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Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 950, 23 May 1883, Page 2

A ball will take place at the new Oddfellows’ Hall this evening. The Farmer’s Coursing Club meeting was concluded yesterday. Messrs ’Delgleish’s Bonny Briar and Dead Shot divided the Derby, and Mr James Rhid’s Solway won the All-aged Stakes. ' An attempt was mado at Oamaru yesterday afternoon to float the schooner. Friendship, but it proved fruitless. She went down the skids all right, bat when she left them she struck on thV shingle apd stuck there, all efforts to g6t her afloat bein'unavailing. , . A Arm of Dunedin land agents,, haying been in communication with the Minister of Lands as te whether the leases tobe issued to tenderers at the forthcoming perpetual leasing sale would contain any stipulation as to the mode of cultivation, etc., have received a reply thi^iheitgflllations will contain nothing übff provided for in the Act. . . V < i ; The first general meeting of shareholders of the New Zealand Stud Company, was held at Auckland yesterday, the Hon. Thomas Russell presiding. A. statement was made by the Chairman in reference to the Company’s affairs that they were now breeding stock of a class superior ,to anything in the Southern hemisphere, and sales were being made daily. The retiring directors, the Hon. Thomas Russell, Major Walmsley, and Mr Joseph Bennett were unanimously re-elected. At. a meeting of the members of Friendly Societies at Nelson—the Oddfellows, Foresters, and Rechabitos taking part.—it was decided to ask : the Hob; Major Atkinson the folio wing questions:— 1. Is there any absolute necessity existing at present warranting Hhe establishment of a scheme of National Insurance 1 2. What is the necessity 1 3. If, as you say, crime through drink is the cause of poverty, could not Customs duties oil intoxicating ilquors be 'devoted" to the maintenance of hospitals and ; charitable ; aid, Ac., and the balance, if any, Invested for the future benefit of those, institutions? 4. Will Major Atkinson embp^y. :in 'his scheme a clause exempting all p®*^ : sent' and future members of Friendly ’ Societies from contributing to_a Govern-, i meat scheme, providing that sufficient provision be made in the Societies’ laws and Friendly Societies Act to make membership continuous f 5. Will Major Atkinson define the classes ’alluded -to for which the State would be required; to make ' certain provision on account i of those classes which cannot pay 1 Why are buttons placed on the baek.of a coat? The tailors say that they areT there to “mark the waist.” But why) should the waist be marked ? ' As a matter of fact, the only reason for the existence of those two buttons is that they .-area. survival from the time when they were of use, when men buttoned back the long flaps of their coats in order to walk mote freely, or found them useful in sustaining : the sword belt. We have no flaps now, we wear no swords now ; then why keep the buttons ? Another rudimentary may be found at. the end* of the There is always a cuff marked, genenslfjT. by- a double row of stitches,' which, pe?r J forms no useful service, unless it is to w- • mind ns that our grandfathers had facings to their sleeves, and that the little button* ] which still appear at the end were of- retfl use when the sleeve was tight at the wrist. - Another inevitable feature.of;the;obatiis I the collar. . In old times this collar was <)f ' some service. It was large, and turned up well iri inclement weather. In order A to allow of its buttoning. properiy*round - the neck, a nick was necessary. Rut though wo hardly ever think of turning, up an ordinary coat collar, and find it qf little use if we do, we still preserve both it/ and the nick as survivals. The stovepipe*" * hat, too, is only the carcase on which our ancestors were wont to display ribbons and knots and other gauds. In itself Ik i*, ■ both) ugly and uncomfortable. Then we wear absurd neckties that do not tie, end . pins that do not pin. v ' -