The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1883.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1013, 30 November 1883, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1883.

Nothing has been seen in Dunedin of the comet reported from Queenstown, and it is thought probable it was only a meteor streak. Mr Mirchelson will be invited to a conference with the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce about public works in that provincial district. A Mr and Mrs Baxter, of Dunedin, celebrated their golden wedding yesterday. They are aged seventy two a:id seventy respectively. The Willmctt Company arrived by the express this morning, and will appear at the Town Hall to-night in tho celebrated drama “ The Colleen Bawn.” Considering ho v popular this Company became during their recent visit here we anticipate a good house for them this evening. The public meeting at Dunedin in regard to the stoppage of work on the unemployed section of the Otago Central line was attended last night by about 300 people. Resolutions wore carried urging prosecution of the works, and appointing a vigilance Committee to look after this and other matters The principal speakers were Messrs Bathgate, Bracken, Pyke, Fergus, Fish, M. W. Green, R. Wilson and others. The first number of a new periodical entitled the Australian Graphic is just to hand, and its appearance justifies the claim that it is a new departure in colonial journalism. The illustrations, which are numerous, are reproduced by a process invented by a colonist, Mr S. H. Crocker, of Sydney, and judging from the results in the Graphic we should say there was “ money in it.” The pictures are printed as they come from the hand of the artist, who is his own engraver, so that it will be seen that this process is far cheaper than wo-d engreving. The drawings themaelv B are of unequal merit, but* several of them are very well done and would do no discredit to an English illustrated paper. As the periodical is issued at the low price of threepence it should command a large sale, especially as the letter press appears to be good of its kind. In an article published in the Melbourne Age for the special benefit of its country cousins, who at carnival time are the favorite prey of “confidence” men and other sharpers, the following description is given of a new variation of the match-box trick, to which our own poor country has the honor to give a name. This is the “ Maori ancestral bones trick.” 'I he magsman introduces a neat little ebony box in the shape of a coffin, and tells some ingenious bei about having just returned from NfW Jtodand, whiro he received it from aMaitl -■hief, who, after the manner of his pv pie (this on the authority of the magsman), carried about calcined bonedust of his ancestors in it. The coffin can only be opened by touching a mysterious spring, which is an excellent reason why those present should bet drinks, and finally large sums, as to their capacity to solve the riddle. This swindle has been a favorite in Melbourne for some months.

We (Auckland Herald) are informed that Mr Gudgeon is writing another work on the war in New Zealand, which should be most interesting, inasmuch as he intends it to be full of startling incidents and individual acts of bravery, performed by both Maori and European, during the rebellion of 1860 —many of them deserving the New Zealand Cross, although as yet never re orded. The author will also give a short biography of all those who diet receive the New Zealand Cross, as well as of tic.i leading spiri s of the war, each chapter to be illustrated with the photograph of the individual in question. The work will bo published in four parts, which, when bound together, will form one large volume.

The fifth annual gathering of the Sunday schools of tha borough and surrounding districts will take place on Sunday afternoon, .toe. 30th, in the Town Hall. It is expected that there will bo not less than 1,000 scholars and toacbeis present from the following schools : -Episcopalian — \shbmtnn, Tinwald, ant Elgin;

Wesleyan Ashburton, Wak-snui, and Grcens‘rect ; Presbyterian Ashburton, Tinwald, and Plemington ; Primirive Methodist —Ashburton and Newlanda; Baptist—Ashburton ; Unaectarian —Willowby and Waterloo. Mr J. Leggett will pre side. Mr S. C. Farr, president of the Canterbury Sunday School Union, is expected to give an address, and the ministers of the town will also take part in the service. The senior scholars from all the schools are vigorously practicing the musical part of the service, and it is expected to be the most successful gathering yet held. Mr T. Bullock and Mr Andrew Orr have generously undertaken to bear the expense of the Hall. It. is proposed to form a branch of the Canterbury Sunday School Union in Ashburton.

A curious complication has arisen over the election of the new Grey Board of Education at Greymouth. t appears that tl e Chairman of the present Education Board, after taking legal advice, tele graphed to the Government a whole string of reasons to show that under tha Westland Education District Subdivision Act the proposed new election could not be proceeded with, in consequence of the Subdivision Act and Edu ation Act, 1877, not reading together. The Government were asked for advice and assistance in the matter, but they repudiated acting in the capacity of legal adviser to that body. Some of the Board were forgoing on with the election, on the ground that the Government must validate their Acts if they erred ; but others refused. After a deal of discussion the following is the substance of the resolution come to: —“That the Government having declined to advise or a-sist, and the opinion of the Board’s solicitor being that the electi m of a new Board cannot be gone on with, the Board decline to incur the responsibility of pro ceeding with the elections under the Westland Education District Subdivision Act ”

Between four and five o’clock yesterday afternoon an accident occurred at Lytelton by which a man named Benjamin Gregory lost his life, and H. Ryder, a fellow workman, had one of his legs broken. The men were at pick and shovel work on J. Stinson’s contract for forming a road from Norwich Quay down to the site of the proposed new steamers’ wharf near Peacock’s Jetty. Gregory was digging underneath the rock, undermining it so as to bring down a fall of earth, when a solid block of the stuff, fully a ton weight, suddenly gave way, and falling upon him crushed him to death. Ryder, who was working near him, was als > struck, and one of his legs was broken. T. Newton, one of the workmen, had a few minutes previously cautioned Gregory to be careful, and from an examination of the ground at the back of the fatal slip, distinct traces of water were tc be seen, the face being quite wet. Gregory is a resident of Christchurch, said to be married, Jand appeared to be about 50 years of age. His 1 ody was taken to the morgue. Dr H. MacDonald was on the scene of the accident a moment after it happened, and had the injured man Ryder tiken to his home, which is in Lyttelton. Another of the workmen was reported to have been hurt eirlier in the day by a fall of earth at this same piece of ground.— Frew.

Some time since considerable discussion took place in the newspapers throughout the c atony as to the charges made for professional assistance to the Resident Magistrate’s Court, being endorsed upon the summons with the authority of the Court. A good deal of the discussion turned upon the effect of the practice which had for a long time existed upon cases where no professional assistan.-e was needed. The effect was shown to be an additional item of expense to the defendant. It was held by the Court that a defendant could not be expected to pay the costs of tho plaintiff for professional assistance where no professional assistance was necessary. This was a common sense view of the mattter. The same view appears to have impressed itself upon the mind of tha Minister of Justice, who evidently thinks that a defendant should not be charged a fee that was never earned by any one. Where a defendant “confesses judgment” without giving trouble of any kind to the Court for hearing, no fee should be charged. The costs, on the issue of the summons, had been already declared. Formerly, it was the practice to charge a person who confessed judgment a fee of two shillings. The Department of Justice have now issued a circular to all Clerks of Resident Magistrates’ Courts that in future no foe shall be charged upon a confession of judgment. The Western Morning News of a recent date says :—The advantages of life insurance are exemplified under peculiar circumstances by the following incident: — About twelve years since Captain Jennings, of (.■errans, left England shortly after being married. He never returned, but has been navigating in the South Pacific. In April last, while sitting on the stern of his vessel in Maryborough River, Brisbane, he fell overboard, and his body was not recovered until the following day. A newspaper containing the sad intelligence was received at Helston, where Mrs Jennings resides, and it was re« ported that the deceased had effected an insurance on his life in an Australian office. A few days since Mr Best, of Helston, who interested himself in behalf of the widow and chi;d,received most gratifying information. In answer to letters which ho wrote to Victoria and Queensland tha manager of the Mutual Assurance Company of Victoria and Melbourne informed him that Captain Jennings had insured his life in that office for LSOO, and that the policy was still in the hands of the company, as the deceased had not paid the first premium in full. This gentleman further stated that as it was the first case of the kind that had occurred the Board, having sought a legal opinion, had decided to recognise the claim. Captain Jennings died intestate; his widow will therefore take out letters of administration, and when the usual formalities have been complied with the amount will be paid to Mrs Jennings, and she will also become possessed of any other property or effects which her husband had. The prompt and handsome manner iu which this colonial society met the claim, and the suggestions tho Board offered in their correspondence for facilitating the ssttlement of the business are praiseworthy, and deserve to be publicly recorded.

Mother Swan’s worm Syrup. —lnfallible, tasteless, harmless, cathartic ; for feverishness, restlessness, worms, constipation, is. Moses, Moss and Co., Sydney, General Agents. 3

Mias Rosalind H. Young is a resident of Pitcairn Island. She is a descendant of one of the mutineers of the British ship Bounty. A retired sea captain, who visited the island not long ago, draws this picture of Miss Young :—Her father is pastor of the island church and teacher of the school, and she is an assistant teacher. She is about twenty-six years old, and weighs 2001 b, never had a shoe on her foot, and if necessary, could swim off to a ship four miles from the island and back again to the shore, and then go into the little church and play the organ nearly as well as any young lady in the States.”

Holloways Pills. —Nervous Debility.— No part of the human machine requires more watching than the nervous system —upon it hangs health and life itself. These pills arthe best regulators and strengthened of the nerves, and the safest general purifiers. Naue sea, headache, giddiness, numbness, and mental apathy yield to them. They dispatch in a summary manner those distressing dyspeptic symptoms, stomachic pains, fulness at the pit of the stomach, abdominal distension, and overcome both capricious appetites and confined bowels —the commonly accompanying signs of detective or deranged nervous power. Holloway’s Pills are particularly recommended to persons of studious and sedentary habits, who gradually sink into a nervous and debilitated state, unless some such restorative be occaionally taken. —[Advt.]