EPHEMERIS

SUN.

Phases of the Moon for December.

Mining.

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph. Dunedin, Deo. 11 To-day's sales—Junction Electric 11s 6d, North Beach 225.

Commercial.

London Markets.

London, December 9 I The quantity of wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom is 2,155,000 quar ters, and for the Continent 1,400,000 quarters. i

Australian Markets.

Sydney, D cc. 10 ' Wheat — 6s 3d, New Zealand chick, 6s. Flour —£11 10s per ton; Manitoban £12 5s per ton. Oats — Feeding N.Z., and Tasmanian prime 3s 9d to 3s lOd; Algerian, 3s 7d to 3s Bd. Barley, New Zealand feeding, 4s 6d ; milling, 4s 9d to 5s j Californian, 4s 4d. ; Peas, blue, 10s. I Maize, prime, 5s 6d to 5s 9d, Argentine j 4s lOd. Bran —Is 9^d Pollard-2s Potatoes—£ll to £12 5s per ton; New Zealand Derwents .£8 10s to <£9 per ton. Onions—£4 to .£5 10s, Victorian, .£3 10s to M. Butter—Prime, 10£ dto ll^d , Bacon—lid to Is 2d i Melbourne, Deo, 10 Wheat—ss 7d to 5s Bd, new 5s 6d. '■ Flour-Xll 15s to £1.2 per ton. ! Oats—Algerian, 3s 5d to 3s fid, milling 3s 7d. " , Barley—Feeding, 4s 2d to 4s 4d, Malting 4s lOd to 5s 3d i Maize—4s lOd to 4s lid. , j Bran—ls 7d i Pollard—ls 9d Potatoes — New £8 to £9 per ton Adelaide, Dec. 10 | Wheat-5s 2d. j Flour—.£lo 15s to £11 per ton j Bran—ls 9d i Pollard—ls 9d

Geraldine Live Stock Sale.

(From our own cor.resppn.c}entj

There was a good attendance at the Geraldine yards yesterday and a booming salp, t]?pro being a keen demand fo,r all j fclasse? of scQgk. There was a large' entry ! of sheep and the prices realised were :— ; Fat wethers 15s to 17s 0d ; 4 and G-tpoph wethers and maiden ewes (fat) 17s, 17s 6d . to IDs 2d; fat ewes 13s lOd, 13s, 13s sd, 14s, 14s 2d, 15s 6dtolGs 9d; 2-tooth wethpis and maiden eves 13s 3d to Us 3d ; ewes and lambs (all counted) 7s, 7s 9d, 11% to JLls .sc<; broken mouth ewes and lambs (ail ' counted) 8a pi \ forward i-bred wethers 12s 3d to 14s yd; f-bj.'sd hoggets, _ 10s to Ite ; 4 and G-tooth wethers, 15s )d ; two-tooths 13s 3d. There was an entry of . about 30 he id of cattle. Fat cows brought £8 23 6d; Jersey cow £7 ss; strawberry cow, £7 ; cow in profit £6, £ » 10s to £7 ; . ptfigrs, £Q 2s 6d ; springers, £6 10s to £7. j There .w#3 % small entry of pigs and a big I damandi "Weaneru m^,df3 \os <3c?, X4s 6d, and . Iss6d,thg dearest pjgs evpr spld iv the j yards. A poor sample of potatoes made as high as ds (3d a sack. .

Burnside Stock Market.

United Press Association-By Electric Telegraph, f Dunedin, December 10 ' Fat Cattle—lß3 wore penned, and | prices were ruling slightly lower than last week's rates. Host bullocks fetched £',0 10s to £12 103, medium to .£lO ss, | best cows and heifers 10s to £10 ss, medium £7 to £8 ss. Sheep -2578 were yarded, prices ruling about the same as last week. Wethers in wool fetched 22s Gd, shorn 19s to 21s 9d, medium 16s to 18s 6d, ewes in wool 21s 6d, shorn 19s to 22s M, medium 16s to 18s. Lambs—soo were penned, prices ruling about the sam& as last wepk. Best brought 14s to 15s 3d, medium to good Us to 13s 6d, others 9a to 10s 6d. Pigs—l 26 were yarded, all sorts being very dear. Suckers fetched 11s to 21s, slips, 22s to 255, stores 26s to 30s, porkers 34s to 425, baconers 47s to 665, heavy pigs 70s to 6 V,

Addington Live Stock Market.

Per Press Association —By Electric Telegraph (Opi4ifiT,«i?uzyjH:, Dec. 9 Cattle.—At Addington to-duy the fat cattle entry totalled 203, mostly cow "beef, with a few prime heifers and steers. The market opened easier, and late rates were barely ißatntainoci, beef ruling 28s to 32s Gd per 1001b. Best steers brought ,210 to <£12 15s, others .CO 12s Gd to .£9 lOs ; best heifers £9 to £12 ss; others £5 15s to £8 10s. best cows £S to Jjy 15s, others £5 5s to £1 10s. Store cattle were a fair entry, and good useful sorts met with keen demand. Yearlings 3Ss' to ~\sta*, V. to ljj months old £2 7s 6d to £3 Os, steers £5 15s, heifers £4 2s 6d to £i 15s Od, three-year-old steers fyery forward) M 10-, heifers .£5 7s 6d to j65 Oa, dry coys £1 10s to £4, dairy cows 4 1 to .C'.-t fts,

S(iee)'.—The entpyoj: fat s^eep numbered 4800, some very prime shorn wethers and ewes coming forward, all of which sold well. A few woolly sheep wore in, and anything unfinished was not sg keenly sought after. Wethers in wool I.Bs to 21's 3d, extra prime shorn '24s Gd to 31s, freezers 17s to 20s 9d, lighter 15s (3d to ..6s &d, coolly ewes 15s to 20s 3d, shorn prime io'is'Os 3d, r'reezsva Ij3s to IBs Bd, others 12s 'f>di;o Iss, shoru;merino wetiirrs IS.s ,(?d. In fat lambs there was an'entry of 186(5,-wlfcli i good and improved sale for prime. Expoc^ per§ took 781 at 12s 8d to 16s 6d, butchers' '}Hd at iis fc*s Jsp 7d, and up to 1.6s 3d. The sfore sheep yarded totalled 4000. All classes }y'ere 'in "demand. 1 ' S,horii' wbph&vs r^aljSed ■)4s jLd to 16s, mixed two-tooth'B 11s lOd, JiOwg^ts I.os 6d to 11s 4d, woolly ewes' witVi iaii&s 7s #$ fQ »Je .?<3'.. shorn do.' 6s "Gd to Ills hd.. merino cwC= * 7itju ia^bj ,6s' 7d, all counted.

I'icis.—32o pigs were yarded, and fcher? was less competition for b^epners, which were mostly in backward eoudition, but porkers sold well, and stores, which were in short supply, wore in strong demand. isZL(isP£vz brought 4Os to 555, and up to Gsa for extra good, squgl to 43d per lb; porkers 28s to 395, equal to S^d per lb. Large stores "23J3 to 33s| smaller 14s to 20s, suckers 3.nd weanars 10s ,to 10s 6d.

Ashburton Guardian Magna Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1902. THE VETERINARY SURGEON QUESTION.

We are not surprised that members of the ' Committee of the Ashburton A. and P. As -1 sociation were surprised at the information ! supplied to them by Mr oilruth with re- S gard to the amount required to be guaran j teed before a veterinary surgeon would come , to practice in the Ashburton district. It will 1 be remembered that some months ago a ! guarantee of .£3OO was named by the chief veterinary surgeon as being probably suf ! ficient to induce a suitable man to oome forward, and this amount was accordingly guaranteed. Now however Mr Gilruth tells the Association that £400 must be pro mised before a gentleman now in Govern ment employ—who appears to be the only veterinary surgeon available—could see his way to come to this district. Without ven turing to discuss the question that seemed to puzzle some of the members of the Committee on Tuesday, as to why a veterinary surgeon should require _ a larger guarantee than a medical man, with a higher professional status, we think that the situation emphasises very strongly the need for immediate action in the direc tion of providing instruction in the veteri nary art for the benefit of the agricultural and pastoral community of this colony. We have pointed out in former articles that the absence of any satisfactory provision foi enabling young men in the farming districts to be trained in this important art, is n matter requiring the prompt attention ot the Government, and although Ministers have more than once promised to take action, nothing definite has yet been done. We hope that all the representatives of country constituencies will unite in bring ing pressure to bear in the proper quarter, so that scientific training in the veterinarj art may be placed within exsy reach of every farmer's son in New Zealand.

TOUTING AT ELECTIONS.

A writer in a contemporary a day or two ago complained of what he called " touting B.t elections." The term, as we usually under stand it.seems rather a rough one to apply to. the very estimable and enthusiastic gentle nien—and in some cases ladies—who are to be seen outside polling booths at election time, paying such polite attention to the electors as they come up to vote. But really there is no other word in the English language that so exactly meets the case as this word " tout." Webster defines it "to look out for, to wait for, to solicit." And is not this jirst what some of our esteemed fellow citizens did on the polling day ? At the library, especially, the extraordinary attention paid by certain persons in the crowd standing about the doors to every new arrival, was the subject of general amusemeut. Indeed so striking was this unusual affability that one lady was heard to ramark " Pity they don't keep this up." Seriously, however, while fully appreciating the beauty of politeness in a general way, we think there are functions which one can b§st discharge without assistance, anij-wi^h tegard to the§e, outside inter ference, and even gratuitous advice, be comes actual impertinence -if not some thing worse. Surely a legislature which passed the clause in the Electoral A,ct, prac tically penalising the publication of any thing likely to cause a candidate to Ipsp y.otes t-'he' fortnight' before an elep tion, ought to interdict any form of can vassing at the very doors of the polling booths, if it lie necessary to tell every e'ector his or her number on the roll before eutering the polling place, it would be a simple thing to appoint somebody to do this. The system which permits candidates for election or their Committeemen, and ijiinvasfcecs ia. epnuectipn wit]] thq Local Option'Poll,''on both sidi's,' £o 'interfere in any way with electors going to vote is cer tainly open to strong objection.

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

WEAT^iai^ Forbcast. — Cap^i^ Edwin wires :' —Moderate" to' strong winds from jjetween north and west and south-west j glass i'ifiG.

pKqp.Eiypy F. re, poit'e the sals of 3CQ acres oi iand, adjoinjng Messrs Brqck and Baxter's properties, Qea field. :

Accident. — Mr McDougall, who has been appointed shunter at the As^^ur^on Railway Statiqn in place of Mr Reid, trans ferred to. Lyttelton, met wjth an accident on Tuesday while engaged in his usual duties. He was uncoupling, some -trucks fj,nd in coining put on to the line was gtruck on ihe leg by t^e hornplates qf que. of the truqks, iqflictiug a nasty -syound. The injury was attended to by Dt.' Trevor, and Mr McDougall will be compelled to relin quish duty for a few days.

Death of an Inventor.—Mr John Biirraclough Fell, the inventor of the woll fctiowß Fe}l system for the ascent by rail ways of steep mountain 'gcadlenta, dfed in England recently at the mature age of 8 f years. Mr-Fell's system, by which the Kimutaka Ranges are crossed by the Wel lington and Masterton railway, was first used on the Mont Cenis line prior to the opening of the celebrated tunnel. The Ball systom iv al?o ip. use on the Canto &alld railway of Brazil. Mr Felt carried the first railway over the Alps, built the first railway in the Papal States of Italy, and placed the first steamer on Lake Windermere, in Westmoreland, the last dating just naif a century ago.

The Old Men's Hqme. - Some difficulty has been experienced in obtaining an gfficient water supply at the Old Men's Hom'fy wij.ioh haa never been satisfactory from the commencement of qocupatipri. A well has been sunk to a depth of about 2."> ft, and a pipe driven in. Although the water at first showed signs of keeping to a good level, it slowly diminished in quantity and experts were engaged to put matters j.fghfc. Their efforts did not ensure a por manoat supply, klip water, failing po keep up to expectations.' Mr A.' Gj/urh' has' i^ow been instructed to examine the well and see what can be done." It is quite probable t} f o wel| will have to b,e deepened and carried dawn jjpttl a good How is obtained.

Oanteiujury Fkokeu Mb at and Dairy I'Ropuf.'E ExroE/r Company, Limited. —The following report by the Chairman of Direc tors of tho Canterbury Farmers Meat and Dairy Produce Export Co., Ltd., will be presented at the annual meeting of the Company on December i7th: —After writing ■£30. OQ off the Works for wear and tear and (Jf3pmcig.ti.QH, ihc balance shept; and profit and logs aGCo«nt'foj?:tlifc year' pn4iug §Oth November last ukows a- ppofij; of ' 11s Bd. Of this suni :C3OOO wa3 distributed to the shareholders in June last as an interim dividend at the rate of four per cent., and tlie Directors now recommend a further dividend at the saree pate, making eight pov cent, for the'year. This "will leuve £690 'ljs 8d t6' carry forward to new awouh'K. It is'with Very deep regret that tfi© jMrcpiops; hav.e to a'eain report the lo3s of one of their number %''dca^, t];.e late Chairman, Mr "John Deans, having died duping "fcUp yrUjtev. 'Mr Deans was one of the promoters ot jbfis Compapy; and had boen a director since 18S9, and his toss was very keenly felt by th© other directors. Mr George Humphreys was elected to the Board to fill the vacancy, and Sir George Clifford jy.as appointed Chairman. Tbe totals of stock' slaughtered at the Com pany's Works are as follows : — 348,046 sheep, 514,131 1amb3,'1486 head of cattle, 1214'ptgs. ftfiifrh 86f/757 head, being an increase'of lf}s ? l£3 fceald pn the figures of the previous year. There is no doubt but that thesa figures wo^d haye been con siderably increased but for the delay id completing the additions atFairfleld, owing to the non-arrival of some of the material at the time expected, and to the shortness of the labour supply in some departments during portion of the busy season. Sir George Cli^#'d and Mr J. C. N. Grigg are the retiring Directors, afld, being eligible, offer themselves for re-election. Mr W. H. E. Wanklyn also offers himself for re-elec tion as auditor, i

The Local Option Poll.—The hearing . of the petition that the local option poll be declared void has been fixed to take place on Friday, December 19th, at 10.45 a.m. Ashbukton Hospital.—lt is expected that the new operating theatre at the Ash burton Hospital will be completed this • week, and that the rest of the additions | will be ready for use in about ten days. ! Daylight Pabade. — The Ashburton j Guards paraded in Wona Square on Mon- j day evening under Captain Clarke. Colo nel Bailey was present and Sergeant-Major Jones put the men through the new drill. The attendance was not as good as it usually is on such occasions. Shooting—The following team of the Ashburton Rifles will fire at Timaru against the Timaru Port Guai'ds on December 16th inst:—Sergt. Hefford, Sergt. Willers, Corpl. Leitch, Privates Hodgson, McElrea, Par sons, Potter, Tovey, Bright, Turner, W. Col lins, E. Childs, Bugler A. Hoskins. The team will leave by the 3.55 train on the loth. Combined School Sports.—The annual sports meeting of the Ashburton Combined School Sports Association will be beld on Tuesday next (Anniversary Day) in the Ashburton Domain. The day being a public holiday, and given fine weather, this meet ing should be well attended by parents, friends, and well wishers of the children. A vex-y attractive programme will be gone through, and there are big entries for each event. Sparrow Catching.— Mr O. Digby recently placed a sparrow trap made by Mr Willers, of Allenton, on his premises, and in two days it had caught 140 odd birds. If this is a fair average of what might be | done in this line it would appear that a fair living might be made out of trapping ; sparrows for use as a substitute for butcher's meat. They should surely be worth 6d a dozen. Personal.—Mr J. A. X. Eeidle, manager ; of the Dresden Piano Company, Dunedin;, is at present paying a visit to Ashburton. — Mr Owen and his son (Mr Llewellyn Owen) were entertained at a farewell gathering at Trinity Church, Christchurch on Tues day night, prior to their departure to the Old Country. During the evening Mr

Owen, sen., who has been deacon in the

church for over 20 years, was presented with a deck cliair. The Key. David Hird presided at the meeting.—" Press." A L;vb Citizen. —Captain Coleman is evidently alive to the fact that to enjoy this life, one must be up-to-date, and with per mitting circumstances, obtain all the ad vantages offered, one of which is a pleasant ride in a carriage or pony chaise. With this in view he has equipped his carriage with rubber tyres, the result being noise leas locomotion, added oomfort, and an ac knowledgement that the town is keeping pace with the larger cities.  A Bolt.—A littlu consternation was caused in Trevorton. this afternoon by the frantic screams of a young girl on horse back, whose equine was travelling far in ad vance of the regulation pace. Recognising that her steed was bolting and that all en deavours to stop him proved unavailing, she took the first opportunity of parting company, jumping from the saddle on to the side of the road unhurt. Wi£h fst less to carry the animal made good pace, but hisoareer was cut short at the parsonage corner by a good full back, who bailed him up without much difficulty. The young girl, who is a daughter of Mrs McKee, be yond being a liitle frightened, was none the worse for her adventure,

"VyEsriEYAN Baz;aa.k. —Our readers will notice in another column that a bazaar and gift sale will be held in the Baring Square Church grounds on Tuesday and Wednes day next, tho 16th aud 17th inst. Besides the bazaar there ?ill be refreshment, Rower, 'ollie, strawberry and cream stalls, together with a number of side shows. The grounds will be open in the afternoon from 2 to G, and in the evening fsom % to 10 ; the stall will be open all the time, taciles' are requested to send in all work, etc, to Mrs Fee or Mrs F. Steel not later than Monday next. A concert will -beheld each evening, and admission to the bazaar and concert-will be sixpence.

High Sohqo^ Scikqlahshim.—The results of the examination of candidates for the twelve scholarships offered by the High School Board to pupils of tho public schools five published in this issue. It will be seen that the! Borough, school h,as f^sMn oavried ofi the greater aum'bei 1., securing toil out of t'fie twelve] The other two were gained by the two candidates from the Elgin school, 1y})o were respectively third ? 4 vA fifth, a r& suit v.'hiph mnvt be highly gratifying, to the candidates and to thqir teacher (Mr A. H'unu'ibell.) Tho Eiffelton school (M^iss McGallan) had one representative, v^ha, was close upj anci l>aa a pro'spftcfc of securing one of the scholarships after the athletic scho- Lvrship has been awarded.

FjcijTcg.—The annual picnic o,f the Ash burton Presbyteriin'Sunday School took place at Mr Lamb's paddock, Elgiu, this, afternoon. Fine weather favoured the gathering, and large numbers of children filled the drags which left the Presbyterian Church at I o'clock and again at 1.45. Durjn«j the afternoon ra.ees \ygre run for substantial pr)£?s, and all sorts of outdoor games were entered into. The willows by the Wakanui creek, which runs through the paddock, afforded grateful shade fo -80111001 the older folks . Altogether the teachers must be congratulated oh having, given the children a most enjoyable ont ing.—Beautiful weather prevailed for the Ashburton tailors' usual picnic, which took place to-day at the Rakaia Gorge. A drag left Claridgo's stables this morning about b o'clock with a good load of picnickers, and rio doubt they will thoroughly enjoy thom selyW ''.

Sale ov Trout.—The fishermen's petition, to legalise the sale of trout caught in Lake Ellesmere, has been taken in hand by Mr R ; H. lthqc|e,s, M. If. R. ? member, of Elles; ln'e.re, ~w\\o will preset it personally to Sir Joseph Ward and tj]e premier, and will personally support the prayer, qf th,e peti tion. It has some GOO signatures attached, representing all clashes of society, and we trust the Government will agreo to lega lise the sale of trout, and thereby enable a food supply to be available, which is ur gently refiuired during tl;e summep months. In the petition, the nsh,ernien pray to be al lowed j:o catch trout within' a prescribed area, and sell under supervision^ and sug gest that these resttictiqng ba placed un der the police, supervision.' Capable con stables q,re stationed at the four ceptres right round the Lake, and there should be no uuwovkabla difjipiiity in tfreway.—SjUes mere " Guardian,"

HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS.

The following are fcho results of the Examination for the Scholarships offered by the Ashburton High School Board, held on December sth and 6th, 1902 :-

A Valuable Colonist.

It is of course generally known through out this country that Mr Edward Herring, the manager of the Alford Estate, has been absent from New Zealand for more than six months on an extended tour through the Old Country. He returned to Ashbur ton on Tuesday, and we regret to learn that he is not so well as his many friends would like him to be. Just before Mr Herring left for England in May last, a representa tive of this paper interviewed him, knowing the important part he had played in assist ing capitalists—both large and small—to turn to. New Zealand for their investments. Mr Herring courteously supplied our repre sentative with his note book, which briefly records his travels and observations made from day to day as he went along, including his notes made while going through .Aus tralia. This is a most interesting and in structive little book, and our representa tive recognising its value, and the kindness of Mi Herring in entrusting him with it for so long, has treasured it very carefully. . It is full of a lot of valuable information, chiefly referring to the quality of the inn'df throughout the colonies, espeqa^y in New Zealand, and the agricultura.l ajid pastoral methods of dealing w^th it nearly a quarter of a century ago. But to return to the in terview wi^h. Mr- Herring. We intended publishing an account of this shortly after he loft, but on consideration we thought the occasion of his return to this country would be a more suitable time to do so.

On the return home of Messrs Gfranfc and Poster, the Lincolnshire farmers' delegates, the Yorkshire farmers, hearing that Mr Herring was going to New Zealand to report onlat ge estates in the Amuri, asked him to examine the two Islands throughly and report to them what prospects, if any, there were for farmers with small capital settling there. Having been for several year 3 at the hciid of municipal affairs in a largo coal-mining centre in the \Yest Riding of Yorkshire, hundred?; af colliers signed a petition, th,&t Mr Herring would t ftpor.t to them on the coal mining in New Zealand and New South Wales. He landed at the Bluff in January, 1881, and left Auckland in June, having travelled °ver 000,0 miles in the meantime, visiting all the agricultural, pastqral^ an,d mining districts (coal and. gc}4,\» m.uph" tim.e being spent in Westland m the company of a well-known West Coaster "Little Billy Smith," of Hokttika. He valued, over half a million acres of land for banks, companies, and individuals iv Southland., Nwt^'Qtago, the Amuri. jfov?kes^ Bay, and Auckland province as far south as the King Country. Ke spent a night at Parihaka, whoa the !|ao.ri prisoners returned from Lyttelton and HakitiW gaols, and saw much of the Kingltes north of Taupo, receiving very kind attention everywhere. He had. a very high admiration for ou,r Maoyi brethren. So'in after this he was offered by the iate Mr Robert Rhodes the management uf his swamp properties in this county and decided to oettle in $*c Hawke's Bay district, On reaching Heine in August he w.as offered the management of tho Alford Forest Estate by Mr Gran,t, who had pur chased it for settling Lincolnshire farmers. Mr Herring agreed to put into, it over .£7OOO for only two years in order to gain Colonial experience for his projected farm ing in the North Island; "But the best laid schemes £,f men and mic^ gang aft agljvy,' 1 said Mr Herring., "■ twenty yearg of such" experience has tn»s?ht me *^a* the Colonial yuufchs who have gone through all the toil and routine of cultivation and shepherding are the mogfe fitted to heoome successful farmers. British farmers with capital I have consistently warned away from the first, but their sons, ploughmen and shepherds, have as good a chance of success here as the Colonials, if they will serve the same apprenticeship! They are in many ways preferable as farm hancjs, being less slovenly a^d 'wasteful ttanthe'Ccioni^VbpTß," Everybody in this district knows how successfully Mr Herring has managed the Alford Estate ever since he took charge of it, and what an admirable farmer he has proved himself to. hs ; Moreover, he has yalian ka active and influential interest in the affairs of the district which he had chosen for hi§ home, and it will be unani mously agreed that it was a fortunate thing for this county that Mr Herring did not elect to settle in the North Island as he at ono time intended. We-heartily welcome him home, and knowing his capacity for Observation, wfl hftpa' to, get from him ghostly some notes on his recent travels that should be interesting, especially to our co.untry readers,

THE LOCAL OPTION POLL

The recount of the Kaiapoi local option j poll shows that reduction was carried by IG-A votes and no-license was lost by 43. The votes were—Continuance 1601, reduc tion 2312, no license 2319, informal 57. Dttnedin, Dec. 10. The re-count of the Chalmers local option v«oll has not yet been flflnQluded.. It appears that a difficulty has occurred, the voting paper 3 frbm'one of'the'polling' booths niat having come to 1 hand. Until tKe^e papers are found the re-count cann?t be com pleted. -:

Mount Somers Coal Com pany.

PW SBAISf STBTJCI^.

Mr James Qihscm, manager of the Mount Spmecs Goal Cp.mpany, wl}o has just re turned frqrn vising the mine, informs us that a new seam of coal ha* been struck, For about a fortnight sinking operations have been going on, and after passing through some five feet of fireclay a soam of coal "6ft Gin thick was struck. The new ccaj |s of a superior quality to the present seam, as 'it 'burns srith..a muph gyeatgr flame and leaves less ash. The magnitude of the find may be understood when it is stated that It should result in fully 100,000 tons of ooal being available for mining. The indications all point to other seams being found below the present seams, and these it is the intention of the Company to fully exploit.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph. iNVBRCABGIIiti, Dec. 10 The second day of the Southland A. and P. Show saw fully 10,000 people on the grounds, and the attendance would hare been much larger but for a heavy shower of rain early in the afternoon. The following additional champion certificates were awarded: Entire colfc, James Noble, who beat the two Dunedin imported horses; three - year - old thoroughbred entire, A. j Gerrard, junr.; brood mare, J. Vivian; Berkshire boar, (i. Anderson j white York shire sow, E. Harris. A.Howe won the first year's competition of the 20 guinea, cup for the most points in frozen meat ■ classes, and the Castlerock Estate gained specials for most points and entries in sheep of exhibitors' own breeding. Among* the visitors was Mr David Symes, of the- Melbourne " Age,"

Wellington, Dec. 10 Two test messages, as ordinary cable gram?, were forwarded from Wellington to London on Tuesday, one by the Pacific route, and the other by the Eastern Company's lines. The times taken between Wellington and London on the respective routes were—Pacific, 2hrs 39nrin.; Eastern Extension, 4hrs 12min.

A meeting of drapers. 1 assistants to-night decided to urge employers to close their shops on the Saturday after Boxing Day, thus making the Christinas holidays longer. ■1 he Hawera re-count votes for Hawera seat increases Majoy'3 majority to 35. The charge against Hoot, licensee of the Commercial Hotel, for selling liquor on Sunday was dismissed, the S.M. exercising discretionary power given under Section 87, of the Justices' of the Pence Act, on the ground that the house was exceptionally wellcinduofced, nncl the licensee's wife was induced to. supply liquor through the. truculent demeanour o£ the persons who demanded it. Nklson 3 Dec. 10 In acQQydftnos with arrangements made, a poll of the burgesses was taken to-day on the issue as to whether or not a portion of : Trafalgar Street North should be offered to the Government as a site promised for the new post office, it beiug conditional as already agreed to that the owners of adjoin ing land would dedioate to the City Council a street one ohalu wide on either side of the ■ proposed site. Considerable interest was \ taken in the election, and 1342 out of ' 2054 on the roll voted. The~naa}ority were in favor of giving the street, those in favor of the sito 318.

At tha Harbor Board's meeting it was resolved to accept the offer of the Govern ment tug boat Gordon now at Port Chalmers. With regard to the drainage plans forwarded to the Board by the t'ity Conncil, the Board resolved that it cannot see its way to approve of any effluent emptying on the foreshores of the harbor, and- withholds consent, also that the Board considers it ia unable to consent to any drainage effluent emptying into the harbor unless conveyed by seal pipes into deep water below low water mark.

' ' Christchtjrch, Dec. 10 At a meetingl of auctioneers and butchers it was decided to establish an insurance fund to compensate for beasts condemned under the Government regulations. Vendor and buyer will each contribute one shilling per head for each antmal sold and bought in the fat pens at Addington, and the buyer of the condemned animal will be entitled to receive the difference between the amount paid and Government compensa tion. Aged cows will not be insured, and an expert will be appointed with power to disallow insurance on any • particular animal before the sale.

The Elingamite Disaster.

THE ENQUIEY.

Auckland, Dec. 10 ! G. Hankinson stated that be had nothing to find fault with in the way the boats were launched. There was a great deal leaa confusion than he would have imagined under such circumstances. Captain W. D. Eeid said that after the telegraph rang, the engines did not seem to go astern. He waited a reasonable time and witness then said, " Goodness gracious, are they not going to give her the engines to-day." When the vessel's bow ran into the rooks, witness 3aid 3 " This looks like a case," or words to that effect. Witness started to give a hand to No. 2 boat, but owing to the way it was being handled, be went back saying, " I'm not going to be 1 mixed tip in this. This is where theloss of life is going to be." While making for land, he saw the boat now missing with the mast up, and an attempt was being made by its occupants to hoist sail. The pro peller was not stuck in the rocks when the j telegraph' rang. If the engines were in ! proper working order, there appeared to be nothing to prevent the ship going astern. The enquiry was adjourned till-- Tuesday,

Work for Ex-Soldiers.

United Press Association.—Hy Electric Telegraph—Copyright. : ' ' . Xiondon, Dec. XO. Princess Christian and Princess were present at an influential meeting held #ith the object of impYessifi^oa employers" fhe crying needs "of seventy, thousand 1 re servists and time-expifed'sQiaters, Tfko ape now idle. The Duke of--Fife, who ppe sjided, said that now thftglimourdWhewar had disappeared, it was imperative that the nation should show" that it caused national enthusiasm, not a mere passing ex citement, Lord Cheylesmore appealed to employers to find places, and to the public to provide money and clothes.' General Trotter seconded the appeal, dwelling on the excellent character of moat pf'the mea,

A Cold Wave.

U ailed Press Association—By Electric " Telegraph—Copyright London, Dec. 10 A cold wave has occurred in America and Eastern Canada. Sixty-four degrees 'of foost-were experienced inPebnaylyaais: 1"5 "' %eraj ' from 'gold, H^ve " t%^ place iV London,

THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN :. THU RSDAY,*! r.DECEMBER it, 1902



Dat 'eo. j) »> »> » » »

te 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Rises 4.16 4.16 4,17 4.17 4.17 4.17 4.18 4.18

Sets 7.31 7.32 7.33 7.33 7.34 7.35 7.35 7.36





Name.

English. a * d

6b .9 .13 u t !

1 I -•a

3 %. a a.

■t i -I

0.

School.

i

3

200 50 150

|50

250 j

50

200

150

—

l

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Watt, Leslie Lechner, Edith Morris, Lily . Norman, V. Smith, Florence Bass, Ida B. Leggett, A. B. Collins, H. C. Whitehouse, G. Silcock, Gordon Leslie Steel Berryman, S.

Borough

177 40 37 172 35 41 )70 42 44 158 40 40 160 35 43 148 35 40 168 45 40 152 38 34 127 45 39 123 30 37 118 35 34 152 20 25

177 172 )70 158 160 148 168 152 127 123 118 152

40 43 45 33 !45> \m 35 43 40 40 35 35

. i 225 210 230 225 215  210 185 210 150 180 175 176

i 47 40 30 45 50 40 45 40 30 30 15 22

160 144 "122 145 Ml 140 117 128 117 119 116 113

117 137 131 125 107 114 113 93 . 121 89 118 99

843 822 814 811 , 796 '. 767 | 748 733 669 64S 646 641

Elgin Borough Elgin Borough

»

"

»

"

. ■

»

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 2G

O N W I s L K D H T P R X M

72 42 35 122 35 32 83 30 31 132 40 39 127 40 28 95 44 31 83 30 25 100 40 24 55 34 31 38 25 30 71 30 31 68 20 £33 57 20 30 60 40 23

72 122 83 132 127 95 83 100 55 38 71 68 57 60

35 37 ! 25 i 40 30 43 33 30 35 35 25 30 30 25

I 145 115 160 175 105 110 165 115 115 210 .65 90 100 45

35 20 40 22 32 10' 25 20 35 30 5 25 15 5

114 109 93 66 102 103 86 86 106 53 105 82 73 93

119 104 107 70 80 101 78 97 71 U 84 67 69 79

597 574 584 569 544 537 525 512 482 435 416 415 394 370



P. FERRIMAN. F. FERRIMAN HAS for Sale a Leasehold Grazing Property of about 1000 Acres. A good Sheep Farm. FOR SAIE, )m W ACRES, well watered land, within a mile of Mr John Cochrane's Wakanni property. F. FERRIMAN. FOR SALE. ; SEAFIELD. : QA/\ ACRES of Land, in capital oon dit:on. The greater part of the purchase money can remain at H per cent, per annum. j F. FERRIMAN, BUSINESS NOTICES. : SPECIAL to Buyers of Ready-made i CLOTHING. —:O:—» BEING considerably OVERSTOCKED Boys, 5 Youths' and Men's I!EU>Y-JIAIH] CLOTHING, WE WILL OFFER During DECEMBER the whole of our stock of these Goods, together with a number of lines IN Boots and Shoes, AT SPECIAL SALE PRICES. See our Door Display for Bargains ASHBURTON DRAPERY GO lturncU.-Sl.mit. s | I ■ . n Helpless with a Rheumatism ■ You've tried linimants and preicriptions with/rot malt. Now . . . CURE YOURSELF with THE GREAT . . - CANADIAN . . a SEAWEED CURE. A medicine and Not a liniment. A Quick and Permanent Cure. SO&B XT ALJ. DEALER* At 3/6 riR Bottle. Sole Agtnt for Australasia: QEO. W. WILTON, Wellington. H- GRESHAM, SURGEON AND MECHANICAL DENTIST. By Examination, October, 1897. liNIGHT yeara experience with E. G. and It F. W. Gresham, Dentists, Dunedin and Invercargill. Has commenced practice in rooms upstairs from the entrance to Thomas' Auction Kooms, Burnett Street. I Stoppings in Gold, Amalgam, and Cement. Gold and Porcelain crowns made ; also sets of teeth with Vulcanite and Porcelain gums, i Gas administered. Ail work guaranteed. - Hocus op Attendance—9 a.ia,—s p.m. PrlT&te Evidence—Care Mrs Grant, Willrf Street. THESE 13 no 4oubfc. no possible doubt tfcafc MELt»OR*s ZeaiUndia Boot Store ' is the best Sh«f;> to ihwiy yo»ic Boot?. WISE Fathers aa4 Mothers i£ you want to save money luy yo«r Boys' and Girls' School Boots at Msr-LOR's Zealasdia Jfeot Store.



BUSINESS NOTICES " Britain's Best Bicycle," Jiillt <^&"'#iy&iii ROYALTY BEST IN BEITATN. : : %f%o<s^ ttUXAlill : : BEST IN MAOKILAND. FaVOrS j RUDGE-WHITWORTH fij^ ' if CYCLES. \kjP EEDUCED It. D. JOHNSTON. Kill j AGENT, BURNETT STREET. |g^__^__^J o£20« Inspect for Yourselves _&^^P OVER THE THE WOMEN FOLK TEA TALK CUPS. - , , t OF the pleasures and unpleasant mm "■■■"i« ■iiiiiii^^""^ features of Housekeeping and Dressing, and we venture to say that a favourite topic just now is The Paradise of; Summer Millinery and Dresses, now BEING SHOWN MITCHELL & TURNEB, THE DRAPERS. ■«■■„ ■MMWIIMIMIUL—WIWIMM—IMMIUIIXWIimiII lIIMWimBUMHWIWI W» '">'"''" ■"■i-H1"""'" *' Persons who wish to do their own Painting will £nd it to their advantage to call at my Oil and Color Store,. 1 have Eeady Mixed Paints, Genuine White Lead and Oils, or I will mix any shade of our own Genuine Paint. J. WII SON, . Paperhanger, Painter, and Sign-writer. IwHi. FOR THE BOYS I /^F^P$«T\ FREE with Boy's Suit, a Good I f^J^Sr%^-\ Pocket Knife, Pretty Tie, or numerous H !j£sS3^% • Uw/>i BOYS' Sailor Suits. 5s 6d, 7s 6d, to 13s 6d ■ \ ' W „ Hussar Suits, 7s 6d to 16s 6d ■ Tffi? ' I '•» Norfolk Suits, 9s 6d to 2ls ■ - J* YOUTHS' 3-a-ariofsat Suits, 15s 6d to 42s Gd. ■ Wif^ X "^ Exceptional Values Represent- I f£ . ■ n& s^YIQ ail(^ duality. I |9 'CLOTHINCABOOTHOUSE I I __^____^——»—»—«■—»«—.————»—— ——~> 1H [ ||M 1,,..,,,., „,. ....,— .!■■ iiiinimii — - - -'■ -i-i-T ! —*--"M*"' SHEEP SHEABJOsTG SEASON, THA V E JU S T LAN DX D MY SE A S,O N'S SUP PL V OF 3s 6d. SHEEP SHEARS, 3s 6d including TU S and 8.8.A., N.Z., with plain and perforated grips.. Turkey Oil Stones, a splendid sample. Sweet Oil. Branding Oils -Rod, Black, aad Blue, in 1 and 5 gallon drums; Riddle. Lamp Bluet, Etc. .. 1 lAWN RJGWE£3 in great variety, from '22s 6:1 to oos each. I GARDENING TOOLS^J every description at reduced prices BOWLSY _pOWLS! BOWLS! As the season has jnst opened, I covdi^ily ia?\s* inspection of my stock-Taylor's first quality o P iy kept. SEWING MACHINES. I am sole aaent £ov the celebrated " Davey" Machine ; 7 years' guarantee : $w& £3 ' 10s • Ti-ea ile from $$ 10s to £8 10b, pall and ; inspect. 1 hoy are.worth lookiug at. G. M E D D 1 N S, I The Peoples Ironmonger Burnett Street, opwositeSArcade. iiwi"ijiu.mii*w«»lL" igm.iiiLHU'MitfLL ' i"li I'"in~"Tt~T*l lH '^TTTITIP 11 ' if'T* i'p*wii^Ki i^^m^ S!N^<PW??^MS.*5( ''X.^'tX&SE'iXH .(^*Bff NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY, '■ iTN F \A/ 7 P"' £k i £k< Nl r^ i HEN' |XILOTmK''FA?foRY" B°YS' 1 n.z. clothßFg factory.



Property Sales, Messrs Maling and Shallcrass, Geraldine, report the sale on account of Mr A, C, Pringle, Clareniont, Tiinaru, of his farm of 1600 acres, together with all his live and dead stock, which includes about 3000 sheep, l| draught horses, several cattle and a i^rge qwan ti£y of Implements and sundries to Mr H. F. Eog.eafllalgj'c);''Ashbpton; also on account; of W, P." TurWi/'part of his Woodbury farm, consisting of 266 acres to Mr F. Flatman, of Woodbury.



rpOY Land at Strangk's, Burnett Street



Tail ok ing.—Mr Kerr, representing Strange's famous Christchurch Tailoring Department, and one of the firm's most popular cutters, will visit Ashburton again on Batuj:da.y, fqth infjt, and may be consulted at Strange's agency, Burnett' Spreeij |rom 1 to 6 p.m., ou above d;ite. 'Those requiring new suits or single garments for th& holi days are recommended cot to miss this opportunity of interviewing Mr Kerr,—By the way, Ashburton residents will be in terested to learn that Mr Sa.ndrey, (repre senting Strange and Co.; in A'shburton), is just now making a'fine display of Chiistinas toys and gift goods' at h.is" lfirin!s-'Sample Rooms, Burnett Street. These novelties are well worthy of mspectjoiil—Adyt. 12 116' ; •-■•■■• E«gs.—Messrs Eletcher Brps. are, buyers of fresl; eggg in j^ny quantity at §d per dozen, either cash oy contra^ unf\\ further notice. Cyclists, when purchasing goods, should bear in mind that Messrs Oates, Lowry nnd Co. have the largest assortment of cycling requisites in New Zealand. Their Ash burton Branch have unpacked several new designs in'patent clips for. pump, ptc., alco a new shipment pf vulcamsed tyros, jyhich are being gold at §2s gdp^hV, 12 §9 STRANGE'S Toy atit^i^iaiaai' here is causing a sensation*-^y^/• STANDiSH AND FB£SQE, . Photographers under the Royal patronage ' of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Studio High Street, Christchurch. TTSEFUL Present for young and old can U be found 1'*n gndjess ya'rjc£y 'at 'Stbange's Sample Rooms,



TOYS, Toys, Toys of every description at St^aijgeV