Ashburton Guardian, Megna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1897. OUR SEAL FISHERIES.

The article on Resolution Island re cently published in our columns, having reached Mr Henry, the curator in charge, who is now on a holiday v'mi to Dunedin, the reference therein made to the seal fishery has attracted his attention, and he has written us a very interesting letter on the subject, the gist of which is embodied in the subjoined — the opinions expressed being Mr Henry's, the phraseology in some oases our own, Most New Zea landers take more or less interest in the subject of acclimatisation, either as sup porters or opponents, the musical black birds, thrushes, and sky larks, the useful starlings, the omnivorous sparrows, the destructive rabbits, the ferrets, stoats and weasels, and the fallow deer having numerous enemies as well as friends, the trout alone, with perhaps the ex ception of the red deer, meeting with universal approval. It is not to be denied that some of the birds and animals that have been introduced have proved pests instead of blessings, and the mischief done has been brought about by people trying to do good without the knowledge of how to do it, Yet, thn blunders of the past not withstanding, there are still plenty of generous people ready to put their shoulders to the wheel to help along the cause of acclimatisation whenever they see a chance of conferring a benefit on New Zealand by the intro duction of useful birds, animals or fishes. This is as it should be, but it is at tho same time a regretable fact that comparatively very little interest is taken in the protection of indigenous fauna, some of which is threatened with extinction for that very reason— : as for example, in the case of the fur seal. Yet it is hardly an exaggeration to say, that if our fur teals were properly protected, the seal fisheries of the colony might at no distant date be as large, or a larger source of wealth to New Zealand than are her flocks of sheep—and that without re quiring for their maintenance, a bite of grass or a bushel of grain. The price obtainable at the Bluff for a sealskin does not represent anything like its vulue in the markets of the world, and how large are the revenues derivable from a good seal fishery may be jndged from the fact that for two small islands in Behnng sea, the lessee pays the American Govern ment & rental of £11,000 a year, in addition to the $uija q( ten shillings a ,head for every seal taken— eyen then •■•be number allowed to ta killed in any on* year be*n« stricu^ limited, and the entire *:!»«* t*? 1"* «nder official superintendence. InuC*"; tbe fact that not so long ago disputes arising out of the poaching of seals were within an ace of bringing about a war between Great Britain and the United States demonstrates clearly how high a value is set upon the seal fisheries of the great North-west by the Powers mentioned. Yet at the very time of the Behring Sea di©cnlty, the New Zealand Government proclaiaied an open season and allowed a few miserable hookers to patrol the south west coast of the colony and the adjacent islands for months, their <srews acting as if it were their special object to, if possible, absolutely exterminate, even to the last specimen, the great families of seals that once swarmed in these southern seas. How numerous they once were may be imagined when we remember that it is on record that nearly half a million were taken from the antipodes in the early days of sealing, but on such a plan that the seals quickly disappeared, mother seals being slaughtered in thousands, and the young ones left to perish. Fancy what would be the condition of the pastoral industry if on all our great sheep stations the managers got all the men together at iainbiog time and sont them among the f ocke ; armed with clubs, to slaughter the ewes for tJLieir skims, and leave the lambs to die! And yet that would be precisely the same sort of thing that was done in the case of the seals. Sheep would soon be as scarce sinder such a system as seals are now ; whereas, had our seal fisheries been managed half as wjsll as our sheep stations, the seals would be as numerous in the sea as the are on the land. The whole history of the seal fisheries is one continuous record of cruelty and waefce, One sealer told Mr Henry that a recent trip did not pay him, that sealing now paid no body* yet on that very trip he killed seventy seals, whioh if left un molested would, with their progeny, have represented, Mr Henry calculates, in a very short time, a thousand pounds apiece to the colony. Another of these vessels aachored for six weeks off the, best rookery in New Zealand, and the crew watched night and day for every seal ti*a& p^ine within reach of their , guns, quite as ujany Jboing wounded as were captured. 'c The" jyo&dsr (writes our informant), is that ajiy seals at all now exist, yet it would be quite easy to protect them for say ten or twenty ye*rs, and for the sake of New Zealand it i| our imperative duty to do so. We hay' 6 tr»e4 to estab lish salmon in our waters and have failed—probably because they have not the instinctive knowledge of where to gat tbeir food in the sea which forms their new »nd unaccustomed habitat, and there is therefore the cjore reason why we should jealously pre serve a £shery more valuable than a salmon f.shery, wh'l9tr ?ftture nas al ready provided lor us, 'vi% , the geajl ijij'jfjry, A few weeks ago I saw seven fur Beats o» £ rocky point on the West Coast, and \i tb© wuniry were my own j>r \ v#ta proper*^ I *°$4 wl»# $9«e

seven teals, in view of their produce in a few generations (that is generations of seals, representing only a few years) at £10,000 apiece. I have vow been two and a half years living in the Sounds, and am (satisfied that tbe nature of the climate will prohibit settlement, and keep the lands of this part of the colony always waste places except for fish and seals, but I am persuaded that with good management New Zealand may for generations reap a great harvest from the Southern sea, even as- far down as the Antarctic ice. This harvest is her birthright, and may be made larger by good management, as the seals would become more numerous through man's intervention, judiciously exercised, than without it. For instance, a judicious killing off of " bachelor " seals would be a benefit to the herds, for allowing all the males to i exist does not make for their rapid j multiplication. I am glad you have | taken this matter up in your journal, and should much like to see the editors of other newspapers also interesting themselves in this important subject, and can assure you that everyone who knows anything about it (a few poachers only excepted) would be in favor of very stringent measures being taken. A heavy penalty should be imposed on anyone found in possession of a sealskin, and this, with the confis cation of half-a-dozen outtera on the South Coast, would suffice for the present."

Undue the heading of "Keep for Stock, the Agricultural Gazette, a Home authority on farm t{ KEEP FOE ing nuatterg, had the STOCK." following paragraph

in one of its August issues, and we quote it to show how closely this season our experience re sembles that of what our kindred at Home went through in their season just closed :—The drought continues, and the rain has been partial, fitful, and insufficient Pastures are bare and brown, and turnip-fields are barren wastes h), we fear, most places. We live in hope, and no doubt rain will corns in time. The air seems unable to allow of the condensation of water in any shape, and we have neither dew nor rain. The soil is very dry, and growth is alow and uncertain. Grubs are busy, and where fair-sized swedes exist they keep disappearing day by day. It is a pity that a season which opened hopefully seems destined to terminate in anxiety and disappoint ment, but such is, unfortunately, the case, especially in Southern England, lhe change is long delayed, for we certainly hoped that the climatic con ditions would alter simply through lapse of time. There is as yet little encouragement to continue root culti vation, for week alter week passes without tbe advent of genial showers and a change to a condition of soil and subsoil. To sow grass seeds, late tur nips, rape, or cabbage seed in dry soil seems scarcely cfesirabla, and yet, when sown, the work is done and the seed ready for a favourable change. It is very difficult to advise under such cir cumstances, except generally, and the best couse seems to be to keep going on in faith and hope. Mustard is a useful crop, and would be widely sown if rain fell, but even this crop cannot germinate uniformly and satisfactorily under present conditions. We are, in fact, passing through a trying period, in y/hich energy ia paralysed by unto ward conditfong TEingg might be worse, for we have a sound crop and bright straw, but that Is about all that iaa be said in favor of a season which at one bid fair to be a substantial bene fit to a distressed industry. Little can be written upon crop cultivation just at present. We are hung up by drought, an 4 rain. In the mean time the best period fop developing the root and winter crops is passing away from us, and in another month will have almost goie.

Local and General.

A report of the meeting of the Mount Somers irtoad Board, will be found on the fourth page. The Ft ess Association telegraphs that the Premier will probably leave Wellington to attend the Conference ©jr Premiers at HobarC on the 15th inst, Tons of Sue cherries are going to waste at Te Reinga, Poverty Bay (aaya the I/efald), where there ace hundreds of large trees quite red with the rip© truic. The Maoris seem too lazy to cart it to town, and content themselves with charging visitors Is a feed— a rather exorbitant prise considering the abundance of the fruit. Many aggravated cases of tampering with the water races are reported from Mayfirld, Lismore, Tinwald, and elsewhere, and the County Council will no doubt take legal proceedings against all those who thue ! wantonly shorten the water supply of theii fellow settlers in such an exceptionally dry I Reason as the present. Each offender may h&vo fcopay a penalty of £10 for this breach of the by-lawo; An Edinburgh lawyer was given to swear ing. One night his small boy was Bitting by him studying arithmetic. The f&thei broke out—'• What on earth aila you ? Why can't you sit stiil, wriggling and writhing every minute ?" " It's all your fault, " said fee boy. " Why is it ?" " CO3 I asked you last night how znuoh a billion was and you s-iid a d—«d lob. Tho teaser aßked me the same question to-day and I said the aatnc thiug. And that 7 why I can't keep still." •• Tha women detectives of this city," s»yi Che Chief of Police at New York, *• hav< been uniformly successful. They are em ployed hf all the private detective agencies ! and* have prcypd themselves invaluable. ] myself was witneis ta one instance where an enterprising woman detective, who was on duty in one of the largest New Yorl stops, identified two very daring thievei who had long escaped detectives, anc triumphantly handed them over to a police man." Mr John Rutherford, of Wairere, in th< Masterton district, has a pear tree whinb, although it made plenty of timber, has f»i years stubbornly refused to bear any fruit, Speaking one day to a meclic&l Mend he wai ad7iaed to try the effects of a ligature. Th< setftlsr aoijoidiagly fastened a wire rouac ooe of the larger tUpbs, yitji t!ia result thai this year, although the limb'lus beea pie&rlj cut through, as tits wml^ of its quick growth and the surgical ogMsvabioß, 4t) U *j»«.cing 9, ftie c?op of fruit, while the rest oi the tree is aeSf.'^tS Pew °»" blossom. ! H.qj^oway'3 Ointment. —Sores', woundsj ulcei-afcionsraui «jth.ar diseases affecting the skin, are capable of speedy &msgdpent bj ; this cooling and healing ointment, whush hat called forth the loudest praise from persons who have suffered from years from bad legs, bad. breasts, piles, abscesses, aod chronic ulcers? None but those who have experi enced the" soofcKiog efjeeeb #1 it cm form any idea of the :rt^ort W.NWf« fy *g{»miajr inflammation and allaying pat Si. Wljenejger Holloway's Ointment has been once used io has GStabliaijei its own woirth, and is again eagerly sought for as the eagieeb and safest remedy for «H complaiuts. Jin neur*lgja. rheutnatiim, and gout, the same application, jjrop.er!^ «*«di glvei woo«J«riul rtlief^

The Wanganui Herald states that a fine stream of spots is now crossing the face of the sun. The area iv disturbance has a rough measurement, from end to end, of about 160,000 miles. This is considered the period of minimum disturbance—the varia tion occurring in about eleven years, and we are now about midway betwixt two maxi mums. The darker portion of the larger spots can be seen easily by the naked eye, using 9. piece of smoked glass to shield the eye from the too powerful rays of the sun. Seen through the telescope the sight is very beautiful.

By a grass fire on Graham's road on .Saturday, about ten chains of grass on the roadside was burned. Thanks to the energy of a number of willing hands who beat out the fire ibdid not assume serious dimensions. It wa3 reported that it arose from a lighted match thrown by a passenger on the Long beach coach. Mr Browne, the driver, assures us that there was only one male passenger on the coach, aad he sat on the box by Mr Browne all the way, and did not throw a match away during the whole Courney, so that the origin of the fire must be sought for in some other d reotion.

Some little time ago we reprinted a short account of a singular fata! accident that had happened to a shearer, who it was stated had started to run a race while having a pair of shears in his hand, and tripping, fell, the point of the implement piercing him so that he bled to death. Mr Holmes a mate of the deceased, has informed ua that this is incorrect, but that while stepping over a water race, the man, whose name was Marsell, slipped, and then the accident hap pened. The mistake in the report is ac counted for by the fact that the Sergeant of Police at Cromwell who had obtained notes of the occurrence was thrown from a buggy while returning and was picked up insensible, hia notes being probably mis understood by the police at Cromwell.

On the subject of the painfnl affair at Pleasant Po.nl the limatu Herald of to-day h.B the following:— The residents of Pleasant Point and the friends of the family of the late Mr I. L. Morris, were expresßibly shocked to learn that the grief of the family for the-sudden death of the father had been cruelly intensified by the suicide ,of Mr George Morris, the eldest son, while the remains of the father yet awaited interment. The three sons were occupying two rooms detached from the store, add on Monday morning all rose about six o'clock. Dr W. and Mr H. Morris went outside and were absent a minute or two, and on their return found that George had cut his throat with a razor, bo determinedly as to sever every artery, and he died almost instantaneously. The deceased, as is well known, had been subject to fits ©f insanity, and he had only been a couple of weeks returned from an in carceration of some months in Sunnyside,

The important announcement of one of the oldest firms of drapers in Aahburton of having a heavy payment to make in connec tion with the purchase of the deceased partner's share of the business has evidently stimulated the present partners to make a great effort to meet the demand at the appointed time, as the prices, we under stand, indicate tremendous reductions in every department; in fact, we believe the firm in their anxiety to raise the sum de manded have Uken a " new departure," in aa much as the cutting down in priceß ex tends through every branch of the business. As this firm so seldom have a " sale, Ji we believe this to be a genuine affair.—(Advt.)

The Ruapehu Inquiry.

Press Association—By Electric Telegraph- Copyright.

W^llingtoet, January 11 The Court suspended the certificate of the captain for three months, and ordered him to pay costs. Ihe Court exonerated the chief officer as not in any way responsible, be oauae the captain should have had a better understanding with him. The Court re turned the chief officer and fourth mate's certificates. The fourth officer was censured for not taking more prompt action at the time of danger, and for keeping an in sufficient lookout, and he was ordered to pay £5 of the costs. The court held that the captain was guilty of an error in judg ment in trusting the cross bearing instead of a mor*> clearly defined point, and also in leaving the bridge when nearing knd with out full and sufficient instructions to the watch. The chief officer was held irre sponsible for the stranding as his not taking fuil watch was conoiirred in by the master,

FIRE AT WESTERFIEL RAIL WAY STATION.

From Our Own Correspondent,

A fire took place at Westerfjeld Railway Station on Saturday afternoon, which might have ended very seriously bad it sot been promptly taken in hand by Mrs O'Riley, the only adult person on the place at the time. Bat for this lady'a immediate attention to the fire, the two cottages and outbuildings belonging to Governrojuit must all have been burnt to ashes. As it happened, however, nothing was destroyed but an unimportant fowlhouae belonging to Mrs O'Riley, and a piece of gorse fence belonging to the L&ginohr Estate. Willing hands were not long in finding their way to the assistance of Mra O'Riley, chiefly from that prince of good fellows, Mr Donald McLean, whose ever ready brigade, never asking the reason why, when their chief commands, fly to the post assigned to them like the plucky fellows they invariably are. The cause of the fire canuoo of coarse be ascertained, so many people ha'/e to do business at the siding and post office that matches are sure to be dropped here and there about the place, and Saturday was a day hot enough to ignite a match if it lay in contact with a piece of iron or broken glass $ indeed, a fowl scratch ing the ground wheie a matoh lay might easily ignite it on such a day as Saturday. The writer has seen matches ignite iv the sun's heat when merely allowed to drop from the hand on to the heated surface of the soil. One good has arisen out of the fire, it has removed all danger to the place from grass fires for the reafc of the season. As Mrs O'Riley w<is the means of saving the Government buildings before anyone had time to come to her aid, it is to be hoped the Minister of Railways will graciously send her a New Year's gift in the shape of a five pound note.

BINDER TRIAL.

The Walter A. Wood Company held a trial of their new three apron open rear reaper and binder on Mr T. Cavill'a farm, Elgin, in a crop of Tuscan wheat of some what variable character, being in places %boub five feet high, while in others it barely exceeded six inches. Two horses openei up the crop, $nd worked the machine (a six foot cut) throughout the day, without showing any signs of fatigue. There was a large attendance of tanners, some having come considerable distances, Messrs C. Young, Storyer, and Austin, the Company's representatives were in attendance, as was Mr R. B Restell, on behalf of Mr I). Thomas, local agent, aud those who cared had a splendid opportunity of inspecting the machine and its many interesting though simple parts. W hat appeared to excite the curiosity of the farmers were the reversible bearings peculiar to the Walter A. Wood machine, and which came with the pa*tern shown as new in New Zealand this year. Tbe knotter which is so easily debiched was uadoubtedly the objept of close inspection, and in thp able hands of Mr Young soon bsqarjje familiar to those present. The machine has uaatiy improvements on those previously imported on bohalf of fcha Walter A, Wood Company, the chief of these being tbe three ST* 00" Ju pl*°9 of the single apron. Mr William Rose purchased the trial machine, hjc order being supplemented by Mr H. McCoskftr, of j&lvejrpdg. All prasont sooke ia great praise of the avjferpriaine-: Company, ami were or* Zf nim tkaii .fe; machine of this sample would require a »J I of beating. " I ■jjlhe jarg&ejw of Doric will probably be I afforded a similar treat; a fc an early date. I

BOROUCH COUNCIL.

The fortnightly meeting of the Ashburton Borough Cou.cii was held last evening. Present—The Mayor (Mr Joseph Scaly), in the chair, and Crs Reid, Baker, Paul, Col! ins, and Brooke.

FINANCE,

The Mayor reported the overdraft as standing at £1622 14s 10d, and the income from all sources received since last meeting had been £89 4s sd. '■

CORRESPONDENCE.,

Messrs Shand, Mason and Co. wrote acknowlediog the Council's order for hose, etc. The paymaster wrote to the effect that ss, amount of fines, had been remitted. The CommtSßioner of loses sent voucher for 75 per cent of subsidy.

LICENSES,

Carriers' licenses were granted to Joeeph Miles and I. Canniug, and a carnage license to Joseph Canning, und a driver's license to the same applicant.

JOINT PAYMENTS.

The sum of £1 was ordered to be paid to the County Couucil in connection with the maintenance of the traffic bridge, £10 towards hospital maintenance, and £3 5s 5d Council's share of the licensing clerk's ■alary.

THE SOUTH BRITISH INSOBANGE COMPANY.

The local agent fot the Bouth British Insurance Company, (Mr Bullock), as well as the manager of that company, wrote dis claiming any intention of interfering with the Council's business. This was in con nection with a resolution passed at last meeting of the Council. The manager said he had never written »tetter to the Council on any subject whatever, and therefore the Council had no right to snub him in the way they hud done. The Mayor explained that whether the manager had written to the Council or not, the letter of the manager to she local agent had been sent by the local agent to the Council, and that letter contained quite uncalled for and gratiutoua criticism of the Council's work.

Cr Reid moved to reply that the Council was not responsible for what appeared in the Lyttellon Times, the source from which the manager of the South British said he Had gleaned the information on which he Wrote, and that if the manager desired any information on Fire Brigade matters it would be supplied by the Ceunoil clerk on application. Cr. Paul seconded.

Cr. Collins was against receiving any such letter as that sent by the manager of the South British. The Insurance Societies had " cut the painter " so far as assistance for fire prevent'on was concerned, and he moved that the letter be not reoeived.

Cr. Baker seconded, and on a vote being taken, Cr. Collins' motion was carried.

engineer's report,

The report of the engineers dealt with fche uiual work of the labor gang, and was adopted.

inspector's report.

The inspector reported on the case against William Brown, heard by three justices last Thursday, for acting as a public carrier without a license. The Inspector said that if it was legal for Brown to carry under the circumstances in question, no carrier need take out a license. He desired to know what he was to do in the case,—if he would have to lay a fresh information against Brown. The inspector mentioned other cases of breaches of the by-taws* It was decided that the Council must protect the carriers who pay licenses, and actiou must Ibe taken whenever bleaches occur ; but further action could not be taken in the case decided by the justices. In the case of several instances of footpath obstruc tion, it was resolved to warn the offenders, and to prosecute on repetition. In view of a possible attack, as a result of the drought, of fever—-typh'dor other—the inspectors report on this subject was adopted, and he was ordered to continue his inspection, and »cc that the hy-laws relating to sanitary matters were rigorously enforced.

FIRE BRIGADE.

The Fire Inspector reported on recent gras3 fires, and the Mayor intimated that, having interviewed Captain Fooka, that gentleman had withdrawn hia resignation as Captain of the Fire Brigade, KNGJNEIRS 1 SALARY,

Cr Baker said that the Council had re ceutly discharged a number of men, had reduced wages, and had a large overdrafts In view of this he moved to reduce the salary of the engineer * by £25. The M&yor moved that Councillor Baker must give notice of motion, which Cr Baker said he would do, anrt eventually did.

ARRKAB&

Cr Collins moved for a schedule of all arrears of rates, rents, etc., to be laid en the table at next meetiag.—Order accord ingly.

STREETS.

Cr. Collins moved th*t the engineers be instructed to have the loose stones removed from the streets.

the Mayor said there had not been a meet ing of the Works Committee for some time, but a-meeting would be held soon. He was not sure that a second water cart was not necessary. Or Reid seconded the motion which was carried.

ACCOUNTS,

Accounts to the amount of £95 were passed for payment, and the Council sat as a

DOMAIN BOABD.

The Queensland Match Committee invited the Mayor and members of the Board to be present at the railway elation on the arrival of the Q teen&land cricketers.—Received. The Uurator wrote eompliaDing that a man had been pat oa to oat grass in the Damain without his knowledge, and also that certain work had been appointed to be done under the supervision of the Curator Hnd engineer. Be was not aware, when he entered the service of the Board, that there was to be any divided authority, and there w is no divided authority in any other public garden in the colony, The question was held over for a fuller meeting. The Curator reported the receipt of parcels of seefa from the Agricultural Department; peafowls from Mrs Rose, Wakanui; and a dozen of live trout from the river for the pond near the lodge. He also reported that the drought had killed several of the shrubs in the Domain but energetic watering had saved most of the shrubs, etc. After the ground caretaker had left the pavilion had been broken into and the cricketing aptivrafcus taken out. It was decided to report the latter incident- to the police, and to leave over other matters until the Domain Committee bad sat, and the Board rose.

It will foe seen by a new advertisement in another column that Messrs Oraighead and Berryman are probably now showing the largest atock of new. tweed* and fashionable tailoring goods ever exhibited in Ashbur ton This speaks well for f^efr enterprfw and local industry. .

LISMORE SCHOOL.

Inspector's Report.

The following is the Inspector's report on the Lismore School, examined on December 8,1896:—

PASS SUBJECTS,

CLASH SUBJKTB. ""ftcf *° Grammar ... is History , ...-.., ].. 30 Geography (Standard 2 only) — Elementary Science, Object rea sons, etc 4(j Mental Arithmetic ... ' fin

ADDITIONAL SUBJECTS.

Repetition and recitation—Very fair. Drill and exercises—Not feaaght. Singing—Not taught. . Needlework—For most part good. Comprehension of reading lesaoae—Fair.

Miss Eva 8. Bird, sole teaoher. General remarks :-^Thi« small M }|ool makes in many respects » creditable ap pearance in examination. The pnpili present in 85 hare been substantially w«U preparad. S3 is, on the whole, a -very fait class, though its knowledge of geography i* rather vague,~a defect which might be remedied to some extent by more frequent practice in written answering. In all iU work, except drawing, 81 is well qtutlifed for promotion. Among class labfeota, grammar and history are least satisfactory. Tpomas Ritchie, Inspector .

COMMERCIAL.

LONDON MARKETS.

Presß Anooiation—By Electric Telegraph— '. Copyright.

. London, January 10 Sheepskins are m good demand, although there is su average decline of id to id inlne prices.

ASHBURTON MARKETS.

Mr David Thomas held his nasal weekly sale of horses in the Arcade on Saturday About a dozen horse* were offered, bat hardly any of them reached owners' re serves. The majority, however, were dii po-ed of privately. Draught*, £15 to £18. Light hacks were unsaleable Some second-hand binders realised good prices. tihe range being from £7 10* to £23. A lot of sundries, consisting of saddlery, harness^ teas, etc., realised fair prides.

PROHIBITION.

Walker, •«•** fortbiw.w Zealand Alliance, gave an address h«« this evening, which embodied » statement of to* results of the recent licensing poll, inn tht prohibitionist point of view, amce tJlefaJL teturns were procured. The incre£Xeunre*er for license bad no significance because in 1894 the law made it the interest of the party to abstain from voting, bat. that P»"y, now, like the prohibitionist, had polled and revealed its full strength. What was really significant was that in 1894 only 48,000 were for prohibition aad in 1896 93,000 voted for it, or a third of the voting strength of the colony, and 30,000 moie would give prohibition a majority. In 1894 mly 13,000 voted for reduction, and in 1896, •part from those who-preferentially voted for prohibition, not more than 20,000. He advocated expunging redaction from the voting paper, leaving that queation to b« fought out at the committee elections.

School Committee-

ASHBURTON.

The monthly meeting of the Ashbnrtoa School Committed was held last eruuiur Present—Messrs Macpherson (ohairaank Phaup, Meddins, Chapman, Silcock, Jones, and Mac Lean Dunn. An apology was tendered for the absence of Mr Keir.

FINANCE, The credit balance at the bank waa reported as standing at £29.

STAFF.

Ib waa resolved to write to the Board and ask that a second aasiatant be advorttaed for, in place of Miss Curd, promoted.

BANTCA*Y.

Oo & letter from the Board, referring to the drainage between the school urinab and Tancred street, of the inefficiency of wbicb the Committee had complained, the follow ing motion by Mr Silcock was aimed, u'l'hat in reply to the Board's letter of December 12,1896, re sanitary arrangement*, the Committee begs to say that the jpannit to take water, asked for by the Committee, add granted by the Borough Council iit 1885, was to connect >the Burnett street climel with Tancred street in-a straight line, whictt the Committee now ask to have done.

BOARD MEMBIBS.

It was decided to ask Major Steward to allow himself to be nominated as a member of the Board, and failing him* Mr G. W. Leadley or Mr Lambie.

THANKS. Thankß were recorded to the donors of fpeoial prizes.

VISITING COMMITKK.

Mr Mao Lean Dunn for the Visitia|; Com mitfcee reported repairs to the pomp. Their •ction wu approved, and Mr ChnpoMß being added to the committee for the month, instructions were given to have tbe long dry grass in the playground bt^weeifc the ' school and St Stephen's gui; anq removed, thegrau being 'a continual °Mqr«s of danger from fire, and also to hay* th*. poplars there trimmed. AIjLKNTON SfOHOOL SI^E, It was decided to aak the Board to eepmlfc the Committee before fixing on the actual site of the Allenton school.

After pasting aocoutts the Cmniarifctff rose. * ■'

THE WEATHER IN AUSTRALIA

Prow Auiociation—By Electric Teicgitph-^ Copyright. Sydnit, January 11. A remarkable fall of tempera tire if recorded throughout the Eastern division of the colony since Saturday. Ths cold is almost bitter, the tfaermo* meter falling 50deg. In sonic parts there were heavy rains, while a foot of snow was recorded at Kinndra, Melbourne, January 11 ' Bitterly cold weather.is prevailing, with heavy rains. The Yarr* is rapidly rising. Heavy seas in the bay have sunk a number of small coasting craft. • '■„

THB ASHBtJETOK GOAftDIAI! V ItJBSDA*, JAftCABY 12, 1891



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1

1

j

L_J

—

m _ m

f m

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Std. 7 >, 6 „ 4 » 2

I

—

i ~~~

.3 4

3 "7

2 7

—

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2 6 3

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9 6

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"0 15

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I Total! »ver 8 ye

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Busine s Notices OOOD WASHING 3PRT.NT, 3|d. WHITE MUSLIN, 3s lid per doz AT G. J. NEILL'S. A BEAUTIFUL SUMMER DRE6S FOR 6s lid AT G, J. NEILL'S. Flannolafcteß 3|d y»rd. The Best Turkish TOWELS in Ashbnrton are at— a J. NEILL'S. BOX 6' Nary Blue B*ll or Baits 4« lid, Men'f Tweed Trouseri 5s lid, Men'b Ho»vy Coloaiftl Tweed Suits 25b 6d, »b G. J. NEILL'S. - [Ltditßg Laos SShoti, 4b lid, L»dles' two-«tr»p Show, 4s lid, G. J. NEILL'S. Uiifi't M»id«'»»BdChildrtii ta TAN SHOES of Bvtry Desoription, *t Very Low Price*. G. J. NEILL'S, FRIEDLANDBR'S CORNER, EAST STREET.



BOOM IN DRAPERY. CROWDS ON SATURDAY. TTOBTS COMING BACK TO SALE AT MITCHELL & TURNER'S.



NEW FIRM -:- -:- -: -:- -:- -:- NEW FIRM HAVE MONEY BY DEALING WITH MITCHELL & BRODRIBB NO BAD DEBTS. NO OLD STOCK THAT ACCUMULATES BY YEARS or BUSINESS THE Public should only consider what they can save by dealing with & Oa«h Firm, where they do not have to pay for the great losses that •re occaii<ined by Bad Debts. ►MITCHELL & BRODRIBB BUY AND SELL FOR CASH, THEREFORE TftEY ABE ABLE TO GIVE BETTER VALUE THAN ANY OTHER PLACE IN ABHBURTON. — A Few Quotations will be Convincing — Brown Ribbed Pauti (heavy) la 6<l -worth Ladies' Hose, fast colors, plain and ribbed li lid 6d Pair I Men* Socfei 6d—worth 9d White and Brown Turkish Towela, wly 6d | Harvester Hats B£d—worth Is White Calico, grand value, at 2s lid—l2yds Biuober Boots 4s lid—grand value The Best Value for Flannelettes n Heavy Shooters 9s lid-worth 12a 6d Ashburton. Lftdieo' Gem Shoes, Special, 4s lid—worth Heavy Twill, 4s lid dozen—worth 7d a yd g 8 5d A Splendid Line of Corsets, all sizes, at Hairline Tweed Trousers 8a 6d—cheap afc Is lid 10 s 6d The Beat Assortnasßt of Sunshades in town, Men's Felt Hats from 2s 6d J™* Is We have the Choicest. Assortment oi Hats Ladies' bailor Straws, all shades md shapes, in town. irom 9" each—Pick your own shape / 12yds Stroog Print for 5s lid—Cheap at 6s and trimming, and have your A Beautiful Summer Tweed laid, double Milimery done Free of Charge. width JttLL' BANGES OF KAIAPOI AND MOSGIEL CLOTHING. MEASUBED GABMENTS A SPECIALTY, Jn . , h „ JULL SUIT FROM AA a O^ 49s 6$ fijll soiT from 4ty» bl* MITCHELL & BRODRIBB, IABT SIEIIT.



Public notices. THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS. NEW iiALAND J £JLOTHING pACIORY. L'ghfe Summer Coats from 6a 6d" Light Summer Suits from 10b 6d Light Washing Vests, slightly soiled 2s 6d Light Blue Serge Suits for Summer wear 16a 6d Boys' Washing Suits, all sizes 4sj 6d SPECIAL PURCHASE. Boys' Drill Suits, all sizes 6s 9d, nsuft price 10s 6d. FUR TRAVELLING. Portmanteaux from 10s 6d Steel Trunkß from 10s 6d Gladstone Bags, Black and Nut Brown. STRAW~HATS. ■ Boys' Straw: Hats Is, the best value in Ashbarton Men's Panama Hats Is. BOOTS &~SHOES. Men's Blaok and Tan Canvas Shoes, beat quality 6a 6d Men's Leather Shoes 7s 6d, splendid value Men's Light Boots for summer wear 8s 6d



Church Services. ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH, Ashburton. THURSDAY - Meeting of the newly Confirmed for instruction in Holy Communion, 7.30 p,m. FRIDAY—Short Service, 7.30 p.m. Choir Practice, 8 p.m. SUNDAY SERVICES. 11 a.m.—Morning Prayer and Holy Com munion, 3 p.m.—DROMORE. 6 30 p.m.—Evening Prayer. REV. T. A. HAMILTON;



NEW ZEALAND Clothing 1 Factory. ALEX. HENDP.Y Manager. Ph ■h i S s§# 5 3 Hi |I 1 fi 9 S " I S (J2 ©• i—, PR



Australian Cricketers, QUEENSLAND V. ASHBUKTON AND SOUTH CANTERBURY IN THE Ashburtcm Domaia, TO-DAY & TO MORROW, JANUARY 12 and 13. Commencing at 12 o'clock each day. Admission-Ono Shilling e&oh DAY. a. lawrieT g&UNDBRS' BUILDING, T INTBNI> TO HOLD AN EXTENSIVE GLEABING SALE, COMMENCING FROM TO-DAY, When a Large quantity of Up-to-date Goods, in All Departments, will be put oa offer at prices which will effect a com plete and speedy clearance. OOME EARLY""""AND SECURE THE BARGAINS. 500 yds Washing Prints, good, at 3s lid per doz 700 yds Printed Nainsook, at 3s lid doz 1000 yds Crepona, Ginghams, etc., at 6d, 7£d, and 9d per yd 300 yds All Wool Eatamine Serge, double width, in black and colours, Is 9d per yard. 300 yds All Wool Estamine Serge, double width, Is Id per yd SOOydfl French Beige, in crey and fawns, 160 yds Blaolf Lustre, figured, la 9d per yd at Is lid per yd 300 yds Black Cashmere, IQ^d, 1b lid, »nd 2s 6d per yd —worth double ALL MANCHESTER GOODS at GOBI 1; 500 yds Cretonnes, from 4d per yd 20doz White and Brown Turkish Towels, from 4Ad each clothing and mercery to be • sacrificed. Men's Braces 6d pW pair Kaiapoi Suits 27s 6d—for 2Gs Kaiapoi Suits 45a—for 35a Boys' Wor 1 Socks 6d, Men's Socks lOd All other lines Reduced, BOOTS AND SHOES. Women's Oanvas feiioss, 4s 6d ; Women's two-strap leather, 4s 6d; lien's Canvas Shoes, 5s 6d; Men's Strong Bl'uwhe^ n&iiftd or plain, 4s lid per pair. All #ther lines Equally Low. : Bargains id CROCEEW WiRE and GLASSWARE, BwKftins in IRONMONGERY and 8 TINWARE. BARGAINS. p REGAINS. A. LAWBIE,



Chamber'ain s Gough Remedy cure? colds, troop an d whooping oough. Ib is pleas ut, safe and reliable. For sale by Ashbubtos



OA.X»l!R«;floti» Bacalyiiti Extract There are imitations of Eucalypti Extract in the market now, products of simple distillation forming rude resinous oils. In order that these erud» oils may nt b taken, OUR PORB VOLATILE EUCALYPTI EXTRACT, -wfliich is T cosrnised by the taed'cal division of the Prussian Government to bo of perfectly Bure orifrin, as thei* information forwarded to v* through the Consul at Melbourne, March 2, 1878^ we state :— Is prove! by tes's by tlie Medical Cl'alcs of the Universitiea at Bonn and Gre'fswald, Prussllli and e-'orted by Dr Scliulz, Pro'jSß<jr of ParmacoloM. at Bon, and Pr-fassor Dr Mo«ler t Director of fc'ue Medical Clinic at Gre:fswaM, that only products that are saturated w'th oxygen and freed of acids, resino <b and other substances, adnerent to primary distillation, w?l! dsvel pc thft sana'.ive qualities proper to the plant according to these authorities, and ao or ?lag to Pro fessor Dr Lister, of England, and to Dm Bauer Mclntire, Woo*, Haiard, etc., of America, is the only extract corresponding to scientific te t •,_ and tbeonly one wh'ch possiiigses the proper therapeutic value. Sander <fe Sqn^ Eucalypti Exteact. AU other crude oiis are to be*cSa*ed apiqng the turpentines, which bare, when used as medicine, no her; ( pi>ytio effect, ani $ra abandoned as an uternal medicament. These" so-called ¥ucalypt; Extracts which may have received distimtiou at Exhibitions as commercial articles are used for mechanical purposes are only discernible.



IBy tlrir deficiency in ruifrenfc odour-—whicli our Voduct,' th« only genuine Eucalypti E*traots iseveiopea ijioet i:eel? through Us surplus of otysißn-i :■ »• ""'." ' l^jjeir'alcojiqlie thiij and #obile appearance being jgatiokftft Sfieeififi flSßi'v t'&Mlfif^ t^« presence if acids :, ■ . . By their taste, the result of the contracting ton -1 ctency o£ ics'us and tcnuateg. If these crude oils, so-called eucalypti eattactj, are applied by mistake in cones of croup, bronrt>iti»> diph theria, internal inflammations, dysentery, w<mn<*s, the consequences are appalliiic. For Mtety» »X*L yf Jiff for SANT)ER & SON'S EUCALYPTI EXTRACT, and get the old, well-testid, and reliable preparation. —Sftnd.hu.rst. Victoria. Australia. __„-,



Mrs Rhodie Noih, of this pl*t*, was taken la the night with craniDing paint *nd the H«xr. day diarrhoea set in. She took half ft I bottle of black berrjr cordial but got no relief* She then sent to me to »cc if £ bad anything thfb would help her. limit her *. bottle o| Chaujb«r|ftin*B Gfllic, £bo.!et*% W& Jjiwhcw, Bemedy *nd the fir»fc dose r»lieVed. b**i A»fthh« of our n«'ghbor» h»d been fiokiior about » week »ad Q»u M » M .. ~. • ■' » dies for diarrhce* but kept getting won*. I sent him this awne remedy. Qnly four doses 1 of itwert featured to bira. Jb c ays h») owes hie reoovery to tow wondering remedy.—Mr» H*ty ®SSt §W B*y» Mtebi For nit by townvfw vmKtoQtpg,