The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 12, 1890. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dr Mclntyre, of Tiinaru, is suffering from a very severe illness. Humour is persistent at Bucharest that the Crown Prince of Roumania will shortly be betrothed to Princeas Victoria of Wales. The Baptists of Timaru are raising a public subscription with the object of re erecting the church recently destroyed by fire. Mr J. W. Sawle, a candidate for the representation of Ashbiirtou in the House of Representatives, will address the electors at the Oddfellows' Hall at 8 o'clock to-night. About 90,0001bs of snails are brought daily into the Parisian market, from the gardens of Burgundy, Champagne, Polton, and Provence. Dr Pellegrini, the new president of the Argentine Republic, is of English grairl* parentage, ami a cousin of the late John Bright. His father was an Italian engineer. A curious result of Tolstoi's last book hi a been the imprisonment in Berlin of one of his disciples for publicly denouncing Christian marriage as immoral. Miss Minna Fischer, the Australian singer who visited New Zealand with Miss iSherwin, is said to ba causing a sensation by her sing ing at Covent Garden promenade concerts. The Youug Women's Christian Association of Dtinedinarc taking steps to instruct young girls in cooking, washing, and house-keep ing, 'with the object of fitting them for domestic service. This step is. being taken with the intention of making domestic service more popular, and factory and workshop life less sought after.J /• '■'.? hj;-- s The annual meeting of the New Zealand Baptist Union commenced at Auckland on Tuesday. The report, showed that the membership had incroasod 1550 during the year, and that the total membership in the colony now stands at 2vSOS, to which has to be added (ii local preachers, and 478 Sunday school toat.hcrs. Mr R. G. Wright addressed the electors of Ashburton at the Oddfellows' Hall last evening. There was a large attend ance, the ball being full. During the course of a lengthy address Mr Wright was fre quently applauded, and at the conclusion was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. A verbatim report of the speech appears else where.| There have been many curious cases of mistaken identity, but perhaps none more surprising than one occuring the other day in Glasgow. The body oi a woman was found in the Forth and Clyde Canal at Port Dundafi, and it was identified by a William Johnstone as that of his wife. The body was conveyed to his home, arid thence he mournfully followed it to the place of inter ment. It is difficult to imagine his feelings when next morniug he observed coming across the threshold the form of his wife— not her ghost, but herself in real bodily presence. Tb« good lady explained tn her bewildered husband that she had been spend ing a few days with a friend. It is generally understood that the hair and nails generally grow faster in hot weather than in cold, but perhaps few are aware that any temperature can impart so great a stimplus to the growth as Colonel Pejevalsky, the Russian traveller^, says the Central Asian heat did during'his journey in those regions during the summer of 1889. In June the ground and the air became ex cessively hot, ao great, indeed, as to render travel in the daytime impossible. Within a a fortnight after this oppressive weather began it was noticed that the hair and beards of all the party were growing with astonishing rapidity, and strangest of all, some youthful Cossacks, whose faces were perfectly smooth, developed respectable beards within the short period of 20 days. The biggest family ever born to one man is surely that over which presided Brigham Young, the founder of the Mormons. No fewer than 50 children were born to him, and ifc is a curious physiological fact that not one of tlusf<G was halt, lame, or blind, all being as perfect in body and sound in mind as the general run of Ijjjininity. the boys arc now sound, healthy, industrious, and intelligent men. Among them are merchants, lawyers, a railroad king, a banker, an architoot, a civil engineer, and a manu facturer. Several have graduated from the law schools and the navel schools, while one is a colonel in the United. States army. The oirls of this) big family are finely developed physically, quick, bright, and high-spirited, while »ome have extraordinary ability in mnsic, , ■,,•! In a v;«.j;wo ffflrt of wny the public has always known thu comic opera was about the best payiiiK branch of dramatic literature, font few' will be prepared for feW revelations «* to the extent of the profits made by the most #ijcce«sful of comic opera producers iti the pn»e<wlin«s instituted by Mr W. S. (Mlbirt in the W courts. From his state ment—which doe 3 no£ owm to be serionslj tiweraed—the net takings <tfthe .Savoy Theatre average £20,060 l-er quarter, £0000 of which Is elpar profit. Even wlyj« . *lns amount kis to S*s divided among three pawns, Wwas the own ill the presont in stance, Kir Arthur tfullivan, Air Gilbert, ami Mir J»'Oyly Carte receiving eqifal shapes, the rvzult W «alfinj#fc.cd to excite envy. lfc »s not given to every itftfingufolwil authflr to cti-ftwaainccMeofmOOO-jMSI? annum Worn the piocwd.3 of a single wwtoetwtt M one thtatra

Mr Aftred Harrison, J.P., disposed of a first offender for drunkenness this morning in the usual way. At a meeting of the Committee of the A. and P. Association, held on Tuesday afternoon, a draft balance-sheet was sub mitted forth© Committee's consideration and approval; and it Was decided to allot the prize money on the same principle as last year. > A requisition is in course of signature to Mr Hugo Friealander asking him to allow himself to be nominated as Mayor for the ensuing year. The requisition ia being numerously signed, Mr Thomas having definitely decided not to come forward. A strange but'true story is told by a well known traveller of a female monkey shot by a friend of his, and carried to his tent. Forty or fifty of her tribe advanced with menacing gestures, but stood still Avl.ei the. gentleman presented his gun at them. One, however, who appeared to be the chief of the tribe cameforward chattering and threaten ing in a furious manner, .Nothing short of firing at him seeifled likely to drive him away, but at length he approached the tent door with every sign of grief and supplica tion, as if he were begging for the body. It was gives to him; he took it in his arms, carried it away, with actions expressive of affection, to his companions, with whom he disappeared. The effect upon the traveller was such that he vowed never to shoot, another monkey. It has been left for the French tailors to initiate reform in the matter of the mascu line style of evening, dress. For years a cruel fate has condemned the Hoh Augustus Fitznoodle, My Lord Tom Noddy, and the humbler, though not less socially ambitious, City Clerk to wear evening i garments of sombre hue similar those effect by the waiter and the mute at a funeral. However, the Philanthropise Society of Master Tailors of Paris and Lyons have now issued anaddreds, in which they state boldly "that it ia time to give up the weakness and to create a ne; fashion in evening attire," which means men are to revert to coloured coats, embroidered waistcoatSj knee breeches, an I silk stock ings. Many people who live in the bush are altogether debarred from the luxury of ice in hot weather (remarks an exchange). We all know how its use is almost essential in treating cases of concussion of the brain or spine, and how in fevers ice gives such relief to suffering humanity. Now here is the simplest method of making ice which is perhaps known, and anybody ought to have sense to follow it; the coat ia a mere trifle. Fill a gallon stone bottle with hot spring water (leaving room for about a pint)* and put in two ounces Of refined nitre. The bottle must be stopped very closely, and let down into a tank or well. After three or four hours it will be completely frozen ; the bottle must be broken to procure the ice. If the bottle is moved up and down, so as to be sometimes out of water, the consequent evaporation will hasten the process. The cost of nitre would not exceed Is 6d per Ib. In London there is a society for the study of inebriety, and it has lately done good service to the community by calling atten tion to the number of preparations sold as being, of special use in the reformation of intemperate persons. These were all found to contain alcohol, some to the extent of 42 per cent. The president remarked that he liad known a great deal of mischief wrought in England in this way. .Persons with an inherited, but as yet undeveloped, tendency to inebriety had innocently taken reputed innocuous and useful patent preparations, really containing alcohol or opium, or both, and had thus become inebriates by inadvert ence. It was suggested that the Govern ment might be asked' to legislate in the direction of providing that the exact com position of patent medicines and similar preparations should be printed on rhe cover or bottle. If quacks were compelled to comply with this provision, the list of in gredients would often be a, very complete refutation of their assertions with regard to the usefulness and tonic properties of their preparations. The bodies of two girls, named Andrews and Farinjond, ftgod.ten and eleven years, were taken from the San key Canal at Eurls town, net r Hay Locks, recently. At present the affair is a complete mystery, but the pirtioul.ars which can so far be obtained point to- suicide on the part of the girl Andrews: the other girl, it h supposed, having been persuaded to the act by Andrews. iiofch girls resided with their parents at Uurton Woo;!, and attended the school there. Whou the scholars wore released from their luties soon filter four o'clock, Andrews gave her brother her clogs, and told him she was going to drown herself, at the same time shaking hands with him and bidding him 30011-bye. The girl 3 then set off in the direction of the canal, which is about two miles away, and the lad went home and told his father what his sister had said. The father of Andrews proceeded to the canal, and on reaching the spot named saw two hat 3 floating on the water. Recognising his child's hat, he obtained a rake, aria, with the ..assistance- of, a man named Smith, recovered both bodies. The affair has has caused a great sensation in the neigh bourhood. Andrews has on two occasions attempted to destroy herself. An English contemporary publishes a letter from a resident in Switzerland from : which we take the following passage relative to the crowning of the new king of that country:—The natives are making prepara tions for the coronation of their young king and Chief Paramount of the Swazie nation. iAnimpi has been sent out hunting for a lion, tiger, buffalo* and a large snake. Part of the ceremony at the coronation consists of the king eating a portion of the hearts of the first three animals, to give him courage ; afterwards being anointed with the snake's fat to prevent him being bewitched. The buffalo's head is placed on the ground and the young king sits on it between the horns, clothed only in the lion's skin on the first day, and in the tiger's skin on the second day ; and on the third day he must come put of his kraal quite naked, and be presented to his people who come up from all parts of (Swaziland to salute "Byate" the king of the tSwatde nation, as the great lion great tiger, and other titles. The chiefs pr indunas, are each expected to bring a a present of cattle to the new king, so as to give him a good start.

THE ELECTIONS.

MR E. G. WRIGHT AT THE ODDFELLOWS' HALL.

Mr E. G. Wright, one of the candi dates for the Ashburton seat in the 1 general election, addressed the electors in the Oddfellows' Hall oh Tuesday evening, 11th November, the hail was well filled, theni, being quite 300 people present before the close, al though the meeting opened to about a hundred less than that number. Mr David Thomas, Mayor of Ash burton, introduced the candidate and bespoke a patient hearing for a gentle men who had represented the district in Parliament before, and who liad been a resident in the county before the county waichris'terifidL (iLpplause). Mr Wright who was received with applause, referred first to the SETTLEMENT OF THE LANDS. The most important question for consideration at the present time i« the settlement of an industrious popu lation upon the waste lands of the colony. It is quite true, as stated by the "Otago Daily Timfes," that the cream of the land in this the Middle Island of New Zealand has long since been sold, and there is little left' like the Canterbury plains, and the Down lands of Oamaru and Tiraaru, whiuh could be broken up one year and pro duce a good crop of grain the next; but there is still in this island a con siderable extent of unsold land that only requires labor upon it to make it equal to some of the best lands in Canterbury, while in the North Island and on the West Coast of this Island there are vast tracts of forest land yet untouched. The obstacles in the way of settlement are not altogether the difficulty of obtaining suitable land,' but the absence of the class of men who have what may be termed an affinity for the isoil, ; and who have sufficient means at their command to tide them over the difficulties of the first two years without' getting into debt beyond the power of redemption. What I mean by affinity for the soil is an inborn pleasure in the cultiva tion of the soil, and a delight in watch ing the growth and progress of all the products of the earth which a bounti ful Providence supplies in return for ordinary care and intelligence in their cultivation. When the people realize more fully tho nobility and indepen dence of honest labor bestowed upon the cultivation of the soil we shall get the waste lands of the colony more quickly occupied, and relieve the torrns from over-crowding arid unhealthy competition. The education in out public schools should foe directed afe far as possible to impart a knowledge of, and a desire for agricultural and kindred pursuits, and check the ten dency which now prevails to over crowding the workshops iii the towns, and filling to overflowing the miser ably under-paid cleri ships. Personally, T have an ardent desire to sf;e th© people settled on the waste lands of the colony, and, if elected, will assist every honest effort in that direction, Under the perpetual, lease system grp'rt*; facility is afforded to men to take up land with the smallest expenditure p£ their own capital. They pay nothing for being put in possession except the survey fees, but the. regulations should bo made more liberal so aa to exempt them from the payment of rent for the first two years until they have 'hact time to bring the land into a state of productiveness. Some amendment in the law ia also needed to prevent dummyism, of which no doubt there hare been some glaring examples,though I must acknowledge that so far as they have come under my own observation the land has been of a quality not suited for settlement in small blocks. Good land is indispensable to the success of the settler who would wish to start with fifty or a hundred acres, and to encourage a man to settle upon a few acres of bad Land, and waste his energies upon it, is both a cruelty to the man and a loss to the State. It is said quite truly that the possession of large estates in the hands of certain individuals is a bar to progress, and there are no doubt a few notoriou* cases in Canterbury, but the possessors of thesa estates are mostly old men, and the law of nature will in their case solve the question peaceably in a very few years. One generation hoards and the nexi scatterg, so you will not have to wait very long for the sub division of these ©states. It is only fair to point out that the holders are Jthe residue of the early pioneers who drove their own bullocks teams, forded flooded rivers and generally fared worse than the swaggers of the present day, and the.'.majority have succumbed to the hardships they endured; many have been drowned in the then unbridged rivers. Long before the waste lands' of the Crown are\ill occupied, these big estates will have become a tiling of the past, but if it should not be so, and they are required in the interest of settlement, then let them be acquired by honest means—as honest men you would not wish to be parties to confis cation or robbery. Whatever can be done honestly or fairly to settle the people on the land shall have my most cordial support, either in Parliament or out of it. I would rather give the land at the cost of the survey fees; than see it remain an unprofitable wilderness. Now it is argued by the opponents of the present system, that mim set no value on the freehold tenure because four-fifths of the applicants have preferred to take up the land under the perpetual leasing system, but these opponents conveniently shut their eyes to the fact, that the lessees can all change their tenure from lease hold to freehold within a limit of twelve years from their first occupa tion. Is there arty doubt but that every holding will be made a freehold within that period ? You may reit assured that every leasehold will be converted into a freehold, except where owing to bad luck the owners are un able to raise the money, and I trust the number will be very few indeed. In referring to the scarcity of land, I mentioned that there are large tracts of unoccupied land in the North Island. I quite agree with the contention that the land of the colony should he utilized to the utmost, as far as can be done consistently with honesty and a due regard to good faith between the and ipdividuals. It is a mistake" to suppose that all large holdings are un profitably occupied. Look ;at the amount of work for instance that is

caused by sheep sont to freezing works at Belfast and Islington? Many hundreds of men are employed at high rates of wages, atad do better than they would as small settlers. What we ought to consider is this: Are there any other lands in the colony, jjvhich are not being made as produc tive as they might be? There are millions of acres of. Native lands prac tically unoccupied. These lands have i recently been traversed by the Gover nor, by members of the ministry, and byJleadtngoificialsandpolitici.o.nsandaU hava expressed themselves most agree ably sg rprised at the extent of good land in these territories. I)r Kewraan lias publicly declared that the unuti lised lands in the King Country would support the whole population of Can terbury and Otago, and I believe there is no exaggeration in this state ment. Dr Hector long ago expressed the opinion that the North Island would in the future carry a much larger population than this Island; there is far less of mountainous waste and the climatejis more temperate than here. Then why should we not, while acting justly towards the Maoris, see that these lands are made productive. What an outlet for industry and enter prize they would afford. If the account given of these lands be true, there is room there for thousands and tens of thousands of happy homes. Why should: the settlement of these lands be delayed, why should they continue to be locked up. There are hundreds of yoiang men even in this district who would be only too glad to occupy them. Here we have a great means of relief for that pressure which is seeking relief in the confisca tion of private estates. Look at what has been done at Woodville and Pabiatua in the Wellington district. Those townships and districts have gone ahead ms rapidly as Ashburton did at one time, and what has been done there con b© accomplished at scores of places in the North Island, if we only had at the fttead of affairs, statesmen able to grasp the situation, and make the most of, our splendid natural re sources. In the name of common sense .let.ns see that both the Waste Lands of.'the Crown, and. the Native Lands of'the North Island are made to produce at least a portion of what they are capable p£' producing, and then we may see again that degrees of prosperity which we once enjoyed. There is u.o necessity for limiting our hopes and our ideas of progress, to burst ing up a few big estates—our resources are not so contracted. It is pitiable to read speeches which seem to imply that there is no hope for the Colony except by adopting a system of plundering one another, without adding five shillings to the wealth of the couiitiy. What we have to do is to increase our wealth by both mental and bodily work. There is plenty of scope yet in the Colony for honest endeavour, and we should find that even so far as land is concerned, there is room enough for all, and more than, all iti this colony for many long years to come. LABOUH. Intimately connected with the laud question is that of the labor question. The recant strike made it painfully evident that there was an excessive amount of unemployed labor available at the shortest notice. How to find permanent employment *or all who are ready and willing to work should b« a matter for .anxious-con sideration to every man who has any sympathy with his fellow mortals or desires to promote the welfare of the colony, as tJie loss resulting from so much unemployed labor is a national loss, and Its proper employment would be a national gain. How to effect it is one of the problems of the hour. In the production of all the principal necessaries of life New Zealand can stand alone .and need fear no com petitor. Wo not only produce food enough for all in the land but an immense surplus which we export, and still have not sufficent employment for bur peopHe. We have tried to build up local industries, and have lost money by the process. Personally I have lost heavily at various times in my efforts to start fresh enterprises, and the only satisfaction I have is in know ing that some at least, such as the Woollen Pactory and the Fleinington Da,iry Factory, have survived their early troubles. Yet the market is soon glutted with.such articles as the Woollen Factory produces, and the directors were glad of an excuse for closing the works on account of over production. No factories in New Zealand can compete with the looms of England, France, and Germany, and cheap labor in the production of the fine sorbs of woollen fabrics, unless protected by a prohibitive tariff, such | as the public will never submit to. The same, remark applies to the finer qualities of boots and shoes, and many descriptions of goods which we import. Consequently our field of enterprise is limited to the production of such articles as we can, produce and sell tit a profit in competition with the world. First come dairy products, for which the market is unlimited if made of first-class quality ancl not spoilt in transit, as is too frequently the case now. Passing over wool, grain, frozen mutton, and fiax, which are our main staples, we next come to potatoes and fruit for export, and then clover and grass seeds, which are of great promise^ The locally grown ciover seed which I have used this spring is better than any ever imported. In the north of Auckland we can raise all the semi-tropical fruits, and in many parts of both Islands are localities well suited for growing grapes and produc ing good wine. In many directions there are openings by which men may secure a fair means of living, though the avenues to large fortunes are very limited and the professions are all glutted—many lawyers in the colony not making £200 a year. Here are a few items paid last year for imported goods which the colony before long should produce for itself:— £ Fruits, fresh and bottled ... 83,317 Beer... ... ... ... 54,323 Paper ... , 107,885 Wine ■■;-. 47,214 Bags and Sacks ... ... 178,727 Coal 114,053 Boots and Shoes ... ... 117,907 (Glass and Glassware .... 39,000 i £742,426 The dairying iiidustry was on© Capable

of immense expansion if properly attended to. In the matter of the export of butter and cheese, New Zealand has an>>advantage of which it is impossible for any change of circum stances to deprive her. The London and European markets are unlimited. When it is winter in. those places it ia summer here, There are millions of pounds worth of these commodities imported into London from Denmark and other places. In winter time in Derimark the animate have to be housed. They cannpt^prpduce a pou nd of butter for less than a shilling. Surely, with our climate, we ought'] to easily cut out such compeJiifciQrs. I know thai it is the opinion of experts, like Mr York, that we can find- in London an unlimited and most pro fitable market for butter and cheese, |if we will only try to, produce them! of the right sort. W« must consult the London market and be guided by its, wishes. If we dp *° the day I hope is not far distant whten our dairy exports will be ten times what they are;at present. Cool storage in Lytteltou will be some assistance in the matter, and I took steps some months back towards securing this accommodation. Whilst fresh field* of employment vfill be gradually opened up, ewe are met at present by the fact thftt there are more skilled artisans in* the colony than can find employment, and it is always.difficult for a man to strike out in an entirely new line. Take the carpenters* for instance/—-there are numbers in this county^ ;|and not employment for hall of^Hbral Now it seems to me that if these men formed a Mutual Benefit Association, and agreed .that one half, should work at their trade, that^lfj would be fully employed at fair wages—whilst the other half might s take up a block of land and cultivate it in the common interest, the, members of ihe associa tion dividing equally the proceeds of their skilled labour and, tho produce of the land. lam quite aware of the many difficulties in the way, but do not regard them as insuperable •where we havo a body of honorable; and sober men working together under proper guidance. This would be a species of Unionism with which every body would sympathise, and I am quite willing to lend 'a helping hand. It is thtt right of every workman to get as much as he can for his labour, and to be permanently employed. Idle men are no use to Capitalists. It is thera 'fore manifestly not of advantage to them to see men unemployed. The interests of capital and labour/are the same. They are two of the three great elements upon which the production of wealth depends. They should work together and not ir. opposition. If any doubt existed on this point, it lias been set at rest by the late unhappy strike. If labour and capital ■ are working against each other, production stops, industries are, ruined, and trade is crippled. There is a loss of wealth which never Cftil t»e made tip again. What porkers and employers should do is to unite to produce as m.uch wealth as possible, arid there will be more to divide. Each will have atfavger shared and wages will be higher and hours of toil may be shortened. Short houri and high wages will never be attained by opposition between these two great factors in production. To effect these ends they must go hand in hand. EDUCATION I now come to a much vexed subject, I. • mean, the Education ques^ tion. There* has been more trim^ ming by candidates when speaking on this subject than upon any other political matter. I see no reason why this should be so. The imperative; demand of the age is that the masses must be educated, that, knowledge is the birthright of every one. Some of our young people have to commence life poor, others under more favorable circumstances—let us place them upon an equal footing at all events as 're gards education. In this country we haye decided that education shall; be free—free that is from the payment of school fees, Everyone, even the poor est, is taxed through the Customs, and in return it is only fair, that their children should receive a sound educa tion—moreover it will pay the State to do it. Education of the right kind will help a man through life, neither adversity or misfortune can rob him of it—and it matters not whether his position in life is high or low, his duty should always be the better performed, the better he is educated. Education pays the State, to put it upon no higher grounds,, In this country we have a very good system of primary education. It lias worked as well a3 any human institution can be expected to work and is giving good result 3. We have manufactured, so to speak, our own teachers, clerks, and members of the learned profesisions. These posi tions- are fi.l|ed; ;by ,the sons and daughters of many of the poorest of our fellow colonists, who have won their way by the help ;of o'.'.r excellent system of primary education. We are now being told that should be stopped at the fourth standard, and that all beyond should be paid for— that I think would be a mistake, for this reason, jt wo.uld lower the general average of education. Once the fourth standard was attained, and the childreii told that if they came to school they must bring school fees, the result I fear, in many cases, would be, that the school would know them no more. It may be true that a great many childrem may not be able to persevere with their education beyond the fourth standard— their parents may not be able to spare them from home. Do not let us in crease the difficulties of the parents, or diminish the chances, of success for their children. If the chil<Jren through | out this district can afford the time to carry on their education to the sixth standard they shall, not want the facility to do so, so far as my help can go. Perhaps some alteration in the syllabus might be made with advantage. Education should be not only literary but practi cal. If, in the higher standardt for ex ample, an alteration were made where by the elements of agricultural chemistry could be taught, that is a:change I would support. It would be an easy thing to obtain qualified teachers for this work, and such knowledge would prove extremely useful. I now come to the question of aid to private schools. Our Catholic friends have established schools of their own. They hold vhat education and religious teaching can not be separated. Of their earnestness and zeal there can be no doubt what*

ever, but can a politician help them ? The tendency all the world over is to leave the religious teaching to the' Churches, the Sunday. Schools,.and the parents. The Stata caunot be expected to take notice of creeds or religious differences. The Catholics deserve praise for their self-denial and their conscientiousness, but if once the State endows their schools then I am afraid it is all over with the present system. Other denominations would at once start schools and demand ansistance, and 'the work of the last fifteen years would speodily be undone. To a large extent the Catholic children take ad vantage of our State schools.' We cannot please everybody, and must do the best we can for all alike, and the best we can do in this case is r*Q leave it alone. I will therefore oppose any alteration in the present system of education, as T am con vinced that if you once commence ■to- 1 tinker with it you will please nobody, and satisfy nobody, and you will create far more heart-burnings than you will remove. LOCAL OPTION. The Local Option question is one of great interest to a large section of the electors in this district, and therefore cannot be passed over in silence." The Licensing Act of 1881 is.one of con siderable stringency, and gives the rate papers of any licensing district the power to veto the opening of more public houses within the district. Tn this county the licensing districts are the town of Ashburton,. and the several ridings of the county. There are 1 think ten hotels in this electorate, one at Tinwald, Winslow, Mount Somers, Alford Forest, and six in 1 Ashburton. The drinking habits of the people have bocome so much reformed of late years, that some of these hotels are not a very good .investment at the present time, and the worse the position of the property financially the greater the temptation to eke out a living by selling inferior drink and encouraging drunkenness. Now what the temperance party want is an amendment of the Act, so that the ratepayers in each licensing district may have the power to say at the ballot box not only that there shall be no increase in the number of licensed houses,' but that there shall be a decrease if a majority vote to that effect and that without the payment of any con pensation whatever. The power if given, will of course be given not to the temperance party alone, but to the j inhabitants generally; consequently no , house could be closed without a number of those not associated with the temperance party voting with them, which is not likely to be the case, unless one or more of the houses in the district should be notoriously badly conducted; Hence the power asked for would be a protection to every honest publican and a terror only to evil doers, and as such it would be a manifest gain to the community. The first effect of the passing of such an Act, would bs to canse all publicans to be more careful as to whom they might supply with drink, the second would be to raise the quality of the drink sold, which would be an immense gain to those drinking it, and the third effect would foe a decided improvement as regards the general management; punctual closing, the disappearance of fictitious lodgers, who are liberal enough to treat all the visitors, and a general clearance of drunken men from the street. These are my views of the position, andi I have no hesitation whatever in promising my cordial, support to the movement, if I should have any voice in the next Parliament. RAILWAY MANAGEMENT. s Upon the question of railway: management there is throughout the colony the greatest diversity of opinion. Whilst some regard the Railway Com missioners as the embodiment of every thing that is wrong, others are of opinion that they have managed re markably well. We must not forget that they have most important trusts committed to their care and that they are responsible for the whole carrying trade of the colony. As the impor tance of; the trust committed to their care is very great, so great also is their responsibility to the entire They cannot therefore work the rail ways for the exclusive benefit of any one section of the taxpayers to the detri ment of all the others. ( . i ."Whilst *&, mitting so much in their defence how ever, I am of opiuion that very much remains to be done in the way of sim plifying the tariff, abolishing the excessive subdivisions in tho , classifica tion of goods, and reducing the rate for the carriage of all agricultural produce and goods generally, so as to secure the large amount of traffic which is now entirely lost owing to excessive charges. By which means the taxpayers suffer a double loss. They suffer in being de prived, of cheap carriage for which the railway system was established—and which it can give with advantage to its revenues—-as the increasing traffic would more than compensate for the re quisite reduction in rates-^-and they suffer also in being compelled to main tain the public highways under the wear and tear of traction engines and drays which fire competing with the railways. Can anything be, ,more absurd than to allow traction engines to compete in carrying goods from Spring field to Christchureh—4s miles along side a railway line? There are many parallel cases in this Island. This los 3 of traffic and revenue is the niore; irri tating to Canterbury settlers who re member that ten years ago the Can terbury section was paying over 7 per cent on its cost, and that instead of being a burden to us our railways were a source of revenue. This brings us to the question of whether or not we should sell our railways—a proposal which finds favor with many people as the only remedy for bad management and as a means of extinguishing a large portion of our public debt. To this proposal I say emphatically "no." The public railways in course of time and in.spite of the worst of manage ment will become a source of revenue to the colony, far in excess of the interest upon the capital expended,, and' will be a relief to the taxpayers of the next generation. Let me show you , how the grain rates have fluctuated during the last ten years. I will;; take;' the 150 mile stage aa being il>o\i| <;thA average distance for the bulk of the grain from this county. Tn 1881 the charge was 11s per ton. In 1883 I was mainly instrumental in. getting tit re duced to 6s lOd, and in 1884 it was

raised again by Mr Maxwell's ndvice to 10s 2d. In 1890 it stands at 8s 8d although that is nearly, double fie rate charged in the neighboring colonies. As to the management of affairs during the strike it has no doubt appeared to many of you to have been arbitrary in the extreme. lam isorry for the men who wont out on strike through their implicit obedience to the guidance of false prophets and will assist as far as i cmi ro }>ff them ro-instat^d. Tn this particular you must hear in"nrinti'4liat t.he Railway Commissioners had a most unpleasant duty to discharge—bnt so also has the judge who sentences a criminal to be hung, nevertheless he has to do it in discharge of the high trust committed to him for the' preser va-tiou of law and order and public safety in the land—so in like inrnner if the Commissioners had failed in their duty, the- whole trade of the colony would have been paralysed. Even as it is it suffered a serious blow from which it will take months <bo re coTer. When the railway 1 delates went up to Wellington last time, the Commissioners conceded .nearly every thing that was asked of them-; < and the delegates on their return expressed themselves as well satisfied* with the reception they had met with, and stated that the Ooramistioner3 had met them more than half way. This should satisfy the large body of railways em ployes that they will always get re dress when their grievances are pro perly represented at head quarters. Tho Commissioners should occupy the position of arbitaators between the railway forces on the one hand and public opinion on the other, and deal out even-handed justice. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. From time to time we hear a grmt deal said as to the reform of the Legis lative Council. This leads me, fa point out why a second Chamber exists. According to writers on constitutional law, the reason is that it shall be a check upon rash, hasty, and ill considered legislation. Why should we have such legislation, ? If the elec tors would only be careful in returning members suitable for the work they have to perform, there would be no necessity for a Second Chamber at all. The true reform would-be to have such a House of Represeiitatives that its legislation would want*, no reviewing. What a saving could be effected iere. fiut if we must have a Second Chamber then we should have it as perfect as possible. There ' should be .no ' life memberships. Whether the Second Chamber be elected or nominated it should only be for a term of seven years. No Government should have the power to do as the Stout-Vogel Government did, saddle the country with the maintenance of; thirteen pensioners for life, many of whoWwere most ill-fitted for the position of critics of rash, hasty, or ill-considered legis lation. There should be no more councillors created until the country has determined in what manner the Council shall be reformed. nESOURCES OF THE COLONY. :' As for the future of. this colony no man acquainted with its resources can have the shadow of a doubt. ■ TtJ is unfortunately true that in 1888' a large number of able bodied then' left our shores, but I fear it is also true that very few of them improved their position by their Migration to Aus tralia, whilst in no part of the world •in they obtain bread and meat more cheaply than here, and many, no doubt, will return as opportunity offers. There is scarcely a mineral known to science which cannot be found in these Islands, whilst ironstone and cool exist in great abundance, so that we are in a position to stand alone. We can produce everything . that we require, except tea and coffee. Australia lias nothing to give us except a market for our products, and this is in a great measure refused—as witness the- Vic torian and Queensland tariff, and in a lesser degree the tariff of Freetrade New South Wale.?, ' '

They put a prohibitive duty upon bur products and ask- us to federate. ..Ntrw if i we could secure federation : witK Australia upon a Freetrade basfa, 1 should advise the acceptance at once-^ ------thty admitting all our products' free, and we doing the same by theirs. I should liaye' no fear whatever of the result; but until they are prepared to do that we had better stand alone, and I think we" shall be well able to' take care of ourselves 1 in all eventualities. But whilst I. regard federation with^ !Australia upon fair terms as, almost hopeless, there, is another, species* of federation I hope to see effected, and that is the federation of the Empire: ■ All the colonies import largely of British manufactures, and export 'ray products in exchange. Now a differen tial duty of 5 per cent in favour of the colonies arid India, and against the United States, the Argentine Jlepublic: and Russia yould bring England anf her colonies in close bonds, would be an immense boon to all the colonies, and would cost England very little indeed. It would nqt s raise ]the, price of bread to her people by .'even- the smallest fraction, the colonies and India could for generations' supply . more breadstuff's than England could • consume,- and we should compete with America upon more equal terms. Five' - per cent would represent about 2id per bushel in wheat, and |d per lb onVool, as against our competitors in both North and South America, I dwelt upon this subject three years ago, and the matter has acquired more import ance now by tfiio United States passing tho McKinley tariff.' We have many friends in England favourable to a. = Customs League between England, and; her colonies. The' ".J-ondon Times '* says non, poaaumnt, (but,. I believe the question is one which public opinion in England and' the colonies will soon cause to be carried into effect, PROPERTY TAX V. LAND AffD INCOME TAX. Now what is thie reason for all the outcry against the Property Tax ? Why *t is mainly prompted by persons who ■ have made bad speculations in un profitable buildings in the cities, and ■ who wish to transfer their burdens to persons who have made bad specula^ ; tions in land, or to any other shoulders than their own-~-persons, who have launched out recklessly in one direct

THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAH, WEDNESDAY, NOYEMBEK 12, 1890.



Vie- JS.S. Queenß- , tosia Wales land „' f »> d , <H d Oatsatnlßarley ... 12 — 8 perbshi Hams and Bacon.,. 2 2 ' A per lb Butter 2 1 3p*rlb Cheese 2 2 3 per lb Potatoes 10 0 —15 0 per ton



Hqtxoway's Ointment astd , Piias ~ Soldiers and Sailors.—These well known and easily used remedies are especially service able and convenient for those who, like soldiers and sailors, are exposed to great changes of climate, and the hardships in separable from their calling. Many of the diseases engendered in the system from those and other ontoward causes can be uheuked and controlled by attention at their onset, and in Holloway's remedies wilt be found, a ready means of relief, without hinderance fijoin duty, Many a man ia invalided and rendered more or less a burden to himself and friends from neglect of the early syrnptoips pf hj'3 compiaint, which calamity might bo averted by timely resort 0 flic H&¥9* JfoU°w»'y'i VHh w$ piwtin«at,



' The best medicine is Sander and Sons' Eucalpyti Extract. Test its eminent power ful effects in coughs, colds, influenza, etc.— the relief is instantaneous. Thousands give the most gratifying testimony. ■ His Majesty the King of Italy and medical syndicates ail over the world are its patrons. Read the official reports that accompany each bottle. We have no occasion to offer rewards in proof of the genuineness of our references., The official reports of medical clinics and univer sities, the official communications of the Consul-General for Italy at Melbourne; the diploma awarded International Exhibition, Amsterdam—all these are authentic docu ments, and, o,s such, not open to doubt. We add here epitome of one of the various cases treated at the clinic of Schultz, M.D. Pro fessor, etc.— V O. 8., 24 years old ; conges tional abscess on the thigh. Incisions made ia two places. Although Lister's dressing was applied, the secretion became, two days later, very copious, and had adopted a foetid decomposed character. The temperature rofee enormously. In consequence dressing was removed and in its place were mad« during the day-time repeated irrigations with Eucalypti Extract, The offensive foeter dis appeared very soon, the fever abated within a. few days, and the patient recovered after the lapse of several weeks. In this instance we must not lose sight of the fact that th» latter treatment uaved the patient'e life." (Advt.) 3



WANTED i CASH Advertisements under this heading not exceedm SIXTEEN WORDS 1/-. Addresses may be left at this Office. y\~TIERTCAN Ice Cream ! American J-X. Ice Cream daily at H. G. Flower's, Confectioner. Ice kept in-Htock. <yW ANTEtT^Situation for ~a~~young »* girl (light work preferred). ADply by letter. Address* "jJ.C," k"Mail" Office, Ashburton. . il 56 \\7 ANTED Known—Tho " Strong-' V> wear" Boot is the best, for .Men, , adies and Children.— W. H. Collier. , "\:\ / ANTED'Kn^vv7T"^adie7Sb7)ckin"gs VV with Silk Toes and Heels m black and colors* Is 6d per puiv.-—W. H. Collier. WANTED— 4 or fe-Roomed Cottage wit'hiu Belt, west preferred. Fur nished or Unfurnished. Apply X " Mail Office." 1157 LOST.— Trap Hame and Tiu; onlJWd^ or Boundary Road. Finder ■ please.' leave at Mr B. Lowe's, Willowby. 11 58 "VT yn3IARIESIo7TB9iT~Rmih -LN «ZJ* and pocket series now in stock ; also new supply of plain and com mercial Stationery,—H. M. Jones. OUTS, BOOIV. »Keep youi feet Dry and save Doctor's Bills, have a splendid Stock in now. Try my Double-soled Shooters. Every pair Guaranteed. Robeß* Alcojin, Ashbur ton Clothing Mart, Saunders' Buildinsrn. \IT ANTED KnoAvn. - ForDressstuus^ VV Prints, &c, Trimmings to match go to Melford House. Best value in town.—H. C Segeiis. ANTED Known—For Sheetings Tablings, Calicoes, Quilts, Towels, Table Napkins, Tray Cloths, D'Oyleys, &c, go to Melford House.—H. C. Seokhs. WANTED overy man m the County to have a suit of the Ashburton Tweeds.—Robert Alcorn, Ashburton Clobhing Mart, Saunder's Buildings WANTED Known.—For first-class Millinery and Drapery (marked cheap) go to Melford House. New Goods usb opened.— H.C. Segeks. Shop fco buy Tinware mid Gal vanised Iron goods in Ashburfcon, is at W. F. Hannaford's, Burnett Street. x\ arge stock kept on ham!. Tin and Iron w xre goods made and repaired with des patch.



JOSEPH GILLDTT'S STEEL.PENS • ARE THE BEST. " ASHBURTuIT^GUARDIAN DUNEDIN A<2E>TCY •jIyTR R T WHEELBR, Staffer Street, Dunediu, has been appointed out Agent, and will be able to arrange term with advertisers for contract advertise ments. . ■ tSaIIKEST AFRICA, cheap edition \.J now ■\rrived. First supply limited, i "Now Books, New Stationery, New Faincy ( Goods and Novelties all at reduced prieds. Large asswrtinent of New Music of every dojcription. Pianos on hire, and for sale on term?. Orders received for Book binding of every kind.—L. F. Andrewes :'&co .-■ FIIiHING SFASON, 1890. FISHIJNG TACKLE, Hi C 1890 N CT A 1891 TUST arrived, ex " DORIC " from best jfj English and American Manufac turers a large and well assorted stock of •11 Fishing requisites. Rods, Lines, Reels, Minnows, Flies, Gaft Hooks, single, double and treble, Mountings, assorted Hooks; Waterproof Stockings, India Rubbercrack proof Gum Boots, water proof Fish Bags In great variety, including latest pat terns Every article of the season at lowest prices. Fishing Licenses can now be obtained rom me* ALSO.—New Stock of CRICKETING and TENNIS MATERIALS. VV. ZANDER, Direct Importer Fishing Tackle. 1 Tobbacoonist and Fancy Goods. Ladies and Gentlemen's Hairdressing Hsilorm """JAMES BAKER, TIMBER MERCHANT, HAVELOCK STREET Opposite Harbisons Auction Mart, TXAS IN STOCK Large 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 ..... i Sole Agent in Ashburton for Clegg s Perambulators. We SPARROW TAILOK AND MEN'S IE R C E R. 4". EAST 6DBP-RT. Spring and Summer, ■*'■' 1890. TRY THE NEW ZEALAND CLOIHING FACTORY FOR Men's Colonial TWEED SUITS, Boys' and Youths' Coloni?! TWEED SUITS. HATS. —We keep the Largest and Best Selection. Hats made to measure. SCJITS MADE TO MEASURE. Best workmanship put in evory garment, nd a perfect tit guaranteed. Large Selection of Boys'Knicker Suits. Ties, Shirts, Collars, Braces, &c, in Latest Fashion t.nd Style. B«sr Value for Ca f-n ik District NEW ZBAIAND. CLOTHIMG FACTORY. \V. H WEBBER, j Manager, j ',: , ■■ ' . '' , i