Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 1897. OUR SEA FISHERIES.

A few issues ago we devoted a lead- ; ing article to the subject of our seal- < fishery, and now prop, se to say a few , words on the cognate subject of our i sea-fisheries. And we do so because ; we think that there is good ground for believing that hitherto in legislat ing for the protection of those fisheries Parliament has gone altogether on the wrong tack and has done absolutely more harm than good. A few weeks ago we were in conversation with an intelligent man, who bus made the fisheries question almost a life-study, aud has had many years of practical experience, and he laughed to scorn the policy of restriction pursued under the authority of our Fisheries Acts, maintaining that the very fish pro tected (he was speaking of sea-fisheries 'of oourse) destroyed more fish, hundreds of times over, than could be taken by all our fishermen. Recently some men were proceeded against at Pott Chalmers, and fined by Mr Mait land, J.P., for a breach of the Act, and we note that a correspondent o£ the Otago Daily Times, who signs " W.A.", and describes himself as " a hardworking fisherman" in a letter dealing with the case referred to, and with the whole subject of the statutory regulation of the JNew Zealand sea-fisheries, fully concurs in the views expressed to us by another practical fisherman as above stated. "W. A." says:—"To state thatjn a new country like thia with only 500 odd fishermen daily following their vocation, and with over 5000 miles frontage to the Pacific Ocean, it is necessary to legislate in order to con trol the fish that may be caught, when the same Pacific Ocean is teeming with voracious fiah such as shark, dogfish, skate, groper, barracouts, red cod, and numerous others, and when a single fish of either of these varieties destroys more in 12 months than the 500 odd fishermen do in the same time, is cer tainly starting at the wrong end. Why not coutrol by legislation the 10,000 times greater destruction that goes on daily by Mature, and name fines, pena lties, and confiscation to be inflicted upon, say, the groper, barracouta, and red cod, should they be tempted by Nature's laws to destroy at each mouthful half a dozen cod or flounders under the prescribed limits ? Now, it is a fact that some of these same vora cious fish are actually protected by your " Sea Fisheries Act, 1894, 1' and are not allowed to be killed until they are of such a size as to do the destruction the laws wish to prevent. Surely, if it is right to kill a big voracious ser pent the law should allow the small serpents to bp killed when found, and thus stop their career and prevent the destruction caused by them hereafter when fullgrown The small flounder does not spawn, yet it must not be killed until it is of such » i-ize that it possibly contains 10,000' ova. These are the parent fish, and their destruction insisted upon as the most suitable to adorn the tables of gentry, Your sewagf, your Imcket dredge, your sand pump, your increased Steam traffic all tend to assist voracious ftsh to destroy your best edible fish, ■*'t until yoa stop all theae wholesale a-u ■.__„ afl r en ri3 you will not con? destructive - itaheriea by legisla, serve your m-slioro . . wapfc Q % h{g ' tion one iota. "In another t i letter "W. A." remark* that in no part of the civilised world are the re strictions so hard and unjust as those

of the present "New Zealand Sea Fisheries Ac*"," and goes on to say :— ! " In Great Britain, where 1 served my f apprenticeship for seven years trawling j in the North Sea, and where thousands ! of fish are taken daily for every one here, and where 1000 men are em ployed for every one here—and this destruction of fiah life has been going on for years before New Zealand was discovered, —they have no restrictive legislation in connection with sea fisheries. They had up to 1863, but since that (in consequence of the re port of a Royal Commission, after a most exhaustive inquiry) the British Government at last did justice to a hard-working class of men and a great industry by removing these laws from their Statute Book. The following season more men and more capital were employed and a considerably greater I quantity of fish was caught, and this I increase has been going on yearly I since." He further asks if it is not a ■ facfc that Utterly we have had more and more legislation on fisheries in New Zealand and less fish, and sug gests that " it is worth the experiment to have less legislation and expect more fish " —and we think that there is very good reason for believing that he is tight.

The following, from the Nelson Colonist, will interest a good many of

our readers, who remember Mr Jaoob sen, of Ashburton

MR JACOBSEN, MINERALOGIST.

diamond fame. It must be the same Mr Jacobsen whose letter is given ; it is his literary style and infused with his colossal hopeful ness and imagination :—lt is evident that Mr Jacobsen is not a m m to give in for want of trying. Be was fully persuaded that if he could only erect suitable furnaces he could extract un told quantities of the precious metal from what he termed his chlor gold. Accordingto his own account it appears that having built his furnases he was troubled by the appearance of platinum, and we almost begin to wonder whether diamonds won't get in hia way presently. Mr Alfred Harley has shown us a letter he has received from Mr Jacobsen, dated Takaka, December 29, which we have been asked to publish, and which reads a 8 follows :— " I have erected a large new cupel furnace, one small cupel furnace and two furnaces to get the metal into yellow metal. I was too sure that I could run it into yellow gold. I tried about two weeks, and I had to give it over. I analysed it again and found that the plate held, besides gold and silver, platina, and the platina prevented it running the gold into yellow metal. I was not aware that it held so much platina oxide, This oxide will not run iota metal, you caano.fc oxtwpfc it by

"fs'alysing—the platina dissolves in the same ncid as the gold. I have since made a lot of plate containing gold and silver and have sent some to Melbourne to get a market. I also separate now the gold and silver from the oxide on a new principle—as soon as I get the crucible I will get the gold and silver each in a metal state—the ore first contains about SOOOozg oxide gold and silver from our mine, and the oxide contains 70 per cent gold and 30 per cent silver. I was unfortunate with the crucibles which I had got made and neither crucible would stand the heat. The crucible was made from the Pakawau plumbago—-it was pro nounced plumbago by the Government analyst—so I analysed it and found it to be fine coal and kalk. I iost about nine weeks over the crucible, so you must have patience. 1 have to see the ore work practicable. Everything will; come right, I have a miner's lease for the land, and paid for it. The land is [ no good to anyone else." llt is intended, so we read, to start a motor-car factory in Melbourne. The

vehicles which it ib intended to turn out are of all sorts, but

AUTOCARS IN AUSTRALIA.

principally tricycles, victorias, and tradesmen's carts. A tricycle to carry four people, and travel at the rate, if desired, of 40 miles an hour, will cost £150, a victoria which can cover 85 miles an hour can be obtained for £20 less, while a trades man's tricycle, which can be used for delivering goods, will coat about £70. A. line which it is believed will be popular will be the motor bicycle, on which 50 miles an hour is said to have been accomplished, and which will only cost a trifle over 60 guineas. Apparently a great future is antici pated for the freight auto-waggon, which will carry 10 passengers and 10 tons of luggage, besides towing another waggon behind, at eight miles an hour on a good road at a cost of £1 a day. A dozen of these waggons are being built for Western Australia, and the manager of the company referred to expresses the opinion that when they get thoroughly going in the West exploration and prospecting will be child's play, and that they will knock out the camel as a means of locomotion.

The following graphic particulars with regard to the famine in India will be

read with painful interest:—The Cen tral provinces,where

THE FAMINE IJf INDIA.

there has been a partial failure cf crops for the last three years, are now the scene of heart rending distress. The zemindars in those districts have themselves been reduced to almost beggary, and cannot" assist their tenants. In some of the larger stations the European commu nity have subscribed and fed the poor for weeks together, but money ia run ning short. A correspondent reports that the dead have been picked up in the outskirts of some towns as many as 20 weekly, and a test of the genuine ness of the distress is the abandonment of her infant by the Indian mother, many children having already been cast away by the roadside by those who 1 could not bear to see them die. Found ling hospitals and missionaries' homes are fast filling up with waifs picked up by humane people, and cases have occurred of young children being sold for paltry sums of two to five rupees ; but the ; saddest sight is at the railway stations between Narsinghpore and Allahabad. Ihe arrival of every train is heralded by the wail of hundreds of miserable creatures with limbs so shrunk as to be barely capable of supporting them, ■ **. <( We are dying of whose cry . w B faila hunger. Ihey swarm „ . from under the wire fencing and besiege the carnages, the stronger thrusting aside the weak. At one station, says our informant, the police had to actu ally lash at the crowd to keep them from being pressed against the carriageSj and so coming to harm. Grain riots and the plundering of shops have been frequent, and in many villages Marwari merchants report that there is no grain to be bought. In Bengal, in view of the high prices of food, the Lieutenant - Governor has sanctioned to all menial servants in Government employ drawing not more than 12 rupees a month an increase of pay of 1 rupee, and in districts where the average price of common rice was dearer than 1 rupee per 12 seers during the quarter ended 30th September an increase of 1 rupee 8 annas.

Local and General.

Reading matter on fourth page. Wellington gaol is shortly to be lighted by electricity.

The fortnightly meeting of the Borough Council takes place this evening.

It is said that Mrs Vanderbilt daily uses Igal. of eau de Oologue in the water of her bath,

Eighty-five fish, weighing 1021bs were caught in thirteen days in the Upper Selwyn by Major Richards.

It is estimated that as much as £400,000 is annually spent in England on the purchase of human hair.

Fifty hares are being sent from Rangitata, Canterbury, for the Hawke's Ba,y Plumpton Coursing (Jlub.

Buluwayo, which two or three years ago was the site of Lobenguk's Royal kraal, ia now lighted by electricity.

A church organ made of bamboo has bßen built at Shanghai. The notes are saidto be sweeter than those of metallic pipes.

There are at present over 850 ministers officiating in New Zealand, and out of these nearly 290 are of the Church of England.

Enormous preparations are being made for the general census of the entire popula tion of the Russian Empire, which is feo be undertaken next January.

Of about 8000 children in 25 schools in London whose sight was tested by Carter's method, only about 40 per cent had normal vision in both eyes.

When the Siberian railway is completed the journey around the world will occupy not more than 40 days, and the cost of transportation will not exceed £80.

A statistician computes that Queen Victoria is now sovereign over one continent, 100 peninsulas, 500 promontories, 1000 lakes, 2000 rivers, and 10,000 islands.

The week's services at St Stephen's are advertised in this issue.

Mr J. Cafchcart Wason, M.H.R., has a couple of McCormick reapers for sate.

The Ashburfcon School Committee will meet on Friday evening to appoint a pupil teacher, and transact other business.

On Thursday last a fatal accident occurred at Cheviot, a man named Phillips being killed by the capsize of a waggon which fell upon him.

Mr Gow, Inspector of Mines for the North Island, leaves the Government ser vice at the end of the month, and joins the Anglo-Continental Mining Syndicate.

Man has four ages, well defined ; Of hearts the first is made; Next follow diamonds, then his clubs, And last of all—the spade.

The Czar has one estate which covers over 100,000,000.acrt8, more than three times aa large as England ; and he has another estate which is more than twice the size of Scot land.

Railway travelling is cheapest in Hun gary. It is possible to go from Buda-Pesth to Cronstadf, a distance of 500 miles, for 6s Bd, being at the rate of six milea a penny.

" What you need is a warmer climate, Mr Grumpey," said the doctor in his most persuasive tone. " I guess you'll get me there all right enough," was the ungracious response.

The advantages of advertising were recently illustrated in London. A man advertised for the return of a lost cat. In less than a week 322 of them were brought to hie house.

I hey have been having a ladies' twelve daya international bicycle contest at the Westminister Aquarium. One competitor, Mdlle. Dutrien, is credited with 700 miles in 37hr 30min 40sec.

On Saturday afternoon, at Bangiora, a young woman named Cryssel, while engaged in cleaning an upstairs window slipped and fell through a glass verandah to the pave ment, sustaining serious injuries.

The colonial health should be well looked after. In a population of 703,360 people, exclusive of Maoris, there are nearly 640 registered doctors, while our teeth are attended to by 150 dentists.

A buliook recently killed for the Marton meat market had three distinct horns. Two were fixed ia the usual way, and the third hung down the centre of the head. It ie intended to preserve the head as a curiosity.

Mr 0. A. 0. Hardy, of Rakaia, has pre sented a beautiful cup, for competition by the cricket clubs of the district. The cup is on view in Mr Hardy's window, and it will become the property of the club winning it.

The strength of the London police force consists of a chief commissioner, 3 assistant. commissioners, 5 chief constables, 31 super intendents, 597 inspectors, 1834 sergeants, 12,754 constables, making a grand total of 15.225 of all ranks.

A Victorian inventor has devised a " mi crobe-killer," for which it is claimed that it will cerate, cool, and purify a can of milk in a minute and a-half. The advantages of the machine are that it is extremely cheap and easily worked.

The natives around Parihaka, according to Constable Hickman, are in a more indigent state than he remembers seeing them since he has resided in the district. They are very anxious te get any kind of work to do in order to raise a few shillings.

The New Zealand Times says that the Government has decided to retire Sergeant Moller, of Blenheim, on the grounds of ill health, and to grant a compassionate allow ance, equal to a year and a half's salary, to him and his family.

A dog belonging to a man who was arres ted in Cbristohurch for drunkenness on Saturday evening showed touching fidelity to its master by refusing to quit the door of the lock-up all Saturday night and yester day. It was well cared for and fed by the police, but could not be induced to stray far from the building in which its master was confined.

On April 14, the Commissioner of Grown Lands, Mr Sydney Weetman, will hold a cash sale at his office ia Christchurcb, of reserve 1124, comprising 246 acres. The upset price ia £4 10s per acre, and the land is in the Forks, about seven miles from the Westerfield station, Mr John O'Sliea being the present occupant,

Mr W. Hannah, a farmer on the Opunake road, was badly gored by a bull on Friday last, sustaining fractured ribs and other injuries. His life waa saved (the Stratford correspondent of the Tarnnaki Herald says) by the pluck and presence of mind of a boy who works for him and who drove the bull off wich a hay fork.

4 tieeuliar kind of sickness closely re

'"'ntxj ia atated to be prevalent gambling lagi.,,. **--r.ha H are suffer just now at Kum-ir*. ««... . mrm ing from it. Its principal symptoms *.. p*ins in the head and limbs, sore throat and swollen tonsils, and a great lassitude. It ia thought that the very dry weather has a great; deal to do with it. There have been similar cases in Ashburton.

A narrow escape from what might have proved a Berious accident occurred a few minutes alter five o'clock on Saturday afternoon. A spring dray and buggy were passing the corner of East and Wills streets when their wheels got interlocked. The horses were pulled up just in time to prevent a disaster, the occupants of the vehicle* fortunately receiving nothing worse than a severe fright.

At Masterton, on Saturday, a technical objection to the usual method of issuing prohibition orders was upheld by Mr Green field S.M., which invalidates all existing orders. The point is that the names of the licensees to whom the orders are addressed are not inserted ou the back of the order prior to its bsing signed by the Justices, instead of when the constable makes an affidavit of service.

Captain William Jackson Barry (says the N.Z. Times) is about to publish a book entitled, " Past and Present, and Men of the Times." The book is dedicated to Sir Robert Stout, and will be illustrated with over thirty pictures. We have aeen a proof sample of a portion of the book, and we have no hesitation in saying that it will be a specially interesting work. Up to the present Captain Barry has booked orders for over 800 copies, and once published, which will be in about three weeks, it should sell rapidly.

The following further particulars are given in an exchange of the airship, invented by Dr Benjamin of San Francisco. The machine is 150 feet long built of metal and equipped with two canvas wings. The rudder is also winged-shaped. The inventor has been at work on the problem of aerial navigation for fifteen years, and has spent thousands of dollars in experiments. He now seems to have achieved the solution of the great problem as he has made long tripa with the new machine, flying over the city and suburbs at a rate of nearly a mile a minute. When patented the machine ia to be publicly exhibited and the mechanism revealed.

Holloway's Pills.—Pure Blood.-wWhen the Blood is pure, its circulation calm and equable, and the nerves well strung, we are well. These Pills possess a marvellous power in securing these essentials of health by purifying, regulating and strengthening the fluids and solids. Holloway's Pills can be confidently recommended to ail persons suffering from disordered digestion, or worried by nervous fancies, or neuralgic pains. They correct acidity and heartburn, dispel sick headache, quicken the action of the liver, and act as alteratives and gentle aperients. The weak and delicate may take them with out tear. HoKorcay's Pills ate eminently serviceable to invalids of irritable consti tution, as they raise the action *bf every organ to its natural standard, and univer sally exercise a calming and sedative influence.

Ashburton to the West Coast.

I 1 i In a previous iseue the notes supplied t< ; ua of this trip were brought down to the -| point at which the party had reached the I hut at the Bealey. Following is a oontinu- i afcion of our travellers'experience, the preßent : instalment leaving the party at Jackson's :— This hut has evidently been erected foi the accommodation of travellers who have come from the West Coast, and who have been stopped by the flooded river. Ib in built of corrugated iron, is provided with four buuks at one end, has an earthen floor, and beyond a rude table in one corner, has nothing to relieve its bareness. A huge chimney is of course a necessity, and it was not long before a roaring fire was blazing in it. Our bunks were seen to at first; but as the two upper ones were somewhat shaky, in fact, one had to be strengthened by ropes before its occupant retired, the Cyclist and j Dominie preferred to erect their own camp , beds on the floor. When all was done we j had our tea, after which rain began to fall. ' As night came on a table was improvised out j of a box, cards were produced and an hour or two passed away till bed time. Dunug the evening three swaggers came to the hut; but when they saw we were in possession they retired and set up their tent in the bush, which here comes down to the river's edge. Owing to the wet, however, they had to boil their billy at the hut fire. Thursday morning broke fresh and clear, and by half past six hardly a cloud was to be seen. By 8 a.m. we were ready to start through the first thiokly covered bush country we had yet met). Soon after we left she hut our road wound along the west bank of the Bealey round rocky bluffs, ascending and descending hills and hollows with fascinating rapidity, yet all the while mounting gradually. About two miles from the hut the road took an abrupt turn west wards, and a view of the Gorge of the Bealey waß got. The mountains here rise abruptly from the river, and are olothed with bush almost to their summit!), while at times an observer can ccc the silver gleam of some waterfall, partly obscured by the surround ing foliage. From our position we could see !,re old coach road which wound along the bed of the river, crossing and recrosing the Btream in a most perplexing manner. he present road at the foot of the Gorge has been cut in the hillside and is as smooth almost as the proverbial billiard table. About Bix miles from the hut we came suddenly on a roadman's cabin. Here a halt was made for a few minutes; for the tall man spying a grindstone in the shade of a small hut got two of us to go out and sharpen his tomahawk. It required sharpen ing ton, for its so called cutting edge had lons ago been dulled by cutting substances harder than wood. A mile past this hut was the steep hill ab the eastern end of Arthur's Pass. The ascent comprised some rather steep pinches and the numerous gullies were filled with brawling mountain torrents. The smallest of these simply babble across the smooth road after the fashion of one of our own water races, those of larger dimensions are bridged by a plank or two for pedestrians, while large ones that hold a considerable quantity of water in flood time are crossed by strong yet neat looking bridges. As the whole party bad to walk here the cab was very soon out of sight, not only because the horses had a lighter load, but because the scenery became wilder and more attractive as higher altitudes were reached, and so caused a good deal of lagging behind on the part of the travellers. On the right the Devil's Punch bowl came into view about a mile away, but as the photographic fiends of the party intended to leave it till they could get it under the afternoon sun it was left severely alone. Bub a short distance up the pass on the left, through a break in the bush on the roadside a splendid view of Mount Bolleston appeared. Hardly a cloud rested on its snowy summit, and the small glacier, with its forefront of blue compressed ice, from which several shimmering cascades descended to the valley below, presented a picture which might not be seen half a dozen times a year. A rush was made for the cuneras, but Johnny was out. of sight with the cab. We got a glimpse of him about half a mile off, toiling up a steep ascent, and so the cyclist and the dominie being in fairly good *• form " for hill climb ing Bet off at a run. Oace they succeeded, after a perspiring burst up a hill and down a valley, in making him hear them; but though they yelled and whistled, gesticu lated and pointed back, used hard words— under their breath and above—rfchey could nob stop the cab. Johnny would not pull up, in fact he could not, till he got across a creek to comparatively flat ground. So Mount Bolleston was left till the return. At this creek, which is fed by the Devil's Punch Bowl, the gab waited till the three laggards appeared in sight down the valley ; and then, as the top of the pass was only a short distance away, the two photographers had a race into Westland, the border of which is marked by a number of posts hang ing to, a telegraph pole on the roachiie. These posts are ornamented—and disfigured —by hundreds of names carved ia the totara wood and as it seemed to be the custom ours weak on too, From this border post for about two <Y*i^eß westward the road is fairly flat, but at**the end of fchftt distance comes the edge of the Otira Gorge which is covered with dense buab almost to the top. me descent began so suddenly that the appear ance of the road almost took our breath away. Suffice it to say we ail walked down the hill. A.s the descent into the valley ia so very precipitous, the road has to take a zig zag course for nearly a mile down to a ro *d man'a hut, which in a straight line is only a shoi b distance from the top of th« pass. The character of this part of the road is different from what we had already passed over : it is -very lose and shingly. Whether this is due to the action of the horses' hoofs in pulling up the coach or from the brakes in going down we do not know, bat the road smacks somewhat of that between Ashburtop and Tinwald on a sale day. From a point above the roadman's hut a splendid view of the gorge was obtained, and almost the whole of the comparatively flat part of the road wasvisible. The cab was s owly winding around corners in the road far down beloy us, and it seemed to us of most lilliputjlan proportions. So narrow is the ravine that there are places where the road has to be built up on a tree foundation at the foot of some gully, while in most plaoes it is simply cut out of the hill side. The seeneify of the Otira, taken as a whole, is wild in the ex treme, for everywhere the smooth and quickly eloping road overhangs the boulder etrewn and waterworro chasm below, and is ' in turn overhung by dense bush and frown ing rock which appear to need but a touch to tumble down and obliterate road and stream. But the most pleasing and beauti ful feature is the flfcwering rata. For miles on both sides the different shades of green make a splendid background for the crimson flowers of this tree; in fact, the blossom can be seen on the hillsides 4qw" *° within a few miles of Kumara. In coming down the gorge our two billies were lost. They were tied in a small bag to the rear axle, but the jolting severed the cord s and when we halted half way down for dinner the tea had to be boiled in the bupket. However, it tasted juat as well as what we had made in the billies. At the bottom of the gorge is the Otira hotel and poßt office ? near which the river itself has to be crossed. We maniged this easily, and then went down the left of the river, and after travelling about five mpes came upon the advance guard of men working on the Midland Raif way. There were six or seven different parties aj; work on pieces of road right down to Jackson's, and ia places the coaoh road has to be taken to lay the permanent way. In these spots gangs of men are busy making a new each road higher up the hill side. One of these men saw us taking a vifw of the embankment, and he called out — "I wish you'd bring up those things of yours and take this infernal log out." At Jackson's—fifteen miles from the Ofcira Hotel—we camped for the night in a sheltered spot near the bank of the Tere makau, which is here crossed by a raiiwav bridge on the line coming up from Grey, mouth. Jackson's is a small bush township consisting of about a dozen houses, two hotels, a store, a baker's shop, and the railway station. One cannot form an accurate idea of its size owing to the dense bush on ail sides, but small as it is, it ia a very pretty litde place—in fine weather. Here we got an instance of retail prices, To replace our billies we got one half the size for twice the money, butter cost Is 3d a Ib, while a bag of very ordinary oaMheat chaff changed hands at In 6d or Ba, West Gout price* Mtm to b# on b«o mma w»)t w W«f Q««t fcUlt-w

ihey are " steep." After tea, while we were pitching fche teats and fixing the camp bunks in the big tent, one of its occupant* objected so sleep any more at the inner end of the bent). We ought he said to tou up, cast) lobs, or do some such thing, bo aa to have our domestic arrangements on a sound and fair footing. The cyclist then straightway procured four straws, arranged them in a cunning way between his fingers end under his haud, and showed ua the four points. Then stating that the man who drew the small straw had first choice of bunks, he held them out. The result woa that the Domini* got fche shortest and Musicus the longest! straw. The former got under the ridge pole and the latter went to the inner end. After tea was over we strolled round the township, had a look at the railway bridge, chatted with a few of the inhabitants, and came back.

THE OPAWA TRAGEDY

The Inquest.

Verdict of Non-Culpable Homicide

At the inquest on Saturday on the body of Michael Ryan, Constable Hayes, stationed at Woolston, stated that Parkeß camt to the police station at half-past eight on Friday morning, 220 d met, and said thm he had killed Michael Ryan the previous night, and had come to give himself in charge. He said it was a aase of either kill or be killed. Ryan had, he said, palled him out of bid in the night, hit him with something which h« thought was the leg of a table, and then got an axe and swore he would out Parkes in pieces. Parkes said he took the aze from Ryan, hit him,over the head with it, and then gave him another blow under the ear. Witness telephoned the information to la speotor Broham and returned with Parkes to his house, Witness described the appear* anceof the premises. The turned leg of a table was found outside the house, and Parkes said he thought that was what Ryan struck him with. There were two marks like bluod upon it. Parkes said he was seventy-one years of age, and Ryan wm about fifty-five. Parkes referred to Ryan's drunkeu and quarrelsome habits. Witness knew that Ryan was quarrelsome and had a rough temper. He had been bound over to keep the peace for six months for threaten ing a man named Weeks. As he could not find sureties he went to gaol, and came out in April last.

Inspector Broham deposed that he asked Parkes if he knew how the affair had occurred, and he said that when Ryan oama out of gaol in April last he asked to be allowed to stay for a few days till he went to some work at Kirwee. After the few days were up Parkes could not get rid of him. Ryan used to go to work, come home drunk and frequently assaulted him. The witness then detailed Parkes's description ol how the affair had happened, which was the same as that given by Parkes to Constable Hayes. Parkes said that Ryan was standing iv front of him when he struck him with the axe. He did not strike Ryan when he was down. Parkes said that after it was over he fell into a kind of swoon, and when he recovered he went to the police station and told Constable Hayes what had oc curred. He thought it was between twelve and one o'clock when Ryao came home and assaulted him.

Dr. Symes after describing the wounds found on the head of the deceased aaid that Parkes's appearance showed that he had undergone rather rough handling. His in juries could not have been self-inflicted, and might have been done with the table leg. The smell of alcohol in Ryan's stomach was very distinct, but he could not say whether he had been drunk or not. The state of his internal organs showed that he had been a chronic drunkard.

Several witnesses testified to Ryan having been addicted to drink, and having fre quently assaulted Parkea who waa described as an intelligent and courteous man though weak and foolish.

The jury, after a retirement of twenty minutes, returned a verdict of " Nonoulpable Homicide."

_■ Parkes was brought up on Saturday morn ing at the Magistrate's Court, before Mown R. C. Bishop and T. Gapes, J.P.s, and for mally charged with the murder of Michael Ryan. He was not represented by counsel. Inspeotor Broham said that in view of the then pending inquest he would ask for a re mand, which waa granted till January 27,

THE PAEROA ASSAULT CASE.

Press Association—By Electric Telegraph

Auckland, January 23. The police have been informed that Carroll expressed his mention, before he left Auckland, to commit suicide. There ia a fear that he jumped overboard after the Mahinapua left port.

Wellington, January 24. There seems now but little doubt that Carroll, who threw sulphuric acid at Paeroa, came here and wae successful in eluding the vigilmce of the police. During the voyage from Manukan by the Mahinapua he ad mitted to the purser of the vesael that he intended to proceed to Sydney. The Mararoa left for Sydney at 9 30 last night, ghe was searched bub no trace of him was found. Carroll's luggage was on the Mahinapua, and was taken possession of by the police. Carroll evidently had a hint that the police were on his track, and never called for hit things, but whether he left for Sydney or not is a matter for speculation,

COMMERCIAL.

LONDJN MARKETS.

Londqn,January 32 Mutton, first quality, 3Ad; second quality 2^; , • s - • ■

Hemp is unchanged. Cheese is very firm; New Zealand 535. Biittear is weaker ; colonial 98s to 102 a ; Danish has lowered three kroner to 975.

The English wheat market is quiet and steady,' the continental is inactive and the, American is changing a little for the, worse. California!! No. 1 milling for early shipment 35s 6d, e.f i.; Russian cargoes, 335; London quotations for parcels of No. 1 HardDuluth, 35s U. " ' "■- "

Colonial oats, fine quality, 85s: commoc. 21a. " "' T

Colonial beans, 32s 6d,

The Bradford wool market is slack.

Rabbits, flat, B£d. Experts report that the Victorian linseed and sunflower oils are of excellent quality ; the former is worth £16 10s per ton and the latter £17. Linseed cake, good, £6.

January 24. ■ At the wool sales yesterday a good eelec tiou was offered. Best merinos met with an excellent sale, but the prices were relatively weak. Other prices and quotations were unchanged. The total quantity Catalogued up to date is 44,910 bales, of which 38,795 have beea sold. '' ' '

SWIMMING.

PER PRESS ASSOCIATION

Auckland, January 23 The Auckland Swimming Club's sports were hqld in the Calliope Dock to-day. Two thousand wore present, galley, the Auckland champion, though not placed ih the Ladies' Bracelet, of IQOyds, was timed to have awum the distance in 71sec from scratch, Several other competitors made time under 80sec.

THE iSHBUBTOH CHJABDIAN s MONDAY, JANUARY 26,. 1897



Btisine s Notices ! GOOD WASHING PRINT, 3£d. WHITE MUSLIN, 3s lid per doz AT G. J. NEILL'S. A BEAUTIFUL SUMMER DRESS FOR 6s lid AT G. J. NEILL'S. Flannelettet 3*d yard. The Best Turkish TOWELS in Aahburton are a'_- G. J. NEILL'S. G. J. NEILL'S. |L»die.| L«» Show, 4b Ud. Ladi.» two-ttrap Shoes, 4i lid. AT G. J. NEILL'S. UdW, Maidß'.ftttdOhildrea'i TAN SHOES of Every Deaoription, ab Very Low Prieee, AS G. J. NEILL'S, FRIEDLANDER'S CORNER, EAST STREET.



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



NEW FIRM -:- -:- -: -:- -:- -:- NEW FIRM SAVE MONEY BY DEALING WITH MITCHELL & BRODRIBB NO BAD DEBTS. NO OLD STOCK THAT ACCUMULATES BY YEARS op 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 GASH, THEREFORE j THEY ARE ABLE TO GIVE BETTER VALUE THAN ANY OTHER PLAGE IN ASHBURTON. — A Few Quotations will be Convincing — Brown Ribbed Pants (heavy) la 6d -worth LadieB 1 H^se, fast colors, plain and ribbed la lid Pai * Men's Sockß 6d-worth 9d White and Brown Turkish Towels only 6d Harvester Hata B^d-worth Is White Cahco grand value at 2a Ud-12yds Blucher Boots 4b !ld-grand value The Best Value for Flannelettes n 2S5 lßSaS %%&&£*«*. He-y Twill 4s 7d a yd 6g 6d A splendid Line of Corsets, all sizes, at Hairline Tweed Trousers 8a 6d—cheap at ,ls. lld 4 t« „ . , . 10b 6d The Best Assortment of Sunshades its towa, We*h£e th?Ohswßt Assortment of Hats Ladies' Sailor Straws, all shades and shapes, | Q tOWIIi from 9d each—Pick your own shape 12yda Strong Print for 3a lid-Cheap at 6a and trimming, and have your A BetutiM Summer Tweed Is Id, double Millinery done Free of Charge. widtfc JFULL RANGES OF KAIAPOI AND MOSGIEL CLOTHING. MBASUEED GABMENTS A SPECIALTY. At\n f*tx S'ULL SUIT FROM /< Qq £\t\ 49® O^ FULL SUIT FROM 4:^ O^ MITCHELL & BRODRIBB, BAST BTttBBT i



Business Notices. NEW ZEALAND Clothing Factory, QOLE A G EHTS FOR TEE F All OUS " VICTORY " SEWING MACHINE.



i i in ° "- § , 9 n3! S ra H « o ■« »aS HH r » ft » 'OCJ~-1 rvi i ■ i s«i « ° ij.ii B



TEN POl7^ OS> fi <£10 (Ten Pound) <£10 h 5 COMPETITION. 0 — mHIS MONTH the TRIAD I offers a prize of £10 to the Q one who selects from the under- _^ mentioned list of novels the six H 7 most popular books. Thiscompcti- m tion will be decided by the compe- M titors themselves. The person H who votes for the six books which ** fc the majority vote for will receive Jj the £10 ; or, should there be two or more voters tor the 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 list: Westward Ko ! Pickwick Papers, Trilby, We Two, Lady Audley's Secret, My Novol, Handy Andy, Bleak House, Kenilworth, She, Va'entine Vox, East Lynne, Charles O'Maliey, The Heavenly fg. Twins, Adam Bede, John Halifax, j Gentleman, Vanity Fair, Ivanhoe, Q, Monte Christo, Woman in White, v ■ Tom Brown's Schooldays, The " Z Yellow Aster, Cleg Kelly, The g " Wooing O't. D 2. Purchase 5* worth, or more, _ of anything you may require, V from one of the firms below, and v a tfet a receipt, and post receipt and » H your Hat of six to the Manager, A TRIAD, Dunedin. If you enclose w receipt for 10s or over you may H send in two lists ; if for 15s, three i?J lists ; and so on for every 5s worth jjj^ r % purchased. j. m Ashburton Drapery Co. y r. Gates, Horace \., Music Ware- „ P house (agent for Tkiad). * N.Z. Clothing Factory > TEN POUNIiH



NOTICE. rfIHERE is a vacancy for one apprentice in this Office. Applicant must have passed the sixth standard. Ashburton Publishing Company. January 18th.



Church Services. ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH, Ashburton. Monday and Tuesday—Teachers' meet ings, 7.30 p.m. j Wednesday—Vestry meeting, 4.30 p.m.; i Brotherhood St Andiew, 7,30 pm THURSDAY — Annual Sunday school Treat. Scholars assemble at the I Church a t 2 p.m. ! FRIDAY—Short Service 7.30 p.m. i Choir Practice, § p.m. SUNDAY SERVIOES. 8.30.—H01y Communion. 11 a.m.—Morning Prayer. '2.3o.—Distribution of Sunday School Prizes, in Sb Stephen's schoolroom. Parents and friends will b,e cordially welcomed. 3 p.m.—DROMOEE-f-Mr W. Bowman 6.30 p.m.—Evening Prayer. Collegtion* in aid of the Church Mission Fund of the diocese. ( J$V, %4. HAMI&TQN.



We notice that the Midland Railway Company (England), keep up the practice of encouraging their stationmasters and other employees to beautify the surround ings of wayaide stations—an example which might be followed with advantage by the New Zealand Government. A Home paper says the Midland Company have just awarded prizes among six hundred of their stations for floral decorations. Matlock Bath is again in the first class for the fifth year in succession. Prizes of tbs value of S2SO i» wh were iwtrdid.



Keaxing's Powder destroys bugs, fleas, tmths beetles, and all o'taer insects, whilst gui c harmless to domeetio animals. In exterminating beetles the success of tbis powder is ex raordinary. It is perfectly clean in application. See the artiola you purchase ia'Keati-o'a, as tarnations are noxious and ineffectual, Sold id tins, M, 19 and 2» 8(1 e»ob t by »1 oktqwtl



The share lut in the Barry town Mining Company close* to-night, and it will clow full, the applications for shares having been far more numerous than was expected, Mr H. Zander today received another prospeot from tne claim, and a representative of this paper washed out a portion of it. The prospect was very rich indeed, gold show ing all over the basin. Richer washdirt ha* recently been struck which experts estimate will run to 10a a load. One Box of Clarke's B 41 Piixa warrau t d r,o cure all discharges from the Urinary Jrgans, in either sex (acquired or eons i Gravel and Pains in the Back Guaranteed free from Mercury. Sold in Soxes 4s 6d each, by all Chemist* and Patent medicine Vendors throughout the World Proprietors :Th« Lisoqmt akd Uwuwq Cownw PITOtQQMfMK, I in ofe, BBflM||