The Ashburton Guardian. Magna et Vertas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1890. DISTRIBUTING CHARITY.

Every person directly associated with the distribution of charity has arrived at the conclusion that a, grave mistake is made when alms or assistance is given to everyone who asks. The practice is freely condemned as one almost entirely responsible for the vast armies of professional beggars and mendicants who infest large centres of population, and towards whose support the State and the individual daily con tribute. A begging letter, a pitiful tale of want and suffering, a few hypocritical tears—these are the stock in-trade of professional pauperism, and highly remunerative they have proved and are daily proving m almost every country m the world. The stream of charity which should constantly flow towards deserving and bona fide help less persons is turned aside, and the hypocritical, indolent, and designing wax strong and grow fat. The days of the professional pauper would appear, how- j ever, to be numbered, as m all countries a strict supervision is being exercised over the distribution of public charity, and private persons are being warned not to give to everyone who asks before taking steps to investigate into the circumstances of each and every case. In distributing public charity m New Zealand of late years the utmost pre cautions have been taken to prevent the ratepayers' money from being frittered away or given to undeserving persons. The closest scrutiny and the keenest supervision is exercised to prevent, if possible, the raising of a host of professional beggars who are too in dolent to work to provide themselves with the necessaries of life. In the matter of private charity, on the other hand, the system of overlapping and indiscriminate giving is a fruitful source of anxiety to those, who while earnestly desirous of helping all who are m. distress, are nevertheless most anxious to prevent professional itn posters from trading upon the credulity of the people. What appears to be required to correct this evil is the establishment throughout the colony of branches of a Charity Organisation Society similar to that recently or ganised m Melbourne, the object of which is to make searching inquiries into cases of alleged distress, and report to those who are disposed to assist. The general public, m giving chanty, have no means of knowing whether or not the applicants are deserving, and to set on a personal inquiry for themselves is not con venient and would probably result unsatisfactorily. But with the es tablishment of a Charity Organ isation such as that recently organised m Melbourne, whose object is not to directly dispense charity, but rather to conduct the affairs of a private charity inquiry office m the interests of private and public charity organisa tions as well as private persons, there would be no difficulty m ascertaining whether applicants for relief were deserving of help or otherwise. At such an office a list of persons who live by begging could be kept, and at the same time other valuable, information and advice be given to benevolently dis posed persons, which would go a long way towards putting down the evil of professional pauperism. During the past year the Melbourne society have had "345 cases submitted to them for investigation, and of this number only 102 were reported as genuine, the balance being ticked as unsatisfactory or doubtful. The small percentage of genuine cases m this instance is truly astonishing, and shows the extent to •which a number of persons will go i i order to impose upon their fo'lows. Of the 345 cases referred to 256 were males, thus proving, what has been frequently asserted by those m charge of charity distribution, that the number of medicant impostors is largely com posed of men who are too lazy to work. There is too much reason to fear that, if a like number of cases were handed over to a similar body m New Zealand, the proportion of im posters or undeserving cases would be found almost as large as that m the sister colony. Fortunately our State system of Charitable Aid is not im posed upon to the same extent as formerly, the police rendering valuable assistance to the public bodies m re porting upon doubtful cases submitted to them. This precaution, unfortu nately, fails to cover the whole ground, and only assists to check pro fessional pauperism, not to suppress it. It is upon private charity that mendi cants and professional importers princi pally exist, and it Is only by the establishment of Boards of Inquiry similar to that m working order m Melbourne that such cases can be efficiently dealt with. The principle upon which such institutions exist is to carry out the precept: "If a man will not work (and is able to do so) neither shall he eat."

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Premier of Victoria says that there is plenty work m Melbourne for those who are earnest m seeking it. Saturday's express will connect at LyMel ton with the Monowai, for Sydney, via Wellington and Auckland, Mails close at Ashburton at 6.20 p.m. It is a common practice m many parts of India to oblige persona suspected of crime to chew dry rice m the presences of the officer of the law. Carious as it may appear, such is the intense influence of fear on the salivary glands that if they are actually guilty there is no secretion o^ sniiva m the mouth, and chewing is impossible. /Such culprits generally confess without further orders. On the contrary a consciousness of innocence allows a propel' fluid for (softening the rice. Mr Barnes, the contactor for the erection of the remaining part of the Arcade, commenced work last week, and Is making good progress. When completed the Arcade will form one grand corered way from Burnett Street to Tancred Street. The brickwork has been finished for some time, an 4Mr Barnes'well-known push and energy will allow no time to be lost m continuing tiie fine archway from street to street. As the wheel of time has again ushered m the busy spring, tv&d to be prepared to supply the requirements of Nature and of their numerrms patrons, Messrs .?. Scaly and Co. have completed their selection ot seeds, which are of the choicest samples obtainable, ( j st 1 which include elov*rs, turnips, man- , golds, carroty rape, perennial ryegi-ass, j cocksfoot, elephant-swede, garden and flower .seeds m endless variety, and garden requi sites of every description. For the conve nience of patrons who ca-nnot wia'ke tlifcir j purchases during the day the premises will j be open to nine p.m. ou f-jaturday evemugs on and after the Wb A»g«rt,-<A4vt/) '

When a Japanese feels cross he vents his vrath m a foreign tongue—if, of course, he lappens to know one. The Japanese anguage is quite destitute of " swear- A'onl.s." Tlie inquest on George V. Clarke, who va,i drowned m Ljttelton harbor on August >, and whose body was recovered tiie day before yesterday, was held yesterday, The >ody was fully identified and a verdict of ' found drowned " was returned. The biennial election of Commissioners for Cinwald Town Board took place yesterday md resulted a3 follows:—Messrs Edward h\tcn, 43 votes; James Gudsell, 34; Martnaduke Redmayne, 30; Mark Scott, Hi; Thomas Williams, 26 ; John M. Hamp ;ou, 21. The first five were declared elected. The quarterly meeting of Court Ashbur ;on, No. 6729, A.0.F., was held last night .v the Orange Hall. There was a lull ittendance of members, and the financial >usimv3S done amounted to .£2O. It was lecided to hold a " social" on a date to be ixed about the middle of October, on which occasion the Art Union would be drawn, tickets for which may be obtained from any .ncniber of the Lodge. The Lyttelton Harbor Board resolved yesterday to take immediate steps to pro- i vide cool storage for butter, meat, fish, etc., \t Lyttelton. It was stated at the Harbor Board's meeting that there was only suffi cient coal to supply the Board s requirements m port until Friday next. It was decided to inform the contractors (Grey Valley Coal Company) that penalties would be enforced if ■ they failed m their contract. It is confirmed that Prince Bismarck is engaged at Friedrichsruhe m writing his memoirs, but they will not be of a political character—so the "Daily News'" Berlin correspondent has been informed. The ex- Ohancetlor considers himself bound to secrecy regarding the political events m which he took part m an official capacity. His book ay ill therefore have the character of sketches of those persons with whon the Prince has come into contact during his iong career m office. Anglo-Australian m the " European Mail" writes: —Many of my readers will, lamaure, be pleased* to learn that m the opinion of the London Miller, "never, perhaps, has New Zealand wheat played so important a part on the Mark Lane Corn Exchange as within the past six weeks." It aeems, from what I can gather, thac, consequent on the poor state of much of the Home wheat, there has been quire an extraordinary demand for the white wheat of New Zealand; and it is asserted that more than one firm has cleared over 4000 quarters m a single morning. I quite agree, too, with the Miller m its remark that at its best New Zealand wheat possesses very much of the mellowness and swee.t flavour which is so characteristic of the British wheat, and that the many experts hold that it is the best substitute for that article. A return presented to Parliament shmvs that there are m the colony 51 estates over 2000 acrc3 m area and £10,000 m value ownfd by absentees. The area of the f>l estates ia 1,027,399 acres, the value £1,(535,28!). Ten of the estates are m Can terbury, the owners, county, area, and value respectively being—B. Bealey, Selwyn, 11,.93 acres, £44,497; M. I. Brown, Ash burton, 9101 acres, £47,088; H. aud W. Chamberlain, Ashley, 2807 acres, £13,220; 11. and W. Chamberlain, Selwyn, 2521 acres, £12,000; T. Ellis, Ashley, 3897 acres, £19,2">0: H. Hoare, Geraldine, 17,334 acres, £71, 136; T. King, Geraldine, 2514 acres, £31,773; B. R. Langton, Ashley, 3940 acres, £13,229: Sir E. W. Stafford, Selwyn, 230!) acras, £21,935; R. Strachey, Ashburton, 2876 acres, £11,965. The total area and value of these 10 Canterbury estates are r>9.292 acres, an d £286,020. In the Nile campaign of 1889 Serra was the scene of an act of great personal bravery on the part of an English officer which it is a pleasure to record. It will well explain, says " Blackwoo.l's Magazine" the kind of warfare they were engaged m. Bimbashi Judge, of the thirteenth battalion, had been ordered to land at Serra village with fifty men, as a strong party of dervishes threatened an attack there. He landed his men, and taking twelve of them with him he proceeded on foot to the western side of the village to see if there was any sign of the enemy. Suddenly a number of the enemy's cavalry appeared from behind the sand-hills. The men with him precipitately fell back and left him alone. Calling on them to stand lie fell back slowly. There were seven dervish horsemen altogether. Instead of charging straight down on him m a body and despatching him, they tried to deliber ately surround him. This enabled him to use his revolver and disable three of them as they closed round him. By this time the fourth man an Emir, was on him. Judge /[tiding that his sword had no effect on the thick padded coat and turban of the Emir, and being a very tall and powerful man him self, a3 a last desperate resort, seized the man by the collar, tore him from his horse, and ran his sword through him. Just then nil his men came up and despatched the re mainder of the enemy, The tweive men who had suddenly lost their presence of mind and deserted him on their return to the regiment went up to their commanding officer and reported the matter. A fire occurred yesterday afternoon m Burnett street, m an old stable just m rear of the Ashburton Brass Band's practice room. It appears that Mr S. B. Nelson, builder, had been at work upon the building that day, putting on some new weather boarding on parts where repairs were wanted. He had finished his job, and had locked the place up when some children gave the alarm that the stable was on fire. The fire bell was immediately rung, and the Brigade turned out promptly. The curricle engine was set to work at once, and within ten minutes from the ringing of the bell was playing upon the stable. The steam engine made its maiden effort upon a real fire two or three minutes later, bnt the curricle had done all the work that could be done by that time. In fact, the process of reducing the whole building to charcoal took less than half an hour, but ample evidence was given of how useful the steamer would be when real work comes to be required of it. How the lire originated is not known, and Mr Nelson can form no idea about it at all. He is not a smoker, had no use for matches, and used none that day; and the crackling noise which he heard at first he attributed to some lads throwing stones on the roof. It was a fortunate thing the weather was calm—not a breath stirring—otherwise there would have been a danger of a fairly large lire. Within a few yards of the burning building stood the large livery stables of Mr Totty, and beyond these the Somerset Hotel. A few yards eastward was another stable belonging to Mr Baker, while the fence of the " Mail" office enclosure required several good drencliings to preserve its entirety, The burnt building was the property of Mr Robert Maeintyre, Ashbur ton Forks, but if insured, or to what amount we were not ablo to learn. The sixteenth anniversary of the Star of the East Lodge, 1.0.d.T., was celebrated last night by a tea meeting, with an enter tainment to follow. There was abundance of good things provided by the sisters, the only thing to be regretted being that there were not more of the public present to partake of them, At the after meeting, however, there was a good attendance, not a few country friends having conic m to the entertainment. Rev. J. Sawle Mas chair man, and there were -with him on the plat form Revs. J. N. Buttle, and J. H. Gray All three, as well as the Rev. E. A. Scott, delivered addresses on temperance, m the course of which the young men were urged to liaye tlieir names placed upon the pjll, no that when they were called upon to record their votes, they could do so m favor of the temperance candidates. A musical pro gramme of considerable length was gone through, the items of which were contributed by members <«f the Order, and Mesdaiues Barrow and Burfoot, and Miss Steele ; Mr and Miss Simmons (violinists), Messr.s Pickford, Counter ? Flower, Gamble, Minnis, and otljers. Not the least interesting part of the progcainme was the campanological performance of Mr Marsdeij on an octave and a half of bells. Mr Marsdcn manipu lates his bells with no little skill, and seems aqualjy at home whether the music he essays be an Irish jig or the National Anthem, He ilso played a melody on an octave of whisky bottles,, graduated m point of fullness (with water) to produce the several notes of the "suini v. The bottles were scarcely as well m tune as a. fastidious ear would have liked, lni;t they were cleve"ly manipulated. The usual votes of thanks dosed, a very successful

THE JUDGE EDWARDS AP POINTMENT.

Whenever the Atkinson Ministry have interfered with the judicial Bench they' have made a sad bungle. When a successor was required for one of the late judges the Government " hawked " the position round the country, and offered it to almost every lawyer of note m the colony. No one couldbe found to accept, because a feeling existed that, rather than give the position to a, District Judge who Was fairly entitled to it, the Ministry would have offered it to the "man m the street." This feeling, naturally enough, served to discount the honor attachable to selection, and it really appeared at one time as if a successor to the de ceased Judge would not be found m the colony. At length, however, a well-known and able lawyer was found, j who accepted the Judgeship and who is now an ornament to the judicial Bench. The Ministry were so severely rated over this appointment, that it was fully expected they would learn wisdom, and that m any future appointments or in interference with the administration of justice the utmost caution and discretion would be exercised. This expectation was not realised, for scarcely had the foregoing episode died out of the public mind, ere one member of the Cabinet took it upon himself to interfere with the administration of justice by the District Judge before referred to ; but owing to the manner m which his (the Minister's) conduct was con demned m the House and throughout the country, lie had to resign his portfolio. Two blunders of this kind should have been sufficient for any ordinary Ministry, but the Atkin son Ministry are not an ordinary Ministry, and a third bungle has now been perpetrated through the unconstitutional appointment of a sixth Judge, m direct contravention of the Constitution Act. Here, again, the Ministry has trailad the Supreme Court Bench through the mire, causing the name of Judge Edwards to be bandied about m the House and throughout the country. Under the plea, for which there has never appeared the slightest justification, that the work of the colony w.is too great to be overtaken by the present judges, a sixth judge, (Judge Edwards was appointed during the recent recess at a salary of £IG2I. No indication of the inten tion to make this appointment was given previously, and when theappoint ment was made public the Govern ment were accused on all sides of extravagance, a charge which has been well sustained by the House, which has refused to ratify the appointment or vote the necessary salary. No Government could be placed m a more humiliating position than this, but the Acting-Premier and his colleagues do not appear to feel it, and are content to hold office at all hazards, until unmistakeably ejected by the vote of the electors of the colony—a con tingency which we trust is no>v not fai'°off.

The London Wool Sales.

[Vtm PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

(Received Sept. 17, 7.35 p.m.) London, September 16. At the wool sales to-day, 7000 bakw were offered, most of which were of poor selection. There was a good attendance of buyers, and competition was of nit ani mated character. The prices ruling were generally on a par with those at the J nly series. Crossbred medium merinoes had a slightly upward tendency. The .New Zealand Fanners' Co-operative Association of Canterbury, Limited, report through their London agent, under date August 9th, as follows :— Wool—Arrivals for the September sales amount, to about 132,000 bales, of which some 53,000 bales are from New Zealand. Wheat—The weather of the past fortnight s been, on the whole, bright and season able ; although much of the damage done m July by heavy rains cannot be repaired, not a little of the ground then lost has now been recovered. The English harvest has commenced m the earliest districts, and now goes on under generally favorable auspices. The wheat crop m France is turning out lather more satisfactorily than was recently anticipated, and under the circumstances it is only natural that there has been a lull m the market for foreign wheats. The American and Indian mamets on the other hand have been stiffer, so that prices here have been less adversely affected than might have been expected, having regard to the weather experienced, and the market closes at about the level last recorded. New Zealand wheat has maintained its value better than other descriptions, owing to the present great scarcity of English on the country exchanges. The cargo trade has been rather quieter. French buyers have held off the market, and m some instances have re-offered their recent purchases while still off the coast. We quote as follows for "New Zealand wheat, viz:—Sound long berried, fair to good, 37s to 38s per 4961b5, ex store; sound short berried, fair to good, 36s 6d to 37s per 49t»lbs, ex store. New Zealand Beans—The market has been quiet but fairly steady, values being strengthened by the advance m the prices of other feeding stuffs. Old crop parcels are still quoted at 31s 6d to 32s per 5041b5, ex store. New Zealand Oats have maintained their recent improvement, and heavy qualities are worth about 26s to 2Ss per 3841b5, ex store. New Zealand Barley—The market is steady for malting descriptions. New crop of New Zealand is making 34s to 36s per 4481b5, ex store. Butter—The few New Zealand parcels available have been of very low quality, and saleable only as grease at los to 22s per cwt. Cheese —A quiet trade has passed at about former rates for the belter qualities; but inferior sorts have been very slow of sale at rather lower prices. New Zealand consign ments have comprised a very indifferent selection. The best qualities have made 40s to 46s per cwt, but these are practically cleared out. Secondary and inferior lots make about 28s to 36s per cwt, while some are offered at 10s to 15s per cwt without finding bnyers. New American makes up to 42s to 44s per cwt but meets a dragging sale. Frozen Meats, etc.—■V/arm weather and holiday arrangements have interfered with the general demand, and, as supplies of home-fed meats have been more than equal to the wants of consumers, values have not been supported, except for prime small mutton. The American beef market after a slight recovery last week has again, collapsed. Frozen Mutton—Stocks have been greatly m excess of current require ments, and the almost simultaneous arrival of a number of large cargoes at a time of yoir when tha demand is usually falling off haf had a most depressing effect upon the j market. As these receipts have been pretty widely distributed, buyers have been kept supplied beyond their actual needs, and the result has naturally been a reduction m virtues. Unfortunately, too, the quality and condition of recent arrivals have been by no means satisfactory. During the past two months the majority of. the steamers arriving have brought their cargoes m a more or less "soft"state, some boiug partly "spotted" or " mildewed," and others with more sgerious damage. Ever sine? the dock strike last autumn the work of discharging steamers has been greatly retarded by the refusal of the laborers to work overtime, and }n warm weather thp delay thereby caused is detri mental to cargoes which arrive slightly out of condition.,' IJnder the circumstances,

values have been maintained quite as well us could have been looked for, but a decline of Jcl to |d per 1b has, nevertheless, been established since the date of our last report. New Zealand Lamb—Further fresh arrivals having exceeded the volume of sales, stocks have been undesirably augmented when the bulk of the season's trade is over. A reduc tion of to per 1b has been accepted m order to effect sales. Small, thiu'carcases, tind parcels out of condition, are 'v;pedatly (lillicnU to sell. The demand throiiphout the provinces has lately been unusually restricted.

Addington Stock Markets.

Chbistchuroh, September 17. ' The weather was excellent for the .sale, b"ut the entries m all departments were limited. Store Sheep.—Only one small pen of store ewes and lambs Avere entered, and these formed no criterion of the market. Fat Sheep. —The early approach of shearing, the closing of two freezing works, and the springing grass combined to make farmers and graziers hold their stock, the result being that less than 2500 fat sheep were yarded. Of these a considerable number were merinos, and of no special quality, which brought from 9s 6d to 14s for wethers ; average light weight crossbreds realised from 13s 3d to 17s ; while a capital line of Hampshire Down cross fetched as follows—wethers, to 21s 6d ; maiden ewes, 20s; mixed ewes, 17s. Fat Catile. — One hundred and twenty-three were yarded, the bulk of which was piime beef, which commanded good prices. Best bullocks fetched from £9 10s to £11 5s ; cows from £5 os to £8 15s; and mixed quality at lower rates; The average for best beef was 25s to 28s fid per lOOlbs, and for cow and inferior quality 21s to 245. Store and Dairy Cattle.—There was only a small entry of mixed lots of store j cattle, and m these there were no leading lines. They produced, however, a same what keener competition, and anything approaching condition for killing sold freely, but the young stock were mostly withdrawn. A few two-year-old heifers old at £1 10s to £2 12s ; steers of the ame age from £1 16s to £3 2s ; a few yearlings brought up to £1 Is per head. Pigs.—The entry was very small and confined to a few porkers and store pigs. There was a total absence of baconers.

A Strange Disease.

It is reported that the inhabitants of fishing villages along the Newfoundland coast are dying by hundreds of an un known epidemic. Nothing has, so far, proved a cure, nor has any alleviation been found. The disease marches from liouse to house, from victim to victim, with nothing to stay its awful progress. The first reports of the epidemic reached Sfc .John's on August G, by the arrival of a coasting steamer. The captain reported to the health authorities that, while touching at Lapolle, he was informed that a strange epidemic had broken out m Coachman's Cove. The people thought it a virulent type of diphtheria called "black throat." There being no regular physi cian on the coast, nothing definite is known except that not a single person ao far attacked had recovered. Other pecu liar features were that many cases of death ensued m 36 hours after the disease appeared, and putrefaction set m the moment life left the body. The popula tion of Coachman's Cove is but little over 150, yet nearly half that numbe' 1 had died since the first outbreak.

Fishing up a Mermaid.

The " Glasgow Mail" is responsible for riie following :■ —W. W. Stanton, mate of (lie schooner Addie Schaeffer, now lying at the Market House Dock, Jacksonville, while fishing for bass 300 miles off St Augustine, drew his line, and found en tangled therein the strangest fish, if it is a fish, that has ever been caught. This strange creature is about Bft long, pure white and scaleless. The head and face are wonderfully human m shape and feature. The shoulders are well outlined and very much resemble those of a woman, and the bosom is well defined and shows considerable development, while the hips and abdomen continue the human appearance. There are four flippers, two of which are placed afc the lower termina tion of the body, and give one the im pi ession that Nature made an effort to supply the strange creature with lower limbs. Mr Stanton confesses to quite a fright on first sight of his queer prize, which on being drawn on board, gave utterance to a low moaning cry, which might easily hare been mistaken for the sobbing of a baby. It is exceedingly un fortunate that Mr Stanton did not succeed m keeping the creature alive, which he thinks might have been done, as the strange object lived two days after being taken. The schooner has been thronged all day by curious visitors, who express much wonder and astonishment at the strange object. Mr Stanton, after visiting several ports and showing his queer creature, will devote it to the Smith sonian Institution. The fish or mermaid is m a large six-feet glass jar m alcohol.

TELEGRAPHIC

HOME AND FOREIGN.

[per tress association.]

London, September 16. The difficulty with the P. and O. Company's laborers has been settled. 11.M.5. Ruapehu arrived at Ply mouth yesterday with her meat m good condition. In reply to Mr Thos. Archer, Agent- General for Queensland, Lord Knuts ford states that frozen meat was not purchased for use m the army owing to general complaints of its quality. The statement that Mr John Dillon is to be called as a witness m the O'Shea divorce case is denied. News from Bagamoyo represents the Arabs as m a state of jubilation at the German proclamation legalising slavery, but there is a general feeling of dis gust throughout Europe. The ravages of potato blight m Ireland are deplorable. Public meet ings'are being held, at which the speakers insist the Government should interfere to relieve the sufferers, The " Times " expresses a hope that the splendid mining collection at the Crystal T?alaoe will form the nucleus of a permanent exhibition. St Petkksbuucj, September 16. j The Russian press declare that the improved relations between Russia and Austria make it impossible for the latter power to have confirmed the Triple Alliance, which it is said to have extended for a further period of seven years. Rio de Janeiro, September 16. The elections which are proceeding are conducted m a very peacable manner. The success of the Re publican party is assured, Berlin, September 16. By a colliery explosion at Saarbruck, m Rhenish Prussia, twenty-four miners were killed. The Emperor and Chancellor meet the Emperor of, Germany and Count Kalnoky m Silesia to-morrow, for the purpose, it is rumored, of fixing the term of the Triple Alliance.

Bernk, September Hi. The Federal Commissary despatched to Ticino by the Central Government threatens to resign if the reinstatement of the deposed Government is insisted upon. r Vienna, September 16. The removal of the famous " Iron Gates" on the Danube, between Orsova and Turu-Severin, m order to facilitate the navigation of the river, has been commenced. Washington, Sept. 16. McKinley's Tariff Bill comes into operation m February. _ London, September 17. IT.M.S. Ringdove has been commis sioned for the Australian station. The Austrian warship Taurus has foundered m the Black Sea, and 73 of her crew were drowned. London, Sepfcemkar 17. It is feared that the Portuguese Cortes will rej ectthe Angalo-Portuguese Convention. Madrid. September 16. A fire has broken out m the Alham bra Palace at Granada, and the names are still raging. The principal Courts are uninjured. Incendiarism is sus pected.

AUSTRALIAN

Melboxtrne, September 17. A seam of brown coal, believed to be the largest m the world, has been discovered at Morwell, m the county of Bulnbuln, 88-f miles east of Mel bourne. The seam is 597 ft thick.

INTERPROVINCIAL

Auckland, September 17. The cutter Lark, of Auckland, has been wrecked at Motata, and her master, Peter Jonas, drowned. Wellington, September 17. The next quarterly communication of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand is U> be held m Auckland towards the end of next month. His Excellency left for Christchurch to day. Mr j. Duthie announces himself a can didate for Wellington City at the general election,

Labor Questions.

[JP.BR PRESS ASSOCTATIOX.] London, September 16. The Dockers' Unions have received a letter from the leaders ©f. the Wool Shearers' Union m Australia, but de cline at present to make known its contents or anything as to what action is likely to be taken m blocking ships. They pay, however, they will adopt a policy of extreme caution m. view of the short amount of funds and the recently established shipowners' federa tion, and declare there Avill be time enough to decide on. action when the ships lacfan with wool begin to arrive. The Shipping Federation to-day re ceived a deputation from the Federated Association of Shipmasters and Officei's, who are desirous of joining m order to have greater strength m resisting coercion by the Seamen's Union. Dis gust was expressed by members of the deputation at the officers m Australia joining with the other Unions, The English Association was willing;to go to any length rather than submit to the oppression of Seamen's Unions. If owners decided to lay up their ships, the officers would submit to the pecuniary loss. The Chairman of the Shipping Federation intimated that he was favorable to the matter being considered on the 19th inst. The work of the Federation hitherto, he said, had only been supported by owners, and officers who were agains* such coercion Burns announces that the Unionists will accord a hearty welcome to Mr Fitzgerald, the delegate, who is visit ing England to rouse the sympathy of the dockers' and other Unions with the Australian strikers. The lock-out of the P. and 0. men by the Albert Dock Company is denied. The " Chronicle" condemns the manifesto put out by the Australian employers. The difficulty with the P. and O. Company's laborers has been settled. London, Sept. 17. Fifteen of the leaders of the South ampton rioters have been committed for trial. Houghton, of the Melbourne' I'Trades Hall, has cabled to Mr J. Shipton, Secretary of the Trades' Counpil, ask ing for funds. Sydney, September 17. Nineteen of the crew of the steamer Saxton, who were arrested for refusing to shovel a small quantity of coal from the hatchway so that the hatches might be put on, have been acquitted on technical grounds. The Mayor has received a letter from the shipowners, stating that the latter are now discussing the question of ships' articles, which will be ready at an early date, and if the men accept the terms they will be engaged without delay. The Labor .Defence Committee has called out the Amalgamated Engineers to the number of 2000, who are not connected with the Marine Engineers. No further steps have been taken towards declaring a general strike, a truce having been arranged, as the Mayor has not concluded arrange ■ ments. Preparations are, however, completed if it is decided to be neces sary to enforce calling the men out. The special constables who have been sworn m will commence active duty to-morrow night, they taking two-hour shifts. The strike of vanmen and carters is having a serious eflect on trade. Brisbane, September 17, The Pastbralists and Employers' Association has voted a sum of £1000 to the Federated Employers' Associa tion. Melbourne, September 17. Negotiations are proceeding between the Labor Council and employers for a conference. There is great excitement m trade circles at the prospect of a general strike.

Wellington, September 17. On the arrival of the steamer Huia from Westporfc this morning $ie crew gave twenty-four hours' notice tjjo leave. The vessel had recently been placed m commission again and was sent to West porb for a cargo of coal for t|ie Grey Valley Coal Company, but as ib'was be lieved the cargo was really for the Union Company she had to return m ballast. The vessel is to be laid up, and the ciw of the same Company's steamer Stormbird are to be called out on her arrival from

Gi'oymotitl). Pro!i;;.l;ly a non-union crow will l)o shipped. At a meeting of wharf laborers* it was decided that the present struggle should be maintained. Vacancies on the perma nent wharf staff have been filled, Mr J. R. Blair has been requested by several of the leaders of the labor party to move m the direction -of., bringing about a .settlement of certain matters m connec tion with the strike, and has, it is stated, agreed to do what, hd can. It is stated a meeting; of the Maritime Council will shortly be held m Welling ton. A. melee occurred at the White. Swan Hotel last night. li: is asserted that several men, the wor.se for liquor, visited the hotel demanding drinks, which Alex. Black, the licensee, refused to serve, it being after hours. The men threatened to help themselves, when Black armed. himself with a revolver, and demanded that they should leave the house. Some did, but others refusing, Black fired a shot over their heads to frighten them. After leaving the house, Black states that, .the men were groping about apparently for some missile to throw at him, and he fired a second shot over their heads. The matter is being investigated by the police. The Railway Commissioners have issued a circular to all employees m which their decision not to reinstate the men is em phasised. Strike matters generally are quiet, and there are no demonstrations on the wharves. The special constables have been dismissed until further notice. Messrs D. P. Fisher,' Graham, and Kitto, of the Federated Trades and Labor Council, had an interview with Sir H. Atkinson, when the labor difficulty was discussed. It is understood that no ar rangement was come to. Auckland, September 17. The Anti-Poverty Society has'suggested the nationalisation of the land as the best means of preventing labor troubles. The supply of non-union labor m Auck land is m excess of the demand. Inveucarcull, September 17. . Watt, the second officer of the .V'aihora, who wdis thrown into the hold at the Bluff last week, and had his leg broken, died m the hospital this afternoon. The cause of death was internal injuries.. ( The following message was sent from Chrisfcchurch last night :—"Railway Com missioners, Wellington. Executive not only wish interview with Commissioners on question of _ reinstatement of men, but also to arrange basis on. which recurrence of strike may be obviated m future. Would urge upon Commissioners to re consider decision re receiving deputation from Executive.—-W. J. Edwards."

LYTTELTON.

Matters m connection with the strike re dragging slowly along. The several vessels m Port are all loading cargo by non-union labor, and although it is absurd to attempt to make anyone of an impartial mind believe that " everything is going on as if no trade dispute existed," yet they are doing fairly well, just as well, m fact, as they can reasonably be expected to do. The Rotokino v/as. loading pro duce throughout the day, and is expected to get away to-day for Pictoh and Austra lian ports. Every day sees extra non union laborers brought down from Christchurch, and the supply exceeds the demand ; but it is stated, that those whq are brought clown day after day and not employed are paid 5s per day. If this be true, and these inviting conditions con tinue to be held out, "no doubt those requiring labor will soon get sufficient men to meet their requirements, even if they should not be quite up to the mark of those who have been accustomed *6 per form the work at Lyttelton.—" Lyttelton Times."

Latest Telegrams.

(Received September 18, 10.30 a.m.) Sydney, September 18. Strike matters are quiet. Brisbane, September 18. Sailed—Taieri for "Wellington. Melbourne, September 18. Arrived Waihora. Wellington, September 18. The Harbor Board have filled up all the vacant places with non-unionists. .

TO-DAY'S TELEGRAMS

[per press association.]

I*ftrliiim«ntAr.y. Wellington, September 18. Parliament will probably be dissolved about September 28. Another batch of northern members left by a special train this'morning to join the Hinemoa at New Plymouth. Mr J. Sperry, Property-tax Commis sioner, died last night of meningitis super vening on an attack of gout. Deceased was, born m 1827, and had a lengthy official experience m Otago. He became Land Tax Commissioner under the Grey Government, and also Property Tax Commissioner. The charge of shooting against Black, of the Whibe Swan hotel, was dismissed, the Bench holding that the shots were not fired with the intention of doing bodily harm. j TiMARtx, September 18. .Judge Ward gave judgment m an action for damages for injuries through a horse putting his foot through a plank on a country road bridge. The Judge held that it was the duty of the Council to keep bridges on county roads m: repair Avhilst m continuous use* for ordinary traffic. . The weight of evidence showed that the plank was worn and rotten, and the Council had not used reasonable dili gence, and consequently were responsible. Dunedin, September 18. The ringleaders of the boys who escaped from the Industrial School, and robbed a farmer's house, were to-day ordered back to the institution by the Resident' Magi strate, and sentenced to receive a whipping. Tt rhfltc»int»« and Toiiilm School Hooka The Naseby School Committee, as a protest against the boycott; -has decided to use Whitcombe and Tombs' school publications. ;

MAGITERIAL.

ASHBURTON -THURSCAY,

(Before Messrs Hugo Friedlander, and Donald Williamson, J.P.s') Borough by-laws.—Henry Marton was fined 20s and 14s costs for'having left his horse and cart unattended m a public place for an undue length of timd. Civil cases.—Ledington v ;Brown, claim £7 16s 4d ; Hanks y same, claim £5 7s Id. Judgment by default m both cases. ■ i ' ■-,

Nervous Horses.

Finely bred, intelligent horses are often very nervous, says the " Horseman." They are quick to notice, quick '■ to take alarm, quick to do what seems to them m moments of sudden terror necessary to escape from possible harm, from something they do not understand. That is what makes them shy, bolt and run away. We cannot tell what awful suggestions strange things offer to their minds. For ijiught we can tell, a sheet of white paper m tlie road may seem to the nervous ,: horse a I yawning chasm ; the open front pf a baby carriage, the jaws of a dragon feady to devour him, and a man on a bicycle some terrifying sort of flying devils without wings. But we find that the moment he be comes familiar with those things or any other that, s affright him, and

kno-.-.s v.-]>.at they are, ho grows i-'iuiiibient to them. Therefore when your hovse shies at anything, make him acquainted with it, let him smell it, touch it with Ins sensitive upper lip, sv.nl look closely at it. Remember too, that you must familiarise botli sides of him with the dreaded object. If he only examines it- with the near nostril and eye he will be very likely to scare at it when it appears on the offside. So then i-atfcle your paper, beat your brass drum, butter your utn brella, run your baby carriage and your. bicycle, fire your pistol and clatter your tinware on both sides of him and all around him,until he comes to regard the noise simply as a nuisance, arid the material objctis as only trivial things liable to get hurt if they are m his way. He may,not.learn all.-thafci» jane, lesson, but continue the lesson and you will cure all his nervousness.

PARLIAMENTATY

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17.

The Council met at 2.30 p.m. GOLD DUTY ABOLITION BILL. It was reported that the conference had effected a compromise on the Gold Duty Abolition Bill to the effect that the miners' rights should be fixed at 10s after the 31st March, 1891, and that the new clause be struck out. The report was agreed to. END OP THE SESSION. • The Council resumed at 5 o'clock, when the assent of the Governor to the measures passed during the session was received, and the proceedings were brought to a close.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The House met ac 10 a.m. . THE UNION COMPANY AND THE XA^IOKAD 1■ ■■ ' : .., ' PARK. , , .• ■ ', Replying to questions- Mr, Mifcchelson said the Government could not take into consideration the question of purchasing the Union Oompanys fleet. I'he comple tion of the purchase of the Ruftpehu National Park, had be-in delayed by some of fche native owners asking pro hibitive prices; Is 6d an acre was enough to give for it. The Govern menfc would continue their efforts to com plete the purchase. , THfl APPROPRIATION BILLS. The Appropriation Bill for £2,076,709 and Public Works Appropriation Bills were introduced, read a second time and committed. - Speaking on the motion for the third reading of the Appropriation Bill, Mr Ballance referred to the memorandum sent down to the House yesterday by the Auditor-General respecting the reduction lately made m the Audit Department, He could only say that the Auditor- General had not been correctly informed as to the proceedings of the House, or he would not have forwardeid such an alarm ing document as' that..' If the Auditor- General made the reductions which he in dicated, he would not be following the instructions of the House. He (Mr Bal lance) was of opinion that an assistant Auditor-General was not required at all, and if the Auditor-General reduced the efficiency of the Department, he would not be following put the wishes of the House*, Referring to the oonduct of business m the House, he wished to acknowledge the, invariable fcpurtesy ex hibited during the.session- by the Acting- Premier, but he could not compliment the Government oh the manner m which they had carried on the business. This he attributed chiefly to the absence of the Premiep from the House* >He (Mr Ballance) sympathised deeply with the Premier m his present illness, but he felt at the same time that any honorable gentleman who was entrusted with the leadership of the House should have full responsibility m doing so, otherwise the business could not be transacted satisfac torily. He went on to refer to the failure of the Government to pasa several Bills which had been promised by the Govern ment last session, especially; the Civil Service Bill, the Bankruptcy Bill, and the Charitable Aid Bill. Th» Jfact of those Bills not having been through the House, showed that the Government had not a true appreciation of the necessities of the country. Then as to ? the Labor Bills. The House had shown every desire to pass those measures, but as the Govern ment possessed a large majority m the other House (no) those Bills were defeated m that Chamber. He believed, however, that much of the evils of the present ses sion might have been avoided if the Government had dissolved Parliament during the session. Referring to the proposed defence scheme, he hoped that the Government intended to avail themselves of the services of country volunteer corps, as, if they did so, there would be no necessity for a partially paid force, which would be the nucleus of a standing army; As to the question of land administration, they were promised a Bill to prevent dummyism, but he asked where that Bill was. It was proved that the law had been evaded m many instances, which, m his opinion, amounted to dummyism ; and nothing else. Yet nothing had been done to check it. There was nothing to his mind which was more likely to settle the cquntry than by enabling people to get land for bonaf.de purposes, but his opinion was that the administration of the land foi;«the last three years had been a miserable failure. He spoke strongly- against the aggrega tion of large estates which had been allowed to take place, and contended that nothing but population and putting people on to the land would settle the colony satisfactorily. He defended the action of the Opposition with regard to the reduc tion m the Estimates, and said that they were actuated by right motives m making those reductions, and that the retrench ment party were entitled to the whole credit for combining with the Opposition m effectingjthe reductions. They had saved about £50,000, and they had also exercised a careful control of the Estimates by their action, as well as promoted! economy m the public service. As, to the Property Tax, if the Auckland members had been as earnest m their opposition to that tax as they professed to be, they would have supported; every proposal to repeal it. He was one of those who believed that pro perty should bear some taxation, and if theProperfcy Tax were removedsome other impost should be-.{substituted, fpr it. His own opinion was that a graduated land tax was the preferable one, afld he con sidered that such a tax as that could be defended on sound economic principles. Referring to the charges against the Government by the member for Waitotara, he was not prepared to say whether those charges were true or false, but he con tended that Mr Hutchinson showed every possible inclination to establish his charges, but he was prevented from doing so by the action of the Government them selves. He regretted as much as anybody that the Select Committee was not allowed to pursue its investigation , into this question, but he was riot disposed to condemn oho Government unless he had the clearest possible proof for doing so. Regarding the question of | the reduction of members which was now about to be tested, he said that the reduction was one of the most serious blows ever inflicted on Parliament, and was a retrograde move ment m every respect. There was no doubt it was intended to cripple the Liberal party m the country, but he hoped that it would not have any such effect. The £3000 to £4000 saved to the country by the reduction of members would be a very small consideration com pared with the enormous injuries inflicted on the colony. He contended that when the Government found that they c0u.14

Tim ABHBITBTON GUARDIAN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1890.



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"Wmitecl. CASH Advertisements under this heading not excoedm SEXTEEN WORDS 1/-. Addresses may be left at this Oltic^. TOP~Tli7t~l3ough~-^lower's Coit!?h Drops are thebest—see that the name is ntampod on every ons. H. G. Flower, Confectioner, East street. T>OOTS, BOOTH. "Keep your feet I .) Dry and save Doctor's Bills. I have a splendid Stock m now. Try uy Doublo-soled Shooters. Every pair Guaranteed. Rots rut Alcorx, Ashbur ton Olottriti-.' Mart. Saunders' Buildings. i]3RJ<]SEYf.Sr^-If you want good value ! for money go to Melford House. Ex»ra value now being givon away m presents. Everything marked cheap.— H. C. Seurus. ' WANTED Known.—For cheap VV Drapery, Millinery, Boot-,, Clothing, <fcc.\ ko to Melford House. Good substantial presents now giving away.—H. 0. Sroetw. \ \ RANTED every man m the County VV to have a suit of the Ashburton Tweoito.—RoiiKiiT Alcokx, Ashburton Clothing Mart, Sauudor's Buildings. ■jjIVERY Csistoniftr will receive a VJ hands.,me present by purchasing their Drapery. Millinery, Clothing, &c M at Melford House. Cheapest House m town for first-class Drapery. —H. U Skjhus .— "\ ANTED Known—The Cheapest Shop to buy Tinware and _ Gal vanised iron U(>o os& s m Ashbartou, is at \V F. Hvnnaforu's, Burnett Street. A nr're stock kept on hand. Tin mid Jvon ware goods made and repaired with Tes pater. .... m WANTED KNOWJN. TTHIAT a General Meeting of Early { Closing Association will be held in' Mrs Pearson's Rooms on THURSDAY evening next at 7.30 p.m. Business im portant, all employees requested to attend. By order of The Committee. i) 82 »*t/«Bii««a«i<K«««.*«»»i"n«««e<i«niii mWKCTWWWT—■> Public Notices. "VT OTICE.— Anyone found Tros **« passing m pursuit of game or otherwise on rhe Riversdale Estate on and after this date will be prosecuted. J. It. WILLIAMS. River d;io, 24th May __76 ASHBURTON FIRE BRIGADE. "\TOT[CE is hereby «ivou that the ' _LN FIRE BELL has been RE MOVED from the old site, Wakanui Road East, to the new Fire Brigade Station, Borousjh Council Yard, Burnett Street. CHAS. E FOOKS, Borough Engineer. Ashburton, Sept. 16, 1890. 9 85 £20 REWARD. IN consequence of the amount of Poach ing going on m the Creeks on the Lagmhor Estate, the above reward will be paid to anyone giving information that will lead to ft conviction. From this date No One will be per mitted to FISH m the Creeks on the Estate. DONALD McLEAN, Lagmhor, Ist April, 1889. JAMES BAKER, TIMBER MERCHANT, HAVELOCK STREET, Opposite Hakhison's Auctiox Mart, XT AS IN STOCK Large Supplies of— Building Timber, Stakes and Posts, Galvanised Corrugated Iron, Builders Ironmongery, Turnery, Furniture, and Fancy Goods IN ENDLESS VARIETY. FURNITURE MADE TO ORDER IN AINY DESIGN AT SHORTEST NOTICE. 4 9 49 B 'Jn S E V M O U R SURGEON DENTIST, 15, Colombo Street (new Buildings near Corner of Gloucester Street.) ESTABLISHED JBoi> SCALE OF CHARGES : Extraction. 2s 6d per tooth ; Fillings. 5s per tooth. A reduction made where a number require attending ARTIFICIAL TEETH The charges for Artificial Teeth are made with a view to strict economy, regulated by such circumstances as cases present, or such materials as v tients prefer. Par ticulars given on pli ation. Consulta tion free. Nitro ') ide Laughing Gas) administeredwhe .red, Attendance .m. to G p.m 15 CcT.f>HBQ Chi: siohurch.