The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1891. THE SYDENHAM BURGESS ROLL.

The Borough of Sydenham long ago earned the right to be designated the " model Borough." Its population •onsists for the most part of indus trious, well-conducted working folk * large proportion if not the majority of them holding temperance opinions. So large, indeed, is the proportion of the ratepayers who are m favor of Prohibition that the licensing election has been lately the most exciting event of the year, Prohibitionists' and what is called the "publican interest" being almost equal m numbers. The forthcoming election being for a licens ing committee to hold office for three years, the interest mit has proportion ately increased, and both sides are straining every nerve to increase the voting pdwer' of their respective parties. With this object some well known election devices have ;beem brought into use, among them the manufacture of votes by the splitting up of properties into > the smallest portions which will qualify their owners to be placed on the roll. This de vice is said to have been used by both parties; be that as it may, . thirty-two claims to be placed on the Borough Roll have been made m respect of the irabcli vision and reputed sale of a block of 4| acres m a not particularly desirable part of the Borough. It is alleged by the Prohibition party that , these claims constitute " a brazenly-impudent attempt to stuft'the Sydenharn Roll m the interests of the liquor ring." and at first sight this con clusion is justified by the designations of the claimants, a majority of whom are directly connected with the liquor trade. These and other applications to be placed on the Burgess roll, num bering nearly one hundred m all, came before the Sydenham Borough Coun cil, and by the votes of the prohibi tionist majority '>f the Council were not considered. Writs were promptly served on the Council by some of the claimants, and a special meeting of the Council was held to consider the situation, when the applications were again shelved. The scene of the next act was m the Supreme Court, when 'the plaintiffs called upon the Borough Council to show cause why a writ oi: mandamus should not issue command ing them to place the names on the burgess/oil of th,e borough as prayed. For the Council it" was contended that many of the applications were bogus, and the Council desired time to investi gate these claims. For the claimants it was contended that the prohibition ists had done exactly the same tiling, but with the different result that they had been placed on the roll. His Honor remarked that if the delay would defeat the object of those who were within their legal rights he would have to intervene. A public body must do its duty outside the private opinions of its members. It was the duty of the Council to amend the burgess roll, and if after the lapse of time and these proceed ings the Council still refused to go on he would be at liberty to draw the inference. It was a pity that these burning questions should be allowed, though very laudable" m their object, to interfere with the discharge of a public duty by a corporate body. It being stated that at the next meeting of the Council the applications wOuld be considered his Honor adjourned the hearing till after that meeting, and thus the matter stands. It is to be regretted that the Council did not face the question boldly, and deal with the applications m due course on their merits.

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The wheat market continues to advance. The fallowing were the Registrar's returns for Ashburton for the month of February. :— Births, 24 ; marriages, 3 ; deaths, 10. It is notifisd tha*. for the Civil Service Senior Examination of January, 1892, the pjiiod of literature will be the period of the Commonwealth, and the special books will We Shakespeare's King Lear and The T'-nipest. The Clufcha County Council have decided to strike a special poor rate, so as to bring home to the ratepayers thcamount wliichjthey had to pay for hospital and charitable aid purposes. The motion was only carried by ' the casting vote of the chairman. The practice of admitting second-hand pianos into Victoria free of duty having been abused, the Customs authorities have decided to charge duty at the the rate of £5 for uprigats, £15 for square or semi-grand, and £3 for harmoniums or organs. In referring to the Argentine Republic at the Gimcrack Club's dinner, the Right Hon Mr Lowthcr stigmatised Buenos Ay res as a I perfect Alsatia of aggravated scoundrelism, aiid mentioned that it was about the only racjng nation. witji whom the English Jockey Club had no reciprocity m puttiug down frauds. Mrs Hayfork : " Anything for me ?" Rura£ Postmaster: " 1 don't see nothing-" Mrs Hayfork: " I was expectin' a letter or postal from Aunt Sally Spriggs, tellin'me what day she was'cdmin'." Rural Postmastsr (calling to his wife): "Bid y<?,u se,e a postal from &jr3 Hayfprk's Aunt .Sally, tellin' what day &he wa# <J9min'?" Fis Wife: "Yes; she's cQinui' '£!hu,L',s.4ay/ J The Gope i^s £>ompany are asking the ' Borough Council to vwy tfreir agreement I and allow them to charge £1 per iOOQ feet, instead of 10s as at present, with 25 per cent reduction for prompt payment. The present consumption is said not to be large enough tfi pay the 'company. This scarcely looks (*ay^ %o " "VVitness ") as if water gas can be nj•ni.ufac^ed fftyojl cheaper than or Jinary c>«l gas. The Melbourne Trades ftaft Cfounpd re cently asked the Premier, wheh tlie Bill to abolish plural voting, to provide that when a caudidate was highest oil the poll, but did not receive a majority of the votes recorded, a second poll should take place' The PrenMer pointed out that there were some difficulties «btit hepjoniised to lay

The German Navy.

Thoro has been no little activity mani fested m naval affaire ■ m Geimany. T)'C construction of four great ironclads lios beon taken m hand. Each of those will ' cos!:, without its guns, about 10,000,000 marks, or £500,000. The guns and their ' equipment will cost m each case about 4,000,000 maiks, or £200.000, so that the total cost of the four iroucbda, "which,-it is expected, will be finished in' about four years, will lie 5(1,000,000 marks, or £2,800,000. Money has also been voted for the construction of a largo Imperial yacht. or .di spatch boat for naval manoeuvres. The following vessels' were launched during the past year : —The dispatch boat Meteor (from the German iv Yard m Kid), the cruiser Buzzan (from the imperial Yard m Danzic), the Pelican (at Wilhelin's haven), and the armoured (.inuboat Uco melf (irom the yard,of the vVeser Com pany, m Bremen), m April took place the trial trip of the sister ship of the Beomelf, the armou ed gunboat Siegfried. These two vessels are intended fjr the defence of the now canal between the Baltic and the German Ocean. * A third vessel of the same class is now on the stocks at the Weser Yard m Bremen, and the construction of others is contem plated. Their armour is 9.j inches thick (270 m.m,). The £uns are mounted on two turrets. The horse-power is 1000 more than m iconclads of the class of the Friedrich Carl, which lately ran ashore at Tentdoes. An armed cruiser corvette is on the stocks which is constructed, to steam twenty knots an hour. The number of torpedo boats, which are enclusively built at Schichan's, 'm Elbing, is to be increased to sixty ; that. of the torpedo division boats to ten. During the past year the following vessels were, struck off the Admiralty list: —The cruiser frigate Prnice Adalbert, the dis patch boats Pomerania and Falke, the training ship Niobe, the training bhip Rover, and the torpedo boat Taffer; m all, six vessels.

A "Dosser's" Funeral.

The first funeral of a Salvation Army dosser took place recently from the Army's shelter m the Whitechapel road. The deceased was George Ckeflings, aged 38 years. He went to the shelter some time ago, and had been a regular visitor since that time. The poor fellowtbelonged to a highly respectable and well-to-do family, but m con^eq uence of his life of drunken ness he had become an outcast of society, and his friends refused even the last respects of burying him. This duty, therefore, devolved upon the Salvation Army, and a coffin with red panels and borders of blue and yellow was made m the army's workshops m Hanbury street. On either side the army's crest was painted on the coffin, and a plate also adorned the lid stating the name and age of thts deceased: Under the commnnd of Staff-captain Potts some 250 dossers (t.fi., occupants of the shelters, who either pay 4d or earn that amount m the workshops of the Army for their supper, (bed and breakfast) assembled at! the Whitechapel Shelter, wearing a white armlet with l V' m red upon it, the Army's token of mourff ing. The coffin, th» colour of which attracted much attention, was placed m an open bier drawn by two horses, and headed by the International Trade Head quarters Brass Band, with the colours, followed b} the officers from the various shelters, the procession proceeded alont( the Mile-End row to Bow Cemetery. Notwithstanding 'the snow which fell heavily the whole time, the procession attracted much attention, and was the subject of respectful, com-, me tit. The rougher element doffed their hats as the coffin passed them, and one was heard to say, "Well, they are giving the poor chap a decent funeral, and that's more 'an a good many would do." As ■evidence of the feeling of sympathy existing among their .fellows the d<ksers had from their pence purchased an arti ficial wreath of flowers, which they placed on the coffin on which also lay a holy wreath with a card, ''From the West minister dossers." At the graveside Staff- Captain Potts officiated, and his remark thab their comrade had gone to a city where hunger and rags were unknown, brout'ht forth an exclamation of deep *' amens " from the assembled dossers..

Ashburton Live Stock Report.

Mr D. Thomas reports upon the live slock market m the Ashburton district for the week ending March 10, 1891, as follows, viz : —On Tuesday at the Ashbur ton yards another very large entry of sheep were penned for the day's transac tions. The attendance of farmers and others was very large; biddings being spirited, resulting m a clearance of nearly every line of sheep entered, at; prices which musb be considered satisfactory' for the vendors. There were buyers from north, south, east, and west, and the large entry of sheep,aboutll,2so, weresc&ttered to the four points of the compass. The total entry for the day consisted of 11,250 sheep, 4 head of cattle, and 1 pig, of which my catalogue contained 6798 sheep and 2 cattle. There were grand lines of sheep offered, both fab and stores, the most noticable being drafts from Messrs Ayrton, Williams 1, Parsons, Collinson, Houston, Clark Bros., Lea tham, and Brick, all of whose sheep would be a credit to any sale yard. My principal sales were: For John Williams, thirty fafc merino ewes 6s 4d, and 61 fab crossbreds nt 13s (3d ; for A Jjeatham, 30 fat ewes, 12s 2d ; for Clark Bros., 23 fat crossbred ewes, 8s lOd, 132. crossbred 2-tooths, 10s 6d, and 220 cross bred 4-tooths, 12s 9d; for James John stone, 35 fat merino ewes, 6s Bd, 272 Ist cross lambs, 9s Id, 380 sound mouth merino ewes, 4s Bd, 36815t cross lambs, 7s 8d ; for H. S. Smith, 37 merino ewes and wethers, 6s j 11 crossbred ewes, Us 3d; 300 2-tooth crossbreds, 11s lOd; for X, Clark, 100 fat merino wethers, 8s 6d, 300 crossbred lambsat 9s; for John Cochrane, 70 merino ewes, 2s' 6d ; for Mark Ballance, 49 fafc crossbred ewes, 6s 7d, 371 Ist cross lambs, 7s 8d ; for H. V.. Robinson, 9 crossbreds at Bs, 7 lambs at Bs, 110 small 2.toofchs, 9s lOd ; for E, Hardwick, 78 2nd cross ewes, 6s Bs, 400 Ist cross ewes, 5s lid, and 150 Ist cross ewes, Qs 8d ; for E. Rippengale, 163 crossbred lambs, 8s j for J. S. Houston, 393 crossbred lambs, 10s Id ; for R. Adair, 119 merino ewes, 4s, and 200 2nd cross ewes at 7s ; for H. W. Parsons, 169 crossbred lambs, 10s 5d ; for P. Daley : 200 crossbred lambs, 7s 2d ; for W. F. Allen, 266^crossbred2-tooths, 9slid; for D. Brick, 56 fafc merino wethers 9s 6d, 93 fat ewes, 10s 6d, and 1460' 2-tooth crossbreds at Us ; for R. Kennington, 100 merino ewes at 4s 6d, &c. In cattle—l sold one fat cow at £4 18s 6d, and one springer at £3 7s 6d.— During the week I have made several satisfactory sales of sheep and-lambs, and could place a lor more if I had them.

• Hqlloways OTntment and Pills. — Colds, Coughs, Shortness of Breath.-—These mala&es require early and unremitting attention for if neglected they often end m asthma brqnchitis, or consumption. The continent well rubbfed upqn the chest and Wh P eH?t^tj»S the skin, is absorbed and oarnjjd 4irecth/ to the lungs, whence it expels all impurities. All the blood m the body ia perpetually passing through the lungs, and there all noxious particles tend ing to disease can be quickly, thoroughly, and permanently neutralised, rendered harm less, or ejected from the system. Holloway/s Umtoi?nt and Pills perfectly accomplishffchfe purification; and through the blood thus eleq,tfsed, the influence of these .wbnderfHi medicaments peaches the remotest part (If thelujman body, and thus duress aliaiseasetl action, whether jnterna br external

The Federal Convention.

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Sydnky. March 10. Mr W. 'McMillan (New South Wales) resumed the debate tin's morn ing. They had not met to discuss the differences existing between the colo nies. Fronr the debate it appeared to him that many members came to the Convention with a certain amount of suspicion of each other. Western Australia, by reason of her immense coast line, would find it »a» enormous advantage to have the benefit of Federal defence. Ho believed the system of irrigation must bo introduced into the central par; of Australia This must be the work of the Federal Parliament. Coming to the question of free trade between the colonies, ho siid it was absolutely impossible, m the nature of things to have intercolonial freetrade without a uniform tarilF. He quoted figures to show the amounts paid and received through intercolonial inter course. In this respect New Zealand and Victoria were the greatest gour mands. New South Wales, m 1889, collected £112,000 and paid away i £157,000; Queensland collected £76,000 1 and paid away £96.000; Victoria collected £230,000 and only paid away £59,000; New Zealand collected £140,000 and paid away £18,000. He believed under the present form of Government they would never be able to convert loans under -3J per. cent, l»ut if they were federated tbi jy could borrow at 3 per cent. He had pre-. pared figures to show the cost of,a Central Government, from which he found that the total Customs revenue to be .handed over to the Federal Go vernment would amountto £8,344,000, while the federal expenditure would come to £2,240,000, equal to 12s per | head, for all the advantages of a Central Government. The latter would thus be able to return the different colonies £6,104,000. Under federated i Australia'they would save by conver sion at 3 percent, the whole amount of the two millions required by the Central Government. Fortifications should be taken over at a valuation. He did not think the Senate should' merely act as a protection of the State rights. The initiation of money Bills should rest with the Lower House. In ; other respects the Senate should have equal power with the Lower House. He did not agree with the proposal to have an elective Governor-General. The blue ribbon of federated Australia should be the position of the Prime Minister. .The Government must be responsible to the people. He would have reports of the Executive m the Senate. He pointed out the great progress made m means of comrnunica- J tion between the various colonies,! and believed that a railway to West Australia should be one of the first works undertaken by the Federal | Government. • : ; Mr J. A. Hackett (West Australia), expressed the opinion , that the ques tions of customs, location of the capita^ and such matters were not lions m the. ! path, merely red herrings drawn across the path and when the time came they would easily be disposed of. \ The crucial question was what powers were to be given to the Federal Government. He thought the Canadian system quite unsuitable, and the fact that it' had stood no strain at the late elections proved the correctnessof his contention. He hoped they would not reproduce such a system m these colonies. They must have a strong capable Senate, if it was proposed to graft responsible government on federal constitution, which had been a distinct failure ia Canada and elsewhere. ,They had one or twosattetnatives, either responsible government would kill federation qr [. f«d<?ration would kill responsible govern ment. If fair terms were offered to Western Australia there would be no more loyal State than that colony.; * Mr W; Moore (Tasmania), Mr H. Cuthbert (Victoria), and Mr Ayde Douglas (Tasmania), argued that the Senate must be invested with power to deal with finance,- and have the right of veto m detail. Mr J. Abbott, New South Wales, although a Protectionist, said that' New South Wales could become pro teotive only through federation. Vic toria had built up her industries at the expense of her neighbors. With federation, and despite her twenty-five years' start, New South Wales would successfully fight her m her own markets, and would not require any guarantee. He denied that there was any danger from a standing army where the people were the masters of the political situation. If the military spirit was growing up it was the spirit of.: Volunteering., He would like to see a main trunk" railway under Federal Government while the branches re mained under the control of their several States. He would give; the States right to; equal representation^ and equal power over money bills. Mr W. H. Sutton, New South Wales, followed Mr Abbott, but openect up no new ground. Generally speak ing he agreed with the resolutions; \ > Mr J, Donaldson, Queensland, thought the different Parliaments must control their own lands because it would be impossible to legislate to suit the re quirements of the people of the various colonies. He was not prepared to say it would be wise of the several States to retain control of their rail ways, because many colonies imposed differential rates m order to obtain the trade of neighboring colonies. ;He thought the Federal Parliament should fix the railway rates. He claimed the largest powers .;■ of •, the Senate. Some concession must be given to the smaller colonies, who had not had time to develop their industries as . against those colonies who. had developed their industries, and were ready to com pete immediately against the small colonies. Loss of duties by inter colonial freetrade must be taken into consideration and provided for. He favored the appointment of a Com mittee to enquire into these difficult' questions and plaice definite informa tion before the Conference, \ This speech concluded the debate, and Sir H. Parses inthnated thatJ he would treat the debate like a second reading and reply to-morrow. He would then move that the Convention gb into, Committee to consider the 1 re solutions m detail.

" Mary, I should be delighted had I a much hair as you," " Well, muni, yez pan, bon-y it auy toime ye« 10,ik,<;,"

POLITICAL NOTES.

[PEJI PKBSS ASSOCIATION.] ' 'AtfttfLAND, Ma*sh 12. ' Messrs Edwards and Ornihby, Native L/mJ Commissioners, having intimated to the Native Minister that it -was im possible to do naything further, tl.e Coin inisMou. was terminated as from March, 31, that being the date to which their, salary \v;v; appropriated. Hou. Mr Buckley, 017 behalf- of the member representing Oanmru, has asked (he Governor to request the Admiral to ordor the fleet to Oamaru at the time <;f the Kaster KncampmciitC' "LoiH OnsLiV, in prepared to rocoimucnd that l)w Curacoa now bound south should 1.0 present if possible. The Native Land Laws- Commission sat again to-day and took evidence. All the witnesses examined so far, both Maoris and Europeans, have spoken very strongly' as to the thoroughly unsatisfactory state of the present native land laws, and as to the necessity that exists for new legisla tion. Wellinoton, Ma «Ii 12. Statements have lately appeared m print to the effect that the Government" had offered the A^ent-Oeneralslup to Mr Perceval, M.H.R., and intended to in cludo'the purchase of the Wellington and Manawatu railway m their programme next session. Neither of these questions have ever been mentioned m the Cabinet, much less decided, and the Minister of Justice, the only representative of the Government now m Wellington, disavows any knowledge of any such intentiun. on the part of the Ministry.

ODDFELLOWS.

ANN'JAL.MEETING.

The annual meeting of the Ashburtbh district was held m the Oddfellows' Hall on Tuesday, March 10th. Prov. G.M. Bro J. Corbitt presided. Delegates at tended from the Ashburton, Rakaiu, Tinwald, and Waterton Lodges.' The Prov. Grand Master addressed the mooting! and recorded the business done during the year. In conclusion he con- i gratulateo* the district on the progress 1 made since its formation, giving credit to the excellent officer who had preceded him. * A vot« of thanks was accorded to Prov. G.M. Bro Oorbitt for his very excellent address, and the Secretary was instructed to place the same m the Minute Book. ' The meeting having, been declared open for i\\q ,:' transaction of -business, several important matters appertaining to the welfare of the Society were discussed and carried. The; bciok examiners reported having examined the books of the various Lodges m the district, all of which were kept m a clear and careful manner, complimented the district on having such excellent and painstaking Secretaries m their Lodges. 1$ was decided to hold the next half yearly meeting at Springburn. The JFollowing were elected district ofhcers for the ensuing year:—Prov. G.M., W. T. Soal, Waterton; Deputy Prov, G.M., J. Miles, Ashburton ; Trea i surer, P.P. G.M,, Chas. Reid; Auditors, ■Thos. Williams and Isaac Read. P.P.G.M. Chas. Reid installed the officers elect into their respective chairs. The Secretary was instructed to have P.P.G.M. [,}.'■ Cor bitt s name placed on the respect board. The Prov. G.M. then declared the meet ing closed. A P.G.'s_ Lodge was held m the even ing, at 6.15, and degrees were conferred upon those holding necessary cortih'ciLes. The district officers, delegates, and a large number of members and visitors were entertained to a banquet at the close of the meeting—Prov. G.M. W. T. Soal ' presiding. After partaking of the good things provided, the evening was spent m | harmony, the usuitl toasts and sentiments | buing given and responded to. I

The Chief Stock Inspector.

The .appointment'of Mr j. t). Ritchie, of Mount Royal to ,bo phie? of the Stock department for New Zealand'is a courage ous experiment on the part of Mr M'Kenzie, Who deserves credit for his boldness m picking the man he wautk and placing .him where he wants; him. It might lie objected that m thus going outside the ranks of the officials for a superintendent the Minister of Lands has committed the colony to a risk, the favourable outcome of which depends too directly upon the accuracy of his personal' estimate of the gentleman he has selected. We rather, like, however, to see a thin? of the kind done when (as m the present instance) there is no ground for suspecting the existence of undue favouritism or of political motives m the arrangement; and we hope and believe that Mr, Ritchie's elevation will be justified by its results. We have never been quite able to under stand why it should have been decided that an important department like that of Stock should be left without a permanent head, with a.ll the provincial officials re sponsible only to the Minister direct. This is a condition of affairs which prevails m no other first-class department, and must often have been productive of confusion and delay, if not of worse things still. If the plain truth were told about the aboli tion of the office of superintending in spector some time ago, we shrewdly suspect ie would be found tha* the object was not so much to do away with the ofiice as to set rid, m as gentle and in offensive way as possible, of the harmless buc somewhat unsatisfactory official who then held it. If this was so the device was a weak one, and quite apart from the personal fitness of Mr Ritchie, we are glad that the inspectors of stock are again to be placed under a permanent chief. It cannot, of course; be supposed that under Mr M'Kenzie as the political head of his department Mr Ritchie will enjoy quite so much official influence as generally falls to the lot of a permanent chief, as Mr M'Kenzie himself has to* long been mixed up with the rabbiting squabbles for which his district was -at one time notorious to be likely to accord a free hand to anybody, even his own appointee. This, however, if Mr Ritchie turns out the right man. will remedy itself ia time, and meanwhile we think there is- every reason to regard the appointment with satisfaction. How far official action can really cope with the rabbit pest has not been proved yet, and we may expect thafc a vigorous effort will now be made to supply a reliable answer to this important question. We understand that >Mr iHitchie has succeeded m keeping the property under his charge remarkably clear of rabbits under by no means favour able circumstances, and that upon ;this fact rests his chief claim to the elevation which has fallen to his Job. It is with no , desire to discourage Mr Ritchie that we confess to a doubt whether any set of officials can effect more than a mitigation of the trouble, and to a fear that for real relief from, the rabbit pest tfce colony must look to something us yet uninvented. —" Witness."

Irish Affair's

i , (PER PRES»AB3OCi;AUaN«.) L,ondon, March 10. Mr McCarthy opened the proceed ings of the National Federation, the. programme of which was pronounced tliis week. Dean Malvbiiey, of Sydney, seconded the fov.sial resolution estab- Hshing the federation. A majority of the Irislr priests were present. Mr Sexton charged Mr Parnell with sup jxoifci"§ thu Tories, Archbishop j

Walsh dfc'ared Mri, Parnell'i be haviour was destructive to the Irirfh cause. '':'?; Sydnky. March 12. The leading Roman Catholics pre late* of Australia here held a meeting and issued a manifesto emphatically condemning the proposed campaign of the Irish delegates. It was reaolved that while deeply sympathising with the Irish cause they could not^extend support to'either party" .while!^ the pre sent uphappy condition of affairs re mained unsettled.

Colonial Defence.

(iMSR TIiXfUH ASSOCIATION.) LoitobN, March 11. In discussing M,ajor General Edward's paiper Sir W. claimed that General Edwards' scheme is [identical with his advice m 1880. Raids on Australia were improbable, especially on a large scale. The sole land defences required were forces at the capitals and Thursday Island, which stiould be under Federal control. He claimed credit for advising the doubling of the Australian naval forces m 1881. Sir C. Dilke, who also spoke ion the subject, thought light cruisers would frequently attack Australia.- The security of the coaling stations was not yet perfect, and it' would* be advis able to garrison them before war broke out. Lord Brassey said much remained to be done m the way of providing garri sons for coaling stations. Colonial troops would often be able to ■ assist the Imperial fleet. After the Sydney Convention was ow it . would be desirable to hold a conference m Lon don on the subject of defence*. ' General Edwards, m replying, men tioned that each coaling station could be ready at six hours' notice so far as its own resources were concerned.

TELEGRAPHIC.

HOME AND FOREIGN.

(per press association.) London, March 11. The Duke of Cambridge' advocates a vigorous policy m the Soudan. The Australian and New Zealand Mortgage Company have declared a dividend of 9 per cent, for the year. Mrs Jackson, whose abduction * caused some stir this week, has been reconciled to her husband. <!* The Prince of Wales was m com pany of Sir C. Dilke and his wife to day m Rotton Row., . /■;,■.. England and France have arrived at an agreement respecting the claims of the latter m Newfoundland. The terms of the settlement will be pub lished shortly.  . , Suakim, March 11. The remainder, of the rebels have submitted. Valparaiso, March 10. A rebel Government is being formed at Iquique. , They intend to cqnfiscat* the property of their opponents'. Berlin, March 11. Bismarck has consented to be nomi nated for the Reichstag. Belgrade, Match 11. Ex-King Milan charges Garaxchanie, a prominent politician, with complicity , them strangling of two women. The j politician will probably be prosecuted.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

Auckland, .March. 12. Major Goring, vho is m command of the Permanent Force at Forfc. Cautlev, will take temporary change of the; Auck land Volunteer District. Uentenant- Golonel Shepherd retires from 31st inst. Wellington, March 12. A .movement is on foot to establish a public crematory, and .&■ petjtipn will be presented to the Council asking them to set aside a portion of the new Cemetery at Karori for a site. Mrs Meech, proprietress of the Te Aro baths, obtained £200 damages agiinst the Corporation for the pollution of the water by the refuse shoe m at the dtintrttcfcor tip ' head. It was shown that since a retaining wall was erected the . water b*d been clear, and the profits, Which had been seriously affected, had risen again; -. The Southern Cross Lodge of Odd fellows has resolved ton establish it labor bureau m Wellington, where the names of unemployed^ member*, of th* Order, and employers m various trades who have vacancies to fill, may be re|i£rer6d free of charge, and also to communicate with the. Grand Lodge, jwhich; sjts m Christchurch next week, suggesting that a similar bureau be established m, connec tion with the Lodges m all-the chief centres of the colony, and arrangements made for reciprocal tntarchangi. 'df names of unemployed members and employers requiring servants. ■ ' < ' ■ Nelson, March 12. The body. of Cockram Westrapp, drowned m consequence of the collision on Wednesday night, was duowveflod this evening m the harbour a mile and a half from the scene of the. accident. The Customs enquiry will be held on the return of the steamer, also an inquest on the body. , '. Dunedin, March 12. In the Supreme Court: the appeal against the decision of the R.M. m the case brought by the Trustees of the Cooks and Stewards' Union was heard. The Magistrate had non-suited the Truf tees on the ground that only two sued, and the rules provided for three holding office. Mr Justice Williams upheld the appeal, ruling that m the «vent of death.or re moval of one Trustee, the remaining Trustees had all the necessary powers Vested m them. - - iNVERCAMOHi, March 13. There has been a marked increase m the. experts from the Bluff aa compared with the previous year. Grain haß al most doubled itself, wool show* an in crease of, 3000 bales, or 20 per cent., and general merchandise has also advanced. The weather is fine, and harvesting is general all over the district." '' ' 1 Surprise Is felt that the Hinemoa did not go to the Macquarries to see whether the Gratitude, now' two wiyciif oVeidue, hadarrived at the-island.

SPORTING.

I WANGANUI AUTUMN MEETING. [per pkbss association.] i .. . . SECOND DAY. Wanojutoi Racecourse, March 12. The following concludes our report of Thursday's racing:^— ■ •''> " - X Nursery Stakiks, of^s soys ; six fur longs.— Fraternity Bsfc 61b, 1; Rosefeldt, 9sfc, 2 ; Cretonne, 9&V 3. Woalwflthreo quajten. qf;»Jengthv .Time-lmin 19j»ec. Dividend—£s 168. Wastganui of 800 sots.; one nule> and »-half.—tthaapeCftt '21b 1- Dudu, BstlOlb/2;; Lochne^, 6st,Blb a Bay King »lso mri.' A gmnd We"-Y\Wper winning by a neck. Time—akni^ttißC Dividend--f 2 6s. &WVW HL^owap, of wo sora j oof

THE ASHBUBTON GUARDIAX, FRIDAY, MARCH IS 1801.



Bishop Reunion, of Adelaide, has'writfccn to the President of the Wesleyan Conference, excusing himsalf from taking part m the Wesleyan centenary celebrations. He says I that he could not be present without, ex pressing his convictions, that modern Wes leyanism has greatly departed from the position John Wesley took up, and thai he would not willingly go out of his w.'y 1,0 say a word :■> hurt the feelings of'his brother Christians. It is a very common custom among all con nected with the wheat business, says the " Argus," 'it this time of the year to habi tually chew the grain, and very few people are aware of tlio berious possibilities attached ' ■to the practice. A young man m one of the country districts the other day,, who was en gaged m stripping, ate (ujuanlity of the new ' wheat as he was doing his work. He was taken ill, and his'case became so serious that ho was brought to the nearest township for medical assistance. No less thatf three sur j gical operations were necessary, and it was' not until some days that the doctor pro nounced him out of danger. '- ;" ': The ninth annual report of the Canterbury Frozen. Meat and Dairy Produce Export Com pany, which is to be presented to the share holders atthetmeeting on Xlarch 20, has been circulated. It shows a balance of assets over liabilities of £35,092 19s made up of 4000 shares, on which £7 10s, has been paid, a reserve fund of £187? 14s6d, and net profit for the year ending February 28, 1891, of £3215 4s 6d- This will pay a dividend of 10 per cent on the paid up capital, and allow £215 4s 6d to be carried forward. The sum of £3250 has been written off as depreciation. The Wages paid during the year have amounted to £12,583 12s 3d, and the work ing expenses, repairs, etc., to £10,059 |9s 4d. The,, stock slaughtered at the Belfast works during the year include 258,877 sheep, 116.382 lambs, 308 cattle, and a number of pigs- At a meeting of the Cycling Club on Thursday evening three new members were elected. Mr W. J. S. Hay ward wrote t intimating his intention of being prese'nc at the Easter Monday Sports meeting, and of rid ing his safety pneumatic tyre machine, to do which liberty was granted by the Club. The Pioneer J Bicycle Club wrote communi cating their abandonment of the if intended meeting on Easter Monday and promissing the Ashburton meeting their full support. It was decided to apply to the Domain Board for a clpse day on Easter Monday. After a lengthy discus sion it was decided to have no publican's booth on the ground j but to ask for tenders. for a confectioner's booth. Major Steward,; M.H.R., was elected, patron of the Club, and E, G. Wright,"Esq;, M.H.R., president. The other offices were all filled by efficient officers, and the meeting closed. <pi The Queenstown correspondent of the '' Witness " writes' :'^—•' The singular acci dent which ended fatally to Lee Chung, a Chinese storekeeper at Queenstowii, is giving his countryman a great deal of con cern. It will be remembered that thn tail of i his head became entangled m a bush over- ' hanging a precipice, and that upon the sudden jerk of the body the tail parted com pany with its owner, literally scalping him. As the unfortunate man died afterwards, his co-religionists hold that it was all the work of the'debil debil,' for it is a well-known belief among these singular people that no Chinaman can get into the .Chinese heaven without his tall, which is the only means by which he can be raised so high. This unique accident is consequently causing much talk and discussion amongst the Chinese at the present time." Here are some exerpts from a paper on "The Irish,", written by a Lambeth lad:— " The Irish are so called because thej live on the Island of Ireland. It is a beautiful country which is chiefly noted for three principal clases of things which is—naiiiely, its great greenness, its big bogness, and its little shamrocks. It says m our lessons as green as a favourite color with all the Irish, great and small classes. Sham rock is nothing but a little bit of green clover, but the Irish love it. They can't manyfaeture things m Ireland same as we am, tfromj a| •Tcickion Qiiiginc to a sowing needle. But still the Irish manyfaeture the the following classes of things very exceed ingly—namely, limn, bacon, shop eggs, and" whisky. The Irish are nearly as tond of bacon as they are of potatoes; and as for that their whisky the Irish love ife. The hearts of the Irish, the. book says are a,U v°ry warm. If you were walking out m ■ the country and you nut a poor man j you could easly tell whether he was an Irishman ; for if he Avas an Irishman lie would perhaps have a pig with him." " Backbone " givc3 us a few notes from the running track m view of the cycling meeting on Easter Monday. He says that among the peds. the Shearmans and Pilbrows are doing steady work, and he hears that some of the wheelmen are also going to run, and hopes the rumor is true. Among the Cyclists, Thompson is going well and shows a good bit of go. Bennetts is doing plenty of work, and is quite up to his old form. A. Craig head has developed into a flyer, and will prove a hard nut to crack. Stewart and Walls are both doing hard work ; the latter however, not m Jso good form as he has been seen m former times, but Walls is going uncommonly well. Mat.hews is improving every practice, bnt McFarlane is a bit green and will scarcely be m the best condition for the meeting. C. Moss has been unwell, but is at work again. His style would stand a good deal of improvement, less saddle and more paddle. S. Salek works hard but like Moss works too much m the saddle. Mullaney would be all the better for a little spurting practice, as he is a little slow at present. Williams is coming into form but, Dununage is off the track through sickness. The arable portion of the cultivated area of Great Britain, though steadily shrinking, is still grea er than the permanent grass land. There are 16,751,000 acres of arable land, or 511 per cent of the whole surface. In England the surface under pasture is somewhat larger than the acreage of arable, laud, Space forbids us to enter here into the interesting details set forth m the tables. But special notice should be given to the increasing area reported as under "Small Fruit," the surface occupied m this way being 46,200 acres, or an increase of 4300 acres. The area under orchards also shows a considerable increase. But the total area under corn is less by 42,000 acre? than it was last ■year,-and less by a million acres than for the average of the' five years ending with 1880. The decrease m the growth of English wheat is responsible for this. In other crops there is no material change except m the potato crop. Tne bad prices m 1889 are doubtless the cause of the reduction of 50,000 m the acreage under p')tatoes. In the matter of live stock there has never before been a more satisfactory record. The number of farm horses has undergone little or no change, but all other species have increased, without exception. .In-this.'part of the returns there is unmis takable evidence that farmers are turning their attention m earnest to stock breeding and dairy farming. Thk Bust Rkmedy fob Indigestion-— Norton's Camomile Pills are confidently ecommended as a simple remedy for Indigestion, which is the cause of nearly all the diseases to whicn we arc subjects Norton's Pills, with justice called the 'Natural Strengthener of tho Human Stomach," act as a powerful tonic and gentle aperient, are mild m their operation, and safe under any circumstances. Sold m bottles, at Is H-d, 2s 9d, 11s, by all medicine vendqrs throughout the wo Id We clip tha follqwing important testimo nial from the Illawami Mercury " (N. S, W ) f i he 30th March. It needs no comment :-r~ •f Mr John Loveday, of the Bulli Mountaino writes to us that after suffering fpr four years j with aoute gravel, he has experienced almost complete relief by using Sander and Sons' Eucalyptic Extract. He says :—" Seeing the said Extract-advertised m the ' Illawarra Mercury,' his intense suffering-induced*him. to obtain a bottle of the inedieme from Mr Hoskjngj .chemist, of this town, and that the use of it' gav<s Ijin} great relief at once. He states that between 10th MkcoU inst., when he obtained the first bottle of the extract, and the 19th, the iise 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 ■* cure for rheumatism I aa%eU a^ He requests us to publish this information through the 'Mercury.'' We | have much pleasure m complying with Mr Loveday's request, whose word cannot pc doubted, and who can have no object m view other than a pure desire to benefit suffering humanity, "-*(Advt,) %



THE DOMESTIC PAPER PATTERNS ] OF NEW YORK. ! Mrs Pope "11 riSHES to infofiti her many friends VV and Customers that she has the Agen;y of the above celebrated Patterns, and that by e;:ch San Francisco Mail she will R ECEIVB NE W ONES. —Also— .... .••X ii c Sty 1 c." Price 3d Monthly. THE BIJOU ART NEEDLEWORK DEPOT, Morten's Buildings, Opposite Bank New Zealand. CHRISTCHURCH:



W. H. COLLIE B W. H. Collikk is now The Corner W. H. CoUiiKK The Corner \V. H. Collier showing The Corner | W. H. Collier The Corner | W t. H. Collier NEVST The Corner W. H. Collier The Corner W. H. Collier ano The Corner \V. H. Collier The Corner W. H- CollierC HOICE The Corner W. H. Collier The Corner \\\ H. Collier MILLINERY The Corner W, 11. Collier ULSTERS, The Corner W. H. Collier JACKETS, Thk Corner W. H. CoLiitaj> RIBBONS, The Corner iW. H. Collier FURS, The Corner W. H. Collier GI,OVES, The Corner \Y. H. Collier DRAPERY, Tj*>; Corner VV. H. Collier etc., etc., The Uqrskr , VY. H- Collier for the The Corner j W; H.C(W#& «, T «, TW w ThbCorxkr; WH. Collier TTU»tW The Corner \V. H. Collier ww^,,™ The Corner : W.K.COJMX* WIWTER fm Corner; W. If, CofcWBK SEASON. Ti[,K Corner : W.H. (tQiWS* — ' The Corner j W. H. Colwe« ffcjfebiwe to Corner . W. H. Goijfiwa fff *he Corner ! W. H. Coujfs* SUMWBB T$* Corner, Vy. H. Collier STOOK Th*? .Corner i \S'. K. Collier i s still being Twb Corner | \V. H. Collier , Thk Corker j VV. H. Collier SOLD OFF This Cokver W. ft, Collier °U The Corner W, h, vm t f.m CH, EAI> J, HB OBNKR U r, H. J^W.«* jt9 JUakc room Ihe Corner ? T Ji iUAAAyu. (fif 'l lIE Corner W ft CWS ITfVJ W The Corner \\\ h. coL-Miiß xxamw.- ifflQQW*™ "The Corner:"



/"^ LASS, Earthenware, and China, VJT" direct from the Manufacturers. — Robert Alcokn, Tea Warehouse and Ashburton Clothing Mart, Saunders' Buildings. ; WANTED Known — The Cheapest Shop to buy Tinware and Gal vanised Iron goods m Ash barton, is at W. F. Hannafori/s, Burnett tetreet. A arge stock kept on hand. Tin and Iron ware goods made and repaired with des patch. h j "VTOW- ON —At Stationers'~Hair, -L^l Great Sale of Surplus Stock of Books, Stationery, Fancy Goods' Music, etc. Great reductions for cash, for one month only. Hundreds of books at less than English price. At L. F. Andrbwes <fe Co.'s, Stationers Hall. i /~1 ENTLEMEN requiring the very VT latest fashion m FLEXIBLE HATS (all colors) will find a choice stocks at the New Zealand Clothing Factory. WHITE and Fancy Scarfs, White and S.triped Vests, Tennis Shiris. buttoned and laced fronts, all colors, at the New Zealand Clothing Factory. SUMMER Merino and Gauze Merino Undershirts, with long or short sleeves, at the New Zealand Clothing Factory. WASHING Derby Ties fid each, xix for 2s 6d. Increasing demand for these at the New Zealand Clothing- Factory. BOYS' School Suits, well fitting, durable, and moderate m price at the New Zealand Clothing Factory. AGENTS for the Wonderful New High Arm "Wfirtheim 'Sewing Machines. Latest improvements, new appliances, noiseless motion, increased rtd-vantagoa. _____ ALL who have used the " Wertheim' New High Arm sewing machine, proclaim it to be the most" perfect Bowing machine yet produced. Inspection nvit::d. '\T E W ZEALAND CLOTHING IN FACTOB V, the leading Hat, Cap, an I Clothing Manufacturers, EAST STREET, _VSKEBXJE.TOISr Agenl|for the Wonderful Wertheim Sewing Machine »V. H. WEI3BEB,. Manager.



Wanteu CASH Advertisements under this heading not exooeding SIXTEEN WORDS 1/-. Addresses may be Mtat this OftW. T OST a Lady's Jacket, light fawn .1J color. Finder jjlbmhj apply Hol lkx & Co., West Street, Ashbtirton. 3 79 WANTED to , take m plain %vvinc: and machine stitching, "For address apply by letter, A.8., " Mail " Offiw. S 50 "TTTANTED Known.—Mrs J. Buch- YY anan has opened as Fruiterer anu Conftiotioiitsr, next iYlessrs John Orr and Co., East Street. TRY the Great Drapery Sale now on at H. C. Seoehs. \\J ANTED, a strong active youth, as VV an apprentice to the Coich painting. Apjdy Victorian Carriago Works. 3 81 WANTED Known.—Mks J. Buch anan, Fruiterer and Confectioner. Tea and coffee at all hours ; hot luncheon on Saturdays, 12 to 2. Next Messrs J. Orr and Co'a, East Street. "PRESENTS.— All holders of Tickets XT will oblige by bringing them mas soon as possible. - H. C. Segkks, Melford House. ■ /POOLING and invigorating Ico Cream \J as made by Hi G, Flower, Con fectioner, East Street. - WANTED Known — Some special lines m choice Dress Goods at very low prices showing at " The Corner." WANTED Known—The "Strong wear " Boot is the best for Mens 'j-idies and Children.—W. H. Collier. WANTED every man m the County to have a suit of the Ashburton Tweeds. —Robert Alcorn, Ashburton Clothing Mart, SaUnder's Buildings. BEGERS' Clearing Sale m all Depart ments now on. One trial solicited. — Melford House.



' " EXTENSION OF w. w. spciruKit * con Great Clearing Sams. Being heavily overstocked, and m order to make room for a shipment of Goods which we have landing from Home m about a fortnight, we have made Greater Reductions than ever. All Wool, colonial flannel, 10|d, 4-ply fingering wool, all colors, Is lid; Calicos 2s 3d the doz; Dress Goods 4id; Washing Prints, 2id, 3!d, and 4|d ; Washing Muslin H2* lid the doz ; Towola, 3id \j each ; a very large Towel 9|d, [J Onow 6id ; very good Ticking, m 6d: double width Sheeting, Jj <J 7U; heavy white Linen Twill H p! Sheeting, ll*d ; heavy cotton U Shirting, Bid; Cretonnes, 4|d ; l X Men's woollen Sox, ll$d; Boys' p Braces, 4d ; Men's Braces, 8d ; M 4k \ Men's Regatta Shirts, 2s lid ; +* Men's good Tweed Suits. 22?, Q '6d ; Boys' Tweed Suits from £. W 4s lid ; Men's colored Moles X* M 7« 6d, now 5s lid ; Boys' do. p ffi 2s lid. BOOTS. BOOTS. L| Men's Bluchers, 6s 6d ; Men's \J] \ ■ colonial made Shooters, 9s lid; j , Boys' strong Boots very cheap. j ■■Women's strong Elastics, 6s j 9d; Girls' and Maids' Kid Elastic Sides and Button Boots 2s lld ; 3* lid, and 4s 6d at j W. W. tUPKXCMM * C»'» THE ARCADE. N.B.—We have this day purchased a Traveller's Set of Samples at a discount of 50 per cent. If you want a real bargain now is your chance. ~~~~~Tiie Arcade. m NHiui mcMHK 1 COMPANY OF M ZEAIANfI (FIRE AND MARINE) THE Business of this Company has been TRANSFERRED to the COMMERCIAL UNION ASSURANCE COMPANY, Limited, of London, by whom, through the various Branches and Agencies m New Zealand, all accounts owing to and by and all losses under the Colonial Insurance Company's policies will b* settled m future. F. ALLEN, General Manager. Wellington, New Zealand, ■December ,11th, 1890. THE COMMERCIAL UNION AfiSUR ANCE COMPANY, (Limited) 111 I Established 1861. oicoruoraUKl OwUv Act of Parliament, 7 and 8 Vie, Cap. 110. Head Office :■ 19 aa& 20 Cornhill, London Capital fully nubscribed ... £&50Q,«00 Total Invc*. Ed Funds .., f'^^^A Total Anmml Netb Income... J»Ws£r HEAD OFFICE ion NEW ZKAJ^ANU : lij\ml)ton Qtiny, Wfllington. With Local Boards of Advice m Australia and Now Zeakiml. (Jeiwial Manager for New Zetlamt ; FRANK ALLEN, .1 P. Every description of Fire nil Marine nsuriUicß olfccted at LOWEST (JUUIJENT BATES CUFF & GRAHAM, MiUiiiL'ci'B for Canterbury, Chrnstchurch



MONEY TO LEND. T^rONBT to Lend afc LOW RATES OF INTEREST, on Mortgage of FREK BOLD PROPERTY, m Bums of £100 TO^OOO for further particulars apply to the Postmaster, Ashburton, or to J. C. PRUDHOE, District Agent. ; Government Insurance Office. ChrUtchurch.



Public Notices. CHRISrOHCROH DENTAL SURGERY, Corner of Cashel and High streets SURGEON DENTIST. i ; And at Dunedin Mil Westjort ClTEhave gainedthi FIRST AWARD W ■ the Dunedin lOxhioition for Artificial Dentures and Mechanical Appli *nces for the Mouth, and it is with the greatest confidence that re guarantee the highest class work and perfect tit at the most moderate cosj A SingU Artificial Tooth, 10s. Comple Set.—f Upper and Lower temporary and permanent, £10 10s. Natural, Durablb, Comfortable 1 s Artificial Teeth Replaced Tempoiarily al most immediately ..after the extraction »f decayed teeth or stumps without extra cc or charge. Arrangements can be made for part or monthly payments. ADMINISTERING NITROUS OXIDE v*AS 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 6d. Artificial Teeth and Dentures made by other dentists repaired or remodelled at •mall cow*.