Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1897. AGES OF THE PEOPLE.

We have before us an interesting j return,issued by the Kegi_trar-(j.eneral, j shewing the number of perso! s living | in New Zea'and at the time of the census taken in April last, at each year of age, from o c year and under, an-5 upwards. From th:s we eotopile the following particulars:—Of infants under one year there were 17 066, the males preponderating; the respective figures being males 8773, females 8293. This is remarkable, as in most countries the number of girl babies considerably exceeds that of boys. In New Zealand the preponderance is the other way, not only in the case of infants under one year, but also at the ages of one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen years, it not being until we read the columns for sixteen years of ! age that the scale turns in favor of the female sex. The total numbers for the age periods, one year to five yeara inclusive, are—males 42,185; females, 41,242; for the age periods six yeara to ten years, males 43,896, females 42,938 ; and for the age periods, eleven years to fifteen years, males 42,401, females 41,830. While, however, the advantage of numbers does not fall on the female side until the age of sixteen is reached, the scale is practically even at fifteen, the figures for that age being males 8217, females 8216. For sixteen years the figures are males 8207, females 8335. At reVenteen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, and twenty one years the miles again preponderate, that is to say according to the return, though doubtless some allowance must be made for the tendency of youths to overstate, and of maidens to understate, the number of their years at this period of life. For the age period sixteen to twenty inclusive, the totals are—males 39,600, females 39,490 ; making ; the gro3S totals under adult age—males 176,858, females 173,793, This shows that for the purposes of a rough and ready calculation the number of persons for any series of age periods up to twenty yeais inclusive may be set down as approximately 17,000, multiplied by the year of the highest age—half the product showing the number of each sex. Thus : persons of five years of age and under, 17,000 x 5-85,000. The actual figures of the census are, as \we have seen, 1 to 5 years -83,427. Another interesting fact is that the i number of persons who will become qualified for enrolment as electors within the next three years is approxi mately 46,537 ; that being the number returned as 18, 19, or 20 years of age iat date of the census in April 1896 A proportion of those returned as 17 (that is over 17 and under 18) will a!so be 21 before December 1899, but this will be a set-off as against the deaths which will necessarily occur, and the number of new names capable of being added to the electoral roll by virtue of adult age being reached, will therefore be about 46,000. But to proceed with our analysis,—l he number of I persons of 21 years and upwards up to 40 years inclusive, is males 107,891, females 99,924; 41 to 50 ye'*ra j'.elusive. xasXm 35,248, tV.. I<-p 2fi,670; 51 to 60 year? inclusive, males 28,711, females 18,929 ; 61 to 65 years, males 8974, females 4405 ; over 65 ?ears, males 10,522, females 7120. These last fi .ures are especially interesting in view of the talked of old age pension scheme, showing as they do that to provide a universal pension of 10s a week for all persons of 65 years and upwards would mean an annual sum of £458,692, or, for all persons over 60, an annual sum of £801,346. Lastly, it may be interesting to note how many aged people there are in the colony, the return showing that there wen altogether in April last 10,473 persons of 70 years of age and upwards, viz, 6022 males and 4451 females, of whom 894 males and 803 females had reached the eighties*, while 85 mah s and 74 females had lived into the nineties, and 2 males and 2 females had passed the century, the oldest person in the colony being a woman, who bad attained the venerable age of 103. It should be added that the foregoing figures relate only to the European population, and do not include Maories and Chinese,

I Japan, which bids fair to justify the ; appellation of the England of the Bast, continues to make

THE PROGRESS OF JAPM,

wonderf v 1 progress. Indeed, it is far and

away the roost pro gressive of all Eastern countries.. In point of population it now ranks as a first-class power. According to the census of 1815 the population num bered 25,622,000, in 1880 it was 35,920,000, by 1885 it find increased to 37,869,000, and in J. 894 it num bered 42,000,000. As Formosa has been recently added by the treaty of peace, and more than 3,000,000 of people have in consequence become Japanese subjects, the present popula tion is probably more than 45,000,000. sbe area of the new territory beiag L? 192 square miles, the total area of the country ia now 163,956 square oiiles. Japan, in the extent of her territory compared with European countries, stands next to Spain, being a little more than Sweden. She is larger than Great griffin and Ireland by 41,598 square miles, aiid is the eleventh largest country in the world. Her population is h?g®V than that of France by 6,600,000, and greater tfeap that of Great Britain and Ireland by 7,100,000.

Notwithstanding the deprecatory pro verb about living in glass houses, there j is at any rate one

A SUBMARINE MANSION.

waa & tbe world who has built him self such an edifice,

I but he can afford to indulge in stone throwing, for all that, without fear of reprisals, for his glass house is under water! The authority for this state ment is " Marmaduke" who writes to Truth setting forth that a certain rich man, who b|S a large lake upon his .state, recently caused ii to be drained, md in the deepest part he has had a house bijiit which contains three rooms '. —a smoking voom, a dining roorp, and ! i servants waiting room. 'The frame work Qi the bomf 19 P? iron, and tbe

floor v stone resting upon a foundation of concrete. The sides and the roof, h wevt-r, are entirely composed of VBry thick plate glass. There is a passage under the water from the boat house so the glass house, and the air is ob tained through lar^e clumps of artificial water lilies which rest upon the surface of the lake. It is indescribably plea sant to sit in one of the rooms upon a warm day ; the air is v< ry cool, there is no sound to be heard, and it is espe cial y interesting to watch the fi3h swimming around, attracted by the glare rf the electric lights. This is decidedly a new luxury The house and the passage, moreover, cost compa ratively little to build.

The great value to modern surgery of Professor Bbntgen's wonderful "dis-

covery of the X rays is becoming daily more evident,

THE KONTGEN RAYS

numerous successful operations havingbeen rendered possible by their use, which, without them, would have been attended by great incertitude and consequent risk to the patients. Oae of the latest instances which we have come across in our files is the following, which occurs in a New York telegram, dated Bth Decem ber :—Guided by X rays provided by Thomas A. Edison, a lancet operated by Dra W. 0. Bailey and A. S. Wendall has probably restored the sight cff ten-year-old Mary Shoeliner, of Newark, N.J. Two years ago the girl fell on her head. Wnen picked up her skull was apparently uninjured and the scalp wound promptly healed. A few months ago she complained of a mist before her eyes, and in a ws ek was totally blind. After consultation, it was decided to try the X rays. The girl was taken to the Edison laboratory, Orange, and the X rays focused against the side of the child's head. Dr Bailey could see a bone pressing down on the little girl's brain, and a dark shadow between the convolutions It was a blood clot. A plate was held before the child's eyes, while the rays were still being thrown on the head She was able to see a shadow. The operation was performed, and it was found that the X rays told the truth. There was a piece of bone pressing upon the anterior portion of the brain, and the blood clot extended down and pressed upon the optic commissure, causing blindoess jn both eyes. Bit by bit the clot was carefully cut away, and the skull trepanned. Two or three large buttons of bone were taken out. " Unless the nerve fibres become atrophied," says Dr Bailey, " There is no reason why the child's eyesight should not be fully restored."

SdME amusing particulars came out in a curious action at law recently re-

MtUNKEN POETLRY.

ported in which the owner of a poultry yard sued a distillery .company for dana-

ages for throwing the spent grain into a stream at which his hens drank. The birds became utterly demoralised —in fact developed into habitual drunkards, smashing their egg 3, and otherwise misbehaving themselves. The fact is, it would appear, that feathered bipeds would take as readily to drink, given the opportunity, as the veriest public-house soaker. But pro bably the most curious case of tippling by one of the lower animals on record is furnished (according to Mr Lang in. Longman's Magazine) by'an old gander, long since defunct, which used to be quite a character at Oswestry, This gander's incurable propensity for the cup that cheers and inebriates was only equalled by his inordinate vanity. He knew market day as well as the wisest pld Welshwoman who ever brought her butter there, and on that day would be seen waddling among the stalls with all tha assurance of an old habitue. But " Ketch 'em's Corner " (Oatch'em) was the favorite resort of this disreputable bird, for there was a public-house planted at the juno'ion of the four roads—hence the significant name—and in this house Mr Gander was always a welcome visitor. He was an unfailing source of nmuserueut to the customers, who used to pour quite an alarming quantity of beer down his throat and then turn hira out. Thereupon he would waddle to a neigh boring shop and solemnly admire him self before the low plate-g!*i«ss window, and when vanity was satisfied he would stagger unsteadily homewards, often tumbling aljo^t in the most grotesque fashion, to %c delight pf the more frivolous portion of the com munity,

A very interesting optical demon stration of the richness of the Hauraki

A GOLD TROPHY.

group of mines (Aucklatd) wa b

gwm lajsfc monthly pay day by the exhibition of a trophy representing 196 yellow blocks, being fao similes of all the bars of gold token from the mine | during the regime of the present Oom ! pany, piled np in the shape of a golden pyramid. The final block had i jfchj? letters *B. N.Z. embosed upon it. Each block represented about 3200z, of an average value of nearly £IjQQQ. ana< there were 196 blocks, representing a total value of £193,677, 17s 2d. The trophy will be sent to the Mines Exhi bition, iq ba held in London. The number of men who s/ere paid was 463. A total sum of over £8500 in wages was distributed. It would have jotted up to over £4000 but for the holidays intervening. The mines represented were; - Hauraki,Tokatea, Royal Oak, Success, Scotty's, Kath lepja, and Golden Pa.

Local and General.

' The fisheries of Canada yield annually $5,000 000 of which one-half pomes fpora the deep sea fisheries, '" he fab man said that in youth he officia ted P-8 a P l8c > an<* tne a^v that he had grown iiitC. __ volume.

The Waimate brings the largest cargo that baa ever come to the colony in one bottom— §1.00 tons, and she pissed 78 icebergs. Miss Lena Stewart, daughter of tha Hon. Downie Stewart, AA.L-0., has successfully completed her University studies at Oxford.

A Maori was proceeded against for having ' an unregistered dog in his possession, and j pleaded that the •• kuri" was the property I 'of his wife. But the Bench held that as the dog was on hia property he was the owner and imposed a smail fine. • Ontside the CJocxt the Maori expressed himself — '•'Whatrf the good of talking? A woman can' ride the bfcyo*e and mik-a. the vote- II the same »• the man, bot the Court, sayfc i^s can't of o'a d<— *km, ' Xw much tha

The del gates from the AehLurt >n Borough and the adjacent Town D^tricis have again chos. d Thursday iv each week as the statutory half-holiday.

"We find that he came to his death from trying to cub out Joe Willett in courting Susie Jaoksoo," was the verdict recently of a coroner's jury iv Arkansas.

Hus'iand : " How do you like the view V Wife (with ecstasy) : " Oh, I am speech leaf. !" Husbaud: "Well, if that's so, I think we had better stay here for a while."

Word comes from Brisbane that a drover named Forbes, and a whole flock of fourteen thousand sheep, got off the traejf in the Flinders River district and perißhed of thirst.

Every year a layer of the entire sea 14ft thick is taken up into the cloud*; the winds bear their burden in to the land, and the water comes down in rain upon the fields, to flow back through rivers.

The Wheat crop in the Milton district, is abundant in promise (says the Star). One man there is said to have paid for his land with last year's harvest, and he haa an equally good crop developing this year.

Two farmers went to law over a barrel of apples. The case has been tried five times, at an estimated cost to the litigants of £2500 and they are still at it. The lawyers already have a mortgage on both farms.

A Karamea settler named Satheriy was leading a bull when the chain became entangled. In attempting to free it. Satheriy was attacked and badly gored. He finally managed to escape by rolling behind a log.

It takes the Mohaka Maoris to make things go. At a recent raoe meeting the first raoe started at 5 p.m , and seven events were run off before the sun set. As soon as one raoe was Suished another was com menced.

A meeting of the Albion (Hampstead) Lwn Tennis Ciub was held lasb evening After correspondence had been dealt with and members selected to play against the Allenton Club on Thursday afternoon, tbe meeting adjourned.

The attention of the Department having beeu called to the fact that iv some districts the police are employed to oolleci; the dog tax, the Commissioner has intimated his disapproval and issued instruobious that thia is not to occur iv future.

The latest exhibition in London is a troupe of ten dwarfs. The principal mem ber, said to be the smallest man iv the world, is 24 years old, Ift lOin high, and weighs 91b. When a child he could conceal himself in his mother's muff.

The second wife of a Bath tradesman, while looking over the clothing of her husband's first wife, who died many year* ago, discovered a piece of paper concealed io an apron, i his turned oub bo bo a deposit note valued at JBIQOO.

A Kansas boy who smoked twelve hundred packages of cigarettes saved bhe pictures and sent them to the firm, a-king whab bhey would give for them. The answer was as follows: "Smoke twelve hundred more, and we'll send you a coffin.

A new machine is being built by an enter brising Yankee firm, which will accommo date a whole club of twenty-five riders. It is called the duodesciplet, and has four wheeis. The length of the machine will be 25ft and the cost will be £120.

Home Dartmoor sheep, consigned to Mr Douglas McLean, Hawke's Bay are to be liberated from quarantine at Somes Island in a few days. They are probably the first of this breed introduced into New Zealand. Iv appearance they are like Hampshire sheep.

In reference to the petition lodged against Mr W. C. Buchanan's return as member for the Wairarapa on account of the rejection of Mr Coleman Phillips 5 uominati v, the Post learns that a leading i-olicitor has giver it as his opinion that this action of the returning officer invalidates the whole election.

Their Honors the Chief Justice and Mr Justice Conolly have been appointed the Commissioners tq try the election petition in the case of the elections for Wellington City, Wellington Suburbs, and Wairarap:*. Tho order of proceedings ia to be—Suburbs, February 8; City, bruary 11; Waira rapa, February il.

The Committee of the Horticultural Sotie'y met on Tuesday evening, there being a good atbendance. Several members reported that, in spite of the unfavorab'e season, intending exhibitors were making alrt-nuou . efforts to make the coming show a great success. The date fixed tor the show is February 11, and sub-Committees to arrange details in connection with it were appointed.

In connection with our recent article on the seal fisheries of the oolony we may state that the subject has been brought under the notice of the Premier by Major Steward, who is in receipt of a lebter iv which he is informed thab " The Hinemoa it bo be re commissioned, and one of her duties wiil h< to look after the protection of the seals on bhe adjicenb islands "

It Is a peculiar and yet an absolute fact (says Bicycling News), that a man may be too drunk to walk, or even to stand, and yet able to ride a bicycle. We remember once seeing one of the old time pros., one of the most prominent of them all, too, actually ride and v. in a race when he had imbibed so deeply that he was incapable of walking on to the track, and had to be lifted on to his machine. And this an ' ordinary' too.

Mr John Grace, eldest eon of Dr Grace, M.L.O 8 took his MB. at Durham University with honors about a year and a half ago, and with such marked distinc tion that he and Wo others were officially invited to dinner by the Professors. We iearn by this mail that Dr John Grace pas ed the fellowship of the Royal College of .^urgeona in November. Be is at preseut in Vienna completing the preparation of a book on the eye, which he is editing for Dr Jessop, of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Dr John Grace first studied medicine at the Otago University,

The golden rose which the Pope gives every year to a Royal lady, distinguished for loyalty both to the Pope and to the Church of Rome, is made of pure gold, and is valued at £2000. There is a golden rose in the centre, in which the Pope pours balsam, this being surroundei with smaller rosebuds and leaves, ail of the purest gold, and chiselled with exquisite workmanship. The golden rose has been presented to the ex-Queen Isabella of Spain, and to the ex- Empress Kugenie of France, the last recipient being the Princess of Bulgaria.

A Bill was introduced into the Alabama State Assembly on 21st JSovejnber, for the regulation of the costume of ladies It is proposed to make it unlawful to wear shirt waists, tight-fitting jerseys, bloomers, and divided skirts. Nor must they appear in ecockings which visibly fasten above the knees. Another section in the measure deals with evening dress, and proposes to make it unlawful for the' top of any bodice to be more than three inches below the junction of the chin aud throat. Finally, the measure declares that no article of cloth ing worp by men gh&U be worn by women. There is a prospect that the Bill will pass in some form.

Mies JBiiratt's school will re-open oa \ : M mday next, and that lady will beat home \ I from Fiiday. 22cd instant. '; The Government has refused to grant a \ J remission of the remaining portion of the \ \ sentence passed on Walla.b, the Taranaki j j highwayman J The request by th. Chatham Is'and j ! residents for some form of local government \ wi 1 be he d over until next session, when , the Government will deal with it in <he j Local Government Bill. j

The first case brought ab the instance of the New Zealand Cyciste Touring .Olub was decided in the Magistrate's Oourt, .Welling ton, on Tuesday, when Mr Wardell, S.M., fined an expressman £113s, including coslß, for nob allowing one of ihe Club members room to pass on the right side.

A swarm of b.es (says the Temuka Leader) have taken up their abode on a cross beam over the entrance to a pigstye. Here they are to be seen bu .ily forming their honeycomb, whioh at present hangs aboub a foot from the beam and is openly exposed to the weather. It is quite an interesting sight to watch the been in the performance of their work, while the fab, lazy hogs lie about and feed beneath them.

At a meeting held under the auspices of the Theosophioal Crusaders at Auckland n Tueedwy might, Mrs Tingley, leader of the Theoßophiceil movement, described the .fleet, of the famine in India as Bhe had found them, and urged New Zealand to send a cargo of grain to the famish -d people, as money is of no use owiug to syndicates having bought up the grain in the Indian market. They could not imagine the sufferings of millions of people in India, who are literally starving.

Ashburton haa not yet earned for itself any parbiou'arly had reputation for petty thefts, but ia drifting that way, judging by the number of complaints that reach us from the Arcade. There are some people apparently whose tendency to •' lift" thiugß is ao great that they can hardly be tmsted with even a red hot stove, and it ia only what ia too hot or too heavy that they leave alone. For some fime past petty thefta from the Arcade have been unpleasantly frequent. Recently the mat for an invalid gentleman's feet waa stolen from his tiap while the latter was put up for an hour in the evening in the Arcade. A collar and hames were mis ing on another occasion. It is never safe, in fact, to leave anything portable about at all, unless well nailed or bolted to the place where ib is left. But even bolts do not ensure safety, for the last theft—a very mean and impudent one—was the removal of a pair of steps from a gig. This gig, with others, was in the Arcade for sale, and had been there for several days. It must have caught the eye of some person whose wants included, as well as a pair of gig steps, a respect for the ■iestinction between meum and tutm. At anyrate, after business hours this person visited the Arcade armed with a spanner, carefuily unscrewed the bolts of the steps, and carried away the whole fixings. He must have done this in a hurry, too, and in fear of pursuit, for the iron plate, to protect the wood-work against the nuts were found next day among the tan of the roadway.

COMMERCIAL.

CHRISTCHURCH GRAIN AND PRO DUCE MARKET.

The New Zealand Farmers'Co opera tive Association of Canterbury. Ltd., quote as follows on January 19, 1897 :— Wheat- Prime milling Pearl 4. 6d to 4a %<i f.o.b. „ „ luscan 4ssdto4s6d „  „ Hunter's 4s 5d to 4s 6d  Seconds clean ... 3. 4d to 3s 8d f.o.b. Oats- Tartars and Duns... ls lld  Good stout feed ... 2s  Milling 2s Id „ Bar ley- Prime milting ... 39 4dto3s6d.  Medium 2s 4d to 2s lOd. „ Beans.. ... ... 2s 8d f.o.b. Peis— Prussian blues .... (Nominal) Partridge ..... 3s 

DUNEDIN FRUIT AND PRODUCE MARKET.

I The Otago Fmit and Produce Agency, 182 Princes street,Dunedin (agents for the Teviot aud Alexandra Fruitgrowers' Company, Limited), report as fallows :— ifruit. —All sorts in short supply. Teviot apricots, 6d to 9d per lb; Teviot peaches, 4d to 8d per lb ; plums, 4d to 5d per ib; Hobart cherries, lld lo ls per lb ; Hobart apricots, 6d ; cucumbers, 4s to 7a per dozen; grapes, Is 6d per lb; currants, red, 2£d per lb; black, 3| 1 to 31 per lb ; raspberries, 5d ; rhubarb, Id per lb ; bananas, 2£d to 3d per lb ; lemons, Itulian, 26. to 27s 6d per case ; walnuts, 6d to 6Ji per lb ; oocoanuts, 9a per sack. Produce.—Peninsula potatoes, 8s to 10a per cwt; Oamaru, 5s to 7s per cwt; apples, 53 to 8s per case ; peas, 4s to 7s per cwt; onions, 9s per cwt; eggs, in good demand j butter, fresh, 4d to 6d per lb ; salt (prime), 6d to 6£d. Poultry.—Hens, 2a 6d to 2s 8d per pair; young roosters, 4* to 5i per pair ; ducks, 3a to 4 _ per pair; horsehair, la 3|;d per Ib; beeswax, Is Id to Ib 3d per lb ; honey, new j season's extracted, 4£d per lb. j

SEAMEN'S UNION.

HER PRESS ASSOCIATION. Wellington, January 19. The latest phase of the demand of seamen, firemen and trimmers for an increase of wages is that the Union Steamship Com pany finally replied to the Dunedin branch of the Seamen's Union to the effect thab it cannot see its way to grant their request. Other shipowners, whose vessels trade to this port, have forwarded a communication to the Wellington branch, the purport of which is that whatever the Union Steamship Company does in the matter they are quite , prepared to follow ; and if the Conciliation and Arbitration Board decides in favour of the men, they are likewise prepared to give the increase. The Dunedin and Wellington branches are working simultaneously, the former dealing with the Union Company and the local branch with other shipowners whose vessels trade to Wellington. The necessary papers are now being prepared, and will be ssnfc in to-morrow, requesting the mediation of the Arbitration and Con* ciliation Board in the matter.

West Africa

London, January .18

Owing to the notoriously unhealthy climate of the Niger Coast it has been decided to despatch the hospital ship Malacca to Benin on Saturday, for the use of members of the different expe ditionary forces about to operate there. The Malacca will be manned by a hundred and twenty marine*?, eight surgeons and twenty-five medical attendants.

THE PLAGUE.

Press Assooiation—By Electric Telegraph

London, January 18.

The authorities at Malta have de cided to enforce twenty day*.' quaran tine 6n si! vessels from Bombay dur ing the continuance ol the bubonic plague. Various Continental States also .are discussing proposed rlgOjrop restrictive measures -irj. -regard ie tfee j Indian trade, as a safeguard against; the introduction of tbe plague. j

CABLE NEWS.

Home and Foreign.

Press Association—By Electric Telegraph- Copyright.

Ihe Wrecked Troopship. London, January 18 The Warren Hastings was bound from Capetown to Mauritius and Bombay. Bhe had 1200 passengers and crew aboard. Liberal Leader in the Lords. The Earl of Xi tuber ley has been unanimously elected to the leadership of the Liberal Peers in the House of Lords. School Rates, Archbishop Vaughan repudiates the no-rate agitation advocated by Father Brown at a meeting of the Catholio League He bnlievta that Govern raent will act fairly in regard to aid to voluntary schools. Health of the Czar. St Petersburg, January 19. Tbe Czar having attended the annual ceremony of dressing the Neva, the rumours in reference to his health are considered to be exag gerited, though they are believed to have some basis, Dr Bergmaou is unaware that he is to be summoned to perform an operation for the osseous growth. Alpine Climbing. New York, January 18. Zurbriggin, the Swiss guide who accompanied Mr E. A. FitzUerald in his alpine tour in New Zealand, suc ceeded at the third attempt in ascend ling Mount Aconcagua, in South America, reaching an altitude of 24,000 ft. Mr FitzGerald was taken ill and had to retire when within a thousand feet of tbe summit.

Australian.

The Sydney Fire. Sydney, January 19 At the fire at the E*gle Company's stores several firemen were rendered unconscious by tobacco fames, and •one of them was slightly in jured. The damage is estimated »i between £30,000 and £40,000. The insurances amount to .£26,500, the New Zealand office having a line of £4000. Important Gold Discovery. Perth, January 19 An important discovery has been made at Lake Lefroy, Ooolg&rdie, where a large formation has been found outcropping 20ft, with a width of 50ft, and carrying coarse gold throughout bhe width. The Missing: Explorers. The Government have received m message from the leader of the party searching for tbe missing explorers of the Calvert expedition, dated Bamboo Greek 17th, stating that they had struck the tracks of the missing mer, who had also been seen by natives some days previously, but owing to want of water the camels were col* lapsing, and the party had to abandon the search.

THE FEDERAL CONVENTION.

Press Association—By Electric Telegraph- Copyright.

Melbourne, January 19. I Nominations of federal candidates require to be lodged on February Hth, the election takes place on tbe 4th March, and the convention meets on the 29 h March. The place of meet j ing will be fix**d at tbe Premiers* con ference at Hobart and it is under- Stood that Sydney will be chosen. I Sydnby, January 19. Cardinal Moran, who the public were led to believe would be a candi- I date for the Federal Convention, haa returned an evasive answer to an interviewer. Tbe idea that the Cardinal would stand has occasioned a controversy which culminated in the Primate's emphatic * No " when alked whether he would become a candidate. Cardinal Moran now states that be had not thought seriously about it, but had merely said that there was nothing to prevent him being nomi nated.

THE FAMINE IN INDIA.

Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Melbourne, January 19 The Stock Exchange has cabled £100 to the Mansion House Relief Fund.

THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN j WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1897.



Busine s Notices ] GOOD WASHING PRINT, 3sd. WHITE MUSLIN, 3* lld per dot AT G. J. NEILL'S. A BEAUTIFUL SUMMER DRESS FOR 6s lld G. J. NEILL'S. Flannelette Sid yard. The Best Turkish TOWELS in Ashburton are at— G. J. NEILL'S. BOf V Navy Blue Sailor Suits 4s ll<l, _ Men's Twesd Trousers 5s lld, Men's Heavy Colonial Tweed Suits 25s 6d, a* G. J. NEILL'S. (Ladies l*oe Shoes, 4s lld. Ladies' two-strap Shoes, 4s lld, AT G. J. NEILL'S. tadlllYMnldV. and Children's EAN SHOES of Every Description, at Very Low Prices, AT G. J. NEILL'S, FRIEDLANDER'S CORNER, EAST STRKET,



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



NEW FIRM -:- -:- -: — - : - -:- NEW FIRM SAVE MONEY BY DEALING - ' WITH MITCHELL & BRODRIBB NO BAD DEBTS. NO OLD STOOK THAT ACCUMULATES BY YEARS of BUSINESS THE Public should only consider what they can save by dealing with a Cash Firm, where they do not have to pay for the great losses that are occasioned by Bad Debts. MITCHELL & BRODRIBB BUY AND SELL FOR CASH, THERBFOBE THEY ARM ABLE TO GIVE BETTER VALUE THAN ANY OTHER PLACE IN ASHBURTON. — A Few Quotations will be Convincing — Brown Ribbed PM (heavy) Is 6d-worth J Ladies' ***** oolort, plain and ribbed w . c *!* Ilj „„.«, oj White and Brown Turkish Towels, only 6d Men's Sock. M-jrorth 9d White GaH d va , afc 2s lld _ lß dg Hamster H»ts ®^T7™hd value The Best Value for Flannelettes n Blucher Boots 4s IW—gratid vawe Ashburton. Heavy Shooters 9a l*^7X7 to lld-wotth Heavy Twill, 4s lld dozen-worth 7d ayd Ladies' Gem Shoes, Special, 4s lld-wortn s y lendid * Line of Corßeta| a u Bizeß ; afc 6»«d „  , . is lld hairline Tweed Trousers 8s 6A~cheap at Beat Y aß ortment 0 f Sunshades in town, 10a od £ rom j s Men's Felt Hats from 2s 61 Ladies' Sailor Straws, all shades ??nd shapes, We have the Choicest Assortment of Hats lAOies o^ eac h-Pick your own shape in town. n ,  fi and trimming, and have your ftssa £__?!£t&ff£& « *»• *-°f cb^ width FULL KANGES Of KAIAPOI AND MOSGIBL CLOTHING. MASUBED GABMENTS A SPECIALTY. 49s 6o 49s 6d MITCHELL & BRODRIBB, BAST STREET I,



Business Notices. NEW ZEALAND Clothing Factory, COLE AGENTS ' FOR THE FAMOUS " VICTORY " SEWING MACHINE.



Y~M' r \ Ph 3 *• * © GO P. , 02 £ I : p3 S GO fc. , [V] S S 3 Ph m Qj Ph. m c -L- *j -, O g » Q Q3 ■} £a 5 § M o 5 R3:3 O H 1 i H Ph 1 Ph



TEN POUNDS TRIAD fl. q jglO (TEN Powd) <£10 s COMPETITION. 2 0 """" JL mHIS MONTH the TRIAD X offers a prize of £10 to the Q one who selects from the under- : mentioned list of novels the six C Zmost popular books. This competi- tion will be deoided by the eompe- 4 fA titers themselves. The person m wJ?? votes for the six books which w ,H the majority vote for will receive j the £10 ; or, fe^ould there be two or more voters tor f*h« same six that the majority vote for*, the money will be divided equally among them. The conditions are as under: — 1. Write down on paper the titles of what you consider the six most popular books in the follow listt Westward Ho ! Pickwick Papers, Trilby, We Two, Lady Aud ley's Secret, My Novol, Handy Audy, Bleak House, Kenilworth, She, Va entine Vox.. East Lyane, Charles O'Malley, The Heavenly « Twine, Adam Bede, John Halifax, q 91 Gen'leman, Vanity Fair, Ivanhoe, ~ j3 Monte Christo, Woman in White, w H Tom Brown's Schooldays, The *■' g Yellow Aster, Clep; Kelly, The g ; Wooing O't. b_) 2. Purchase 5a worth, or more, . of anything yo.K jnay require, W from one of tbe tirms below, and w « get a receipt, and post receipt and; » * your list of six to the Manager, Q TRIAD, Dunedin. If you enclose v I ; receipt for 10s or over you may fH i I send in two Hats ;if for 15s, three % \ lists i and won ioje every 5s worth _f ,- purchased. m Ashburton Drapery Co. ; W r. Gates, Horace 4., Music Ware- ■ ~ P boose {agent for Triad). * N.Z. Clothing Factory BM«Ml.__^____^__WMjr"«>M Church. Services. T. STEPHEN'S CHURCH, Ashburton. Wednesday—Brotherhood of St, Andrew, ? SO p.m. hursday— Meetings of Newly-". CoDtirmed for In- \ Greenstreet, 3.30 p.m. Btruction in Holy f Ashburton, 7.30 p.m. Communion ...J Friday—-Short Service, 7.30 p.m. Choir practice, 8 p.m. sund^y"s¥rvioes. 8.30.—H01y Communion. 11 a.m.—Morning Prayer. '&g_g,__SE AFIELD. 6.30 p.ni.—Eyjsning Prayer. REV-. T. A. HAMILTON. Mail IToticss. Mails close for .the following placeß as I under, subject to tha necessary alterations: -; JANUARY 20. j ForNorthem *«*«, S»B»». faudwich r«ianda also United States, lUns.d*, West S* United Kingdom aocl O^ent o. Europe (via San Francisco), per Takapuna at 615 p.m. Money «<»••», 3 p.m; registered fetters 5 p.*/ JM *» **»*»» FaWry 24th. .



One Bo? of Clarke's B 41 Pills warran ed to cure all discharges from the Urinary .rgans, in either se?: (acquired °F cons i rational), Gravel and Pains in the Back G'uarranteed free from Mercury. Sold in Boxes 4s 6d eaoh, by all Qbemists and Patent medicine Vendors throughout the World Proprietors : Thk Likooln and Midland o"UwotbhT>»ttoCoMPAnv, im oln. Hnpland"



I Holloway's Pills and OintMbn*-* IV attention of all sufferers is drawn to these well-known remedies, for they possess con spicuous adyaptage as a safe and reliable aid in all those emergencies to which travellers, emigrants, and sailors are so especially liable. They have been largely patronised by wayfarers by land and sea, and, in fapt, j by all glasses of the community, to their very gyeat advantage. The Pills are beyond all doubt one of the most ffecbive remedies e^er discovered for oases of abstinat? constipation, confirmed indigestion and oolic, complaints whioh are engendered by exnosure and irregu lar feeding The Ointpnen* will be found of the very greatest service incases of piles. absoes^asj'eifywP^*8 * »n*l»ll kjn<J* of local ulserfctiojHi* -  ■<•.■■ -\



It will be seen by a new advertisement in another column that Messrs Craighead and , Be<ryman are probably now showing the largest stock of new tweeds and fashionable tailoring goods ever exhibited in Ashbur ton This speaks well for their «nt«rp*'<w» and local indartry,. . {



FOR BEAUTIFUL HAIR • Ayer's Hair Vigor RESTORES COLOR, - PROMOTES j Hf Luxuriant Growth, i WSKI Keeps the scalp \ Ej IV c9°l» moist, healthy, J ~M m&&_ W&. free from i|a.p: ] itls'thcj mJplS&'t best dressing in ' ffltttikVty the world > »Bd if* - H*s****^ perfectly harmless. J Wf^ZJ^S^ T^ose flesiripg"to < _w_¥M_m_lt retain the ypiitKul XW&tks* a PPearance of the wRSS***! _,*g| tour to Iyer's Hair Vigor. Gold Medals at tht World's Srut bpNiftM. — • r_g?-* Iteware ot cheap Imitations. The nam* • 'Aver—is prominent on, the wrapper, and Ie bluvvn in the glass of each bottta.



Synofms of Nkw ADVt-mH_uufn. A. P. Willianwon—Special busioeisaotJea Duncan Cameron — Wanted, oontraot. te tins for stacking. Fletcher Br«*.--New potatoes. Miss Barrett's school—Opens on Motiay, 86th Imb. ___ m _________ mwm __ mm . v m tr^tht Afao Vmm IWmj