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Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 942, 14 May 1883, Page 2

The New Zealand Shipping Company's chartered steamer, the British Queen, arrived at Wellington from London at three o’clock yesterday afternoon. The passage occupied fifty days. Daring the passage measles broke out, and as there were a few mild cases cn her arrival Dr Henry, the Health Officer, ordered the steamer

into quarantine. So far there is no clue as to the origin of the fire at Riverton. As nearly as can be learned, the insurances, amounting to L 4,575, were distributed as follows : Union, L 1,575 ; South British, L 1,150 ; Victoria, L 80 0; New Zealand, L6OO ; Royal, L 30 0; Standard, L 15 0; total actual loss estimated at L 5.500. With exception of the Caledonia Hotel, the furniture and stock of the other buildings were saved, although damaged in removal. Mr A. G, Taylor, M.L.A. for Mudgee, thus apostrophises his colleague, Mr Buchanan, in the Sydney Legislative Assembly :—“ Nature, when the hon. gentleman was conceived, had given him blubber for brains, polysyllables for eloquence, and with the lungs of a town bellman, had made him run away with the idea that he was a political Demosthenes. He was a man who would hoist any flag, defile any religion, or discard any creed or clergy, or use any vituperation,' so long as he served his own ends, and for a time basked in the sun of notoriety. He appeared once as a temperance lecturer, begging men to be temperate, and with the proceeds of that lecture he had chartered a spring cart, and had filled it with brandy and champagne. He was next found in the wilds of Queensland, in the garb of Adam, and with a brandy bettle under his arm.” Mr Buchanan’s retort was of the tu quoque order—“ Who was he that he should speak of drink ? a man who came into the House and fell to the ground, and lay in that dreadful state till he had to be carried out.”

It has been decided to hold a steeplechase meeting at Oamaru some time in June. The Auckland police are sampling the liquors at the public house bars, and handing the samples to the Provincial Analyst to test for adulteration. A man named Henry Robertshaw, recently arrested at Wellington for wife desertion, was discharged by the Hamilton Bench, his wife declining to prosecute. The New Zealand Shipping Company have received a cable that the Waipa, with immigrants from London, had been spoken on March 19th, in 15deg. south latitude.

At Coromandel three men were capsized on Saturday from a punt. A man named Bamford was in liquor, and >as drowned. He was a native of Canterbury, and a baker by trade. Mr Nicoll, North Shore, Auckland, has received an order from the Tonga Government to bui.i a schooner to cost LIOOO. It is expected that the Government will shortly call for tenders in Auckland for building two other schooners. The Government have informed the Christchurch Chamber of Commerce that it would be best not to take any responsibility in connection with the Boston Exhibition, as the time available would not give New Zealand an opportunity of being satisfactorily represented. Samuel Chesson, the railway fireman killed on Tuesday last, was buried at Timaru yesterday with military honors, he having belonged to the Artillery band. A special train from Christchurch brought down about one hundred of his fellow employees, The funeral was attended by many hundreds of people. Two "uninsured stacks of grain were burned at Waiareka on Thursday night. Incendiarism is suspected. It is also reported that two stacks of wheat, valued at L2OO, were destroyed by fire on Wednesday night last on Mr isdale’s farm at Teaneraki. The stacks were not insured, and the opinion that the fire was the work of an incendiary is strengthened by the fact that both stacks were seen to blaze forth at the same time. The movement which was started t° present Sir Bryan O’Loghlen with a substantial testimonial has been [dropped, as Sir Bryan disapproves of the statement published that the movement was totally unconnected with politics, and has declined • to accept the testimonial apart from his position as a public man and leader of the late Government. The subscriptions already collected, which amounted to a considerable sum, were returned. Another divorce case is now mentioned as coming on for hearing at the next sitting of the Wellington Supreme Court. The petitioner in this suit is Richard Miller Elwell, whe seeks dissolution on the ground of adultery. The document filed sets forth that the petitioner is a commercial traveller, and on the 18th October, 1879, was legally married to Miriam Nelline Violet Alexander, described as a widow, at the parish church of Si. James, Townsville, in the colony of Queensland, and cohabited with her for some time, no issue, however, resu’ting from the union. The petitioner then alleges that on the 29th of March of the following year his wife left his house in Townsville without just cause, and against his express wish, and was not seen by him until the 29th of last month, on which day he arrived in Wellington from Queensland, for the purpose of seeking her. Enquiries, the petition proceeds to state, were made respecting the respondent, and.it was ascertained that during the months of February, March, and April, 1882, and April 1883, she had been living in adultery With Solomon Phillips, pawnbroker, of Wellington, by whom she has had one child, now aged four months. On these grounds tnerefore, the petitioner prays for a divorce from the respondent It is one of the wonderful properties of printing paper that it can be split into two or even three parts, however thin the sheet. Some time ago an advertisement appeared in one of the London journals, to which an offer was made to show how this might be done on receipt of a stipulated sum of money. But the British and Colonial Printer and Stationer has forestalled the advertiser by giving the fullest particulars with regard to the process, without money and without price, in the following words : —“ Get a piece of plate glass and place it on a sheet of paper : then let the latter be thoroughly soaked. With care and a little dexterity the sheet can be split by the top surface being removed. The best plan is to paste a piece of cloth or strong paper to each side of the sheet to be split. When dry, violently and without hesitation pull the two pieces asunder, when part of the sheet will be found to have adhered to one and part to the other. Soften the paste in water, and the pieces can be easily removed from the cloth. The process is generally demonstrated as a matter of curiosity, yet it can be utilised in various ways. If we want to paste in a scrap-book a newspaper article printed on both sides of the paper, and possess only one copy, it is-very convenient to know how to detach one side from the other. The paper when split, as may be imagined, is mode transparent than it was before being subject to the operation, and the printing ink is somewhat duller; otherwise the two pieces present the appearance of the original if again brought together. ” The writer of the above says : —“ We have seen a sheet, of the Illustrated News thus divided into three parts of three thin leaves. One consisted of the surface on which the engravings are printed ; another was the side containing the letterpress, and a perfectly blank piece on each side was the paper that lay between. Many people who have not seen this done might think it impossible, yet it is not only possible but extremely easy, and only requires a little dexterity.” As it is likely that the statement made by Major Brown at the Taranaki banquet in reference to the late Governor will be

hereafter referred to, we give a full re

port of the remarks :—Major Brown thanked them on behalf of the Colonial

Forces and the Volunteers, who had responded so nobly at the time of the Pari-

haka affair. He did not think there would be any necessity for calling out the Militia again. He very much approved of the firm policy adopted by Mr Bryce, and he considered it better to have some one as Native Minister who had not too familiar acquaintance with their affairs. Mr Bryce was free from objectionable trammels for dealmg with the natives. He thought Mr Bryce wouidbearhimoutthathe was always in favor of a more strenuous policy than was exercised when he (Major Brown) was- Civil Commissioner. Though not personally himsolf, some of his friends had felt grieved at his dismissal, but circumstances beyond the control of Mr Bryce had rendered the speaker one of the too many cats than there were mice for, and -his services had therefore to be dispensed with. He was glad to hear Mr Bryce’s remarks about the present Governor. The character he had brought with him was a very high one. He had not made this known publicly, but be had reason for thinking the late Governor a very mischievous one. He supposed he (Sir Arthur Gordon), considering the speaker had been dismissed from the public service, might be accessible to serve his purposes for use against the Colonial Government. The Governor opened a correspondence with him, and sent his aide de-camp to see him to get information against the Ministry. Whatever Ministry had been in power it would have been the same—his loyalty was due to the colony first. (Hear, hear). He thanked them for the toast, but at the same time hoped his sword was exchanged for the pen for the rest of his life,

The concert in aid of the Catholic School takes place in the Town Hall this evening.

There was only one case at the Police Court this morning, that of an old offender, named Andrew Fames, who was fined 10s for being intoxicated. His Worship the Mayor was on the Bench. At the close of his meeting at Reefton on Friday night, Mr Shaw explicitly stated that the Government had brought him forward in opposition to Mr Wakefield, and had told him that Mr Wakefield had refused to stand as their candidate. This disclosure caused some sensation. The election takes place to day. According to the New Zealand Times, a new kind of impudent robbery has been invented in Wellington by certain females of ill-repute. The plan is for three or f our to enter a s’ l op where some young man is in charge, and begin coaxing and tempting him. Then some handy articles ate taken up, and the young man is chaffed in t® a sort of bargain, to the effect that if he wants paying for them he can call at the girls’ place of abode. They carry away the articles, and the young shopman has to choose between a disagreeable exposure of the trick before a magistrate or keeping a guilty silence on the transaction. A case of this kind came before the Resident Magistrate last week. Nellie Shepherd and Mary Sullivan were charged with stealing two small baskets and a book from the shop of Mr H. Sunglen, in Manners street, on the previous day. Samuel Short, aged about eighteen, was in the shop when four flighty girls entered, the prisoners being two of them: They larked with him in the shop, and carried off the articles mentioned. Their defence was of the nature indicated above, but the youth informed a constable of the theft, and the articles were traced to the possession of the two prisoners. They called their two companions to confirm their immoral excuse. The Magistrate said this was no defence at all, because if it were true, the girls were accessories to a robbery of the young man’s employer. Sentenced each to seven days' imprisonment with hard labor. If a doctor is also a lover, can he, in case of death, charge for visits of affection as professional attendance 1 Such was the question decided by Mr Justice Chitty the other day. The action was an administrative one, in which the next of kin of a maiden lady who left L 4,000 behind her complained of the charges made by her executor (a medical man) for executor’s expenses and professional services. It appeared tha< the defendant had been engaged to be married to the lady, and though the match had been broken off he continued to attend her for a complaint of which she eventually died. The judge had to decide upon a charge of nearly LSOO for medical services, of which L 92 was for two visits a day for 377 days at 2s 6d each. The plaintiff contended that the visits were made as a lover and not as a doctor; but Mr Justice Chitty thought that as the charge per visit was very moderate, though the number of visits was perhaps excessive, he might allow him one visit a day as a doctor, and, regarding the second visit as that of the lover, knocked eff half the charge. As, however, a charge of three guineas a day for taking the lady for drives was allowed to remain, the doctor’s pocket has not suffered severely for his devotion. The use of the telephone appears to be rapidly advancing in public favor. According to recent statistics it is now employed in 303 cities by 78,808 subscribers, of which 30,066 are European, and 47,185 American. England is first, with seventy-five towns and 7,287 subscribers ; Italy next, with thirteen towns and 5,507 subscribers ; France follows, with eighteen towns and ~ 4,437 subscribers ; and Germany last, with twenty-one towns and 3,613 subscribers. In France and Germany the telephones are worked by Government. From a statement recently issued by the United Telephone Company (Limited) it appears that while the number of London subscribers on the 28th February, 1831, was only 845, at the same data this year it had advanced to 2,541, and the Company are receiving new orders each day of the annual value of LIOO. As showing the general use of the wires, it is stated that while in February, 1881, the calls averaged 4,451 per day, for the corresponding days of 1883 they numbered 19,021.

Mr Walter Sykes, dentist, telegraphs that urgent business detains him in Christchurch, and that he cannot possibly arrive in Ashburton till Wednesday morning, i6th inst., when he may be consulted at Mr Cambridge’s.— [Advt.]

[Correspondence.]

AM EVIL AND ITS REMEDY.—To the Editor, —It is a healthy sign of the times when our local papers are beginning to deal in a fearless manner with bankrupts andjthe bankruptcy laws. The time has come when something must be done either by the legislature or by business men themselves to put an end to a state of affairs which is a disgrace to our boasted civilisation. We (the undersigned) have been doing business in Ashburton about 3j£ years, and the money we have lost during that period by bankrupts, levanters, and blacklegs generally amounts to a great deal more than the margin usually allowed for bad debts. If the law cannot protect us then we must protect ourselves, and there is only one way to do so, viz., to abolish the credit System altogether. This system has ! been the curse of other countries besides New Zealand, and past experience has proved it to be rotten to the core. Owing to recent heavy losses we have resolved to sell for cash only in future. The honest man who is willing to pay his 20s in the £, and pay as he goes, will find this no disadvantage but a great gain, as he will be able to obtain a first-class article much cheaper than he would under the old system. We shall exert ourselves to- the utmost as heretofore to give our customers full satisfaction, and every order will be executed in our usual first-class style—but we shall no longer run any unnecessary risk. Under the cash system we are prepared to offer-a special line of tweeds at the following unusually low prices :—Gentleman’s suit made to order, £2 18s fid; ladies’ tailor made ulster, £2. All other goods in proportion, for cash only. Craighead and Co., tailors and clothiers, Tancred street. Holloway’s Pills.—The changes of temperature and weather frequently upset persons who are most careful of their health, and most particular in their diets. These corrective, purifying, and gentle aperient Pills are the best remedy for all defective actions of the digestive organs; they augment the appetite, strengthen the stomach, correct biliousness, and carry off all that is noxious from the system. Holloway’s Pills are composed of rare balsams, uumixed with baser matter, and on that account are peculiarly well adapted for the young, delicate, and aged. As this peerless medicine has gained fame in the past, so will it preserve it in the uture by its renovating and invigorating qualities, and its incapacity of doing harm.—[Advt.] Another bankrupt sale ! Wait and watch ! Stop buying drapery and clothing. Telegram “Dunedin, May 11, 1883. Just bought a bankrupt stock from the trustees for cash, at 6s 3d in the £. All new goods ; 50. cases and bales leave here next week, rest to follow. Advertise sale to commence on Saturday, May 19. —C. R. Church.” Now we shall be able to do the sensation trade of the season. Closed for marking down on Friday, May 18. So wait for C. R. Church’s Dunedin bankrupt sale. The stock is not six months from Home. This is the sad result of over-trading, but good news for the public of Christchurch. Remember the address—C. R. Church’s Dunedin bankrupt sale, Kiver’s Buildings, Cashel street, three doors from High street.—[Advt.]