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Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1296, 23 July 1886, Page 2

Wo are given to understand that at a special meeting of the North Canterbury Board of Education, held yesterday afternoon, Mr Edge’s resignation as Inspector was received and accepted. It was resolved to advertise for applications to fill the vacancy.

A Christchurch paper says ; —From special information to hand from Timaru, we learn

that a strong probability is entertained that the Lyttelton will be successfully floated, and that the accomplishment of this may be looked for during next week. It has been stated in Timaru that the bull of the vessel is altogether uniniured, and that quite .a new cause for the sinking of the ship has to be disclosed. The accident, it has been said, was due to one of the refrigerating valves being left open, presumably by pure accident, the consequence being that the ship slowly filled and went down. It will, of course, be understood that we are simply reporting what baa been rumoured.

The Education Franchise Bill, introduced by Major Steward, was rejected by a small majority in the House of Representatives last night.

The annual concert and ball in aid of the school prize fund was held at Lauriston on Friday last. The schoolroom was crowded, and everything passed off in a very successful manner. Songs w«>rc contributed by Mieses Henry, Bruce. \ mop, I)p"t and Johnston, and Messrs Horencl -i...'. . . -ridge. An amusing negro farce was performed by Messrs Bruce and Tovey, and during the evening Masters Mcßae (2) from Ashburton gave several Highland dances in national costume, the bagpipe music being supplied by Mr D. Ross At the conclusion of the programme the National Anthem was sung by the performers and audience, after which a hearty vote of thanks was passed to the ladies and gentlemen who had contributed to the evening’s enjoyment. The ball which followed was a thorough success. The fund for which the entertainment was set on foot should be very materially augmented, and great credit is due to the committee of management for the efficient manner in which they acquitted themselves of their duties.

The Ada C. Owen, from Raratonga, which arrived at Auckland yesterday, brings the officers and crew of the American barquentine Kitsap, totally wrecked at Palmerston Island on May 29th. They were on the island a fortnight, till taken off by the Atlantia and brought to Raratonga. The Kitsap was bound from Puget Sound to Melbourne with a cargo of timber consigned to J. Marshall. The vessel and cargo, so far as is known, were uninsured.

Five members of the Hinds School Com. mittee having resigned their seats the Board of Education has directed that a public meeting of the householders of the district shall be bald ou August 10 for the purpose of electing five members to serve on the Committee for the remainder of the eduoatjenal year.

Royal Agricultural Society, remarked ; There can be little doubt that the invaluable English lowg wool has deteriorated ; what it has gained in quantity it has lost in quality. It has been said that a fine open winter produces more wool than a severe one, but the wool is coarser. Flush of food increases quantity at the expense of quality ; naturally too rapid growth is inconsistent with perfection—true uniform fibre from root to point—elastic, not even broken, with shining silvery lustre—and, above all, of great density. The famous Mr Bakewell, of Dishley, said, to grow fine wools on rich pastures you must overstock them.

A strange story comes from Georgia. A lawyer who had lost his cause was so im-

pressed by the supernatural ignorance and stupidity (as he construed it) ol the presiding Judge, that be made the appropriate affidavit, and sought to procure an inquisition of lunacy upon that magistrate. The application was refused, however, and the Judge, it is said, will return the compliment by issuing an attachment for contempt. There can be no doubt that the lawyer exceeded the privileges of his office. It is fully conceded that a defeated litigant has an undoubted right to “ go down to the tavern and swear at the Court,” and the same privilege may be accorded to this zealous and disappointed counsel, but if the oaths are not simply profane, but judicial, and their object is not merely to free the mind and sooth the temper of the swearer, but to consign to the “ fool-house ” a magnate of the law, the affiant has manifestly passed beyond the line i of toleration. If this sort of thing is permitted, and the lunatic asylum is to be accepted as the penalty of judicial error, it will be found as hard to man the bench as it was in the days of martyrdon for the early Christian to fill the office of {bishop, the pre. late being a shining mark for the persecutors, and the nolo episcopari being the common formula used by the timid clergy in declining the perilous honor.

The Government have authorised the Resident Railway Engineer to take on the Auckland unemployed at work at Mount Eden in filling up a pond there.

The Wellington Poultry Show was opened yesterday afternoon by His Excellency the Governor, and was fairly successful.

A great curling competition for the Caledonian Curling Club’s medals is proceeding at Naseby. Two teams from Dunedin are competing, and four other Clubs are represented, all from Maniototo County.

At a meeting of the Ashburton Guards Volunteers held on Tuesday evening Mr John

H. Brooks, late Lieutenant of the Ist Durham Rifles, was unanimously elected Lieutenant in place of Mr Clayton resigned, and Corporal Sparrow was elected Secretary, The handsome helmets for this compauy have arrived, and the members will make their first appearance in them at the Government inspection on Tuesday next.

A man named John Henry Woods was killed yesterday morning in Mr Wilson Fisher’s bush. East Oxford, by a tree falling on him. He leaves a widow and nine children.

A remarkable death occurred at Motueka on Monday last. Mrs Wm. Taylor, sen., when passing near some beehives was stung on the face just below the eye by a bee: The sting was extracted, but the lady complained of feeling bad, and twenty minutes after she was stung she was dead. She had suffered from asthma, and the blood being poisoned by the sting affected the heart.

There was no business at the R.M. Courl this morning. Although over a dozen civil oases were set down for hearing they were all settled before the sitting of the Court.

A meeting of gentlemen interested In the formation of a Dramatic Society was held in tbe Town Hall last evening. There was a fair attendance. It was decided to form a Dramatic Society, and those present enrolled themselves as members. It was announced that a large number of promises of support had been given. The meeting adjourned till next Thursday when all preliminaries will be arranged. At a meeting of the teachers of the Ashburton Wesleyan Sunday School, held last night, it was decided that the anniversary services should be celebrated on Sunday, Oct. S, and the tea meeting on the Tuesday following.

A fatal accident occurred at Eawarau Gorge Otago on Wednesday fnight. Alexander Cameron was working in a tunnel when it collapsed, completely burying him. A boy aged twelve years, named Hawsin, was with him, and there is no hope that the latter will be saved. Willing bands were promptly at the work of rescue, and although Cameron’s body has been reached more than once, additional slips have prevented it being extricated. He is known to be dead, but the boy may be further in the tunnel and yet alive, although that is very doubtful. Belays of men are still at work and trying to effect the child’s rescue. A meeting of farmers in the Newlands district was held at thejschoolroom last evening for the purpose of considering the scheme of irrigation promulgated by the County Council. There were, about twenty-five gentlemen present, ;]and Mr W. T. Lill was voted to the chair. Mr Leadley, a member the County Council, and Mr Baxter, the County Engineer, were present. Mr Leadley explained] at length the proposal, and dealt with the benefitsjto be derived fromjirrigation, especially in regard to the country about Newlands. He spoke of the peculiarities of conformation of the plains, and said the scheme could easily be learned out in that district. Mr Baxter entered exhaustively into the detailsjol the scheme, and by the aid of a plan he bad prepared he showed how it was proposed that a farm should be irrigated. Daring the aouraejof his remarks be compared the proposal with that now before the Victorian Government. In Victoria it was estimated that the cost (of irrigation would be £1 4s 6d per aere over the area commanded, but as il.was only contemplated to irrigate one-third of that area the cost would practically amount to £3 16s per aore, as against 2s Id per acre for the Ashburton county. The Victorian annual charge wa estimated at 6s 4d and 11s, as against 3Jd here. A depth of 25 inches was calculated upon in Victoria, as against 10 inches here; but if in Ashburton county only one-third of the whole area was irrigated, as proposed In Victoria there would be a depth of consider, ably over 25 inches. Mr Baxter further dealt at length with the details of the scheme, and at the conclusion of his remarks a resolution to the effeeot that the Council proclaim ini'

gation districts was carried. It was farther resolved—•' That it be a recommendation to the County Council that if the proposal be carried into effect the Council capitalise the rates of the two years following the inaugura-

tion of the scheme.” Votes of thanks to Mr Leadley, Mr Baxter, and the Chairman brought the meeting to a close.

The annual ball in aid of 1 the funds of the St John Ambulance Association was held in Christchurch last night , L aad proved a great soeeess.

A large part of last niglu’s sitting of the ] House of Representatives was occupied in ! Committee on the Dog Registration Act Amendment Bill. A variety of facetious amendment were[ proposed, |among others that house dogs, and ladies’ pet dogs should

be exemptedjfrom the operations of the Bill* 1 Ultimately the B'll was reported with an I amendment exempting aboriginal Natives’ dogs, and the House rose. I Frank Brown, a journeyman bootmaker, was found dead at the Britannia Hotel, Biwaka, near Nelson yesterday morning. It proved to be a case of suicide with “ Rough on Rata.” Deceased bad recently arrived from Takaka on a visit to his wife, who was

living at the. hotel .named. He took the J poison on last Wednesday night in I a glass of beer, and went to bed. I At the Inquest a verdict of suicide 1 whilst under the influence Jof drink was re* I turned, with a rider that Tafoer, the proprietor of the .hotel, showed *a great want | of feeling in not giving proper attention to the deceased knowing he had taken poison. We again remind members of the Ashburton Caledonian Society that the second Ingleside meeting will take place at the Town Hall this evening.

At the meeting’of the'Aahburton Debating Society on Wednesday night, the adjourned debate on the question " Is nationalization of the land desirable ”,;was resumed, and the vote taken at the conclusion was unanimously in the affirmative. A number of subjects included in the term “ social absurdities ” were allotted for the next meeting of the Society. They are as follows:—“ Salutations,” “ Smoking,” “ Shaving,” “ Modern dress,”

“ Early rising," “jHoneymoons,” " Shout- j ing,” and “ Punning." j A meeting of the newly-formed Helpmate I Division, No. 16, Sons and Daughters of I Temperance, was held in the Arcade Chambers last evening. All the officers were present, and eight candidates were duly initiated as members of the order. The following additional officers were elected, viz.:— Worthy Assistant Recording Scribe, Mr J. B. Colyer ; and Worthy Assistant Conductor, Mr Thos. Kingston. The question of admitting Daughters to the order was introduced, and after some discussion was postponed till next meeting. It was decided to hold the regular meetings every alternate Thursday, at 8 p.m., at the Arcade Chambers, the next meeting to be bold on Thursday, August slh. Two candidates were proposed, and after the appointment of the usual Committees the meeting adjourned.