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Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1310, 9 August 1886, Page 2

We understand that none of the tenders for [destroying rabbits on the Bangitata Island I have been accepted. I The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the ] Ashburton Borough Council will be held this ] evening. I A poll for the election of two members of the Eakatere Town Board was held on Satur- { day at the Hampstead School. The follow[ing are tbn votes polled by the respective I candidates :—J. Hunt, 119; A. Orr, 100; J. Elliot, 90. Messrs Hunt and Orr are therefore elected. The inclement weather which ; | prevailed had the effect of considerably [damping much of the interest which would | otherwise have been manifested in the | election. | At the Resident Magistrates’ Court this | morning, before Mr It". Alcorn, J.P., Mr H. | Friedlander, J.P., and Mr T. Bullock, J.F., | Robert Smyth was charged with the larceny { of coal. Mr Crisp appeared for the accusedj It appeared from the evidence for the prose* I cation that the accused had made application I to Messrs Tucker and Restell for some coal, I but was refused; On Saturday night he was I found by Constable Smart helping himself | from the heaps on the railway reserves. The ' | accused admitted taking the coal, but stated ■ that it was his intention to pay for it on Monday morning. The Bench did .’not con- ' {aider there was any evidence of felonious intent, and dismissed the case,—A first offender was charged with having been drunk and with having made use of obscene lanI guage. On the former charge be was fined 10s and costs; the latter was dismissed. A correspondent, whose letter appears in this issue, facetiously draws attention to the fact that no fire, or other means of generating heat, is provided in the reading room at the Public Library. As a result the room has been almost deserted during the winter months. Although somewhat late we trust the matter will receive the attention of the Borough Council at its meeting this evening. It is currently reported that among other Volunteer promotions Captain Donglas, of the Ashburton Rifles, is to be appointed Major of the South Canterbury Battalion, and Lient. Dolman, Adjutant. We are informed by Messrs Wilding and Caygill that the “little bill” referred to in our report of Saturday’s meeting of tbs Wakanui Road Board was prepared by their firm strictly in accordance with the scale of oharges fixed by the Supreme Conrt, and that a large part of the claim was for money actually paid out of pocket. These statements are borne out by an inspection of the account, and we bad no intention to insinuate that the solicitors had made an exorbitant charge. The Alexandra Cavalry, a Wanganui troop, on Saturday night determined to take steps towards forming a special settlement on the Otamatapu block. Forty names were handed in, all young fellows brought up to farming and bush work. At the last meeting of the North Canterbury Education Board Mr Saunders moved “ That a permanent Committee be appointed to investigate Inspectors’ reports, to consider complaints, and to advise the Board re the appointment and dismissal of teachers or other officers of the Board ; such Committee to bo called the Appointments Committee, and to consist of the Chairman and faon members of the Board, to be chosen by ballot.” The motion was agreed to without discussion. At the last ordinary meeting of the Board of Education a letter was read from the Bangitata School Committee suggesting a site tor the school. The Board agreed to adopt the suggestion. Dr Young, Superintendent of the Auckland Asylum, has resigned on the ground that a promise of an increase of salary has not been carried out. He olaimes £6OO a year, the same as Southern Superintendents. He gets £IOO at present. Nathaniel Wilbert, living alone in a but at Maretaki, Auckland, has been found dead, believed to be from heart disease. Bradstrect's, a well-known commercial and statistical paper published in New York, generally well informed, states that efforts are being trade to import New Zealand frozen meat to California. The idea has been mooted by New Zealand shippers, who sent up by the last steamer some samples of their ■ frozen mutton, which were distributed for ; tasting purposes. At present nothing definite has been decided as to an establishment of this trade, but it may be that the New Zealanders have for some time past had their eyes j open in this connection, because their contract j for the mail service running between New ( Zealand and San Francisco specifies that the ] steamers employed shall be fitted with i refrigerating chambers. Brad-street's thinks that it may not be long before a New Zealand meat shop becomes an accomplished fact In j the city of the Golden Gate. c The Now World goes ahead faster than the v Old. Bailway statistics tell ua that the United States have 8000 mere miles of railway than * all Europe combined. At |he same rate of j" increase by another Jubilee who will foretell the disparity? G. A. Farini, who has recently travelled h ixtensively in the Kaiakari desert, north of ® : 3ap« Colony, in South Africa, now reports hat be found millions of acres of nutritious passes, and he believes this so-called desert b, vill in time become one of the greatest n iattle-produ«os couuuieiin(bo world. ▼<

Six hundred and sixty-six tons of tobacco I igars, and cigarettes were consumed in New Zealand in 1885, of which 7£ tons were manuactured in the colony. The nominations (received for tho-Aahbnr-on Hunt Club Steeplechases, to be held on Ingnat 18, are published in our sporting £ solumn. The numbers compare favorably vitb those of last year and a very successful lathering isjmtioipatod. The privileges to be •old in connection with the meeting are also idvertised in this issue. A meeting of the Committee of the Ashjurton Racing Club was held at the Club room on Saturday evening. A letter was read from the Tradesmen’s Racing Club asking on what terms the Club would lease the course lor a race meeting on November 4. After discussion it• was resolved " That the Olab regrets that it is unable to let the course for race meeting in either the months of October or November on account of its Spring Meeting being held in the latter month,” A letter was read from Mr S. Saunders urging the Club to review the Stewards’ determination with regard to Mr G. H. Williams’s claim in connection with the Flying Handicap won by Rocket at the Spring Meeting. It was resolved •• That the Committee cannot entertain the request as the matter has already been decided by the Stewards for the past season.” Mr Julian Jackson was nominated as a member of the Club. The Secretary was directed to procure certain office furniture, and the Committee adjourned. The European Mail commenting on the subject, points out that Canada will presently be able to supply her wool needs from local sources, so that, if Australian growers anticipate relief from the facilities which the Canadian and Pacific Railway would offer in the shape of anew market for wool, they are likely to te dissappointed, since Calgary is fast becoming the great wool market of the Dominion, and since the staple, it is regarded as all-sufficient for the needs of the country. A hundred years ago the potato was introduced into France, and so highly was the tuber esteemed by Frenchmen that its Introduction has been celebrated by a succession of fetes. They took place at Montdidier, in the Tonime Department; the native town of Farmentier, whojifirst grew potatoes in that country. In 1786 he obtained from Lonis XIV. permission’to cultivate the potato in the plain of the Sablons, near Paris. He died in Parisjin 1813, in his 77tb year, in the Rue des Amendiers Fopinconrt, which in his honor has since been called the Rne , Farmentier. The fetes comprise an ngri- , cultural show, gymnastic competitions, a horse and dog show, and a congress for fixing ' the names of different sorts of potatoes..