The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1888. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1892, 13 July 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1888. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Quail Island is to be made the Government quarantine station for all etook imported into New Zealand, m pursuance of tbe recommendation of the Sydney Conference, The German Consul, Mr W. EL Simms, has forwarded to tbe Dowager Empress Viotoria of Germany an address of condolence from the German women m Ohiistchuroh. A letter from Ashburton addressed to Mrs Margaret Johnston, Cullian, Petty, County Sligo, Ireland, having arrived at its destination m a torn condition, the Postmaster would be glad it the sender, Mr John Johnston, would furnish information as to itß contents m order that they may, if possible, be traoed. The " Lyttelton Times " Bays : — Aooording to telegraphic) advice m this issue from Australia, oats must be either very low m stock, or else there must be an extraordinary demand for this oereal. It will be seen that the quotation is 3s 4d per bushel m Adelaide, 3a Id m Melbourne, and 2s Id to 2s 4d m Sydney. In banco at Cbristchuroh on Thursday afternoon Mr Justice Ward quashed the con. viotion of William Paul, who was oonvioted m the Resident Magistrates Court at Timaru for haying distillation apparatus m his possession. The grounds for quashing the conviction were that it did not show that Paul intended to use the apparatus for the purpose of distillation, and did not state what Magistrate heard the case, where the offence was committed, or where the conviotion was made The total number of inland mail services now m existence is 600. There are 4646 miles of telegraph lines and 11,375 mileß of wire. Paring last year 1,835, 934 telegrams of all .cades were transmitted, and 39,400,000 letters dealt wjth. Seventy-&even letters were posted without addresses j twenty-five with libellous addresses were intercepted ; 3945 letters wore refused by the addressees ; and' nine letters were posted with previously-used stamps. 4 prosecution was instituted for affixing to letters proviouely-uaod stamps, and the offender was oonvioted and sentenoed to three months' imprisonment.

A preliminary meeting m connection with the proposed Booioty of Arts was held last jeyenipg at tho Offices of Mr D. Thomas : the fclayor, Mr A. Harrison, m the chair. It was proponed by the Key E. A. Soott, and seconded by Mr |T. &atefl, " That this meeting affirms the desirability of forming a Society for the promotion of Art, Soienoc, and Industry m Ashburton." Those present showed considerable interest m the object guvopojjed. Mr E.W.Blake was requested to act as J3epjstary pro tern. It was resolved that a meeting to farther consider the matter Bhould be held at thg Arp.adg Chambers at a date to be advertised. Three young women— Emma (30) SHen 0.8), and Bose Walfotd (16)— pleaded guilty at £shrifltpburob, on Wednesday, to three obargas w stealing boots. Theßenoh severely reprimanded the girlg f#/ their conduot and the parents for allowing their daughters so much liberty. The aoousod were conyloiod^ and a sentence of two months' imprisonment recorded against them. As the probation oQicor'a |roport wad favorable, instead of the I girls being sent; tp prison they were liberated : on probation for two months, and ordered to pay, m three instalments m th#e# weeks, the costs (£2 10s) of the oaee. Before paying accused were cautioned by the Bench to tm careful during the two months to commit no offence ftgaiftat Joe law, or they would be liable to immediate *rjsst, and have to serve two months m gaol. A correspondent of the " Daily f'iuieug " aaya;— The oommittee appointed by the Council to teke evidenoe regarding the workbag 44 tho total/sator have held several meetings. The tSeojetajy p/ the Nelson Jookey Clvi? fgaire evidence to t.h,e effept that the maohine was ft most baneflcjal .one m promoting big stakes, but that its use should be confined to large clubs. Evidence of a similar character has been given by the secretaries of other large jockey From the statornepts made, (the oommitteo have reason to believe that metropolitan jookey olubs desire to monopolise the maohine at the expense of the country clubs, Considerable adversity of opinien exists aB regards the question whether the Council sbou:d take aotji,on m the matter, but from all I oaa gather no legjala.tion will emanate from "another pHaoe" on the subjoot during the present jaeagjon. The House of Kepresentativea may, bowevor, move m the matter.

The oable between Wakopuaka and La Perouße is temporarily interrupted by the repairing steamer. The Mount Magdala Asylum will be* formally opened on the 22nd instant. | JThe local Post Offioo authorities inform ub that communication with Sydney has been restored, the cable wires having been repaired. An extraordinary disaster is reported from Calcutta. . In a hailstorm at Delhi and Morababad [hailstones were pioked up weighing 21b each, People were struck and killed outright, {and as many as 250 peribons are reported to have perißhed m the storm. A petition for the closing of public houses on Sunday m England, presented recently to the Home|Seoretary by Mr Philips of Liverpoel, measured 11,293 yards m length. It was signed by 1,131,000 women over the age 1 Of sixteen. ' It is calculated m the " Allianoe News' that if all the British viotims of drink m a year were interred at one time, and m one place, there would be a funeral procession stretohing from Land's End to John o'Groats —640 miles long. Father Leon Bouland, a prominent Roman Catholio dignitary of New York, has seoeded from his iaith to that of the Anglican Episcopalian Churoh, finding himself unable any longer to assent to the dogma of the last Vatican Oounoil. Professor De Loree's Royal Jubilee Pana. Rama combined with the Mirror of the World was exhibited m the Templar Hall last evening. Owing, pobably, to the wet weather and a variety of counter attractions, the attendance was but small. The pictures were really excellent, and some fairly good oonjuring completed the evening's entertainment.

Aooording to a German paper a merohant lately advertised for a wife m Berlin and received no fewer than 277 answers. Of tbeße eighty.seven were widows, varying m age from twenty-five to fifty-two, forty-two of them had no children, and twenty-one possessed fortunes entirely under their own control of from 3000 to 20,000 marks. Four ladies who bad been separated from their husbands also wrote to express a deairu to try their luok at marriage for a second time —one of them for a third time. Of the remaining 186 girls only two gave their ages as over thirty; eight of them professed to be " just turned sixteen." Seventy-one photographs were enolosed, and thirty-one of them are said to represent remarkably pretty girls.

According to a report from the British Minister at Washington, v/hioh has been laid before Parliament (says the "Pall Mall Gazette"), since the beginning of 1888 there have been. 1000 strikes m the United States, and of the 400,000 men engaged m them 25,000 Ito 50,000 are still out. The moßt seriouß wbe> that of the New Jersey coal handlers, which involved a loss m wagea to those engaged of more than £50,000. The ooat to the workers of the Pennsylvanian ooke-workers 1 strike m the spring, m whioh 13,000 men were engaged for ten weeka, was about £200,000 m wages. More than twothirds of the strikes between January and July 1887 were fruitless, and only brought loss and suffering to those engaged m them. As a whole, about 38 per cent , or more than a third of the strikers m 1887, sucoeeded m getting their demands, against 20 per cent, m 1886, It is calculated that nearly 10,000,000 days' work and wages were lost.

The Parliamentary correspondent of the " Daily Times" says : — The Land Aot Amendment Bill now before the House effects the Provincial district of Canterbury to a greater extent then any other part of New Zealand. It is only natural, then, that the representatives of that portion of the colony should take a livelier interest m the measure than that bestowed upon it by members from other districts. A meeting of Canterbury members convened by Major Steward, was held, when the clauses m the Land Bill relating to the pastoral leases were considered and certain amendments proposed, which Major Steward and Messrs Lance and Perceval will dujy lay before the Government. The drift of tbepe amendments was that there should yet bo another class of these lands established ; that tbe leases should be made smaller, and that the Crown should reserve the power of resumption.

Two " spielers " named Harry William and Patrick Dunn pleaded guilty at Christchurch on Wednesday to playing •' the threecard trick " on the Heathoote racecourse on July 6th. Inspector Pender said that Dunn had been several times warned off the course, and Williams had frequently been previously oonyictod of similar offences and worse ; both were well-known sharpers, who made a living by practising these Ramos.— robbing people m point of faot. Mr Beetham, R.M., said the three-card trick did not mean the three-card triok simply. The men were on the race* course for the purpose of picking up any unooneidered trifle that might be m their way. Williams had served one sentence of seven years, and one of three years. Dunn seemed to have kept clear of prison, but was no doubt as good as the company, he kept. Both must hava known the risk they were running, as" the last $ne inflioted m this Coqrt for the offenoo was £20.' The aoousod would be fined £25 each, or m default' to bo imprisoned (or three months and kept to hard labor.

The usual meeting of the Ashburton Pros' byterian Cburoh Musical and Literary Society was held last evening. There was a very large attendance, and an interesting programme was put into the hands of the Chairman~~the Rev Mr Beattie. Several ladieß '4'nd gentlemen did not put m an appearanoe, but substitutes were podded who were equal to the occasion, Qt these Mr ' Sips, a geptloman from Cbristphtiroh, sang " AUoe, where art thou," m very very fine style, whjlp Mr Lamb, who took another vacancy, contributed a musical item with muoh acceptance. Miss Iftdd kindly played tho aoopmpaniments to the musioal pieoes. Beoitations were given by Mecsrs Barrett and Minnis, the former drawing 'from Adam Lindsay Gorden — the Australian Poet — foE|b'is eel^otjon, while the latter found m " The Exeoutton of Montrose ; ', 7 a wide field for the^display of his histrionic abilities. Miss Stewart's reading was well giyen as were those of Mr Arthur and Mr Jieid. "The reading had all a more or less leaning to the Porjo, but thjis prgv^d no bar to their hearty acoe'utanoo. Leggett.'q song, " Apart/ was n'foejy gly.cn/ add a musioal number by Miss Kiad wag yery'ipuo^ appreciated. " The Little Hero " from Ur Miller was a well given item, and " The Minato at Sea," duet by Messrs Craighead, went very wolj. Messrs Baxter and Mayo brought the programme to aq end with an instrumental duet, piano and violin. Sfext evening will be devoted to the •' Journal," for which articles on all sorts of subjects may be ' wrfrte#. £hesa will be read by the Editor, and afterwards orjtic^sGd by the members.