Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, MAY 5, 1899. Local and General.

l: ♦ : I A KECORD-~Mr G. Porter on Thursday I lowered the fifty-mile road record from I 2hrs 28imia to 2hrs 17min, I Mr Cadman's Health.—Mr C*dman has I been ordeied by Dr MoKellnr to take a I week's complete rest. He is residing at I Avondale. I Probably the One,—Sergeant Bourke, }of Bydenham, arrested a man on Thursday I eight on a charge of having stolen a bicycle, I The alleged theft occurred at the Ashburton I races. This ia probably the bicycle adver- I tised in cur oolntnm the day after the I autumn meeting of the A.C.R.C. I A Record tor Meanness.—-The Dunedin 1 Star hi'B the foilowing : — The record for j meanness—this is not the proper word, but; }we cannot find one to euit the case—is surely I taken by the man who collected his father'! I old age pension this week and skipped with I the proceeds. I A Missing Steamer—A telegram from I Inveroargill states that the steamer Perth- I shire ia nine days out from Sydney. The I Morayshire, which left the Bluff for London I direct on Thursday, has been ordered to I search for two days before proceeding on I her homeward voyage. I LuOK.—lt i» understood (says tho N.Z. I Times) that Mr J. H. Hempton, of the Ous | toms Department, has won a first prze in { one of Tattersall's sweeps, the net value of I which is over £1500. Hempton was well known throughout the colony for some years as an athlete. A Conscientious Civil Servant—flJhe officials of the Treasury in London have received a very unusual communication from aa ex-distributor of stamps, who has retired on a pension since the Government have undertaken the task of distribution them selves. Thia gentleman, who has been awarded a compensatory pension of £490 a year for life, refuses to accept it on the ground that he considers he has been adequately paid for all the work he has done. The " Triad."—Our interesting oon temporary the Triad (May numberj is to hand. It is capitally illustrated, and con tains a music supplement well worth the price of the whole publication. The reading matter is of an up-to-date nature, matters musical, scientific, and literary being treated in the popular manner characteristic of the Jtiai, and which has helped to make this publication one of the leading journals of the colony. Several priza competitions are announced, and these doubtless will be liberally responded to. Particulars appear elsewhere. Board of Education—At the meeting of the Board of Education on Wednesday the Appointments Committee reported, inter aIU, that a number of oases of overstuffing had been considered. In the cases of Ashburton, Hampstead, and Southbridge it was resolved to inform the respective committees that the assistant mistress must be removed, and the staff arranged according to scale. It was decided to advertise fresh elections for committees for the schools at Ashburton Forks, Doric, and Mount Somers, those districts having failed to elect committees. The Te Akau Caves.—The eaves dis covered ou Te Akau ruu, near Port Waikato are thus described by the finder, Mr Johnston -.—From nn opening 20ft wide by about 15ft in height, I saw amidst the darkness white shining oolumnß, which glistened and shone as I moved, whilst I could hear the drip of water in the distance. There are two caves, a division in the rock beiug apparent a few yards from the entrance; The one 1 partially explored seemed to extend for a considerable distance, I only explored some thirty yards or forty yards, when my matches gave out, and, so far as I could judge, the space in front of me seemed interminable. An exploration party has been formed, to start next week. The Gbeat Problem. —At Monday's meeting of the Dnnedin Presbytery (says the Star) the Rev. J. Gibb said that he was growing heterodox on the question of the Bible being taught in the public schools. The more he looked into it the more he was inclined to think that they were not going to eolve the problem by allowing the teachers to teach Bible truths in the schools. While he was departing from his allegiance to the platform of the Bible-in-school* party, h» felt more and more strongly that the church must solve this problem of religious educa tion of the young,that something must be done—that, in fact, they would lose their hold on the life of the community altogether unless they (the church) attended to it them •elves. He had a scheme which he would in due time lay before the united council of the Churches, should the project for the forma tion of that council come to anything, in the hope that the council would undertake the work. Tub trick riding exhibition given on Thursday was performed on a Star Bioycle. •The feats performed proved the great strength of these popular machines, as the weight and strain of the rider was pet in all manner of ways on the machine. Star Bicycles are manufactured in Englatd, specially for New Zealand. Call and inspect 1899 Models, next to Madden'a Confection ery, East Street.—Adams Star Cycle Com pany. 5 46

THE SOUDAN.

United Press Association—By Eleotrio Telegraph—Copyright. (Received Wakapuaka May 5, 9-35 ft-m, Guabdian Office 10.18 ft.m) Oaieo, May 4 Lord Kitchener recently sent Ibra? ham Pasha as envoy to his uncle, the Sultan Darfuiy with an escort of 150 men. Upon his arrival Ibraham found his uncle had been dethroned. An engagement between the escort and followers of Alidnar, the usurper, ensued, and 130 of Ibraham's force were killed. The remainder reached Khartoum safely.

COMMERCIAL.

RAKAIA STOCK SALE.

Only a limited entry of sheep and cattle came forward at the Bakaia yards yesterday. There was a good attendance of farmers, and business was brisk for sheep and cattle, though horses were neglected. The following prices were obtained; — Sheep-Crossbred ewes 10s 7d to 11s 2d, crossbred lamba 6s 3d to 11s 6d, crossbred two-tooth ewes and wethers 103 Id to ils sd, merino ewes 6a 4i to Bs. Cattle—Cows in calf, £3 2a 6d to 434.

SALES OF PROPERTIES.

Messrs Friedlander Bros., Limited, report having sold Mr Tweedy's farm of 575 acres, iituate at Anatna, to Mr J. G. Good, of Ashburton Forks. They have also sold lowa Property adjoining the Borough Oounoil hatnbers, with brick house, eto, for the Ashburton Drug Company, Limited, to Mrs P. Keller.

News in Brief.

The hot pie and coffee aeason having just arrived, Cooper Bros., notify customers the fact through oar advertising qoluma«

PROHIBITION IN CLUTHA.

Lecture by Rev. F. W Isitt. j Not often has the Orange Hall been bo texed for seiting a<sC;>mino<ia!ioa as it was last night on the occasion of Rev F. W. ' I^itt's promised lecture, the hall being crowded. Rev. R. Taylor was chairman *nd introduced the lecturer. Rev. Mr Isitt, after opening the question as to the efficiency of the prohibition iv Clutha, and ita beneficial results, went on to say that both were abundantly proved by a eheaf of letters he had received from men of standing in the Clutha electorate, all of which with one exception were o^en to iuspec ion by the tvud eace. The exception was a letter from a gentleman holding an < ffioial position who did not desire his name to be divulged. The writers had been from thirteen to thirty-nine yeara resident iv the piita of the electorate they wrote from, and I had every opportunity of knowing what I they were wriiiog about. The lecturer then I went on to refer to the attitude assumed by I the press towards prohibition, and pointed I out that all reformers had been called | fanatic in their day. Cromwell was a I fanatics in his day, but 300 years after his I time he was called a reformer. The re- I formers of 1831 who clamored for an exten- I sion of the franchise were called fanatics by I their opponents at the time, and had actually j had the soldiers turned upon them; press I and i eople called everybody fanatics who j enthusiastically took up a new movement. j Both Cobden and Bright were so styled when I advocating the reforms which were accom- I plished, and by which the people of Great j Britain are profiting to-day. When Wen -1 dell Pbilipps oast in his lob with what were I then called the misguided women who were j agitating for freedom for the slaves, some of I hia own family aotually questioned his I sanity; and even Lord Shaftesbury had to complain of the not always merely passive resistance that; was offered to him by the headers of the church. And if they gob I away back to the first and greatest reformer I they would find that even his own brothers I said "he was beside himself." There was Ino reformer yet who had not met with 1 epithet and Boom. Prohibitionists were extremists, but they were logical. They I believed that the ttaffio was a great evil, and I they worked to suppress it. Bismarck was I hlive to the evils of drunkenness, but he, for I the honor of Germany swallowed so mightiy I a draught from a two-handled mug at a \ Southwark brewery, that he had to wait for I an hour on London bridge till the viaduct | ceased whirling round and round. But no {policeman ran him in» Beaconsfield said { drink and the trade in it was the curse of I the country ; but he did nothing to suppress I it. And Gladstone had also lent his power { ful condemnation to it by saying that it was a greater destroyer than either war or pestilence; but he, too, did nothing to check the work of destruction it was carrying on. Roßebery said it had throttled the common" wealth, and Chamberlain had said it ruined one in every twenty; yet both were content to let the throttling and the ruin go on, and neither had done anything to stop the evil. In this colony we had seven and a half miles of drunkards, if they were all set up shoulder to shoulder. The last and the present Aroh biahops of Canterbury were both opposed to the drink traffic. The military leaders were opposed to liquor for the use of soldiers, and the American authorities had forbidden its use in both army and navy, and banished it from both camp and ship, and if it was not good for those soldiers and sailors, neither could it be good for the working men of this colony. The lecturer then went to say that the southern portion of our colony was the moat drunken. He gave offence on several occasions in the south when he hud said this, but he quoted instances in which the offended oneß had found out by the evidence* of their own senses thafr his statements were only too true. There was not a town in the colony but fancied itself the most sober in the colony. He supposed that even Ashburton had that opinion of itself. (A voice-So it is !) Wall, last year sixty people had been convicted of drunkenness, and thia year there had been sixty convictions already. Tha speaker then went on to say that from 1871 to 1874 he had lived in the Clutha district. He was quite prepared to say that at that time there was no more drunken little town in the colooy. He had buried drink's victims there only too often, aad a publican bad remarked that the river was a great trap to many men. He replied that they were caught in a trap before they reached the river. Proceeding to quote from the letters he had referred to at the opening he instanced the editor of the Clutha Leader^ who had lived in the locality many years, and wrote that under no-license crime decreased till it was almost non existent. The police report before the Commission showed that during 4£ years before no-license in Clutha there had been 179 convictions for drunkenness, buo during the 4£ years under no-Hcense the number had dwindled down to eight; and the police say that six of these came drunk across the border. The difference was also very marked along the whole range of crime and offence with which the police were called upon to deal, but the total during the 44 years before no-Hcense had amounted to 340, as against 94 during the 4* years of no license, and of course those 94 included all such offences as were in no way connected with liquor, as a roan need not be the worse of liquor to ride a bicycle without a light; but they did not include the convictions for sly-grog selling. Ashburton had rather a smaller population than Clutha. The figures were 9814 as against 8105; yet against Ashburton's 60 oonvictions for drunkenness Clutha could only show twoj and for Ashburton's 111 other convictions Clutha showed but 11. And there had not been committed in Clutha in 1898 what the law looked upon aa a crime. How waß the steadily decreasing crime in the prohibited districts to be accounted for when no such decrease was to be noted anywhere else \ He then quoted Dr Abbott's account of how co license was granted in that cleryman's district, and paid that the charge! that private drinking had taken tha plaoe of public drinking was a libel, beoausl if the drinking was as great as ever it hafl been by means of the private drinking, hfl asked where was the crime? And ta question for 1899 would be not license orM license, bat crime or no crime. Quoting U Mayor of Tapanui, he said no licensees undoubtedly proved beneficial to the w of the community, and commercial prosc^ky had increased. The Mayor's own bujKss had increased, and the bad debt^Kad decreased in a marked degree. Theflfwai some drinking no doubt, but the bo^prere no longer snared, and the grown ucflople, the parents, seeing this, had decijH that no-Hcense had come to stay. storekeeper had found a steady aSpc? in business, and had bad to extend hia^Pmises, ■ and 1898 had been his best ]•• The lecturer then gave the experierM of two 1 gentlemen at Owaka before no Hoße- The hotel at Owaka one pay night w«he scene of terrible orgies, but since BoJvnse had wiped out the drink trade t^lpoverty atriGken brawlers had becomMwell-to-do people. Much of this kind^J evidence in favor of no-license was and after a filip at the May^of Christ church for bribing a B^M\ boy in Kansas to buy him a flask and bringing that flask over her^Bo show how 1 prohibition did not prohibitive went on to say that when any brokenflbn scallywag came up from Olutha anMaid there was i more drinking than ever j^Pre the editors | jumped at him, but the^Hid not readily accept the evidence of re^Htable men such as a storekeeper whom b^Koted, as saying | that there was seventy less drinking now than under licen^Vand that whereas ■ seven hogsheads of be^Va month used to come to his township o^B a few small casks I came for private indlv^Hals,' and they were ashamed to have the addressed to them in their own natn^B After a tribute^ to sterling integrity oj^He Scotch Ministers and elders in the dj^Hcts prohibited, who bore testimony tcs^Be great reformation effected by no HceojHbe quoted the further evidence in the jHf c direction of three teachers, aad aftejKne further evidence he dwelt on the crefHbg glory of the move ment which weJHat the youth were not I ensnared and nolens drunkards were being manufactured. —VjUr combatting the state ment that busi^Vhad fallen off, he painted a dark pictur^BJ the class of people who carried on the^BMr rO g business, and a still darker one offlVf business itself, and went on to say tha>AV/ a dvocated the sending of a man conviot«^^Billicit liquor selling for a second timeflp ft jght to gaol without the option of AJv: After * reference to »regent

. death in gaol, ha went; on to say th*t the 1 worst form of license of all was that given to ! Clubs, and asked that these should l>e pat in ■ the same category as public houses, especially I working men's clubs. He twitted the local 1 club with having spmt £800 one year on j liquor and only £32 on literature, and complimented Rev. Mr Woodihorpe en hie reoenl; outspoken eermon regarding that institution. He honored Mr Woodthorpe for his straight-forwardness, and pave an article in this paper as his authority for say ing that the open bur of the Club on Sunday nights was a temptation to the young men. tie pointed out that the races from which the Angle-Saxon had sprung hud ail been drunkards—that ours wjs a nation steeped in alcohol for ceuturieß, and that tha property of alcohol for creating a desire for i Belf was too dangerous to play wih. The Com missioner of Lun»cy had said that lunacy was increasing so much in Britain, that if tho rate of increase were maintained fifty years would see half the population insane, and to the rapid increase of lunacy he assigned as a cause this great curse of alcohol, and with it the British people were playing aa with a daDger far greater to sde'ety than wai dynamite to human life. The noblest of the Queen's sons — now dead—had said that England had bub one foe to fear aud that was strong drink. There were the already mentioned seven and a half miles of New Zealand drunkards, but who could recount: the woes of the sorrow-stricken ones behind them in wives and mothers and children. There were amongst the victims of drink men who might have been giants of intelleot and patterns of morality, and the lecturer closed with many instances of the noblest and best who had gone down before the blasting iniuence of this fell destroyer. The lecturer invited questions but only one was asked, to which he replied that he had no intention of abolishing Clubs—only the liquor trade in them, and felt that it should be the people's duty to provide healthy recreation for the young to take the place of the unhealthy surroundings of the drink traffic. The following resolutions were proposed and carried without dissent, but not much mote than half the people in the hall voted : •1. " That this meeting is of opinion that it Is imperative that an amendment to the Electoral Act should be made during the i forthcoming Seesion, providing for the appointment of Scrutineers at the Local Opbion Poll j also that steps should be taken to ueoure a fair poll and a clean count, by the appointment of trustworthy and com petent persons to act as polling clerks." 2. " That this meeting affi ms :— (a) Tho people's right to determine upon the fate of j the Liquor Traffic at a Colonial as well as a Local Option Poll; {b) That all forms of License (Brewers', Wholesale, and Club), should be submitted to the popular vote." S. " That this meeting asks that Sly-Grog Sellers, on a second conviction, should be subjected to imprisonment, without) the option of a fine."

AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY.

Under the heading of " A Scandal and a Mystery," she Times publishes the following : A jmoßt extraordinary atory has reached our ears of the treatment to which* one of our Victoria University professors jjaa been subjected since his arrival in this «lony. It is hard to conceive how pereoaaSliatred or political malice could be carried father than in the story which we are about!to relate, Am is well-known, when the apnfintment of Mr Hugh M'Kenzie aa a lecture! ab the uni versity w&a recorded, some j«rnals, who are only too anxious.to find poll;ic>»l reasons for everything, attacked it as Aolitiual job, taking as their premises th« unfortunate fact that Mr Hugh M'KeDzieJuappens to be the half-brother of Mr Jma M'Kenzie, Minister of Lande. Somaenemy of the family saved up these pen* a linings, and when, several months JTfterwards, Mr M'Kenzie arrived in the -colony, forwarded them on to him, accompanied by a series of anonymous letters, couched in inßulting and threatening terms. The immediate result was to set the professor' a-worrying to such an extent thac he worked himself into a state of nervous prostration, and when he was thus indisposed en attack was made upon him at his own gate by a band of roughs a night op two previous to hiß inau gural lecture. This upset him to such an extent that he haff^to call in medical assis tance and take toMia bed There seems to have been no conmstioa between the anony mous letters and fte assault, but the whole thing must be A painful and regrettable to the communijjas to Mr M'Keozie him self, It is hardKo conceive what sort of a man it is who# would deliberately inflict wounds of this fltnd on an unobtrusive man, whose life has seen a quiet and uneventful one, spent faf from the madding crowd, and altogethfl isolated from political in trigue and fomentations. It seems highly improbable »b the professor would have ever come m this colony had he imagined either tha»is appointment had been ob tained threSh political meant, or that there was any gflticion of political influence at taching tjK We are very glad to hear that Mr —KLenzie is recovering from his in disposltijVand when he does bo it will surely bo to refS by performance the calumnies of the er,# lies of his family, who have in bo datesUlj*'a way vented their vengeance. The Mfiltelton Times commenting on the above ■ kes the astounding assertion that th«O»sition journals who have so per sistetM attacked the Premier and the Mini** 1 of Lands are directly responsible for tKabove outrage.

SPORTING.

ifiDRTR CANTERBURY MEETING. Waited Press Association—By Electric \Mk Telegraph. V Chbistchubch, May 4 ■ The following are result* :— ■ Winter Oais, 25 boys, 1 mile,—Female ■franchise 1, Lapidary 2, Hickory 3. Al ice stii also started' Dividend—£llßs» District Welter, 25 boys, 1 mile—Ban ner 1, Camel 2, Crusader 3. Dividend—£2o 2s. A protest against the winner was dis missed. N.C.J.O. Handicap, 45.soys, 1£ mile— Paladin 1, Rangefinder 2, Starshot 3. Huku, and Skirmisher also started. Dividend— £116s. Ashley Tkot.—Rio Grande, I. Divi dend—£l6 Ba. Rahgiora Welter, 30 soys, 7 furlongs— Strathnairn 1, Jib 2, Speculator 3. Bloomer, Bold, Hickory, and Pensioner, alac started. Dividend—£llßs. Novel—Lepsmto 1< All started. Divi dend—£l 6s. Loburh Trot—Day Star 1. Dividend— £'4 16a. Flying Handicap, 30 soys, 5 furiongs— Rochester 1, Bz*rre 2, Nantes 3. Female Franchise, Lapidary, and Crusader, also started. Dividend—£3 6a. - At the above meeting, T. W. Cctton, junr. rode thrae winners in succession,—Lepanto, Strathnairn, and Rochester.

THE PHILIPPINES.

Hotbed Preaa Association—By .Eleotrlo Telegraph—Copyright Manilla, May A The Americana have captured Baliuat and other villages. The Filipinos lost heavily. Washington. May 4 The war in the Philippines has already cost America three hundred million dollars (about sixty million pounds sterling. Received Wakapuaka May 5,10 a.m, Guardian Office 11-12 a-m Sydney, May 5 Eastern files state that Spanish authorities are suspected of treacher ously handing the gunboats purchased ; from them by the Americans to the i Filipinos, who removed the guns and ammunition,

ROAD DISTRICT RATEPAYERS MEETINGS.

wakanui. At the meeting of the Wakanui Road Board held y'eaterday, there weie present Messrs P, Stewart (cb-iirman), J. Cochrane, A. Hi AyrtoD^ and J. Lioyd \ ANNUAL EEFORT The annual report and baUcoa sheet for the year ending M&rch 31, 1899, were considered, and adopted far presentation aC the annual jhneeting of ratepayers. The Chairman tnanked the members of the Board for the very courteous way id winch they had, assisted him iv carrying ou the work during the past year. The Bntrd adjourned, and the annual MEIITING OF BAMPAYISBS I was held. There was only a small attend' auce, those present in addition to the members of- the Board being Messrs D. Fiizjerald, 0. Leddy, M. Wilson, and T. Gairns Mr P. fcjtewarb presided, ANNUAL REPORT AND BALANCE 6HBET. 1 lie annual reporb and balance aheeb were read by the Chairman as follows:—New formation in various parts of the district), about three hundred and eighteen chains, at a ccst of £26; shingling about one hundred|and eighty-seven chains, ab a ooab of £142. We have also picked the big atones off about bwo-hundred and twenty chains in No. 3 Ward. We have also had a level crossing for the convenience of settlers pat across the line near Chertsey ab a coat of £10; bridge over the mill race on the Wakanui road redecked and concrete pipe culverts on Lotham'a road and Miibon roai« On the last mentioned Mr John Harrison contributed one-half the cost of the pipes. All the gravel reserves within the district have had the fences attended v tp, all gorae grubbed, and khey are now in gaod order. Ashburton Pound—Some short time ago we were appro»«hed by the Aehburton Borough Council to contribute a small sum annually towards the maintenance of the Pound. After giving the matter due consideration, the Board, recognising the necessity of the Pound, decided to contribute £2 10s for the year. This, of course, does not bind our successors in any way. Wakanui Creek:—As you are aware, this matter has beet, before the Board for a long time, and some time ago the ratepayers at a special meeting authorised to Board to take steps to contribute towards the bridges over the creek, or stop the water. Due notice ' was served on the millowers and the County Council of the Board's intention to take such steps as weie necessary in the matter, bub before the expiration of the time of the notice given the Council, the Borough Council, and the mill owners, came to loggerheads over the water question, and this Board, after consideration, decided to wait and see what the result would be, rather than rush into legal expenses, and it) was fortunate that we did so, as the out come of the matter is that the Council has obtained the sole control of the creek, from the river to the South road, and we under stand that it is a question for the ratepayers interested to say whether the Council will control the creek from that point to the sea. Id the meantime something has to be done with regard to the bridges and fords over the creek. After long consideration it was found that these bridges could be constructed on a much cheaper and in quite as efficient ■way by constructing concrete pipes, the Board providing all material and having the work done on the Board's premises. This was done at about half the cost of the original proposal* The solid bridges were estimated to cost about £85 each, and as we erected five, this would have cest £425, while the concrete pipes have been finished ab a total cost of £210. and we think these brides will meet all the calls that are made on them. The County Council agreed to contribute 412 10s each to two bridges, but we have erected five, we have asked the Oouncil to contribute the same amount to the five. This matter has been left to the Engineer to report to the next meeting of the Council, and we have no doubt a favorable reply will be received. We bave no doubb the ratepayers will endorse the Board's action with regard to this matter. Water race crossings,—Two years ago this Board ab the request of the County CoubcU took over the maintenance of water race crossings at a fixed sum, and this work has been faithfully carried out by this Board, but owing to the fact that the Board has no power outside the road boundaries the work has not been satisfactory, owing to the race over-growing with vegetation and so blocking the water back on the road, and in a good many instances causing the water to overflow and run down the sides of road, and until some better system of super vision is found this will always form a bone of contention between the Road Board and the Counby Council. In consequence of some remarks made at the last meeting of Council ib was decided to hand the water race crossings back to bhe Council for their own supervision. Birds' heads and eggs.—Owing to the Council discontinuing the subsidy of one shilling per hundred and substituting four shillings per hundred for heada only, and the various town boards refusing to contri bute anything at all the various road boards were much later in taking any action this year. The Counby Council however reverted to the old system at the commencement of the year, and the cost to the Wakanui Road District is small this year in comparison with other years—being only £30. It is to be hoped, however, -that some more united way of dealing with this nuisance will be found* Maintenance of roads.—Notwithstanding the very heavy traffic the roads have had to sustain during the last four months the roads are in a fairly good order. Ib was early recognised by the Board that some special efforts would have to be made to cope with the heavy traffic, and the arrangements made have been as satisfactory as could be expected. ' <, . MNANCH. ' We have to congratulate the district on the satisfactory state of the finances. Ib was was early seen that the amount to the credit of No 2 ward was such as made it) unnecessary bo strike a rate for the past year, and not withstanding the heavy calls made on this ward there is still a substantial sum to its credib. No 3 is also in a satis* factory state, and when the rates are all paid and the Government subsidy obtained it will be in credit. The balance-sheet showed an income of £990 7s lid; expenditure, £761 17s 9d; leaving a credit balance at bank of £228 10a 2d. Mr D. Fitzgerald took exception to two ibema on the balance-sheet, one an item of £3 odd for travelling expenses and luncheons the other being a bonus of £.10 to the Clerk to the Board. The Chairman said with regard to the first there was nothing unusual about it. The bonus had been granted to the Clerk for extra duties undertaken in connection with fords, &.c. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. Mr M. Wilson said farmers on the River side road had to go a deal out of their vay to gat to Ashburton since the wash-out of por tion of the road, and thought the Board should take steps to connect the road again by forming a new piece." Mr D. Fitzgerald also spoke on the subject. The Chairman said he had been over the ground with other members of the Board, and had come to the conclusion that the cost of remedyingthe inconvenience would be moie than the Board would be warranted in in curring without the special sanction of the ratepayers, There being no other business before the meeting, ib was adjourned till the balance sheet had been audited by the Government auditor. * A vote of thanks to toe Chairman and members of the Board for their services during the pisb year, was unanimously accorded. The Chairman acknowledged the qompu mAn hand the nrnoeedinffß terminated.

THE TRANSVAAL.

United Presa Association—By Eleotrie Telegraph—Copyright (Received Wakapuaka May 5, 9-35 »-m. . Guabdian Office, 10-18 a-m) London, May 4 Fourteen meetings held in Britain support the Transvaal Oufclandera petition to tke Queen. Twenty-one thousand signed the petition,

THB ASUBUKTON GtJARDIAK, FRIDAY, MAY 5, 1899



For Children's Hacking Cough tfcke Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, 1/6 and 2/6. a



Mesirs Friedlander Bros, Limited, at West Street Marc, at 1,30 -8-»l« of Messrs Ojbaviua and James Digby'i tub rban farmp and town properly; al'o the Marauui qstate, Westetfield, of 3802 acres 5 n 1 Mrs 'K. A. Brooko'a town property, snimed at the corner of Bamett and William streets. Mr David Thomas, at the Arcade, at 1 45 —Sa'<e «i >.rown draught Btal!ion t syrs, by Salisbu; y b Pride, dam Violet; bred by ilessra Philip Bros., Auckland.



I Auction Sales-To-morrow. ]



HENRY STEPHENSON, (successor to Alfred Harrison. ) Established 20 years. AUCTIONEER, LAND JSBTAIE AND COMMISSION AGENT AND VALUER WEEKLY SALES of Live Stock Produce, Furniture, etc., EVERY SATURDAY, at 12 o'clock. Clearing Bales of Stock, Household Furni ture, eto., as per arrangement, in any part of the oounty. Advances made on Goods placed in my ttands for Sale* Regular Consignment of Colonial Grown and latouii Fruit sold privately through the week, and at Auction on SATURDAYS. AUKSIJ Norwich Onion Fire Insurance Company & Dresden Pianoforte Manufacturing and Agency Company. PIANOS and ORGANS on time pay Amenta from &s©» per month. HENRY STEPHENSON, AUCTIONEER ? rledlanaer Bros.. Umited. MR PETER STEWART'S FARMS WAKANUI. NOT having disposed of these Properties by Auction, we are now prepared to receive offers for them, either as a whole or part, and would ask intending purchas rs to communicate with us. FRIEDLANDER BROS., Limited. Land and Estate Agents. "VTOT HAVING DISPOSED OF MR W. H.* RULE'S I PENDARVES PROPERTY By Auotion,; i We are prepared to TRIAT PRIYATEL* for nm«< FRIEDLANDER BROS., Lld. GRAIN ■SHIPMENTS TO L 0 N_D O N . WE beg to intimate to our numerous Clients that we have made special arrange ments for the SHIPMENT OF WHtoAT & OATS on owners' account during the present season. We are in a position to offer freight by Sailers and Steamers at lowest rates current, and consignments submitted to our care will receive our London representative's personal atten tention. * We are prepared to make Liberal Cash Advances against shipments placed in our hands for. sale, Free of Commission and Interest, and our experience in the Grain and Produce Trade is sufficient guarantee that any business entrusted to us will be well looked after It is anticipated that all the available shipping space will be required this season, ! and early application will there fore be necessary. Friedlander Bros. Ld t> TENDERS. miNDERS are invited for the lease of X two years' grazing ot fifty-eighb acres of the Tinwald Domain, on the northwest side of the Mount Somers railway line. Tendon addressed to the undersigned close on SATURDAY NEXT. The lowest or any tender nob necessarily accepted. 32 E. GATES, Chairmam T¥TE ARE CASH BUYERS OF FAT SHEEP AND LAMBS AT HIGHEST MABKEr RATES. NICOLL BROS., East Street, Ashbarton. AN OPEN LETTEB, Christchurch, April 26£1899. To Messrs Northcote and Ilefford, " The Comer," Ashburton. In the Estate of Wm; Hedley Collier. Gentlemen, — / am directed by the Public Trustee to accept your offer for the Book Debts herein. J. J. M. Hamilton; District Agent of the Public Trustee,} jf 8.-—ln refereLce to the above, the purchasers request a settlement of ALL ACCOUNTS owing to W. H. Collier's Estate WITHIN FOURTEEN (14) DAYS FROM DATE. NORTHOOTE & HEFFORD, ••THE CORNER." April 27, 1899 4 252 A Pretty Child, accompanied by her mother, entered a third-class compartment at Westminster-bridge Station the other day. All eyes were turned upon her. She was poorly dressed, but wondruusly pretty. Although, as afterwards transpired, a town bred child, the glow of health was in he cheeks. And, after all, the basiß of beauty is health. Some passenger complimented the mother on the appearance of the child., The woman's reply was instructive. •• Well, \ you see, ma'am, I believe in looking after \ the health of my children, and then 1 find their looks can take care of themselves; I keep Holloway's Pills and Ointment always in the house, and neither I nor my children hare ever wasted any other medicine,"



Mfiy CARTRIDGES GrUNS °fallKmm flßflßfivrali 1b o Largest Stock and Lowest Prices JOHN ORR AND CO, LAMPS - LAMPS - LAMPS abOVER fZ(\f) LAMPS 01 VARIOUS KINDS TO SELECT FROM. Prices from NINE PENCE NINE POUNDS. Oar Table £»«"<•»' 2*.6! 3s. 3s 6d are wonderfui value Hanging Lamps from 3s 6d to ±»j. Hand Lamps foi next to aothmg. JOHN ORR AND CO. EOHSE CLIPPERS PLOUGH SH&KES /f VI BABB PMIN HORSE COVERS jU FENCING WIRE M ' Wl SHEEP NETTING PLOUGH CHAINS jral • Ml JOHN ORR AND CO, SCOTT'S, SHACKLOCK'3, & STOBBIBa'S RANGES ALWAYS IN STOCK. OVER 30 DIFFERENT PATTERNS en be shown to Intending P«ch«Bers. REGISTER GRATES, COOKING & HEATING STOVES, Em Fenders, Fire Irons, Braaa Carbs, Coal Vobbs jart opened up. Beheads and Beddiag. JOHN ORR AND CO. TAYLOR'S CUTLERY WIfKfSS , ASHBURY'S ELECTRO-PLATE * WE are the only importers of these goods in Ashburton dealing direct with the Mftnofoolurew and cau therefore give the very best value. WE have some socially fine good ß in Cutlery and Elecbrcpiate B«itable for presentations of all kinds. JOHN ORR & CO. i -SILVER KISG," " AOtTELYKE," "BiMNBB," "20th CEUTORT,' " PBRFKOTIOH," " SK IECHLIGHT,' 1 and aU the Latest and Besl In BICYCLE LAMPS JOHN ORR & CO., ASHBURTON,



CHURCH SERVICES, : CJT. STEPHEN'S CHURCH. jj^ Aahburton. FRIDAY, 7.15 n m , Eveni. « Ptuyer and iiddreßi; 8 p.m. Choir Pi-houob. 6th SUNDAY XpTBR EASTER, (May 7ih) 11 am—Matin*, Holy Communion and Sermon 8 p m-fcßerviee at Greeuetreefc 6.&0 p m—u,vf>»tog P.aye>- and Sermon R. A. WOOWHURP.M, M & , Vurar. KRilMi-., . .'■■'■— F FERRIM -N ORIENT LIN^J OF ROYAL MAIL BTKAMRRS. The following Royal Mall Steamship be'oi'siag to the Orient and Faoifi* Oompmiw will leave Sydney on Saturday, at I'p.m, and Melbourne on Tuesday v' 1 30 p.m. «b under for London (Tilbury), vis Ad«lai<le, Albany, Colombo (Transhippini for all Indian ports), Suez 'Janal, Marseille* Naplei, and Gibraltar :— _. Tone I From j From From SteMiw* Reg i Sydlie y M e ib'ne Adeiaidi Orotava 5857 May 13 May 16 May 18 Orisab* 6297 May 27 May 30 June 1 Oioya 6297 Jane 10 June 13 June 16 ' ~ And fortnightly thereafter. • Calling at Maraeilles. FARES-NEW ZEALAND TO LONDOI SALOON ... .- THIRD CLASS .. £1616 3 ,£1818a&£2 Fir ß t and Becond Claßß Passengers seonr tpecial advantage., by booking through fro N«w Zealand, feeing provided with Saloo Pat»a«e. to AostwHa whioh are included ii the above fares. Paesageß can be booked to or prepaid fror «iy of the above port?. For further particulars apply to F. FBKtiIMAN, AGENT FOR| tfuioa Steamship Oompany of New Zealand jLimited.l Agents in New Zealand. FOX SALE CAKTBR'S TBBB\OK, TINWALD. 1 hive for sale a well built house of! rooms together with 5 acres of iii-Bt-clah land (freehold), and 5 acres leasehold There is a'aoa good stable and traphonae This property in well worthy of ai inspection. f FERRI^AN# FOX SALS, A BARGAIN. Town Sections 914, 995, 1001, Jlllß euutßinln ß onn acre, to Ira sold either a a whole or in J «era secti tjr. Fail particulars on appU aiion. 4 F. FF.BRIMAN, *~'C FOR BALE, • "' \ «•,. a Town rtoporty in an improvin: portion- Well lv- aid yi«ldin« a goo. flit, ma on ilie caputtl-squired to put chase the freehold. . Full imrticu'iiia on upplicaUoii. F. FrfRBIMAN. FOX SALE, TOWIS SEOTIOSS in WILL > >TJR*£fc.T I hive {<>r sale two Si-ctionn in Will, street, good.i-i o aud ntar the Dom*in. F. FERRIMAN. FOE SALE, Town' Section 663 fenced and spiendh ■°11' F. FERRTMAN. FOX SALS, PIRPETUAL] LEASE OF TWB'NTC ACR ri:s. I "havrt for sale iho interest in i Perpetual Lease, of 20 acres situated nea the Freezing Works, upon which I erected a small hoase, stable, etc Thi land is well watered and subdivided par of which ia carrying a good crop o tUra!pß' F. FF.RRIMAN. FOR SALE. Feveril safes by firat-'elass makers. F. FBRRTMAN. FOE BALE, ALFORD FOREST ROAD. Lob 3, containing 1 rood, A reasonably price will be accepted as the owner i determined to quit. F. FEKRIMAN. ~~ SMITHS Premier Wheat Dressing OUR New Season's Supply of thie Dressing haa now arrived, and its ever increasing sale each year proves its popularity) IT IS A THOROUGH SMUT PRE TENTATIVE- It is ea»y to ase, dissolving in cold water. Io hastens instead of retarding germination, and ia very much cheaper than any other dreeing—ls !>©*" pacUe*. Sufficient for 20 bushels of seed. Ashburton Drug Co, Ltd, WHOLESALE & RETAIL AGENTS. 5 11 r— *-■■ ] " For Bronchial Coughs take Woods Great $»eppennißt Cure, 1/6 and 2/6.