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Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1080, 22 October 1883, Page 2

Encouraging reports are received from the Old Man Range quartz reafa, near Dunstan, which are in process of being opened out. It is fully expected the field will prove a valuable one. On Friday evening last a concert and entertainment was held in the Town Hall, Rakaisi, in aid of the library funds. There was a very good house and a most enjoyable evening was spent, after which dancing was kept up till about 4 30 next morning. The exact proceeds cannot be known till the various returns of tickets sold are to hand, but the funds of the institution will be considerably increased. In regard to a telegram published about the schooner Herald being in company with the ketch which is supposed to have been lost, the captain of the schooner Agnes, which arrived at Wellington from Kaiapoi a few days ago, reports that he sighted the Herald and the ketch Ocean Bird under Cape Campbell. It is thought that the Ocean Bird may be the ketch that has disappeared. The operations of the New Zealand Agricultural Co. on their Waimea Plains estate show the magnitude of ihe rabbit pest. During the three years ended October last 528,0541bs of poisoned oats were laid on the Company’s estates, with the result that 2,536,772 skins were obtained. As it is reckoned that not much more than a third of the poisoned rabbits are picked up, the Company must have destroyed fully 6,000,000 rabbits during the three years. The most gratifying part of these figures is that they show that while for 79 5701bs of poison laid in the first year 1,027,350 skins were taken, •in the third year only 564,847 skins were taken for 302,8691bs of poison laid—that is, in the first year nearly thirteen rabbits were brought in for every pound of Poisoned oats laid, but in the third year hardly two rabbits for every pound, and 462,503 fewer skins were paid for in 1882-3 than in 1880-1.

We have to remind our readers that the election for a County Councillor takes place to-morrow. Th« polling places a.e at the Road Board office, Tinwald. at the schoolroom at Lismore and Greenstreet. Mr Hugo Friedlander, one of the candidates for election to the seat rendered vacant by Mr E. G. Wright in the County Council, Will address the electors at the Town Hall this evening. The niastar of the Ashburton Home desires to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of a volume of “ Burder s Village Sermons ” from Mr Douglas ; also a book and four volumes of l< The Graphic (bound) from the Rev. E. A. Scott, for ths use of the inmates. Likewise the sum of LI towards the piano fund from Mr John Heney, of Peel Forest. John Durham, a well-known boatman of Lyttelton, was found strangled in his house yesterday morning. James Angus has been arrested on a charge of mudering him. Decease I was an elderly man, whose wife and family left Lyttelton for Sydney about four months ago.- He has_ been bachelorising with Angus, it is said, in Saul’s Gully, off London street. He was of intemperate habits, and it is supposed that intemperance has occasioned the murder. S

On Saturday a cricket match was played between Methven and South Rakaia on the ground of the latter. The weather wss everything that could be desired. Unfortunately the Methven team was short three of its best members, and the homo team secured an easy victory with an innings and twenty-one runs to spare. The scores wers—Methven, first innings 15; second 13; Rakaia, first innings 49. The bowling of J. Jackson for Methven, and Reid and Storry for Rakaia, was very good, and Rands, of Methven, distinguished himself with accepting a splendid catch at point off the bowling of Alington. The Rangitata bridge is still causing some trouble with the Geraldine County Council. At their meeting on Saturday afternoon, after reading the letter from the County Council of Ashburton accepting the L 1.500 as a first instalment towards the Rangitata bridge, the Chairman stated (according to the Timoru Herald), that the Mount Cook Riding having been constituted a separate County, the law requires that the assets and liabilities of the county at the date of the severance shall be equitably divided between the two new counties. There happened to be between L 1,600 and LI 700 in the Bank to the credit of the Geraldine County at the date of the severance, the Ist inst, and he (the Chairman) was of opinion that the whole of this should be paid to the Ashburton Council, to save complications in the accounts when they came to be adjusted between the two portions of the old county. Quite a little “ row ” occurred about a resolution which one member characterised as childish and trifling, and which was afterwards torn up by the Chairman. Ultimately it was resolved that Mr Granger, in conjunction with Mr Stubbs, be appointed to go to Ashburton and compare the accounts and vouch«rs in connection with the Rangitata bridge, and that a cheque for L 1.500 be forwarded to the Ashburton Council as soon as the fixed deposit receipts for that amount become due, which they do on the 26th inst. A boat accident, resulting in the death of three young men and accompanied by unusually harrowing details, occurred in the inner harbor at Napier, on Saturday evening. Six young men named James Stewart, Alexander Stewart, Arthur Dixon, William Mesk, William Delahaye, and George Reardon, borrowed a sailing boat which had not a very good reputation, having previously capsized. About four o’clock, when a quarter of a mile from land, a squall struck the boat and capsized her. James Stewart .and Dixon swam ashore to seek assistance, the other four occupants getting safely on the keel of the overturned boat. Stewart and Dixon landed safely, and within a quarter of an hour’s walk of Poroaiti station, but unfortunately they did not know the o mntry, and started to skirt the shore. After nearly four hours’ very rough travelling they reached Taradale, and the mounted, constable camel on to town and gave the alarm, when five boats were sent to attempt a rescue, but by this time it was nearly 10 o’clock. For , nearly five hours search was kept up, wind and tide having drifted the b">at a long distance from the scene of the accident. At last they found her right side up, but with three occupants only, of these Meek and Delahayo were dead from exhaustion and exposure, Stewart was unconscious, Reardon was not to be seen. To-day Stewart recovered. He stated that after the two men swam ashore the remaining four stayed on the boat for some time. Meek was a strong swimmer, and offered to assist Reardon, who could not swim, and the latter stripped. lust then a heavy wave struck the boat and washed all off. Three of the four reached the boat again— Reardon was never afterwards seen. Meek dived and cut away the rigging, and the boat righted, but there was no means of bailing her ©ut, and she floated with the gunwale out of the water. About an hour afterwards Delahaye became unconscious and fell out of the boat, and was pulled back and supported by his pomrades until he died. Next Meek became unconscious, and fell forward. Stewart had strength left to pull him back again, and supported his head above water, but he soon died. Stewart was unconscious when found. Delahaye is the son of an official in the Wellington Gaol. Meek is also from Wellington. Reardon is the son of a schoolmaster here. Reardon’s body has not yet been recovered.

“ My mother drove the paralysis and neural, gia all out of her system with Hop Bitters.” Ed. OsT.uego Sun. See. —[Advt.] Don’t Die in the House.—“ Rough on Rats ” clears out rats, mice, beetles, roaches, bed-bugs, flies, ants, insects, moles, jackrabbits, gophers, Moses, Moss and Co., Sydney, General Agents. i The variety of Christmas and New Year s cards seem ever on the increase, and judging from the number which are annually disposed of, the makers must be doing a very large business.' Mr R. Bevan, stationer, East street, has received a very excellent assortment this morning, and no doubt those who are intending to speculate will give him an early call in order to select something pleasing and novel in the way of Christmas and New Year cards.