The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas Et Prevalebit. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1883.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1020, 8 December 1883, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas Et Prevalebit. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1883.

Pressure on our space, on account or a rush of late advertisements, compels us to hold over leading and other matter from this issue.

Owing to the continued illness of Judge Ward the sittings of the District Court have been again adjourned to January 10.

The match between the Geraldine and Ashburton Borough Cricket Clubs is unavoidably postponed. It is probable it will come off on the following Wednesday. There will be a confirmation service held at St. Stephen’s Church to-morrow morning at 11 o’clock, when the Primate will officiate. His Lordship will also preach in the evening.

At the Appeal Court yesterday afternoon an order was made reinstating Mr Staite, of Canterbury, a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court. The remaining judgments will be delivered on Monday morning.

At a meeting of teachers of the Ashburton Wesleyan Sunday School, held on Thursday night, it was decided to hold the annual treat on New Year’s Day in the mill paddock, which has been placed at the disposal of the Committee by Mr S. Saunders.

The funeral of the late Mr W. J. W. Hamilton took place yesterday. There was a large attendance at it, including members ot the Diocesan Synod, and the Canterbury College Board of Governors. The Most Reverend tlu Primate conducted the service.

The New Zealand Shipping Co. are advised by cable that the Fenstanton’s cargo of frozen meat has arrived in good condition. The following steamers of the Co.’s direct line are to leave London this month for New Zealand: —Doric, s.s., on 13th instant, for Auckland, Wellington and Lyttelton ; henstanton, s.s., on 21st inst. for Port Chalmers.

A copy of the Canterbury and Otago Almanac for 1884 is to hand from the Timam Herald office, and is quite up to the high standard of former issues of this useful handbook. The information concerning the different parts of the colony is admirably compiled, and considering the low price at which it is published, a shilling, it should have a large sale.

As will be seen by a notification appearing elsewhere the drapery business of S. W. Alcorn in Fast street has been taken overby Messrs Ore and Co., the latter firm thus instituting another branch to their already extensive business. The premises just completed by Messrs Orr and Co. are now fully stocked, and from a cursory inspection wa vdd say that there are few things that are not to be procured at the store. In hardware and ironmongery the stock is especially complete, the increased size of the premises giving far more storage room than was possible in the old building, and no doubt in their new undertaking the firm will reap the benefit their enterprise undoubtedly merits. Our own correspondent writes :—An entertainment of an interesting and amusing nature took place in the Ohertsey Schoolhouse last evening. First, a very racy lecture on the “ West of Ireland and the Lakes of Killarney ” was delivered in characteristic style by the Rev Mr Chambers, the Anglican clergyman of the district. The lecture, to judge by the applause which followed the various points of the lecturer, was highly appreciated by those present. At the conclusion of the lecture a spelling bee was held. Ten candidates came to the front. The successful candidates were—lst prize, Mr W. Wilkinson ; 2nd, Mr E. Wilkinson : each receiving a valuable volume. The worst speller in the lot (Mr Wagstafi) received as a reward for his exertions a “ Mather’s feeding bottle!” Holloway’s Pills. Liver Complaints.—The digestion cannot be long so seriously disordered without the derangement being perceptible on the countenance. These pills prevent both unpleasant consequences ; they improve the appetite and with the increase of desire for food, they augment the powers of digestion and assimilation in the stomach. Holloways Pills deal most satisfactorily with deranged or diseased conditions of the many organs engaged in extracting nourishment for our bodies from our various diets—as the liver, stomach, and bowels, over all of which they exercise the most salutary control. By resorting at an early stage of this malady to these purifiying and laxative Pills, the dyspeptic is speedily restored to health and strength, and his sallowness gradually vanishes.—fAdvt.l

Some interesting statistics relating to the strength of (he police force in New Zealand, as compared with other colonies and different cities in Great Britain, have been placed at the disposal of the Evening Post. They are compiled !rom recent official returns. In London there is one constable to every 356 inhabitants ; in Ireland. 1 (o 397 inhabitants ; Queensland, 1 to 460 ; New South Wales, 1 to 644 ; South Australia, 1 to 670 ; Victoria, 1 to 775; and in New Zealand, 1 to 1,084. In the Dublin metropolitan force there is one officer to constables ; in London the proportion is 1 to 17y ; Queensland, 1 lo 20£ ; New South Wales, 1 to 33 2-7 ; South Australia, 1 to 35 ; New Zealand, 1 to 41^ ; Victoria, 1 to 44£. In A ictoria the number of officers has been doubled since the returns were issued from which these statistics are prepared, so that the proportion in that colony is 1 officer to every 22£ men, showing New Zealand not only to possess the smallest force as compared with the population, but also to have the least number of officers in proportion to the men.

The Nero Zealand Times mentions that a telegram was received by the lands department a little while back from Mr Huntley Elliott, Under-Secretary for Lands and Immigration, stating that when he examined the Triumph and her immigrants up' u her arrival in Auckland, he noticed that she was generally unfit for the requirements of an immigrant ship, and was also very dirty. Mr Elliott found that the Government immigrants had no complaints to make, and they spoke of the captain favorably. The second and thirdclass passengers, however, were greatly dissatisfied, and with good reason. There seemed also to have been gross moral irregularities, in which the ship’s officers and some of the passengers were said to have participated, allowed to pass unchecked Mr Elliott’s estimate of the way in which the captain, doctor, and officers of the ship discharged some of their duties was not a favorable one, though he had reason to believe that the captain was a competent navigator. The present Passengers Act is unfortunately rather lax, having been passed in 1855, mainly for the government of vessels carrying emigrants from Liverpool to America. A meeting of the Wakanui School Committee was held in the main school on Wednesday evening last; all the members being present except Mr T. Patterson. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The Chairman reported having paid teichera their salaries, amounting to 137 9s 7d, and o’her accounts to the mount of 12s 6d. Ho had a'ao let the schoolroom to the J Sports Committee at 2a 6d for each meeting. Mr Cockle had asked, and been granted permission to cut and remove the grass on the school ground. He had, as instructed at last meeting, asked the Board for a special grant for the purpose of erecting the gymnastic apparatus, but as yet the Board had ny. replied. The actions of the Chairman since last meeting was approved of. A circular was received from the Board of Education, stating that for

the future all salaries and allowances, the amount of which is regulated by the average attendance, will be paid strictly in accordance with the regulations; upon the working average for the last preceding quarter, and that the Board will not be able to take into consideration the circumstances of the attendance at any school having been diminished by sickness or other accidental cause. —It was resolved that the Committee advertise tor a master for the side school, applications to be sent in by the 29th inst. The Committee than adjourned. A deputation representing the Westport Coal Company waited on the Hon Mr Mitchelson at Dunedin yesterday afternoon to urge the advisableness of carrying on the work of improving the Westport Harbor in a speedier manner than it was being proceeded with at present. Mr Mitchelson said the matter had come before him for the first time, and he could make no definite promise, but he had no doubt when he returned to Wellington, and placed the views of the deputation before the Government, they would agree to the expenditure of the money voted, as was suggested. A deputation from the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Association also waited on the Minister to urge that as much of the Government work as possible should be given to colonial manufacturers. Mr Mitchelson promised that whatever he could place in the hands of colonial manufacturers he would, but he added the fact of the Govern ent having work done in their own workshops instead of private factories in

Dunedin would not affect the labor market in any way. So far as he could see, the Government were employing as great an amount of labor as the various factories throughout the town, and had also a number of apprentices. Mr Mitchelson goes to Invercargill on Monday, and returns to Dunedin on Wednesday. He had intended inspecting the Otago Central line this trip but will forego the inspection on this occasion. The attempt to float the Triumph by the agency of compressed air has failed, owing to leakage in the fore compartment. The highest pressure obtained was 51b to the square inch. Mr Hawkswood, of Hobson street Foundry, has laid before Messrs Nathan and Captain Brothertoo a scheme for lifting thn head of the Triumph with four large iron , pontoons, and when she is floated off to tow her to Auckland with pontoons still under to support her. Captain Brotherton doubted that the idea could be carried out, owing to the difficulty of getting the chain under the vessel’s keel, but Mr Hawkswood is sanguine that any difficulty in that direction coul I be overcome. Hia scheme has been freely discussed and is generally approved of, the prevailing idea being that if his method of lifting had been adopted at first, instead of tearing the vessel’s bottom tp pieces, she would by this time have been in Auckland harbor. The proposal is still under considora'ion. hfforts will now be directed towards keeping the vessel on the rocks in order to save the remainder of the cargo, machinery, etc. An anchor has been thrown out forward to assist in keeping the vessel in her present position. Pumping operations have continued all day. None of the fittings of the machinery have yet been removed, the reason being that the ship had been only insured against total loss. There is not the slightest doubt that thousands of pounds worth of fittings might have been removed to a place of safety; also the Haslam r frigerator, which could all have been taken away since Monday and Tuesday.