The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1890. THE ATKINSON GOVERNMENT.

The position of the Atkinson Govern ment, now tottering upon its last legs, is humiliating m the extreme. Ap pointed to office at a period m the colony's history when there was wide spread depression, Sir H. Atkinson and his colleagues undertook to set the colony again on the high road to pro sperity. This happy result was to be accomplished by carrying out the people's now historic*! " roar for re trenchment," and without the aid of borrowing or heaping up additional taxation. In neither respect have these promises been fulfilled. Half r hearted efforts were made to cut down expenditure, but throughout the whole scheme there has been visible a desire to dispense entirely with useful public services rather than to cut down the cost of administration. Taxation to double the amount intended by the previous Government has been heaped up, and having spent all it was possible to spend, the Government now come forward, vide the lats Financial State ment, with proposals to borrow sub rosa m the colony for the professed purpose of roading native lands, but virtually to enable the Government to continue the land gambling policy which haa been the curse of the colony since its very foundation. The Govern ment, which started on its career three years ago with the avowed intention of cutting down official expenditure, is now found pleading piteously on be half of over-paid heads of department, who have been instrumental m reducing sub-ordinates, but have been extremely careful to leave themselves unmolested. Entering upon office as extreme economists the Atkinson Ministry are now playing the role of anti-economists, and are .sneering at those who would effect legitimate savings m the public expenditure. With the accession of the Atkinson party to power panic legislation was the order of the day, and the colony was painted m such doleful colours that a large proportion of the population fled from the country as if it were plague-stricken. In the administration of the Justice Department the Government hare dis played strong partisanship, about which, for the Government credit and feelings of recently appointed Judges, the less said the better. In dealing with charges of mal-administration brought against them, certain mem bers of the Ministry have resorted to personal abuse and bitter persecution, instead of meeting the charges with sound convincing argument. During the three years m which they have held office the Ministry have brought down several feeble measures dignified with the name of «'i Government policy, but these have been rejected—the Ministry clinging, limpet-like, to the Benches nevertheless. The members of the Government, during their tenure of office, have been led by, instead of leading the House, and h.tvc been at the beck and call of every faction and party. Like so many marionettes, Ministers have only danced when the House played, and the closing scene of theircareerhas been fittingly marked by a virtual capitulation to the Opposition. The Opposition have at last become masters of the situation, and the Go vernment are willing to do their, bidding, and accept the small mercies allowed them, until a stronger, firmer, and altogether more capable set of men fill their places. The compact recently made between the Ministry and the Opposition is an open conf essiorv of the weakness and incompetence of the Government, and we shall be much surprised if the country does not em phasise this view at the forthcoming election, by rejecting every candidate who has supported ov is willing to support a Ministry so disorganised and helpless.

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A lady violoncello player lately gave a recital on that instilment flt the Steinway hall, London, The Australasian colonies now contribute over three millions sterling per annum to Life Assurance offices. Dr Chamberland, Pasteur's chief assista t, has discovered that cinnamon is fatal to the typhoid microbe. At the meeting of the Timarn Harbor Board on Wednesday, the engineer (Mr Marchant) said the expenditure of £1000 a year would meet the shingle difficulty at the port of Timaru. The "public debt of the Australian colo nies »«J»jijnts to £175,000,000, while its en tire popijlatiqn-.-white, black, Maori and Chinese amounts to 4,QQO'OOO. An Kuglislj. geologist hat* predicted that within fifty years a gonvulsioji gf naWs will sink the whole of New Zealand fifty feet below the surface of the sea. Forty-three people own land valued at £50,000 and upwards iv South Australia. T-flinty-four land-owners own over £100,000 worjtfr' #w*h, The population has not in creased &iI}V,C )-s#i ; Mr J, G. Eestell, .of Ashl^nji, emphati cally contradicts a rumor iJja.l h$ jspnt a message of sympathy to t,h£ firm'of -VVhU: combe and Tombs. Entries for the Ashburton Coursing Club's Ivjtegtjng close on the 25th inst. A trophy, value $y£ guineas, will be added to the All aged Stake?. The Woodvilje tyxfwijti#cr ridicules the idea of the discovery of copper ift tjie Mana watu (Jorge, and twits the Piihj}MS/.Qn people on being gulled by a bogus find. We a*'& informed that since the Wesleyan Jubilee meeting h?,p Friday evening further subscriptions amounting ).f> £33 have been nromifed, which brings the tot.&j! from the A*hil?»,«'JbfXia Circuit up to the pressnt ,to yv^ £lßo, A little boy wei Hi <fe#h at Waitotara on Saturday last while m tli* ftC;t- of driving horses from his father's garden. One >rf iij,e animals kicked the little fellow on the head, | ,'^L<i bfi expired almost immediately. The <" W,yj.gauui Herald" says:—"A presentation has itHQix made to Mr aad Mrs Keinpthorne, .of the i'aifcji branch of the Bank ,of New South \Vales, hy a jj^.inbqr of private friends, owing to Mr Kemptliwi^'s, promotion to the Ashburton branch/ M-r Carter, a niember of the Victorian Parliament, sneaking on the question of colonial borxawing, $hs. that the opinion of leading London financiers'was ' i}}nt the Aus xtqllUn colonies sent £12,000,000 yy&uiy h} Englau4 £w interest on Governrneiit, muni-' cipal and privajyi Joans. Sir Ambrose tfhea, (jk/vej.-w/jr pf the Ba hama Islands, has discovered that t/^rtain c*j»r«s growing cactus, growing m ami around Jfassau, N.P., produces the finest grade of he^y known, an(J the people, in stead of trying to pk\ themselves of the plant, are now cultivating it He believes that m twelve or fifteen years the exports of hemp will amount to ,150,000,000 dollars against about 600,000 at present.

The funeral yesterday of the late Mr Charles Gould, who met his death last week by an accident m tlie North Island, was very largely attended by the leading citizens of Christchurch. A false akrm of fire last night turned out a great many people as well as the Brigade, but beyond turning out and forming the order of inarch at the station gate, the fire men did no more. What is pro 1 ally the warmest place m the world lies on the south-west coast of the Persian Gulf. During the months of last July and August for fourteen consecutive days, a correspondent says, the thermometer never fell day or inght below lOOdeg. F., and it rose during the afternoon to 128deg. F. The " Wellington Post" states that Sir Julius Vogel's share of the promoters' profit of a company to construct the Simplon rail way and tunnel m Switzerland, which is ex pected to be a success, is £25,003. If he gets this, the Post expects his early return to the colony to take an active part m political affairs. Mr Toole, England's famous comedian, gave the following reasons for not visiting New Zealand :—That he vras home sick; that he didn't want to come ; that he had La Grippe; that lie might be cannibalated ; that he waa too young to"die; that they might make an M.H.R. of him, and that the money wasn't big enough. Wood pulp is now being used as the basis of a plastic compound to serve as a sub stitute for lime mortar m covering and finishing walls. It is designed to possess, m addition to all the desirable qualities of ordinary mortar, the characteristics of being harder, and when applied to woodwork m a thin coat, rendersit both fire and water prtof The closing night m connection with the Rakaia Dancing Assembly was hald m the Oddfellows' Hall on Wednesday last. There was a very large attendance, the accommo dation of the hall being taxed to the utter most. Excellent music was provided to which dancing was kept up until well on m the morning. Songs and recitations were contributed by some friends, and altogether a most enjoyable evening was spent. At the Palace of Bangkok the other day a performing leopard was brought m for the amusement of one of the young Siamese Princes. In the Prince's retinue was a young girl of about fourteen years of age. The leopard jumped on her breast. It was merely m play, said the animal's caretakers, who begged her not to be frightened ; but m another moment the leopard had seized her by the throat, and she died m sight of the horrified spectators, who fled m panic. Some idea of the gigantic proportions of the building and the magnificent scale on which the Crystal Palace Company cater for the musical public, may be gathered from the account given m. a recent Home ex change, of the performance of the oratorio "St Paul." The chorus numbered 3000, the orchestra 700, and the number of auditors 22,940. On the following day a concert was given by the London Sunday School Choir Association when the number of singers was 10,000. The " Telegraph " says:-—Everybody who has grown grapes m Napier has experienced the disappointment of seeing the fruit smothered m a mildew-looking blight rendering it Junfit for use. Mr Forrest, the caretaker of the cemetery, has however dis covered that this sort of blight does not injure the grape for wine making. Pre viously to last season he threw away the ruit as useless, but last year he made ten gallons of wine of it, mildew and all. The wine has txirned out, though a little sweet, really excellent. A curious question m connection with fire insurance has arisen m France. The Countess of Fitz^Jame3 had taken out a policy which "covered her jewellery, in cluding a pair of pearl earrings of the value of £720. One of theso, lying on 'a, mantelpiece, was swept into tlio fire by an accidental movement of her arm, and'was destroyed. The insurance company refused to recoup her for her loss; but the civil tribunal of the Seine sustained her claim, and au appeal to a higher court ha* resulted m the decision of the lower one bein" up held. Considerable excitement was occasioned at Winslow on Thursday afternoon through a runaway. Whilst Mr Devanc, of the A«h burton Hotel, was engaged on kohio matter inside the hotel, he left a valuable horse outside m charge of a caretaker. The horse, frightened by the combination of sound made by the locomotive on the line and a traction engine at some distance, suddenly started, and, galloping up the road pursued by a crowd of men and dogs, took to the tussocks, about which he careered with the full pack after him for about a quarter of an hour, scattering the contents of the trap broadcast, but never kicking or breaking anything. All hands m the immediate vicinity turned out for a look at the hunt, and the scene reminded one of the pictures we see of a Russian sleigh pursued by wolves. A meeting of the Committee of the local branch of the British and I'oreign Bible Society's Canterbury Auxilarymet last even ing at the residence of Mr R. W. Jenkins to, transact bushiest. Mr Geo. Jameson occupied the chair. There were also present —Rev. J. N. Buttle, Messrs J. W. Sawl, A. Orr, J. H, Twentyman, R. W. Jenkins (Treasurer), J. W, Twentyman, and A. IJlake (Secretary). Among other business Mr Jenkins intimated that he was under the necessity of resigning the position of Treasurer as he was about to leave the district, and would name as his successor Mr J. W. Twentyman. junior. The Com mittee accepted Mr Jenkins' resignation with regret, and appointed Mr Twentyman m his place, Mr Jenkins was thanked for the time and attention he had given to his duties. He also threw out several valuable suggestions for increasing the Society's efficiency, The meeting was then olosed. Intendingpurchasers of MrH. M. Stanley's book, "In Darkest Africa," will do well to satisfy themselves that they order and obtain the genuine work. An American work has been introduced into the colony which, though it does not on the face of it purport to be Mr Stanley's work, yet claims to be a narrative of H. M. Stanley's explorations m Africa, and there is reason apprehend that the American work is being sold to persons under the illusion that it is the genuine work. The narrative is compiled from the records of the explorations of Dv Chaillu, Baker, Livingstone, and other African ex plorers, and from such letters from Stanley £8 appeared m the English press. As an example of the. oharacter of this latest American novelty*(says a contemporary) if, may be mentioned that it contains a number of engravings, one of which purports to be an illustration of a war dance of an African tribe, but is m reality an old and familiar engraving of a Maori war dance, as may be readily seen. Even the tattooing is retained, and the so-called African warriors are armed with old-fashioned muakets.. Some of the tythe^ illustrations are familiar as household words to readers on African subjects, The genuine book is published by the well knqitu) firm of Sampson Low and Marston, b'earg their imprint on the title nacre.

A young lady, apparently about 21 years old, flung herself from one of the towers of the Notre Dame m Paria. She fell upon a printer who was passing with his little dauglier m the close, killing herself In the fall, and doing him serious injury. The child was not hurt. Mr Ashmead Bartlett and his venerable wife, the Baroness Burdett-Coutts, gave a party lately m London m honor of the ninth anniversary of their wedding. One of the guests, striving to be particularly gracious, complimented the aged baroness upon her appearance, and reminded her tltet very many years ago the great Duke of Wellington had been a suitor for her hand. This was not a particularly pleasant reminiscence for the young husband to be regaled with, and the embarrassment was still more con-pli cated when another courtly donkey, who stood near, struck m with—"Oh, but that was long before Mr Bartlett was born !" A writer m a North Country paper, re ferring to the dreams of the blind, makes the interesting statement that children who lose their sight before attaining the age of five years are unable to remember what was to them the appearance of a visible world. In order to test the recollections of the blind, ft thousand blind patients underwent ex amination m England, more particularly with regard to the ability of the brain to produce pictures m the dreams from memory. To those who had lost their sight at less than five years of age the world was a blank, but those who had passed the age of seven before their affliction came upon them retained their remembrance of the sight pictures they had seen. ,

TELEGRAPHIC

HOME AND FOREIGN.

[per prbss association.] London, August 21 and 22. The British India Steamship Co. are building four steamers of 5,600 tons each. They are to steam fifteen knots per hour, and are for the Queensland trade. The barque Assaye, from London to Wellington, is missing, and no re-insur ance will be accepted. The stock of frozen mutton is esti- ] mated at 250,000 carcases. Canter bury, 4|d per lb; Wellington and Sydney, 3|d j lambs, sd. New Zea land., beef—hind quarters, 3d ; fore quarters, 2|d. Queensland — Hind quarters, 3|-d. The Round Hill Water race Alluvial Gold Mining Company of Otago has been formed with a capital of £70,000. Eight hundred bales of New Zea land hemp have been sold, and prices remain steady. By a boat accident on the Conway river, m Wales, eight persons were drowned. Silver is quoted at 4s 6^d. It is reported that a French Syndi cate will .provide the gold required by the Republic of Uruguay to enable the Government to withdraw the paper issued. The statement that the cholera from which the Calcutta sailor is suffering is of the dreaded Asiatic type is denied. The " Financial News" considers il advisable that traders be admitted to New Guinea. An agitation is going on m favor of tlte State purchasing the English rail ways. At a Conference of the inhabitants of Newfoundland, it was resolved to sue Government for damages to the industries, and organise a force to oppose the French. The Salvation Army propose to establish emigrant colonies m various districts m Australia and New Zea land. Portugal lias granted England the right to veto the transference of any Portuguese territory south of Zambesi to other powers. The Lisbon Press favors the agreement. New York, August 20. A railway accident^ at Boston caused a number of passengers to become en tangled m the debris, and before they could be extricated many were literally boiled to death by the escaping steam, and twenty died from the injuries sus tained. The majority of the Australian cricketers sail for the colonies on September 26th. Belgrade, August 20. The Servian Government is enquiring into the alleged attempt to poison the Liberal leaders by means of arsenic. Constantinople August 20. The relations between Russia and Turkey are strained. The appoint ment of a successor to Pelidoff, the Russian Ambassador, has been de ferred.

AUSTRALIAN

Melboubne, August 22. At an inquiry held into the circum stances connected with the wreck of the ship Carlisle on the Kent group, all the officers were exonerated from blame. A man named Turner has been ar rested on a charge of murdering a woman named Jubb, with whom he boarded. The circumstances are some what peculiar, as Turner when arrested alleged that the woman, m a fit of jealousy, shot at him and then com mitted suicide. The medical evidence, however, states that it is almost impos sibje the wqman coukl have infUetec( the injuries herself, Newcastle, August 22. The Union S.S. Co.'s new steamer Rotokino has arrived, and is engaged coaling. Tiralleur, Jet d' Eau, and Renata have been scratched for the Caullield Cup.

An Outspoken Journal.

In its issue for Sunday, June Bth, the " Weekly Times " and "Echo " made the following announcement:—" We discon tinued our 'Sporting JNptes' last Aveek. They will not appear again. We must, qf course, still continue to give results of races—a newspaper cannot' pick and choose its news ; it is obliged to record a r;po a! 3 'it does an execution, or any other disagreeable oi- ctisreptabita ' QCfiurrenpe. And we shall, of course, gladly publjsh, as hitherto, all intelligence about health ful, manly, and innocent sport—such as football, cricket, and the like. But we do try—after an imperfect fashion enough, icjoubtless—to hold up a standard of life jn jthgsj? pp).umiifj which tjie wor}d may profit by ; and wp do. >{o|b Soe'that wo ga'rt, consistently with that ejfart,'any longer pander to the vile and dishonest gambling instincts which are so craftily taken advan tage of by the ' noble sportsmen ' who live on the betting public. Probably nine out of the ten of the people who bet, and who fojfloV theft %ovite tipster wit]} tjje bjind faith'of a baby, do'nqt know, an we know, the ufceer rottenness of the whole system. If they did—if they were aware of vast organised conspiracy into the hands of which they so blindly play, and wjn'eh they enrich with their losses—they wdul(| probably I'esoJLvtt tq havei no more tf> do with it. We have, at ahyrate, and we do not think we shall lose many readers m consequence. There shall be henceforth one leading newspaper m England which disdains the role of the bookmakers' tout," ' ' I

Severe Cyclone.

[PEK PKESS ASSOCIATION,

Bebjse, August 21. A severe cyclone swept the Jura mountains and Neufchatel. Thousands of trees were uprooted, many houses destroyed, and several lives lost.

Corn Exchange Report

The following is the Corn Exchange Report for the week ending Friday, August 22nd:— The uncertainty that prevails as to what extent the strike m Sydney will affect the vessels leaving here is paralysing trade. Orders are being countermanded, and, as at the moment our chief export is such a perishable article as potatoes, the outlook is very serious for those interested m the tuber. Another perishable article, onions, m which considerable speculation, lias taken place, will be a more dangerous property, as even m our cool climate they already show a tendency to sprout. However, we must hope that matters will nob prore so serious as they certainly look. Wheat. — Stocks .have considerably lowered down, and prices remain firm. Oats.—Very few transactions have taken place. There is at the moment no outside enquiry, and only odd parcels find buyers for local consumption. Babley.—Very few samples offering. Prices may be said to be nornuial. I Beans.—Several parcels have changed hands for shipment, but at recent London advices there would not appear to be sufficient margin to induce speculation. Pbas.—A very fair enquiry for all sorts of peas, where clean and fit for seed purposes. Potatoes. — Transactions, hive come under notice at a reduction on last quota-! tions. The market is, ; however, m a most unsettled state, pending the develop-1 men" of the strike question m Australia. Grass Seed.—Ryegpass —A consider able demand is noticeable, but buyers do not like to pay the prices asked, imported seed at the moment being cheaper than our own growth. Cocksfoot—A good sowing enquiry is noticeable, and prices are firm. Colonial Grown Clover has been sold m parcels during the week, though the exceptionally low price"-of-the im ported English seed this season has; some what effected the value. Next season will probably see a considerable reduction m the imports of both red clover and cow grass. Our quotations for the $fhek are as follows :—Wheat—Tuscanj 3s Id to 3s 5d ; Pearl, 3s 2d to 3s 3d; HunteVs, 3s 2d ; whole fowl wheat, 2s 7d ; broken, 2s 3d to 2s 6d. Oats-^Milling, Is 7d ; short heavy feed, Is- ,6d to Is 6d ; long and inferior, Is 3d to Is 4d. Barley—Prime malting, 3s 3d; feed, Is 3d to Is 9d. Beans, 2s 6d Peas—Prussian Blues, 3s to 3s 6d ; feed, 2s 4cl to 2s 6d. Ryegrass — Machine dressed, ss. Cocksfoot — Bright heajy seed, 4|d to 4|d ; light and discolored,' 2|d to tyd. Potatoes Der wents, 38s to 40s at country stations. The above prices (potatoes excepted), are those paid to farmers for deliver^, f.0.b., Lyttelton ; sacks extra. >;

FEMALE SUFFRAGE.

It will be remembered that a fortnight or so ago a resolution m favor of, the franchise to women, moved by Sir John Hr.ll, was carried m the House of Representatives by a sweeping majority ; and it is quite possible that other persons beside Sir John Hall were sanguine enough to suppose that Parliament was ready to enfranchise the gentler sex forthwith, 'Witt if so, the division taken on ""hursday night will certainly undeceive' them. The hon. member for Selwyn proposed to add a clause to the Electoral Acts Amendment Bill, which would have had that effect, but after a somewhat lengthy discussion, it was rejected by 26 to 19. It does not follow that there was inconsistency on the part pf hon members, that they had changed their minds m the interval, or that they were joking on the first occasion and serious on the last. It was abundantly clear, from speeches made, that the facts were that some who voted for Sir John's resolution a fortnight ago did so merely with a view of affirm ing the view that the extension of the franchise to women should occur m the near future, while others did so meaning thereby that some women should be enfranchised?J—that is to say, for example, spinsters and widows possessed of the requisite property qualification. Again, even of these there were not a few who on Thursday opposed the new clause, not because they had altered their opinions, but because they believed that the occasion was inopportune—first, be cause to add the clause would have been to lead to the risk of the rejection of a useful and necessary measure; and, second, because it would be ex ceedingly inconvenient, to say the least of it, to so widely alter the basis of the electoral rolls immediately upon the eve of a general election. The re jection of the clause is, therefore, not necessarily to be held as implying that the House has on this last occasion de cided against the female franchise. Indeed, on the contrary, it has been clearly shown that the weight qf opinion m the House is m, \ia ffVVQr, and we venture to, think that, m the new Parliament, a Bill will be passed denning and granting the suffrage at least to female property-holders, if not to all adult women.

ALFORD FOREST.

On Wednesday nighfc the youngest son of Mr Neil Qhlse,n last his l«ft fore badly crushing the palm of the hand,' too, while playing with a chaff cutter. Is there no method of securely fastening these useful machines when not m use, so as to prevent the numerous sad accidents? In anticipation of a brisk demand for firewood through the rise m the. price of coal, orders are coming m briskly from coal dealers ; m fact this has been a red letter year for bush material, E. G, Wright, E&fl,, Ii deputed by the Education Board to visit the present A'tford Forest educational district during the cqming week (if convenient) to decide whether the present school accommoda tion is sufficient for the requirements of the district. This is m answer to a petition from the bay near the Iron House and from thenpe $q Taylor's. S.tveam, asking for, a side school *The residents j pj Alford Eurest and Springburu have good' accommodation already. A slight epidemic of sickness prevails at the present time, chiefly lung com plaints, no doubt resulting from extreme changes, qf temperature. Mr P. Tisch, the well-known proprietor of the hotel, is laid up with a sharp attack of sciatica. Wells are much lower than usual, at this time of the year, the rainfall havln« been deficient. &

LABOUR MEETING.

Last night a meeting, attended by between 300 and 400 men, was held m the Oddfellows' Hall, to hear addresses by Messrs F, S. Parker, of the Trades 1 and Labor Council, Cbristchurch, and i W. Lundon, Waimate, President of the Amalgamated Shearers' and Laborers' Union. The meeting was held under the auspices of the last-mentioned organisa tion, a branch of which was recently formed m Ashburton. Mr David Thomas occupied the chair, ,and, on rising to introduce the delegates, was received with loud applause. He said that as Mayor of the borough he had been asked to preside, and did so. It did not, however, follow that he identified himself with the views that might be expressed—not at any-rate until he had heard them. He saw no reason, however, why men should not form themselves into unions for their. own protection. (Applause.) He introduced : Mr Lundon who, after expressing his pleasure at seeing the large attendance, and his gratification at having the privilege of coming to Ashburton to aid m organising a branch of the Union m this district, went on to give an outline of the Union's history m much the same terms as he had used on th^e occasion of the first meeting held m connection with it m the Orange Hall, and which we reported pretty fully at the time. The Society now numbered 1300 members. Mr Lundon said he had been a shearer since he was sixteen years of age, and had put through his • hands many thousand sheep, so that he had "some experience of the work and the grievances of those who followed it. He had seen the price of shearing labor often reduced until it had reached 15s a hundred. But for the Union the figure would have been down to 12s 6d m his county (Waimate). He thought 15s was not by any means a high figure, and the men had resolved'to dp their best to keep the price from falling below 15s. Then there had been trouble with the agreements. These were m too many cases all on one side, and were rather bonds than agreements. ■ One clause was that when a man left a shed before the shearing was finished, he forfeited all the wages he had already earned. This was unfair, as it was frequently impossible for a man to shear his sheep to the satisfaction of the manager (which another clause provided), and it was far better that man and master should part m peace when this occurred, and the man get what he had worked fqr up to the time of leaving. He instanced a case m which a man sued his employer for unpaid work m the shed, and the Court at Oamaru had given judgment for the man. Sheepowners could boycot as well as Trades Unions. ;, Some men refused to shear wet sheep %t Hakaterd mea, and were offered the alternative, which they accepted, of leaving the shed. They were boycotted out of every shed they applied to m the district, because every employer had been told about this, and men had been sent to identify them as the men who had declined to shear the wet sheep at Hakateramea. Another grievance was the accommoda tion iri too niariy cases provided for the men. He instanced the case of a model estate on which the stables, pigsties, and outhouses generally were of first-class character, and excursionists often, came and were shown round the model place. But the men's places were carefully avoided by those who were acting as guides. If the men's quarters were shown he was quite sure the visits of the excur sionists would cease. He mentioned a place where he himself had gone to work, and the accommodation was so extremely rough that he preferred to ride nine miles every morning and night rather than make use of it (Mr Lundon here ex hibited a fork that had been supplied to him by the clerk with which to eat his food. It was a piece of No. 10 fencing wire, neatly twisted so as to leave a loop at one end and two prongs at the. other). When he was supplied with that fork he was told that he would forfeit a shilling or sixpence—he did not' remember which —if he did not return it. He preferred to retain the fork as a curiosity. He had seen farm hands' wages reduced from 20s to 17s 6d, and it was just the same at threshing machines, and they would go down more unless the men combined to prevent it, New Zealand had been painted as a perfect paradise for working men. It was all right enough for men who had come to the colony early m its history, and had saved some money from the good times, but for men who had to live wholly by their labor the situation was m many cases deplorable. The law price of produce had been cite/1 as a reason why fair wages could x\dt, be paid ; but he. had seen 8d a,n hour paid m the harvest field when wheat was selling at 4s a bushel, It was not the case that all farmers paid poor wages. Several farmers were members of the Union and two were trustees of it, and there were many who paid good wagea indeed, Bui the men who paid poor wages and ground, down their 'workmen were the men who had called the Union into existence. To work for such men at from 20 per cent to 40 per cent less than that paid by the good employer was an injury to the latter and to themselves. He urged working men to stick closely to the Union, and m fche choice of leaders to select only- men who are careful, thought^], and: level headed; not rash m,en, who would join the Union pii Saturday and demand a rise on Monday ; but men who had at heartj fch.e welfare of their wives and ohUdren and their f ello wmen. (Applause,) Mr F. S, Barker,'who spoke, at con siderable length and with great fluency, h,egfl,n, hj waking a comparison between the treatment of the Unionists of to-day and the old Chartists of 57 years ago. The latter had been looked upon as the scum of the earth for daring to hint at re forms, and one of the reforms they had tried to bring about was union, of labor to protect itself. Me did not come there to foment discard between employers and employed, but to. cement,, if he could, good fellowship antf a proper understand ing between them. Working men were only meeting to secure for themselves what was just and right—fair remunera tion for their labor. Strikes w«re always to be deprecated, and vast- as the sword was the last resort of nations when all other means of amicable settlement, had failed, so were strikes the last resort of [the Unions. But when arbitration was declined, and before a strike was resorted to, the federation of labor had another Weapon to use —the boycott, Mr Parker ; gftve an instance of the wonderful effect of ; this weapon recently m Lyttelton, when a number of public houses were boycotted for selling the beer of a certain brewery.. The boycott very soon sent a deputation of hofcelkeepers to Christchuroh to clear up the difficulty. The ; boycott was now m force against the firm, of Whitcombe and Tombs, and the Maritime Council had done one. of the finest things m the world by deciding to try the ejfoet of this before resorting to the final weapon—a general strike,, Th*t firm was now boy cotted, over, the whole of New Zealand, and the decision to be content with this, mode of warfare had been arrived at; wty after much careful and anxious thought and many sleepless nights. The battle was not pver, by/* vy-oujkl be fought out to the bitter tend, and yet it would never have been waged but far the stubborn ness of; one man ill the firm fought agastnst. Ije urged the members of the Union to remember Mr Lundon's advice about the choice of leaders and; to select only sober, moral, moderate men ; bub nob m the working of the Union to ignor the usefulness of vanng men—rather make use of their youthful energy and zeal and get them to work m the interest of the Union ii* the true spirit, Jtew

Zealand had been painted m rosy colors as a colony for working men, but he could tell them of many homes m Christchurch m which Jiero were to be .seen pictures of of abjech poverty—not through drink, out simply from want of work. He knew infit.-uico.i m which men had had no employment for nine months, and surely this ought not to be ;n a young country like New Zealand. Mr Parker concluded with a strong appeal to the men to unite for defence—not defiance ; so that when from Auckland to the Bluff there was a complete union of labor, fair treatment afc the hands of employers was bound to follow. (Loud applause.) In answer to a question, Mr Parker explained that Unionism did not interfere with the right of a man to employ whom he pleased, so long as union rates were were paid and union conditions observed. ■ Votes of thanks having been given;to the delegates and to the Mayor, th» latter, m reply to Mr Parker,, stated that he was a believer m Unionism, and although he did not know where the capitalist ceased and the working man'began, irithesfjtimes, he claimed to be a working mail m prin ciple. (Loud applause.)'; New members were then invited to join th© Union,' and the public meeting closed.

LABOR QUESTIONS.

[fbr prbsS association.]

LoNDOifj August' 20. The steamship owners are forming a union with a capital of from seven to eight millions to enable them to frus trate the labor unions, i London,, August 21, The jdopfc .laborers at Tilbury dock, who went out on strike demanding the expulsion of non-unionists have gained 'theday.;" ■•'•: " ■■-/<■■ "-^- ■':,; ■ -> 9 The v Daily News," iridiscussing the shipping strike inAustralia, asserts that it is likely tq ctiverfc trade. Brussels, August 2L Eight thousand, colliers have gone on strike, the men declining to accept ft reduction: m wages. ■■■ l New York, August 221 The Knights of Labor threaten to call out on strike all hands engaged on. Vanderbilt's railways m. New York, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and St. Louis,:-. ■ ■ ; ■,.... ..■■.■,.,;,.... ■' ,:! ; v Sydney, August 22. The Union Oo.'s steamers Ohau and Taieri, and the mail steamer Mariposa are being discharged by their own crews. Practically all the organisa tions whidh can impede the shipping traded have, now called out their mem bers'. , strong feeling prevails among ship owners against employing non- Unionists, and,, they, prefer to remain passive,, thus throwing the oAui of. suspension o£ traffic; on . the labor bodies. At a meeting of employers and the Shipowners'* Union to-day, it was, resolyed,.'to'tak^. steps to prosecute the tTriiotis for conspiracy! > . '- >■ The produce market is still excited, and butter is selling a^ 3s 6d retail, arid has advanced Is wholesale. Maize ,has risen 3^ tshaff 10s, and v onio|isjß3. Fifteen hundred southern miners are idle,/ and anany of the wen hare come to; Sydney seeking employment. ... -, Melbourne;,: August 22. The Amalgamated Society of En gineers has decided that the marine engineers shall, give twenty^four hours' notice that it is their iritentibtt' to leave the vessels. Two pastoralists have offered the sum of £5000 each to form the nucleus iof a defence fund. . ■ / i & Adelaide;. August; 22. Employers are combining: against Unionism, and they have V; been promised large sums of mbhfey to assist ih carrying out their determination. (Received August 23, 12.30 p.m.> Adelaide, August. ,23. Flour mills, are closing y owmg to shortness of fuel. ' ; ™ Brisbane* August 22. ;• Most of the vessels are being| des patched by non-union labor, and ship ov/ners are confident they will be able to break down the boycotts At an enthusiastic meeting of em ployers it was resolved to assist the shipowners.

With reference to the labor troubles at present existing m Sydney, the Union Steamship Company have decided, pend ing further advices, not to book passengers for any port beyond the next one pasfe Lyttelton, and to take no cargo at all for Australia. . They are endorsing their passage tickets—"Not responsible for strikes or lock-outs."

Napiek, August 22. The Union Steamship Company's agent here has received instructions to issue passenger tickets only to the nearest ports. This is taken here as meaning & probable early strike. . _ Weiungton, August 22. Mr Martin Kennedy this evening re ceived a telegram from" Mr Lomas, one of the miners' delegates, who is at Dennis ton, stating that he; expected to reach Greymouth on Monday, and believed that the miners would accept Mr Kennedy's conditions, and that possibly work would be resumed as usual on Tuesday. The rumour m circulation here that a general strike m the shipping trade is im pending, and may break out at any moment, is making people fearfully un easy. Southern M.H.R.'s are feeling es pecially uncomfortable, as they are cut out from home, business.and constituency. —"Times." 7 Owing -to, the unsettled state of mari time afgiirs, the Union Steamship Com pany have determined; not to book cargo ;or passengers further than from port to port. A slight difficulty occurred to-day with the ateamer Colac; which arrived 5 from Newcastle a couple of days since with a cargo of coal for the Union Company. It appears that when leaving Newcastle no union men could he obtained, and as she required two seamen, two non-union men were selected, and were brought down here. The Seamen's Union to-day in formed the captain that unless these non unionists were discharged the ( crew would bo called out. Th c captain communicated with headquarters with the result that the men complained of were discharged, and their- passages will be paid back to Aus , tralia. The Colac sailed for Oamaru this evening.. Dunbdin, August 22. The Union Company will not lay up their boats yet m consequence of the strike m Australia, as the, tune is notripe- I It is understood that the Maritime Coun cil have tried to induce Unionists m Australia to exclude New Zealand boats ; from the effect of the strike, but 1 if this is not practicable to avoid interfering with New Zealand coasting boftts. It is be lieved that if the meeting of Victorian and Sydney shipowners vrhich takes place at Albui-y to-day decides on continuing to refuse the demands, the strike will assume much larger dimensions. Napier, August 22, i The proprietary of the " Herald" have received a written notice from Mr Creagh, the local head; of the New Zealand Feder ated Wharf Laboi-ex-R Union, announcing the. boycott of the "Herald" on the alleged' ground that it had supported Whitoam.be and Tombs th,eir fight*

THE ABHBUBTON GUARDIAN, SATtIBDAY, ATOtiST U, 1800.



T^EAF FORTY YEARS*! The :« b XJ se.Rij tion of a simple remedy, by Which a complete cure of dcifness and noises m the head of Forty Years' Stand i*g has just been ■ effected, will be sent FREE tc anyone who applies to J. H. Nicholson, 175 William 'Street, Mel bourne.



SANDER AND SONS' EUCALYPTI EXTRACT.—In protection of the world wide fame our manufacture has acquired all over the globe, .we publish the following :— HajtAjTfl, M.D., Professor of General Patho : logy a«d Disea^s of the Mind and Nervous System, says m an editorial p,ub|ishe,d m the "Clinical Record "; — (f We, hare ejanjjifffd half-a-dozen specimens of different maniifeicj fcures; the preparation of Sander anct Sons was the only one that proved to be reliable and .corres.p.gj;x!jng to scientific tests." Another concoction called " Refined Extract of Eucalyptus" has made its appearance #jnce. This product stands, according to Dr Owen, foremast m causing injurious effects That gentleman coiumuiiicaies, a meeting of the Medical Society of Victoria,' i/haiTa child living at Fitzroy liecame most seriously indisposed through its use. In another case a lady states on the strength of statutory ,<|<?olaration that she suffered cruelly from thVeffecycs of the same concoction. To guard ,the high reputation ,of our manufacture we feel warranted m expo ing th.c above faeja, and desires the public to exercise care and precaution when buying, SANDER and SON I—(Advt;>l —(Advt;> ■•■■• ' y TJjare is now to be seen m the shop window of Mjps^rp J Scaly and Co., East street, a collection t*c apples showing some of tlie sorts grown at the HiH'Sfirj.cg, Riverbank, that will repay inspection by jiy fine who centerapla.tes planting fruit plants. There hvg upwards of fifty clif erent kinds shown, all valuable, long keeping sorts. For size, color, and general excellence they are by far the finest that have been shown m Ashburton j is season,- (£dv '



"Wanted. CASH Advertisements under this heading not exceeding SIXTEEN WORDS 1/-. Addresses may bo left fit this Office. WANTED to rent a comfortable four roomed house, within three minuter, walk of Posf. Office.—Address "Tenant," "Mail" OUioo. 8 130 T3IANOS, Pianos, just landed from the 1 Manufacturers, excellent value, sold on easy monthly payments. —H. M. Jones. / nnTTT AnnuaFTubFic •' •!• U • Meeting m Odd fellows Hall on Wednesday next 27th inst. Addresses by ministers nnd others in terspersed with music. Taa at 6 p.m., j tickets la 6d. 8 140 WANTED a respectable smart youth with knowledge of Book-keeping and willing, to make himself useful.— Apply " Sharp " " Mail " Office. 8 137 STOPThar Cough—Flower's Cough Drops are thebest—see thai the nam» is stamped on every one. H. G. Flowbb, Confectioner, East street. "PRESENTS. -If you wanfc good valuo I for money go to Melford House. Extra value now being given away m presents. Everything marked cheap.— H. C. Sbgbrs. \U ANTED KNOWN—The Strong v v Wear Boot for Men, Women and Children can only be had at W. H. Collibr's. BOOTS, BOOTS.—"Keep your fee Dry and save Doctor's Bills. I have a splendid Stock m now. Try my Double-soled Shooters. Every pair Guaranteed. Robert Alcorn, Ashbur ton Clothinjr Mark, Saunders' Buildings. \\ * ANTED Known.—For cheap VV _ Drapery, Millinery, Boots, Clothing, &c, go to Melford House. Good substantial presents now giving away.—H. C. Segbrs. "ANTED every "man m the County to have a suit of the Ashburto Tweedi.—Robkrt Alcorn, Ashburton Clothing Mark, Saunder's Buildings. ' T7WERY Customer will receive a SjJ handsome present by purchasing their Drapery. Millinery, Clothing, &c, afc Melford House. Cheapest House m town for first-class Drapery.'—H. C. Shgkrs. ANTED KNOWN.—A lot of Ladies Cloth and Tweed Jackets, considerably under usual cost price.—■ W. H. Collier, t(The Corner." ANTED Known— The Cheapest Shop to buy Tinware and Gal vanised Iron goods m Ashbarton, is at W. F. Hannafori/s, Burnett Street. A arge stock kept on hand. Tin and Iron ware goods made and repaired with dcs patch Public Notices. "RfflK TO-MBT. T.0.0.F., M.U. rPHE Loyal Wnterton Loc'go will .JL celebrate their Ninth Anniversary with a BALL m the Longbeach School on (;he 29th August. Gents, 4s ; Ladies, free. Refresh ments Provided. Music by Brook's Band, Dancing to commence at 8 p.m. 8 115 SPECIAL NOTICE CALL AND SEE THE GRAND DISPLAY OF BOYS', YOUTHS', AND MEN'S CLOTHING, MERCERY, HOSIERY, BLANKETS, RUGS, FLANNELS, HATS, AND CAPS, etc. THE largest and best assorted Stock m the District to select from, which for Value, Variety, and excellence of Manu facture, we stand unrivalled. WATERPROOF COATS AND OILSKINS, Oar own manufacture, a specialty. SOLE AGENTS for Wertheim's latest and improved HAND and TREADLE SEWING MACHINES. NEW ZEAIAND CLOTHING FACTORY W. H. WEBBER, Manager. WIT/iCUT TCETH JWjITtfJ'JEi&THi THE CHRISTCHURCH DENTAL | SURGERY, Cornci- of Cashe] and High streets. R. M YE^ AHI) Co' "~ " SURGEON DENTIST And at Dunettm and Wesfcport TTTE have gained the FIRST AWARD VV at the Dunodin Exhibition for Artificial Dentures and Mechanical Appli ances for the Mouth, and it is with" the greatest ,coi*fide*ice tjat we guarantee the highest class work m& par/jjet fit at the most moderate cost A SSingJe Artificial Tooth, 10s. ; Complete Bet -— Upper and Lower—; temporary and jjermanent, £10 10s. : Natuiul, Durable, <3o»j.kohta.ijlk Artificial Teeth Replaced ITjMnji«.)»irily al-' most immediately after iAw .eykaetion of decayed teeth or stumps without .extra • cc or charge, i Arrangements can be made for past ov > monthly pnyments. 1 ADMINISTERIBTft NITROUS OXIDE JSrAS Keveral times daily fojl tho p!ist ten yours, we fearlessly assert that enaction of te.et!j under its influence is jperfeeUy painless ajxtl positively safe Fee for Administrution, 55.. Extraction, 2.s 6d. Arta&ial Teeth .and Dentures, made by other .dentists jie^aked .ox jremcidelled .ut small ooet.



MRS S. T I M M O has removed from the Lyttelton Boarding House to those more commodi ous and central premises, Panam ». House, Where friends, old and new, will be wel comed Accommodation tor boarders a reduced rates. Meals prepared mMr Tiirins'va^U knwn .style. Meals per week, lls ; Bowd and lodg ing*, 17« Gd ; one meal daily per week, 3 6d JV | OTICE.— Anyone " found fres- JN passing iv pursuit of game or otherwise on the Riversdale Estate on and after this date will be prosecuted. J. R. WILLIAMS. Biveradafo 24th M JT6 T3EDWOOD'S T3ATENT Blight Specific Ii NON-POISONOUS, contains neither arsenic nor sulphate of copper ; is < not only perfectly harmless to trees, but excites growth. It it a Certain Curs for scale, American blighfc, codlin moth, &c, Ac, j where used systematically. I The most effectual time to use it is IN WINTER, when the trees are baro. The Inventor has NUMEROUS TESTI MONIALS from those who have cleansed their Orchards. CANTERBURY 7 AGENTS- j Wholesale-MALING AND Co., Ltd. Local Agent-D. THOMAS, West Sfcreet, Anhburton. j Price, 3s 6d per Gallon. Redaction on j quaktitiew. ! 0J69 Full directions supplied. \ BOOKS— Thousands of Books ot every kind, including books on History Trsvela, Science, Religion, Fiction, Set., k*. Accounk Beoks and Stationery of •very discription. A cheap line of En velope* at 5s per thousand. Fancy Goods, inoluding Album*, Photo Frames, Writing Caaes, Work Boxes, Pnrses, Ladies' Hand Bags, Games and Puzzles. Music—A large Stock. Pianos, Accordians, Violins, Concetanas, A*. All Goods reduced for Cash. L. F. ANDREWES & CO. Stationers' Hall SEEDS- SEEDS. VEGETABLE SEEDS. EARLY SEED POTATOES,— Including "THE BEAUTY OF BATH," Which last season produced on Mr Dohekty's land, Tinwald, the enormous yield of some thing over SEVENTEEN TONS PER ACRE. ITVIFTY POUNDS (oQlbs) of "The ' Beauty of Bath" Seed produced THIRTEEN and THREE-QUARTER BAGS of .Superb Potatoes. A. W. RANDELL FRUITGROWER, &c, ASHBURTOK 8 93 / A NDREW ARR'S Andrew URR s GREAT m £ ANNUAL SAjuE \ > 85 - rf DRAPERY - CLOTHING !■ r AND * roots \ 5 " Will Conimencb fc " Saturday, July Sth & The greatest BARGAINS jg| ever seen ip Ashburon. )■} * SEE HANDBILLS. P „ ANDREW Oftß. , Wonderful I TO MEET THE TIMES, TT AYE made a GREAT REDUCTION IN ALL DEPARTMENTS. GENERAL DRAPERY AND CLOTHING. WE IMPORT ALL OUR OWN STOCK. NO MIDDLE PROFITS. We Sell 25 per «ent cheaper than any other house m Ashburton. BOOTS. BOOTS. We make all our own Boots. EVERY PAIR OF BOOTS WE SELL GUARANTEED TO WEAR WELL. W. W. SPE NC I ft '3 THE ARCADI?