The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit SATURDAY, MAY 31, 1890. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Sir R. Of—t c-.-.-r.'-- iJ-":■ ■'■ .''".!■ I \ hehasno ■■■■. ■■ ■•: ■. .■. , .•■■ :'. .i'.h-p-•'..■.i-.-ii arena. A new Roman Catholic Church will shortly Ibe built at Rotorua to accommodate "■ 200 .worshippers. . - . : : . Mrs Feneday, Secretary of, the Christ-? church Women's Christian Temperance Union, died to-day. . , . Baro Hirsch has created a trust of £24,000 a year for the relief of Hebrew emigrants from Russia to the Uiiited States.

The "Press" understands that a requisi tion- is in progress inviting the Hon W. Rolleston to offer himself as a, candidate for the Halswell district at the next general election.

We are requested to intimate to our Catholic readers that the Very Rev Father Chervier, who is on a visit to the Rev Father Chastagnon, will be glad to see his old friends to-morrow.

" There is no truth in the report that Sir Harry Atkinson intends to resign office immediately after the delivery of the Financial Statement." So says an exchange —which probably means that the report is true but that the fact has leaked oiit earlier thau was intended.

The " Grey Star" says that it is currently believed that Mr Hursthouse will be hardly strong enough to oust Mr Eugene O'Conor, and adds:—"lt matters little to us here whether O'Connor or Hursthouse get in. j Both are supporters of the present in competent Administration." The apprehension at one time felt by some that the opening of the Midland Railway I works would attract a very rough and turbu lent lot to the West Coast has so far proved quite groundless (says the "Inangahua Times") those^ employed upon the works being as a rule well conducted, steady, hard working menf who seem bent on making the most of their opportunity to knock up a good cheque. The London correspondent of the " Lyt telton Times" writes:—" The floating of the Taranaki Ironsaud Company is under stood to have somewhat improved the fortunes of Sir Julius Vogel, who may now reconsider his intention of re-honouring the Colony with his presence. I fancy Mr Wakefield, who holds the poorest opinion | of the old man's political chances in New Zealand, smashed any last lingering de lusions he retained."

The "New York Star" says it is reported that Madame Adelina. Patti is about to enter an auction in the American courts to prevent the unauthorised reproduction in public of-her voice by means of the phono graph. ' The proprietor of one of. these in« struirients secured in it during an opera performance at San Francisco a splendid im pression of the priina donna's voice, and proposes to make a tour through the States, giving through the phonograph Patti's solos at second-hand. - fi ' A gentleman who travelled by the Mount Somers line this morning, tells us that during the pouring rain he sawa stack of bags of grain at the Westerfield station, from which the tarpaulin had blown off." One of the main tenance men was standing by smoking a pipe, but never lifted a finger to put things right The guard of the train, however, saw what was wrong and attended to it, but the neglect of the other man deserves mentioning as an example of reprehensible laziness. The "North Otago Times" of Thursday says : —ln yesterday's issue we published a telegram from our' Wellington correspondent, who stated that Sir H. Atkinson intended resigning after delivering his financial IState ment, and that Mr Ballance or Sir John Hall would bo chocen to succeed him. We at the time doubted the trustworthiness of the rumor that Mr Ballance would be asked to take t!ie Premier's place, ami yesterday had the message repeated, ami ascertained that in transmission an error had occurred by the introduction of Mr Ballance's name for Mr Bryce's. The Pegasus correspondent of-the " South land Times " writes that they are not all dead or gone over there yet but that things are pretty sleepy- There »re only twelve men on-the ground. The largest operation going on is at~t':ie High Lovcl Co's alluvial claim where five men arc at work washing up.

The remainder arc scattered over a wide area,

fossicking about. Mr Smith's party—the High Level—arc «aid to be getting very good returns, lnit as they intended to work a fortnight before putting results to tli« proof, and that time h-'.s not yet elnpsed, the amount of success is no£ definitely known

yet. A rather exciting incident oscurcd at the Oroua Bridge on Saturday, which miracu lously resulted in no serious mishap to the principal party to it. A Maori on horseback evolved the brilliant idea of racing the train, and set off at a terrific pace along the road. He readied the Oroua Bridge just in advance of the engine, and the horse taking fright jumped over the bridge which was fully fifteen feet above the bed of the stream. The horse was killed instantaneously, but the foolhardy rider escaped with a severe shak ing.—" Manawatu Times." A telegram from Berlin to a London paper says:—The Kaiser has issued an order that the first two rows in the gallery of the Hofkirche shall henceforth be reserved for

soldiers, as he does not like to be gazed at by sightseers while attending divine service. " From the moment I enter the church," he said to-day, "till I lea re it hundreds of curious eyes fasten on me ; this annoys me. I want to be left alone on Sundays, at least at church. People who wanb to see me can stare at me on the promenade, Unter den Linden and in the Thiergarten." The usiiial monthly "long night" in con nection with the Rakaia Dancing Assembly was held in the Oddfellows' Hall on Wecl nesday last. The hall was well filled, a number of visitors coining from a great

distance, and all present appeared

thoroughly enjoy themselves. Dancing was kept up until morning; excellent music beir>g supplied b> Messrs McCarthy and Connor and Miss Scott. Mr R. D. Petrie acted as M.C These assemblies, which are held weekly, are now very popular, and as^the Management Committee have worked assidu ously for-this end, they are to be congratu lated upon the success which has attended their efforts. A truly remarked physical defect is re called by the death of Mr Edwin Cowles,

editor and owner of the " Cleveland Leader,"

one of the great newspapers of ■ the West. Until Mr Cowles. was 'lo years old, he sup posed that all he heard and read about the songs of birds was poetical fiction, since to his ears they had always been as mute as fishes. Then a distinguished aurist, learn ing of this droll delusion, sought Mr Cowles out, and made the discovery that he could ' not hear the notes of a piano or organ above the sixth octave, or even the shrillest or most vibrant high notes of a fife or a violin. Put in a room with twenty canary birds, Mr Cowles could not hear the slightest sound, even when they were singing at their shrillest and he placed his ear close to their cage. All the sibilant sounds in human speech escaped Mm likewise, and as a result he never produced them i;j his own talk^ ; Vet, strange enough, in all othep respects, J his hearing was more than ordinarily acute.' A ludicrous incident occured at KilLirney I Cathedral in the presence of Lord Kenmare and all the local magnates. .Father Burke was preaching for the Presentation Brothers' schools, and his sermon reached an unusual length. The brothers, anxious only for a good collection, began rattling the tin plates as a hint to the preacher to stop. The bishop, Dr Moriarty, frowned from his throne and the noise ceased. The portly prior advanced from his stall and took up his position in front of the pulpifc, full in view of all pre sent except the good father. The preacher was just then expatating on the zeal of the brothers. He pictured forUi the pale ascetic monk, his emaciated frame bearing evidence of his fastings and vigils. He was' surprised to find the audience wore smiling. He tried to be more impressive, and again reverted to the mortified and overworked monk. The audience could hardly restrain their merri ment. There in front of him was the rotund 'igure, the, broad, jolly face of the prior, beaming like a full moon visible t.o all bvt the preacher, and fully enjoying the beautiful i | description of the ascetic monk. Greatly j disconcerted the preacher concluded as ' quickly as he could, and it is but right to j mention that the collection did not disappohit 1 fraternity.-" The Tablet."

Ihe audited balance-sheets of the Borough Council are published inthis issue. "The Lytteltoii"" Times" reports that duiinj? the past, week" large and varied " hauls " of fish have been made at Sunnier, arid are still being brought to land. The fishermen and others are naviug quite a btisy time of it. .Many visitors are availing themselves of the plentiful sport. Several of the fish have been of a very large size, one turning the scales at 871bs. At Thursday's meeting of the Waste Lands Board, the following, among other sales for cash were.made: ?•■ !:■, "i HIC^", 89.acres, Spaxton district, ■■ \. \'-' ■■.■■>: section 60, reserve 1371, 50 acres, Hinds district, to Catherine Keays ; section 36204, 147^ acres,' Rangitata district, to J. W. Sawle ; section 35927, 61a 2r 36p, Orari<district,- to D. R. Ambler. '* Section 50, Reserve 1371,50 acres, was granted on perpetual lease to John Keays. '■ ' v '. : Trere was brought to our office to-day by Mr Poole, some grain which was poisoned four years ago by Mr C. Neate. The sample looks as fresh as when it was delivered to the farmers in 1886 ; and what is more to the purpose, evidently still retains its deadly properties, as we have in our possession a sparrow which was poisoned to-day by par taking of some of it. We clip the following important testimo nial from the " Illawarra Mercury " (N.S. W.) of the 30th March. It needs no comment: — '■ Mr John Loveday, of the Bulli Mountain, writes to us that after suffering for four years with acute gravel, he has experienced almost complete relief by using Sander and Sons' Eucalyptic Extract. He says :—" Seeing the said Extract advertised in the ' Illawarra Mercury,' his intense suffering induced him to obtain a bottle of the medicine from Mr Hosking, chemist, of this town, and that the use of it gave him great relief at once. He states that between 10th March inst., when he obtained the first bottle of the extract, and the 19th, the use of that medicine continued to afford. him relief, to which he had been a stranger for four years. Mr Loveday writes also that he has found' the Eucalypti Extract a cure for rheumatism as well as gravel. He requests us to publish this information through the' Mercury.' We have nwch pleasure' in complying with Mr Loveday's request, whose word cannot be doubted, and who can have no object in view other than a pure desire to benefit suffering humanity."—(Advt') 2 There is now to be seen, in- the shop window of Messrs J. Scaly and Co., East street, a collection of apples showing some of tHj.3 sorts grown at the nurseries, Riverbank, that will repay inspection by any 0n.6 who contem plates planting fruit plants. Th.ere are upwards of fifty different kinds shown, all valuable, long keeping sorts. For size, color, and general excellence they are by far the finest that have been shown in Ashburtori this season.-^(Advt.) ;

INTERPROVINCIAL.

[per press.association.]

Auckland, May 30. ■ The sum of £70 has been given to Mr Varley as the net result of his missions in Auckland

An old ship's cannon, dated 1810, has been found on the beach at Waiheke^ near Russell, embedded in the sand. . < Three new geysers, constructed under' the direction of Mr Malfroy, have been formally opened at the Rotorua Sanato rium. , ' The story of the robbery of £100 at the Star Hotel is contradicted, and it is said that the monoy was probably lost from the owner's pocket, The Kaihu Valley Railway and plant have boon taken over by Messrs Halos, District Engineer, and Yickerman, Rail T way Engineer, on behalf of the Govern ment. Tiie line will be worked by the present manager, Mr T. H. Barstow, and his staff.

Gisborne, May 30. Owen O'Grath who was thrown from his horse, died this morning.

The Maori Rawhira got three months added to hip six months' sentence for escaping from gaol, The live stock trade has revived be tween here and Auckland, and the first shipment was sent away to-day. OjjuA-Tiu, -May 30. -

Mr Davis' Calliope won the M embers 1 Stake ut the Coursing Meeting to-day, and Mr S. Barton's Kaloolah the Derby.

A peculiar incident lojk place at a meeting of creditors to-day. At a previous meeting the sum of £250 whs condition ally accepted for the estate, but since then an offer of £300 had been received. The creditors were considering this when the party who made the first offer offered £305. By offers of £5 and then £1 the anoint was raised to £3-X) ,vhen the Uo;nity Assignee stopped the bids by adjourning the meeting in order to take the Judge's ruling on a point that had cropped, up,

TELEGRAPHIC.

HOME AND FOREIGN,

[PBU, PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

London, May 29 and 30. ' During the meeting at Cashel a canister of gunpowder was thrown into the Police Barracks, but no damage was done by the explosion. Speaking at the banquet in Dublin, Mr Dillon stated that in, Australia there were 23,000 subscribers to the

League, and they virtually represen ted the income. The colonists, he de clared, were prepared to supply funds while Ireland was loyal in the Home Rule interests.

Mr Jas Dalton of Sydney, who was offered the vacant seat for West Donegal has consented to be nominated and he will probably be elected with out opposition. He replaces Mr Patrick O'Shea.

Mr G. Buckley in a letter to " Fair play" makes many damaging state ment against the Bank of New Zealand. - Paris, May 29. '

Fifteen Nihilists, including four young women, have been arrested here, and a quantity of bombs were found in their possession. They had organised a complete pyrotechnic school and it is besieved were preparing an attempt on the life of the Czar. j

Count Herbert Bismarck is at pre sent on a visit to this city.

At the trials in connection Math the Sooiete cles Mdtaux frauds, M. Lavis siere was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, and ordered to pay a fine of 3000 francs. A tine was also inflicted on M. Heutsch (who was formerly Chairman of the Gomptoir d'Escompte), but M. Joubert was ac quitted

#anzibak, May 29,

News has reached here that the expedition under Dr Peters has re turned to Bagamoyo.

It is rumored that parleying "between England and Germany over the African question has been suspended. Constantinople, May 29. Turkey has declined to accede. to Russia's demands to. pay the indemnity out of the recent Conversion Loan, giving as an excuse that the indemnity cannot bo charged to funds otherwise than those stipulated in the treaty.

AUSTRALIAN

[per pitess association]

Melbourne, May 30.

Captain Taylor's amendment will receive the support of the Govern msnt Corner members, but the Govern ment reckon on having a fair majority.

MR S. BUXTON AT THE TEMPLAR HALL.

Last night Mr S/Buxton,' M.H.R. for Rangifcata, addressed hifi" constituents in the Templar Hall. There was ;a very poor attendance, and the Mayor presided and introduced - Mr Buxton, who stated that, he was not disappointed at seeing the small audience. He had been suffering during the week" "ffom'a severe cold, 'and*ifc:was doubtful at one time if he would.be there at all that night. If that had been the case, the*e~ would ..not, have, been many people disappointed.

HIS PARTY. ,- . <_ t The party he belonged to had been fc ailed - the many headed monster, the c •arty with many heads, and' no head.: t Jut the Party—the Opposition—at the 5 |, >eginning of the session had their eye 3 ipon a man whom they ultimately chose a obe their leader—Mr John; Ballance. f le (Mr Buxton) had been well satisfied t vith the way in which their leader had c ionducted the business of the Opposition; A He was the best man they had and he had j, lone the work given him to do in as g itraight-forward and honest a manner as T t was possible for any European to do. T TRIENNIAL LICENSING BILL. , x One of the first Bills of the session was t ;he Triennial Licensing Bill. It was srought in by Major Steward, the member "or Waimate. He (the speaker) was sp posed to it, but not to the same extent is he had been the previous session. He was in hopes that the Bill would have been amended to admit of women getting »n equal power of voting with men, but unfortunately that clause had not been passed, and as the Bill now stood when the elections of 1891 for Licensing Com mittees came round, those committees would be elected for three years instead of for only one as formerly. He did not think, however, that the cause of temperance would suffer from the passage of this Bill, and he sometimes, thought that the temperance men, amongst whom he ranked himself, were a little narrow in their views, and. would be all the better to have them en larged. EIGHT HOURS' BILL.. . .■**"' He had done all he could to oppose the Eight Hours' Bill of Mr Joyce, and had tried to pursuade that gentleman to abandon it, as it seemed to him that in its then shape it was totally unwprkable. Eight hours in each day were to be con sidered a days' work; and forty-oight hours in each week a week's work. Working men would at once see that this Bill was not necessary, at least, in Canterbury; and the Bill looked to him to be more against the interest of the working' maii thatinhisfavor. Farmers had never tried to impose more than eight hours upon a man for a day's work in Canterbury, and in the towns it was.a generally understood thing that eight hours formed the'day's measure of toll. But Mr Joyce would have no amendment. How could they possibly manage under such a measure with engine drivers in charge of sawmills, with men who had to attend to horses'in their feeding, stabling, etc. ; with shep herds who went out mustering; with domestic servants who. had to prepare food ; and in a great many other cases ? If this Bill had become law, it would have taken the ground from under fcbe feet of the working men, and gave them uo pro tection at all, TliQ formation of trades' unions would bo far better protection to the working men than any measure of this kind, which was altogether useless. Let any man bring in a sensible, reasonable Bill that should be a benefit and a protec tion to the working classes, and it would receive his hearty support, but he would never vote for any piece of claptrap like tlie Eight Hours Bill, whose meretricious show was, to his mind, only intended to look well in the eyes of unthinking pos sessors of votes, If the Bill came for -1 wartl supiin tliies oi:»Bum,~lit> -would VOtO just as he had clone the'session before, unless his constituents were able to show him some very cogent reason why he should change his mind. I THE HARB SYSTEM. Mr Buxton spoke at some length on the Hare system and expressed the opinion that were a House elected on that system it would be a very aristocratic House, and subsequent parliaments would be come more and more so, until the afftiirs of the colony were wholly managed by the men Avho owned landed property. Under such management ho would not be as- i tonished to see the residential qualification' disappear ; but certainly under the Have system the ordinary rank and tile of the present Parliament—the men who were not known beyond their own constituen cies—would not be very numerous in the House,

REPRESENTATION -BILL. j After a reference £6 the Representation j Bill of last session, the speaker, while deprecating stonewalling under any circumstances, strongly defended the action of the country members in fighting j against the town members the battle of j the quota. In a few breezy, racy | sentences Mr Buxton told ho\v, while the town members were forgetting their go.od manners and speaking of country people as bumpkins, clodhoppers, and so,forth, he had felt righteous wrath rise within him, and had risen in his place in the House and given utterance to his thoughts about the men who used such language. However, the Bill became law, and the best part of it was the "one man, one vote " idea of it. He believed in this, and gave an illustration of how the plurality of' votes worked unfairly. Suppose a man had, 10,000 acres in ten different parts of the colony. If he could vote in all these in one day, he might do so, for the old law allowed him the votes. Suppose a man had 20,000 acres in only one district. He could only vote in that district, for his property was' in that district only. Then a man could go and buy quarter-acre .sections in as many districts as he chose, and in buying these sections he bought "a vote for each,. 'The new :Act terminated all this. Take Mr John Grigg's estate for instance. He .would be only too. glad to see very many t"'»vp "u^h ftvrhir"^ iri *'-- Colony asMiMiii-:'. ••••■■■. ■.» ■■ •■■"■■.■ i\> I large numbers of men. Say he employed 200 men. These men had an equal right with Mr Grigg himself to say who should represent them in Parliament, for it was out of the toil of their blood and bone that Mr Grigg was aide to pay the clues and expenses of the land he worked, and reap the profits it brought him. The men might not be so intelligent as their master was, but their right to say who should represent them in Parlia ment was equal with his. He (Mr Buxton) would go further and say that every woman had a light to a vote the same as men. They were quite as intelligent as men, and he Avas not certain that a Parliament of Avomen Avould not do better work and govern the Colony better than a Parliament of men. OTAGO CENTRAL. Last session he Avas strongly in fa\ rpr of the Otago Central Railway Bill while it was under the charge of the member for Dunstan, and had stood by Mr Pyke, Avho was trying Avith a strong majority of the House at his back, to have the line con structed by a landed syndicate and he (the speaker) thought, that the best way. But the Premier brought in the Bill in a ncAV form. He proposed to take £15,000 from the unallocated loan, and £200,000 from the trust funds of the Colony to make the line. 'He was opposed to this, as he feared the land that was to go to defray the cost of the line, would get into' the: hands of people who would probably leave the colony, and sell the ' i land at a high figure to the men who i Avould come after as genuine settlers. He, I nuderstopd there was to be no more

-borrowing, but the Premier's Otago A I Central Bill was simply another form of 1 1 borrowing—borrowing behind a curtain.' j I Why not say boldly, "We want to go j upon the money market again to borrow j 1 funds to make this line V And if they i were to do this sort of thing for the Otago * Central why not do it for all the other ( places in the colony where railways were wanted ? So far as the necessity for the Otago Central was concerned, he believed it would be a good thing for Ofcago and the colony generally, but there were the §3 ( who objected to the 'lme'lfecatfsiiPifP would 1 take away a large'; portion of the, runs now • held by large landowners. --•'-:- " j .- „  CALEDONIAN TniSTU 1.. The Bill dealing awl:i I lie Calodnninii thistle he had opposed, and if it came before the House again, he would again oppose it, He had . the Californian thistle uppn his own farm,"and he knew 16 well. It was none other than the old English thistle with which all English and Scotch farmers were more or less familiar. He objected to legislation for the eradication of such things, and the only way to keep down farm pests was for each farmer to, do his best to keep his own place clean. If that were so, and farmers in their own interests would strive to keep down weeds, there would be not necessity to waste public; money in the payment of inspectors to go round and see that farmers looked after. their own business. PROPERTY TAX. He was one of those who objected to the property tax being replaced by a land and income tax, and the speaker eulogised the speech delivered by Sir Harry Atkin son, against the latter. The property tax was the fairest direct tax in New Zealand., It might perhaps be slightly injurious to the colony in many respects, but it brought in the largest revenue, and: affected the poor and industrious classes the least. It would,. perhaps, be better: if improvements were not taxed so heavily, aud he had been at first with the' proposal made by the leader of the Op position for £2000 to be the exemption. On second thoughts, however, he did not, think this would answer in towns, and he was afraid that, though it would be a great benefit to many farmers, they, would be .asking too much. One, gentleman pro posed to sell the railways and do away with the.property tax: but this proposal' was' not, of course, very favorably re-> ceived. The property tax must stand and not at anyrate be 1 replaced by an income; and property tax: , . EDUCATIONAL FRANCHISE. Major Steward had tried hard and* persistently to do away with the cumula-; tive voting at the School ..Committee" j Elections, and the people of the Colony* were with him in his efforts, but as yet he hadnot been successful. It was, how-: ever, only a question of time when they would vote for their School Committees in the same way they voted for members; of any other representative bodies. : LAND : LAWS'. 'I ,

" The land laws of the colony were not satisfactory to the people. A great deal of. dummyism went on that prevented; settlement. What they wanted was some-] thing tliat would enable the working classes to go upon the land, and supply them with work. Last year9ooopeople left this colony. Of these more than 4000 were adults. Had our land laws been such as would have offered homes to those people they would never have left these shoresito add to the population of the neighboring colonies. It was proposed last session to set aside £10,000 to secure land near agricultural centres on which to settle working men, and the Premier himself had been favorable to this. This was lost by only one vote. Had that been carried many of the men who had left the colony would have been j here still. £70,000 had also been asked to bring more immigrants into the colony, but when only £10,000 was asked to keep in the Colony the men we already had it was refused. Ifc was likely thiifc next session they would be asked to set aside a sum to -bring in more immigrants. There was no unemployed outcry just now, and every body seemed to be in work, but if a flood of immigrants were turned upon the Colony, there would be the same old cry for work, and the wages would come down. He was quite sure tliat if we could give those who had left us bread and butter in our own Colony, they would soon all come back again, and there would be no need to go to Europe to bring over from her labor ranks recruits to glut our own. The next subject on which he desired to'make his vieAvs as plain as possible Avas that of

THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

Last session they had no Bill on this subject before the House, but during the coming session it was likely they would have one. He had with him a copy of the Bill it was proposed to introduce, and would read the principal clauses. These proposed to enact as follows ; Clause 2, "The school committee of any school " district already, or which may hereafter "be constituted under ' The Education "Act, 1877,' may sanction the daily " reading, with or without comment, of "a portion of the Bible in the public " school or schools in such district within " schdbl hours, and such reading shall be "in accordance with the schedule attached "to this Bill. (3) Where comment is "allowed, the instruction given must be " of a strictly unsectarian character suited " to the capacities of the children, who "may be questioned thereon." Now he ,was opposed to these clauses in so far as they permitted what was termed religious -instruction. He would have the Bible read, but without comment. In, his (opinion nothing would cause more dis satisfaction among the parents and more disputes among thc^ children than the exposition of the Scripture in the schools. But to shut out the Bible entirely was a very grave mistake. He could not see' anything Avorse for the coming genera tion-than to withhold the Bible from the children of to-day. The Bible was the grand pillar of civilisation and truth, it might be freely read in the palace, in the contractor's' tent, on shipboard,: even in •the gaol and the hospital and, Was it only to .-tie forbidden to the children in -the school ? Surely that it should be Avas a great-Avfong to the coming generation; He believed that they Avould all see by and by that as Christian men it was then duty to rise and say, if the Legislature Avould not alloAv the Book of Books to be read in the schools, '' We musb do some thing to help ourselves." What ho asked was that the Legislature should alloAv the Bible to be. read, not that it should be in terpreted by any teacherorany minister, in the day schools. He avoulcl have the in struction given purely secular, There should be no religious teaching, but the Bible should be read, leaving it to make that impression on the minds of the chil dren which was in accordance with the will of its Great Author. Surely even those adults who did not believe that to read the Bible Avould do them good would not contend that it could Eossibly do them harm. The Bible ad given to the British Empire its greatest liberties ; \t had done more than I aught else to open the gates of Commerce, ! and to lead to every social and practical good ; it had taught them to open their hands to the Roman Catholic and to the JeAv; had taught them far more and better .than had the ministers of religion, for often ministers were narrow in their views, and told them to do what the Bible did not teach them. He reiterated that he was strongly in favor of the Bible being read in the day schools, but without comment. .■ Referring to the Schedule of portions of Scripture attached to the Bill as those to be permitted to be read; Mv Buxton said that he had looked into it carefully and quite approved of the selection made by Mr Tanner and the other members of the Committee. There'

were some parts of the Bible which ought 4

not to be read to children—such for 1 instance as they would omit in reading in the family—and these were omitted by the Schedule of which as ho had before said he entirely approved. Then there was another measure about which lie desired to be equally explicit. This was the PRIVATE SCHOOLS i!ITX. This was a Bill about which lie had been threatened that if he did not Lake up ..different .ground it. would prevent his being sent to Parliament again. Well, if he made up his mind to offer himself again as a candidate, he should do so with the intention of winning, and he desired to put himself right with regard to this Bill. The Bill was a very short one. What it proposed was this: " Every private school which is, or may be here after, conducted in accordance with',, the provisions of ' The Education Act 1887j' and the Acts amending the same, and'the regulations framed thereunder^ in respect of the qualifications of teachers, the course of instruction, attendance at school, and inspection by an Inspector; of the Board of Education, shall be entitled to receive a capitation allowance equal to . . of the allowance granted to public schools established under the said Acts : provided that no such school shall be entitled to such allowance unless the average number of pupils attending the same be ... or more." Now he had been very plainly told—though he scorned the idea— that the action he had taken in supporting this Bill had been taken for the purpose of pleasing the Catholics and to catch their votes. He would not lower himself to do ■such a thing—the Catholics would, not respect him if he did—but he recognised the matter as one ,of great im portance to. these particular people. The Bill indeed used to be called the Roman Catholic Schools Bill; but last session those who were supporting the Bill thought they would gain their end better by altering the title to the Private Schools Bill. He. knew many ; ministers of, the Church of England who unless the Bible were introduced into the • public schools would feel it : their duty to do something to secure that their children should be "taught elsewhere, and other churches were looking on and he felt per ; suaded would ere long rise and do their : duty. Indeed he "considered that the ; Roman Catholics had set them a noble ! example. They said "if the public schools are Godless we must, make a • sacrifice," and they made it ; being '* determined that their children should be ': taught the fear of God. And it was fair « that they should ask for some assistance, and it was on that ground he supported ' the BUI, in the interests of the Roman ) Catholics especially. He thought they were not fairly treated. Suppose that '.. those of the people of New Zealand who \ were Protestants were living in a Roman Catholic country and formed one-seventh of its population; suppose that in that '■ country there was none but a-Roman Catholic system of education', or a secular : one with no religion at all, would not '• they wish their children to be taught the ' Protestant religion',", to ."be-, taught the ' Protestant Bible ? And would it not be J right in such case that they should ask the Government of that country for 1 some assistance when they were taking I our money to educate Roman Catholic 5 children. Certainly it would ? A gentle ? man to whom he had used this argument : replied. "Ah ! but you wouldn't get ifc— \ you might as well ask them for their eye 5 teeth." Ha (Mr Buxton)rejoined "That is 5 not the question—would it be right to ask?" ' "Well, yes,' was the answer, perhaps it 1 would." Then said the speaker " Let us 1 do what is right." As a country they 1 were not doing what was right and. just. ' Let him put it in another way. Suppose. they gave the Roman Catholics £2 a head 1 for every child in their schools, there 3 would then be a saving of £2 a head to 1 the .State, for every child in the State J schools cost about £4. In point of fact } they would only be giving 'back to the " Catholics something like what we take from them to educate our own children. 3 The present state of things was not right in the sight of God or man, and whether 3 they sent him to Parliament or not he ? would not do to his fellow men what was I wrong. He would not do what was wrong , to the Catholics, come what might to himself. He meant to do what he thought r was right, and must leave the issue to v them whether they approved of his , conduct or not. And now he had a few words to say about;

THE FUTURE.

The future before us was, he feared, not very bright. There Avere storms ahead, and next session was not looked forward to, by him at anyrate, Avith any very pleasurable anticipations. There Avould be great difficulties to contend with and very unpleasant work •to do: The present outlook of the country was not very satisfactory. The two millions of loan money which they had at the beginning of the present Parliament Avas very nearly exhausted, and the Government Avere looking right and left trying to discover some Avay to borrow more. But he hoped that the people of the colony Avould set their faces against borroAving money, either from the Trust funds or in the European market, and that they would get for themselves a better standing before they spent much more in public' works. There were no doubt parts of the colony in which public works were much needed, and the ex penditure of money on such public works would, 'no doubt, be a good thing for the Avorking classes, - if they could afford it. But they should try to establish their position securely first, and should move sloAvly and steadily in the right direction. He did think that the Colony had begun to move in the right direction, at last; but it Avas very sloAvly, and he hoped.it would continue to do so. If it should happen "that the Government go out- of T office and the Opposition take.their^placejche'should be, very pjeased, He h lad no^feaV for ''the" powers, and ability,oorf r the. Opposition, He had ;looked> into 1 theu^prbodediiigs and had every faith in them.' On that side of the House they had gentlemen quite capable of conducting the business of the country in-- a better Avay than it Avas now being conducted. He would even like to see a coalition Government if only men would come out and be true to their oavii views and principles, Sir Harry Atkinson, he believed, was more of a Liberal in his views than people generally supposed, and he Avould like to see him among the Liberals, but he Avas too busy minding his points and trimming here and there, He, however, did no ' like to say anything against the Govern ment in that place and Avould not expose their faults too much to the public. What he had to say about them he would say to them direct, but he did not hesitate to say that he had more faith in the Oppo sition than he had in the present Govern ment. (Applause.)

I In answer to Mr Cates, Avho wanted to 1 know if Mr Buxton atouM support a vote for Almshouses or Old Women's Homes, Mr Buxton said old and infirm women were, he was happy to say, tenderjy oared for in this country, In a residence of- 25 years'he had never seen an elderly woman neglected, but if the need arose for s.uch provision as the question indioated, he Avas sure Parliament would gladly make it, Mr Keir asked if the Bible in Schools Bill, and the Private Schools Bill passed, Avould it not have a tendency to break up the present Public School System ?

Mr Buxfcon thought it would have quite I the opposite effect. If the Bible was 1 kept out of the public schools then the I Public School System would be in clanger. ( (What amounted to an argument of the i case between the questioner and Mr Bux« I ton here took place), ♦

In answer to another elector, . who J wanted to know why provision was not. made for the other 300 different Churches I as well as for Roman Catholics ■ . I

jMv Buxton said the Private Schools Bill provided for others as well as Catholics—it provided for all private schools.

In answer to Mr Loggatt, ■ Mr Buxton said he would be In favor of land nationalisation if it were practicable. He did not think it was, but his opinion strengthened .day by day .that-the best land law ever proposed in the Colony was the perpetual leasing system, which lie | gjivo Mr Holies ton every credit for intro ducing. ' ' '" """ Mr Leggafct.—Then why did you sup port the. Otago Central" ''.Railway Bill which proposed to give large blocks of land to a syndicate 1 Mr Buxton;—To .avoid a worse thing; which 1 woujd be the; building of the line with tborroweid money,< and jtthen selling fche'land tib speculators," wh(sf would wring large profits ou(Tof 'iqna fde settlers. :- In answer to a series of further ques "tions by Mr Leggatt, Mr/Keir, andrthe Chairman on the subjecfcvof a ; ;liand-tax versus a Property-Tax, Mr Bu'xiion rer iterated the opinion that a -TLiand-tax would bear more heavily on the small land-owner than does the present Pro perty-tex. He also said' that he.would ■not object to lowering the exemption from £500 as at.present to say £250.';- Mr Andrews, senior, proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Buxton for his address and of confidence in him as the representative for Rangitata. This was seconded by Mr Keir : who, although he dissented from some of Mr Buxton's views, yet with re gard to others was heartily agreed with him. . ' ' .'.- i

The motion was carried by acclanation and acknowledged by Mr Buxtonj who thereupon moved the usual" compliment to the chair -which having been accorded the meeting broke up, •

Sir Harry Atkinson.

HIS RESIGNATION EXPECTED.

We find the following in the Dunedin "Evening Star" of Thursday:—We learn from a well-informed source that Sir H. Atkinson's health shows no signs of improvement, and that his immediate friends in Wellington are of opinion that he will shortly resign, thus necessitating a' reconstruction of the Cabinet. His medical attendant advises his colleagues that Sir Harry's retention of office majr lead to an apoplectic attack or paralysis;

Educational Matters.

At the Education Board's meeting on Thursday the offer of the Lougbeach Road Board to allow the use of their office for School purposes, at £1 a month was ac cepted. The Appointments Committee re-' ported the appointment of Mr McTeague to the mastership of Hinds school. A motion.by .Mr E G. Wright was carried as.follows-—-"That no contribution be made by this Board towards the; support i of* >of r aided schools unless,' the teachers in" ■ charge have been appointed by or approved of by the Board." Mr Meredith's motion was also carried. It ran as follows :— | "That' r this' Board recommends the Minister of Education that, inasmuch as there is one system of education through out the colony, there should be one uni form system of examination, and to this effect the standard test cards now pre pared by the different Inspectors should be prepared by the central Education Department, sent under seal to the different Boards, and then by them handed to the Inspectors. This would secure more uniformity of examination, would be more satisfactory to the teaching profession, and less liable to produce friction between the Inspectors and the teachers in the employ of the different Boards." Mr Joyce's motion re school books was also' carried. - The original motion as' proposed by Mr Joyce was "(1) That from and- after January 1, 1891, 2tliere shall c uniformity of reading books and text books in the public schools of the North Canterbury district; in order to lessen the cost which parents are put to in purchasing neAV bdoks when removing their children from one school district to another school district; and to show tins Board by the Inspectors' examination from one set of text books and reading books the relative progress of different schools. (2) That the Secretary and the Inspectors be requested to name in a report, to be furnished at the next meeting of this Board, such reading books and text books as will be most suitable for the use of the schools." After some discussion the motion was altered to read as follows, and was passed in its amended form : — "That a Committee consisting, of, the Chairman, Messrs "Wright, -Anson, Weston and Meredith, be appointed to consider'to what extent uniformity of reading books and text books in the public schools of the North Canterbury district can be secured, in order to lessen the cost which parents are put to in purchasing new books when removing their children from one school district to another school district,' arid to report to this Board."

The Losses of " The Times."

. I There are some startling statements, if « true, in a special article in the "Review [( of Reviews " for March concerning the " ''disaster" which has overtaken the ' "London Times" newspaper since the publication of Pigott's forgeries. When L Mr Houston first went to "The Times " ; and offered the alleged Parnell letters he , asked for £1780. "The Times" paid ■ £1780 for the first batch of letters, with i another £1000 or more added for other i batches purchased thereafter, making the ■ first cost of the forgeries amount to i bet^efeiv-£3OOO and £4000. From these i acquisitions the expenditure began. 1$ has gone on increasing ever since. A sum of £5000 was recently paid over to r Mr Parnell as damages in his libel suit; ■ but from first to last, it is stated,'"Thti Times " has dropped, in solid cash down, over £100,000. Then as regards adver tisements and circulation. In 1871 the total gross revenue of the paper was stated to be £460,000—£300,000 coming from advertisements and—£l6o,ooo from^ sales. "The Times" lost last year in advertisements alone at the rate of £20,000 per annum. There were 500 columns less of advertisements in the twelve months following the opening of the Parnell Commission than in the previous twelve months. Now, as to the circulation of "The Times "the writer states that in 1844 it was 24,000 copies ; in 1851, 40,000; in 1854, 51,000; in 1860 60,000 ; in 1871, it had dropped i to 50,000. When Mr Walter, the! chief proprietor, went to America, he ] stated publicly at a banquet that the cir culation of his paper was. 50,000.a day. But, according to the article from which Aye are quoting, the daily average sale is not now much above" 25,000. If a circu lation of 60,000 brought in £160,000 in gross sales, a circulation of 25.000 repre. sents a drop of £67,000, The total loss from advertisements and sales since 1886 is £50,000 per annum—a much more serious matter than the direct loss of £100,000 over the forged letters. Iri 1888 a dividend cheque paid to one of the shareholders represented an annual dividend of over £120,000. In 1889 his cheque represented a dividend of barely £12,000. " ,

Mr William Courtney has been lecturing in Kent, says the " Europoan Mail," with very good results in getting young men with capital to go out te the colony,

Auctioneer's Report.

■ Mr David Thomas (late of Mataon, Cox and Co.) reports upon the Live Stock Market for the Ashburton district, for the woek ending May 27th, as follows :—On Tuesday at the Ashburton yards I held my usual weekly sale of sheep, cattle and pigs. " There was a total entry for the day of 10,463 sheep, 15 cattle, and 30 pigs, of which I aold (5086 sheep and 10 pigs. The attendance was fully up tc the average and bidding was fairly spirited, ttny>«heep4it.'for tumijw'y»re 'irtilkßageriy sought after. The fpllowing were the prices realised:—For fat merino; '6s 6d ; merino,.wethers, 6s 4tl ; 2 and 4 tooth i"'crossbred ewes' and'"weth*e¥s;" IlTs'! l'M^'"^tfe , 6d, 10s 9d and 10s lid,;/',ln stores, sound mouth merino'ewos, 5s 3d;; aged crossbred cw.es, 6s 6d ; full mpulh merino ,wetliers,. 3s'Bd j crossbred lamb's. 1 fts/7^; 7s' 3d *i 7s Id; 6 and full mouth ewes, 8s 9di a£ood,line of 2 and* tooth,,lss 4d. In pigs, sat £1 Is;; s:at ■£!• 2a-6dLMif j S

Corn Exchange Report.

The following is the Cortr*Exch?uifee're p'ortfor week ending Friday^ March S), :; 1890:—The question of receipts being given for grain -store in the ; x sheds at Lyttelton is likely to be brought. ;.> : before the Commissioners. There; is mo ;

doubt that if! such receipts were given it would be a great convenience vto*»both t sellers and buyers. For all round lines of wheat there is a good enquiry, as pur chasers are chiefly for, export to United Kingdom. Long berried is most in demand. Grain is .still arriving in large t quantities and storage capacity is being taxed to the utmost. Oats are still without enquiry. Growers seem to realise, that it .is aqyis-

able to sell some at any rate of their stocks " but are very reluctant to "accept prices now offering. Barley—No improvement can. be noted , and unless intercolonial" orders come to hand, it is diffiult to'^see \ what can cause an enquiry." Beans and Peas, last week's remarks apply. Pota toes —As anticipated last week some de liveries are turning' otit' in bad condi tion owing to the effects of frost. The , market is slightly weaker in consequence .of the lower prices ( , ruling. in f Sydney. Dairy, Produce—A good' enquiryiot |mine potted butter in Sydney shapecTkegsmay be noted. Cheeseris dull, of sale. The following are bur' §uotafcionV :<fbr ik 'the ' ' WHEATiT-Tuscan,-^ Id r fpe«rl, J2s lid; Hunters, 2s'9a 1 to 2s lOd ;'clrickwheat, whole 2s 6d ; : broken', 2s. to 2s ,3d.. /5 Oats.—Milling,' Is 7d;short sfcolib feed» Is 3d, --- - - ~— v - Barleyl—Prime maltiiig, 3sr; medifrm 4 up to 2s Gd,; feed, la 6d<to Is 9dJ . W?> Beans -2s 5d ; peas] Prussian bluea,<2a. 9dto 3s ; feed sorts, 2s 3d to 2s 4d. '■< = s< ■ ; /Potatoes. -^-Derwents, J32B'6d'to 358'bt country stations: •;!■;.' .;!■*;-'■> •<=<* Dairy 1 Produce.—-Buttery. 7d; W>Bd; cheese, small 'loaf; 3^d \ large 'Sizes, 3d;"< : The above* prices'are those'paid'to - 'armers' for delivery > f.6'.b:" Lyttelton, acks extra.- '"< (Potatoes ■"exceptedv)*;-1;" rf -

THE EXODUS.

The exodus to which we aire^bbUt^to refer is not that of the ancient Hebrews, to the account bf whichjoiie, of the- Books r of. the Pentateuch is devoted, Wt' to that which v more nearly concerns ourselves in this year of Grace, and which has been going on for the past two years and isf still going on. Mr Taylor, the member for Sydenham. was the other day taken to task by the "Christehurch Press" for stating tli at New Zealand was losing population at the rate of 12,000, a year, but he' wasi, we are convinced, not very far out in that statement. In the year 1888-0 there was a loss .in round figures of 10,000, and though after that the tide turned somewhat, there has since been again an ebb setting in. Last month there was, an"" 1 excess of emigration over immigration of 882, of whom, as nearly as possible, one-half were adult males—that is to say the recorded excess—whereas if" the-'exact facts were known by taking into account those who pay their passages aboard, and whose names are thus not entered at ,the steamship offices,; we .believe that it would be found that the num bers were, at :least 50:per v cent, larger. Of course there is always going on^ the natural increase of population in the shape of births, but alloAving fpr. this, the Registrar-General estimates thenett addition to the number of souls in the colony for the quarter ended 31st March last at 2.607. We verily belieye^that this- even is a mistake, and ihat ihe truth is that there were fewer people in the colony at the date named than ,there were on the 31st December, JBB9. Anyhow it is pretty certain.that theVe was either no increase at ail,.or attest an infinitesimal one, land Mr Fergus thoroughly deserves'the rebuke?.''ad ministered to-him by the^ "^Evening Post", .for- not only ignoriiSg7l|lis,Ubut {{haring the audacity to sp<fik about the ' rapidly increasing population * of the" cblonyi" . Why month (May) the Tekapo took over' io'!fy|tney more than 300 passengers on one^ trip. There is then an exodus, ajid a serious one, going on-^-to use the.words of Mr E. Richardson, at Kaiapbi, a day or two ago, there is," a continuous stream of the best of our people leaving the colony.'.' iAnd/wHy?: 'EeVihe same gentleman answer. ,He says ," Marions causes had been given for the exodus, more particularly that of the stoppage of public works here; and J the' large expenditure going on in the Australian Polonies, where most of ,our p^pi^iaa is going. No doubt these "reasons did account for many having left -usj-but there was another reason, which ;>lie, with many others, thoughViftCcounjEed for a great deal more 7of it^ and that was the difficulties standingrjji the way of those who wished to settle on the lands. He had during th<|i past two years gone amongst tHe/: passengers leaving by; the steamers\^yery week for Australia, and, wienpiwsible, had endeavoured to ascertain why they were going;; and jt was aetonuihing to find how ma'riy • had saW &ey ''would like to stay.could^they r ,get such-Jand as theywisHed jfori Numbers^rom different parts of - Canterbury.: had asked his advice as to-how to go.about getting land. Many had succeeded under one of the various ways oif takii^j up land provided by the Act of 1887, but more had failed' in getting wh^t they required. With the largaquantity of suitable land the Colony hMdVt was almost criminally giving those whp wished, 'fcr ifci Tthkt they require and aresready to pay for/ This last remark every intelligent Teader will heartily-endorse, and it is certainly of i our members in the.forthcoming session of Parliament, ,jiljat they, shall^ one, and all^deyote^th^ir'. earnest attention to staunching the wound from which»the colony is fast: bleeding itself into a state of atrophy,;

IHE ASHBURTON GtfARPIAN, SATPBDAY, MAY 31, 1890,



Wanted. Cash Ado rlix ■meats wide this /wadim/ « ' txcrJLo 6 n-orJs, ONE SIIILLIAG Adtlwvx ma?/ W l<jt aTthix Offlc ~\ V 7 ANTED,—3 or 4 Boys at once, W for Flax Mill. Apply, G. J. F. Ll-blow, Tancred Street. 5 211 UST opened, a few ladies plush jackets, newest shapes, very cheap.,. —H. C. Sinters, Melford House.__ *7~7"7~\"> >hl .vnmvii. -A .-pi.rs.iJ |»uv - \'V- chase of choice Ladies' Hats at a desperate price.—W. H. Collier. 4t130 WANTED every man m the County to have a suit of the Ashburton '"Tweeds.—Robert Alcorn, Ashburton : Clothing Mart, Saunder's Buildings. *I A ANTED KNOWN-The "Strong YV Wear" Boot is the best for Men,, Ladies, and Children.—W. H. Collier,. ♦The Corner." : 1 '\\r ANTED KNOWN.—The Cheapest \V House in Ashburton to buy Drapery, Millinery, Clothing, Boots, etc., is H. C. Segers, Melford House. TOP THAT COUGH 1 By using Flower's Cough Drop 6. Guarantee efficacious. Can only be obtained at H G. Flower's, Confectioner, East Street. 3 191



EVERY home should have a piano or organ, either of which can be easily purchased on the two years hire system, from H. M. Jones, Agent for Milner and Thompson. BOOKS, booklets, and cards, books suitable for reward and presenta tions purposes, selected from Ward, Lock and Co., Oassels and Co. The Tract Society's publications and other publishers; | —H. M. Jones. rpHE Patent Candle Extinguisher can I be Set to Extinguish at any time required ; it will save insurance premiums your house and your life, price Is; Sole Agent for Ashburton.—R. Alcorn, Saunders' Buildings ANTED Known —One hundred and fifty Ladies' and Children's Ulsters bought a great bargain (good qualities), now selling very cheap—H. 0. Segers. Melford House. ANTED Known — The Cheapest Shop to buy Tinware and Gal vanised Iron goods in Ashbdrtou, is at W. F. Hannaford's, Burnett Street. A large stock kept on hand. Tin and Iron ', ware goods made and repaired with dcs patch



Public Notices. it. ANTED Two Good MILK COWS. W Apply D. THOMAS, ; ' 5*193 Auctioneer. "T^TOTIOE— All persons foundJTrespas j 1 \ sing in pursuit of game or other wise on the Riversdale Estate on and after this date will be prosecuted. J. It. WILLIAMS. Riversdale, 24th May. 5 176 FLEMINGTON BACON FACTORY. T3ORK CUTTINGS will be for Sale -,f daily at the above Factory on and after SATURDAY, MAY 31st. . 5 203 TMPORTANT "\TOTICE Important i_M otice MESSRS HALLENSI'EINBROS & CO, Proprietors of the NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY AT ASHBURTON • Invercargill, Gore, Milton, Oamaru, Thnaru, Dunedin, Christchurch, Hoki . tika, Greymrmth, Reef ton, Westport, Nelson, Wellington, Napier, Hastings, Waipawa, Gisborne, Palmerslon North, "Wanganui, Hawera, New Plymouth, ° Thames and Auckland, Have arranged to FLO IT THEIR BUSINESS INTO A COMPANY, d bo registered un or "The Companies Act 1882 .. It is a part of the arrangement that STOCKS shall be REDUCED by £50,000 before the loth ot June next To effect this the Managers of the vari ous Branches throughout the colony have been instructed, in addition to marking out the Goods at Low Prices, to allow 5 per cent on all cash sales amounting to £1 and upwards. This excellent opportunity of buying goods, should not be overlooked, especi ally as it is a well-known fact that the Manufactures of the New Zealand Cloth ing Factory are Superior to Anything in the Market. The sale at the Ashburton Branch is under the management of Mr W. H W BBEE. VWiTHOUTTCETH WJTH TEETtf THE CHRISTCHURCH DENTAL SURGERY, Corner of Cashel and High streets. o TVT YERS AND r^ 0' r SURGEON DENTISTS. And at Dunedin and Westport. WE have gainedthe FIRST AWARD «,t the Dunedin Exhibition for Artificial Dentures and Mechanical Appli ances for the Mouth, and it is with the greatest confidence that we guarantee the highest class work and perfect fit at the most moderate cost. A Single Artificial Tooth, 10s. Complete Sot — Upper and Lower— temporary and permanent, £10 10.-. JfATUIiAJ,, DURABUS, CoMFOJITA BLE Artificial Tcofch Replaced Temporarily al most immediately after the extraction of decayed teeth or stumps without extra cc or charge. Arrangements can be made for part or monthly payments. ADMINISTERING NITROUS OXIDE C4AS several times daily for the past ten years, we fearlessly assert that extraction of teeth under its influence is perfectly painless and positively safe Fee for Administration, ss. Extraction, 2s Gd. Artificial Teeth and Dentures made by other dentists repaired or remodelled at mn.aU cost. of attendance—9 a.m. to 6 p.m.



: ■ ; • 3- . ' i ! » •« London Truth' taye, " General yon Caprivi never has ft pipe, out of his mouth when he te awake, except curing itieala and he drinks beer by the gallon. He always meditates for a minute or so before answer* ing even the most trifling question," .