The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1884. The School Committee Election.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1060, 26 January 1884, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1884. The School Committee Election.

The annual election of a Committee which shall have control over local educational matters is not an event that is looked forward to with so much interest as it should be. On Monday next the parents of Ashburton will be called upon to choose representatives on the School Committee, and we doubt very much if one out of a hundred of the residents have given a thought to matter. There are several reasons tor this apathy concerning what is in reality an important question. The duties of the committeemen are certainly not very arduous, but at the same time they are saddled with not a little responsibility, and an. effort should be made to secure the most suitable men for the position. So far as we know, there is small reason to complain of the manner in which the work has been carried out during the past year, but as no business of paramount importance has been brought forward it cannot be said that the ability of the Committee has been put to a severe test. Owing to the system of voting which is used at these elections, it is doubtful whether the members chosen are in any case truly representative. As we pointed out last year, it by no means follows that the man who polls the highest number of votes is approved by the majority of the residents, and at least one instance of this was given in Ashburton twelve months ago. We believe that this is one of the principal reasons why so little interest is felt in the business. The people recognise that, under cumulative voting, the election is nothing more nor less than a farce. Indeed anything more ridiculous than the manner in which affairs were managed here last year could scarcely be imagined. Papers were distributed promiscuously to any person who asked for them, with a total disregard as to their right to vote, and no attempt was made to determine whether more than one paper was given to each. Mr Steward, the member for Waimate, did his best to get an Act passed last session to abolish this vicious system, but we are sorry to say he was unsuccessful. However, we are certain that until some way of choosing representatives that cannot be so easily abused is adopted, those who take an intelligent interest in educational questions will refuse to attend at the annual elections. This state of things is, it need scarcely be said, greatly to be regretted, as the duty of selecting a commitee will gradually devolve upon those who care nothing about the matter, and will simply attend the meetings from motives of curiosity. As a consequence the Committee will become ysar by year lower in intelligence, until at last we shall find that the local control of education is in the hands of men who are quite unfitted for such a trust. We do not for a mo-.aent wish t> say that ! we have reached anything like this J stage in Ashburton, but unless cumula- j live voting becomes a thing of the past, . it is to be feared that we slg.il rapidly j come to it. Bqt while we condemn the 1 system, it must be remembered that, ! with care in administering, some of its S evils may be lessened. As vye have c said, this care was conspicuous by its ] absence here last year, and we hope to \ see some improvement in this respect 3 on Monday evening.

A teDgram from Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, says the Governor proposes to take up his nsidence there a month each year.

The Mount Somers Railway Royal Commission concluded taking evidence this morning, and Mr Bell’s report on the question may be expected shortly At the annual mee ing of subscribers to the Auckland Sailor’s Rest, the report showed 10,000 seamen had during the year visited the institution. Bishop Co wie was re elected president.

An information for arson was sworn yesterday before the Mayor against four Maoris in the Murimotu district. It seems a dispute arose about a title to land, and accused burned down a whare. The matter has L een pending 8 months.

A man named Henry Woods has been arrested at Auckland ostensibly on a charge of vagrancy, but it is reported ho is known to have slept on the premises burnt down on Thursday night at Mount Eden, and there are good reasons for believing he set fire to the place.

By a fire at Lawrence on Wednesday evening Mr Tolcher’s store was burned down. Besides his own stock of building materials, goods stored for others were burned valued at L3OO, and quite uncovered by insurance. The premises were insured in the Colonial office for Ll5O. Incendiarism is suspected. Charles White, the accountant in bankruptcy, whose estate was recently vested in the Official Assignee, was arrested in Wellington on Thursday, not having obeyed the Assignee’s summons to appear before him at Wellington. However, it was decided he could not -be detained or transferred to Dunedin, no warrant having arrived. In the afternoon ho left by sailing vessel for Australia. This is the sort of thing which a Press Association agent thought worthy of circulation throughout the colony;— “The Dunedin Official Apsignae, Mr James Ashcroft, made a ioke yesterday at a meeting of cieditora. The debtor’s debts amounted to L 1,461, and the assets to LIOO. The Assignee added that the only property in the estate was a microscope, which might prove of use to see the assets with.” • •

A peculiar case came before the DuneJ din Supreme Court yesterday, it was that of Ellen Forder v W. Brown. The parties had cohabited for nineteen years, and now plaintiff sued to be held a partner in the property acquired. One point taken for the defence was that as plaintiff had L2OO in the Bank which she bad placed there out of the business—a dairy —she had considerably the best of it. His Honor reserved j udgment. The wife of Mr J. McDonald, M. H.R., has had a narrow escape of poisoning. She W4S taking edicine as a remedy for sick headache, and when in the act of swallowing her usual dose observed a peculiar and unusual taste, and ejected it from her mouth, not, however, before having swallowed a portion. On the bottle being examined it was found to contain a solution of strychnine which Mr McDonald procured about two years ago for the purpose of poisoning birds, and which nobody was aware was in the house. Happily she recovered after medical attendance. The Christchurch Supreme Court was occupied from Monday morning to yesterday, in an action brought by Crerar and another against the New Zealand Grain Agency, in respect of an amount paid by the Agency to Desborough, a partner of Crarar, on account of a contract entered into previous to the partnership. Desborough had managed to get overpaid by the Agency, who believed they were paying the new firm and not the individual. The Judge in summing up said fraud had been committed by Desborough. The question was whom had he defrauded. The jury (by three-fourths) found for the plaintiflfi for L 2,457 6s Id, There we.’e two counsel engaged on each side, and a special jury was engaged. At the Wellington Supreme Court yesterday, the case of Harris v. Greatrexand Son, claiming LSOO as damages for alleged wrongful dismissal was decided. The plaintiff had been engaged in England to come and manage the New Zealand business of Charles Greatrex and Son, saddlers, Walsall (England) and Wellington. He commenced duty here in March last, and was summarily dismissed at the end of May for alleged misconduct bordering on insanity. The question for the special jury was, was the plaintiff’s behaviour so eccentric 'and ridiculous as to justify instant dismissal? The jury found for the plaintiff, assessing damages at L 350, with costs. The Wesleyan Conference was in Committee during the greater part of yesterday upon the subject of Home Missions, During the past year the income has been L 2,482 6s lOd, and the expenditure L 2,552 17a Bd. The Rev A. Reid and Mr F, L. Prime were thanked for their services during the past year, and reappointed. The balance sheets of Connexions! properties were read by Messrs A. Hobbs and G. Grant. Arrangements were made to enable the Rev Mr Gittos to travel among the Maoris of the Northern districts, Cambridge and Patea. Circuits were reported to the Conference as having fallen short of amounts required for the the mission fund. Ihe Secretary of the Conference reported that a donation of L3OO had been bequeathed to the fund, payable next year.

The Zulu express, which leives Paddington, London, every evening for Birkenhead, ani was on 26th November expected to convey Mr Gladstone to S&ltley for Hawarden, narrowly escaped becoming an utter wreck, about six miles on the Chester side of Wolverhampton, The meat express from Birkenhead to London passed along the up line at this point just before the Zulu was due. When it had arrived there the suspicion of driver and guard was aroused upon finding their train somewhat impeded by some pieces of timber that had got athwart one of their rails, Upon using their lamps they were horrified to find chat massive blocks of stone from an adjacent quarry were lying upon the down metals. Hastening on a mile and a-half to Oodsail station the meat express stopped, and the Zulu was blocked by signals on reaching that station. It took two men to move some of the quarry blocks. The Zulu would have come upon

them at sixty miles an hour. An examination of the locality sho red that eight blocks were placed nine yards along the line. Four or five weighed each between lewt and 2cwt. The blocks were taken from a number stored by the company’s quarrymen who had left work two hours before.

That weakness and lassitude so frequent in fast-growing children may be easily remedied by a few doses of Hop Bitters. Read.— Advt.] Mother Swan’s Worm lasteless, harmless, cathartic ; lor feverishness, restlessness, worms, constipation., is at druggists. Moses, Moss and Co., Sydney, General Agents.

August Flower.— The most miserable beings in the world are those suffering from dyspepsia and liver complaint. More than 75 per cent of the people are afflicted withjlhese two cli--eases and th«ir efießts ; such jjgjF sour stomach, sick headache, habitual costivencss, palpitation of the heart, heart burn, waterbrash, gnawing and burning pains at the pit of the stomach, yellow skin, coated tongue and disagreeable taste in the mouth, coming up of food after eating, low spirits, etc. Go to your druggist and get a i)ottle of august flower. This valuq.b e medicine has cured thousands and thousands of sufferers, and is known in all civilised countries. Two doses will relieve you. It costs only 3s fid a bottle. Sample ottles, fid.— [Advt.]

A Montreal citizen of “ respectable posi-

tion ” has (a Home paper states) been recently taught a lesson in a way amusing to everybody but hitraelf. A petty officer of H.M. S. Canada heard him speak disrespectfully of the Royal Family, and at once knocked him through a plate-gbss window. The bystanders were so pleased at his combative loyalty that they paid the bill of damages, and when the corvette reached Halifax a six-dol'ar note was found awaiting the “ gallant tar,” with a promise to double the sum if he gave a lesson in manne-sto “any other foulmouthed ruffian.” Prince George of Wales is said to have offered his congratulations to this plucky shipmate of His Royal Highness, whe is popular both on the main and quarter deck. A large number of brethren, representing the various Masonic Lodgesof Timaru, Temuka, Winchester,- Geraldine, and the Somerset Lodge, Ashburton, proceeded to Geraldine on Thursday to attend the funeral of Mr John Heney, who was accidentally killed at the Upper Rangitata on Monday last. The funeral cortege left Scotsburn, the late residence of deceased, on Thursday morning, and on reaching Geraldine it was joined by a large number of Masons and other friends, who followed the remains of Mr Heney to the Geraldine cemetery. The funeral services were impressively read by the Rev Me Barclay. Deceased was a prominent Mason, and a very old and much respected resident in the Rangitata district, and during the time of the funeral ceremony on Thursday all the places of business in Geraldine were either wholly or partially closed. Mr Beney was well known as the driver of the coach from South Rangitata to Peel Forest. On Monday evening last Mr Heney left the Rangitata station after the last train had arrived, and reached Mr J. Hinkley’s Rangitata Hotel in safety. He left there at the usual time for Peel Forest, and it is presumed that on reaching the top of the cutting he turned off the metalled road on to the tussocks, and. the night being \ ery dark he got too near the edge of an embankment, when he was thrown'off lys seat and (ho coach turned over'and fell on his shoulders. From the evidence given at the inquest held at Hinkley’a Hotel, on Wednesday, deceased was found on Tuesday morning with the body of the coach renting on his shoulders Death must have been instantaneous, as there was not the slightest sign of deceased having attempted to extricate himself from the overturned coach. Deceased had been resident at Peel Forest for many years,, and was highly respected by all with whom he came in contact, not only in connection with his public capacity, but also in private life. He was father of Mrs Turner of this town, and leaves a widow and four grown’up children.The following is the Inspector’s report on the Wakanui Main School General remarks ; The conditions under which this school has been conducted almost ever sinoe.it was opened—a frequent change of masters, and a rather irregular attendance of scholars —have been most unfavorable to anything like satisfactory progress. The present teachers have been at work only a few months, and cannot be held responsible for the low standards of attainment throughout the different classes. The most successful pupils are those who have attended best. Singing is not taught, and veiy little has as yet been attempted in drawing and elementary science. Due provision is made for the teaching of sewing. The discipline, order, and general arrangement of the school work were fairly creditable. Standard V: Presented 2, passed 1. Standard IV: Presented 5, passed 2. Standard HI: Presented 9, passed 4 Standard II : Presented 10, passed 6. Standard I : Presented 12, passed 9. Presented in Standards 38, passed 22, failed 16 ; not presented to pass a higher standard than previously passed, 11 ; percentage passed, 57.9 ; percentage of roll, number presented, 59; below Standard T, 1.20. Side school—There was a change of teachers here between thejicspection and the present master, who had been in charge only a few weeks when I examined, is not in any sense responsible for the unsatisfactory condition of the school. Generally speaking, the scholars were very badly prepared for their respective standards. Six failed in spelling, and eleven in arithmetic. In too many cases the children are backward for their ages, and have made but little progress since my last visit. Those present were orderly and attentive. No instruction had been given in singing, drawing, sewing and elementary science. Standards V: Presented, 1; passed, 0 Standard IV : Presented, 1; passed, 0. Standard HI: Presented 7 ; passed, 6. Standard II : Presented, 3; passed, 0. Standard I : Presented, 9 ; passed, 6. Presented in Standards, 21; passed, 12 ; failed, 9. Not presented to pass a higher standard than that previously passed, 0 ; per cehfages passed, 57 ; per centage of roll number presented, 70; below Standard I, 9.

Holloway's Pills. —Weary of Life.— Derangement of the liver is one of the most dangerous of diseases, and the most prolific source of those melancholy lorebodings which arc worse than death itself. A few doses ol these noted Pills act magically in dispelling low spirits, and repelling the covert attacks made on the nerves by excessive heat, impure atmospheres, over-indulgence, or exhausting excitement. The most shattered constitution may derive benefit from Holloway’s Pills, Which will regulate disordered action, brace the nerves, increase the energy of the intellectual faculties, and revive the failing memory. By attentively studying the instructions for taking these Pills, and explicitly putting them in practice, the most desponding will soon feel confident of a perfect recovery.—[Advf