POST OFFICE NOTICES.

Mails at the Ashburton Post Office close is follows': — For Christchurch and North at 10.20 a.m. p.m., and 7.30 p.m., daily. For Chertsey at 16.20 a.m. daily. For Rakaia at 10.20'a.m., and 4 p.m. daily. For Dunedin, Tinwald, Winslow, Hinds, Coldstream, Rangitata, Oran, Winchester, and Geraldine,at 10.20a.m. daily. FOl Temuka, Tim am, and South at 10.20 a.m'. and 3 p.m daily. For Greenstreet, Ashburton Forks, Mount Somers, and Ashburton Gorge on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10.30 a.m. For Ashton, Waterton, and Longbeach, at 3.15 p.m. daily. For Wakanui and Seafield, every Monday and Thursday, at 7.30 p.m.

The following letters from places beyond the colony were received at the Ashburton Post Office during the month of February, and remained unclaimed on Ist April:— Flanigan, Daniel. Howard, Frederick. Norman, C. Pirie, Thos. Reen, Timothy. Smith, John Groves (2). W. St. G. Douglas, Postmaster.

NOTICE.

A travelling Post Office having been estab lished on the Southern line of railway, letters bearing a late fee of 2d. may be posted at any station in the mail carriage attached to the express train, and they will be included in the mails made up in transit for ofT; ses on the main line and branches. Sydney J. Dick, Chief Postmaster.

ASHBURTON RETAIL LIST.

The Ashburton Herald AND Borou gh and County Advertiser (With which is incorporated the “ Evening Echo”). FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 1879.

Whgß Parliament last year passed the motio n to h°ld its next session in Christchurc. h > the handful of members who said (i . A y e ” t 0 xt did so with a grin, and with ‘ a S rin did the colony receive it, full) 7 satisfied that a good joke was meant *■ > t^iat diat joke was carried out (so . far as the members meant who voted or JO w^ien motion was passed , * anc * there it would end, whatever was thought by the gentleman in whost ' t^ie x<^ea took its rise. In proof that the whole colony (with the except lon » as xt as proved, of Christchuch . Bumbledom) looked upon the -whole tiling r as a farce, not a single newspaper ha s ever re ~ ferred to it in the recess, ana ; none °f the members who have as yet ac Pressed thear constituents have touched tipon

possibility of having to att§qd else* where than at Wellington in response to the assembling summons. But at some hole or other in Mayor Ick’s bonnet the bee has got in, and he is now.making his buzzing heard on the foolish subject in every Borough and County Council in [the South Island. The arguments in favor of shifting the theatre of Parliaments’ sayings and doings from Wellington to Christchurch are of the weakest and on the part of Christ church —if the Mayor and those sup porting him are fair representatives of public opinion in the city—the most selfish and sordid character. The city, it is allowed, even by the Christchurch newspapers, does not afford even de cent accommodation for the troop of departmental officials, who would have to strike camp in the Empire City and pitch in the City of the Plains. Public business, it is not alleged, would be in any way expedited by the removal, but the possibility of the change interfering with the already tedious despatch of business is tacitly admitted, and the only really good end the migration would serve is found in the assertion that the political education of the people of Christchurch would be furthered by having in their midst the pumpers of Hansard thunder. As if, forsooth, all that our astute Parliamenters ever say that is worth the hearing is not fully' enough given to the nobility, gentry, and tag-rag and bob-tail of Christchurch through the press, and will be given now more fully than ever by the aid of the special wires at the command of the daily morning papers. That Parliament will meet for one ses sion only in Christchutch is an idea that will not be realised, and therefore a thought need not be bestowed upon it; but the question of fixing the seat of Government at Christchurch perma nently is another matter. This is a question that affects more than Canter bury and Wellington —it affects the whole colony, from its “ Land’s End to John o’ Groats ;” but the Christchurch arguments in its favor and the Middle Island arguments generally in support of it, all bear the impress of selfishness. Blest with a through line of. railway from Invercargill to Christchurch, it is urged that southern Members could visit their families every Saturday, and therefore, to suit the personal convenience of the Southern men —in whom, of course, it is assumed, the whole collective wisdom of the Legislature centres—as the railway does not run to the Government build ings in Wellington, Government build ings must be brought to the railway. The poor wights whose journey from the North would be lengthened are to be left out in the cold, without any con sideration whatever. Property would fall in value- in Wellington, and its business would suffer by the removal. But what then? Christchurch pro perty would rise, and Christchurch business would be increased —so that things would be equal. But Invercargill, Dunedin, Nelson, Na pier, and Auckland have all the same claim to the honor of being the site of Parliament, and why should a special and foolish expense be incurred for the purpose of humoring the “ fad” of a few men who believe that the colony was discovered and colonised for their special benefit, and must there fore be turned upside down because they wish it? A change from Wellington to Christchurch would entail a large expense ; it would not help public busi ness a bit; Wellington is the most cen tral site with good harbor access that the colony can supply; and by-and-by the North Island will be as well off as re gards a through line line of railway as we are. Why, then, should Christ church and Canterbury try to grasp at the enhanced land value and increased business the removal may be supposed to give them, if those are only to be se cured at the expense of the North, and for .no real advantage to the colony at large. No; Canterbury’s prosperity is real enough ; it has been made without the aid of the seat of Government. It is not falling off; and if it was, it does not require to be buckramed out by an envious clutch at the advantages pos sessed by Wellington in having the annual meetings of Parliament held within her borders.

Inquest. —An inquiry as to the cause of the fire that occurred a fortnight ago at Hamilton’s, near Timvald, was to have’ been held to-day, but owing to the absence of the Coroner at Geraldine, it had to be adjourned till Tuesday, at 12 noon. Twenty-four gentlemen were summoned, besides witnesses. The error lay with the Sergeant of Police, who had mis-read the Coroner’s warrant and summoned jurymen and witnesses for the 4th instead of the sth. An indispensable witness will be elsewhere on the sth, so that the inquiry stands adjourned till the Bth.

Railway Obstruction. Yesterday forenoon, just before the express passed at the crossing beyond Tinwald, Mr. Smith, while riding southwards, observed that several large stones were jammed tightly between the rails and the wooden guards. Dismounting, he succeeded in dislodging the obstruction before the express came up, and thus allowed her a clear passage. But for Mr. Smith’s prompt action, a serious accident would inevitably have occurred. On inquiry, the police found that the stones had been placed there by some children while playing on the line.

Alford Forest School.— At the meet ing of the Board of Education yesterday, the application was refused for a house for the mistress of the Alford Forest side school. ' . ;

Dunedin Bakers. —The Dunedin bakers have‘formed a Trade Union, and have notified to the employers that; on the 14th instant they commence to work on the 9b hours a day system.

{Sunday? Soixool Last night a meeting was in the. Presbyterian Church, to form'aiSunday:' School Teachers’ Association. Mr. Gavin presided, and a resolution having been; carried to form such an organization, the. following office-bearers were appointed : President, the pastor of the church ; vice-president, Mr. Stott ; treasurer/' Mr. j. Caird; secretary, Mr. W. S. Taylor ;! librarian, Mr. Ennisv-.JThe meeting ad-: journed till Thursday evening, 17th inst/, when rules, etc. , will be considered. Eire at Rakaia. —Early on Tuesday morning a fire occurred at Tiverton, near Barrhill, by which a stable stored with wheat, harness, etc., was destroyed. _ The property was owned by Mr. E. B. Diclcen, and was largely insured in two offices; The grain was insured in the South British for £BOO, part of which was re insured in the Lone on and Lancashire. The stable and harness were insured on the 26th March in the New Zealand for £417, making a total of £1,217, consider ably more than the loss sustained. We learn that a proposal was made to the South British previous to the New Zea land’s policy being taken up, to insure the building for £650, and £l5O on the con tents, but the negotiations fell through. All that was saved amounted to about 140 bags of wheat, the bulk of which is uninjured. . • , The Old Men’s Home. —At the sitting of the Christchurch Charitable Aid Board yesterday, we learn from the “ Times’ ” report, the Chairman said that Mr. March, on his way to--Dunedin, had paid a visit to the Home at Ashburton. ■ He had for warded an interim report, saying there were at present 26 patients in that institu tion, who seemed to be very comfortable and perfectly contented. —Mr. Booth said he had beard of one man who had come from there, and stated that, he would rather lie down by the river and die than stay in the Home. Since his • arrival in town he had applied for charitable aid. —The Acting-Secretary stated that the man alluded to bore a very bad character. He was a compositor by trade, but from his character, found difficulty in obtaining employment. When in the Home he seemed to be very, dissatisfied. —The Rev. H. B. Burnett wrote from Ashburton, bringing under'the notice of the Board a case of a woman-krthat district. Referred to the. Charitable-Aid Committee.

A Light Criminal Calendar;— At the sitting of the Supreme Court on Wednes day, only one case came before the Chief Justice—that of' Michael O’Grady, for shooting, with intent to do bodily harm, at John M'Namara. The man was sen tenced to two years’ imprisonment. The Judge said so light a calendar had never been known since the opening of the Su preme Court sittings at Hokitika, and the incident was indicative of the orderly and law-abiding character of the large mining population on the West Coast. -

An Impudent Theft.— ln broad day light yesterday, in a Oamaru hotel, a thief put his hand into the pocket of a drunk harvester and took out a pocket-book. He was seen, however, and was afterwards arrested by the police. The Prize HfeiFEElFloAver of-Brunswick, purchased recently by Mr.''Eraser,, of- Auckland, for 400 guineas, has become the property of Mr. .Menlove, Windsor Park, Oamaru.

Dr. Slade, the Spiritualist. —This celebrity, en route for America, gave several seances to a few Spiritualists in Auckland on Wednesday. The press was not represented at any of them, and no chance was thus given to the public to learn details, beyond the facts that he made tables and chairs dance about, and that he delivered while in a ■ ‘ trance 0 a Spiritualistic lecture. He is coming back again to New Zealand within a year, as he has learned New Zealand possesses a great many Spiritualists.

A Bullet Brooch. —At the close of the Nelson Rifle'Meeting, Mrs. Pitt, who fired the opening shot of. the gathering, wasl pfese'ntedhbyi-Jhe volunteers with a unique broocUy'jviz;; the bullet : she fired froni the rifle. The battered lead had been recovered and set handsomely in gold. ... r The Waikato Meeting.— “ The PostT says : —“ Te Wharinui, the great Ngati maniopoto chief, wlio has hitherto held himself aloof from political meetings, has, we believe, intimated his intention of being present at the Waikato meeting between Tawhaio and the Premier.”

The Waimate Plains. —The portion of the Waimate Plains which is to be sold on the 6th May is not the best of the Plains, being that next to the seaboard. The soil is light, but rich, and well watered. In the centre of the block will be the town ship of Mania. . .. Fine Barley. —“ The Hawke’s Bay Herald ” mentions a fine crop of barley of superior quality, the best sample it has seen for a long time, that was sown and stacked in nine weeks. It was grown on Mr Bruce’s land, Ormond, Poverty Bay. Kaitangata Mine. —A correspondent, writing from Kawakawa, Bay of Islands, ■ to the Thames "Advertiser, states .-—The news of the explosion at the Kaitangata Mine has/ very naturally, caused some talk, and not a few affirm that such a catastrophe, may occur in the Bay of Islands Coal Mine at any moment. It is rumoured that flashes of fire-damp have lately been witnessed, and in some parts the ventilation is so defective as to prevent the miners working longer than one or two hours at a time.”

A cut-short ‘‘Leader.”— “Snyder,” the editor of the Poverty Bay Hearld, commenced writing a leader on the morn ing of race day. He got along for a half a column very well—descanting on the absurdity of editors writing “ leaders” on race days. Then he gave vent as follows : —“ The Press is a power which the great est living statesman of the day dare not ignore "or^hast 1 on one side. The great Lord Palmerston, when Minister for Foreign Affairs, once said —‘ If you please, sir, a trap is waiting outside for the races, and the man says, he won’t wait, and that if you don’t come now, you can stop where you are.’ And this is why we have been compelled to bring our leader to a dose so abruptly. We are quite sure it would have been a very powerful one, and pro bably such as would have caused the present Ministry to have sent in their resignations ; but such is newspaper life— and who can help it ?” So “ Snyder” went to the races.

TO-DAY'S COURT.

Before A, Le'Grand Esq., R..M. *•’< ! If&ij v7i\ vagrancy.*/. jQhh-.Giinning.ham/ for this offence, was committedFtq'fghol for two months, having had several/ like interviews with his Worship.-pieviously.| V.A . John Brownbeing similarly: delin quent,' received the same / sentence as his companion. DRUNKENNESS. \ Af John Callaghan, charged with drunk enness, was dismissed with a caution, it being a first,offence. -: w; . ~.. •„ I *' ' • / CIVIL CASES. Friedlander Bros. v. Bryant.—Cl.aim of' £2 3 17s.' oii' a dishonored order. Mr. -Branson for plaintiff. Judgment for plaintiffs with costs. „ Hayes v. Muir.—Claim £2 ss. 9d. for timber supplied. The defendant not appearing, judgment was given for plaintiff with costs. ./f yj ’Saunders Bros: v. Ford:—Claim 6d. Mr. Harris for plaintiffs. Judg ment for plaintiffs with costs. Bullock and Co. v. Betts.—Claim jQ 2B 9s. id. Judgment for amount and costs. C|' YjfC/jT/ 'VI. f Edwards ..aha 'idee v. Bradford.— Claim £7 3s. Mr. Harris who ap peared on behalf of defendant, stated : that . the defendant, had . filed his schedule; bn this ground his Worship dismissed the case. I ■

Fitzpatrick v. Fagan. —Claim //16. Mr. Ireland for plaintiff. His Worship dismissed this case on account of its being'beyond• his jurisdiction,. i Spillard v. Ladbrook. —Claim 2s 6d. Judgment for plaintiff with costs. Digby v. Ladbrook. —-Claim //n 7b. Mr. Branson for' t .plaintiff. Judgment in default with costs. Mr. Branson ap plied for* an immediate execution in this case,' as defendant had left the town ship. Geo. Lee y. Acland, Campbell, and Co.—Claim 15s. Mr. Harris for plaintiff; Mr. Branson for defendant. Judgment for defendant. . Edwards and Lee v. Bradford. No appearance-for' plaintiff. Mr. Harris for defendant. Dismissed with costs

Stephens v. Leask. No appearance for the plaintiff. Dismissed with costs. Carruthers v. M'Cutchen. —Claim for wages VV-6. Mr. Branson appeared for plaintiff, and Mr. E. G. Crisp for de fendant. The plaintiff had worked,, he said, for defendant from the 13th June,of last year to the 15th of Febru ary of this year,' at the rate of 30s. per week, ! of which £7 had been paid, leaving the balance sued for due. For the defence it was held that ah agreement had been entered into, between the parties, by which a section of land was to become the property of plaintiff in lieu of wages. Plaintiff re pudiated the agreement, and defendant ‘was Unable to produce the written document. Plaintiff denied that the; sec tion was to be paid for out of Wages worked for. Case adjourned fora fort night for the production of the agree ment. ■ ;

RAKAIA AND ASHBURTON FORKS RAILWAY.

J- ~«v jur 1 .-., jT. \ [from our own correspondent]

Very, little progress has been made in the Rakaia and Ashburton Forks Rail way: up to within the last few weeks in’ consequence of the scarcity of labor, but now that .harvesting is over a large gang of men have been put on besides about 35 Chinamen, and they are now making great progress. There is about six miles of the heaviest work cut; and three miles of this is laid in ballast ready for the sleepers, which will very soon bej to: hand. ' Two ships, with rails, left England' in February last,' so that they may soon be expected, and another is soon to follow. The two engines are coming from America and are about due. The contractor pur poses making the permanent way as the work goes on, so that as soon as the rails are here they will be laid and the engine running with, trucks, which will greatly'facilitate theAyork. [ The bridge over the creek, near Mr. Coster’s, will be completed in about six days. The place for the goods’- shed and : engine house on the west side of the line and south of 1 the. Government sheds, is all cleared and ballast is being laid.; The passenger platform wilL be on the east side of the line, about 500 yards south of the other. The points from the miain line for the continuation of the permanent way, are already laid in po sition, and the sub-contractor, Mr. M. Lake, is energetically pushing the. work ahead, and now ’ that labor is more plentiful, greater progress will be made. The contract time for the completion of this line is about September next, and. we hope by that time the trains will be running, and thus place more jof our valuable lands within easy communica tion for transit of produce, and; extend our commerce. The.. contractor speaks, very highly [of the energy manifested by the directors to push'the work on,'and also of Mr. Passmore, the engineer. t

Disraeli’s Beds. —There is a story current, that when Lord Beabonsfield went to Berlin, his,_ chamber, wasj ordered to have s two beds ; for a widower'this was curious. The detective' found out that during warm nights, Dizzy for coolness’s sake was in the habit, like the Spaniards, of changing his bed. , A Loose Tail. —An English jockey sold a horse at a recent fair, and when the new owner,came to-iharness him for the first time, in lifting the tail, to adjust the crupper, behold that important append age parted company with the; rest of the horse —“much to the consternation” of the unsophisticated purchaser.

TELEGRAPHIC.

LATEST FROM EUROPE

TO-DAY’S CABLEGRAMS, ; [argus special:] XI .•/'•* Mr Berry’s Mission. ; " London, April. 2, \

Mr. Berry is pressing Governrpent for a,reply. He abandons all hope of obtaining an Enabling Act and is inter viewing- the leading statesmen in the hope that the debate in the Commons will lead to a compromise in the Colony.. - The University Boat Race.

The Cambridge crew are the favorites for the University Boat

The Afghan War.

London, April 3

> News from Afghanistan states that 60 men of the Tenth Hussars were drowned in a river near Cabul. Lord Harris and the Sydney Men. A letter in The Times from Lord Harris censures the Sydney cricketers for the late fracas. ‘ L /Garibaldi and New Guinea. | n . Garibaldi is in Rome trying to pre vent the formation of the New -Guinea Expedition Society. / ''

INTERPROVINCIAL.

TO-DAY'S TELEGRAMS.

Auckland, Friday.

At a meeting of creditors of Harry Wattie Fernall, liabilities were stated at assets nil: After discussion it was resolved that notice be given to Wellington creditors, rWater is rapidly rising in the Thames Pumping Association shaft. The 400 feet level is covered, and the men in the Golden Calf have knocked off work. In making their way to the shaft they had a narrow escape, owing to the sudden inflow of.gas, and had to travel 200 feet in the darky at one time they were nearly overpowered. " The directors of South- British In: surance Company have resolved to pay the usual dividend of 15 per cent, at the forthcoming meeting. C A fire broke ‘ out at ■ Thwaites’, saw mills, Breakwater Road, but it was sup pressed. f. . An old man named W. Riley, while walking up the Waikato line was struck by the guard of an engine and seriously injured. , y--. : J . ; A canoe, going to Orinaita, capsized with 3 occupants. The lona lowered a boat to the rescue, but Prosser, the ferryman, picked up William Gardiner ; a Maori saved the other two. A man named Hill has been arrested at Helen’s Villa for forging the name of Captain Onehunga, to a promissory note.

The season has broken up, and. the weather is wet and squally. ' ‘ ,

Governor on Sports.

Wellington, Friday.

In reply to. an address from ; the cricketers yesterday, the - Governor said “ Lean assure you that I take a warm interest in all the. good old English games and pastimes, believing as I do, they exercise a very important influ ence in the formation of a sound and vigorous national character.” Ad dresses were also 1 presented to the Governor by the Foresters and Odd fellows. ■ Invercargill, Friday.

Up to yesterday 832 < acceptances were received for the Volunteer Demon-, stration. The hotels will, be'able to 1 - billet the whole.-’- - - - :r ■ ;- : i j

, Father Henneberry last night em phatically denied the report in; The Southland Times that- on the previous evening he had counselled' those, engaged for mixed marriages to .break them off, bis remarks referring:'Eto engagements with a view to marriage.

MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB.

In London one of the greatest hits in the Princess’ and Aquarium version of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin ” is, as We know, the nursery ditty, “ Mary had a little lamb,” sungby Four Jolly Coons. Here is an edition of the song in heathen Chinee : !■ - Was gal named Moll had lamb, ; v'i ■ ! Elea all samee whitey snow, l :'i* Evly place Moll gal walkee, j* j T Baba hoppee long tao. I i The celebrated poem has also a French' version : ■■ ' t.tb ,1, vi j _ ' La petite Marie had le jeune muttongj-> f ’ :Xl: Ze wool was blaochee as ze snow, And everywhere La Belle Marie went, :: La jeune muttong was zure to go. And a German j Dat Mary have got ein leedle schaf, ; Mit hair yust Tike some wool, ; ' wu ' ' Und all der place dot girl did vent, v 1 * a .‘ Dat schaf go like ein fool. j " -i f; - Lastly, a son of Erin was trying to sur round Mary arid her little lamb the other day, and this is the way he did it:— Begorra, Mary had a little shape, ; And the wool was white entoirely, j • V And wherever Mary wud stir her shtumps,'' : The young shape wud follow her complately.

A Horsewhip Needed. Some larrikins' at. Sydney are imitating the Kellys. One, only ten years of age, has been -charged with stealing some, jewellery, which he' pawned, and purchased pistol and sword with the proceeds.. He then went about, levelling the pistol and brandishing the„ sword, and calling himself “ Ned Kelly,” and terrified his associates in the hood. I A Sensation. —Amongst ; the entertain ments in Paris, the latest sensation is r at “ Cirque Fernando,” Where Miss Lala> the Black Venus, and “La Femme Canon;'” concludes her performance, by being sus-; pended from a trapeze with ! a man iround-, her waist and a cannon, weighing 300 kilos, hanging from her mouth, which is fired off. There’s no mistake about the weight of the cannon—it has been weighed. and guaranteed.

LAST NIGHT'S CABLEGRAMS.

• ' London, April’ i. OTheX/CrOtyno TheX/CrOtyn Prince’s; son Henry i s /.expected to-,visit Australia. . fTh&jOriehtal Bank Directors report that [after /paying an interim dividend, iri yi October last there remained of earnings. Losses and depressed trade swept away the whole amount, with an additional Tire" 1 Directors have allowed. 'for/ depreciation 'of securities,, and /for. J losses on the Eastern Exchange, resul- ' ing in the absorption of nearly they whole of the reserve fund. The Times. describes-the report as courageous and , praiseworthy, in having/frankly, met and' acknowledged every actual or possible loss. It is not improbable - • may * be. tided oven 10 J hnz /.*

THE WAIMATE PLAINS DIFFICULTY.

.X! •* : j Auckland, April 3. - - The Kingites are.quite indifferent about /the -Waimate afikir, V They , look’ upon ,Te Whiti as trying to usurp Tawhiao’s •authority/yx: /ssiMXy Ti'idi-f fir's?, t •;U iWfiiitmctxpK,v April 3, • The latest,official news irom Waimate is very satisfactory and reassuring. Mr." Jas. Mackay is still at Parihaka with Te Whiti. ; Them .seems little doubt that the surveyors' wiir speedily, be reinstated ch 'the Plains with the assent of a vast majority 7of the natives,; >* , ■- \ , - ; V]’-./.7 ~ “ The Evening Post ” of to-night says : —“ The problem before the .Ministry,/in relation.-to the affair, is similar to that which presented itself to the Eng lish Government f ; recently ’ of-'-' securing peace with honour,-and it has little ,doubt of an equally satisfactory result: ■ ,

POST-SESSIONAL SPEECHES.

(Frojn the Wellington Within the last few. weeks ,w£ have had speeches from- Messrs Wallis, Rol leston, Whitaker, Morris, - Montgomery, and Wason. Captain Morris seems to have entered upon somewhat wilder flights of imagination, than any of the other speakers, but even his speech fails to reveal any indication: ot the posses sion of a,; policy 1 ffiieX party in which he occupies the positiph/pf Whip. Mr. Wason was, indeed, the .only mem ber of the six who had a sensible reason

to give foi*' -and' that reason is one the existence of which we sincerely regret— tils intended retire ment from the House. Mr. JVason is certainly not a brilliant politician,. He is somewhat 1 given ; to’’ makings drearily funny speeches, but. he is a fnan who impresses those who see and hear him with . the idea that he is a gentleman, and the impression is a correct one. It might have been possible to' :<< better politician.'!Mr. Wa sou/ iikO Captain Morris/"fiaslbeen a 'Whip/Mnd'fhrs I-fact gives esqrhe little importance to one part of his late speech. He truly, told his constituents —“ It was a fine thing to'boastof your )indepcndent,. yote ; . but he contended thaCno Government could be/ carried on if every member voted according to his conscience. Without a sacrifice of minor details, no Government could be carried on. The cry of independent voting was a despicable one. His experience was that independence Your tried/ to be all things/to all menl ,The. Opposition had been compelled /to conciliate the independent >-members.” ,:. These be ■words/of \ wisdom, Jwouidr Beyond .this,ewe.- search!His//speech,in?vain for anything \yprth , noticing., This, as we have already said, is""the result of ad dressing a political ..meeting, at a time when the past has‘ptactically> ceased to interest and the future h^s : not com menced to do This brings us to the point; 1 when is ■ Jhe interest of the -future;likely Ztd ; begin;?a :Mr. Wason tells .us:,independent . members are a nuisance. -We entirely agree with him; but there must be two bF'm'ore parties if thereXai'e -riot td "be’ : independent members, and it is, very difficult just at present, to / know/'where to find any parties at all.’" The four Opposition members 5 who' have spoken..-‘Have only , shown unity on one, point—dtiqualified condemnation' of all that' the Govern ment ;didL,last, session. ; They have not indicated, however, .{the Of any general rparW; ; principles them selves. The two nominal supporters of .the spoken were ■almostas'ikeVere/in‘their criticism of the .action-// 1 of t ;//the/ / ||inwtry/ fi perhaps,- ./a iiittle/^moreljust; than the others. . They failed, Yho.wever, to drew any basis of party -union: sit; is swly high time ministersbegan to make s* /»e preparation- .for. next session?* Ru.-,or has ;it that 'Parliament fe to m<eet in less than four Jndeed, its 1 meeting cannot y^ellybe; and yet tvery can H /have-been given by.ithe,\Cabinet to the proposals to'be ma'dfefJwhen Parliament iheetX ia lt 3: ls tithe that’ Ministers came a little *‘ihofe 'together/ and after what’" they to do, 3p r ermitte(Lone of theirinumber to do as Mr/ Ballance did'a few weeks later than this fiihe' last-yearJ4ffofd ‘‘the public spine C findication of the nature of the ./policy lop /which the Government will /endeavor to unite their .party next ses siori-tf Until this'is done it is really of nomse’ for any: more -Members to ad*- -’dress their Constituents. ■*? The events of last session have been talked bare, and no Jonger interest the public. What is lwahted now./is/something to awaken ; a fresh interest in the future. ;

g rtret ryrey

fHI JsSiWdOTeP; ABMpS



s. Butter,' inferior to best $ lb I d. 0 to I 2 Eggs, $ dozen - - I 6 to 0 0 Cheese, prime quality, lb o 10 to 0 0 Bacon, prime smoked, 1? lb o 10 to 0 0 Hams in cloth, lb - I 0 to 0 0 Flour-in bags, ioolb 12 6 to 14 0 Oatmeal. $ 25th - 7 0 to 0 0 Lard, 1? lb - - - 0 9 to 0 0



Clatfcittg ENCOURAGE NEW ZEALAND INDUSTRIES. ■ TO THE PEOPLE OF THE ASHBURTON DISTRICT. MESSRS. ALLENSTEIN ROS. JJALLENSTEIN Desire to inform you that a RETAIL BRANCH of the NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY. IS NOW OPEN IN THE NEW BRICK BUILDING ASHBURTON, (Nest Bullock & Co.’s Rooms) To effectually introduce their Goods and drive out the imported article they have decided to sell a SINGLE GARMENT AT THE WHOLESALE PRICE All goods are marked in plain figures, for net cash only. Any article purchased and not approved of will be exchanged with the same courtesy with which it was sold, or, if desired, the money will be returned. The Success which has attended the New Zealand Clothing Fac tory’s Retail Branches in Auck land, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and other towns, leads the Proprietors to believe that there exists a praiseworthy desire on the part of the public to encourage New Zealand Indus tries, especially where superior advantages are offered, and your support is solicited on this understanding only. 467 WILLIAM SPARROW, Manager Ashburton Branch.



Chemists. HERBAL: MEDICINES. PERSONS suffering from liver com plaints, coughs, colds, worms, skin diseases, &c., are invited to try Nature’s cheap and universal remedy, “HERBS.” James Neil, importer of Herbs, and Bo tanic medicines, George street, Dunedin, has appointed MR. J. M. CAMBRIDGE, Chemist, Ashburton, Agent for his highly-extolled medicines, Composition Powder for colds, Dandelion Coffee and Dandelion Pills for liver com plaints, Headache Pills, Botanic Cough Syrup ~ Worm Powders ~ Stomach Bitters ~ Blood Purifyer, &e. Roots, Herbs, Barks, &c. of every kind. 370 CAMBRIDGE’S ORANGE-QUININE TONIC WINE I IS acknowledged to be the most agreeable and efficacious Tonic Stomachic yet pro duced. It contains the valuable Tonic proper ties of Peruvian Bark (“Quinine”) witkthe Stomachic properties of the Bitter Seville Orange,, so combined as not to be objec tionable to the most delicate invalid ; and, as a “BITTERS,” is far superior to all other preparations. Invaluable to all suffering from loss of , appetite, indigestion, general debility, ner vous affections, tic, ague, and derange ment of the system. When the stomach has become enfeebled or disarranged by disease, excess, car irregularities, or the appetite is impaired! by mental or bodily exertion, or from any cause whatever, it gives a regularity and tone which is not obtained by any other j medicine. One, two, or three wine-glass- I fuls may be t?ken during the day by persons suffering from the above com plaints, with the greatest benefit. It is, highly recommended by the medical pro fession to be taken whenever Cod Liver Oil is ordered. By pouring the required dose of the oil into half a wine-glaes of the “ Orange Quinine Wine ” scarcely a flavour of the oil is tasted, and the wine materially assists the oil in its beneficial operations. Price, 4s. 6d. per \ fine bottle-, and sent (carriage free) in cases containing one dozen, at 48s. Sold : retail by all Chemists, and manufactured by J. M. CAMBRIDGE; MEDICAL HALL ASHBURTON,' j - 360 Business Notices. Q_EORGE LLE N, j ACCOUNTANT, COLLECTOR, j HOUSE, LAND; AND COMMISSION | AGENT, ] Saunders’ New Buildings, Ashburton. ij j4<55 ii



NOTICE. ADVERTISEMENTS for the Ashburton Herald must be sent in not later than 2 p.m. for the Country Edition, and 3 p.m. for the Town Edition, with the number of insertions written plainly on he copy, other wise they will be inserted till countermanded, and charged accordingly. Notice to discontinue Advertisements must be left at the Office in writing, before 12 noon and alterations the day previous. Subscriptions : In Advance. If Booked Quarterly— s. d. s. d Delivered in town ... '6 O 0 0 „ country ... 80 8 6 Posted ... - 80 8 6 Special Notice. AITKEN AND CO. are prepared to make CASH ADVANCES ON GRAIN, OR OTHER PRODUCE Placed in tlieir hands for sale in the Home Markets. *390 ST-RAYED OR STOLEN, ON 2nd instant, a Lemon and White Spaniel DOG ; register number on collar, 274 A.C.C. ; answers to name of “ Rock. ” Anyone returning the above to Bank of New Zealand will be rewarded. 639 A. F. STRANGMAN. F OR SALE. SECTION 670, Cameron Street, with well-built 4-roomed COTTAGE there on. Ad ply oli the premises. 641 W. K. HURST.



TO-MORROW. ESSRS BULLOCK AND CO. have received instructions from the con sign ee to sell at their Rooms, East-street, TO -MORROW (Saturday), at 2 o’clock, Handsome Family Bibles. Cassell’s History of England, 9 vols. Cassell’s Popular Natural History, 4 v. National History of England, 4 vols. Bunyan’s Select Works, 2 vols. AH Round the World, 2 vols. Chambers’ Journal. Races of Mankind. Swift’s Works. All the Year Round. Account Books. Concertinas. School Books, Stationery, etc. —ALSO— Mirrors, Glassware. Vases, etc. BULLOCK AND CO., s'6’g—« 640 Auctioneers.