The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1890. THE PREMIER'S MANIFESTO.

The great Ministerial election gun has been iired at Hawera, and first saw the light of day m the columns of a North Island up-country tiewspapcr known m its limited orbit as the I' Hawera Star." The nature of the Ministerial explosion on this occasion was kept a profound State secret; it was known that the document had been carefully considered m Cabinet, and that though professedly an address by the Premier to his constituents, it was intended to be an address from the Ministry to the electors on the eve of a most important general election. This was all that was known, and all that was allowed to transpire, and special correspondents of favored jour nals have, as a consequence, been going round Wellington tearing their hair and covering themselves with sackcloth 1 and ashes because they have been denied a firs* glimpse at a docu ment which was expected to turn the election m favor of the Government. But the mourning of the Pressmen has been turned into joy. Instead of the Premier's manifesto containing any thing of startling importance, it is a fery commonplace reproduction of the last Financial Statement, with one or two new features introduced of secon dary importance. The best side is, of or course, put forward from a Minis terial standpoint, but at its best it is a sorry picture. A great deal of credit is claimed by the Premier for economi cal administration by his Cabinet; and to judge from the telegraphed portion of the address, it would appear as if the cry for economy originated with the Cabinet, and not with the people. But the fact is the other way about— the people demanded economy, and any Ministry who refused to carry it out would require to make room for those who would. Much is made of an alleged surplus during the Ministry's three years' term of office, but nothing is said of the fact that this surplus has been squeezed from the pockets of over-" bui-dened taxpayers. It would not do to mention, the latter fact, or it might set people thinking that as much un necessary taxation had been heaped up at a most unfortunate period as the alleged surplus represented. That would be a reflection on Minis terial finance, and would never do. Then stress is laid upon the fact that the result of the colony's financial operations during the paßt few years has proved that we can dispense with borrowing; but this agreeable state ment is immediataly discounted by the proposal shadowed forth m the Financial Statement that m order to settle the colony we must borrow from somewhere, and that because outside capitalists will not accomodate us we must borroir m an unlimited fashion m the colony itself. This is equivalent to saying.that New Zealand capitalists have less discretion than foreign money lender*, or they are blest with the most unbounded patriotism—a presumption which has not hitherto been made ap parent when extra taxation had to be imposed m order to meet the obliga tions of the colony. In eifect the Premier says; Our obligation to the foreign bondholder precludes us from going to the Home money market fora loan, but we can borrow m the colony by a side-wind. This latter proposal is | ingenious—-like everything else thnt has emanated from Jfew Zealand's only Treasurer —but we think one of its first effects, if carried out, will be to depreciate the value of New Zealand securities m the Home market, and CfUise New Zealand capitalists to look with suspicion upon a proposal where by they ap# flaked to lend money at a low r»te of intevetyfc fco the State, and upon which successive (governments will impose extra taxation m order to meet the interest due to the new bond holders, In reference to land settle ment the Premier takes credit for the fact that during his Ministry's term of office 1,082,771 acres of land hgw been disposed of, and argues from this that settlement is progressing at a most rapid rate, "We have repeatedly pointed out that land dfsppsjd does not neces sarily mean land aett^ment. Vast amounts of land were disposal #£ m forner years to few persons, and we $/cc afraujl from the evidence which eamo out at the recent Dummyism Inquiry that the bulk ol tl>e Jand disposed ot during the past .jbhree ye&v* | baa goatf Jo, j&J **«« v9^^i v*

" , i are a greater number of persons l'epre sented as buyers, but many of the purchases merely represent additions to estates already too large. One interesting feature- came out m the course of the Premier's address under this hear], and that is, that he is personally opposed tr» the alteration made m the perpetual lease system by his colleague, the Minister of Lands, whereby a perpetual lease holding may be transformed into a freehold. Under this head the Premier appears to recog nise that the term "perpetual lease" is a misnomer. ' The other matters dealt with m, the address are, so far.as we have been able to see from a hasty perusal, of no special importance, and so tar as the general electors are con cerned, do not throw any light upon the political situation. There is, how ever, one remark which the Premier might have saved the country, and that was his apology for no£ bringing forward a heroic policy. One might as well expect to find grapes on thorns and figs on thistles as a policy of that character from a Ministry incapable of leading the House, and whose late policy has been largely filched from their predecessors, or dictated by the country. Heroic policies are not a predominant feature of Atkinspnian finance, and the Premier acted wisely m leaving such a proceeding to the Opposition or the country.

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A scam of coal over 50 feet deep has been found on the Castle^Hill Company's property at Knitangata. ( •'■ During the two days' racing m Christ church £21,364 was put through the totali sator—£ll.l37 on Cup day and £10,227 •n Derby day. News has been received m Christchtirch that a Sfc Albans' resident drew Carbine m an Australian consultation, and wins £2500. Tlie most monotonous city m its buildings is Paris, the houses there being almost all alike. An attempt is now being made to vary this by buiming houses of the style of the Renaissance and Louis XI., and hope is expressed that the example will be followed generally. In 1804 there were thirty-five translations of the Scriptures m existence. Since the formation of the British and Foreign Bible Society, m that year, ten millions of money have been expended m the work of circulat ing the Bible, and there are now nearly 300 translations of the Scriptures. The French Government has decided to submit to the Chambers, as soon as they re-' assemble, an important measure, with the object of aiding iv the construction of a rail way across the Sahara Desert. The object of this Bill is to bestow a final sanction upon the results attained by the Anglo-French Convention. The railroad will consist pf two lines, both starting from Lake Tchad, and proceeding thence, the one to Algeria and Tunis, and the other to. the French possession m the Niger district and Senegal. A Wellington flax-dresser who has been visiting the mills m Canterbury, declares that, with inferior flax the Canterbury! men turn out a very superior fibre, despite the better bleaching climate of the North, The reasons he gives for the superiority are that the Canterbury nien sort the leaf before stripfnng, that they use better stripper?, wash thoroughly, understanding the! art, which m the North is neglected; that'they nave m the heckle scutcher a better scutch ing instrument, and that they pack their fibre better. The Canterbury fibre, he says is worth from £3 to£b" per ton more than the northern article. The writs for the elections on December f>, returnable on December 15, were issued yesterday. The main roll for Ashburton numbers 2724 electors; supplementary, roll No. 1, 481; supplementary roll No. 2, probably about DO-—total 3295. From the old roll several names of deceased. and otherwise disqualified persons have 'Wen withdrawn, psrliaps seventy up to date, and there are still more to be removed, so 'that when tbc roll ia finally available to the' public there will probably be about 3200 nainca m ull upon the three rolls. Of this number, probably 1500 to 1800 will vote, if we may judge from the experience of past elections . j . Scene, a Gippsland railway station.— Traveller : " Potu'h, will you put my twunk into the van ? " Porter : •** Yes; sir" Porter rushes wildly about with the mail bags Traveller gets impatient: "I say, potah, wvl you put my twunk m the van ?" Porter: " Yes, sir ; m a minute, sir," The engine "kicks" the train a yard or two, and. the tr iveller becomes frantic, thinking that the train is starting. " Potahypotfth, my twimk, my twunk." Porter, as he chucks m the portmanteau, musingly: "Begorra, its meself wishes you were an elephant instead of an ass, and then you would always carry your trunk about yourself."—"Aulus," m the "Australasian." Such advertisements as this appear m Ceylon newspapers :—Wanted—"Fatbabies for crocodiles' bait. Will be brought home alive." The crocodiles of Ceylon are said to be very lazy and lie motionless, basking m the sun for hours. A fat baby is placed on the banks of the stream, and the croco diles seeing it start for the precious morsel. When half way up the bank the crocodile is shot by the hunter concealed behind some reeds, and the baby is returned to its parents who are paid a small sum for its use. The Ceylon parents have full confidence m the English hunters and sportsmen and are always willing to make a little money by allowing them to use their babies for croco dile bait. i 11A celebrated German remedy for burns,' according to the "Detroit Free Press," "consists of loost of the best white glue broken into small pieces into two pints of water and allowed to become soft; then dissolve it by means of a water bath and, add 2oz of glycerine and 6dr of carbolic acid; continue to heat until thoroughly dissolved. On cooling, this hardens to an elastic mass, covered with a shining, parch ment-like skin, and may be kept for any length of time. When required for use it is placed for a few minutes m a water bath until sufficiently liquid, and applied by means of a broad brush. It forms', it is said, m about two minutes, a shining, smooth, flexible and nearly transparent skin." While most gems owe their tint to tW presence of some foreign colouring matter, the many-hued and beautiful opal differs. It is opaque, deriving its beauty from the marvellous property it possesses of decom posing the rays of light, and thus reflecting from its polished surfaceall the colours of the rainbow. It needs, therefore, no brilliant, but appears to best advantage when alone. It is at the present among the most prized of gems, and lias held its place fqr ages, Mark Antony once offered £17,0*000 for an opal the size of a hazel nut; but the owner, Nonius, a Roman senator, prefered exile to parting with his treasure. Time and exposure dim their lustre, while their sensitiveness to heat is so great that the warmth of the hand has been known to crack them. The finest stones come from Hungary; and among the Austrian crown jewels are gems of greater size and beauty than that which tempted the Roman Emperor. Th(? Ancient Order of Foresters has at length, writes the Londtin correspondent of the *• Argus,' 1 had to admit a tremendous de ficiency m its funds. According to the " Standard " a recent valuation has shown a deficit of £2,700,000, against this there is a set-off of only £137,769. Naturally the high court qf the order has set about reform. fJihQi'P Jjave been no malpractices, but the order has been working on a shockingly un sound system. It was founded on the equal contribution system, by which the man of 40 or 50 paid only the fees of the man of 21. And this system being of vast advantage to the older members of the order, these latter have always been against the change. At jieugj/h, however, the possibility of living on thesubscriptions of new members has peon found impossible, and by a strong measure the high .pourt are seeking to re-establish themselves on firmer, ground. The thing wfll take time, bnt \\ may be, <jo,ne with care #nsspd,ei}c.e, ;■ ' - ... ■ _-,■/'■

It Is said there is room for just 100 more great men m Westminister Abbey, The Coptic leaves Lyttelton for Plymouth* via Rio Da Janeiro, on Thursday, 13th hist.' at lour p.m. At Bathurst a Socialist has expressed the opinion that no man should be required to work more that <two hours a day under pib' per Socialistic conditions. A so-called wit the other day upori meeting an acquaintance about to be married to an heiress of the name of Abernethy, accosted him m this wise :~" Hnlloa, old chap, allow me to congratulate you! Going to marry Miss Biscuits, I hear '! " " Yes—and the * tin' too !" was the reply. One interesting fact about the ioim o f John Bright is that they have learnt the art of weaving by hard, practical experience. It was a rigid principle with the deceased Tribune that his sons should learn how to work at the loom as their father had done before them, and for years they: went regularly to the mill at Rochdale like ordinary factory hands. , It is understood, says the "World,? 1 that Sir Frederick Robetts will be entrusted Avith the duty of reorganising the Indian army to a certain extent. There are some regiments m all three of the presidency armies Swhich are known to be unserviceable. The ranks are filled with men drawn from the xinwar- HkeTaces of India, and they are utterly in efficient for the purpose of w«r. These are to be weeded out by degrees, and are to be replaced by new corps recruited among the fighting men on the frontier. It is felt, however, that the selection of corps. foV dis bandment will be a matter requiring the exercise of great tact and discrimination, and it was m view of the changes contem plated that a decision was come to to extend General Roberts' term of command. ; M. Got, the French actor, says:—''You ask me if a comedian requires intellect m order to succeed. None whatever ! I would even go further, and say that the less intellect he has the better he will get on. Actors without intellect—and heaven knows there are plenty of them—rush forward with out fear, full of self-reliance, while! if-they were intellectual they would be continually afraid that there interpretation of such and such a character was wrong, and, fearful of having made a mistake, would lose their confidence. Speaking broadly, therefore, it is best that the actor should not be possessed of a great intellect. Many artists are m exactly the same position. For my own part I know many sculptors and painters ojf real talent who, outside their own line, are as foolish as geese." It is curious how naturalised foreigners find their way to the fore m Europe. It would be hardly fair, perhaps, to call Yon Caprivi an alien, for although the German Chancellor is of Italian descent, he was born of naturalised German parents. Count Taafe, the Prime Minister of Austria, is an Irish Peer. The Russian Chancellor, De Giers, is a Swede. Prince Malcolm Khan, a Scotch man, was until recently the Persian Ambas sador m London. An Irishman (Q'Donnell) was thrice Prime Minister m Spain* and Macmahon was President of Frauce. Yon Mohrenheim, a German, is the Russian Ambassodor at Paris. Waddingtonj the French Ambassador m London, is an English man. De Lauriay, the Italian Ambassador at Berlin, is a Frenchman. Wood Pasha, the chief consulting Admiral of the Tnrkish fleet, is an Englishman, as was Hobart Pasha, late Admiral of the fleet. And the most notable American of the present day Is an Englishman, namely, H. M. Stanley. ■ A Melbourne man has just paid £115 10s for a ten guinea book. Ori September 12th, before Mr Justice Webb and Mr Justice Hodges, constituting a Full Court, an appeal m the case of Picturesque Atlas Publishing Company against C. C. Benlley, manufac turer, was heard., The appeal was the out come of an action brought by. the Pictur esque Atlas Company against Bentley m June last to recover the amount due for 'the Pic turesque Atlas of Australasia. The defenc* raised by the defendant was that the plaintiff company had brokeu the contract by not delivering the, work according to promise. The Full Court held that the tender of the work was sufficient and that it did not matter when the actual delivery took place, and found m plaintiff company's favour with coits. Great, interest was evinced m; the •ise, as it was looked upon by many as a test one. The costs awarded to the company amounted to about £105. The best medicine known is SANDER and SONS' EUCALYPTI EXTRACT. Test its eminent powerful effects m coughs, colds, influenza, etc.—the relief is instantaneous. Thousands give the most gratifying testi mony. His Majesty the King of Italy, and medical syndicates all over the globe are its patrons, head the official report* that accom pany each bottle. Mosler, M.D., Professor University, Griefswald* reports :-—The Eucalypti Extract proved magnificently buc ceSsful m very severe contusions, bruises, apiains, wounds, scaldings, broken ribs, and limbs. ("Medical Journal," Nov., 1881. In diseases of the kidneys, either active con gestion or suppression, (urcemai) or albumi, nuria, dropsy, lithargy, nothing will equal iii its action Eucalypti Extract. Doses, five to six drops, Mosler, M.D., Professor, University, Griefswald, reports:—Diphthe- ria. Tonsils continually coherent presenting ulcers with white exudats. Cured m four, teen days. Surgical Clinic of Prof. M'lntyre, College of Physicians and Surgeons, St. Louis—Scirrhus of Breast—Excision Euca ypti Extract employed. No swelling, heat, or discoloration. Cured m fourreen days v,, Advt. .. "■ ■ . : ■ ■ I Holloway's Ointment and Pills. — Coughs, Influenza.—The soothing properties •f these medicaments render them well worthy of trial m all diseases of the respira tory organs. In common colds and infiuanra the pills, taken internally, and the ointment rubbed over the chest and throat,- are exceeding efficacious. When influenza is epidemic this treatment is the easiest, safest, and surest. Holloway's Pills purify the bloo.i, remove all obstacles to its free circu lation through the lungs, relieve the over gorged air tubes, and render respiration free, without reducing the strength, irritat ng the nerves, or depressing the spirits; such are the ready means of escaping from i suffering when afflicted with colds, coughs, bronchitis, and other chest complaints, by which the health of so many is seriously and parmanently injured m most countries.

THE ELECTIONS.

(PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. Waipawa, November 6. Mr W. C. Smith, late member for Woodville, addressed the Waipawa elec tors last night, and received a vote of con fidence. Ho declared himself an opponent of the present Government. « Dunedin, November 6. Mr James Mills, who is expected from Melbourne m a week, definitely announces himself as a candidate for Port Chalmers.

Labor Questions

[PER PREBS ASSOCIATION.] „. TT . London. November 5. The Unionists marched m procession to the meeting at Mile End, headed by bands and flying banners. Mr John Burns presided at the meeting, which was attended by fully 7000, representing all. th© trades of Great Britain. In the course of his address Mr Fitzgerald asserted that Mr Cham-! pion had done untold harm m Aus tralia, and had changed the issue from the first by mooting the employment of free labor. He asked the leader of the English Unions to repudiate Mr Champion's action. Mr Mann, speak ing on behalf of the leaders, believed that Mr Champion^ conduct m Aus tralia had been even more indiscreet tha.n while he was m England. Sydney, November 5. A conference between the Newcastle mine-owners and miners is proceeding. Jft is) understood that the owners have stipulated to cut coal for all vessels, whether Union or noui-Um*on, and that the miners have taken time, to consider their decision,

SPORTING.

C.J.C. SPRING MEETING.

|PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] } ChUistchprch Racecourse, November 5. Juvenile Stakes, of 200 so vs. Five furlongs. Mr G. G. Stead's Lebel, 6st lllb (Cusdin) 1 Mr J. Harris's Union Flag, 6st llib (Bay) 2 Mr W. C. Webb's May, 6sfc 61b ... 3 Bay Kins; Bst 71b, Heather Bell Bst 51b, Pearl Powder Bst 21b, Dilemma 6st; lllb, also ran. May got; away badly, but made up around rapidly, and was a neck behind Union Flag, who was a head behind Lebel. Tinie^-lmin Gjsecs. Dividends —£11 6s and £11 17s. The Metropolitan Stakes, a handicap sweepstakes of 3,sovß,each, with 400 soys added ; second horse to receive 30 Soys and third horse 20 soys out of the stake. For three-year-olds and upwards. One mile and a half. Mr W. Douglas' Strephon, 7st 21b (Banks) 1 Mr J. Brett's Wolverine, Bst 41b (Derrett) 2 Mr G. G. Stead's Palliser, 6st 71b (Cusdin) 3 Dudu 9sfc 41b, Cruchfield Bst 71b, Cynisca Bst 51b, Jet d'Eau 7st 91b, and Kotuku 6st 91b also ran. Cynisca made strong pace with Palliser. In tho straight Cynisca collapsed, and Wolverine came fast, but could not catch Strephon, who won by a. length and a half, Wolverine three lengths away. Time—2mins 40jsecs. Dividends, £5 Bsand£4 2s6d. Epsom High Weight Handicap, of 100 soys. One mile and a quarter. Messrs M. and C. Hobbs' Prime Warden, 8»t lllb ... (Derrett) 1 Mr N. Beetham's Vision, 7sfc lllb (Donovan) 2 Mr W. O. Rutherford's Ben Trovato 7at 101 b (Buddicombe) 3 Ahu.% 10st 71b, Lenore 9st 121 b, Bay King Bst 41b, The Spy Bst 31b, Dragon Bst 21b, Silver Pine Bst lib, Catamount Bst, Sir Julius 7st 121 b, Angler 7st 121 b, and Wanderer 7»t 71b also ran. ■ Vision led to the distance, where she was caught by Prime Warden, who won easily by two lengths, Ben Trovato half a length away third. Time—2mins 14jsecs. Dividends—£2 12s 6d and £3 14s. Selling Two-year-old Plate, of 100 soys. Four furlongs. Mr H. Lunn's Cajolery (£200) BBb 51b 4;? (Derrett) 1 "lgx'C. Nichol's CEnone (£SO) 7«t (Ray) 2 Mr E. Cutts' Tomato (£100) 7st 121 b (Kingan) 3 Sail Rock (£200) also ran. Won easily by a length, Tomato a bad third. Time, 51|secs. Dividends—£l 18s 6d and £!19s. • ' •; Post Stakes, of 50 soys. Four furlongs. Mr H. Valla.uce's Drift 1 Mr G.H. Clii&rd'sChudleigh ... 2 Clifton, Zealot, Collingwood, and Kate Hayes also ran. Wonbyanose, Time—. S2lsecs. Dividends—£3 11s and £53s 6d.

POLLING PLACES.

The polling pkc«s m the various dis tricts were gazetted last night, and the Press Association lias sent us by wire lists of those m the Ashburfcon, Geraldine, Waimate and Tinmru districts, but, Btrange'to'say, has omitted to supply us with those for Ellesniere. We give below the two of those ;sent m which our readers are more particularly interested : ASHBURTDN BLEC'tOBAL DISTRICT. Ashburton (principal) ... Courthouse Alford Forest ... ... Schoolhouse ■ Mount Somers ... Road Board Office Greenstreet ..., Schoplhouse Winslow Schoolhouse rFlemington... ... ... Schoolhouse Wakanui ... ...... Schoolhouse Lismore ... ... Road Board Office Hinds ... ... •••. Schoolhouse OERALDINB ELECTORAL DISTRICT. Temuka (principal) Courthouse PleasanfPoint Levels Road Board Office Scotsburn... Mt Peel Road Board Office Hilton ... Schoplhouse WaitohiFlafc ... ... Schoolhouse Winchester Reading Room Geraldine . - Courthouse Woodbury ... ... ... Schoolhouse Orari ... ... ... Schoolhouse Milford ... ' Schoolhouse Bangitata Station ... ... Schoolhouse Fairlie Creek ... Chas. Pye's house Opihi Riverlsed ... ... Ree'shouse

SELLING THE RAILWAYS.

One of the chief advantages of the system of triennial Parliaments is the frequency with ■which opportunity is afforded for the public discussion of questions affecting the public welfare. True, such questions are always more or less brought before the public by means of the Press, but it is only at such times as the present, when a general election presents the oppor tunity of taking a new departure, that they receive the attention which they deserve at the hands of the people atj large. At such times, of course, ib is daly to be expected that faddist theories as well as practical issues will be submitted, though on this occasion at anyrate the practical issues awaiting solution are so many and so large that the former class of questions might well stand over for a more convenient opportunity. Undoubtedly the most important question of the day is how best to promote bonajide settlement— the carrying on of the work of genuine colonisation; and next to this is that of reducing as much as possible the burden of taxation, and adjusting fairly the incidence of so much of that burden as cannot be removed alto gether. Intimately connected with both these questions is that of railway administration, for properly managed the railways may be made to assist colonisation, and at the same time to aid m diminishing the pressure of taxation. But this can only be effected by keeping the control of the railway system m thet hands of fch» State. We observe that at least three of the candidates who are wooing the suffrages of the electors—among them Dr. Hodgkinson and the Rev. Mr Barclay—take an opposite view, and urge that the lines should be sold and the proceeds applied to the reduction of the public debt and the consequent annual burden of interest. The last- named gentleman, who recently de liverecl a political address at Waimate, m the course of his speech argued that the railways, which for a mileage of about 1800 miles had cost the Colony between 15 and 16 millions sterling could, with the freehold of the land connected with them, .be sold for £20,000,000. He said: "Could they be sold ? ask some. The answer was, yes. They bring m under Government management about 3 per cent. In private hands they could be made to pay 4—by-and-bye 5. Thousands of people m England are glad to invest money for 3 per cent of a return —and no more. In a speculation of this kind, they would be certain, at least after a short time, to derive much more. And what advantages would follow i We would save a loss of

nearly a quarter of a l. ..million—the difference of cost and working expenses! and what they earn. We "would save m addition a million of interest, equal to 5 per cent on selling price. It' would enable the country to do one of two most desirable things—either to reduce taxation to a minimum, or, by raising the same taxation for a few i years—say ten or twelve at the outside , —-to wipe away the remaining 17 millions. What a consummation de voutly to be wished ! " Thus, according to the rev. gentleman, the Colony | would he a million and a quarter per | annum better off by selling the mil ways. But his calculation is founded upon the mistaken assumption that one can keep the cake and eat it, too. For the cost to the Colony is now not the interest plus the deficit on the railway earnings, but the . deficit alone, that' is to say the interest minus the amount ,of the railway earnings. Retaining the railways we retain their earnings and these pay the interest, less a quarter of a million which has to be provided out of the consolidated revenue; selling the railways for 20 millions, we should have a million less to pay m interest, but we should have three-quarters of a million (the nett earnings of the lines) less revenue to pay. it with, so that instead of being a million and a quarter per annum to the good, we should be, on Mr Barclay's calculation, half; a million per annum better off. But that amount, it may rightly be argued, is surely large enough to be worth taking into account. Certainly it is. But m the first place, is it likely that British capitalists will give twenty millions for lines which cost from fifteen to sixteen, and probably require the expenditure of well on for a million within the next two or three years? If hot, and fifteen millions were the selling price, then it would reduce the half-million annual saving to a quarter of a million. And for that present relief the Colony would have parted with the enormous advaw tage which must some day (and we hqpe at no distant one) be derived from the immense increase of the nett earnings of the lines which will follow upon the extension of settlement and the increase of population, and which may one day of itself enable the taxation to be largely reduced. Besides which, if a private company or syndi chte worked the lineß with the object of realising the ultimate five per cent, return to which Mr Barclay points ai a possibility, such a proprietary would have no special regard for the interests of the farmers f or of local industries, the only object being to squeeze out every possible penny of revenue. No; tempting as the prospect of present relief from taxation may be, we cannot regard the expedient of selling the railways as one which should be adopted by the Colony, except as a last resort and under pressure of dire necessity. ,

The Premier's Manitesto.

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION] Wellington, November 5. The Premier's address to Ins con stituents appeared m the " Hawera St»r " tonight. PERSONAL. In opening, he makes reference to the state of his'health, which," he regrets, renders liini unable to visit the district and address electors personally. \ ' RETROSPECTIVE, j He then goes on to say that wheii the present Government tookJpffice m 1887, the financial position oftbje colony Was a most difficult one to face", but thb re sources of the colony were so elastic that sufficient revenue ;was raised to meet all requirements, to pay 0ff£128,600 of defi ciency outstanding m March 1888, and to enable a small surplus of £36,500 to be carried forward to credit of current year. BORROWING. He thought the result of the financial operations of the Government had demon strated clearly that the colony could dis pense with all outside borrowing for some time to come, and could, without undue pressure, provide for all its legitimate requirements ; and if the late Parliament and Government have only succeeded m making that fact clear to the public,,they have performed one of the greatest; ser vices that could at the present time have been rendered to New Zealand. - ..'""■' SETTLEMENT OF iLANDS. ; Government had been impressed dur ing its entire term of office with the primary importance to the colony of pro viding facilities for settlement of the public lands, and he was glad to observe that the country was being gradually settled by small holders —the increase still going on m spite of financial diffi culties that have existed m the .colony for some time past. The total acreage of land disposed: of from October, iBB7, to March, 1890, was 1,082,771, of which 129,254 acres were rural lands, 1353 acres village settlements, 758 suburban land, and 154 town land. THE PERPETUAL LEASE. He believed that perpetual lease tenure without the right of purchase was best both for the colony "and for the settler, but he was satisfied that the large majo rity of calonists still clung to the idea of the old freehold tenure. WHAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS BONE. 5 Looking back on the record of the past three years he,thought it would be ad mitted that the Government might well claim that it had done the work it was placed m office to do. , i FUTURE POLICY. He next dwelt on the course that should be pursued by the colony m the future. " Above all things, let us have no political or financial fireworks, no great or heroic policy, no great schemes'!to dazzle or to lead us away. What we want, and what we must insist on, a strict not parsimonious economy, and a' firm belief m the unbounded resources of our colony." RULES OF PROCEDURE. The first thing the electors should in sist upon the new Parliament doing was to alter its rules of procedure so as to assume once more, the p»wer to control its own business, which power it had of late practically losfi A small knot of members could delay business indefinitely, and this state of things must' be altered, and that ,by the introduction of the closure, under proper safeguards, I  FINANCE.;; „•; i, :: On the question of finance, ha wished to protest m the most emphatic manner possible] against the views of those pessi mists who say that the colony is going from bad to worse, or that our financial position is really critical or dangerous. What he particularly desired to draw at tention to was the annual product of the colony, its annual consumption, and the actual amount of interest which we have to pay outside the colony. The estimated value of the products of the colony for 1889 was £23,500,000. There were only two charges to be made against this amount—first, the total cost of our living, and, secondly, the interest which we paid to outside creditors. Expenditure on our living might be put down at nearly £16,000,000. The total amount of in terest which we had to pay outside the colony w«q about £3,114,000 and this 119 •

Added to the cost of living mado' £19,114,000. This amount deducted from i the value of the total produce $23,600,000, left nearly £4,400,000, which he believed was ah under estimate of the amount of wealth which stood to our credit n« a colony as a result of last year's labour. RETRENCHMENT. As to reduction of expenditure, after very careful examination of the whole of the Government Departments, Govern ment had, with regret, come to the con cluHion that it would ha impossible to make any further reductions to any lars*o amount, especially when it was remem bered that there were a number of neces sary charges which were now borne updn lpan fund, but which woulcLsrery shortly have to be met out of ordinary revenue. PROPOSAL Foil BORTtOWIXG IN THE COLONY. The next question touched on was that of' further borrowing.. He did not see that it was possible to do the ■ necessary work of extending colonisation with the aid of ordinary royenueonly, without euch a large increase of taxation as no Govern ment would propose and no Parliament would sanction; and yet this work must be , done if settlement of our unoccupied landi was to be pushed forward. It would mean the spending of an amount at least equal to that which had been for some y«ars past devoted to this purpose. Hitherto funds necessary to carry on this *irork had been provided from loan, but the amount allocated would be exhausted at the end of the current year. If the colony was to progress, this expenditure must be made. Government entirely dis agreed with the opinion that we should go upon the London market to get what we required, and believed that no further loans for public works of any kind should be placed on the London market for some years to come. The only ' alternative, then, was to obtain the amount required m the colony, as the money was wanted.' Capital was undoubtedly accumulating here, and Government believed that, by an amendment to the Government Loans to Local Bodies Act,' the necessary funds could be obtained m small amounts from time to time from our own people. . PURCHABE OF NATIVE LANDS. To provide funde for the purchase of native lands it was proposed to set apart a block of the more recently acquired land, say, 260,000 acres, m the North Island, and &s this wan disposed of to carry to a separate account a certain percentage of the proceeds to be available for further purchases. THE PROPTiKTY TAX. Ho defended the Property Tax as against a Land and Income Tax, and he felt convinced that the latter substitute would be largely m favor of a rich man. He showed that a combinedL'ind tax of Id m the £, and an Income tax of 6d m the £ would not ff ive within £104,000 and £141,000 of the present Property Tax, and would be much more costly to raise. Even a Government of which Messrs Stout, Yogel, and Ballance were members,, although strongly pledged against the Property Tax, were unable' to propose a satisfactory substitute. THE STRIKE, , . Referring to the strike, he said it had taught us two, lessons —firstly, of the danger and unwisdom of our local unions being so connected with outside associa tions as to make it possible for them to be coerced into lines of. action which they themselves might strongly deprecate; and, secondly, that ,ifc was the duty of everyone to do his utmost to devise a scheme as a ready means to settle disputes, which might m the future arise l>etween capital and labor. He did not think the difficulty could be properly met by legislation. The solu tion must be the outcome of deliberation and mutual agreement between capital and labor. CONCLUSION : After referring to several local matters Sir Harry concludes:—"lfl have no heroic policy to oiler you, and knowing my opinions you will nob expect it of inc. with reliance upon our resources and upon ourselves, prudence m our finance and faith m our ultimate destiny, I am convinced, that our teniporary difficulties will disappear, that this fair land of ours will become the home of millions of happy and thriving people, who will emulate m these Southern s^as, the successes, but not the miseries of the great country from which we have sprung."

The Way I Manage John.

To think that twenty years have passed Since John and I were wed, And not a harsh or cruel word By either has been said. We've had our cures and trial6,such As other people meet, ( , .. But then we've had each other's smiles Howe'er the world should, greet. How have we lived with loving ways So long as man and wife 1 Why has not pain and discontent . Destroyed our joy m life ? The truth, my friends, is this, no more, We keep our love aglow, And when the fires of love are bright This world is free from woe. Tn courtship days when John would Come I always looked my best; I tried to have our home arranged In honour of my guest* His every wish I sought to please, I sought his conifort then ; This treatment pleased my dear good John And brought him back again. Dear John could never frown at me . For I was always kind, And kindness true will never leave Faultfinding m the mind. In those dear days I wisely vowed To live a wifely life, That John might ever bless the day When I became his wife. I always think that home is mine, And John its favoured guest. That when lie comes from out the world With me for him is rest. Kind friends may think 'tis endless toil To pass a life like this, But no, to ace his joy m home Yields me my greatest bliss. But who deserves a loving smile, Or kindness freely given, Who needs the aid of loving home, To gain a glimpse of heaven, So much as he who toils all day * ' To keep our wants supplied ? Then let us yield our sweetest smiles And be our husbands' pride ! -~" Detroit Free Press."

Malay Head-Hunters.

To obtain heads, which are drif d and preserved, just as the Indians dry; and preserve scalps, is the height of Dyak ambition. To secure these trophies, there are no dangers which a Dyak will not risk, albeit 'on I ordinary occasions sufficiently cautious of that skin of: his. The tribes are always at feud. with; one another, this mania for " heads " being a continual cause for quarrel. To usq the language of Mr Boyle, speaking of the great tribes of Sambas and Sakkarrang, 'Every year a cloud of murdering pirates issued from these rivers and swept the adjacent coasts. No man was safe by reason of. -his poverty and insignificance, for human heads were the booty sought by these rovers and not wealth alone. Villages were attacked m the dead of night, and every adult borne off; the women and grown. girte were frequently .slaughtered with the men, and children alone were preserved to be the slaves of the conquerors.- Never was warfare so terrible as this. Head-hunting, a 1 fashion of comparatively modern growth,

beoame * mania, which spread like * horrible disease over the whole land. No longer wore the trophies regarded as proofs , or individual valor ; they became the in discriminate property of the clan, and wove valued for their number alone: Murder Jurked m the jungle and on the river ; and the nged of tho people were no longer safe among their own kindred, at:d corpses were secretly disinterred to ,■ iucrea-c the grisly store. SupcrKtition soon added its ready impulse to the general movement.. The aged warrior. could nnc rest m his grave till his re lutions had* taken a head.' in'tus name ; . the maiden disdained * tho weak-hearted suitor whose hand wan not yet stained with some cowardly murder. .Bitterly did the Pahcgrann of KuchfiYg' regret .the folly which had disseminated this frenzy. , They themselves had fostered th,e blood- - thirsty superstition m: 'furtherance of political ends, but it had grown beyond their control, and the country was on* ,iod field of battle.and murder. ''Pretext* . for war were neither sought nor expected ; the possession of a human head, no matter , how. obtained, was • the sole happiness coveted throughoutfthe land.' —From " The Peoples of the )V>wld."

MAGISTERIAL.

ASHBURTON-THUR&DAI.

(Before tar C. A. Wray;R.SL) . CIVIL CASES, . Ashburton Publishing; Company v. H. Mayo, claim, -L 3 fes 8d; judgment for plaintiffs by default.~A. Rugg'v. T. Bul ger, claim 13s. Mr Cuthbertson for plaintiff, Mr Wilding for' defendant. Judgment for plaintiff, as defendant had promised to pay the amount. -Rugg r. Fergus, claim L 3 16s 3d. Mr Quthbert •on for plaintiff, Mr Wilding for defen dant. Judgment for plaintiff, for the amount claimed. '

TELEGRAPHIC

HOME AND FOREIGN.

[per fress association.] London, November 4. The Underground Electric Railway was successfully opened to-day at Chapham, a suburb of London. H.K.H. the Prince of "Wales performed the opening ceremony. s The City, Central, and Associated Chambers of Commerce, have caused a resolution to be carried that it is de sirable that all imported dead meat should be labelled from whence it came, when exposed for sale m,. British markets. . < General Booth hopes that within eighteen months he will be m a position to send out weekly batches ot settlers to the colonies which the Salvation Army proposes to establish m Aus tralasia; ' - v London, November 5. The Eight Hon. Mr Balfoiir is at present on a visit to Donegal, en quiring into the effects of the . potato blight. Sellers of the New Zealand Estates. Company's debentures complain that the Directors are delaying special settlements. The Right Hon. Mr ]?alfour received an ovation on his arrival m Donegal. " The Times "states that the Cana dian Government is willing to liberally subsidise the Pacific cable. The.result of the American elections yesterday is not yet known, but it is said that the Tammany Hall ticket'has been successful m New York.. It is rumored that McKinley has been de feated, and that the Democrats have . been successful m the return of their candidates. ,

AUSTRALIAN

Sydney, November 5. The Thomson-Hoiisten system of overhead electric tramway, has been successfully demonstrated here. Melbourne, November 5. The coal steamer *hich left Japan the same time as the ill-fated Alberta and which was reported as overdue has arrived here safely.

INTERPROVINCIAL

Grbymouth, November 6. News has just come m that the' Black Ball Coal Company struck the coal which they have been driving for for a long time. The tunnel was m 30ft when the manager, Mr Lindop, decided to bore before going further. The «qaj was struck after boring 40ft, almost according to the manager's calculations. Re bored 4ft through the coal, which seems of grand quality. It is estimated that there are nine million tons of coal which can be worked dry, being the largest area of similar coal formation known/ Wanganui, November 5. A man named John Pennell was killed at the Heads this afternoon. He was standing with his back against the side of a cutting lately made m connection with the new railway station, when a piece of earth fell and threw him against a dray, his head coming m contact with the back of the dray so that his brains were knocked out. The deceased was well known here, being a member of the Naval Brigade, Union Boating Club, and Fire Brigade. An inquest will be held to morrow. ' WEixnroTON* November 5. The coal supply foe household purposes is still short, and prices rule nigh. Kitchen and Sons' soap works has stopped operations for the present owing to want of coal. Further informations for stone throw ing were preferred to-day against the youths concerned m the late outrage at the Hutt, m which the young man Smith lost his. life, and the accused were fined 40s and costs. ■ ' - Government have definitely refused the labor party the block of land asked for m Forty Mile Bush. •r •

THE MARKETS

(TMfi FftEBS ASSOCIATION. (Received November 6, 10.20 a.m.) .London. November 6. The total quantity of wheat and flour anoit for the United Kingdom is 1,792,000 quarters; for the.Continent, 652,000 quarters. The American: visible supply is estimated at 211,480,OOObuBhels. New Zealand oats are worth 36a* The tallow market is dull, and shows a slight decline. Best mutton is at 26s 6d to 27s ; best beef, 25s to 25s 6d ; hides, 34t* 3|d. The money market w firmer. Three , months' bills are quoted at 5 per cent; Australian and New Zealand Mortgage shares, LI; New Zealand Trust and Loan Co. L 8 10s ; National Mortgage Go. of New Zealand, 10s ; New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, L2los.

The Christchurch Show

[PKR PRESS ASSOCIATION:] Christchoroh, : November 6. The Canterbury Metropolitan Agricul tural and Pastoral Society's Show opened to-day. The weather was threatening, but large numbers of people proceeded to the grounds. The Show, on the whole, 14

THE ASHBURTON ftUABDIAK, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1890.



WANTED CASH Advertisements under this heading not excesdm SIXTEEN JfFORDS 1/-. Addresses may be left at this Office. A SHBURTON LODGE, 1.0. G.T., JLjL will meet m Oran*e Hall, Friday, 7th inst., at 7.30. Sister Lodges cordially invitod. " 11 27 OWN~" make purest boiled Sweets. Importations selected from best makers. Fry's and Cadbury's chocolates. Renton's Dunedin biscuits at H. G. Flower's, Eaat Street. WANTED Known—The "Strong wear " Boot is the best for Men, 1 adies and Children.—W. H. Collier. \ \7 ANTED kiiown~-Ladie3~Stocking'* YV with Silk Toes and Heels m black and colors. Is (id per pair.—W. H. Collier. DOTS, BOOTS'! "Keep youi feet Dry and save Doctor's Bills, have a splendid Stock m now, Try my Double-doled Shooters. Every pair Guaranteed. Robert Alcorn, Ashbur ton Cloth ms 1 Mart, Sauriders' Buildincs. tj^ANT^l^wn7^"ForDressStun\ VV Prints, &c. , Trimmings to match go to Melford House. Best value m town.—H. C' Seobrs. '_ WANTED Known.—For Sheetings Tablings, Calicoes, Quilts, Towels, Table Napkins, Tray Cloths, D'Oyleys, &c, go to Melford House.—H. C. Segers. ANTED every man m the County to have a Biiit of the Ashburton Tweeds.—-Robert Alcorn, Ashburton Clothing Mart, Satinder's Buildings. ANTED Known.—For first-class Millinery and Drapery (marked cheap) go to Melford House. New Goods ust opened.-—H.C". Segers. 117 ANTED Known"— The~Cheapest V V Shop to buy Tinware and Gal vanised Iron goods m Ashbarfcon, is at W. F. Hannaford's, Burnett Street. A arge stock kept on hand. Tin. and Iron ware goods made and repaired with des patch.



We SPARROW TAILOR AND MEN'S M E R C E R. EAST STKFTCT. Spring and Summer, 1890. TRY THE NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTOEY FOR i Men's Colonial TWEED SUITS, Boys' and Youths' Colonial TWEED SUITS. HATS.—We keep the Largest and Best Selection. Hats made to measure. SUITS MADE TO MEASURE. Best workmanship put m every garment, a perfect fit guaranteed. Large Selpction of Boys'Knicker Suits. Ties, Shirts, Collars, Braces, &c, m Latest Fashion Mid Style. Bira Value for Cash m District NUWZBAIAND CLOTHING FACTORY W. H WEBBER, Manager



JAMES BAKER, TIMBER MERCHANT, HAVELOCK STREET Opposite Harbisons Auction Mart, XTAS IN STOCK Large Supplies of— S Building Timber, Stakes and Posts, GalVanised Corrugated Iron, Buildern Ironmongery, Turnery, Furniture, and Fancy Goods IN ENDLESS TARIETY. URNITURE MADE TO ORDER IN A»Y DESIGN AT SHORTEST NOTICE Sole Agent m-Ashburton for Cleggs Perambulators. SEEDS._SEEDSi VEGETABLE SEEDS. EARLY SEED POTTO ES,— Including "THE BEAUTY OF BATH," Which last season produced on Mr Dohmty's land, Tinwald, the enormous yield of Born- j thing over SEVENTEEN TONS PER ACRE. TpIFTY Pounds (601lw) of" The Beauty Jj of Bath "Seed produced thirteen and three-quarter Bags of Superh Potatoes. A. W. RANDELL FRUITGROWER*, &c, ASHBURTON.



kTOTIOE Is hereby given In pursuance of th« " Public Reserves Act, 18&," Cl. 5 and 6, thaj the Ashburton' Domain will be set apart for thi'Wild West. Show on Mondajt, 10th November, on which day charges will be male for •diuUaio%, thereto on the following scule, f iz.:—for each adult, Two Shillings ; for •a«h horse, One Shilling ; and for each trap, Ont Shilling. D. THOMAS, Mayor. Ashburton, October 17th,'1890. 10*110 ASHBURIuF" GUARDIAN dunediFagkmcy ' TiyTR R T WHEELER, Staffer Street, Dunedin, has been appointed our Agent, and will be able to arrange term with advertisers for contract advertise menes ARKEST AFRICA, cheap edition now M-rjved. First supply limited. N«w B«*ks, New Stationery, New Fancy Goods and Novoltios all «t reduced prices. Large assortment of New Music of every description. Pianos on hire and forsale on terms. Orders recoived for Book binding of every kind.—L. F. Aicdrbwim *Co