The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY DECEMBER, 22, 1885.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1358, 22 December 1885, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY DECEMBER, 22, 1885.

We notice by our London dies that the British Association has appointed a strong Committee to promote further research in the Antarctic regions, consisting of Sir Joseph D. Hooker, Sir George Nares, Mr John Murray, General T. T. Walker, Admiral Sir Leopold AJcClinlock, Dr W. B. Carpenter, Mr Clepjepts AJarkham, and Admiral Ommaney. It \rill be remembered that some time ago Mr C. W. Burnell read a paper before the Otago Institute, urging the despatch by the united, efforts pf the Australasian colonies of an expedition tp explore these vast and unknown regions of the globe, and more particularly to follow pp Sir James Ross's discoveries, which paper will be found printed in the nth volume of the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute. M r Burnell subsequently moved a series of resolutions bn the subject at a meeting oI the Canterbury Philosophical Institute; and also sought the attention of the Australian public through the medium of an article in the Melbourne Review. The Christchurch savants, of course, promptly ridiculed the proposals, but the subject is now before more enlightened minds, and we may confidently expect that at no distant day British peamen will be striving to sblvfe the irapbrtkdt geographical and other scientific problenis awaiting solution within the Antarctic circle.

At a meeting of farmers held at Invercargill on Saturday to consider bow far it is in the power of the Legislature to render assistance to small farmers and pastoral industries, three representatives of the ttys wtyjhUo tahfte&cj

made some remarks which must have surprised the convener of the meeting—the irrepressible Mr Peter Dalrymple, the gentleman who took upon himself to invite the Hon W. £. Gladstone to visit this colony. These independent agriculturist scouted the idea of seeking Government aid. One of them, a very old settler, said the cause of the depression was probably the high rate of interest, but the fault lay with the farmers themselves, The remedy was in their own hands by sticking manfully to their work, instead of going to Parliament like a lot of beggars craving assistance. He asked the farmers present to have nothing to do with the petition, but go home and work like men. Leave drink alone and all would come right. He knew of farmers who had obtained loans, and instead of expending them on improvements a large proportion had gone to swell the pockets of publicans. —But the objectors, of course, were in a minority. The members of Parliament present, Messrs Hatch and Cowan, as any other politicians of their calibre would have done, drifted with the majority, and a petition praying for state aid was adopted.