POST OFFICE NOTICES.

Mails at the Ashburton Post Office close as follows: For Christchurch and North at 10.20 a.m., 4 p.m., and 7.30 p.mi., daily. For Chertsey al 10.20 a.m. daily. F'or Rakaia at 10/20 a.m., and 4 p.m. daily. For Ashburton South, Winslow, Hinds, Coldstream, Rangitata, Orari, Winchester, and Geraldine at 10.30 a.m. daily. For Ashton, Waterton, and Longbeach at 2.45 p.m. daily. For Grcenstreet, Ashburton Forks, Mount Somers, and Ashburton Gorge on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10,30 a.m. For Teniuka, Timaru and .South at 10.30 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily.

The Evening Echo. THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 1878.

Throughout the whole of New Zea land Ashburton is spoken of as rapidly Increasing in population, fast becoming ■•a busy commercial centre, and likely at no distant date to rank high among the influential and important towns of New .Zealand. That this fame is not empty ■breath is abundantly proved by the fact that nearly every train brings additions to its population, and every week adds to its business and the number of its business men. A walk round its streets reveals busy workmen erecting buildings of almost every description ; and a retrospect of but a few months shows the marked difference in the number and value of properties in the town "between then and the present time. Land, as a natural consquence, has been greatly enhanced in price, and is steadily rising. Every inch of Go vernment ground within the town belt has long ago gone into the hands of private individuals, and numerous sec tions have already several times changed ownership since their original purchase from the Crown.

But perhaps the best criterion of the town’s prosperity—what at least is always accepted as an excellent sign— :is the great, unsatisfied, and increasing demand for both dwelling-houses and places of business. Every vacancy is filled up as soon ns known, and new houses are let before the piles arc laid. 'Though investors in property are steadily supplying work for builders; •every builder’s hands full; and every -available carpenter employed, the rapid influx of population prevents the supply from overtaking the demand. We know many families who, unable to find suitable accommodation, have to con tent themselves with unsatisfactory makeshifts—merchants who, failing to ■secure a separate dwelling, make a residence for the time being of their business premises—many instances of ■working men who, having brought their families hither, have, been forced, from want of choice, to share the barely ■sufficient accommodation of such houses as could be had, with other families in .like difficulty—numbers of marrried men, attracted from less busy centres by the allurement which full and remune rative employment never fails to hold out to the well-doing worker, who are ■compelled to forego the luxury and comfort of home for the comparative chcerlessncss of the boarding-house, or .if attainable, private lodgings. Such is the lively but unpleasant state of affairs at this moment —a state of affairs inevitable in every young and reputedly advancing township. Rome was not built in a day, neither can Ash burton be expected, like the cities of a fairy tale, at the wave of a magician’s ‘ wand, to rise at once to

<< The glory which was Greece, or the gran deur which was Rome,” yet it is evident that though building is rapidly proceeding, the rate of supply is not commensurate with the demand for

housing, and it would be pleasing were more of our capitalists to invest their money in house property. This is a question affecting all who are interested in the progress of the town—but it is a matter ol more than ordinary interest to storekeepers, for every day a family is kept away from the locality of their breadwinner is a loss to dealers in articles of daily consumpt in that place, because the money earned by the father must be sent away for the support of the family where they are compelled to reside. Again, in the case of more affluent people, it is not to be hoped they will make such an outlay upon a makeshift as they would upon a per manent home, and thus another source of business is stopped for a time ; while a fictitious value is given to every kind of house property, the natural conse quence of which must be a rush, and subsequent reaction.

There can be doubt of the safety of our assertion that rents as high as in any other part of the colony are obtained here, and surely in such a case ample inducement is offered for the invest ment of money in dwelling-houses. 'Hie evil will doubtless cure itself in time ; but we cannot refrain from point ing out to capitalists the want existing, and expressing a hope that an extra spurt will be given to building operations in the direction of working men’s houses especially—having in view the daily increase of likely tenants and the near approach of winter. Erected at a small cost, and always commanding tenants, these are a class of houses which seldom fail to yield a good and permanent return for the outlay, and, apart from al! sanitary considerations of unhealthiness arising from defective housing, ought to have a strong claim upon the attention of men of means.

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Sir George Grey will arrive here at mid-day to-morrow. The panorama of the Franco-Prus sian war was exhibited in the Public library Hall last night. A large audi ence assembled, the majority of whom sat out the show. The panorama has certainly been eclipsed by others illus trative of the same conflict; we have heard a string band piay a long way better than the one last night; and it is to be hoped the Messrs Smith will not again visit Ashburton until their lec turer has read sufficently to let him know what he is talking about. Christchurch is surely a litigious city, foi the Press tells us the roll of civil cases before the R.M. to-day showed 250.

Eighty-five applications were opened at Christchurch yesterday for the situa tion of game-keeper to the Acclimatisa tion Society. One application was recommended as the most noted poacher in the old country, and there fore the man most likely to know his work. He was refused.

Sir George Grey spoke for two hours at Oamaru last night. He dealt chiefly with manhood suffrage, the incidence of taxation, and a land tax. The meet was the largest ever held at Oamaru, and at its conclusion Sir George received a warm vote of confidence.

New Guinea is being looked to by many as the El Dorado of the future, and expeditions are being formed in various places in this and the sister colonies. One leaves from Lyttelton very soon, while another from Sydney starts on the 20th March. The last received intelligence from the place itself, is, however, not of the most cheering kind. The natives are re

ported to be very threatening and only kept in check by the intervention of friendly native villagers. McGorn, cap tain of fhe Retrieve, has been killed by the natives at ‘Engineers Group, his vessel burnt, and the station pillaged. Mr. Goldie deplores \ the excitement caused by the .gold discovery, and deprecates further emigration.

Edmund Cornish has been fined £5 and costs at Timaru for sly grog selling- He was prosecuted by the South Canterbury Licensed Victuallers As sociation.

The Queen refuses to assume the protectorate of Samoa unless the direc torate of affairs accompanies it. Liardet, the Samoan Consul is dead.

Ten thousand labourers are unem ployed in the city of Boston, U.S., and have applied to the mayor for work.

The Atlantic coast was strewed with wrecks, and great loss of life has re sulted from fearful gales thst have pre vailed.

“An island below Pesth has been flooded, and twenty villages submerged, probably completely ruined. The river is obstructed by ice, and a heavy snow storm blocks the roads.” Such is the text of a telegram received from Pesth, and published.in the Press Agency’s summary of European news.

How to retain ' Affection. —Mrs. Milliss was asked how she managed to get along so nicely with- Mr. Millis, and frankly replied—" Oh, I feed him well. When a woman marries, her happiness for a little while depends upon the state of her husband’s heart; after that, it’s pretty much according to the state of his stomach.”

Girls. —Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stan ton, when asked if she thought that girls possessed, as a general thing, the physique necessary for the wear and tear of a college course of study, answered, “ I would like to see you thirteen hundred young men and lace them up, and hang ten to twenty pounds weight of coal on their waists ; perch them up on three-inch heels, cover their heads with ripples, chignons, rats and mfee, and stick ten thousand hair-pins into their scalps. If they can stand this, they can stand a little Latin and Greek.” Wreckers on the Newfoundland Coast. —At a Board of Trade inquiry at South Shields into the loss of the barque Marion, of Newcastle, on the Newfoundland coast, the Court called the serious attention of the Board of Trade to the barque having been boarded, by about forty wreckers, armed with revolvers, knives, and axes, who stripped the vessel. This lawless act of robbery and spoliation on the part of the crews of fishing smacks not being an isolated case, the Court hoped the Board of Trade, in concert with the Colonial Government, would take ade quate measures for the protection of merchant vessels wrecked, and prevent such outrages, which were a scandal to any colony under the British flag. Hints for Everybody.— The way to get credit is to be punctual; the way to preserve is not to use it much. Settle often; have short accounts. Trust no man’s appearance ; appear ances are deceitful, perhaps assumed for the purpose of obtaining credit. Beware of gaudy exteriors; rogues dress well. The rich are plain ; trust him, if any one, who carries but little on his back. Never trust him who flies into a passion on being dunned, but make him pay if there be any virtue in the law. Whenever you meet a man who is fond of argument, you will meet one profoundly ignorant of the opera tions'of the human heart. Mind your own affairs. Let all the errors you see in others’ management suggest correct in your own.

LATEST FROM EUROPE.

TELEGRAPHLC NEWS.

[Peji Press 'Agency.]

RETIREMENT OF MR. GLADSTONE.

ANTI-RUSSIAN DEMONSTRATION IN HYDE PARK.

STEAMER BURNT—SOO LIVES LOST.

London, March ix.

All the powers have accepted the Conference.

England demands a commission on the state of affairs in Greece.

An anti-Russian meeting has been held in Hyde Park. The Hon. W. E. Gladstone retires from the representation of Greenwich at the next election.

Mr. jolly is the new Premier of Canada.

A steamer has been burnt at Cape Elia. Five hundred Circassiahs per ished. Frequent Cabinet Councils are being held. The Austrian Minister of Affairs, on asking grants of sixty million florins, said that Austria must demand peace from the Conference; that definite limitations of results must be made to se cure the immunity of European, Aus trian, and Hungarian interests; and that any power attempting an indepen solution of the difficulty must be pre pared to meet the coalition of Europe.

INTERPROVINCIAL.

THE BLUESKIX MYSTERY

Dunedin, March 13

An exhaustive inquiry is going on touching the death of a child at Blue skin, the body ol which was recently found in a soap box there. The whole affair seems wrapped in mystery. 'Fhe mother is a Mrs Dacosta, of Timaru, and she declares the child died, and that she gave it to a man who promised to bury it for £5. She did not know the man, and gave him the child to save herself from disgrace, as her family did not know her condition. She admits having administered laudanum to the child on the night prior to the day of its death. - The inquiry was ad journed till Monday to inquire into the truth or otherwise of the woman’s state ment.

Mr Sheehan is taking, a firm stand with the Maoris at Taranaki. Referring to .the recent stoppage of surveys, he stated, at an interview with the natives, that whoever took up arms or resorted to violence placed himself* outside the law, and must abide the consequences.

Nautical title for the female novel reader —The Skipper.

Some little time ago at a bar con clave at a southern hotel in the States, generals, majors, and colonels were each, with much declamation, giving an account of an incident in the last civil war. A quiet man stood by, and at last said, “ Gentlemen, I happened to be there, and perhaps might be able to refresh your memories as to what took place.” And he gave, succintly and inoffensively, the exact details of a smart action. The hotelkeeper said to him, “ Sir, what might have been your rank?” "I was a private,” was the reply. Next day the quiet man, as he was about to depart, asked for his bill. “ Not a cent, sir—not a cent,” answered the proprietor. “ You are the very first private I ever met.”

THE EVENING ECHO, THURSDAY, MARCLI 14, 1878.