EPHEMERIS

SUN.

Phases of Moon to. Maroh

Mail Notices

Mails close for the following places as under, subject to bhe necessary alterations —

TUESDAY, Maroh 11

For Norbhern Porta and West Coast, per Rotomahana, ab 6.30 p m

WEDNESDAY, March 12 SAN FRANCISCO MAIL DAY

For Northern Ports and Westporb also Samoa, Hawaii, Philippines, Japan United States, Canada, United Kingdom, (due London April 12th), and Conbinent of Europe, per Mapourika, ab 6.30 p m. Mooey orders 2.30 pm, registered articles and parcels for the United States at 5 p m

MINING

Auckland, March 10

During the four weeks ended March lab, the Waihi Gold Mining Company bleated 12,839 bona of ore for a return of bullion valued ab £41,090. which ia the boab return the mine has yet yielded, the previous record being the return for December laeb, The total won from the mine bo date is £2,055,061

Donbdin Maroh 11

i Today's sales:—Davis Band la 3d dis ; Etbrick 16s; Gold King 5s 96* ; Notown Creek 23a; Olrig 24a 9J, 255; Point Dor Is 9d dis ; Upper Magneblo ss. j' c—r-s- v -r-=--—=_js

COMMERCIAL.

THE LONDON MARKETS.

London, March 9

Canterbury and Dunedin mutton has advanced one sixteenth of a penny. New Zntlaud beef, fair average quality ox fores, has advanced ii ; ox hinds have declined £.. Tbe rest are unchanged, (These prioea are the official quotations furnished by bhe Frozen Meab Trade Association. The basis of quotations is on saies of Hoes of not lees than 100 carcases of mutton or lamb or 25 quarters of beef. All quobabiona for mutton »ra for fair average quality.)

ASHBURTON STOCK MARKET

The attendance at bhe Tinwald yards today was ver^ large, and bhe entries were above the usual average. Tne bidding was brisk. A good line of 38 two year old cabbie was offered, and withdrawn ab £3 19s, The following are representative price* :— Cattle—Steers, £4 10s to £6 17s 6d; heifers, £4 5s to £5 3a 6d ; cows, £4 10. to £7 10a; vealer, 13a; dairy cowb, £4 5s bo

£6 ; yearling, £2 10a. Fat sheep—Crossbred ewes 6s 9d to 10s 61 ; crossbred lambs lis 9i bo 12s; oroaebred wethers lis; merino ewes 3s 9d. Store nheep—Lambs 7s 3d to 103, crossbred ewes 5s 6d to 7s Bd, two tooth crossbred ewes 12s

2d, crossbred ewes and lambs, all countod, ?s 6d, old ewes 2i to 3s, two tooth wethers 10s lid to lis 4d, sound mouth ewes 10a bo 12s 6d. Mr Peaohe's ewes, sound mouth, 12s 6d to 12s 10 5,

PROPERTY SALE

Mesßra Friedlander Bros, report having sold on account ot Mr Timothy Connolly, his farm at Winchmore, to Mr Jas. Glassey, of Eiffelton, ab a satisfactory price.

BIRTH.

Jqhnsto*.—On the lObh Maroh, Maronan Road, Tinwald, the wife of J. Johnston of a son. Both doing well.

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1902.

In a very few weeks tho burgesses of AsUbarton will be called upon to elect • Mayor for tho ensuing year. Mr Col lins, the present occupant of the position, has been most assiduous in the discharge of the doties properly pertaining to the office. He has also devoted a consider able smoyot of time, thought, aad energy to rther matters effecting the interests and .credit of the town and district, which need not necessarily h»ve engaged his attention, Of course, m tbe chief citizen of A.hbqrton, it is expected of the Mayor that he should correctly interpret and properly carry oat tbe views of the burgesses. But Mr Collins has done rather more thsn this. He has frequently anticipated .bo wishes of tha people of Ashbjirtorj, and—on emergency—promptly carried them into ef ect, $o man, however, is perfect, And we are quite sura that Mr Collins does not set himself up as an ideal Mayor. There are ono hundred aud one M»yors in Now Zealand ; but we de aot tfjink we should be able to I find the * ideal' amo»gsJi them j al though, doubtless, with a few exoept'iong, they are all "good mon aod true." We may nevertheless take it for granted that in one way or other, all of these estimable gentleman fill ehort of per ijf.ctiofl. It ppeaks well for Mr Collins then thajb the jj?orst wMc]b has been said of hira ia that he is rather too eisy with his Councillors, in permitting; sp^e cf then, frequently to transgress the rules of debate; But as the majority of then do not seem to mind spending an hour or two longer in the Council Chamber than there is any necessity for, this is pr#-e.fyy not a matter of much conse .Quepce-rrW i&0 'burgesses. On the whole, tibecefore, ijb is probable that the burgesses and Councillors of 4.sh barton would like to see Mr QoWns elected for » second term of oflfee. There are some who hold that every Councillor should in turn occupy the Mayoral chair, but a moment's con i feneration will show that even if this Vontenfcioa ,>?;f r<? theoretically sound, it could not be' gamed out while the burgesses and not the QonibUi.or§) bave ito elect the Mayor. Moreover; until the office has a suitable honorarium #fctaclied to it, nobody but an indeperi seift.#.an could accept it witb the ,i*esponaibis(i_e|- fihat are connected with ,ifc, involving a considerable annual outlay. \W- believe it w'oald be more aatisfactary to $_»* .'burgeweg, W #, systep were adopted of pay*n_f_wß ; Mayo? of eyery borough in the colonj i A sa^cient _uss t© meet tbe necessary expenses of. his terip of office. That WO-id widen th*. choice o£ tfce bur gesses conside.ai.fy, lor un.oHr exjpt^g conditions it is confined to those citi zens, who can afford to expend time and money in the service of the £$it.opayers. So far, the town of Ashbur ton has bee^i fortunate in its Mayors, all of whom have ijbne their best to advance the interests oi tho borough, jl.pt it cannot be expected that 'fb§

I possession of the necessary pecuniary means to discharge certain functions of the Mayoral office will always be accorrpanied by the ability to perform satisfactorily all the duties of a Mayor.

THE information published in our cable columns, which wae issued to the public this morning in a Guardian 'exfcrß,' is the most unsatisfactory piece of news we have received from the front for a long lime. The bare facts to hand that a British General Officer, and presumably his column, should at this stage of the war have been cap tured by the Boer., is a very painful blow to our national pride, and it will probably have the effect of prolonging the war. We can understand how, owing to the careless dispositions of the average British commander, the superior military skill of some of the Boer leaders—notably De Wet and De la Rey-—occasionally enable the latter to inflict small reverses on our troops, But that a general officer, who most have had a considerable force nnder him, Bhould have been captured by one of the Boer commanders is as astonish ing as it is humiliating; It may be that when the details of this Berious reverse come to hand, we shall find there is some excuse to be offered for the disaster. But at preseat we cannot conceive how the thing could have happened, Lord Methuen must have had a fairly large force under bim. General officers do not go about in South Afrisa when on active service with insignificant commands. And on the otb.r hand wa were informed only a few days ago that De 1» Key had broken through Lord Kitchener's last drive with only 200 followers. We shall anxiously await further in formation, and in the meantime we are more than ever convinced that if the British had had one or two leaders at the front like De Wet and De la Rey, the war would have been over long ago.

Local and General.

Weather Forecast! — Oaptalu Edwin wires:—Moderate southerly winds, glass rise ; indications frost tonight.

Smal_ Birds Nuisance—The Ashbur ton County Council invite communications from farmers and others as to the best methods of dealing with the small birds' nuisance.

Alfobd Forest Spobts—Should suffiolenb inducement offer, a drag will leave Newman stables on Monday, the 17th, for bhe Alford Foresb sports and races.

Passing Thbough—The Chief Jußtice, Sir Robero Stout, was a passenger by the express for the north last night.

Invalids in Sooth Africa—.lnformation has been reoeived from the Defence Minister that Corporal Edward Willis, of the Sixth New Zealand M.1., and Trooper Wilfred Willis, of the Seventh, both of whom were reported as dangerously ill with enteric, are now convaießcenb;

High School. Sports —Intending com petitors at the High School sports are reminded thab entries close with the hon. secretaries, Messrs P Orr and R Nell, this (Tuesday) evening,

District Order—A districb order notices Volunteers that, the musketry course for 1901—2 being now completed, all future firing will be done with the .303 rifle. Officers are requested to arrange for the return of the Martini-Henri rifles to the store at Christchurch.

No Water Again-—The channels at the west end of the town were all dry again last evening and this morning. This sort of thing is always happeniug whenever there la a fresh la tha Ashburton, which blocks the intake. How Is thia difficulty going to be dealt with when tho long talked of scheme for a high pressure water supply from the Ashburton is seriously considered .

Pbrsonal—Mr Hugo Friedhnder, manag ing director of Messrs Friedlander Bros, L<l, laaves on a visib to Great Britain and the Continent of Europe on March 25th. He goes by Auckland, Sydney, and Melbourne, and will board the Koenigen Lsuise ab the labter port for Genoa, from whence he will take train across the Continent. Ho takes the trip parbly for tha benefit of his health, and will be away until the end of the present year. He expects to return by the Cape, and to Bpend about three .weeks in South Africa. Mra Friedlander and two of his children will a.oompany him on his trip.

A Watebspo__—A waterspout burst over Gapes' and Pleasant Valleys in the Geraldine district on Saturday. Luckily lbs effects were confined to a comparatively small area or the consequences mlghb have been serious. As ib was, creeks rose fully six feeb in a very short time, the water running two feeb over the bridges in some oases, Mr Gardi-pr, of Oulaean, had the soil washed off a paddook of turnips to suah an extent thab it was level with the fenoe at the foot of the hill, and was carried through the fence and on to the road, where, in soma planes, it was 18 inches in depth.

St, Pa'^rio^'s Aborts Assopiat^on-A jneetlng of the Committee of the aboye Association was hold last evening, there being a good attendance. A considerable amount of cqrrespopdence was dealb with, amongst which^ was a notification from W B|artln, rp providing safe Ijeqning for his racing maphinps apd mpboE 'tandem during his stay here/ which ma.ter' was duly considered by the club. A vacancy in the Committee, caused through a member having left the district., was provided for by the election of Mr M J Morlarby to thab body. Entries were already reported to be coming freely, and things generally look pretty rosy for a succeesful meeting for fch> Association, which they nndonbt^ adly deserve! it was decided to hoj[_ a smoke concert on the evening of the sports, and the Committeo in charge are determined on leaving nothing undone to make the concert a great success.

Presentation—Among the passengers to Dunedin to bid adieu and witness the send off of the Ninth Contingent on Monday's express was Mr D Wilson, brother of Corporal J Wilaon, of this £cws. tlie latter gentleman'being a member of the' ipont-jigent. In addition to private gifts for 'bY 'brother, Uf Y^ilgqn j was the bearer of a very handsome present and also a testimonial from the members of the Ashburton Catholic Literary j Soolety, of which body J. Wilson waa a very old and enehuala.tic member. The Society, through the testimonial, eulogised J. Wilson's past work, and also were ftpond of him as ft member for his action in acceptin_;'oery{e 4 e tc uphold tho honour of t„.e Empire, anji., In coriplijsfon, wished him God speed and a safe return. B.S:A Atalans-.—The latent Atalanta oycles are built entirely of 1902 genuine 8.8.A parts, fitted with plated rims, Dunlop or Palmar tyres, and are without a doubt tho strongest, and most easy running BIB.A jvsagfeinfi o&t'ahlajjle in the ool'ony, Messrs ; Qstise, LoWry & 00, prg tl(s |g|e makers for N ew2 a _lfta«y Tba Competition—Fletcher Bros next Tea .Competition closes on August Slab. First Prize, either Handsome Clock and Bronze or Hand Painted pinner Set] also If other Prices to be gi^vet. a,Way, to the larpsij' owj_y. opera of their well ' known brands of tea. You can depend on ridding your Children of Worms with Wade's Worm Figs, the wonderful worm worriers, price la Smoke Few Venae j

Dogs for thb Front—Tha Defence Minister, thinking thab a limited number of sheep and catble dogs will be useful to those members of the Ninth Contingent who have been engaged in stock driving and mastering, has agreed to their being shipped by bhe Kent.

ABOHiTEfSTCRE—At a special meeting of the Sydenham Borough Counoll last evening, the competitive designs for the Council's newohambers were opened, and that of Mr H V Wilson, of Christohurob, was selected, Mr A Agar, an Ashburton architect, being second

The Boyal Navit Service — Master Pabriofc Higgins, son of Mr E Biggins, Ashburton, has been accepted for service in the Royal Navy, He is ab present aboard the Royal. Arthur ab Wellington, and prooeeds ab an early date to Portsmouth for a year's training as a seaman, and at the expiry of thab term will rejoin the Aus tralian fbeb.

Swimming Carnival — The Ashburton Swimming Club will hold a carnival ab the Djmain Baths no Thursday afternoon, ooin menoing ab 2.30. The total entries up to the present are seventy, and these will be considerably increased, as four of the taoea have poet entries, A number of tha crack Chrißtchurch swimmers will compete, and there should be some close and exalting onteatßt An exhibition of fancy swimming will be given by members of the clnb and others. We are requested to say that refreshments will ba obtainable on tbe grounds.

Dbath Under Chloroform —At the i.quesb in Christchurch yesterday ,of Regi nald Ford, who died in the Hospital on Saturday nighb, a verdict of accidental death from syocope, whilst under chloroform wasreburned.—The evidence of Dr Oooke, house surgeon of bhe Hospital, waa bo the effeob that deceased waa Buffering from alcoholism, and ib would have been unsafe to administer ebher* He had taken ohloroform well for ten minutes, when he commenced to struggle violently, and hia heart suddenly stopped. Restorative measures were continued for an hour, bub they were unavailing.

I The Premier on Dr Morley—Speak ing at the farewell to Dr Morley, In 'Dunedin, Mr Seddon said he had re ceived from his dear friend, the Rev Mr Fairclous»h, a letter asking him to attend. The R9V Fairclongh said he desired to say good-bye. Well, to him (Mr Seddcn) the Rev Falrclough's request was a com mand. He would nob go Into details, bub he would tell them they were lads to gether, thirty four years ago, on the West Coast, and there was quite enough temptation In those days to have kept Mr Falrclough from being a clergyman and himself from being a Prime Minister. The present gathering was unique. It was always hard to say good-bye. The Methodist Church in [New Zealand was saying good-bye co the Rev Dr Morley, and he felt for them, because Dr Morley's leaving was a loss to the colony, as it was a loss to the Methodists, of an energetic, wide souled, broad minded and liberal man. Any country that lost a man of thab stamp must feel it, but the loss to the Methodist Church, and the loss to the colony, was a gain to Victoria, and he believed it was a gain to the Methodist body at large. (Applause.)

Budge-Whitwokth Cycles.—Any lady or gentleman contemplating buying a maohine should nob fail to examine the latest Budges Whltworth models. Easy terms oan be arranged, and your old machine taken as part payment.—R. D. Johnston, Agent, City Cyole Works, Bur. nebb Street.

News in Brief.

Mr W Stonye. has several sums bo lend on second mortgages. We are requested to alalia that the proper ties in the estates of the late Mr Arthur Wilson and Mr 0 Rimmingbon, sold by Mr D Thomas on Saturday,were sold ia conjunction with Mr F Ferriman. Messrs Fleboher Bros adverfci.e in this issue a full Hat of Pria. Winners in their Tea Competition, whioh closed on February 28th. Owing to bhe large number of Coupons sent in, they decided to give ten extra prizes, making thirty prizes instead of twenty as previously advertised

We understand tbab the firm of Tribe & Co, outfitters, High Sbreeb, Christchurch, made a very advantageous deal l»isb week, Being aware that the firm of Bradbury and Co, merchants and manufacturers of Lioh field Streeb, were about to enter into liquidation. Tribe and Co. made them a sporting off .r, which was accepted, for the * pick' of oheir new goods. They made a very large purchase, and we are informed will be able to sell for leas than the manufacturers' cosb, and then make a satisfactory profit, The sale starts on fslday, Maroh 7. 348

The Ninth Continent.

United Press Association—By Electric

Telegraph—Copyright

DtrNHDiN Maroh 10

The South Island Babtaliou of the Ninth Contingent paraded mounted-through the two principal streets of bhe city. The men look a good, even and serviceable lot, but many of the hor.es are little better than pontes, and look indifferently. •The Ladies' Committee today handed over £60 lis collected by them to provide Instruments for the band of the Contingenb. Dunedin, March 11 "^he horses were shipped ab Port Chalmers this xnornlog, the men starting In squadrons ab five o'clock. Lieutenants Johiistone and McLaren have been taken on the strength. It has been rumoured ; that there Is a case of typhoid fever In ; camp, which the authorities have been | keeping quiet, bub it transpires that the sickness oj Trooper Harry Turner, from the West Coast, which at first closely assimilated scarlet .over, was really German measles. Turner is still quarantined, but his tent mates are released. Turner will be unable to proceed.

DISGRACEFUL PROCEEDINGS.

Auckland, Maroh 11 At tije sheeting 1 or tM Manukau Licensing Committee, Constable Tapp reported thab the'residents were allowed to geb liquor from the jWinth Contingent; camp,and drunkenness was very prevalent. The Committee Intimated that it had no power to interfere with the camp author ised by the Defence Minister, it being exempt from the operations of the Licensing Act. They, however, expressed regret thab the privileges ao granted had been abused, and ordered that a represen tation be made to the camp Commandant $$d the Defence Minister,

The Colony's Finances.

Dunedin Maroh 10

Replying bo a deputation on the Oatlins River railway bhe Premier said he had re ceived a communication from the Agenb-; Generalj who said every artiste written in the colony damaging to our' finances waa specially marked aad ca.nb j|o^o. '4?rte fnvestor's 1 R'mew and'other papers' gob hold of these and held them till the oolony wanted to raise money, when ib was all paraded oub against the credit of the colony, with the resulb tha. the succes. of the operation was nob so great as ib might be. New Zsalanders doing this sort of thing were injuring the colony, and prejudicing the Gov.rnrnenb ftgniris. going in perhaps a little more in the Way %? progression m reypepb to public works,! He referred to the rumour about tbe mysterious circulars to heads of depart ments, telling them nob bo send in.xpendi ture for March. Here was- 1 the tnyst.ry __*ha circular issued by tha Treasury -e»«» • •—'l am direobed by the Colonial Treasurer to forward to beads of departtnenbH the jtoUowiog insbrcioUci} of bhe Cabinet s Heads of depei-Smenbs are asked to e^eraise'^th'o strictesb economy to prevenb appropriabions being exoeeded before 31ab March, and heads of departments are required to inform Mimet.ra of any votes that are likoly to be , exceeded.

Ashburton Permanent Building and Investment Society.

ANNUAL MEETING.

The annual meeting of shareholders of the Ashburton Permanent Building and Invest ment Society took place yesterday. Dr Trevor, Chairman of Directors, occupied the chair, and there ware present Messrs H Friedlander, R Friedlander, Andrew Orr, Joseph Ward, T Bullock, F Wabto, O J Mtyohe, William Baxter, J Tuoker, and J fowler.

The minutes of the last annual general meeting were read and confirmed.

The Chairman in preheating the twenty seventh annual report, asked them to take lb as read.

The Chalrm.n said thab he had remarked at bhe last annual general meeting thab he would have more pleasure in meeting them a year henop. He had that satisfaction. They had not been able bo declare a dividend of 3-| par cent, but they had declared a Bm_!lec dividend of 2| per cent, whioh had been paid. Tbe blow they had Buffered showed the stability of the Society. (Applause). There had been no run, aud they had cleared off tho whole of the defalcations, amounting to £4684 Is 103. One thing which would militate against the future business, was that they could not geb the _sme rabe of interest ».b they had got previously. He was nob going to prophesy as he did last year, bub he thoughb nexb year he would be able to mast them with a still more satisfactory balance sheet. He had much pleasure in moving the adoption of the report and balance sheet.

Mr Bullock was pleased bo see the deficiency wiped off, personally he had nob thought it could ba done. He had always advocated thab young men in offices and elsewhere should bake up Investment Bhares

Mr B' b'riedlander said thab before tbe business of the meeting took place he thought the Society should express their deep regreb ab the death of bheir late director Mr Alfred Harrison, who had been connected with the Society for a great many year.. His place had been ably taken by Mr Andrew Orr, whose business ability was well known. With reference to tne stability of the Society, there could be no doubt of that. If the shareholders had placed their money in the banks they would not have received 80 much interest as they were now getting, and bhe faot that they had wiped off the defalcations to the amount of nearly £5000, showed the sooiety was in a very sound condition! (Applause)

The report and balance sheet were adopted as read.

The election of directors was then pro oeeded with.

Mr H Friedlander had much pleasure in proposing Dr Trevor as one of them. He had the interests of the Society at heart, and no one had been ao much hurt ab the loss the Society had sustained.

Mr Bullock had much pleasure in second ing the motion. Dr Trevor had been chairman for 27 years, and he hoped he would be for another 27 years. (Laughter)

Mr R Friedlander proposed, and Mr I Fowler seconded, thab Mr J Ward be I re.eiected a director. I

Mr Styche moved, and Mr J Tucker seconded, that Mr Andrew Orr be elected a director in place of Mr Alfred Harrison, deceased.

These gentlemen were elected unanimously, and returned thanks.

Mr J Tucker proposed a very hearty vote of thank, to the directors. They had had a very difficult bask to contend with, and had brought the Society oub well.

Mr Friedlander had much pleasure in seconding the motion.

Dr Trevor, oa behalf of the directors, returned thanks. Ib gave them all great pleasure bo know they had the confidence of bheir clients; Dr Trevor said the Manager they now had had worked hard for the Society, and be had much pleasure in pro posing a hearty vote of thanks to the Manager and staff for their work during the year,

Mr Alberb Roberts suitably responded, Mr Stychs asked how the nomination of directors was conducted, He thought that sufficient notice had not been given bo shareholders,

The Chairman said ib wan published in the papers.

A vote of thanks to the Chair con cluded the b_aiw_].

CORRESPONDENCE.

(Wo do not hold oar.elvos resp.n.iWß fot opinion, oppressed by onr corraßpondantsu

THE MILLERS' ASSOCIATION.

TO THK BOITOE

Sir, —A good deal of righteous indignation has been expressed openly by the publio of l&te with regard to the action of the New Zealand Millers' Association in reportedly raising the price of flour oub o| a^l proportion to the rate given per bushel for wheat, and being a constant readier of your widely circulated journal, I will, with your permis sion, your readers as to the huge monopoly now held to such disadvantage to the general community by—«%arabive!y speaking—a mere handful o. capitalists and j speculators. During the past bhree months the Association has periodically raised the prioe of Hour per ton by £1 10s, while on the other hand no appreciable rise has been noticeable in the price of wheat. This, to my mind, is a great injustice to the farmers and flour consumers of the colony, and the sooner some definite sbeps are taken to combat this Association with a view to bursting ib np the sooner will a boon be oonferred on a U»_g suffering public, A few figures with respect to the production of flaur will show your readers at a glance the great pro&b made by the master millers ab ths present exorbitant prioe of flour. A competent miller can produoe a ton of flour, under tbe ordinary rail*, sysbem, out of 47 bushels of whesib, which at the currenb rate of 3s per bushel, makes a total of £7 Is: W ,%b bhe mill proprietor derives for the outlay of this £7 Is the following figures will show :.— Flour ab per ton, iaefudmg bhe most recent rise of 10s per ton, £8 10a; pollard, 9s; and bran, 20a—all of which are estimated ab ruling prloes—making in all a grand total o. £9 19a, and a profit bo the miller pei ton of £_ 18s. One mil), I learr ; protases lour at the rate of one ton per _«»., and putting the working expenses and wear and tear at the outside &a being 15. per hour, I find bhe mill owner makes a clear and handsome profit of £2 3s per hour per ton of flour ab the expense chiefly of bhe community, I notice that bhe manager of the Association, who, by the way, draws the handsome remuneration of £1000 per annum, tna recently attempted to throw dast in the eyes of a discerning publio by Btabing thab ib takes over sQ,hU9~elB of wheat to produce a ton cf Son., and he also lays special stress on (sb. 'enormous working expense' incurred in the production of flour; bub thab gentleman, evidently purposely j avoids commenting on his own salary and that of his numerous subordinates. Space will nob permit me to refer to. the questionable aob'oa on ih% p*trb &,! the 4asociatioß l^ landing Gant^r'toury flpur ab 4uof^ai?^ l' 01? BP Pr ton, while ; charging tha looal" consumers £8, but It should bo patent to all thab a gigantic monopoly exists in our midst thab rtqui.es speedy extirpation. It is olsarly evident that if any revolution is to be brought) abon,b re the flour market our farmers should ip.ta as one and endeavour to bqyoo ( tb m $ar aa possible a combination tfe^t t&ids fair to crush the bread par^ess 'of the qoiony. I wqpld thro^f out by way of,suggestion that steps ba taken to establish a non-Association mill in the county to be run wholly and Bolely in the, interests and to the welfare of. the residents in general, As the question is one of vibin. importance to all and sundry, and i^Q^a tjfeat effeobs the head of every family, immediate action should be baljeis, and Inducement offered to gome parson—wao.na doubt, oould .6 readily faund—capable and willing to run a- mill on lines above referred to* Thanking youin anticipation for.the ineerblon of this letter,—! am, eto«, Tbo "Bono Pob_ic_; i Ashbarto,, March 7th, 19Q1* j

SOCIAL COLUMN.

The matter included in this column is contributed and paid for.]

(Spectator.}

The Liquor Poll.

TO BE TAKEN IN 1902

SOME INTERESTING FIGURES

A FORECAST

Under the Licensing Laws now in operation a poll will be taken on tha Licensing Question at tbe end of the year, unless Parliament be dissolved daring tbe coming session—a very re mote contingency, be ib remarked. Under these circumstances, it will be of interest to lay before our readers some figures as to the last two poll taken in 1896 and 1899 respectively. Tho chief feature of tbe Licensing Poll of 1899 was tbe surprising growth of the Prohibition Party. At the poll in 1396 there were in round terms 260,000 votes cast on the licensing question—in 1899 there were 282,000 cast, or 22,000 more. The Continuance poll, in 1896, was 139,580-in 1899 it was 142,443, an increase of less than 3,000. On the other hand, the Pro hibition poll in 1896 was 98,212—in 1899 it was 118,575, an increase of 20,263, These facta are ominous, and if the same ratio of increase continues Prohibition ia within measurable dis tance.

In the following electorates the Pro hibition Party had a majority of the votes cast:—Thames, Ohinemuri, Wai. apu, Masterton, and Suburbs of Wel lington, in the North Island; and Kaiapoi, Ashburton, Oamaru, Wai kouaiti, Taieri, Olufeha, Mataura, anrt Invercargill, in the South Island. If, therefore, the bare majority vote hack been in force, Prohibition would afe last election have been carried in the whole of the above electorates—lß in number. As it is, it was carried in only one. If we remember rightly Pro hibition was actually carried in Brace, but the poll was declared void on peti tion. The majority for Continuance waa very small in the eleotorates of Franklin and Hawera,

Referring more particularly to Can terbury, we find that in tbe 13 electo rates comprised in this Provincial district, there were 27,767 votes cast for Continuance in 1896, end this number decreased by 40 in 1899, the total for Continuance in Canterbury then being 27,727. On the other hand the Prohibition vote was ia 1896 18,375, and in 1899 23,042, an in crease of 4667 in three years. Tha following table will show at a glance the results at the two polls :— RESULT OF LICENSING POLLS,

It will be observed that in every Canterbury electorate the.Prohibition poll showed an increase. Ia the electorates of Ohristchnrch, Avon ? Lyttelton, and Ellesmere the Continu ance poll also showed increases, bat ia all other Canterbury electorates tbe vote for Continuance showed a de crease,

In Ohristchnrch, on last licensing vote Prohibition has no chance 6f being carried. On the basis of that vote &594 votes would be necessary to carry Prohibition, whereas only 6538 Prohibition votes were cast. It ia true the poll Soar Prohibition increased by 12JH at last vote—about twice the inc-rease for Continuance—bat it is not probable the Prohibition vote will in croase by about !_£K)o>-—the increase necessary to carry No License. Its may therefore be taken for granted that Prohibition will not be earned ia Christchurch next December.

Taking Kaiapoi first, at least licens ing poll 407;4 persons recorded their votes. Of these 17-7 voted for Con tinuance and 2235 for Prohibition, As compared with 1096 the Oon&iua* ance poll decreased 362. and the Pro hibition poll increased 430* Only 211 more votes for Prohibition were re reqjiired to carry it. M the Continu ance poll at Kaiapoi remains at the total for 1S9&: and the P___*ibiti§_> poll irtQrea.es at the same rate a. itt did last time Prohibition wail be car ried easily,

At Ashburtoa fa December 1899' 4245 recorded their votes* The nnru be? meoessajry to oarry Prohibit*or. wnald thus be 2548; or 526 more that. last poll. But as the Prohibition poll increased by 457 at iast eleetiot*, whilst the Oontinnaoce poll decreased by 200j it is qu|te possible that Pro hibition may be carriedi. If the sam© rati^. ef increase of the Prohibitions xote and; decrease at the Cbnt_n»anoe vote is maintained. Prohibitum k eer-r tain at Asbbarton.

The other two ele<_fcorat-S in wbicf. the margin is nafe v©ry large are Elles mere and' Selwyn, but judging from the fign,?^ before it, The Spectator does not $o»aider Prohibition is likely to be car pied, in either of them. Such is a taint oatlineo. the position of the hostile camps on this question, and as the Prohibition party intend to make a gigantic efort thia y®ar, and have en gaged several professional lectnrera to tour Maoriland in addition to th_ local talent,, a big fight caay ba ants* cinated^

THE ASHBURTON GUARDIAN i TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1902



Date ilaroh H I?

10 11 12 13 14

KWPS 5 63 5 54 5 56 5 57 5 58

Set. 6 2' 6 2( 6 2< 6 21 6 2



Last quarter New moon Apogee ' Perigee First quarter Full moon Apogee

D H M 2 10 9pm 10 220 p m 2 8 30am 14 8 oam 17 943 a m 24 251 p m 29 4 oam



a _ Q a a o D

B JO ja M O v.

5 ° »__ _n_ a_3 _? o On. M l_»

Chriatoharch

i 1899 .. 1896 ..

8889 8235

6538 6261

S 1277

A.hley

1899 .. 1806 ..

1715 1936

1287 1186

101

Kaiapoi

1899 ..j 1896 ..

171? 2079

2235 1796

I m

i

Avon

1899.. 1896 ..

2188 1817

1592 ' 979

615

Lyttelton

1596 .. 1896 ..

2032 2004

1444 1120

i || 324

Riocarton

1899 .. 1896..

1973 2108

1347 949

j 393

EUe.mere

1899 .. 1896 ..

1761 1653

1502 1173

329

Selwyn

1899 .. 1896 ..

1684 1837

1464 1164

300

Aehburton

1899 .. 1896 ..

1901 2100

2022 1565 j

457

G-raldi.e

1899 .. 1896 ..

1882 1938

i 1490 1422

68

Timaru

1899 .. 1896 J

1985 2060

1921 1560

-61

I 466?



F. FERRIMAN J "FOB SALE Corner of Wills Street and East Belt, Aehburton. IHAYE received Instructions from Mr John Ainsworth, who is leaving for the North Island,,to sell hie veiy desirable residence, situated ns above. The honse, whioh contains 5 rooms and eonllery, has only recently been erected, nod is constructed of the best material by a _r-8_ .lass builder. The section Is well situated, and has bean well fenced and cultivated. An the owner has decided to loavo for the North Island at once, my Instructions »re to ©ifeot a speedy .ale. Foil particulars on application to F. FEBRIMAN, Land and Estate Agent. mm<w _■■_■! --+»-•- ._.... ■ .1 ~*t —_«■— •FINAL NOTICE. ~tf is .©qtiestßd that all Accounts due to Da Maude be paid to the undersigned Within 14 days F FERRIMAN. A-hburton, February 11th, 1902 TO LET ALFORD FOREST KOAD COTTAGE and _ Aore of land recently i occupied by Mr B Barr. Apply J F FERRIMAN, Land and Estate Agent TO LET, Kermode Street, A.hbarton, A COM PORTA BL_ House 'of 5 rooms, together with good garden and orchard Apply FFERRIMAN TO LET, Peter Street, Aehburton, A HOUSE of five rooms; J aore of land j good stabling Apply F FERRIMAN TO LET. Winter's Road, Allenton, A FIRST CLASS Dwelling, containing six rooms ; 1£ acres of land, tjood garden and orchard ; detached bathroom, washhouse, etables and trap house F FERRIMAN FOE SALE TANQRBD STREET, ASHBURTON. A SOUND INVESTMENT. I HAVE received instructions from Mr Edward Gibbard to sell part of Town Section 108, situated in Tancred Street, upon whioh is erected a very commodious and convenient Drnper's Shop, with dwelling attached, large front jjlasß windows, good position. The property ls let to a good tenant, and is yielding an 9_n_&l rental of £91. Foil particulars may be had on appli cation to F FERRIMAN, Land and Estate Agent, Ashburton BUSINESS NOTICES .LOTHING McTORYj 0 THE NEW ZEALAND /CLOTHING TJACTOIJY (J LOTHING X AGTORY TS the Cheapest Hou.e for Ready Mide Clothing. Men- Sao Suite, 25^ Men's Sao Suit*, 29, Bd. -il-SS-_c IN COLONIAL TWEED, BEST VALUE, A Large Stock of Boys' Clothing in Sailor, Norfolk, and Melvillo Shapes: at Bed Bock Prices. j OALL AND INSPECT, 'I HE NEW Z_S ALAND CLOTHING FACTORY F. H. BEOKINGSALE, Manager ToiTltAyr' (!sf_ V"^'tw V_ 0m \ X i «;i'.-{ ;;CT r, mth m [If A gYT P WANTED K.NOWN—That J M<__wn has inado immense reduction, in order to clear more quickly, and make room lor hia now Chalstmas Stook of Boota aDd Saoee, of best quality just arrived Repair tag done at once, best leather used ; the Hall .—tsext Courb House, A.hhurton. 11 163 CURTAINS of Quality, Btyle, and Low Price. Tne sort you want is the _e.t .or >tibe money, and that 1r our sorts Come a*-**) «b rrr.-_._i Mitchell & Turnbb



[ BUBINEBB NOTICES !' M E L L 0 R'S JL.IJL, JeL-Ji J_L~_i J_L___l V^a _J_Lw ts-S ZEALANDIA BOOT STORE- . THE LEADING BOOT SHOP. J)RONOUNOI_D by the Aehburton Public to bathe most reliable Boot Shop in Ashburton. Wist* Fathers and Mothers, if you wish to save money go straight to MELLOR'S NOTED BOOT SHOP, where you will get the besb value in Foot wear. The following are a few of our prices :— M^n'a Good Strong Shooters 10s Men's Lace Boots, great value 7* Ud Girls' Shoes, wonderful quality, 10 to 13, 5s 61 Ladles' Pretty Strap Shoef, only 6. 3d Girls' and Boya' S.hool Boots from 4s 6d And a thousand other lines thab cannot be beaten for price or quality Remember, if you give ua a trial you will be convinced that MELLOR'S Zealandia Boob Store leada for value in BOOTS and SHOES. Note the address— J; M. J_f. J__ JL, O ___, ZEALANDIA BOOT STORE, Tancred btreet, Ashburton BROS., PLUMBERS. IRONMONGERS, AND TINSMITHS Our Sanson's Stock of GUNS, CARTRIDGES, AND GUN FITTINGS !•* to Hand ; and Our GTJNSMITHING, ENGINEERING, and BRAIZING DEPARTMENT, la In the Hands of a Certificated Engineer, therefore all work will be oarried out o _ latest scientific lines, and guaranteed We hold a large -took of WINDMILLS, TANKS, BATHS, FORCE and LIFT PUMPS, SINKS, LAVATORY BASINS. HIGH PRESSURE BOILERS, &c, and make HOT and COLD WATER and SANITARY WORK ft Specialty ( SPOUTING, RIDGING, and all classes of Tin and Iron Goods Manufactured, Pipe Wells Driven, Pumps, Hydrahlic Rams, Windmills and Water Wheels fixed and .upplied. A Staff of Competent Workmen always available for all olas.es of Plumbing work in any part of th© county. Telephone 32] XX ARDLL JL J-jliOb. PLUMBERS and SANITARY EUGINpRS, EAST STREET LADIES WHO LEAD THE FASHION Shoold visit A ..CORNS and inspect their Latest Novelties in Jackets, Mantles, furs, and most charming selectioos in Dress Goods. Also the very latest models in Parisian Millinery, etc, FOR SPECIAL DISPLAY SEE WINDOWS " J. WILSON DIRECT IMPORTER OF ARTISTIC WALL PAPERS. A Competant Set of Tradesman kept for House Painting and Decorating in all its Branches, for Town and Country, I Have a Well Assorted Stock o'i , MIXED PAINTS In Large or Small Quantities) also Pain. Brushes White Lead Linseed Oils (Raw or Boiled) gorim Window Glass Fancy Glass Turpentine Beazine Methylated Spirits Artiste' Material Beautiful MIRROR GLASS in large sheets, oan be cub to any sizi PUBLIC NOTICE DISSOLUTION OF PAKTNERSHIP riIHE PARTNERSHIP at present existing between H, O. SHuiMPTONand another, trading under the name of the ASHBURTON DRAPERY COM PAN _ will be Dissolved on THURSDAY, MAROH 20th, ( ! In consequence of the^above, we will hold> (111! Wi Ull FOR TWENTY-ONE DAYS ONLY, COMMENCING THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, And Continuing till WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19thi NOTE—A Few Specials to Show we mean to Olear. A Big Lob of Sailor and Other Hata from Id eaoh Heaps of Flowers and Witt >b at Id each Big Lot Jackets and Cipee from 33 lid eaoh—Fashionable Shapes Blouse Silks Is per yard, were 3d 64 Lob of Ladies' Shoes, aborted makes, 6i Ud par pair, regular prioe 8s lid to lis 61 >Wh Suits from 19a 6d—Colonlal Tweed Yon. ate iodted to Call and Inspect the Bargains Offered. ASHBURTON DRAPERY CO. . -.— .DPlil ill 1111/ .'(IIIIK I AUTUMN AND I Sf^r^J ymy : WINTER NOVELTIES. New Groods in all Departments Reaotifal Selection of NEW MANTLES, JACKETS, QAPES, SEAL JACKETS, SILK BLOUSES, FURS, GLOMES, »nd DRESS MATERIALS, ,! LACE COLLARS, SILK SKIRTS, &c. I .....l^Q — — _-._-__-.in-_-T(»4r _ TT-TI^T/^I 1^ GIVING EVERY SATIBFAO' DRESSMAKING- tion in fit, style, ,nd mw® HIGH-CLASS TAILORING Perfect Fit, Good Workmanship, Prices Very Medw».e, ANDREW" ORE.



New Z f aala»d> »<« 8 and hitA^ mm Will $.iv.c the Bosra from hil Ito glen,, Old England's sons have nob forgot Majuba Hill—that dreadful blot, they'll fight all weathers, §ne wet, Nor care for cold that t&ey may get, Whioh knGwl^tg well they can endure By taking Woods' Cheat peppermint Qujse