The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1890. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dr Milks, of C4uy's Hospital, and other ' medical men denounce the detestable decoc tions 'uhder the nameiof port frequently used umongjthe sick poor. The Italian Government intend to give up "the 100-ton'gun, and replace it by ■% lighter cannon, This is the result of the-experience of the imval authorities. ■'■■ Wife: "Oh, how could you deceive me so? When you told me you owned this house you didn't say a word, about the two mortgages." Hubbie : " And when I used to tay with thoae golden tresses, you never told me they weren t indigenous." Frank Westland, a German journalist and musician, and his wife, committed imicide m New York by drowning themselves. They also drowned their baby. Westland was threatened with foreclosure for a mortgage of £5 on his furniture. • The nccesity of watchfulness to prevent the reintroduction of scab has just been illustrated at Melbourne. On the arrival of thes.s. Duke of Buckingham, from Mauritius, Mr Stephens, Inspector of Stock for the Mel bourne district, boarded the vessel and found two sheep, the last of 10 stores, both 'scabby —m one case. apparently of long standing, and the other recently. The sheep were' destroyed. A local resident has (says the "' Mataura Ensign") suffered loss m this wise :—A relation m Dunedin posted to him by regis tered' letter two £20 notes, but when the communication reached Gore it was found— like Mother Hubbard's cupboard— to be bare m an essential particular, much to the astonishment of interested people. Certain documents were within the envelope, but the monetary contents had vanished. The matter is the hands of the police. Two burglaries of a serious nature are re ported from Pamunatta. Between Saturday and Sunday nights the Granviile Post Office was broken into, and a safe weighing 2cwt, taken away. The safe contained gold, notes, cheques, etc., to the value of £155. Ahorse and cart was stolen from a cooperative store, right opposite the post office, on the same night, and used to cart the safe away. The second buglary took place at Rook wood, where a store, kept by a man named John Harris, was entered, and money and jewellery to the value of £450 stolen. *< General '* Booth has stated ti» a! news paper interviewer ithat part of his colonising scheme will include a great matrimonal agency. Ih speaking on this head he said:— How many thousands of men are there m far-away parts of the earth who Would be \ glad to get good wives, and who cannot get them 1 l£ow many wonien arc there m the ranks of our home' society who Would make tlie best of wives ; but who remaiii spinters ! Would it not be touching our social < condi tions intimately if those two classes, by some j proper method, could be brought m touch with each other ! Itlnay vseem a surprising notion this to some at first sight, but, believe me, there is a great deal m it. ; Colonel Saunderson perpetrated a nice derangement of metaphors m the House of Commons the other week, when he declared that Mr Dillon " had fired a barbed arrow at Colonel Caddel m order that some of the mud might stick." Mr Laboucherc,if we 1 remember aright, talked not long ago of the " bleating of a bruised worm." But it will be a long time before the House of Commons <( mix ture" will equal that of the University Unions, where an honorable member declared m an effusive moment that "the British Lion, whether it is roaming the deserts of India or climbing the forests of Canada, will not draw m its horns or retire from its shell." ■'■• ! Speaking recently of the reduction of members and reduction of honorarium Mr Vincent Pike said:—One thing is certain, the reduction of members is an anti democratic morement, since it throws more power into the hands of the moneyed classes because of the greater expenditure now rendered necessary to contest an election. The same holds good of the reduction of the honorarium. Few men can afford to sacrifice time, business, and comfort by leaving their homes and otfl"es for three or four months every year. But the moneyed man, who has his own axe to grind, cheerfully courts the constituency to put him m a place *vhere he cau carry out his purpose for his own advantage and benefit. It is announced that Thomas A.» Edison, the inventor of the electrict lighting, system and of the phonograph, and tlie perfector of the telephone, has turned'-his attention to aerial navigation, and has declared his in tention of equipping an air ship which will be propelled by electricity. Edison is also working on another idea, which Will revolu tionize the telegraphic world. At present he is conducting experiments with this cud m view. His discovery consists of a com bination of mfctals, which, by connection with the earth, will do away with the necessity of telegraph wires being strung. between two points. Edison has already conducted his experiments so far that two operators 'standing out of ordinary hearing distance can distinctly hear the faintest whisper by connecting with the ground. If he succeeds m carrying out his ideas all telegraph wires will be discarded. The era of big ranches m California has gone by. Everywhere they are bfcing cut up into small tracts and sold to actual settlers, who are turning these uninhabited domain!) into small farms, thrifty vineyards and orchards, and pleasant homes. The change is being made of the dairymaid for the wild vaquero, happy homes for the huts of the sheep herders, vine-covered cottages f<j>r the bleak ranch nouses of the cattle rangers. The green verdure of alfalfa fields and orchards and vineyards m summer is fast taking the place of the parched and dry grass and shifting sand of the plains; the merry voices of school children are heard m place of the bark of the coyote, 1 and churches and schools and all the benefits of social life among congenial neighbors are now found m many places Avhere a- few years ago the numberless herds of cattle ranged undisturbed or the ploughs of the enormous wheat ranches turned their miles of furrow without a break.—" Yolo Mail." There is a project on foot m London to build a " People a Temple " by covering a space wherin at least a hundred thousand persons could assemble for the discussion of topics of public interest. The idea, a London correspondent states, is that by roof-, ing m an area as large as Russel and Bedford squares there would be an end to such dis satisfaction as has attended the loss of Tra falgar square for meetings, and that such a temple would be free from the disadvantages of Hyde Park. The People's Temple ia to bo beautiful, and subdivisible when required, so that discussion on many subjects could be going on at the same time. This idea of a public forum #r of such a meeting ground as that wfelali is suf mounted by jblie ancient " Breiiiat" at Athens is no doubt attractiva, but m Rome and Athens covering was not essential, and it is likely that m London two things would be wanting—-the funds and the desire of the wealthy part of the great com munity. There is probably a fixed idea m most minds that such attraction for public assemblies is not desirable, and that when it is, the wide arena of Hyde Park or of one of tlje other parks is far more suitable. The London ooi'i'^spondent of the "Dunedin Star" says :—oii9 of the chief attractions m the implement and machinery department of the dairy show now being held at the Agri cultural Hall, Islington, is the new apparatus for making butter without churning, recently brought- put by Mr Walter Cole, of Coleman street, "Wellington. As the machine m question may. tyofc hav§ come under your notice, i,t m,ay bje as vrfil jto. tyigjly desende the tnodus operaiid), progesjs is o.ij.e of aeration. The cream is placed "m a glass vessel, at tlie bottom of whioh are tubes con neoted with a force pump outside. The air is passed through a small reservoir of water to purify it, and, as it- is continually forced tl^Ottrfh the cream, it liberates tue globules ifl buf+ftfj- w}} ich rise to the top. The procC?? is completed iiylf.aU kn hflur or a little longer, and the butter' is protruded h} ■$ granular condition. The b, titter which I saw ina^efojf ifch* process on Tuesday last was too soft; halt this via sgid to be because tli« water i$ j 4>ke hall available for gashing it was ©f ex- j sep.UonaHy high itempfvaturg I

COUNTY COUNCIL.

. The County Council meting to-day lapsed for want of a quorun. The next" meeting will be hell on 10(.h [December.. The following is a copy of Ithe -. . /. .:■/•■.- '• ■••.'■ ■ ENGINEER'S RBPOJT to be submitted to the Couicil at ts next meeting :—; ;; ■ '' Plains Water Supply— Th«servjcefor this' district has been fairly well lept up during the month. The variable caaitions of the Ashburton River and Puddhg Hill stream have caused some slight irregularities,pend ing the clearance of silt, etc, at the inlet works, but these have been of rery temporary durntion, and have caused, m inconvenience ,to settlefs so f/ir tw I amavare. I hmve staked out and taken levels >vcr the devia tion of B race near Somerfcon authorised by the Council, and tenders for this work are called for to-day.. With reftrenee to that part of the Ranger's report dealing with questions affecting some of the races m the Mount Hutt district, these mutters are not quite satisfactory. With, regard to the maintenance of these partsbf E 8 race, for which several owners ari jointly liable, it will be better for. tie work to be done by the Council as has been done on this occasion and charged; to them, and 1 believe they would bj agreeable to such an arrangement. As the period for half-yearly overhaul has row arrived, that work should be put m hand without dslay. Weeds are beginning to accumulate; m the races to some extent, but the ,la*t overhaul was for *he most part very thorough, and not much will be required on fche present occasion* Besides, tne various mains for the most part are m fair order, and I,do not. think it will be necessary to shut off the water for cleaning purposes on this occasion. In such dry weather as this, it woulinot be advisable to have the races shut off alto gether, even for a few days. The »uxiliary supply at Acton is working satisfactorily. The river road race is still m progress. The Wakanui Flat service has been well main tained, except for a short time yhfcn this' supply-at the Mill.was shut off. ' . J Aslthnrton-Jlan^itdta, }Vater Supply,^~ Some repairs have been executed where« necessary, and all the races have been pretty well supplied, though the prevaleice of dry weather 'has' causedsome shrinkage, which |a more apparent at the lower end of the races.. It appears some of the settlers tovßrds the lower end of Ford's creek have been de prived to some extent of their imal Bupply," from the action of owners higher up the creek, who are diverting the water at several points. As objections were made by several' owners to the Council proclaining thi* creek as a source of sxipply for pfe or more races,' I presume the Council cannot deal, with that matter »»t present, not yet with the private race supplied from this source, which race, with some modification of route, the settlers seem desirous to place under the control of the Council. The settlers at Ruapnna had not yet commenced the con struction of race laid 6ff ,m that district. Unless started at once I should say it could not be supplied till the dry season is over; as for a time it will absorb more than can be spared from the race meant to supply it. Bridget. —Several small repairs to decking have been made during the month. Plantations. —Repairs to several boundary fences have been granted to preveiit en croachments by stooic, and more are hi pro gress. . '.• '.•.■•■•' ; Quaginfi Stream* —I have'completed the second of these between Ashburton and. Rangitata for the current perk»d—the low est record yet obtained so far as the streams are concerned. For instance along the line of boundary road from 'WiUWby to Hinds, river inclusive, there is not a drop of -water m any of the water-courses which have, hitherto yielded very considerable supplies. Fortunately the North and South branches of the Ashburton River are holding out woll as yet.

Imperial Parliament.

[per press'association.] London, November 24 and 25. The forecast of the Queen's sjpeech to be delivered at the opening of Par liament states that foreign affairis are m a very satisfactory condition, and that the modus vivendi has .been arranged with Portugal with respect to Eastern Africa. It is noticed [that a satisfactory settlement is proposed between France and Newfoundland re the fisheries dispute, and also with Italy with regard to African territory. The speech goes on to say that a great improvement has taken place m the condition of Ireland,. and the Govern ment intend to allefiatn the distress caused by the blight m the potato districts. Among the legislation promised are the Tithes Bill,,thepirish Land Purchase Bill, and a Bill giving' assistance to education m private schools. The following measures will also bes introduced if opportunity; pre- I sents itself:—lrish Local Govern ment Bill, Public Health, Bill,; Say* I ing Bank for Friendly Societies i Bill, Employers Liability Bill, a Bill to provide for District Councils m Eng land and Wales, and a Bill to facili tate the purchase of small holdings. There is an impression that the fore cast of the speech from the Throne indicates a dissolution programme. The Speaker of the House of Com mons is indisposed, and will be unable j to attend the opening. Mr W. H», Smith resumes the leadership m the House. j

TO-DAY'S TELEGRAMS

[PBR PRBSS ASSOCIATION.]

Xlln«mi of JBlalioii nf lVrlmn, Nblson, November 26. The Bishop of Nelson is seriously ill. On Saturday evening when reading prayers m Bishopdale Chapel, he sud denly stopped, having lost his sight^ and is now suffering from congestidn of the brain, and the doctors say, under the most favorable circumstances, he must have complete rest for three months. No man m Nelson is more popular than the Bishop, whose sudden illness has given quite a shock to the aommuntty.*'

TELEGRAPHIC.

HOME AND FOREIGN.

[per prkss association J London, November 24 to %. A cargo of wheat, ex ship Crusader from Port Chalmers has. been sold at $5s 6d. It is the IJarl qf Aisle and not. the Earl of Derby who has made a dona tion of £1000 to General Booth's scheme. Mr W. Beckett, M.P. for Bassetla-w, has been killed by a train at Wim bore, a mining town m the county of Dorset. The Admiralty has declined to send a vessel to search the Crozet Islands for traces of the missing ship Hamper do \yn ? boun4 frpm London, to New castle.

"PATIENCE."

With the story of " Patience " most o* our readers are familiar. There are few residents m the Ashburton county who have not enjoyed a quiet laugh at the vagaries of " Bunthorne," the aesthetic poet, aud the more than vagaries of "Grosvenor," the fleshly poet, so that, to save space, wo need not here re-tell the ntory. But the story has to be re-told m the action of the tale when it comes to be placed upon the stajre. To Messrs Brooke and SJil^om, two old Kaiapoi resi dents, has to be given the credit of initiating the idea of playing "Patience " m Ashburton. It is now seven years since the opera was produced m Kainpoi; when the late Mrs C. J. Champion was an inimitable "Patience," and her hus band "Bunthorne," whom ifc would have been difficult to excel m that arduous part. In the Kaiapoi representation Mr Milsom played the part he took last night, "Grosvenor," and Mr C. M. Brooke played the "Major," a character for which he was wisely cast m the Ashburton company. Let us here enumerate the characters.' — Patience, a dairymaid... Mrs 0. M. Brooke Lady Jane Mrs H. Burfoot Lady Angela Mrs P. Williams Lady Saphir Mis« Shirtcliffo Lady Ella Miss T. Butler Bunthorne Mr D. Millar Groavenor, Mr G. P. Milsom Colonel Calverley ... Mr P. Williams , Major Murgatroyd ... MrU, M. Brooke Lieut'., the Duke of I Dimatable Mr H. G. Flower Mr Bunthorne's Solicitor MrW.E. Dolman Chorus of Rapturous Maidens— Meadames Brooks, Milsom, Tippett*, arid Missel Berg, M. Butler, Gee, Graham, R. Leggett, Pearson, and Thomson. Chords of Dragoons—-Messrs C. Andrewes, Brooking, Cawsoy, H. Oraighead, Grant, C.Grubb, R. Grubb,E. Higgins, 0. Moss, J. Pauling, and H. Stewart. There was an orchestra of twelve, under the leadership of Mr R. Wood, the con ductor being Mr J. H. Brooks, who has been indefatigable m his attention to the work, of preparation for the company'/" appearance. The placing of the opera upon the stage was.simply perfect, and after allowing for all the little deficiences that are inevitable from a first performance by amateurs of a I really good opera, we have only to say that he would be hypercritical who would put himself . about to find fault with the performance. It would have been difficult tc» pick up a better chorus of rapturous maidens than those who essayed the parts allotted to them while a meed i of praise may be accorded to the dragoons' whose uniforms' and evolutions were a striking feature of the opera. Qoming to the principals, let us say, without flattery that Mr Millar's Bunthoijne was as per fect as ah, amateur pouctrayal could be expected to be, A fairly full and withal •fich* baritone vjoice, flexible to a degree, m the hands of a man whose natural talent as an actor is by no means, inferior, enabled Mr Millar to put the character before the audience m an admirably tak ing style. Ho threw himself into the. part with great abandon, and his every appearance was the signal fora buyst of applause. Specially was this die case, when with "Lady Jane" he had to sing the duet " Sinsr hey to you" j but throughout his acting was perfect land his vocalisation unimpeach able. "Grosvenor," the fleshly"poet, found an admirable exponent m Mr G. P. ; Milsom,"whose light but far reaching tenor made the rather difficult music for him comparatively easy. He gave a pleasant rendering of the part, and here it may be said that few of the characters received more applause than did the handsbme " Grosvenor," handsomely impersonated. The "Colonel" was taken by Mr P. Williams, not as perfect m time m every; instance a,s we would have liked to have heard him; but, knowing as we do, the sudden way m which he was called to fill the part, he did his duty well, and hi* actitig could not be impeached. Mr H; G. Flower impersonated the "Duke." His brilliant tenor did yeomanly service, and m the song " Your Maiden Hearts,,/ he was perfectly, delightful. In the sastett, too, "I hear the soft note," his tenor was heard with charming effect. But right through Mr Flower was pro nouncedly useful. The "Major" was taken by Mr C. M. Brooks, a gentleman who has never made any claim to, be' a .high class vocalist ; but on this occasion he surpassed himself as a coimque, and really sang well. Mr Dolman was v most inioressive solicitor, and the male chorus were held well m hand by the con : ductor. And now let us deal with the ladies. " Patience," the heroine of the piece, found a most sweet and winning ex ponent m Mrs C. M. Brooke, who sang so sweetly that the fleshly poet, could not resist her. " Lady Jane —will she pardon us for saying it— was "immense*" The libretto says, and makes her say, she was " massive," and Mrs Burforit made up fully to the part. Her grand contralto was heard all over ths house, and the usefulness of her voice m this connection was only matched by that of Miss Mary Butler, whose superb contralto was the feature of all the choruses m which she took part. Assuredly "Lady Jane's" part was well taken indeed. To 1 Mrs P. Williams fell the part cf "Lady Angela," and she, after a long and seVere illness, took the part at almost a moment's notice. Still she was note perfect, and sang well m time, such solo work as she took being given m a way that only the most hypercritical could cavil at. '' Lady Ella " found a sweet personifier m Miss Trephena Butler, and her many Ashbur -ton., friends m the audience : would,, no doubt, be agreeably surprised at. her un deniable success m her socond appearance as an operatic actress. To Miss Shirtcliffe was apportioned the difficult part of '' Lady Saphir." This lady shone to great advantage as an elocutionist, and her little stage by-play was inimitable. It would be difficult indeed to name a lady on the colonial stage who could have filled the part with more telling effect upon the audience than did the fair representative of the sweet lady aesthete. As to the love-sick maidens let the unfor tunate critic only say that, although he began with a hard and stony heart, and kept that heart steeled for half way through the play, he threw up, th,e s,pqqge at the sight of the rn.aide.ns, more especi ally the two who, with wonderful effect, introduced the cymbal touches m the pretty chorus " Let the Merry Cymbals Sound" There are many pretty and withal amuaing little incidents m the opera, and each is given full effect to m the perfor mance. One word of the orchestra and we have done. Not a point was lost, not a string out of tune, and every cue was given and caught m a style that would have done honor to the best travelling cqmpany on tour. The hall was filled, and the front seats contained the elite of the county as well as many friends from North and South Canterbury.

CORRESPONDENCE.

(We do not hold ourselves responsible for the o]pini6ns expressed by our dbrrespohdents.)

FACTS IN FAVOR OF A LAND TAX

TO THK KDITOU. Sib,— Ist—A farme? h^s £400 and buys * farm of a hundred acres. His family con sists of four children and wife, or six m all. Under present Custom, duties he. pays lOdper head leach'week, or £13 a, year. Now the money he has paid aTvav; to buy the farm, n'aniely £400, if placs

m the Bank at 6 per cent, will bring him' m £24 a year, and with the £13 he pays through the Customs, we have the sum of £37. Now under a perpetual- lease with a land tax of three shillings per acre the same farmer would pay £15 ft year, and should be exempt from further taxation. He has the money at his command, namely £400. He ' thus saves by the perpetual lease and Land Tax the sum of £22 a year, or m other words the man with, £15 is iii as good a position as the man with £400, m so far as acquiring the said 100 acre.ffirm, ,,,  „.-. ■*«*»•- •• mid.- It is to be understood by a Land Tax, town knds are included. 3rd.-—The land tax sooner or later will give us a free pore,' or Freetratte. 4th.—lf the aforesaid farmer is losing £22 each year, who theu is reaping .the benefit of his loss ? sth.—Argument No. 1 applies with equal force to holders of town allotments; 6th.•—The man who does not o^n land should come under the Income Tax, thus bearing his just portion of taxation. In conclusion, surely the foregoing should guide all, who have their families 'and future generations at heart, to vote for the candidate who will support a Land and Income Tax, by so doing helping to crush out from this fair laud the curse of Great Britain and Ireland -namoly large estsites. Thanking you Mr Editor, m anticipation.—l am etc., Liberal,

MR WRIGHT AND THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

TO THK EDITOR. 1 , r,,S ; Sir,—l see by Monday's "Guardian" that Mr Wright has charged Mr Sawle's friends with spreading a report^to the effect that Mr Wright, is financially'inH terested m the liquor traffic. Mr Wright also states he has been informed upon un doubted authority that such statements 1 have been made. ■) ■ Now, I should'like to ask Mr fright who «r what his undoubted authorityfi?,; and until he answers that question I sliall be obliged to believe .that he triust be laboring under some strange delusion, or that he has somehow mixed up the liquor traffic with the Christchurch Gas' Com pany. My advice to Mr Sawle and his friends is this : If you are-jwise, and study your own interests, you will decline to be dragged into a paper war— ilam, etc., ' . . ■', ; :\ . Jason. '

THE LAND TAX.

Sir, —Your cpyrespondent l' Lantt Tax" wishes to secure adherents to tlie system of taxation proposed m his lettelr. He must find some stronger arguments, than those put forward m your papdr last; evening. We want to have something which is clearer than mud, and more sub stantial than,fancy before many of tis will be prepared to abolish a form of taxation which bears fairly on all sorts of property alike. Why., should land be specially taxed, and other property escape ?—I am, etc., ?Pkopebty Tax.

THE ELECTIONS

MR BROWN AT WILLOWBY.

Mr Brown addressed .the electors of. Willow by on Tuesday evening. There were about 30 present. In the absence of the chairman of the School Committee Mr CuUcn was voted to the chair he briefly introduced the candidate. Mr Brown's address was much on the s;ime lines as those already delivered by him. He maintained that our primary system of education was suffering, and was likely to suffer from the so-called economists, and that the only remedy— and the people should insist on itr—was the amalgamation of the primary and secondary schools with the present en dowments for the benefit of both, Although he did not believd m the nationalisation of the land,, he was strongly of opinion that large reserves should be set aside as endowments for educational purposes, and also for charitable aid. This, he I said, would be a great help to the ratepayers m days to come. He maintained that it was a gross injustice to the people that, -£l2 a head should be mid by tlie State to keep children at the fhigh schools -while the children of struggling settlers icould not get education at all owing to thej mis taken ideas of our so called Libeßilsh-the, heroes and defenders pfths-worJlcingmah.' On the motion of Mr Campbell, seconded by Mr Williams/ a Ijearty vote of thanks: was passed'to Mr Browh;'for his kind' address. A vote of thanks tS the chair closed the meeting. ..; ■■>/>.■''; « ■

ELLESMERE ELECTORATE.

Mr John McLachlan, a candidate for the above district, addressed the electors m the Town Hall, South Kakaia, on Monday evening. There vim a large attendance, and Mr Qoster occupied the chair and briefly ( introduced j Mr McLachlan. The speaker was repeatedly applauded during his address. ■; Mr McLachlan stated that he -once more offered his services, m the. House. He had, several* times: contiested» §le|;tions, but had M>teyet l #e^ftl)wcJesdfuW but he was m full heart, and had no doubt! this time he would pull it off, That he! had lost contests was true, but he had always, had as opponents men of known ability.! and long experience.' This was the.first, time this portion of the Canterbury Plains had come within his radius, and. he had many promises of support. Tjierei bad been letters m the papers 'and remarks passed that he was acting dis honorably m contesting this election ■.yith Sir John Hall, but he could assure his hearersthat such was not the case, i He had done nothing his conscience did! not approve of, or that he need be ashamed, of. After the last election, some threei years ago, he had told Sir John he wpuld b« on« of his strong supporters, so loiig as» he went straight. . This ho had beeti till the last session.' When the meetinglwas held at which it was resolved to support Sir John, he had concurred m the decision, but. Sir John's action sincejhadi caused him to oppose him. When Sir John went to the House last sessiort he presented ■ a petition arid took great interest m Mr Pyke's Bill for aid to ; private schools, which he (the speaker) cqhs^d(ered an qutrage, and Sir John had done several other'things which he; did not approve of. He contrasted the jlast election with the present^ and explained^ his action with regard to his support of the Stout-Vogel Government; it |was rather to the advantages of the natural resources of the soil that the country-had so far recovered itself than to the actions of the present Government. The past must be forgotten afrd the. fixture, lopked to. During the last session really nothing had been accomplished. He was a true Liberal, -\vhioh truly construed meant greater liberty m political i in stitutions, and not oppressions. With regard to Sir Hkrry Atkfrison he :,was entirely opposed to him. The present. Government had deliberately misappro priated some £5000 of the public fun&s for the payment of interest on the Kfir Plymouth harbour bonds, This was done by Sir Ha,rry to deceive' tTie people %n England by bolstering up the credlfc of; tne colony, and no dd«bt many widdws and other^ were' suffering: for it^;:lt was a most immoral act and not honest. Then there was the Ward,-Hislop affair, when the latter took* advantage of his position m the Ministry to interfere with a judge of the Supreme Court. A Committee of the House made enquiry and proved the latter guilty. He then resigned, but was again returned by liis constituents. This was no doubt right, but what dirt the present Government c\q 1 xlk>ok him black ijnto the Ministry, against the whole wish 9/ the OT\ty£» appoint.

meut, against the laws of die colony, was a wrong the present Government had com mitted. Another serious charge .against Sir H. Atkinson was his obtaining a giant m aid of a wharf for the sole benefit of the residents ab Opunake. A fen' weeks a«ro Sir John Hall denied that the vote l?»i passed the House. He (the speaker) could not at the moment turn up the vote, and Sir John admitted that probably it was wrapped up m something else. On reading the Premier's manifesto he (the speaker) found him congratulating the colony ■ tin "'the 'grant * being ' made to' 1 Qpunako by the House. That was. ; the man Sir John would support. 'Mr McLachlan referred Lo the Hutchwon charges, stating that no doubt' Sir F. Whitaker and Mr Mitchelson hart been involved m land and other Hpcculationn m the North Island. The present Government did all m its power . when A committee of the House was appointed to hold the enquiry. As the charges would now be considered m the Supreme Court he ■\fould not go further into the matter. (W of the most serious charges he had against the Government was the wish to interfere with our [present educational system, as Mr Micchelsoh had proposed to cut down the vote 1 by £75,000 by raising the school age. The question was whether the present system should be continued or broken- down.' j The Anglicans and Roman Catholics'both wanted a change, the one for assistance and the o.ther for patronage. The, educa tion of the children was one of the greatest aids they had to colonisation. ', There were some' who wanted the ' Bible read m lichools,, and that was another inroad 'into w the system. H4 con- 1 'sidered that ■' our present systetn was m danger, and quoted frflin speeches by the Hoft W.'Rollest'oij, 1 Messrs' E. G. •Wright, Stead, Humphrey's, A.E.Bhodes, and others, .shewing, that, t,hose gentlemen 6f > experience' c6uld see the danger as well. If grants were,mad(s.to the Catholics and Bible^ra^ihgjin schoiplji was-gprited, would the' Caiholica conbinlile toisedd, their children to the country school? He came forward oiv public grounds, afid con sidered hems right if he contested the election on the educational question. If this, or any other constituency, returned a representative unopposed, it would be taken for granted that they were m favor, of altering,the system. He was of opinion that local industries should be encouraged by bonuses. .He was 'a freetrader, and would not be m favor of .imposing more duties, and would take those oft* the neces saries ofjifo, The.dairy industry w,as still m its-infancy, and more should be done*q; encourage it. It would bo well to consider if something could be done to dovelop the beet sugar industry which would find em ployment for Large numbers of men. He was .m favor of the Property tax. A man should be assessed on the whole of his possessions, and a picture valued, at £10,000 should be taxed* on that amount ■unless, placed m a public gallery. He was the first to advocate m New Zealand pro gressive taxation. He-maintained that if the country really required money the wealthy people should be taxed, ■ He had no objection to r man Toecomirij; rich, but let him when he had ifc contribute more m, taxation than a poor one. He was of opinion, that to settle the'people on some of the land m the N,orth Island was a mistake, m other, cases it was wise ; but, so. long as there was so much good, land m Canterbury m the hands of : ,a few he thought it advisable to settle that.' He d,id not say, turn out the large holders, but treat them fairly ; the owners had paid for their lands, and had benefited by the public railways and roads, and ', they should,be^prepM"edto accept a reasonable price for the land. He was m fa^dr/of taxing absentees who luxuriate^'via Europe, ! spent 'nothing m New Zealand, and paid only a small Property.'.Taxj He would put probably an extra farthing or an extra half-penny on their estatps of say over 10,000 acres. : UnimprovedUands should also be additionally taxed. | This was the best solution of the bursting up policy. Mr Lance had condemned the progressive Laud Tax, but it.was intended by the Legislature that the estates should be taxed on their selling value.'. The estates were much, enhanced iin valUe by the expenditure of public "money; 'for roads, railways, bridges, etc., andjftiey should.be made to, contribute more; than they did by an indirect tax. ' With regard to female suffrage, which no doubt would come before the next Parliament, he was not m favor of it generally. He thought that widows and others who had estates to manajre without protectors should have the franchise, but why should,* man's wife or sweetheart have it and probably go directly against husband or' lover? Whatever would be the result if a rtian and his wife were strong partisans, and they took opposite sides. If a woman had the franchise she would have an equal right' to seek Parliamentary ' honors, and if she got there, she would ,do ■no good because her mission was fa do good for her liusband more than for her country. He did not 'believe that many women really wished for .it. He con sidered the present land laws fairly liberal, but he was against a man being allowed to take up both' first and second class land, which had "been the cause of dummyism. The Government should have stamped out dummyism witha strong hand j this could «asily have been done by inserting a clause to the effect thatjand so obtained should not be available for transfer under the Act: With regard to' the late labour troubles his sympathy was with the men. They had stuck' to -: one ! another. He strongly 'believed m trades' unionism, for it was by "means of these societies that numerous instances of oppression had 1 been rectified and mucli distress relieved. The mistake that:had been- made was affiliating with | th« Australian bodies. He sincerely hoped that legislation would 1 be framed to meet arfy future difficulties'between labor and capital. "Whatiaa man better than a sheep?", Perhaps if Bishop Julius lived' over another show day he would come to think that m many instances a Man ;w^s not as good as half a sheep. Sheep had .been the best property Now Zealand ever held, and probably pigs came next.' -He was not m, favor, of so many fossils being made members'of the Legislative Council 1 fpr life j • must of them were utterly useless, and two or three years was long enough for them; With regard,to the High Schools m the colony he considered they were ■ conducted at great expense for the benefit of the rich. He .considered that no one should be id- mitted there unless he had passed the sixch standard m one of the public schools. In, conclusion ho said if the 1 electors thou#h,t hhtt fit to represent them he, should be pleased to be at the head of tlie poll. Up to the present time they had not been represented by one of their own class. The House was composed mostly of lawyers, squatters, and representatives of large institutions, who c;\reti for nothing but their own interests. If he was elected it might safely, tie concluded that he would always lean towards the party from which he hftd sprung. He asked all not'to vote against their conscience, to use theft own judgment, and not to be influenced by their masters. In reply to, questions Mr McLachlan said he obufdi not pledge him self to vote agtpt- party Government, but the matte* would be considered, when »ny Jje&jiAbie aoheme was brought' forward . lie thought the railway rates were too high m many instances,; m some they reasonable. The Commissioners were bnjfey apprentices, and Messrs MaxVoft "and- Hanney" had had a little fcx^orionee; Still they had made tfco inilways pay better than Before. H^j condeimmnl iv strong U«viris their action m connection with the late labour troubles. He saw 1 no obj'&c-' tion to General, Booth's^ euygran.ts cqmjmg here provided they, jwid tlwir »passes »nd are nos fae scraping* of. i

society iiicked up anywhere. lie tt«i decidedly m favour of the people m any district harms power by direct voting to prohibit the sale of intoxicating * liquors. He thought it quite probable that hundreds of women could give it more intelligent vote than then hus bands who are continually stupefied with drink, but it would not work, lie was not m favor of making polling day a public holiday throughout the colony. ■ Tic thought some book agents ought not to,.bc admitted, to. the colwry,•* V»ur. there wore others, as well as insurance atzenbn, who supplied' value 1 'fqr\*noney, and it would be a hardship to make them pay a heavy tax. '^thefqwe^mlfs^tuit m any way connected' - with politics, being answered, Mr R. J. Gee jn-oppsed a hearty vote of thank* to the speaker,lbr his able and manly address.' 'He had clearly shown that he knew what he was talking about; he was a truly - Liberal candidate, and suitable; to Represent the district. He would not propose a ■tote or confidence but on December sth show it through the ballot-box ; seconded by Mr J. G. Harvey, and on being put to. r ths meeting was carried unanimously., . A vote of thanks to the chair brought an orderly, meeting to a close., ' * . -';"'.

MR WRIGHT AT GREENSTREET.

Mr E. G. WrigWaUdreMed^he elec tors at Greenstree^ 1 oh Tuesday evening. There'was a" good attendance, including several ladies. ; Mr John IChox was voted ;to the, chain Mr,Wng^^vtni»] well re ceived, and spoke'for an^fotir-aHd a half. After several questions had been put and answered , a vote of thanks and confidence, on ,the., motion, pf t Hr James Bland, seconded by Mr John Corbett, was car ried amid Applause,. and = without dissent. A vote of thanks to the chairman brought a very orderly-meeting to a close.

MR WALKER AT HINDS.

Mr Walker addressed a gobdi meeting of electors at the Hinds oh Tuesday even ing, speaking for pver an hour to an appreciative audience.' ' Mr "McDonnell was elected to the chair. ( Af^er answer ing a number of qtieeltions to the entire satisfaction of the meeting, a vote of thanks was proposed by^ Mj^jDJ^vidson, seconded "by""Mr Carlyoh, Piid" carried, unanimously,. ■fkinid great applause. A. vote of thanks to- the chair concluded at very ploafanfc pieeting. Mr VVinkWinll «fieak at Alford Forest) to-night (Wednesday).

*! Mr J. Ai Tplehaa declined to become a candidate for' Auckland City or Waikato. . Mr C V. f Ckrke* has decided to con test the WaioiatQ V^eat with Major Steward; \[ ; **" i " i " '. Mt T. H. Hislqp was torday nominated for Oamaru. .-..!-.■; I The Hon. Mr Fergus,has b*en returned unopposed for VV»katipu. : -■■!-■,,

WAS IT PROVIDENCE OR ACCIDENT?

Did the finding of that article save the man's life?" That''h'-the 'question. Is there a divinity'that shapes our, ends ? or are events but a mere scrjjes^'pf^accidenks which may happen to one person as well as another, Are the experiences that compose our lives links m a chain, or loose grains of sand,?. As you answer these questions, as you,*take the one sido or the other, so is your faith ; you are a materialist or a believer m Providence. We now propose to relate a story m illus tration of this; problem.' which >j«(ay have some effect m; arousing, these 11^10 have always thought themselves the subject of blind cliiyice. j The , follp^ring facts are fully vouched for, and resemble occur rences m the lives vf multitudes years .ago Griffith» Jones was a policeman at Holyhead, Wales. He had a family consisting of a wife and live young ehildr,eiL'to take,,care' of. Holy head is .on, St. .Georgefs (or.ihei Irish) Channel, and is open to f terrific gales that so often Rather on those dangerourtwaters and beat with,violence itpon,the coast. •Jones',*'post" or : "beafc" extendedback into thecquntry, over bleak, wind-swepfc , hills. He. had to walk, thjwugh thiwregion m all weathers, day or night; *'TJe was often out m winter- nights^ in' Cold and darkness, exposed. to the storms that drive .-in. from the, sea. At such times the wife listened to the rattling,windows, and prayed that the husband and father might take no harm; m the wild tempest- This was hanj liiiteß^but m the family (though 1 they' were' poor enough) thare* was.still health;and coiupaftttiveidomfort. But m a bad;storm<.£he policeman caught a heavy cold. Home remedies failed to cu.ee it, and the, officer jsenfc .ltd |Ks old physician at Aberffraw for mediouae It did no good. v Jones!^jright^fcidji grew ''queer" ah^pAiniu]. The docW said it was the liver, and he was right; bu correot opinions don't cure disease. X head trouble/1 hint;, too, and he was ofto so giddy he could' hardly walk.;;; "I am so tired and weary,", lib would; say, " I ■ don't know what makes';me.! I try to rest and sleep, but ,gefciup! ju«fc as dead tired as when Igo to bed. ■-.■,. . v.-.U . Then worse came. He.*afcydown<to his table,, but revolted from his food; appetite was gone, There was a curious feeling at the stomach; it yriu .cold,; f dull, and miserable, like; a furnace which i contains nothing but ashes and cinderiL: 'A,nasty and nauseous kind of .gas or wind came up f into his throat, like.the effluvia .from at tomb. His wife calledhia attention to the ghastly.yellow colour of tn> eyes and skin, and, once m, a while he wquld have a spell of palpitation of the heart,that made him afraid of falling-. dead—perhaps m ■• some lonely, place. . ' , i\; v .;i f! . In spite of it all, however^-Policeman Jones kept on duty as muoh as eTer he could. OfcQurse. So would any hfonest plucky man. But he > slept fitfully, with bad dreams. . He cried out sometimes with the terror of them, and* the. ifr%htened children said, papa going fan die?" He was, and is, one of the most patient andloving of;men, yet.now he was cross and surly to his family. Then Bongthmg; new developed. There came arpaib under, his left shoulder blade ;his:.iertoli and knees grew swcllena.nd peatrfid j thfe was; rheumatism, caused, ihe doctors *wfl, by the undigested. *wt fwMeateifop* haring poisoned blood.. Kidney and rjkdder cpm,»kmfe followed-for they afeo are merely symptoms of indigestion and dyspepsia. The policeman »ow fel he must give up, and,, if ho did* then what He «ould foresee uotJung Hit destitution. Nx>w we come to the event w,hto]t sug gested the question with which, khik short history beams : Was it an-accident or whs it a link m a _ saving, ohittn;? f" Enter ing the Holyhead'statiau house on* day. ill, depressed, weak, and miser^bje, he saw a little pamphlet under sthe, table. He picked it up and began to i^ad It. In a few moments, his mind was rivetted upon its pages. ;In clear", plain language ho found his own case fully d«fcribcA> just as though the book had been written for him and for him alone>. Itiwwed'n euro for all his ailments, a mediejhi Called Mother Seigel> Curativ^, • Th» plain honesty of the statements won his. confidence. He procured h»lf-a-doxE» bottles-througU $Qc Henry Wilson, of the- Drug m$ X Hplyhea^. . ,Taifp>g it ha bepiyito improi^R. and,all iHl^qphes. »n«l | pains vahishe'd* m a few weeks.. This was August,, 1870^. *»> have* J passed, but not a, aigft. or syinptoni of hi» ailment has rijtvtrGecli. Mr Jone» entered . upon, a W»fe luqratiiye- bnssinessj' and wher 'evw he goes Ire spre>»ds the! fame ot 1 Sejgel's. jSyriJlJj. '»i^d insists that th*» 1 glimpse, of the book on the table settled. , 'the point ks to whether he should go under the sod or be the strong nejf man, he, has been ever since.

THB GUARDIAN, WEDNESDAY, NQVEMBEB 26, 1690.



Holloway's Pitas."— Weary of Lif«.>- Derangement of th 6 liver is one of the most efficient causes of dangerous, diseases, and tjie napst prolific source of those melancholy forebodings which arc worse, than d^eath itself s A few 4<>s?s of these noted pills act magically m dispelling few Bpu?ii«i and repelling th^ covert att^c«9 iqade' on' ite nerves by excessive heat, "impure atmos phere, over-indalgence, or exhausting ex citement. . The* most shattered constitution may derive benefit from Holloway's IPiilsj wluell will regulate disordered action, brace the nerves, increase the energy of the intellectual faculties, anil revivn the failing memory. By attentively stiidying the m attu'dtion^ jfor talcing these Pills aud'ex plicitly putting them m practice, the mosf desponding will soon feel qonfidw^ o( 4 • eff^iti recovery, ';"';i ■■'• *-■•• ;1 '■' •;•'' ''



Wanted ' CASH Advertisements under thi* heading not exceedln SIXTEEN WORDS 1/-. Addresses may be ! _ left at this Office A MERIOAN lce~Cream ! American .L\. Ice Cream daily at H. G. Flower's, Confectioner. Ice kept m stock. "^ITEW Stock now opening up m PJated :UY Goods, Glasaware, Ornaments and Fancy Goods.—H. M. JotfES. WNTED Known—The "Strong" wear "Boot is the best for Men, adies and Children.—W. H. Collier. ; XJTTANTED Known-Ladies Stockings VV< with Silk Toes and Heels m black and colors. Is 6d per pair.~W. H. CoiLIEK. OOTS, BOOTS. "Keep you, feet Dry and save Doctor's Bills. have a splendid Stock m now. Try my Deuble-soled Shooters. Every pair Guaranteed. Robert Alcokn, Ashbur ton Clothinsr Mart, Sounders' Buildings. t fTANTED Known.- For Dress Sjtuh% W Prints, &c., Trimmings to match go to Melford House. Best value m town. —H. C Segers. WANTED Known —For Sheetings" Tabling*, Calicoes, Quilts, Towels, Tablo Napkins, Tray Cloths, D'Oyleys, tfec, go to Melford House.—H. C. Seobrs. WANTED every man m the County - to have a suit of the Ashburton Tweetls.— Robert Alcorn, Ashburton Clothing Mar*, Saunder's Buildings. ! ANTED Known.—For first-class Millinery and Drapery (marked cheap) go to Melford House. New Goods v t opened.— H.C. Sbgers. "ANTED Known — The Ohuaj»Jß*t Shop to buy Tinware and Gal vanised Iron goods m Ashborton, is at W. F. Haswaforu's, Burnett Street. A argo stock kept on hand. Tin and Iron ware goods made and repaired with des-1 patch. " ffEPHENsnTiJTs MARKET HOUSE. order to be enabled to solicit the yours of Sfcationholdera and Farmers, wo have just added to our stock POWDERED k LUMP RADDLE, RED, BLUE, & BLACK BRANDING OILS, RAW & BOILED OILS, TURKEY OIL STONES, LAMPBLACK, Etc. —ALSO THE NOTED- P.B.A. SHEEP SHEARS So well known, and admitted by all experienced shearers to be the best. We have also replenished our stocks ir Watches, Clocks, Pocket Knives, Table | Cutlery, Spoons, Pannikins, Billies, Kettleß, Pots, Pans, Crockery, Straps, etc | All Orders by Post or otherwise promptly despatched. Satisfaction is our motto. STEPHENS BROS MARKET HOUS E A3HBURTO' N ASHBURTON COAL & FIREWodb DEPOT. X S. BEAN Has secured some of the celebrated KAITANGATA AND SHAG POINT COALS T ■ Cheaper and cleaner than Newcastle R. g. BEAN, lf.i West Street. Andrew Black WATCHMAKER, JEWELLER, ETC., Prospect Uwildinjgs, HAS started business m the above premises and nil repairs intrusted to him will be promptly and thoroughly executed at moderate prices. Watches Cleaned and Examined /^S New Mainsprings fitted AS £»D All other repairs equally cheap. ANDREW ~T> LACK Holds Bronze NDREW JDLACK Medal for a WATCH made by himself and ex hibited at PEOPLES PALACE EXHIBITION, LONDON. WOOL SHIP FOR LONDON. JO|L mHE MAGNIFICENT JBJMM^ IRON SHIP [<CARBET CASTLE," 1585 Tons Register, 100 Al, Will be despatched from Lyttelton for LONDON DIRECT, about the middle cf December. Cargo carried at lowest current rates. Early application for space is neces sary. For further particulars as to rate of freisht, etc,, apply to 11 134 FRIEDLANDEa BIIOS, O-I.C. OB '■"' ANTERBtJRY IMPORTING COMPANY; HAVE opened up a large supply of Seasonable Goods m those central premises m East Street, formerly occu pied by Mrs JoHtr Ranger (next Brooke, chemist) where they will Sell for Cash Cheaper than any house m Ashburton. Groceries and Teas Of all descriptions;, and guaranteed only of the very besjt brands and qualities will be kept i# stock, /*pid every chance taken by purchas ing m the Vnssfc markets and for CASH to break £ho record for quality and lowness of price. Q-X^SS """..OHUTA AND EARTHENWARE For all household purposes m great variety and lowest quotations. Note the address— CI.C. EAST STEEET.



We SPARROW TAILOR MEN'S II E R C E R. EAST BTEFKT. Spring and Summer, 1890. TRY THE NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY FOR Men's Colonial TWEED SUITS, Boys' and Youths' Colonial TWEED SUITS. HATS.—nWe keep the Largest and Best Selection. Hats made to measure. SUITS MADE TO MEASURE. Best workmanship put m every garment, nd a perfect fit guaranteed. Large Selection of Boys'Knicker Suits. Ties, Shirts, Collars, Braces, «&c, m Xatest Fashion snd Style. Bwt VAiitrii Foit CABH m District 8E V? 25 B A I AND CLOTHING FACTORY Agent for the Wonderful Wertheim Machines W. H WEBBER Manager O i TO O/l PER DAY to be cW I rO^fc made by persons of either sex, m their own localities, at work for us. New business. All meet with wonderful success. Any one can do the work* You don't need capital, or about tlie same as none. Wo will start you. No space to explain here. But you can make snug little fortune honorably and'easy. Ihoi; employment is particularly apapted 09 the region m which this publication circulates. Boys and girls earn nearly as much as men. Full particulars arid in jtructions mailed free. Now is fche time • -don't delay, but write to us at once. STiJfhON and do. Portland Maine, United States. : "^TEW "OOOKS,; BOYS' and GIRLS' OWN ANNUALS, 1 NEW MUSTC, STATIONERY and FANCY GOODS, CHRISTMAS and NEW YKAR'S CARDS of New Zealand Scenery. L. F. ANDREWES & Co. _ ODDFELLOWS' ETALL, DDFELLOWS' JCH-ALL, ASHBTTRTON TO-BIGHT NOVEMBER r-V* *« 96th, AMATEUR OPERA, "PATIENCE" Admission : 4s, 3s, and 2s. Box Plan at W. Zander's for Reserved Sentg. . .  • N B.—The Committee of this Opera, having gone to an expense of £100 m order to produce it m a thoroughly efficient manner, trust to merit the support of the country and town residents. SOMERSET LIVERY STABLES, JOHN NEWMAN, Proprietor. rPHESE old established and favorite J_ central Livery Stables are now m my hands, and it will be my constant effort to again bring their business into the front rank, and make these stables what their position and accommodation Tiffi n pREe MIER LIVERY STABLES •f the Ashburton County. Buggies, Traps, Saddle Horses, etc., al ways an hire, with skilful drivers ready •t the ihortest notice. Open or Close Carnages for Wedding or other parties. Cabs at any hour, day or night. LOOSE BOXES for stallions and race horses. Country customers are guaran teed every accommodation at the lowest. eUtMntWt" .TOHNHKWMAN. Propriety. "suits tqTmeasure rpHB Largest Stock of JL TWKEDS wtr shown m Aihburton to ; choose from. ; QUALrry and fit guarantied Cora* au* w© th» priced. ASHBURTON CLOTHING MART. BAUNDERS BUILDINGS JR. ALGOEN