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Ashburton Guardian, Volume I, Issue 32, 9 December 1879, Page 2

Postal. —Mails for Sydney, perTararua, close at Auckland to-day, at 2 p.rn. Rajjata and Ashburton Forks Railway- —Tins iiU'Vfty nftw 30 chains pf the termipus, and is expected to be completed next month. Notice has already been given td Government that the line will be ready for passenger traffic on the 15th January, and it is anticipated a formal opening will take place about that time. At present, goods and produce, can be taken up and down the line, which appears to work very well. Stock Sales. —The usual fortnightly sale of cattle and sheep will be held at Tinwald to-day. The last two sales have shpwn considerable improvement, both in the cju')(.tpd' apd the prices realised, 4. large number will hp' m}bmitted by auction to-day, and ought fi to meet with keen competition, owing to the quantity of feed now in the -country. .Longbeach School.—lt is always a pleasure to notice the progress of education, and in no part of Canterbury has it taken greater strides than in Ashburton.' During the past two years we can enumerate the following new school districts which the increase of population has called into pxigtpnpe ; —Ryjo and Ohertsey, in Bakaia Road district: (sje'afieldj Jifpfldands, and Elgin in thp with a spepdy prospect of anothpF near the mouth pf thp creek ; and in Longbeach, Tinwald,. and Plemington, the latter not ypt having thp school opened ; and another in contemplation at Hindhope. Ashton and Longbeach have been in full swing for some • three years, the former under Mr. W. H. Wake and the latter being superintended by Mr.

"f£L -Collins; Ashton is about two miles nearer- the river than the township of Waterloo, and Longhead, school about the same distance on the ether s'de of the vigil," village, whilst Flemington will be a;tbo ' ex o' a trangle, of which the other uvo form tho base —all throe being in *a rich and populated district. Mr. ■ .1 sfi; id, each) informs us that when he took charge three years ago, he started the school with sixteen pupils, and he has now sixty scholars in attendance. Some of these have so far done credit to their teacher’s labors that, having passed their examination, are now in a fair way of being promoted to the 6th standard. The whole of the school is reported to be progressing satisfactorily.

Sunday the ship Hurunui, from London on the 14th August, arrived atj Lyttelton after a fair passage.; She brings in all 250 passengers, .and deaths occurred and pne*b£th7^Foarq|; ■* the deaths' were of children, and the^fiftn 3 was that of Mrs. Emma Davidson,- who died of puerperal fever.;Yesterdayiijthmv' Lady Jocelyn, ship, arrived at Lytteltoh 3 from London via Plymouth, .which* Rhe >J. left on the 30th of August. No deaths, occurred on the voyage,, but the passeneeif list was increased by four' births. Bfiei | brings 43 saloon grants. ~

The Rivers.— The Ashburton waryesri-vi terday flooded by the late rains, and the crossings on the river were uncomfortably high for railway line at Otaxo has again gone. ‘

Chertsey. —A public meetifig isJtblbe held in the Chertsey. schoolroom, on Thursday evening llthi ittstw f to- • consider the proposed Property Bill, now before the House. , A great many, persons interested consider * the Land" Tax''f4r preferable, and a good meeting J ihay be anticipated. * ’ : The Masonic .HALLc—Thei;: ceroij»Biyf 1 | of laying the thqj| Masonic Hall, m s course of .erection at the comer of William arid Tahdttm 'streets, _ r Mil take place on high noon, ' There: is large attendance of members . lodges, ■ and the| ceremon fi •winch’ &»' impressive one, will be well. fsing. The pouring but of-. the cpfn.jAnd |the wine, and the bflJ’W hOpe r .wililbe 'emblematical on this better times in store—for .the jjairti o£.t)ig business at any ,rate. Chertsey Sports. —A meeting was held at Wallace’s Hotel on' last in connection with the New Year’s ■'sports, Mr. W. -Av Brown- in the chair.— The Committee report that a liberal programme will be brought The Secretary was instructed to collect all promised subscriptions by ( the 20th December, in- order that • a programme, T with lists of prizes, may be Fire near Chertsey. —A fire occurred about half-past eight on Friday morniOTs. in a cottage occupied by'the persona (WlwA have leased on Mr. Packer’s property about three miles from the township. Tha occupants erf the cottage, four in number, lost the whole of their beldhgmgsv including watches, and a considerable amount of money, besides the whole of the clothing of the party. Mr.. M'Causland, .tha . owner of Orange Peel, lost ,hp| ending saddle, besides a considerable amount of money.. Thai total, loss, is ■estimatad^at,^ .about£2oo.; 1 *, t o M : Rakaia SpqrtS,-r-At a meeting : Rakaia ...Sports - Committee ; Qnc.Satprduf’/f evening, held in .Mr. I there was a good attendance, and satifaotory progress vyqs reported;:by, .those who had taken charge of, aubscriplion ( lurta t> - About LSO had been promised and fortner 6 contributions .were expected. _ The . . promoters of the sports are confident that "the meeting will be a very augoessf one, .»*d, as' the prizes will be a silver ' cup being amongst, the number, some good men may be expected to ontpr the lists.,,' r : ' - 5 Gas-lit Buoys.— By means of compressed gas, buoys can now be made to show a light " for a very considerable time. In one experiment, which been made in an exposed position,itilaj ght burned fop thirty , days,.-and neither wind nor. waves extinguished It.