The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1883.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1078, 19 October 1883, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1883.

The amount subscribed in Wellington on behalf of the National Land League was L3OO. His Excellency the Governor is suffering from a severe cold, and has postponed his departure for Nelson until this evening. On our fourth page will be foun 1 the usual monthly letter from our correspondent “Viator,” who is at present in Rome. In the action brought by the widow of the late George Dixon against the New Zeeland Accident Insurance Company, the jury gave a verdict for the defendants. On Thursday, as Mr Lyttelton was driving to Rakaia, one of his buggy axle boxes came out and let the trap down on one side ; foitunately the horse was a quiet one and nothing further was damaged. A man named Patrick Ayers was received into the hospital last evening suffering from a very badly lacerated thigh. Ayers, who has been working on Messrs Pocock Bros’ farm, at Mathven, was coming down rft the top of a c unbine, when he slipped and was ciught by the hook used for putting the shoe on the wheels, which indicted a very ugly wound, tearing the flesh from his leg. In our report of the last Borough Council meeting we said that Councillor Harrison proposed that Mr Boyle be paid 10 per cent for collecting rates upon some sections held by Maoris ; what he said was, that Mr Boyle should be paid a bonus for work done, as but for hia services in this matter the borough would have been the los.r of some pounds annually, as the sections through his instrumentality were discovered to be freeholds and not reserves.

A distressing accident took place yesterday morning on the farm of W. 0. Moore, Waikiwi, about three miles from Invercargill. It appears that a widow named Shaw, whose husband died two years ago, resides in a small hut about three chains from Moore, with two gilrs, aged five and three years. About9a.ru. the mother went out to milk the cows, leaving the children in the house alone, and was not long absent. On entering the house she found the eldest child in the centre of the floor fearfully burnt. Its clothing was completely destroyed, and the child quite dead. It is unknown how it happened, as the younger child cannot give any account further than that her unfortunate sister cried, “Ma !” No cries were heard at Moore’s.

A woman named Sarah Ann Boote met her death at Dunedin under somewhat extraordinary circumstances yesterday morning. She has for the last three weeks been Jiving with a man named Augustus Kelly, and yesterday morning at 1 o’clock they went to bed, she being under the influence of liquor. When Kelly awoke at' nine o’clock he found she was unable to speak, and he went for medical assistance, but before the arrival of a doctor she died. Dr McDonald says that, as far as he can judge, the deceased died from apoplexy, in all probability brought on by drunkenness. She is said to have been of intemperate habits, and a widow, having a family in Manchester, England, She was 33 years of age.

In order to signalise the half-holiday movement in Ashburton, it is proposed to hold a fancy dress cricket match on Wednesday next on the new Athletic Sports Ground, East Belt. The Ashburton Brass Band have volunteered their services and will play a number of musical selections on the occasion. A nominal charge of admission will be made, and the proceeds will be given to the inmates of the Old Men’s Home. '1 he following gentlemen will take part in the match, viz: Messrs Brett, Reid, Restoll, McLean Dunn, Zander, Robert on, Quain, F, L. K. Hill, D. Zander, Savage, W. H. Zouch, J. Fooks, E. Fooks, Mackeig, Quinlan, C. Zander, G. Shaw, Purchase, Field, F. T. Mayo, Gundry, Harrison, Hutchison, Paul, O. R. and L. F. Andrewes. A similar match was held recently in Invercargill and proved a great success, and as the object of Wednesday’s gathering is a good one, it is hoped a large attendance of the public will be present. A general meeting of the shareholders of the Alford Diamond Company was held in the Queen’s Hotel, Christchurch, yesterday evening. Mr J. Webber occupied the chair. The Chairman stated that since the list meeting was held the Company had been registered, and it would be the duty of the present meeting to elect Directors for the Company. Some specimens of diamonds had been obtained lately such as had not been seen before in Canterbury. They had been submitted to Dr Haast, and that gentleman had strongly urged them to prosecute the working of the claim. At the same time, he did not thmk it would be wise at present to expend a large amount of money. The Secretary, Mr Wickes, mentioned that, as the Company was now registers 1, the meeting would have to elect fresh Directors, On the motion of Mr Crai/, the original Directors, viz , Messrs Fox, Webber, Trigean, Hoyle and Lightfool were re-elected. Mr Wickes, after referring to the facts that tended to prove the existence of a mineral lode, in the Alford district, moved—“ That the Directors be empowered to contribute one third of the expense towards a joint arrangement with the United and Oriental Companies in prosecuting a prospecting drive to prove the existence of a mineral lode. Such work to be let by contract, under the supervision of a Committee consisting of the Managing Director of each Company; the arrangement to cease on two of such Committee being satisfied that the country *he lode ‘ lives ’ io hasbeen crossed.” Mr Mitchell seconded the motion, which, after some diacusdon was put and carried. The proceedings then terminated, <

The ma'ron of the hospital desires to I return thanks to an anonymous donor of 1 a quantity of line.n lately receive 1. Other donations of the same kind will, we are told, be thankfully received for the use of the p atients. Mr R. T. Booth, the leader of the “ Blue Rlb u on ” movement, delivered an address at Salisbury, and made a speech in which he strongly condemned the Christian who had the wine-glass in his hand and the brandy bottle on the sideboard. A wealthy miller was in the audience, and Mr Booth was his guest. At the breakfast table the next morning the hostess made the announcement that her husband had resolved to sweep the wine bottles in the cellar away, explaining that they had only been kept for visitors. Mr Booth exclaimed ‘ Hallelujah,” and taking two bottles, smashed their necks at the riverside, pouring their contents into the river, and declaring that not a drop should pollute the earth. He then left by train, and the family completed the destruction of the wine cellar, some of the wine being port, valued at 14s a bottle. In the suit Laverty v. Laverty, at the Dunedin Supreme Court yesterday, for judicial separation, some queer disclosures were made. Mrs Laverty sued for separation on grounds of cruelty. She alleged that Laverty on the evening of the marriage accused her of liking the host man too well, and next morning he accused her of improper conduct with the said bast man. On a subsequent night he refused to allow her in the bedroom, and she had to sleep with the housemaid of the hotel, who had been her bridesmaid. The best man referred to was the groom of the hotel. When Mr and Mrs Laverty got to the country district where they lived, things, she asserts, did not improve. He threatened her with a gun, and she had to take refuge with a neighbor, with whom sha had been living previously. This neighbor attempted the part of peacemaker, and drew out an agreement, whereby Laverty if he were the first 1 1 quarrel in future should make amends to his wife by giving her L7OO, and Mrs Laxerty, if she were the first to quarrel should make amends to her husband by giving him L 700; but Mr Laverty declared he had not got L7OO, and would not sign. Mrs Laverty did not after this go back to him. For the defence Laverty asserted that his wife had gone away of her own accord, and from the first refused to cohabit with him. He declared he met his best man coming out of her bedroom. He had never threatened her with a gun. He was pretty drunk when he married her. Laverty’s twin brother, who lived in the same house, corroborated tha denial of the gun incident, and asserted that the night the couple came home Mrs Laverty came to his room and desired to share his’ couch. It was further attempted to be shown for the defence that Laverty was drunk when he got married, and had been secured by Mrs Laverty because she thought him worth L 2.000, but that when she found this was a mistake she wanted to get out of her bargain. His Honor held over his decision till he could hear the evidence of Father Newport, who married the couple. An amusing discussion took place at the meeting of the City of London Union recently re the desirability of frozen meat being used in the London workhouses. It seems that four carcases of frozen mutton had been recently sent by the meat contractor to the Bow Workhouse and returned by the master on the ground that they were unfix for human food. The chairman remarked that some excellent mutton was brought in a frozen condition from New Zealand ; it was perfectly good and nutritious ; it was sold by hundreds. if not thousands, of butchers in London, and purchased ireoly for family use. He did not think that the master at Bow was justified in returning suol meat. Mr Young asked how they could expect to get host English or Scotch beef at contract price If they refused foreign mutton they must expect to pay Is to la 4d a pound for it, instead of, as they now did, 7d per pound. Why, they could not buy scraps on the stalls in Leadenhall or Smithfield at the price. Mr Paramore, speaking . for the V trade,” condemned the rejection of this frozen meat, which was sold by almost every butcher in London and taken by thousands of aristocratic families.—(Laughter.) In fact there was no aristocratic house in the West Knd or anywhere else but received this meat either one way or another. Mr A. Lyon, of the Metropolitan Meat Market, said that there had been no greater boon to this country of late years than the importation of killed meat from America, Australia, and Now Zealand. It was extensively used in our best hotels and eating-houses. If they excluded such meat from the workhouse it would tend to a vast increase in the rates. After a lengthy debate, it was decided to add to future contracts that American killed beef and Australian and New Zealand mutton might be included in the supply.