The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Vertas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, JULY 18. 1891. CURRENT TOPICS.

The Magistrate's decision m the case, last Thursday, m which Mr W. F. Allen was charged with grazing a flock of sheep m the Borough, has caused considerable comment; not be cause of the case being dismissed, but because the Bench refused, after re peated applications, to allow Mr Allen his expenses. Here was a v ell-known and highly respected resident haled before the Court, .charged with an offence which it was conelusivelyproverl he could not possibly have commit el, at the time. In order to attend the Court to answer the charge he loses not one bat several days' business, and yet he is refused the small compensa tion of a day's wages. The slightest enquiry would have made the pound keeper aware that Mr Allen had no thing to do with the sheep, and, further, would have informed him who the offending individual was. A charge so wrecklessly brought would, we should have thought, have entailed the giving of the heaviest possible costs against the informant; and it is a question which may be asked without impro priety whether the Magistrate does not occasionally strain a point m his laudable desire to support public officers m the execution of their duty. It is a matter for congratulation that New Zealand is at peace with all the world. According to reports the rifles with which our. volunteers are armed are absolutely useless—m most cases worn out and past repair. The weapon at ics best is obsolete, and t'le best thing that the volunteers and their friends can do now is to use every means of influencing the Government to supply a serviceable arm of modern date. With reference to the frequent charges of ott'eiices ag.unst Municipal bye-laws, the loss of time incurred by the accused persons m attending the Court to answer the informations, is generally more serious than the nomi nal penalty which is usually inflicted. The offences are m most instances admitted, and are of a trifling nature, and to meet such cases an effort is beine made to amend the Police Offences Act so that a fixed niinimum fine may be stated on the summons, which may be paid into Court without costs, and thus save the time of the informant and the accused while en forcing the bye-laws.

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A whale, said to be 100 feefc long and 40 feet broad, was towed into Rhodes' Bay on Thursday evening by the steam launch Canterbury. The carcase was seen floating m the sea off lyttelton Heads the day before, and several boats went m search of it, the Canterbury being the luoky tinder. The whale is calculated to yield a handsome return m oil and bone. The unmarried members of the Melbourne police force have represented some grievances to headquarters. The men object to the barrack) system, the wearing of armlets and gloves, and to being compelled to attend tootbatl matches during periods when they are supposed to be oil" duty. Artificial eyes are suppHsd to all the world from Thuringiu, Germany. Nearly all the grown mi a'atants cf some of the villages are engaged m their manufacture. Four men usually sit at a table, each with a gas jet m front of him, and the eyes • are blown from glass plates and moulded into shape by hand, the colors are then traced m with needles, no set rule being observed m the coloring ; and, as every man uses his'own fancy, no two artificial eyes, therefore, are exactly alike. An interesting discovery made m Palestine during the present year is that of the ancient pool of Bethesda, which has hitherto been confounded.with the Birket Israel. Recent excavations of the Algerine monks under the ruins of the Crusader Church of fc>t Anne at Jerusalem have laid bare two rook-hewn wells containing water, which have been .repeatedly built over. These correspond with the descriptions of Bethesda as given by the fathers of the church and the pilgrims of the fourth century. During the Hungarian revolution m 1846 lofty prisoners of war were thrown into a deep pool near Aermannstadt. A few weeks ago the bodies were recovered, after an im mersion of forty-one years, and they were m a perfect state of preservation, their organs unchanged m form, color, or consistence. It is supposed that the minerals m the water passed m solution through the pores and had a p.'esensitive effect;upon the internal organs as well as upon the entire body. This ex plains the theory of scientists as to the beneficial effects of mineral baths upon the entire system. Referring to Mr J. D. Ritchie's appoint ment, the '' North British Agriculturist says:—" Mr J. D. Ritchie, is a son of Mr Ritchie, Whitetield, Perthshire, and nephew of Mr David Murray, banker, Meigle. At an early asre he went out as an assistant manager to a large Stock Company, and through his own great natural abilities, combined with indomitable per severance and thorough trustworthiness, he very soon rose to the top of his profession. His appointment as chief inspector of stock for New Zealand is gratifying to his sterling qualities of head and heart, and his many friends m Perthshire and Forfarshire will rejoice over his well-merited success." At a public dinner at Edinburgh re cently a very amusing story was told of James Payn, the novelist. Mr Payn, as is well-known, is editor of the " Cornhill Magazine," and next door to his office a medical journal has, or had till recently, its sanctum. One day Mr Payn's door was cautiously opened, and a p:ile-faced, long haired gentleman entered. "I have brought a little thing about saicuna and carcinoma," said the visitor. "Very sorry, sir," said Mr Payne, politely, " but we have all the poetry we want." "'This is not poetry," exclaimed the visitor; "it is an essay on two varieties of. tumour.' *' Oh, I beg your pardon," said Payne. "I thought they were a pair of Italian lovers." The long-haired man was a well-known professor who had entered the wrong office. The Imperial Government have been sorely exercised m mind aa to the status of the Dutehess of fife's daughter. After consulta tion with the highest legal authorities, it was decided that the little girl was by rank a princess, being of ths Blood Royal. Strangely enough the Queen wpuld not accept this, and has decided that her great great grandchild is the plain daughtei of a duke, and shall tike no precedence by reason of her mother's rank. Yet "the young Battenbergs—but these Battenbergs arc Battehberg. The strangest point of all is that between this same little child, who the (Juecn hag decided is a commoner (as are all the children of peers), and the CVown of Great Britain stand but three lives-^namely, the Prince of Wales and his two sons, neither of whom is married. Is it possible that Ihft commoner may yet come to the throne ? More WGud<prful things have happened Teas free from any excess of as'-rinsjeucy South Britifeh Tea Company's pure blends. All storekeeper.

"A resident of Napier," says the " Daily Telegraph," who has been studying the Financial Statement and the Property Tax Commissioners' report presented to Parlia ment iv 1890, writes to say that there are fifteen sheep farmers m the Hawke's Bay Provincial District who collectively pay property tax to the amount of £6108 7s 6(1, including the .amount payable lr/ mortgagees. Under the laud t<x propos I these same fifteen gentlemen will pay £0-170 19.3 2, a difference of £'2 lls Bd. From the return mentioned it would also appear that these fifteen sett'era hold personal property to the value of £o01,!W5, all ol which will escape specific taxation under Mr Balance's pro posals. Mr Saunilci-3, M.H.R., has a high opinion of the influence of Wellington air on Minis ters. In a recent debate ho said—" They all knew that every newspaper iv Welling ton was pledged to support the Civil Service through thick and rhin, and that when any man was dismissed from the service th<r.i was a general howl m thosa papers, and also on the part of the members for Wellington. He hoped that when they came to consider the necessary proposals of the Government they would bear m mini such recommenda tions a«t this, and be thankful to the Minis ter of Public Works for carrying oat real and substantial economies. He only hoped that the Wellington air would not have the same effect on that honourable gentleman as it had on others who had been his pre decessors m off*s." Last evening the Oddfellows had a most successful tea meeting and social m their hall. Between the tea meeting and the social together over 500 people must have attended. The tea tables were presided over by the young lady friends of the mem bers of the Order, and the ladies certainly discharged their duties to the utmost satis faction of every one. After tea a large number of gifts were distributed to the children, and the young people having thus been disposed of, the gifts of the |nerchants were also given away. These were as under: — J. Tucker gave five cwt coal; J. C. Grubb, ornamental cake; H. C. Seqers, tea cosy ; Geo James, round corn beef; Geo. Worner, leg mutton ; H. McElrea; one bag potatoes ; S. E. Burnard, two ox tongues; W. H. Collins, |-cord short, wood; F. Ferriman,. one dozen tumblers ; John Orr, 501 b bag of flour; Henry Zander, parcel groceries; Tusker Bros., round corn beef; W. H. Rule, one sucking pig; George Jameson, o'bs tea j John G. Restell, five packets tea (Ceylon and Indian Tea Association.) The gifts having been dispensed to the lucky recipients, the floor was cleared for dancing, which was kept up to about midnight to music supplied by Mr H. A. Gates' band. Several songs we; c also sung iv the course of the evening, and refreshments were supplied on the stage to those attending the social. Altogether the gathering was one of the most successful ever held by the Order m Ashburton. The best medicine is Stmder and Son Eucalpyti Extract. Test its eminent power ful effects m coughs, colds, influenza, etc. — the relief is instantaneous). Thousands give the most gratifying testimony. His Majesty the King of Italy and medical syndicates all over the world are its patrons. Read the official reports that accompany each bottle. We have no occasion to offer rewards m proof of the genuineness of our references. The official reports of medical clinics and univer sities, thcoflieialcommunicationaof the Consul General for Italy at Melbourne ; the diploma awarded by the International Exhibition Amsterdam —all these are authentic docu ments, and, as such, not open to doubt. We add here epitome of one of the various cases treated at the clinic of Schultz, M.D. Pro fessor, etc.- " C. 8., 24 years old; conges tional abscess on the thigh. Incisious made m two places. Although Lister's dressing was applied, the secretion became, two days later, very copious, and had adopted a fiutid decomposed character. The temperature rose enormously. In consequence the dressing was removed and m its place were made during the day-time repeated irrigations with Eucalypti Extract. The offensive f(«tcr ds appeared very soon, the fever abated within a few days, and the patient recovered after the lapse of several weeks. In this instance we must not loae sight of the fact that the latter treatment saved the patient's life.' Advt.) 3^

SAMOA.

IM PE NDING REBKLLION

Auckland, July 17. News armies from Samoa of the defec tion of Matnafa, who was recognised by the Mulietoa natives as king during the absence t.f their .sovereign. Malictoa commanded him to come to Apia, but he refused, saying lie would either be sent away m the German warship or hanged. A consular meeting has been held at Apia and preparations made for any emergency. The disaffected natives are assembling m large nutnl ers at Mataafa's place, and are urging others to join the robollion. The epreeentatives of the three Greac Powers have issued a proclamation, saying no king will be recognise 1 but Malictoa, and anyone rebelling will bo punished. The alarmist reports are discounted to some extent by the news that Mataafa himself rmid his faxes.

SPORTING.

AUSTRALIAN RACING.

VICTORIAN GRAND NATIONAL MEETING.

[PER .t'KBSS ASSOCIATION.]

Melbourne, July 18. The hurdles will be run on Tuesday, ani the Steeplechase probably o:i Friday.

UNITED HUNT STEEPLECHASES.

Racecourse, Hutt, July 18. It was raining hard m town till 9.30 a.m , when it cleared up. Singular fco say, no vain fell at the Hutt. The weather is delightful now and the attendance good for the initial meeting of the Hunt Club. Kesults :— Maiijen Steepleciia.sk of 27 soys ; 2£ miles.—The Monk, 12sc 31b, 1 ; Canute" list 61b, 2. Rhona, 12st 31b, also started, but fell. Canute appeared to be winning easily,!buttaking the wrong course allowed Monk to win easily. Time, 6min. Dividend, £2 7s. Open Hurdles, of 40 soys; one mile and a half. —Theorem, 9st 81b. 1; Cour anto, lOst 71b, 2 ; Clyde, lOsfc 31b, 3. Nine others ran. Grand race. Won by half a length. Time, 3min l-sth sec. Dividend, £6* Is. Hunt Club Steeplechase, of 50 soys ; three miles and a half—Dan, 12st 31b, 1 ; DJmdeen, list 71!), 2 ; Halicore, list 31b, 3. Six others ran. Dan fell, but being quickly remounted caught the horses agna, and won easily. Time, 9miu 13] sec. Dividend, £5 &>. j

STOCK DRIVING.

When writing, last Saturday, upon the subject of sheep-stealing, we sug gested as an important step towards preventing tho stealing of sheep that rangers should be appointed m the various sheep districts to take note of all travelling stock. In a parcel of Bills received yesterday from the Government printer is one bearing upon that very point, ft is introduced by the Hon. Mr Walker, and is intituled "An Act to regulate the Driving of Stock and m Prevention of Theft thereof "; and applies horses of all kinds, asses, mules, cattle of all kinds, and sheep of all kiftdij" arid the" young of any such horses, cattle, and sheep. The owner of any travelling sto:k is to provide the drover —-or himself if he act as drover—with a way-bill specifying the number of cattle, horses, or sheep which are being driven, with the brands and earmarks, and stating whence they are from and where they are travelling to. This way-bill must be produced when properly demanded, and any sheep inspector or member of the police force, or Crown lands ranger, or owner of any run, may inspect any-travelling stock, and compare the number, brands, and earmarks thereof with the number, brands, and earmarks set forth m any such way-bill or delivery note, and the drover thereof shall, on being requested so to do, submit the stock m his charge to such inspection accordingly. If all is found to be correct, the way-bill shall be endorsed by the person making the examination ; but should any such travelling stock not be fully and accurately described m the way-bill., or satisfactorily accounted for, then such stock as is not fully and accurately described or satisfactorily accounted for shall be impounded m the pound, and kept there at the ex pense of the owner of such stock until claimed by him or some person duly authorised on his behalf, and until the requirements of the Act with respect thereto shall htve been complied with, and a way-bill or delivery-note fully and accurately describing such travel ling stock shall be produced and shown to the keeper of such pound, and the poundage fees and all other charges and disbursements paid, which amount any owner may recover from any drover m charge, if such owner prove himself blameless. Any owner or drover having m his charge or posses sion stock not fully and accurately described m the way bill or delivery note, or satisfactorily accounted for, or who does not produce the same when called on, or any person or &ny auctioneer purchasing or receiving any stock not described or incorrectly des cribed m the way-bill or delivery-note, or any owner or drover selling, or offering for sale, or placing with any one for sale, without producing a written authority from the actual owner of such stock to sell or other wise dispose of the same, will be liable to a penalty of fifty pound-;, and any owner or drover driving stock without being provided with a proper way-bill or delivery-note shall be liable to a similar penalty. The Act is to apply to ijuch districts as may from time to time be proclaimed by the Governor, by " Gazette " notice, and the Gover nor may at any time revoke any such proclamation. The Bill is \ well designed to meet the necessities of the case, but it might be improved by thf addition of a clause providing that farmers ' uniting for the purpose of mutual protection might appoint rangers, with the same powers as those conferred by the Bill upon Sheep In spectors, members of the police foi'ce and Crown lands rangers, and that rangers so appointed should be paid out of the funds of the Stock Depart ment, to which all lines recovered should be paid. However, Mr Walker as a practical sheep-fanner, who has suffered from the depredations of sheep stealers, may be depended upon to do his utmost to obtain such legislation as will make, the operations of the raiders difficult if not impossible.

Plains Water Supply.

MEETING AT RAKAIA

After the meeting of ratepayers at South Rakaia on Thursday, a number of the farmers held an informal meeting to discuss the question of water supply, it having been stated at the Irrigation meet ing that the Acton district was not m favor of being included m any proposed district for rating purposes. Mr Allan gave his views on the ques tion of the present supply taken from ; the Rakaia river opposite Acton home stead, which had proved of great benefit to a large number of settlers. The head works used at this point could be consi derably enlarged and protected at a com paratively small cost by the Council, but that body objected to expending any more than some £20 on the work, which would be useless, for the first fresh that came would clear the whole proposed em bankment away. With all due respect to Mr Baxter he was of opinion that m this instance he was not competent to advice the Council, as he had not inspected the headworks since the last fresh. He (Mr Allan) thought there was too much red tape about the Council, _. and works re quiring attention should not be delayed so long, and thus cost much more than should be the case. He had written to the Council on the matter, but understood bis letter had not reached m time for the last meeting, but as he, with Mr H. Harrison, had explained to Mr Baxter what was required, he thought the work should have received immediate atten tion. He wished for no charge on the Council if only the headworks were pio perly looked after, lie felt that the Council wished the headworks at Acton to be ruined, and thus play into the hands of those interested m an irrigation scheme for taking the Rakaia water from j near Laurision. He thought the Council should hand over to tho settlers m tliß Acton district the Hole sontrol of the headworks and races m the district, charging thorn the cost of original races a^l not rating m future. Mr Coster said he was sure Mr Allan was taking a wrong viuw of tho matter. The Council had faith m Mr Baxter, ,uh', acted m accordance with hit* advice. Wilils regard tq fchp headworks at; Acton being, 'diwj'iguil by fyeshos, tho s'amo rouwrks applied to nil headworks. Ifo was sure thy 0 nine j I would not be ruled by ono man, wlion i|, consisted of niuo inomberM, It was no fault of tho Council's tint Mr Allan had neglected to post his let tor m time for tho last 'meotiug, With regard to the Council giving certain settlors control of a portion of the water supply, it was a very large question, and ono he, as an individual member, would not give his opinion on it m haste. He thout-ht if the settlers required such control"they should petition the Council; and ask it to receive a deputation, <■ ■

This it was decided to do, a number of those presents deciding to sign the petition' After some further desultory con versation the gathering dispersed.

The Totalisator Tax.

[per press association.]

; Wellington, July 17» SPjhe members of Parliament, who were delegates at the recent facing Clubs 5 Con ference, waited on the Premier to-night, with reference to the proposed tax on the totalisator. Captain T&nssell, M.H.R., who expressed the views of the deputation, pointed out that- the-proposed tax would be very oppres sive, and if it were enforced Racing Clubs must reduce the amount of their strikes, and this would consequently drive racehorse owners, who ran for stakes alone, off the turf altogether. Mr Balance, m reply, said his sympathies were certainly with horse racing, and he looked upon it as an o.d and legitimate sport. He would gladly give every consideration co the various representations which had been made to him by the deputation, and if his necessities would permit it, he hoped to be able to reduce the tux to 1| per cent, as had been suggested m certain quarters.

JURISDICTION.

THIO KN3LTSH UNIVERSITIES.

The item rf our cable news which stated that the authorities of Cambridge and Oxford decline to abandon their special jurisdiction over the towns people, is thus referred to by the Wel lington "Post":—The subject has re-I cently occasioned considerable contro versy, evolving very strong feeling at Home. By their old charters the Uni versity authorities are given certain powers of police regulation extending over the adjoining and .surrounding towns, with a view to the moral safety of the University pupils. Thus tradesmen m the University boroughs are subject to certain regulations ; no race meetings can be held within a certain distance, and no shows or theatrical entertainments be given m the towns without special permission from the University autho rities. The Vice-Chancellor's Courts also claim the right to arrest any women found by themselves m the streets after dark. The Proctors and the Bulldogs Ke'z3 any woman unfortu nately foUiid unprotected, whatever her errand, hurry her off to a eel!, and m the mornin;"', without being all >wed to com municate with her friends of call evi dence or obtain legal assistance, the Vice- Chancellor's Court sends her to the Uni versity to pick ov,kutu for as many days or woeks a-i to it .seems tit.. This is the juris diction the authorities refuse to relinqui h. Attention was recently drawn to the matter by the escape from one of these prisons, known as the Spinning House, of a young woman of highly respectable character, who had been seized m the street when returning from posting a letter, locked up and sentenced to three week/ imprisonment. Find ing the door of the Spinning House open one t'ay, she walked out and went home, when she was again arrested on a charge of prison-breaking and sentenced to further punishment. Against this her friends were enabled to "appeal to the ordinary Law C surts, but these decided that the old charters gave the Universities the powers claimed, and th»*t the ordinary Courts of Law could net inUivforo. This decision created some stiv m r.he press and m Parliament, and the matter was taken up by the Govern ment with a view to inducing the Univer sity authorities to modify their claims to jurisdiction and remodel their mode of procedure, so as to bring it into harmony with modern ideas regarding the adminis tration of justice. It now appears that the authorities refuse any compromise, and persist m asserting their right to exorcise their preposterous powers m the old-fashioned barbarous 'man nor. The result will probably le that Parliament will take 1 the matter into its own immls and abrogate the auc'ent charters, so as to confine the jurisdiction of the Vice- Chancellors' Courts to University offences and to the precincts -of the University itself.

Meibourne Notes.

(FROM OUll CORRESPONDENT.)

It Is nob to much too say that the Conservative patty here are aghast at the successes of the Labor candidates m the New South Wales elections. They had looked upon the workmen us so utterly defeated and demoralised m the recent struggles betvveen employer and employed tint they never reckoned upon their raEyi'.ig and uniting their forces to meet their opponents upon another battle field. It is quite pitiable to see the long and labored arguments by which the Con servative journab try to prove that a barrister, a shopkeeper, an attorney, a doctor, a farmer, a professional politician, or eTen the nominee of a wealthy news paper proprietor will make an admirable representative for any constituency whether he be Protectionist or Freetrader, but that the Labor candidate man cannot be worthy of a place m Parliament. As a matter of fact, the Labor candidate will, of course, be very much like every other candidate* He will attend to his own interest first, just as every other member of Parliament does. He will attend to those of his family next, and find places for all of them if he can. The interests of his class will then have a show just as those of the lawyers do, and then if he has any time to spnre it will be given to those of his country. A pair of pockets and a tongue are the chief requisites of the member of Parliament, who fills the one by wnpging the other, and will do so till time shall be no more. : There are rumor.* of scandals and disagreements at Government House whLh are causing great concern m the minds of those who consider what goes on m that big establishment South of the Yarra Ib i< understood that the conditions of life are, under that dignified roof, anything but comfort able, and certainly when its occu pants appear m public they f jnerally do so separately, and both look about as miserable as people with permanent dyspepsia. General Tulloch is at his wits end concerning thj disaffection m the forces. The BalUvrat incident is only an active external sign of an incessant conflict between the new notions entertained by the men, and the inflated ideas of their own importance entertained by the officers. In the British Army the difficulty of getting recruits, the abolition of purchase, and the consequent fact that the prepara tion for a military career is now chiefly educational, have led to a great modifica tion m the relative feelings of the men and officers for each other. Here the ollJGors tire apt to claim an exaggerated deference, and the men are loth to yield any deference ut all. Tho non-com iniHsionoil officers are not considered worthy of supervision by tho officers, and conaoquently do as they like with the inon, and tho result is a very unpleasant and dangerous state of irritation. Of course there >>ro some officers who do their duty, and some men who endure a groat deal of improper usage with forti- j tude, but there is literally always some ! little trouble or another m our miniature army, which is mostly tuss and feathers at the top with a good deal of absolute disaffection at bottom. Half the »ien , look as thongh they continually asked ' "Who the devil is he V and half ! officers look as though they imagined they Intel just dyopped from the m,oQi\.

Mr Munro is jubilant, for he sees a good chance of staying m office until Parlia ment expir.es by the effluxiou of time. The opposition have no programme, but merely wait on events, and he is a pretty good tactician.-—be Her pcr 1 apsthan any of them quit.» imagine. lie has the public with him m his determination to bring (he Railway Commiss'-oners to .subjection. He has immensely gratified tho Civil Service, now a power m the State, by directing that the order for retirement at sixty years of a«e shall be strictly enforced and junior officers trained to fill the vac ancies created, thusquickening promotion, and 1c has yob all the local optionistF, women's .suffrage, and other persons with particular questions "to push, hoping thhi he will pull their pet theories through : consequently ho has concentrated so many interests behind him that their impulsive force can hardly fail to propel him through the session. Notwithsttuidin c the strength of the local option party m the As-.embly a very strong effort-is to be mide during the st-Haion to pas* an amending Licensing Act whereby the Governor m Council could be given the power, which he has not at. pre sent, to declare special licensing district? Jso that the two great coffee pilace.s, which are so deprecated ia value, j may be turned into hotels. They are only | sham temperance houses now. Drink is I openly consumed ir almost every room m each of them. The servants have to go to other hotels to bring it for the coffee palaces' guests, and so the companies have all the trouble of the drink trade a»d none of the profit. A leading capitalist who has a very large share m both estab lishments, was trying to engineer the Bill last year, but was astounded at thq sum a confidential agent told him it would cost for what Sir Leceister Dedlock calls " un necessary expenses." This good gentle man has, it is saiJ, thought better of it now, and indeed wishes lie had spent the money last year, and so realised a better interest on his shares. The one person to whom it matters most is the landlord of a big hotel next door to one of these cara vanseries. Ho has nride a fortune m the five years or so that he has supplied the temperance house with alcoholic liquors, and does not like relinquishing their cus tom. Perhaps he will spend a little money the other .vay.

Australian Federation.

Ihe New York " Tribune " says :—" It is curious to observe how history is re peating itself m the federation of the Australian colonies The very questions— and all of them which arose m this coun try after the .revolutionary war, Avere de bated for a series of yenrs,- and ; finally settled by the adoption of die American Constitution—have arisen m Australia, have excited the same kind of discussion on precisely the same line •, and are now decermined by a pVi of federation, winch principle for piinciple, it not word for word, is wonderfully like tli3 plan pursued here. Tlio parallel is the moire striking m that there has been m Aus tralia, as there was here, an intermediary stage of loose confederation. Of all the compliments which a centary of ad miration has lavished on the great in strument provided by the founders of our Government, none is as striking or agree able as theevent which has just been accom plished m the island-continent of the an tipodes. It" is a fair summary of the scheme adopted at Sydney to Fay that it is .i copy of our constitution as far as that was possible and could be rendered con sistent with the existence of the British tie. An Executive elected by the people was of course- not to be contemplated as long as tho condition <f dependency re remained, and that which is experimental ii the Australian plan relates to the attempt it makes to .associate the Execu tive and Legislative functions m a body composed after the form of the American Congress. For the Parliament of. the new Australian Commonwealth is modelled m all its function* upon the American plan."

CORRESPONDENCE.

(We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions -expressed by our correspondents.)

THE " CHURCH NEWS " AND PROHIBITION.

TO THE EDITOK. Sir,—Tn yo'jr issue of the 11th '' Law Abiding Teetotaller " takes up the cudgels on behalf of " Church News." He begins by insinuating that I advised Christian pc >ple to be other than law-abiding. This i.s a pure invention of his own. There is not -a breath of that m all my letter. I leave with him the onus of show ing where the Sydenham Committee have departed from the Judge's interpre tation of the Act. The Judge simply said, ''You may reform, but you must leave the liquor drinking minority with reasonable facility for the purchase of liquor." There is Morningtoo, a suburb of Dunedin, with a population of over 3000 feu one public houie. Here is Sydenham, a suburb of Olmstehurch, wiuh a population of three times as many, and three public-houses are left. Of those closed, the "Southern Cross " has two other hotels within 500 yards,; the "Sydenham " and ''Kingston " have one hotel within 200 yards, the " Sandridge" has two within half a mile, the " Cro^vn "; has one within a little more than a quarter of a mile. Are thesi 1 not reasonable faoi lities for the liquor drinking minority ? Judge Denniston spoke with th.; greatest respect of the Prohibition movement and of the aaci-ed ciuse of Temperance. Had ho-attended the "great gathering m? the Domain " he would not afterwards bo found making light of it. What I com plain of is that "Church ISews" ;and "Teetotaller" professedly stand on the side of Temperance, and their sympathies seem rather to, .be with the publi cans and brew.era.~- Why should this be so ? What benefit have "the traffickers m liquor conferred on the conun unity to merit their .support ? W«i-e they sincere m lamenting the evils of drunkenness we should expect t) see them supporting measures that tend to repress those cv Is. And if fresh legisla fcion is required we should expect their friendly counsel and earnest help m get ting the law amended. But "L.A.T. " seems satisfied witli the law as ie is. Ho seems to think the sale of liquor can be ''regulated." .In the very Aame issue m which his letter appears-is :a sub-leader complaining of persons breaking the law by trading on Sunday—" illicit competi tion " —"carried on so openly that it cannot be disregarded." Just so, and yet the guardians of . the law know how difficult it is to obtain a conviction on that one point. It is surprising to ; see any one calling himself f' teetotaller" propping up.under the name of "law," a system that does more than anything else to help to bivak the law. This traffic not only breaks the Licensing Act m many of its provisions, but by fostering every kind of abomination and depriving then if their intelligence and reason, leads to the breaking of all other laws. Men are joining to see that the liquor traffic cau :iot be "regulated." You may as well ''regulate the. stmg of the serpent or ;he. bite of the adder. Aw opinion ad : ranees m this direction, and the vote of ;he people is recorded at the ballot box, ' license" qr "no license," the od|urii vill be removed from" the members of th« Licensing' Committees, who have been nade to suffer for refusiag licenses before i jver the Sydenham cisc arose. '' L. A ,:T." vould fain' have us believe that the with lolding of all the licenses m the country rould be viewed with perfect indifference, I the law permitted, vi \t, "iJai'4

cirmKors would rejoice tbattheirtemptation was removed, and moderate men woull not bother much." Well, if ii, be so, if so great a boon can be got for our fellow thrii at so small a <Sost of personal fueling, miy we not appeal to "Church News" ami "Teetotaller" to help m bringing | about that bright and happy day for New Zsaland 1 Surely thfcy are not'indifferent to the suffering a«d misery caused by drink. "Teetotaller" may know that many preveiitihle deaths have occurred through ifc, and that- even m Ashlurton county there are men sinking into un honorod graves, unwept, through drink But is it true that tne Avithholding of ■ licenses is a matter of indifference 1 Ex perience, the opprobrium heaped on the temperance party, and the endeavors of "the liquor party m several places to upset the elections (and that over technicalities) show it is not. The state of the vote on this question throughout New Zealand, shows it is not a matter of indifference. [ Allow me to recall it to mind. In twenty districts there were 17,324 votes cast for prohibition, and 21 281 for licenses. Steven of the twenty returned prohibition candidates. If Ibe an "extreme" man, I am glad to know there are so m&iy with similar views. " Extreme men" were needed to emancipate slaves, and otherwise to lay themselves oat for doing good, while men who try to please both parties or who affect indifference, neither help reform nor expect to share m the reward, '"L.A.T." accuses me of "going bo the dead for a witness," I am not aware either that Canon Fairar or Canon WiL>erforce is dead—but on the contrary very actively engaged, while Cardinal Manning's name occurred m the telegrams last week. Is he confounding with the late Canon Liddon's Iwonder 1 Apologising for occupying so much space. —I am, etc., Advance N.Z. July 16.

WATER SUPPLY.

.,;', TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —All will admit that the above is at the present time a most important question. I desire therefore to place be fore the public the position of affairs from a pipe driving standpoint. Pipes have been driven m more than onp instance to a depth of over 57 feet without procuring an artesian flow. Ex perience has proved that an abundant \ supply of water is procurable at this and lesser depths, but the us 3of a deep well cylinder is necessitated m many cases,to bring water to the surface. It matters not whether Mr Osbprne. or any other gentleman is employed, o ■ syndicates formed, it will be found that the cost cannot he lessened. If a-pipe was put down to a depth of about 300 feet to teat whether an artesian flow was possible or no% some advantage would be gaiued, and I for one would be willing to assist. There is no place m town where a plentiful supply of water is not obtain able, the co.«t. thereof 'ranging from 30.s to £10 according to locality and depth ; the latter stim includes a deep well cylinder. Unless an artesian supply is found, the cylinder cannot b& done without, and no one can get over that point. The main question is a financial one (and m a good many instances between landlord and tenant) rather than that of a scarcity of water. —lam, etc., JpHiV W. Hardley,

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

July 17. The Council mot -it 2.30. THE ALIENS ACT. The Aliens Act Amendment Bill was considered m Committee. In clause 3 Ml' Bowen move;! the excision, of th« words " nol being of ; the Chinese race," the effect of the amendment being to place the Chinese race.s on the same footing as other aliens. The amendment was agreed to by 19 to 3. ' Progress was reported on the Bill, and Ui'e Council rose at 3.20 p.m.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 17. The House met at 2.30. QUESTIONS. Replying to questions, it was slated thai an amendment of the Shipping s Act was now undnr consideration by Govern ment ; that it was net true there wais no Martini-Henri .ammunition m the colony, as the Defence Department had obtained a supply from another colony ; that a few small defalcations had been discovered m the Government Insurance Department, and they had with one .exception been repaid, and chiefly consisted of calcula tions of premiums returned as un collected and were discovered shortly afterwards. These defalcations had not been reported t« Government, tut had been dealt with m the manner m vogue amongst insurance companies. ; IMPREST SUPPLY. Mr Ballance moved that fche House go into Committee of Supply for the purpose of passing an Imprest Supply Bill. ■': Mr Bryce asked the Premier when the House might expect the taxation Bills to be brbught down, Mr Ballance. said th« Bills had not been unduly delayed, and he expected.'to have them before the House on Tuesday or Wednesday nex^ f ■ The House then went into Committee of Supply, and an Imprest Supply Bill for £175,000 was passed through all' its stag»ss* , ; } , •..•:, .■::■' ■ I ■<"■>•■ PIfBLTC REVENUES BILL, Mr Ballance moved the second reading of the Public Revenues Bill, to consoli date and amend the laws relating to public lttoneysJ At th i request of Mr Bryce, Mr Ballance agreed to refer 1 the Bill to the Public Accounts Committee. Mr George Hutchiison hoped something would be done towards providing for giving the banking account of ilie colony to more than one bank. Dr Newman hoped some action would also be taken with respect to the frequent issue uf deficiency bills to such large amounts as were at present outstanding. Mr Fish, while admitting the ,B,ank of New Zealand had beeii of great service to the colony, thought it would be, better now to divide the Government account. Mr Fisher spoke strongly m favour of fche Government account being divided amongst the Bank<. Mr Bnllance pointed out that the dis tribution of the Government account amongst the banks of the "colony would have to be dpnc by resolution of the House. As tv deficiency bills, Govern^ mont did nt use any more of them than they required, and they were issued merely to anticipate revenue. ihe motion w&s agreed to, PARTNERSHIP BILL. The Hun. Mr Reeves moved the second reading of the Partnership Bill, to amend the law of partnership. The motion was agreed to. •KEJPE.VLS JULL. The Hon. Mr Reeves moved the second reading of the Repeal Bill, for promoting the revision of the Statute law by repeal ing divers -Acts which had became un necessary. No less than 385 Acts would be repealed by this Bill, The motion was agreed to t LOCAL AUTHORITIES, ACCOUNTS AW I) AUDIT BILL. Mr Ballance moved the second reading of the Local Authorities, Accounts and Audit Bill, to. provide for the keeping and auditing of Ihe accounts* of local authorities. ' .

A. long debate ensued, during; which several members took exception to certain provisions of the manure. The ccn &ensus of opinion was that copies of the Bill should be sent to local bodies for their consideration before anything was done m the matter. Eventua'ly the motion for the sec< nd reading vva-j agreed to, and the Bill was referred to the Public Accounts Commit tee. The House rose at 5.30. The House resumed at 7.30. CRIMINAL CODE BILL. -The Hoa, Mr Reeves, m moving the second reading of the Criminal Code Bill, said the object of the Bill, which had been before the Hou^e several times was to give the couutrya complete criminal c jde. 'Mr-Palmer would.oppose the B.I), as he did not think it was a good one. Mr Buckland considered the Bill was a great improvement ou the complicated law wo had at present... Mr Hutchison (Waitotara) c >uld scarcely believe .th&c the Minister for Justice had read' the Bill, which con tained a provision respecting enquiry into suspected crimes, a provision which was taken from the Irish Coercion Act of 1886. There were many other provisions m the Bill to which lie objected, and several amendments would have to le made m it before it could meet with hw acceptance. Mr Keescantended thai; it was useless to go through the Bill critically, as page after pjge was absolutely written m blood. He would offer no objection to the second reading, but if tli* mover decided to pass it through committee m its present shape, it would find m him an absolute and determined opponent, Mr Fergus applauded .the Minister for bringing down this measure. ; Mr Ho«g said the Bill was bristling with monstrous injustices, and it was an affront to the House to have such a measure presented before it. No man m his ordinary senses would think of perpe trating a thing of this kind, Mr "Fish urged that the Bill should be passed, but with amendments. Mr Thompson (Clutha) also supported the measure. Hon. Mr Reeves, m reply, said the indignation expressed by members over the Bill was only a specimen of their complete ignorance of the present law. As to Mr Hutchison's disgust respecting the clause which he declared was taken from the Irish Coercion Act, would it be believed that that claus3 was put into the Criminal Code Bill four years before the Trtsh Coercion Bill was passed ? The motion was agreud to. ADULTERATION PREVENTION AMENDMENT BILL. Mr Ward moved the second reading of the Adulteration Prevention Amendment Bill, to amend the law relating to the sale of bread. During the debate which ensued, several'members expressed a hope that the Ministers would take into considera tion the desirableness of introducing legislation to provide against the adultera tion of artificial manures, as this was becoming a.most important question to the fanning community. ;ftir Ward said Government thought it very necessary that a Bill dealing with artificial manures should be passed. The motion was agreed to. LUNATICS ACT AMB iDMENT BILL. Mr Cad man moved the second reading of the Lunatics Act Amendment Bill, to amend the Lu'iatics Act, 1882, with respect to the treatment of lunatics m asylums, and the manner of their commit 4 menl. The motion was agreed to. THE JURIES ACT AMENDMENT IiLL, Mr Reeves moved the second reading of the Juries Act Amendment Bill. He said that the B 11 to a certain extent modi fied the existing law, and introduced some new provisions. It limited distance to an area of ten miles, airi provided for com mon jurors being paid 10s per day. Mr Rees thought that there should be no distinction between special and common juries, and that one panel should be made up from whiclli jurors should bo ballot ted. He thought also that;'in all cases judges should simply direct tho jury as to points of law, and the jury should then give their verdict absolutely on the facts of the case. He intended moving m Committee iii the direction he had indi cated. 'Mr Moore had hoped that the Bill would have abolished grand juries. Mr Reeves said that he should consider whether the jury list could be limited m small towns as well as m the four cities. As to Mr Rees' proposal with reference to judges directing juriev. that had already been under the consideration of the Go vernment, and probably something would be done m the matter. SMALL BIRDS NUISANCE BILL,- Mr John McKenzie moved the second reading of the Small Birds Nuisance Bill to provide for the destruction of sparr«ws and other birds which caused damage to grain crots. Several members congratulated the Government for bringing down this mea sured The motion was agreed to. The House rose at 1 a.m.

Rducation Board.

At the meeting of the Education Board m Christchurch, on Thursday last, tho Buildings Committee submitted a State ment of the Board's 'buildings account, showing an excess of liabilities to the amouat of £2022, The following aie the | items of local interest contained m the report :^-A memo, from Mr E. G. Wright relative to the value of "the buildings to be erected on reserve 7!T7 was referred to the Board. On application of Chertsey School Committee, a new range and some repairs at the house were alloweel.also a tank. J Painting of buildings was de ferred till the (spring. The Ashburton Forks Committee wrote respecting the fuel shed and repairs to the chimney. The Clerk of Works was directed to report when visiting Alford Forest. The Master at Mayfield reported that some of the piping at his house had fallen down. He was referred to the School Committee. Painting the school buildings at Moth ven was authorised. The site at 1 Ealing having been secured, it was j resolved to call f«. r tenders as soon as practicable, A letter was received from the applicants for a school between Rakai* and Barr Hill, giTing the requii*! information as to the number of children, ifcc. The matter w.is referred to the Board. On the report of the Clerk of Works repairs to closets were authorised, and painting at Alford Forest ; the latter to be done m the spring. Painting the buiMings at Springburn was authorised s to be dene m spring. The following teiir dcrs were accepted ; —Willowby, painting, Dorm and Hig«;s, £7 15s ; Hainpstend, fuel shed, etc., Barnes and Smith, £'14 5s ; Longbeach, repairs, Barnes and Smith, £55. The matter of the value of buildings to be erected on tlje reserve at Ashburton came up for consideration. It was decided, m the opinion of the Board, that, the buildings to be erected by tho lesse.es be not less m value than £150 each, and that Sir Wright be communicated with asking him to concur m that decision. The Board appointed Mr Westenri to visit the district and report upon the ap* plication for a soluicl between Rakaia and Barr Hill. Tho following local appointment was made :■—Springburn, Miss 11. Boswell, mistress ; and the application of the mis tress at Lgndhnrst for lodging money, was considered. It was resolved to make i»n allowance of £12 m every case of a teacher m charge of a school in 1 a country district where no teucUer'6 house was provided,

THE ASHBURTON GUABDIAN, SATURDAY, jJULY 18, 1891.



Wanted. CASH Advertisement under eh's heading not exceeding SIXTEEN WORDS 1/-. Addresses may be " left at bis Office. ANTED~K*nown.~Call ancfsicure bargains of Winter Drapery at the Great Sale at W. H. Collier's, " i'he Corner." WANTED an Improver, also an Ap prentice to tailoring. J. Nixoy, Tancred street, Ashburton. 7 105 FANCY "Goods, China, Glass, and Plated Ware m great variety. Albums and Photr; Frames, excellent value and latest designs.—ll. M. Jones. AN easy way to obtain a Piano or . Organ w to purchase one 0:2 the deferred payment system. Easy terms of payment.—H. M. Jones. W~~ ANTED Known-Old Spoons and Forks Electro-plated and made equal to new at tss per dozen all round. A. Black, Jeweller, E'»st Street, 4 150 ANTEH" Known- Girls' Boots 2s lid, Ladies' French Shoes 3a 11d» Gents' .SJhoes 5s 6d ; at Andrew (.'ke's Cheap Sale. 6 214 WANTED Known—H. Dudley will sink Deep Wells and supply Cylinder Pumps and Piping, and guaran tee water to surface at 3s 8d per foot. - H. DunLEY, Moore Street. 6§54 fflO Meet the Times.—l am supplying -JL Galvanised Iron Tanks from 30a upwards, warranted for twenty years. Force pumps, deep well cylinders of nil desariptions. Inspection invited.— •J. W. Hardlev, East street. 6J201 W~~ ANTED Known.—That for quality, assortment, and price see Andrew Orr's large Btock of Millinery, Clothing, and Boots. No presents, no bribes, but good value.— Andrew Orr TT'INEST Cod Liver Oil. Chest and JD Lung Protectors. Chilblain lini ments. Brookk, Chemist, Ashburton. W" ANTED~Known—fc. W. Alcobn will feel obliged if all accounts owing are p<ud within fourteen days. XITANTED Known. — Blankets and W Flannels great bargains at Andrew Orrs. WANTED every man m the County to have a suit of the Ashburton " Tweeds.—Robert Alcorn, Ashburton Clothing Mart, Saunder's Buildings. TT7 ANTED Known.—Great Clearing W Sale at "The Corner" of Drapery, Clothing, and Boots,—W. H.  ,■ Collier. W "ANTED Known —In consequence ©f the inconvenience to Customers by the rebuilding of our shop front, we have determind to give some very cheap 1 Ines.—-H. C. Segers, Melford House. ICE Cream off. Cough drops on. Un doubtedly the best. H. G. Flower., Confectioner, East Street. WANIED, every man m the district tn order a Kaiapoi or Roslyn Tweed Suit. .Al«o, Boys' Suits and Gents' Overcoats m great variety.—Andrew Orij, P' K^E SENT S.—Through necessary alteration's we will still continue giving presents Come and see oui Cheap Lines.—H. C. Begerh, -Melford y . House. ANTED KNOWN,- If you have tin Cash, you can save about 6s k every Pound, by buying your Jackets Ulsters, Dress Goods, Millinery, &c, at ■rf. W. Alcorn & Co.'s Clearing Sale. ■■■ 6_36 GLORIOUS News.—Justpurchased a Dunedin Warehouseman's Stock ci 90 Piece* French Cashmeres and Merinos at less than half price. Will to sold during the cheap sale at la 10^1 ; regular price ■; 8s 9d.-—Andrew Oru. WANTED Known. — Have secured a Special Line of Cashmeres to be sacrificed at Is per yard. Colours- Navy, Maroon, Grenat, Brown, Myrtle, &c—H. C. Seoers, Melford Hou*e. ANTED Known.—That if you want real good weas ing boots, to keejj your feet dry, you can get them m great variety at Joiix Moison's, the expert Bootmaker, Town Hall shop, Eust"Street : • ; '6 n DOUBLE Blankets, ami through mis understanding double quantity sent from Mill. H*ve' reduce I the price 5^ per pair. —Robert Alcorx, Ashburton Clothing Mart, Saunders' Buildings.  •■ -■■* ■■ _ ■ - 6 164 :; ■ I!VTTANT ODJ^nown.—l have a large W stock of Tin and Ironware Goods , to select from. Register Grates, Stoves, Portable Boilers, Spouting and Ridging kept m stock.—J. W. Hardley, East HEAP RKADING fur all Classes — Hundreds of Back Numbers of Monthly and Quarterly Periodicals at Half Price. Several volumes of Standard Works at Cost Price to reduce our Large Stock. Phoio and Scrap Albums, Photo Frames including Midgets, Cabinets and CD.V. sizos, Writing DeVks, Inkstands, Work Boxes, Perfumery, &c, &c, Stationery and Account Books oi every description—L. F. Andrewes & Co., Stationers' Hall. STOCK-TAKING. C*reaf Reduetion§ HAVE BEEN MADEJ IN ALL DEPARTMENTS. NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY. SPECIAL LINES FOR mhl s TTjr cc k. Men's Tweed Trousers ... 7s 6d to Clear. Boy.s' Pilot Overcoats ... 9s lie' Men's Tweed Suits ... 35s Boys' Tweed Suits ... 7s 6d Men's Shirts with collar... Is 111 ... HATS -and CAPS, fcCARFS and :' |B O'W S' GItEATLY REDUCED. NEW~GOQDS' ': '■ : GENUINE VALUE. ■ . NEW ZEALAND OLOTHINa FACTORY?



Ninian Hyslop, and Go.'s " Imperial " Ceylon and Indian Teas are ciirfict from the- T,ea Jiautatiuus.—(4Uvt,)



The Best Kkmedy for Indigestion— Norton's Camomile Pills are confidenty. recommended as a simple remedy for Indigestion, which is the cause of nearly all the diseases to whicn we are subjects Norton's Pills, with justice called the 'Natural Strengthener of the Human j Stomach," act as a powerful tonic and gentle iisi'isnt, are mild m their operation, ami i afe under any circumstances. Sold m bottles, at Is ljd, 2s 9d, ] Is, by all medicine endors throughout the wo Id' Kkatjno's Couctii (OXKNGES cures Hough Asthma, Bronchitis, Medical tHtinion statcs that no other medicine Is so effectual m the cure of these dangorou.'j maladies One Lozenge alone gives eawe, one or two at bedtime ensuaes rest. Forrelievingdillleiilty o fbreathing they aie invaluable. They con tain no opium nor any violent drug. Sold by all Chemists, m tins, Is l.Jd and 2s 9d each True economy. To purchase Countess Tea. for tjyo shillings. Free from any ex cess of.astriijgenpy Ask for Niriian Hy.slop, and Oo.'s " Imperial" new seasons Pure Ceylon and Jwljaij Teas- Special values.—(Atlvt,)