Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1896. THE WARD FARMERS' ASSOCIATION.

The resignation of the Colonial Treasurer was inevitable, after such a criticism of his transactions m con nection with the Association of which he was the salaried managing director as that contained m the judgment of His Honor Mr Justice Williams. There was no other course open to Mr Ward. It is only to be regretted that, knowing, as he m,yst have beforehand, all that came out m the /svidenge, on the strength of which Judge Williams gave his recent judgment, Mr Ward did nofc r/ssjgn hia position m the Ministry before tfre case was heard. Had he done so be .wo^d have been better thought of by the supporters of the - Liberal Government throughout the colony, and he would haye saved Mr Seddon the troublo of making certain speeches m which t^ie Premier must now see his lavish abuse of the whole journalistic profession was quite uncalled for. The evidence given before His Honor m. the application made before him by the liquidators of the Colonial Bank displayed a rotten ness that His Honor has most gcathingiy denounced, and the language m which he wraps up his strong opinion of Mr Ward's cemnept^on with the Associa tion, and his idea ,of what his transac tions m that .connection joper/t js a masterstroke g£ neatness > — tf Mr Wani clearly used the Association's credit for his private ventures, and eiearly Mr Ward and the Association were identical. Mr Ward was hopelessly insolvent, and his estate can only pay a few pence iv the pound. Under ordinary circumstances bba Association would go into liquidation, .ans B£r Ward would become bankrupt. TJj?a,fc the proceedings should he investigated, and those responsible for its manage ment no longer be permitted to roam at large through the business world, is a result so obviously desirable m the to^erest? of commercial ww&lfty &rt it

ouftht, if possible, to bo attained.' 1 ' The application, says His Honor, was made to avoid IVI r Ward's bankruptcy, to buy off bankruptcy and its conse quences from the man who ought not to escape. It was very clear to His Honor's mind that the trading of the J. G. Ward Farmers Association had been reckless and the reverse of legiti mate. It was equally clear that dishonest balance sheets had been published to hide the true position of the Association, that the account had been reduced by £30,000 by a fraudulent security — a security that did not exist, for the oats the sum represented were non-existent — but it was not at all clear to his very clear legal mind, with all its training and long expeiience, that though Mr Ward was not m the colony when the oats transaction was recorded, and the balance sheet of 1895 was mad© up, Mr Ward was wholly ignorant of all these things. He signed the falsified balance sheet, taking its accuracy for granted and trusting with blind faith to others. He could give no details, gave the business no personal control, and depended on others. Yet he was managing director of the concern at a salary of £500 a yearl The Judge said that considering the position he occupied m the Company, and the stake he held m it, he knew uncom monly little about its affairs. The whole drift of the judgment is towards a belief m the Judge's mind that Mr Ward was responsible for the deplor able position of affairs, and His Honor had no hesitation at all ia refusing the application which was to whitewash Mr Ward and save him from bank ruptcy. Of the extent to which Mr Ward was involved m the Association's liabilities, of the shady oats transac tion, and generally of the ugly position m which Mr Ward was likely to be placed m the event of an enquiry such as has taken place before one of the highest coarts of the land — we give Mr Seddon and his colleagues credit for being totally ignorant. We cannot believe that they had a full know ledge of these things, otherwise the Premier would not have stood up so boldly m Mr Ward's defence ; and it is that ignorance, believed m no doubt by the vast majority of the Liberal supporters throughout the colony, which will exculpate them from any guilty knowledge or connivance. But the case cannot stop where it is. It will have the effect of causing a strict investigation into the whole question of our recent banking legislation, and a Parliamentary Oommmittee with un limited powers will be set up to under take this unwelcome but necessary task. The chief of the Bank of New Zealand at the present moment was drawn from among the higher officers of the Colonial Bank, so was the second m command — and both have Gome into power within less than two years. There were hints at the time the pur chase of the Colonial Bank business was proposed that there was something behind, and now that the revelations which have formed the subject of Judge Williams' criticising have been mad 9, an investigation will be necessary to restore public confidence. And the investigation will have to be of the most thorough, searching, and impartial character, and made by men of ability and known integrity. The results to Mr Ward of this case will doubtless be disastrous, and very possibly the Government will suffer to some extent, as there are few men m the ranks of the Liberal party qualified to fill the position of Colonial Treasurer. Who ever undertakes the position will have no easy task before him m the prepar ation of a Budget with the House m session. The crisis is a serious one, and the outcome will be waited for with considerable anxiety.

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Crown has issued notice of lien against the real and personal estate of ex detective ICirby. It is understood that on the institution of the present proceed ings against Rirby he mortgaged most of his property, Grandpa— Don't get scared, Willie ; the tiger is about to be fed ; that'd what makes him jump and roar so. Willie (easily) — Oh, I ain't afraid of him, grandpa. Papa's the same way when his meals ain't re&dy. — Tit Bits. The following will represent the Ash burton second against JTinwald ab Tinwald tq.movjrow (Thursday) :— Bruce, Hefford, Porteoua, Price, Johnstone, F. Smith, Sanfcy, Parns, Afalfogge, E, Orr, Dorm (2), Dobbin, Emergency — A. Pilbrow. At the meeting of householders held m; the Elgin schoolroom on Monday J line J. 5, the following: were elected a G (remittee fop the year; — Messrs J. Dwyer, A. Letham, A. Prgtheroe, A. Jary, K. Forsyth, J Choak, a#d Jf. Cophrano. At the meeting held affcervpardp l£t <} . Ooph rane acted as Chairman The Nelson Colonist says: — ' Oaptain Mooro t whose death resulted from an accident at Lybtelton, was the mate of Captain Levy m 1765, when, on March 12 they rescued the Rev T. S. Grace, from Opotiki, by means of a boat. There was £1000 reward offered for the rescue of the reverend gentleman, bnc neither received aehjllmg of that amount.' A lamentable incident occurred on Saturday at a football mat^h between Otahuhu and Panmure, ' m the Auckland province. A young man named Sykes collided with a member of the oppoain? tea.tn, the -litter's knee coming m contact with SykeL 1 abdomen. There are such marked symptoms .o>f paralysis of the bowels that his life is despaired of. On Saturday last Springburn second/ played Football Club at Mayfield. ! The combination $i the Springburn backs proved too much for tliejir opponents who were defeated by 1? points to &. ife'or the winners, ((jrreijro, VV. Stephens, and Mc> > R.ac played well, as d£d $arper, Boarke, * Wilsou, and Whlbelaw for.thq losara, Mr ; Moses p^ade an eJ^cienb referee, his decisions being pponjpb jjn,d accurate. In ; the evening tfee Springbar^ b^yg w.e're- ' treated to an excellent dinner provided by ] ■Mrs James Dellow. , A 'man-carrying kite' ia the latest i novelty m military circles. It- will surprise s jrnany persona to learn that a kite, or rather 'fiye hexagonal kites flying at 1 varying distances apart .on a continuous line,' may be made to raise a man fiQft ] above the earth's surface. At Ipswich tbii apparatus has been practically tested 9 \y Lieutenant Baden-Powell, who easily y. raised himself, and subsequently two other persona, 00ft into the air. To the r last kitp of the line a basket is attached, and above it a pjpaphute, to ease the descent fn case of acddeafc. e< jCiovera ol a really good cun of Tea, should , tty EJJBA.TJBBA, it is far above ordinary f f Wright's £!elebrate.d jPamily Brand Coffee tl is the besb ia the marjjet; try it; sold k ©yerywherej . jj

The cricket macch between the A us- 5 ferpHim and forkahire was interrupted by a terrific thunderstorm and latest cable advices state that It had not been recom menced. We regret to have to rocord the death of Mrs M. Mahoney, of Elgin, on Tuesday at the early age of 38. The deceased lady was much respected, m the district m which' she has loi g resided, and much sympathy is felt for her husband an 1 family. The funeral takes placs tr -morrow at 3.30. The returns from forty-six of the principal telegraph offices for the period June 8 to 13 inclusive, give the following results ; — Ordinary telegrams 23,808 value £1,054; urgent telegrams 1530, value £143 Compared with the business done tfc the sam 3 offices daring the period May 1 to 7, exo!uaive of Sunday, there i 3 an increase m fche number of ordinary ! telegrams of 10 per cent, and an increase of 61 per cent m the number of urgent telegrams. The total revenue from both ordinary and urgenb telegrams has decreased by 1 per cent as oompared with the May period. There was a fair attendance of members at the rooms of the Ashburton Chess Club last evening, although some of those whose support and countenance wei c a features of the early days of the Club, were absent— presumably unavoidably. A number of tourney games were played, and some discussion took place on the proposed visit of a team from the Timaru Chess Club, which has been promised. In view of this and m order to get the tourneys through m reasonable time, It is to be hoped no member will miss a club night, (every Tuesday) if he can possibly put m an appearance. .Mr Russell, the New South Wales Government Astronomer, has announced the disoovery— or rather rediscovery, as he alleges thab which was known and acted upon by the ancient Jews and Egyp tians — of a weather cycle system. In an interesting paper which ne read before the Royil Society he undertook to demon strate the periodicity of good and bad seasons, dating his calculations back to B C. 1705, the time of Pharaoh's famine. Scientists will be specially interested m the statement that as Mr Russell's investi gations proceeded, the weight of evidence gradually converged upon the moon as the exciting cause. He never had any sympathy with the theory of lunar tnflu ence on the weather, and received the evidence against Ms will. But the logic of facts left no alternative than to accept the' moon as prime motor. By slow degrees we are getting to know the contour of the sea bottom almost as well as we do that of the surface of the j land, but it cannot be siid that we have found the deepest water on the earth. Depths of 15,000 to 27, 366 feet have been reached Iv the North Atlantic from time to time, and one of 27,930 feet was dis covered m the North Pacific off the eastern coast of Japan, where there is a remark* able gulf or depression. All these measurements have, however, been out stripped by one recently taken south of the Friendly Isles m the South Pacific by Her Maj sty's ship Penguin. A depth of 26,400 feet had been marked when the sounding wire gave out before the lead had , reached the bottom. A fresh sounding will therefore, have to be made before we can tell the depth of water ab this spot. Hollo way 'a Ointment and Fills.— Gold?, Coughs, Shortness of Breath. — The3e maladies require early and unremitting attention, for if neglected they of cen end m asthma, bronohitis, or consumption. The ointment well rubbed upon the chest and baok, penetrating the akio, is absorbed and carried directly to the lungs, whence it expels all impurities. All the blood m the body is perpetually passing through the lungs, and there are noxious particles, tending to disease can be quickly, thoroughly, and permanently neutralized, rendered harmless, ejeoied from the system, Holloway/s Qintmant and Pills 1 pirfeotly aooomplish this puritioition ; and through the blood thus cleansed, tne influence of these wonderful medicaments reaohe3 the remotest parts of the human body, and thua oures all diseased action, whether internal or external.

ROAD BOARDS.

I^ONGBEACF, The monthly meeting of the Longbeach Road Board was held on Saturday last. Present —Messrs John Grigg (chairman), James Croy, James Bishop, J . McQuilkin, and A, Wilson. CORRESPONDENCE* From Messrs J. R. Begg, G, Lj Twenty man, and C. Jaine, requesting that altera tions be made on the roll respectively. — The alterations as requested were ordered to be made. From Mr O. Doherty re occupation of unfenced roid.— Received, , From Mr Glassey re state of road leading ' to his property. — It was resolved that no steps could be taken to repair the road until the dedication of the road had been completed. ' '■ From the Ashburton Ooupfcy Council, proposing that the Board take control of water race fords at 3a per ford. — It was resolved that the Board cannot undertake to take control of the fords upon the terms suggested, as other responsibilities beyond the simple cost of fords would be involved, TENDERS. Tenders were opened for the following works :— Forming Wood's road, etc—Mr Griffith's tender was accepted. Forming roads at Waterfcon. — Mr J. Reid's tender was* ascept^d. '' s ' r BIRDS' NUISANCE!. It was resolved to write to the County .Council, stating that 'the Board Was afraid the result of paying a premium on birds' hpads y/ould' not be altogether satisfactory, and trusted th^y would assisb the 'Board with the usual subsidy for poisoned wheat Mpop. business. pbher minor 'details of small consequence opcupied the attention of the Board, and after passing accounts' amounting' to £26 83 fid, the megting adpurnec)*

The Ambulance Society.

1 The fjrst annual meeting of the Ashburton > Ambulance Bocioty was held h? their lecture I room on Tuesday evening laeb. The former committee was represented by Mesdames 0- M. Brooke, Dodds, A. Orr, Miss Fawcett, and Alessrs Dolman, Mackay and Scaly. In : addition to a fair number of members, «there v/ero present Drs Greenwood, Hunter, 1 ij&ahyy and HjLiß Worchip the Mayor occupied 'fchp chair. After the chairman's remarks on ■ the success of : the former ~ s.eaSopV thp secretary read his report on the finances and general ' work of the soagoH, durffig- whlgh he stated that £10 93 2d had been oolleoted tot the purpose of an ambulance carriage, and ijje hoped the small amount of £1 5s still r'equired'iwouli shortjy -be fortlicoming, when the carriage would, be crdeinedj, The names of Mrs Baxter; 1 Mr Mayne, and Mr Williamson were selected to fill the Vacancies on the' committee. ■' J.t was agraed that Crst aid classes should ■ , be started- 'for ladies' on Duly f., an 4 for,' gentlemen on July 6, and 'on completion of \ nrst aid course that second aid classes should be arranged tor by Me committee. ' A!s the secretary was unable 1 to'ccqtjnue t longer jn office, considerable diacuasio'n arose t regg,r,4ing it|he apno'intment of a successor, c au4 ip was ultimat.ely decidod t.9 leaye the t selection la the feaodg of tfte new ( bom^iijbtee. f ( Special votes of thanks werg uustnipjio^ly J passed to tbe Ashburton Fubliahing vo t \ Borough School Committee, Wakanui Road Board, Ambulance Society, Christohurnh, t for serVjiaiss rendered, and to the ladies who arranged sopjiaji. ° 4s the new season Btarty wf th a oriidifc L balaweb, together with some property jn w hand, no doubt c, augceg§ful Beasoi) will ( ! result. fcl

~- **— —^ as For rheumatism I have found nothing «j equal to Chamberlain's Pain Balm. It tq, X Hayes the pain aa soon bb applied. J. W. m toung, West liberty, W. Va. The prompt , relief it 'aflorde ia alpne worth wapy times !? the cost. ltd ofintinaed nae will effect a per. tb manent cure, JFot Bale by the Athbarton J 8 J?ru|! Company. ! ■ lbs

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. | ; jj ; Wellington, June 16 ifl The Legislative Council met at 2.30 1 h pm. ; \ RESIGNATION Mr Walker announced that Mr Ward a had resigned from the Ministry. CHAIRMAN. OF COMMITTEES (5 Mr Baillie was appointed Chairman of • Committees. jj ADDRESS-IN-RBPLY j The adtfress-in-rep'y was moved by Mr j. Arkwrigh , and seconded by Mr Jones. After £ brief debate the motien was agreed to * The Cok ncil then ad j ourned. | '"' \ HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 5 The House met at 2 30 p.m. i Mr Guinness was m the chiir m the « abgenca of Sir Maurice O'Rorke Ihroogh 1 illness. • * MINISTERIAL STATBMENT ' The Premier rose and said that he had < a most important Ministerial statement to ' make, namely, that circumstances had ' arisen that had rendered ie necessary for 1 his colleague, Me Ward, to tender his 1 resignation as a Minister of the Crown. Some days ago he had received a com- 1 municatlon from Mr Ward m which he ' stated that he intended to resign from the ' Treasury benches, no matter which way i the judgment went m the case being ' decided m Daned'.n. He (the Premier) 1 waited on His Excellency the Governor ] at mid day and tendered to him Mr Ward's i resignation, which His Excellency had < accepted. Later on m the aiternoon Mr > Ward would himself place on record the ' circumstances which led up to this ■ climax. Tbe Premier deeply regretted I that the colony should have lost the services of Mr Ward. All must admit that misfortune had overtaken his colleague and that hie private affairs had suffered through his attention to public business, The Premier moved to set up a Select Committee te enquire into the affairs of the Bank of New Zealand and Colonial Bank prior to the passing of the banking legislation. NEW BILLS A large number of Bills were Intro duced and read a fires time. MR WABD's STATEMENT. Mr Ward rose and said that he had resigned the whole of his portfolios. He had done so without the least pressure from his colleagues or his party. He thanked the party for their kind con sideration and his colleagues for the way m which they had stood by him under such difficult and trying circumstances. He proposed to deal with the various phases of the case, and he expressed the hope that the Press Association would do him the justice of reporting his remarks fairly and fully. He had been pursued privately like a sleuth hound, but he could tell his enemies that they might get him down for a month or a year but they would hear of him again. He would face his troubles bravely, and if he did not get through them be would not ask for sympathy. Going back to 1893 he reminded the House that every banking institution m the country approached the Government to a^ht them to steer through times of trouble and pass the Note Issue Bill. This was done, and now one ef those who had been assisted was • tnosfc virulent against him from behind cover. When the Government wa^ first approached to give the two million guarantee to the Bank of New Zealand he (Mr Ward) never opened his month to any banking institu tion m which he waa connected m h?s private affairs. He had been m the hands »f his enemies over the banking legisla don, bub no communication whatever had been rn^de by him m any way to other banks respecting the mattqr. As a matter of fact the National Bank was the first approached with regard to amalgamation with the Bank of New Zealand but the negotiations fell through. There wag from the first an open hostility between Mr John Murray and Mr George Mc- Lean, but when the National Bauk re fused amalgamation Mr Murray forgot his hostility and approaohed Mr McLean with respeot to the Colonial Bank. He challenged Captain Russell to deny whether he was not m communication with Mr Tolhurst, iospeotoi of the Union Bank of Australia, over this banking; business. He had been acouaej l of bring^ ing about amalgamation by two banks for his own purposes, but as a matter of fact the Bill he had brought m had stopped the purchase of the Colonial Bank. As to the appointment of president of the Bank of New Zealand he pointed out that when Mr Watson at first refused office, strong efforts were made to obtain the services of Mr Coates, of the National Bank, but without avail, and a second ofier was made to Mr Watson. He declared that he had never exercised any pressure m regard to that appointment, and that a decision had been borne to unanimously by the Cabinet. He would challenge Sir Robert Stout to deny the blackguardly communication he had written, and asked another person to copy, reflecting on the character of another person who was loved and revered m this country. He referred to Sir George Grey, and if any hoa. member wished to see the letter he (Mr Ward) would show ib to him. He challenged Sir Robert Stout with being the author of several articles which appeared In the Evening Post and challenged him' to deny it: Alldding to his private business Mr Ward I ' said that m 1889 his total liabilities M amounted to only '£3ooo, and his business I j was 'bringing ' him in ' an income of from I ] £3000 to £#00,0 per annum. If he had I * attended to his own business and left!' public matters alone, ha would, although j $ still young m years, have been a rioh man. I £ After the ' banking legislation had passed I T he had an offer to hand oxer his business ] i to the Bank of New Z ;aland, but he 1 1 refused the eft dr. If he bad chosen to do j ' this, he could have dono so without I t reference to anybody. It was most unfair I d to charge h|m with being m collusion with I anybody over thp bank agreement. Sir I b Robeut SfcPllt broadly hinted that he (Mr j Ward) had been btlbed respecting thla I agreement. (Sir R. Stout— •♦ No.") Well, n the honourable gentlennn insinuated it I b by saying that there were members of the I a ' Ministry- affected by the agreement, and I thatstatement was telegraphed ail over the ] 4, colony, iU to the £55,000 of whfoh they J P had heard so much he wished to say j Ca thab he believed then that he would be j P m a position to provide it, as his assets at J rt that time were worth between £45.000 I M mh £50,000. He had never advised any- 1 g* 3ne to write that amount oft, ana it never I was written off He challenged Mr Duthie jdt bo deny whether he and- others had not I ar been doing their best to spy into his (Mr j pt Ward's) afe'aim, and had paid a representa- } i RI ;ive who went about lying about member^ ] >f the Ministry. Would Mr Duthie tell I H heir, about his own' business, and his Imi sonriecjtion wp-h banks 1 With respect to I hii be Judge's decision ion his affiirs, he lan pund rfo faul.fc whatever with the iust lev "ndgp w'hp gave that judgment}. He \ Mr lin ivard) wa§ J nt)b repfegented poutt at Jop 11. It was the liquidatorsoi the Qplpni^l I ejoi Sank who had applied for confirmation I he r otherwise of the proposed agreement- 1 me fc had been said that the balance sheet I wit r as cooked, buc as a matter of fact he I abc Mr *ifard) wp flop m tjhe qojonj F he n I the je £30.0Q0 transaction t'oo^ plapa, and I the j tk teasjlt gf no|i b§ln£r l« a position to I be i ye evidence before the Oourfe rpqppet'ng I A tat transaction, he had been placed m a I the osfc unfair position over it* He read a I Vf v tter from Mr Fisher, his manager, to I Wa le effect that- he (Mr Fisher) took the I ft sponslbility for the preparation of the | had klftiico ehe^t/ whJctit was In w w^^moi

looked, and he felt certain that In ill his words and actions In connection with the company he had actnd honourably. That letter was never be fore the Judge and the £30,000 never jsmeback to the Ward Association, nor had they to provide for it. He con tended that other respectable companies adopted the came plan as had been idopted m the preparation of the bal ince aheet m question. He mentioned 3ir R. Stout, Mr Duthie, Dr Newman. Mr Toldhutsb, MrG. G. Stead. Mr John McGregor, and Mr Hall, solicitor m Dunedin, as the chief conspirators who bad been arrayed against him. He ' vehemently spokn of several of these [gentlemen, and said that some of their past transactions especially m regard to limited liability companies would not bear the light of day. He challenged Sir R. Scout with having, when a member of a tiel.ot Committee, been concerned In an acoounl) of a well known southern oomyany which owed £250,0^0 to the Bank of New Zealand and which could not p*y 53 In the £. (Sir R. Stone : "No.") He could produce Sir R. Stout's own latter, and he quoted from a balance sheet which he maintained proved his statement. He asked how it) was that the Press Association had not given publicity to the fact that while he (Mr Ward) was awaiting the judgment m the late case this firm's cheques had been returned to the bank. He claimed that the same publicity should have been given to the affairs of this company as had been given to his affairs. He asserted • that the Bank of New Zealand had had to provide a reserve fund of £270,000 .to meet the losses incurred by several of these companies with which Sir R. Stoat and others of his enemies were connected. Sir R. Stout had asked him to leave the Premier, but he had refused to do so. (Sir R. Stont : •* Wait till I reply j I will explain that. 11 ; Mr Seddon had been a good leader t)f the party and he (Mr Ward) would not desert him. Let the House enquire into the transactions of Atkinson, Whitaker, and MitchelsoD, and they wonld find aonre Interesting matters. He referred at length to the private affairs of some of those who had been hounding him down, and said that many of their transactions required olearing np. Mr Ward added that he might have mada mistakes m his political career, but during the whole time there had been men undermining his character and attempting to injure him by writing down his private affairs. These men were associated with what was called the " upper crust of society," He defied the whole of these men, and waa not afraid of them. He was proud to say that oa retiring from the Treasury there was a surplus of £215,000, and that the stocks of New Zealand never stood higher than to-day. He had been unfortunate m business, but he could point to Disraeli, Gladstone, and Pitt, the former of whom had been helped by friends to keep him from going under. If ib had not been for the banking legislation passed by the House his (Mr Ward's) private position to-day would have been a solvent one. In saying farewell to his colleagues for a time he was bidding good-bye to loyal and true men who had stood manfully by him, and he also thanked the party for the way they had supported him all through his troublee. The House rose at 5 90 p.m. On the House resuming at ?.3O p.m:, Sir Robert Stout regretted the attack of Mr Ward on people outside the House, who had no means of defending them- N selves. Sir Robert denied that any X attack? had been made m the House on Mr Ward's private affairs, either this seeaion or last. What he had said, and he said it again, was that it was an improper thing for any member to take advantage, if they had done to, of the writing off of certain accounts m the C list. He never, m the House or on the platform, referred to Mr Ward's private affairs, and denied having employed a man to write articles for him. He replied m detail to aereral charges Mr Ward made against him, and contended that he had effectually dealt with them. He defended his action respecting the banking legis lation, and said that the Pin 3 Company had received no favours from the Bank of New Zealand. No one regretted more than he did that Mr Ward was m his present position, He felt sure that the House was exceedingly serry that the late Treasurer, m retiring from the Government, should have adopted such tactics as he had done. Mr Seddon replied vigorously to Sir Robert Stout's remarks, and said certain people had been absjlutely determined to ruin Mr Ward and his wife andjmildren. Their objects were now accomplished, and, Mr Ward and his wife and family were now practically m the streets. He and hjs colleagues knew nothing~of what were In the A, B, and C lists of the Colonial Bank, and were not parties to writing off £50,000. Mr Ward was the only victim of the' banking legislation. Tha balance feheet of the'J. Gf. Ward Company was no more a fraud cb^n toe balance sheets of other companies, and there were many m. the colonies In a worse position. The speaker closed with a defence of Mr Ward|s conduct m the banking legislation. Mr Duthie made a vigorous speech hi which he said Mr Ward's position that day waa due to his own plunging and reckless business. Mr Ward had spoken for two hours, but only ten minutes had been de voted to defence of his own actions the rest of the time had been devoted to bitter personal attacks. Mr Ward could nob free himself of responsibility 'in ' $&t making himself acquainted 'with tha position of 'the Colonial Bank before the amalgamation. The balance-sheet' pub* lished at the time was only a partial exposure, and. Mr Ward" should ijaye explained the position to hjs, oolje^guejs fnore fully th>ri he had done. He wen.* into the whole question at considerable length and Mr John Murray's connection with it, and gave it as his opinion that the banking conspiracy waa the most Jaatardly thing that had ever occurred In he colony. With respeot to Mr Ward jeing absent from the colony when the 630,000 draft was senb forward for oats vhioh were not there, he (Mr Duthie) did i»t attach much importance to his absence >ut thought that the bank managers were 19 much to blame for the transaction as Ar Ward's manager, He thought a more Llnhonorable transaction had never taken dace, and asserted that Mr Ward mnsft ake the responsibility fcrilt. Wttenltfei »remi9rTßßid that Mr .Ward '"was. nob esponsiblo, owing to his absence from lie colony, he was simply talking, to the alleries, and not to intelligent men. Mr John Mcßengie i also epolce In efenoa of Mr Ward and the Gov>r£m«nt) ad Dr Newman having 'spoken on the fcher side, both speeches:beiog char&otew led by bitterness, i Mr Ward replied, also with bitterness* [c concluded by saying there Vero' some embers of the Hoose who had treated im with absolute a'fld gross unfairness, id had written and Cried him down m 'cry direction. He h^d not jiad fair play; .. any" respect over' the matter. M >ponenfca <?ould tako everything he had it. but they ppuld hot take himself, antf 1 ag in assevtsd th^fc th^re were a few ambers of the House who had wor^e} th others outside the House to bring out his ruin. He should Rive some of am^ an opportunity of meeting him m 5 Supreme (W V ffhpjre ha. would nqji protected by Parliamentary ppi ? lleg«: **r ©uthle explained that the whole qf 1 statements he had made respecting Ward's affairs were to be found la Mr ird's own evidence. • £r Ward aeked whether Mr Duthie I not referred to bis private affalw two QthsagG, . ,

THfl ASHBURTQfI GtJAKDtAN : WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1896.



j Wanted. ? , (^ REAT SALlil NOW ON at L. F. VT ANDREWES & 00. £30 0 worth | of Books, Stationery, Fancy Goods, Toys, Music, &c, to be sold this month regard- ( less of cost. Sale now on at L. F. Andbewes & Co, Stationers' Hill. 4 25 IAM making Irish Mosa Jujubes, in- valuable for cou«hp, colds, influenzi, etc. — 11. A. Flower, Confectioner, East street. 5 2 WANTED Known— Everybody to roll np to Mellor's Cheap Boot Sale. Now's your time to buy. L t»E^D THIS-Sixpanny Books at 3d 1 -»-*' Shilling Bocks at 4i, Eighteen Penny Books at 9j, Half a-crown Books I at Is, Envelopes Irom 3s 9J per 1000, or I 250 for Is BnxBS of Note Paper aid envelopes from 4£l, Shilling packets > of Noto Paper at BJ, Two shilling Packet* for Is 31— at L. F. Andrewes and (Jo's Great Sale. 5 46 ANTED Known— Spectacles, Eye Protectors, Goggles, Folders, and 1 everything m the optica live at S Sues s, Optician WANTED Known— A Magnificent Display of Ladies' .Jackets m all the Newest Styles, just landed and now on vlpw. See window. — Mitchell anjd I Turner. * iti ANTED Known— so pairs Ladies » VV and Girls' Leather Top and Canvas Tennis Shoes, at half usual price, for two * weeks only.— Andrew Orr 10136 WANTED Known — 6000 pairs of Boots and shoes to pick from. Mellor s Great Boob Sale. WANTED Known- You save 5s m every pound if you patronise Mellor's Cheap Boot Store. 4TT ANTED Known— Our Season's VV Dresses m all the New Colonial Tweeds and Choice Home Materials now opened. An inspection Invited. — Mitchell and Turner. WANTED Known— Go toTHECoRNER for Newest Styles In Drapery and Millinery— W. H. Collier. \i/ ANTED Known— Monste Clean 3, VV ing Boot Sale at Melioe' Zealan dia Booh Store. ' »iS/ANTE"D Known— Buots and Shoes jj VV from Is 31 to 27s 6d.— Mellor'» Cheap Boob Hale. d O DTTEeT! BUTTWR.— Finest JL) Factory Batter, lOd per lb.— J» Fletcher Bros., East Street, Ashbnrton. r " \M ANTED Known — Bargains from VV floor to ceiling. — Mello :'s Sto n aking Boot Sale. d VA/ANTED Known— Lirge delivery nf vv the * Economic ' Kid Glovei, four d buttons, Is 9d per pair, worth much more. — VV H. Collier. a r : , . WANTED Known— That B. Mahood 3S is still selling all kinds of Grocery, ;e Crockery, and Glassware at as reasonable | 9 a price as any other house In the trade Orders by letter or Telephone promptly attended to Families waited on daily. Telephone No 76. ANTED Known— Having bought our Winter Supply of Blankets and Flannels before the great advance m prices we intend giving our friends full benefit of same.— Mitchell and Turner T7"IN«F[SH, Barraconda, Blue Cod, XV. Rock Cod, Gropor, Ling, Bream. I Crayfish, Smoked Fish, Oysters, and Rabbits. Hor Fish Dnners at Suthbr- land«, Tancred Street. W" ANTED Known— The 'Ewnoimc' Kid Glove, four buttons, Is 9i per pair, ia the Glove for everyday wear. — "W. H. Collier, 1, U/ ANTED Known— Ladies Shoes VV tan or black, 6s 6i. — Mkllor' Cheap Boot Sale. N XI7OLF! WOLFI WOLF 1 The old YY cry. He has come this week, and is slaughteiing Music at unheard of prices. Is pieces for 31 ; In 6d pieces for 4i j 2b pieces for 6 1 ; 3* pieces for 9d ; 43 pieces for Is. 3500 pieces to select from at 1 L. F. Andrewes & Oo.'s Great Sale. 593 >/\ ME K JOAN BOSS and Nougat t\. Creaijvs, simply dplicious. Hot Pies, 'faa, Co#ee, and Cpcoa. — H. Digolb, Up.-to-date Gonlectioaav, ' East , Sfreet. 6 _ m n|MM«imiiiiwniniiiiw«iMw«^ PHASES OF THE MOON. June — d h m 5 New Moon ... 11 812 pm I First Quarter ... 18 11 10 pm a Fall Moon ... 25 6 24 pm



Public Notices WOOLLE.s GOODS FuR WINTER WEAR. NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY. Men's Overcot>t3, with Cape, frcm 20j Boys' Overcoats from ... ... 8j 6d Men's All Wool Sao Suits from 27s 6d Men's All Wool Trousers from 8j 9d Boys' All Wool Knicker Suits from 7s 6i Men's Cover Coat from ... 29a 6i BLAKKETvS. BLANKETS. BLANKETS ' Mosgiel. Ashburton. Mosgiel 16a 6d per pair, RUGS. RUGS. RUGS. Wellington, Mosgiel, Timaru 123 6d. L.W. Pants, our own make, 3a lid. Flannel Shirts 3s 6d. THRIVING GLOVES, Wool Lined Gloves, Mufflers from Is, Wool Socks Is, Men's Golf Caps from Is, Boys' Caps 6d NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY. ALEX HBNDRY, Manager. SPECIAL PURCHASE. WAREHOUSEMAN'S CLEARING LINES. Pleaae note the following quotations:— Dyed, Pink, and Coral Flannelettes, 4£d yard ,* usual price 7d 34in Striped Flannelettes, 4a lid doz ; usual price 6s 9d 31in Linen Tick, Is 2d yard ; usual price Is 7d 72in White Twilled Sheeting, Is 2£d yard ; usual price li 4£d 72in Unbleached Twilled Sheeting, Is 2£d ; usual price Is 6d. White and Colored Bordered Handker- chiefs In lots, 4 for 6d ; worth Is Ladles Hem-stitched Handkerchiefs m lots, 3 for la ; worth la 6d Ladies' Heavy Cashmere Hose, 12|d and Is l£d ; usual price Is 4d and Is 6£d Girls' Cashmere Hose, 2 to 5, 10M pair all round Ladies' White "Muslin Aprons, B£d each ; usual price Is Maroon and Brown Meltons, dross length, 6 yards for 4s lid ; usual price 6s 9d. Costumes made from this material, complete for 17s 9d. —JUST RECEIVED— Another Shipment of Our "CLINKER" CORSETS at 2s lid. Ashburton Drapery Company, ARCADE HOUSE, HAYELOCK STREET PRODUCE STORE, niHE UNDERSIGNED HAS IN JL STOO& SOUND , DERWENT Table Ifolafoes, Locally Grown, and from Or»ri, at 4a 9d to 5s per sack. i Prims Well-saved j Oasione, Carrots, Linaeed, Crushed and Whole Oats, Chaff, Chick wheat, Etc. AUTUMN PLANTING. I have a Well-assorted stock of APPLE TREES, choice quality, and with good fibrous roots. The majority of these trees will bear next season. Are all sturdy and free from blight. In consequence of hav- ing decided to relinquish this part of my business, I am prepared to dispose of the above Trees at Low Prices. GRISTING. Farmers and others can leave their Wheat at My Store for Gristing at the Wakauui Mills. No charge made for handling. J. Thomas, PRODUCE DEALER HAVELOCK STREET. Wanted. ■~~ WAROOI THE CURE FOR INDIGESTION. Ashburton Drug Company, Agents II 108 /^OUGH, Cough, Cough— l am stlfl >-^ making my celebrated Cough Drops. None genuine unless stamped Flower's Cough. —H. A. Flower, Confectioner, East street. 5 24 BANANAS, Bananas, ripe and sound '. also sweet D.E. Oranges at H. A. ' FiowEit's, Confectioner and .Fruiterer, I Easb Street. j rITkNIGHT, cash purchaser"^ j Ladles' and Gentlemen*** leffc off ) Clothing, etc. Lebters promptly attended i to. Near Post Office, 5 10© \ ■ JEVIttW OF REVIEWS for May ■"I Talea from Welsh Wales, The t Tale of Ten, Transfiguration of Hannah t Stubbs, Lady Adelaide 2a 6d, Sheep i Breeds and Treatment Is 3d. New c Stationery, New Books, all at Lowest c Cash Prices. A few copies of the Irish -, Scripture Texb Book on sale.— H. M. ; 1 Jones. , . * \) OTICE.— Are you going to build ? IN Because the cheapest shop for Roofing* Iron judging, Gutters, Jtfails, ° Lead, Spouting, Water Tank 9, Pumpe, v Ranges, Register Grates, Locks and Hinges, Washing Boilers, and all sorts of t Ironmongery, is J. W. Hardley's, a Ironmonger, Plumber, and Tinsmith. n Telephone 32. U Subatuka Tea is packed m Ceylon, aad ia a pure, invigorating, aud wholesome, j,



Business Noticeg. . j Look. Look. a J. NEILL £8 NOW SELLING CHEATER THAN EVER. MAKE NO ERROR SO TO IST E ILL'S FOR GOOD & CHEAP DRAPERY, CLOTHING, & BOOTS NO OLD STOCK, EVERYTHING NEW, COME AND SEE, AN© COMPARE OUR PRICES. WE DEFY COMPETITION DRAPERY, CLOTHING, AND BOOTS Otf EVERY DESCRIPTION. Men's Boots and Shoes. Women's Boots and Shoes Boys' Boots and Shoes. Girls' Boots and Shoes of Every Description. 6U J* NEIIiIi, Friedlander's Comer, East Street. TERMS CASH. .-...'-:■ —^— — — — — —^— —^— — i~- *— """^ ™"^^^ — -!— — FOR — WEDDING PRESENTS, WEDDING PRESENTS. Pay a Visit to the JEWELLERY ESTABLISHMENT OF S. BALEK, BAST STREET, ASHBURTON. Ty HERE Ib to be seen the Largest and Finest Stock of JEWELLERY, and SILVER PLATED WARE m our district. SOME VERY SUITABLE ARTICLES FOR WEDDING PRESENTS « AX REASONABLE PRICES. Seeds. Seeds. Seeds. FLETCHER BEOS. HAVE Just Received their New Season's Stock of Knnio & Blair's Flower and Vegetable Seeds. Flower Seeds m One Penny (W) packets, seventy- two rarieties ; Vegetable Seeds m Threepenny (3d) packets, 100 varieties. NOVELTIES FOR THIS YEAR, 1896. NEW JAPANESE ROSE— CRIMSON RAMBLER. This new Rose is the sensation of the hour m the Horal world, and well may it be, for it is an entire novelty, distinct m character and of great merit. It originated m Japan, and is a hardy, everblooming, climbing polyanthus, bearing rich deep crimeom flowers m large panicles. The flower, when cnt, will keep m water for a long time, and will bloom for nearly a month if left on the tree. Extra Strong Booted Plants, 5s ; Strong Plants, 2s 61. •'WHINHAM'S INDUSTRY" GOOSEBERRY. This guperb variety has fairly established its reputation as one of the finest »nd most profitable Gooseberries m existence; The fruit is of enormous size, •nd when ripe, of a dark, dusky red colonr ; it is of fine quality, and cannot be surpassed for preserving. Ihe plant is of robust growth, and is marvellously prolific. Upwards of three tons of splendid fruit have been gathered from half, •n acre, and as much as twenty-six tons of this fine Gooseberry have been grown on 3£ acres Price, 2s each ; 20a per down. Retail, 2a 6d each ; 24s per dozen A fnll catalogue of novelties will be ready m a few days, and Market Gardeners and all who go m for prize stock, should call and get one TO STOREKEEPERS, HAWKERS, Etc, We cffer to Storekeepers, etc., a liberal discount off Id and 3d packets of Seeds, and can thoroughly recommend them as the best and most reliable Seeds m the market. During the past season (1895), we sold many thousands of pickets of Setdp, and m almost every case we have heard of SplendiiKesults. If you have not previously handled Nimmo & Blair's Standard Seeds, it will pay you to do so now. We fully expect to treble our sales of these famous feeds this.season JProYi&ion*. Provisions, WE HAVE IN STOCK SOME OF THE FINEST PROVISIONS XN ASHBURTON BACON. Finest Smoked Rolls Finest Pale Roll* Finest Smoked Bides Fineßt Pale Sides Finest Smoked Hams Finest Pale Hams CHEESE. ■■'■"■- Finest Akaroa Cheese Finest Factory Cheese LARD. Lard m Bladders aud Sausage Skins BUTTER. 10il per lb Finest Factory Butter lOd per lb POTATOES. POTATOES. Finest Blue Derwent Potatoes, 4s lid per bag ; or two bags for 9s 6d, Delivered anywhero within tho Belle, FLETCHER BROS., CASH SUPPLY STORES, BAST STREET, ASH BUR TO'JSt, I j and High street, Christchurcb. [ |j Telephone 24 B °x 67 j