The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 1882.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 544, 26 January 1882, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 1882.

TOWN EDITION, [lssued ai 4.30 p. m. j i

The New Licensing jSystem. The licensing districts j having been proclaimed under the new Act, the .old system of licensing has how, or jwill very shortly become, a thing of the p ast. As there appears to be sbme misconception existing in the pubjlic mind relative to the clauses of the] Act haring reference to the new licensing system, probably some information on that head will not be considered oul of place. The licensing j committees, as they will be callec, will consist of five persons, who! may be residents either within or without the district, and such persons will be elected by the ratepayers. The 'licensing sittings will be held quarterly, as heretofore, and the months during which such sittings shall take place I are fixed as December, March, June, land Sep ember. The annual meeting will take place in June. The persons composing these licensing committeejs will ha /e a great deal of power placed in their hands. They are not obliged, under the Act, to issue a new license merely because the ratepayers haj/e arrived at the conclusion that the! number of licensed houses in their particular district may be increased. Even although it may be the distinct wish of the ratepayers to have the number of such houses increased, the licensing committee may decline to acj:ede to 1 heir request. Then, again, ‘the applicant may show that he has complied with the law, and that he is a suitable person to hold a licence, but yet should the committee not consider that there is a necessity for the house, they may refuse the application. And fdr a similar reason the committee may decline to grant a renewal of a lic< nse. They can also refuse a renewal if they imagine that the quiet of the place in which the hou,ie is situated will be disturbed by the j license t eing renewed. We do not for! one moment object to the regulations' enforced by the new Act, but we maintain that great discretion should be exe.-cised by the ratepayers in the appointment of Licensing Committees. Individuals holding extreme views <>n the liquor question one way or the other, fcr or against, are hardly “ fit and proper persons” to sit on such Committees. People will never be made moral by Act of Parliament, and it is extremely improbable that the liquor traffic will ever be entirely suppressed. Bearing this in mind it is highly desiiable therefore that the men appointed to deal with the liquor trade and tiose engaged in it, should be men possessed of broad and liberal views, and who will deal in a common sense way jwith the applications coming before theip.

Presbyterian Church. -I— At a special meeting of the Finance Committee of the local Presbyterian Church, field last n ight, Miss Kidd was appointed organist. Two other ladies were nominated, but the choice of the meeting fell upon Miss Kidd. Hospital Committee. —At the melting yesterday, re charitable aid, the Chairman of the County Council, W. C. Walker, Esq., was not present, jbnt after the meeting was over Mr Mliiu waring,, the Clerk, received a letter frora Mr Walker, regretting that he could not possibly attend the meeting. Horticultural Societt;. A special meeting of the above was held at M essrs Poyntz and Co.’s office last night, Mr Alfred Harrison in the chair. La ttors were read from the President, and also from the Colonial Secretary, when it was resolved to dispose of aboui; L2O worl h of exhibits, offered by a geritleman to the Society, and consisting <|if flowers, pot plants, vegetables, etc., in such a ms nner that every visitor to the show on the 4th March next will have a chance of obtaining a prize. The price of admission! was fixed at Is 6d, which sum will entitle the holder to a chance of winnijng a prize) A Novel Bankruptcy.-!-A good story was current in Ashburton yesterday respecting a most novel case of bankru itcy. It appears that a certain iindividual residing some fifty odd milejj from Christchurch, on the south line!, was ind iced, while in a jovial state, to take the b( nefit of the act, although in a. position is he afterwards alleged to pay 30s. in tl e £. As soon as “ Richard was himself ag lin,” and reasoti re-asserted its supremacy, the bankrupt, to whom filing h id been ai i excellent joke while “ under the influe ice,” began to view the matter ii i another ight. He rushed away to prodaim tha the whole thing was a mistake —but too late. His premises and plant we l e in the 1 ands of the trustees, who obstin itely refus ed to “Jiaten to reason. ” Prob .bly His I onor Judge \yard \vill called uj oh ore loi g, to express s ms opinion of sui aly ohe cf the queeiteii bankruptcies on lecord.

District Court. —The next sitting of this C )urt will be held on Wednesday, ' Feb. ii, at 10 a.m. * Tbjders. —Mr W. L. Allan, Acton | Station, South Rakaia, invites tenders for skim ploughing. ' Communication Restored. Telegraphic communication is, we learn, restored on the Western Australian lines. W b:sterpield Mill. —Mr James Clark, proprietor, notifies that the above mill is now ijn full work. Farmers taking their grist bo the mill can be accommodated all night, and carry away their grist in the morning. Catskin Rugs. —According to a local papei, the jatest industry that Maste.rton has develhyed is the manufacture of catskin rui's. Mr Edwin Quick, sailmaker, has; prepared one from cats shot in the Ijush, v/hich is the admiration of all conn pisseufs. Catskins are likely to come into great inquiry—more so than rabbitskins!. One of the skins prepared by Mr Quick was fully two feet in length. The Mercury Bay Sculling Match. —The Mel;cury Bay (Auckland), sculling match for: LIOO was won by Carter ; time;, 22miins. The distance was three and a half jmiles. Carter and White on this occasion exchanged boats, as the latter was of opinion his opponent’s victory was more due to the boat he pulled than to hr.S rowing powers. The result, however! proved the erroneousness of White’s viewis. Tjie Old Men’s Home. —Amongst the returns presented at yesterday’s meeting of the Christchurch Hospital and Charitable! Aid Board, were the following . Ashburton Home.—Receipts—Nil. Expent; iture- • By salaries and wages, LB4 11s 8d ; 'stores, L 358 11s 7d ; drugs, Ll 5 13s ; clothing ajid boots, Ll 6 13s Id ; burials, LG ; additions and repairs, L 26 14s 5d ; canvas, Lf lls ; lawn mower, L 4 7s 9d ; miscellaneous, L 52 9s 3d ; total, L 570 Is 9d. These returns were for the past half year. The Wood Reapers and Binders;—A notification elsewhere specifies the prizes carried ofl|by the above popular machines. In every trial in which the Walter A. Wood machine competed in the season 1880- it took first honors. Gold medals and special prizes it appears to have secured in numerous instances, in addition to gaininj; the gold medal at the late reaper aild binder trial held at Fendaltown, ne?w Christchurch, on the 19th instant. Spring ;urn School. —As per instructions froi 1 the Board, the first general meeting ’ ms held on the 23rd inst, the rap’d in< rease in population rendering sep.iratioi from Alford Forest necessary. The meet ing was fairly attended, and a committee formed as follows :—Messrs W. Fergus, W. Cooke, T. E. Mcßae (Chairman), Jo! n Carney, G. Cooper, G. Hewaoiij and V. Lambie. Several matters of imnprtan e were discussed, but no definite action wis taken, pending instructions frojn the Board, and the meeting adiouhied. J 1 The McCormick Binders. —These maple nents, both twine and wire, have ear led for themselves a very great reputation. The mere mention of the prizes the 7 havi carried off during the season 1881- iroves the estimation in which the / are held. During this period they ha\ e sec ired no fewer than four gold me lals. They have also, carried off the firs: prize at the Timaru, ‘ Ellesmere, and Rangiora Agricultural Shows, and in addition to tt ese triumphs, have been prizetakbrs at innumerable places throughout the! Austialian colonics. The sole agents are*Messrs Morrow, Bassett and Co., of Christchurch. ffuNDAf School Treat. The St. Ste phen’n Church Sunday School treat tooSk place to-day, the boys and girls assembling at the schoollionse about 11 o’clock. They then marched in procession to the parsonage paddocks, where all sorts ofji;ames and pastimes were indulged in byjthe youngsters, who evidently enjoyed themselv 33 very thoroughly. Fortunately thei weather was lovely, and a better day for! the festival could not have been desired. Tea, to which the parents and children, are invited, will be served on the parsonage lawn at half-past six o’clock, aftur which a distribution of prizes is announced jbo take place, and the church choir will, sing some glees, etc. As the .festivities will not, of course, conclude in time for f his issue, we shall hope to give an account of the tea, etc., to-morrow. Woolien Factory Meeting. —The adjourned meeting of those interested in the proposed Woollen Factory was held yesterday afternoon at Messrs Poyntz and Co. ’s offi !e. There was a good attendance, Mr Bullock occupying the chair. Mr Millar w; is present from Christchurch. A long discussion took place on the purchase of the machinery. Ultimately Mr Millar agreed t> take L6OO in cash, and L2OO. in fully paid up shares in the Companv whan formed. It was resolved that twelve 01 more gentlemen be appointed a committee to arrange with Mr Millar for the purchase •of the machinery at the

pri je nar isd, and that a sub-committee be apj iointe 1 to carry out the necessary arrangements in connection with the matter, am i obta .n. offers for the site. Mr Nicholson , a mi!m of much practical experience in hese things, took the opportunity of cross-examining Mr Millar in a very close mainner as to the capabilities of the plant, and expressed himself as fully satisfied with the replies his queries elicited. The suli-committee met at the close of the general meeting, when the L6OO purchase money was quickly subscribed. A prospectus will be issued in the qourse of a few days. The amount of support promised,, both in the town and out of it, leaves little doubt that the scheme will be brcjught o a successful issue. 1.0. G. P.—A most successful meeting of the Will and the Way Lodge, Tinwald, tool' place last evening in the Temperance Hall, tlje occasion being marked by a fraternal) visit from the Dawn of Peace Lodge, /Jshburton. A large number of visitors were present, including some from the Star of the East Lodge, Ashburton, an<|lonef:'om the Pride of the Valley Lodge, Dunedin) The chair was occupied by

Bro. Thtimas Williams, D. D. G. W. 0. T., after the* routine business had been disposed of the election of officers for the ensuin'' term was proceeded with, with the following result : —W.C.T., Bro. O. Hawkins; W.Y.T., Bro. Edward Williams ; W. S., Bro. R. Truman ; W. F. S.; Bro. J. Corrigan ; W.T., Bro. F.S. Shearer ; W.1.G., Bro. Joseph Hawkins ; P.W.0.T., Bro. H. J. Jones. A capital programme was then gone through, durng which Bro. Isaac Scott gave a very good address and a resume of the business transacted at the late session of the Grand Lodge, for which he received a cordial vote of thanks. The D.D. in addressing the Lodge, took occasion to remind the Third Degree members of the important meeting of the Degree Temple which takes ’ place this evening in the Templar Hall, Ashburton. One Brother applied for a certificate to receive the Third Degree, and after the usual vote of thanks to the chair, the visitors, and from the visitors to the Lodge for entertaining them, the Lodge closed with the usual ceremon es.—A largely-attended meeting of the S( fe Retreat Lodge, 1.0.6. T., was held in the Templar Hall last night. Three persons were proposed for membership, am. after some routine business had been trai isacted the election of the officers for the ‘joining quarter, who will be installed itext Wednesday, was proceeded with. [After the Lodge was closed a Third Degree meeting was held to confer the of Charity on two members. There were about fifteen present, and the cerehadhy was very impressive.

The English Eleven at Wellington.—Yesterday, when the stumps were drawn for the day, five wickets had fallen for 176 runs, Shrewsbury being not out for 70, and Sootton for 11. To-day the match was resumed, and at 2 p.m. the score stood at 218, with one wicket to fall.

Mount Somers School Committee. The annual meeting of the Mount Somers School Committee was held last Monday evening, in the local schoolroom. There was an unusually large attendance, Mr Isaac Taylor in the chair. A full report of the proceedings is unavoidably held over till to-morrow. Attacked By a Madwoman. —Miss Holman, one of the attendants in the Wellington Asylum, was, on the 13th inst., savagely attacked by a patient named Mrs Fifield, a very powerful woman, who knocked her down with a broomstick, pulled handfuls of her hair out, and beat her most unmercifully. The Mvstery Solved. —Some days ago, it will be remembered the police found some articles of female wearing apparel and a dog chain, and collar, on the banks of the Avon, at Christchurch, and the discovery gave rise to all sorts of sensational conjectures as to how the things came there. Yesterday the police solved the mystery. They traced the ownership of the articles to Hose Lake, a young woman of 23 years of age, who was yesterday charged with vagrancy at the Police Court. It appeared the girl had only recently left the Refuge. She was sentenced to 12 months with hard labor.

The Exhibition. —It is, says the Times , the desire of the promoters to make the “Ladies’ Court” in the New Zealand section one of the most important features of the Exhibition. They therefore wish the ladies of the colony to assist them by forwarding specimens of their skill in any of the numerous branches of fancy work in which ladies excel The exhibits in ihe “Ladies’ Court” will include specimens of embroidery, crewel work, wax-flower modelling, painting on satin, lace work, painting in water colors, and every other description of fancy work. The work of cutting out the course if the two carriage drives on the Exhibition grounds was begun on Tuesday afternoon.

Painful Reminders. —Husbands must look with a feeling of mingled sorrow and surprise at the pages of the “ dress albums ” which are now so popular in the United States. In these novel drawingroom table books small pieces of stuffs, woollen and silken, velvet, etc., take the place usually occupied by cartes and cabinets, the object of the volume being to contain a pattern of every dress, arranged in order of purchase, which its fair wearer has had during the year or season. Round each pattern are written such interesting details as it may be thought fit to chronicle, such as where the dress was first worn and under what circumstances, any very nice balls at which it has figured, with allusions to pic-nics, flower shows, dinner parties, etc. A Practical Joke. —The love of a practical joke is a prevailing characteristic with the Khalifs. El-Kahir was blinded and deposed but he could not help enjoying a trick at the expense of his successor, El-Uadi. The latter knew that El-Kahir had accumulated, more majorum, a fine collection of confiscated treasure, and he tortured him in vain to find out where it was hidden. At last he spoke fair, and El-Kahir yielding to kindness, acknowledged that it was buried in the garden. Now this garden was exquisitively laid out and planted with rare trees and flowers, and El-Radi was much attached to it. Nevertheless he resolved to find the buried treasure, even if it lay under the choicest pasture. “I am blind and cannot guide thee,” said El-Kahir, “but dig up the garden and thou wilt find it.” So El-Radi pulled down the pavilion and uprooted the trees and made havoc of the garden without result. It was only El-Kahir’s little joke ; he could not see and enjoy the garden himself, and he did not care for any one else to do so. —Saturday Review.

Guitzau. — Says “Silver Pen,” the American correspondent of the New Zealand Herald ;—Guiteau’s trialis still going on, and creating a profound sensation in the capital. By a private letter I have had a complete description of the scoundrel, though when one realises the idea that he a shingle short in the upper storey, of course some allowance must be made. It seems almost wonderful that the wretch has not been made away with by the lynchers. He has been twice shot at as it is, once when in his cell, through the window, and later while he was being conveyed from the Court-house. The throngs of people who attend the Court are chiefly women, whose tongues denounce him, as women only can. “He is,” says my letter, “ a most repulsive creature to look upon ; a sallow, lanternjawed, brutal-looking wretch, with bristling hair, thin nose, yellow skin, and restless, washed-out blue eyes. His hands are long and lean, always clutching nervously at his papers, like vulture’s claws. On entering the Courtroom he is unhandcuffed, when he spreads his papers before him and braces himself up for the occasion. His interruption of the counsel and Judge occur every moment —in fact, he is so irrepressible that nothing can keep him quiet. He jumps up and down, like a jack-in-the-box, always with a stream of invective and insolence on the tip of his tongue. The Judge has to reprimand him momently, and has on one or two occasions threatened to banish him from the Courtroom, but he still proceeds to interrupt the proceedings in loud and boisterous tones. Neither, will gentle remonstrance have more effect on him. In his overweening vanity, he considers himself a mark for all the world to gaze upon. After his bursts of violence he looks delightedly round to see what impression he has made upon his hearers. Many witnesses have been examined as to his sanity, and it remains still an undecided point. The experts thinks he is insane, but others seem inclined to believe that he is simply acting a deep part. He persists in affirming that he is the agent of the Almighty, and thinks he will yet be redeemed from the gallows. If he does, it will be an everlasting disgrace to the nation.