PHASES OF THE MOON.

November — ' d h m New Moon , 5 6 57 p.m First Quarter , ... J2 5 10 p.m Full Moon ... 20 9 54 p.m Last Quarter 28 . 2 13 p.m December — New Moon 5 5 21 a.m Fiist Quarter 12 11 59 v.m FullM^on ... „. ...20 335 p.m Ltst Quarter 27 11 38 p.m

Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1896. MR MASLIN'S RETIREMENT.

Kven the political opponents of Mr Mnaiin, and those who have been the means of in ducing him to take the step he has done, must admit that his speech jlast ftjght was that of a broad-minded politician. Al|houg]h we are not altogether m accord with his views, we candidly confess £hat hia utter ances last evening stamp him as being much above the standard of the ordinary parlia. mentary repreaentative. He showed Chat he can deal with an opponent without being bitter, and can see virtues m those whose political creed may differ from his own. His tribute to the statesmanlike qualities of the leader of the Opposition was an illustra tion of this, ft is ,oot t$.Q much to say that no one listening to Mr Masliu's able and combative speech last evening was at all! prepared for its somewhat) dramatic conclii- • sion. The impression left upon the minds ' of the audience aq they followed him-rfirat m his playful yet occasionally contemptuous criticism of some of the other candidate 3 , and then m his masterly defence of the Government — must have been that they were listening to a man who meant fighting, and who would be a hard'man to beat. Many present differed from him m politics ; many, too, were at variance with hie /mown opinions on the prohibition question ; but none could honestly deny that h'.s address showed a thorough grasp of the political situation, a good knowledge of public busi ness, and a familiarity with the Imtory of past legislation seldom met with m a private member of Parliament with only a record of three sessions. Apart altogether from his political colour, ho is distinctly a strong candidate whom any constituency might select with credit^and advantage. When therefore he announced his rest lution to re tire'from the contest " rather than split the Liberal and Temperance vote," he showed that he posseestd other qualities not often met with m a colonial politician. It may be urged that Mr Masliu saw there was no chance of his being returned under present circumstances. Butevenlhenhisaction proves that his perception is clearer than that of others 6£ the candidates who, had he gone to the po I, would certainly have been below him. To be able to make "a correct estimate of what the public will do for him is 'an m

valuable quality m an aspirant for represen tative houourn.. What may be the feelings of that section of the " Temperance" party whose action has deprived the whole body <»f the opportunity of selecting sifch a manly and straightforward representative as Mr Maslin we kn,9w' n,ot. TSut think the elecipi'B generally wilj regret' thajb he has thought fib to fcalis the step he has d.one, al though under the circumstances no one can auosfcion its wisdom, since four Liberals m The &e)2 rendered the return of a Conserva-

tive candidate a C?f tajpty • We are inclined to think that Mr Masliu'3 ftOtlQQ will not

have quite the result he professed to expect. Many .electors w f ho might have teen willing to vote for hijaj oh .the strength of his ability and his power to serve tfrem, ' .and • faany more who would wil ngly|entin«fc him'Vjwi the ditfivult and deljg»te task of Rtteippupf

to solve the problem of temperance reform, will not cast thbir votes m the way appa rent.y contemplated by those who have forced him out of the field. Indeed we shall be much mist ken if the feeling of irriiation indicated by the letters recently published m our columns does not become intensified now that the reaulcs have become apparent. In the meantime it will be interesting to know whether any of the other candidates on the same side ai Mr Maslin will follow his example.

Local and General.

Excursion fares for Dunedin show and races are advertised.

Items from our Ruapuna correspondent will be found on our fourth page.

Mr Hathaway, piano tuner, is at present on one of his periodical business visits to Ashburton.

Mr Seddon arrived at Jackson's yesterday and at once went on to Hokitika. He will deliver several addresses m the district.

Mr John McLachlan's programme of political meetings from Friday, November 20, to Saturday, November 28, ia advertised m this issue.

December 3 will be a cloae day at the Tinwald Domain, the occasion being the St Andrew's Church school sports. The charges for admission will be adults 6J, children 3d.

We understand that the Press Association is about to lay a number of informations against Mr Joseph Ivess for pirating and publishing m the Standard oheir copyrighted cable messages. -. ;

A wild boar weighing 3001 b was shot on Mount Egmoht, Wyndham Valley, last week. Ita hide was If inches thick, and on being opened the stomach revealed portions of sheep and lambs.

An accident occurred m the Consolidated Gold fields Globe mine by which a miner named John McLaren, aged sixty-four, who lately arrived at Reefton, met his death. He accidentally fell down a shaft 200fb below the JN'o 5 level. He leaves a widow and grown-up family.

The Neiv Zealand Times says that Stephen Bosher, who received two years' imprison ment on Tuesday for bigamy and thift, is to be charged with committing the Petone murder, but the police state that the announcement is premature, and no informa tion has yet been laid.

The Chrißtchurch Meat Company has just completed the largest deal m pork which has yet been made m New Zealand, having purchased the whola of the ensuing season's output of bacon pigs of the New Zealand and Australian Land Co.'s Edenda'e dairy factory. The estimated purchase comprises 1500 to 2000 pigs.

The Rev L. M. Isitt addressed a crowded meeting at the Garrison Hall, Dunedin, last nighniu reply to Che recent address given by Mr W. W. Collins. At the close resolutions wire carried that the answer given to Mr Collins was complete aud satisfactory, also that m the opinion of the meeting prohibi tion would be m the best interests of the community.

What will our prohibition friends say to this, says the Chrwtchurch Truth. The de mand at Home for so-called temperance drinks, which contain more than the per mitted quantity of alcohol has so increased, iv consequence of their consumption by prohibitionists, that the Inland Revenue authorities at Somerset House have decided on a vigorous crusade against the sellers of such drinks.

A man named 'Ihomas Davidson, working with the bUlast gang on the railway ai Mount Somers, was Reriously injured by a fall of shingle yesterday, about two tons falling on him. No bones were broken, but one leg being doubled under him the knee was badly injured. Hie was brought to Ashburton, conveyed to the Hospital, and attended to by Dr Trevor, the Hospital surgeon. t-everal others of the gaug narrowly escaped the slip. Davidson was .extricated from his perilous position with considerable difficulty ; at eight o'clock last evening he was reported to be going on satisfactorily.

.- The guesaes as, to the weights of five Southdown sheep and one b,ullock exhibited ac the Metropolitan Show wee opened on Wednesday morning. For the sheep there were 13,4 gue?seei The weights as ascertained were 4201 b for the five Bhesp, or an average of 841 b. The winners were : — First prijze, Messrs S. Gladstone and C. Woodley, wh"o guessed the exact weight each. For the bullock there were fifty-six guesses, the ascertained weight being 7631 b. j The neateso guesses were t— -Mr W. Mason, Orari, 7651 b ; Mr J. Wachsmann, 765±1b j and they tjok first and second prizes respectively.

COMMERCIAL.

j -__^ (PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.— COPYRIGHT.) London, November 18. The total quantity of wheat and flour afloat for .the United Kingdom is 2,620,000 quarters, and ' tor the ' Continent 1,330,000 quarters. '1 he American visible wheat supply is estimated at 80,300,000 bushels.

WOOL SALS.

The first wool sale of the season under the auopices of the Christc'iurch Wool Brokers' Association will take place at the Odd fellows' Hall, Lichfield street, tomorrow. The number of baleß catalogued i5' 5975, which is much below the "quantity sent forjyard a)b the opening s^le' last season, growers evidently holding back their wool m anticipation of a further advance m values. The following is the number of hales catalogued by ' eaph broker :— New Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Association, Limited, 1520 ; New Zealand Loan and Mercan'ile Agency Company, Limited. 670 ; F. C. Tabart, 228 ; Friedlander Bros., 192 ; Pyne and Co., 1089 ; J. T. Ford and Co., 217 j Dalgety and Co., Limited, 909 ; Matson and go. $ad D. Thomas, 1150 ; total, 5975. ,

ADDINGTON MAIIKET.

Christoiujrgw, November 18. There were very fair entries m most classes of stock at Addington yards to-day. Fat. lamb 3 included several pens of prize takers at the late Metropolitan' Show. The attendance was good, bub, taken all rouad prices were somewhat irregular. ' Fat Cattle.— The yarding of fat cattle was top large for the requirements, 237 head being bnofreT. The enMry consisted of several Show pens and a number of very good beasts. Uidding was decidedly "slack, excepo m a very few cases. Prices, con sidering the quality, showed a decline, prime steer beef ru ing at from 17s to 19a per 1001 b, and heifer aud cow sorts from l4s to 168 6d. • • • Dairy Cows.— There was a mi^ed eptry including* some very fair sorts. Better classes were m fair demand, bub secondary and inferior kinds were neglected, Store Cattle. -^-These were represented by a good entry of mixed lots, bub very little business was done. Fat Sheep,— A good entry, bub neither butchers nor exporc buyers seemed anxious to do business and a dull sale resulted m a decided drop m price i. Beet shorn cross bred wethera 11s 6d to 14s and up to 17s 6d fur Show lines, medium 9j to 10s;, extra heavy shorn crossbred ewes 9s to 12s medium 6s 6d to 8s 9d, inferior 4s to 5s 9d • shorn merino wethers, 5a 6d to 8a • woolly' 8s bi t 0133 6d. " "

Fat Lambs — A large and mixed entry met fair competition at from 10s to 13s 6d.

Store Sheep— The few store sheep m were sill shorn, the bulk of the yarding beiDg medium two-tooths, yery fair de mand was manifested for all classes, except ewes and lambs. Crossbred wethers brought 7s Jid tp'lps 0d; mixed, weathers aud maiden ewes, 7s to 'tya §3 j, hoggets, ! 7b 5d j and ewea and lambs, al) counted, 4a 33. " ' Pias — A large entry met with a ready aale, more especially good baoonera and P9fker8 > which brought from 3£d to 3£ 1 per lb.

THE GENERAL ELECTION

Mr Maslin at the Oddfellows' Hall. The Candidate Retires from the Contest. Mr Maslin addressed the electors for the I second time at the Oddfellows' Hall last night. There were about 300 people present, and the Mayor presided, and introduced the candidate. Mr Ma lin said he was unfortunate on the last occasion on which he addressed the electors, m having had bad weather, which interfered with the attendance. He was thus unfortunate m the ma! ter of his address which- had been listened to by but a com parative few. He disliked repelitions, and would not repeat himself except to give a short review of bhe subjects he had dealt with m his first speech. Since he last spoke several candidates had spoken, and he purposed later on to criticise those speeches. But first he wished to say a few words m regard to the Government's cheap money scheme. In the original scheme proposed by the Colonial Treasurer m 1894, it was only intended to lend money to the extent ,of two-thirds of the value of the land, and only on freehold security. Under that scheme the Crown tenants who had gone upon Government land uuder deferred pay ment and perpetual lease had beeu over looked, and would not have been able to take advantage of • the cheap money scheme. He had spoken strongly against confining the operations of the Bcheme to only freehold security borrowers, and Government had altered their proposals so as to include a I these tenants.,. Because he hid made that -speech, he had been accused of having gone I agaiost the cheap money scheme. Had that scheme been carried as originally proposed the Government would have been left with a large sum on its hands for which no interest would have been paid. He had opposed the lending of large sums on single holdings, and with others had been able to get the maximum very materially reduced. He then went on fio speak of the Land for Settlements Bill, and when m the House he had advocated the placing of working men on amall settlements, near larger hold ings, so that they could get work on the larger holding?, and when not working on these could employ themselves on their own knd. He had opposed the 640 acre limit, and hid advocated the providing of small holdings from 50 up to 200 acres. He had also advocated the claims of Canterbury to a large share of the £250,0C0 that was to be annually spent m Lhe repurchase of land for settlement. He then went on to give the history of the Shop and Shop Assistants Act, and . referred to the Eight Hours Bill, criticising the measure adversely as regarded its applica tion to farm servants, m which case it could not possibly have been workable It was all right m the matter of factories and work shops, aud had been generally accepted m such cases throughout the colony. The Government were not sincere m this Bill, for the members of it opposed its applica tion to lhe Government printing officJe, and to the railway workshops^ while they wished to make it applicable to all other printing offices and to the Manawatu railway. The Bill was passed with those, clauses m it, m spite of the Government opposition, but it was thrown out by the Upper House, and he *was not perfectly satisfied that the Go vernment had no hand m this action of the Upper House. He then gave an explanation of4he Go vernment fire insurance scheme, which he said would have established a State monopoly. If they were to have a State fire insurance system, let them have oje on commercial lines. The Bill did not reach a second reading. The same thing happened with the Masters and Apprentices Bill, which provided that all boys employed, whether tor tkilled or uuskilled labor, had to be apprenticed for three years; and iv skilled labor establishments it would have been necessary, before the boy could be employed at all, that four journeymen had to be employed. N lhia simply excluded the possibility of employing an apprentice m the country at all. Such Bills were rushed upon the House and the colony m a crude condition, and time waa nob allowed m which to consider them. Ministers would themselves do better by giving consideration to the measures they infcrp-iuced instea ' of gadding about the country spending the taxpayers' money. He explained that many farmers' daughters were sent to dressm kera' establishments, not to earn money, but to learn to make their own and the family's dresses. Boys, too, were sent to offices to learn office work and book-keeping, simply to enable them to enter upon some other occupation altogether, and it was not de sired m many gases that they should be paid, and many fathers did not care whether they were or nob. It was m such cases that moat of the unpaid young people were found. He then referred, m similar terms to his previous speeches, to the old age pension scheme, which he characterised simply as an electioneering dodge. The money required to provide old ago- pensions to the peopld of New Zealand would jpay'the interest on £16,000,000, and he hopsd they would have some little method m their madness, and not run amuck at every mad scheme that may be proposed. He went on to criticise Mr Sawle's State Bank scheme, and was very seyere on the idea that a State Bank would not press for its funds m a time of depression. He admired the. simplicity of Mr Sawle on this question. Ib was a very nice thing to talk about; but a State Bank would be simply a machine for log rolling, and 'no man holding an account m it would ever be safe from the prying of unpleasant and undesirable people into hi* private affairs. After a reference to the elaborate speech of Mr McKeague, whom he thought should have confined himself to the doings of New Zealand, ibatea':! of spending immense research upon the' things of the past, away back to the fendal timeß, he went on to deal with Mr McLjacblan aud the Liquor BMI After jocularly treating Mr McLaohlan's opposition to it, he'oa^d the Bill was an old friend, for ie had been intro duced m 1895, and it was very funny to find that m 1895 Mr McLachlan had actually voted for the very drastic provi ion, as to rendering lie| w>r unfit to be used ns a beverage, being re aiu«u ""." MdS "a made great play with Mr. McLac flan's opposition | m 1/39$' to what he had supported m 1895. paling wieh jthe egojsm of Mr Ivesa's speech m regard to the remission of duty, he said the tariff was wholly m the hands of the Government so far as bringing m a tariff Bill went, and it was only when the tariff came to be»dißcussed by members that they had any power at all. Government opposed the reduction of the duty on tea, and only consented to its reduction to 4d when it seemed likely that it was to be reduced to 3d. Government had also opposed the reduction of the duties on rice and fencing wire. Mr Ives wanted railways run at a loss and the duty on sugar removed, but if that sort of thing were 'done Where was the revenue to come from ? : Taxation was tfte only means of raising revenue^ and if Mr Jvesß's ideas we/re carried out, it would be impossible for the men we were so desirous .to see on the land, to make a living. He did not know who wag the author of the speech issued with Mr Wright's name to it, but he would deal with the speech itself He wished to know if when Mr Wright was m the House he did not loyully follow his party leader, and yet while he found fault

with the allegiance that Mr Seddon'a followers gave to their leader, he himself objected to the only means whereby the evils of p*rty eau be removed — the Elective Executive Bill. Mr Wiight spoke of the land of "the present holders having been obtained under the land laws that were then existing, but he did not mention that the laws under which these lands were acquired were made by the Lad owners themselves. It was not a fact ;to say, as Mr Wright siid, that' Canterbury land values were higher than m any other province. If they went to the North Island they would find that at Palmerstou

North, Danevirke, and other places, the

land valu's were just as high, and good tand would always be valued high and poor iarid low. Mr Wright wais an old property taxer, and while they were passing the measure that replaced the property tax through the House, Mr Wright opposed it, though it was intended to relieve the small farmer from heavy taxation, and to place taxation upon an equitable basis. Mr < Wright prophesied thafc the Winery woyU J

be driven from the benches over that msa- I sure, but th»y were there atill with all their \ faults, lir- aughed at Mr Wright's wil ing- ' ness to agree to the introduction of a Scrip lure Text book, as goon a9 all the Christiau sects had agreed on one, but when that agreement took place both he and Mr Wright would be rotten. He said thai unless a Uxt, book were txpounded ie would be useless, but a perfunctory readiug of au unexplained lesson book would bs worae than useless. If the voice of the whole people were taken by some direct means, and iheirwill known, it would bs the duty of the House to give efftct to that will, but until that had be.n dove maters had better remain as they are. He conteuded that Mr Wright had not sat himself the task of proving hh statements m regard to recent borrowing, which had not increased the taxation of the people, nor their burdens, m any way, and he (Mr Maslin) had shown this m his previous speeches. The money was borrowed at 3£ per cent., and was lent out at 4$ per cenf. — that, he thought, showed a profit. The result of the Land for Settlers office work at the end of this year would be a gain of £5 00. B Mr Hugo Friedlander said the Customs duties Ha«i been increased by £70,000. Mr Maslin said it had nob been ao in creased. The increase had taken place m ihe increased prosperity of the people and the expansion of their buying power. Io was expected that m 1895 the tariff would be revised and m consequence merchants made only hand to mouth clearances. Mr Friedlander did the same, or he was not the olear headed business man he took him to be, and as soon &3 the tariff was fixed trade expanded and the customs income increased. Mr Wright condemned the taking of the sinking fund&of the Governmont loans, but the Atkinson Government did the same thing. He, however, quite agreed with Mr Wright, m condemning the appropriation of t.he local bodies' sinking funds, but m doing ihiß they had departed from the course adopted by Mr Balance, who had provided for those local bodies' sinking funds, which the Atkin son Government had neglected to do. He went on to show that the Post Office Savings Banks funds of £4,000,000 were all invested m the colony, and were yielding good interest, and to say that those funds were treated as revenue, or m any way misapplied," was incorrect, as such was impossible. Io reply to Mr Wright's addre-s m regard to the Banking legislation, Mr Maslin read the speech of Captain Russell on the subject, m which the leader of the Opposition showed a full and clear perception of the" situation, and said that the incurring of a debt of £2,000,000 by the colony was the best thing uuder the circumstances. they could do, to save the colony from a terrible calamity. He (Mr Maslih) did not believe Mr Wright ever penned that address, for it was not an address showing the full grasp of the ques tion that a man like Mr Wright ought to have, and, he was sure, did have. If the writer of that address would only read the evidence given by the Bank officials m regard to the business of the Colonial Bank, he would see that the bad business of the Colonial Bank was not purchased, only the good business, and he contended that the purchase was a good bargain for the colony. Had the gentleman who wrote the speech been well up m the question of Ministerial expenses, he would have been able to show that they were larger than quoted m the addree?, but he omitted to give last year's expenses, which were very much less. Nor did he give the cost of the celebrated journey to the Maori conntry. In regard to the " spoils to the victors " paragraph, he failed to see that this Government had been any worse than its predecessors even the Legislative CounciLhad beo,n itrengthened after the defeat or the Atkinson Mioistry, so that >ir Harry Atkinson should be elected to the Speakership. The present Govern ment had had many opportunities to give "spoils to the victors," jtnd exceptionally high and lucrative offices had fallen vacant during their te m of office. Bub__those offices had been filled by the Govern ment with men who were not of their way of thinking politically, and the appointments had been hailed with satisr faction by all the Conservative pre-s. It was a parrot cry that they had heard often of late, but the<e was nothing m ir. In re-' gard to the co-operative workers being au electioneering agency the thing was absurd. The elections were held every three years— the co-operative workers worked all the year round, and the work done by them was d«ne at no greater cost than it used to be under contractors, and the men themselves get all the money which used to go into the pockets of the contractors.

In reference to the split m the temperance party, he said the supporters of Mr Wright had got his name on the list of candidates at the temperance meeting, and that m spite of the fact that he had boen run at last election m the interests of the liquor trade. He would not be a party to any split m the Liberal ranks if a sacrifice on his part could prevent it, and he had no parti cular desire to be paid £240 per annum for his political services. When his patriotism took the mercenary form of service. for an honorarium only, and the honorarium wa3 a necessary condition of that service, he would no longer consider himself a patriot, and would hojd his services as bought at a price. He thought the niember for a district should be a reflex of the" people who sent him; and though Mr McLachlan was a genial fellow, and had many good qualities, he was hardly a reflex of the people of this district whb had no sympathy at all with his weaknesses. He could not, of course, have any sympathy with the Opposition! polities" of Mr Wright, and while the Liberal party was divided as if now was the fight, he 'saw, lay between that gentleman and Mr McLachlan. This, therefore, wbuld be the last speech he would deliver m this contest, as it was his inten tion to' withdraw from it and allow the party to concentrate its 'efforts on the return of a Jjifceral candidate, jje had done this ?o th&t Che constituents niay be able to re ject Mr McLachlan on the one hand and Mt Wright on the other. He thanked them for the support that had been given to him, for the kindness tie had received everywhere, and for tse patient' hearing £hat had' been accorded tq Him on tiffs occasion. Mr Mae lin Bg,t down amid immenep applause^ which was continued for some time,'

On the motion of Mr Robert Aloorn a hearty vote of thanks was aoporded to Mr. Maslin, who, the speaker B*id, bad set an example to the whole co'ony. Mr Maalin having acKuow.o^d tuo Z2~* pliment, a similar one was passed to the .chair, and the meeting closed.

I Mr J. W. Sawle addressed a good attend. | ance of electors m the Chertsey schoolroom last evening. There were several ladies pre sent. Mr W. Oakley presided. In dealing with political matters generally, Mr Sawle spoke more fully and particularly m favor of the second ballot, land nationalisation, State bank, and Government control of mines. Oa fcho motion of Messrs Scarlett and Stewart, Mr Sawle was accorded a vote of thanks.

Mr Sawje addressed a good meeting at VVakanui School on Tuesday 'las|;. 'About 80 electors were present, Air Andrews was' voted to the chair. Mr SaWle ? s address was much on the same lines as his provious ones. He answered many questions apparently to chcs satisfaction of the questioners. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Sawle, on the motion of Mr Leadley. A vote of thankß to the chair concluded the meeting.

Mr G. W. ttussell (Riccarton) addressed a meeting of electors m the Broadfields ochoolroom on Monday night. A vote of thanks to and confidence iv Mr Ruusell was proposed. An amendment that a vote of thanks only be accorded was carded by a . large majority, only three voting against it. I Mr Douglas McLean, son of Sir Donald 'McLean, addressed an enthusiastic audience afc Napier last night. He dealt with the leading political questions of the day, and had a splendid deception, but the Frsss Association agent oniita to say whaVside he proposes to take m contesting the Hawkes Bay seat. ;

CORRESPONDENCE.

(We do not hold o -reel es re*pons'b'e for tho opinious expressed by oar correspondents

TEMPERANCE REFORM.

TO TUB EDITOR.

j Sib, — Ml the figures I have quoted are - from thi ChristchurcH Press of August 16, 1894, and form part of a contribution from that journal's Parliamentary correspondent, evidently culled from the records that you only putially quote. That is chapter and verso for your readers, who can, if they choose, investigate for themselves, and I wi 1 leave the verdict with them as to who is the champion of misrepresentation. If we are to be guided by the fashion m which you twist them, figures can certtinty be made to prove anything. Anyone with half an eye; can ' detect the absurdity of your c ntention that our claim to success must be minimised by the alleged help which the prohibition party get from the publicans.. The power has very rightlyjbeen pu m the hands of che people to vote for or agafhstall kinds of licenses, and if the publicans desire to vote on this matter, they have a perfect) right to ballot acoordiag to their convictions; or, if you like the phrase better, m defence' of their interests. Bat if they had done aa you assert, the figures should be reversed, and instead of the votes against accommoda tion and bottle licenses being m each case 13,000 less than those against publicans 4 licenses, they should have been considerably more. In fact, t! c results of last local option poll conclusively prove that the hotel, keeper has not m the past, nor will he m the future, join handn with a party which has ■ fur its object the annihilation of a traffic- the existence of which the publican is naturally anxiou&tio maintain. One of the curiosities of modern times would be to find * news* paper editor who would admin he had made a mistake, and your hostility to the prohibition movement ia of such a pro nounced type that I have no hope of getting you to confess yourself -In error m the matter of the increasing majority m favor... of no iioense. I have entered my protest against your attitude, towards a large section of the community, and am content. — I am, etc. , ABGUS. November 17, 1896.

TO THE EDITOR

Sib,— " Argus "is no doubt very much ia earnest m hia advocacy of prohibition, bub when he gave 120,120 as the poll for no license he certainly took far more for his side than the actual voting warranted. Of course, all who noted the result of the last local election poll know that the votes for "no license" on all the three sets of ques tions (nine m all) — publican, accommodation, and bottle licenses— were cist m by far the great majority of cases by the same individuals. For instance, "Argus" him -Be'f was no doubt required to vote on the nine questions on bis ballot paper. So waa I, and all others who voted. Doubtless also "Argus," as I did voted for "no license" m all three sets. But surely " Argus " does not consider himself any more than one man, or me any more than one man, so that 120,120 is a long way too )pig a figure to use. We had no accommodation licenses m thia district, and bottle licenses only exist m Ctago, • Westland, Marlborough, and Nelson. And the accommodation licenses are so very few m number, aud only granted %here the trade ia so limited, that a house paying full license could hardly make a living— Mount Somers and Alford Forest to wit -that after all they should be included m the publicans' category. If "Argus" would throw oub of the count altogether the votes for and against the accommodation and bottle licenses he would have solid ground to argue on, and a broad enough held, bb it is quite imposß b}e to say m what districts — though I believe there are some — p.nly accommodation licenses exist. Where the population is so small as to be able to Bupport only accommodation houses, such districts are hardly worth counting, Con? fining oneself to publicans' licenses only, I and that there voted For continuance .« ... 42,429 For reduction .., .. 16,096 . For ho license ... ... 4,8,993

. ... 107,518 TUoae figures show the g-ctual voting m regard to pallioana 1 licences, and the pro. portions were similar m the accommodation and bottle license poll. The official figures show that altogether 122,234 people voted, and that 248,194 names were on the rolj. What game of the 125,960 who did not vote? A very high authority says— •• who is not with ua is against us," etc. How many of the absentees are the prohibition party justified m counting " with " them ? Not many, when it is remembered that the liquor 1 party did all they- could to let their friends know that if less than half the number on the roll came to the poll, the poll was void— ' I am, etc., Practical.

MR MASLIN.

TO THE' EDITOB.

m mors havin S reached Geraldine that Mr Maslin, one of the candidates for the Ashburton seat, is pdßing as a friend of the temperance cause simply to catch vote* and that his sympathies not with' tlfafi movement, we, the undersigned, 'belieirintf duch reports are circulated for W sole purpose of damaging Mr Maslin politically, and are entirely without foundation.'most emphatically and conscientiously deny that such is the^ case. Mr Maslm has beeaa member of .he Good Templar Lodge iv geraldine for 'over twenty years: 1 anb* we can truthfully say his consistency • &n& straightforwardness during ' the w"hole : of that time has placed him above suspicion, and we have every confidence m Mr Maslin judginc; by his past ap>ions both m public and" private life, 'and believe fcKafc he "will always do Mb duty i* aWleas and atraieW fbrward manner, both m cohnectfijn \?{ffi the temperance thovement 6t any other 'ob jebt of public good.— T^e are, etc;, r " John Joanbs McOa^kbt, pasbL.D. TgEoajAS H. Dalton, past D.D- J. M. Sp^HEBLAN^, S.J.T.'" '

CRICKET.

ASHBURTON V. SOUTHBRIDGE.

[ m J^Ashburton OC. m^t^thydge C.C. iv. tue uuuiu.ui yesterday, when a most enjoyable game was played m excellent; weather on a good wicket. Ashburton took jfche bat firgb, and ran up a score of 72 very soon,— tfpton 'not out 10, Fe'rcy>l3./ Vaim ■ 11. The second innings of the local "team finished for 158-Upton3l, G. W. Andrews 33, Ruasel 37, Davis 18, Hart (not out) 14. Southbftdge had but one inning*, which totalled only £ 8-*-Riordan 15, R. P. Hill 11, A. Cooper, 10. Oolyer, Cooper, and Taiaroa were the Southbridge bowlers, and Davis and Friedlander bowled for Ashburton.

THE RAILWAY LOAN.

[per press association.— copyright ]

Wellington, November 1% Tenders are being invited locally for the first half of the million loan authorised last session. \The price is fixed at 3i per cent. In view of the plethora of money for invest* menfc at presentVit is anticipated there will be no difficulty m obtaining the amount required. Tendera are limited to the colony.

Synopsis of New Advertisements.

James Porter— Notice re flowers, etc. A. H. Hathaway — Piano tuning. Tinwald Domain Board— So Andrew's church school sports, December 3. New Zealand Railways - Excursion to Duuedin A. and P. Show and Races from 20bh to 26th November. Shaw, Saville and Albion Shipping Coy —Ruling notJSe.g. p * if. McLachlah - Nbtiees of Meetings. Lost— ißr'own Fat Boa. '. ■'• iv? Mrs Dodds— Wants young girl. Deep Sea Fishing Company—Whitebait. Baker Bros — Funeral notice.

JHE ASfIBOftTUB GtJARJDIAN : THORSDA?, NOVEMBER 19, 1896.



One Box of Clarke 8 B 41 Pills warran ed to cure all discharges from the Urinary Organs, m either sek- (acquired or <sonsti tutional), Gravel and Painß in 1 the 'Baofe Guarranteed free from Mercury. Sold m Boxes 4a 6d each, by all Chemists and Patent medicine Vendors throughout the World Proprietors : Thb Lwoour and Midland Couwas DB TO O9MPAn ? , nrpolo, Kn«lJinS



It will be seen by a new advertisement m smother column thab Messrs 'Craighead'and Berryman ar^ probably- now showing the largest stock' of new tweeds and fashionable tailoring goods ever exhibited m Ashbur- ton. This speaks well for their .enterprise and local industry. ' From the Tea Plant to the Te* Cup unadulterated.— .Thii ia Kqzhi T»A, ;



Have you tried Kozie Tea? Tf uot do to a| onoe i Jff ji 'de lso#f -



Wanted. ' LOST, between East street and Baptist Tabernacle, long Brown Fur. Finder please return to Mail Office. 11 139 WANTKD— Younet girl about 15. Apply Mns Dodds, Tancred Street. 11 140 WHITEBAIT, Barracouta, Griper, Ling, Garfish, Herrings, f resh : to-night — jewitt's, opposite Mail Office. 11 141 WANTED— Young Gentleman Boarder m private f&mi.y. Terms moderate. Apply, Mail Office. n 123 MILLINERY— Ladies should inspect the new Millinery, Capes, Mantles, Jackets, Blouses, French aud English Corsets ; all new and up to date. — £. Okr. 11 126 THE Advertiser is desirous of exchang- ing a smart Brown Mare, four years, good m saddle or harness, for a Horse with similar qualifications. Apply, W. H., office of this paper. It 128 WANTED Known— What the people say. That Andrew Orr has the largest and besi assorted ctock of Boots m Canterbury. \\ 125 A FULL assortment of new Veilinga m white, black, and black and white. Buy the celebrated new kid glove -The Victory — only 2s 6d. The best glove m New Zealand for the money. — A. Orr. ' 11 124 XY7~ANTED Known— Go to the Cornkr \\ .'■ for Newest Styles m Drapery and Millinery — W. H. Collier. ~\7"OUNG Ladies' Journal for November, JL Weldon's Lidien' Journal for October, Family Reader (Quarterly Part), Little Larrikin, Stories of Pluck, Vendetta, by Correlli ; Son of Ishmael, Fields Fair Re- nown, Hocking, Christmas and New Year Cardß. — H. M. Jones. i^HRISTMAS and New Year O»rds Tox \j the Home mail. A New, Beautiful, and Choice Assortment now opened up, Diaries for 1897. New books, stationery', and fancy goods. Orders being taken for any English, Foreign, and Colonial magazines an/ papers. — Andrbwes, Ander- son & Co. WANTED Known— looo pairs of Boots to be. sold m twenty-one days at Mellor's: IF YOU WANT the Newest and Nice m Millinery, Trilby Muslins, and Dress Goods, go to Mrs Alcorn's. Dtesses made on the premises. Fit guaranteed. NEW Mangel, Carrot, and Turnip ireeds. The favorite sorts at low prices. — Carson and Co. 10 ANTED" KNOWN -Spring Blosaom Tea is really delicious. Packed m £lb, lib, 51b, and 1' lb tins, Is 9d and 2s per lb. Fletchkb. Bbos.. Agents. WANTED Known— Where the crowd is going ? To see Mitchell and Turner's Millinery to be sure. If you have not been, go at once ; it is worth seeing. DID you ever hear the like ? M^en s best Cauyas Shoes 5s 6d, at Mellor's, Tancred street STUDY Economy and patronise Mellor ? s Cheap Boot Sale. WE lead, follow who may. Children s Slippers Is. Mellor's Tancred street. I HEARD a man say that is selling Boots Wonderfully Cheap. NOW'S your time to Buy. There is a Big Sale at Mellor's Zealandia Boot Store. WHAT do I ase before my eyes ? A Cheap. sale of Boots at Mellor's. « ■i - - p '■> - • J "li /TEN'S Bluchers ss, a good Stroug _LYJ_ Nailed Sli )oler at 8s 6d ; a Dice assortment of La.iics' and Children's Boots and Shoes from la 9d a pair a;, R. Aloorn's.



Business Notices. ' MEN'S MEKCERY & HATS | ~ I NEW ZEALAND Clothing 1 Factory GENTLEMEN can always depend on getting the Latest Novelties m theße Departments. Hard Hats m all the latest shapeß. Soft Felt Hats, Tennis Hat*, Lounge Hats, Frame Hats, Liud and Water Hats. HALLENSTEIN BROS. Have added another New Industry to New Zealand. OUR OWN MAKE OF STRAW HATS. Equal to any imported article. SHIRTS. Tennis Shirts, Cycling Shirts, Cricket Shirts The Fashion Shirt m Pink and Blue. C 0 L LARS. 2O Different Shapes to choose from. TO ATHLETES. Running Suits made to order m any colour Cycling Suits made to order [and m Stock. N.Z. CLOTHING FACTORY. ALEX. HENDRY, Manager. X\^S ARE NOW SHOWING THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL LINES. A Really Good WASHING PRINT £Sh lid Dozen. PRINTS FOR BLOUSES. A Blouse length for lg* 9O t or a Shilt Blouse made complete for 4s lid. V — A DRE^S LENGTH of a Good Servicable Fashionable Material for 6s 9d, Or Costume-made Complete for $£&& 6d A NICE SAILOR HAT TRIMMED for *2s lid. A SPECIAL LINE OF LADIES' STRAW HATS, Usual Price Is 9d, we are clearing at ljS each. Ashburlon Drapery Company. ARCA D B HOU SE, BURNETT STREET. Church Services. T. STEPHEN'S CHURCH, Aahburton. THURSDAY — Confirmation £l»as for women, 7. 30 p.m. FRIDAY— Short Service, 7.30 p.m. Choir Practice, 8 p.m. SATURDAY— Confirmation Class 2p.ai, SUNDAY SERVICES. 8.30 a.m. — Holy Communion. 11 a.m.— MorniDg Prayer. 1 3 p.m.-.-EAFIELD, ! 6.30 p.m — Eveniug Prayer. REV. T. A. HAMILTON. 3 p.m.— DROMORE. MR W. BOWMAN FOX. Wanted. TTJLETCHER'S Extract of Herbs, 7d per • JL' bottle makes 8 gallons of splendid 1 botanic beer. Fletcher Bros, Sole Agents, Aahburton and Christchurcb WANTED Known— Large delivery of the " Economic" Kid Gloves, four buttons, Is 9d per pair, worth auch more. W. H. Collier. XTT ANTED Known— That J. Moison IT has just received a large shipment of English, American, and Continental Bootß and Shoes, Bui table for the season ; also an overwhelming Stosk of tfre best colonial makes, which he intends dißpa^ugpi at very reasonable prices during the .coming holidays. Repairs as usual done at once at Moison's Premier Boot Store.Eaat Street, Aahburton VTyTANTED Known— The Economic " T T Kid Glove, four buttons, Is 9d per pair, is the Glove for every day wear. W. H. Collier. WANTED Known— Mellors Sale B&rp&ssing anything ever heard 0/ m Aahburten " 10 WANTED to sell, second hand%aleigh - racing Bicycle. Apply R. Curtis. 11 24 TTT ANTED Known— Spectacles, Eye t T Protectors, Goggles, Folders, and Everything m the optigaf,l ; u£ a,t S. Salek's, Optician. VTTTANTJED Known— Oilcloths, Lino- IT leums, Carpets, Squares, Rugs and Curtains. Special Display m Special Room. A Case of plain color Liberty Muslins just to hand. — Mitchell and Turner. RIDE the Best.— Keut's Championship Bicycles are the best Built to your own measure. Tytes and accessories of all sorts' — Carson and Co., Agents 10 86 WANTED Known— Dress , Length of Stylish T^ee^J wjth lining included for 6s lid. A bewi dering assortment of Prints, Cambrics, and Blouse Materials. — Mitchell and Turner. f I THERE is no doubt, no, possible doubt, ,jL that you get Good Value for yotir aioney ,ab Mbllor's. ANTEP I^OWN.-Mrs Hupfam , having takeu th.c premises lately ! occupied by Mr (}. Neill, intends to .open same ac Ladies' Dining and Refreshment Roonr.s, where visitors will find a long felt want Bupplied. Meals at all hours. A few boarders will find all the comforts of a home. BARGAINS m Earthenware this moQt'b at .Cabs9n and Co.'s. First-olass goods. MOTHERS and fathers w^o hg,ve~to provide Boots and Shoes, should call at Mellor's Zealandia Boot Store. XTTHERE, Oh where, is that Cheap ty Boot Shop? Mbllor's Zealandia Bopt Stor§.



Business Notices. ' FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS. _____ »a« ■ . I — M__— ,U , ' ™ ■ mUERE ARE TWELVE STUBBORN FACTS THAT CANNOT BE DENIED. let— That G. J. NEILL is selling good | 6th— That G. J. NJSILL la celling. Men's Btrong White Muslin at 3s lid doz. Tweed Trousers at 5s lid. 2nd— That G. J. N RILL is selling good 7th— That G. J. NEILL is aelline Boys' Washing Prints at 4£d a yard. Sailor Suits m navy blue or fawn 3rd— That G. 3. NEILL has pretty serge, at 4s lid the suit. Summer Dress Tweeds at 9a 6d a Bth— That G. J. NEILL is selling dress, that can't be beat. Women's Shoes at 4s lid. 4th— That G. J. NEILL is selling Ladies' 9th— l hat G. J. NEILL is selling Men's and Children's Summer Hats of nailed Shooters at 7s lid. every description, the very lateit 10th— That G. J. NEILL ia selling Men's style, cheaper thau anyone m Ash- light Balmorals at 83 lid. * burton.. 11th — That G. J. NEILL is. selling Ladies' sth— That G. J. NFILL it selling Men's and Childrens' Tan Boots and Shoes Heavy Tweed (colonial) Suits at 24s ' of every description at very low 6d. - prices? 12th— THAT G. J NEILL'S SHOP- Well— He sells Millinery, General Drapery, Clothing and' Boots, of every Description — IS AT FRIEDLANDER'S CORNER, East Street, Ashburton. IMPORTANT TO MEN "TTTE WOULD DRAW SPECIAL ATTENTION to several lines recently opened m Our MERCERY AND CLOTHING DEPARTMENT, also to the fact that We are sparing neither Trouble or Expense to put this, part of our business thoroughly m touch with; the Public, Up-to-date, and above aII— RIGHT IN PRICE v. ' • EVERYTHING NECESSARY TO CLOTHE A MAN, FOR WORK OR PLAY, AT MITCHELL & TURNER'S. PRELIMINARY NOTICE. Ml W. S~~MJ?BgJ£t- LATE WITH MITCHELL & TURNER, AND I I\/P R XT' TT "DRod-ribb f IV± » XL** XI. J3RODBII3B, AYE ARRANGED A PARTNERSHIP FOR THE PURCHASE OF THE BUSINESS, LATELY KNOWN AS "THE BLUE HOUSE" DRAPEEY ESTABLISHMENT. The Business m future will be carried on under the name and style of MITCHELL & BRODRIBB, THE CENTRAL CASH DRAPERS, CLOTHIERS, MILLINERS, etc WE would like to draw the attention of the Public generally, that Mr Mitchell being well known and intimately acquainted with moßfc of the inhabitants oE Ashburton and district, and through having business con- nections directly with them, is m a position to say that he thoroughly under- stands their requirements,, and can guarantee to all his friends the BEST VALUE IN THE TRADE FOR HIGH CLASS GOODS. WITH THIS ASSURANCE THE CLOTHING & MERCERY DEPARTMENTS Will be under his personal supervision, and by .strict attention to Business and carefully studying the requirements of all his Friends and the public generally Mr Mitchell respectfully solicits a fair share of their patronage. ' TAILORING Under the Chart-Order System a Specialty. THE MANCHESTER DEPARTMENTS | Are now being Stocked with all the requirements necessary for carrying on a Large Cash Trade, and by giving only Good Honest Values, combined with the desire to work and build up a substantial business, MITCHELL & BKODBIBB Have no hesitation m challenging the trade by giving the best value m Ashburton. THE MILLINERY &' UNDERCLOTHING DFPARTMENT Will receive the most careful attention, and by always being to the front for Style, Variety, and a desire to please we can with confi- dence assure the Ladies of Ashburton and district that their orders will receive the best attention. / A NEW BOOT DEPARTMENT is now being Fitted and Stocked with all the best makes, and m this Branch of our Business we intend to be ever foremost. ' LOOK OUT FOR SPECIAL QUOTATIONS IN FUTURE ISSUES. OPENING DAY— SATURDAY, the 17th. MITCHELL & BRODRIBB, THE CENTRAL CASH DRAPERS, Between J, Orr & Qo, V and the Clothing Factory, Asbburtoo.