Road Board Office, Methven, and Barr Hill Schoolroom. Nominations in the prescribed form, obtainable from the Returning Officer, must be delivered or addressed to the Returning Officer at the Road Board Office, Methven, before 12 noon on FRI DAY, 25th April, 1890. F. MAINWARING, Returning Officer. Ashburton, April 15th, 1890. 4 101 ASHBURTON HIGH SCHOOL. Established 1881. ~T)UPIL of both sexes are taught the I elements of a liberal educttjLon. Special subjects of study may be pur sued where circumstances require a de parture from the ordinary school course. Head Master : Mr J. E. Buchanan. ■ Ist B.A. r (London), per year Fea for pupils over 12 years of age £3 3 0 Fee for pupils under 12 years of age 2 9 0 Music (extra)... 110 The School year is divided into three terms. All foes are payable in advance. WINTER i8 9 0. NEW ZEALiND NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY. CLOTHIERS OUTFITTERS TAILORS, MERCERS AND GENTLEMEN'S HATTERS. \ I7ATERPROOFS made to Measure > V A splendid variety of patterns to helecfc from. Blankets, Ruga, Eider Down Quilts at prices to suit everybody. Inspection Invited. NEW ZEALAND Clothing Factory W H WEBBER, Manager, (



-NOTIGE— T HAVE pleasure in announcing that I *■• have appointed Mr J. Quinn, Watch maker, as sole agent in Ashburton for my Improved Pebble Spectacles. Signed 10 15 WM. RICKETTS



SANDER and SONS' EUCALYPTI EX TRACT.—In protection of the world wide lame our manufacture has acquired all over the globe, wo publish the following :—llftzard, M.D., Professor of General Pathology and Diseases of the Mind and Nervous System, sayain en editorial published in the " Oliniea 1 Record:"—" We have examined half-a-dozen specimens of different manufactures; (ho preparation of Sander and Sons wns the only one that proved to be reliable and correspond ing to eoioniiiio tests." Another concoction called " Befinod Extract of Eucalyptus " has made its appearance since. This produce stands, according to Dr Owen, foremost in causing injurious effects That gentleman v'ommunicafea, at a meeting of the MedioaJ Society of Victoria, that a child living at Fifzroy became most seriously indisposed through ita use. In another case a lady 1 tales on the strength of statutory declaration that she suffered oruelly frorc the effects of ihe Borne concoction. To guard the high reputation of our manufacture we fee' warranted in exposing the above facts, and dcaire the public to cccroiae care and precau tion whea buying. SANDEJR uad SONS - Advt, p



Hollo ways Pilis. — Prevision. —As autumn treads on winter, slender, deli cate, and pale-faced youths become list less, languid, and debilitated unless an alterative, combined with some tonic, be administered to quicken their enfeebled organs. This precise requirement is supplied by these noted Pills, which can and will accomplish all that is wanted provided that the printed instructions surrounding them meet with scrupulous Leo XIII. is stated to be superintending attention. Holloway's Pills are especially the "^ing of his own monument, which he adapted to supply the. medical wants of ■\f c^ xlouaJ 0 completed during his youth because his medicine acts gently I?etune- The monument is to consist of a f, , i . n °, , •< > huge sepulchral urn, on which the life-size though surely, as a purifier, regulator sta t ue of the Pope is placed. At either stfe alterative, tonic and mildapenent. A o f this urn are two colossal statues, repre very few doses of these Pills will con- senting Religion arid Justice, and between vince any discouraged invalid that his them a kavt relief. The statues are of cure lies in his own hands, and a little: Carara marble, and the urn of porphyry, perseverance only is demanded for its| In three years' time the work.of art is to bo ompletion. ■ ; ompleted, and. its cost will be £5000,



IMiiny poisons use the phrase " a trice" who have no conception of its meaning A thrice is the sixtieth part of a second oftim*