Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 1899. Local and General.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXI, Issue 4751, 17 March 1899, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 1899. Local and General.

San Francisco Mail.—The San Francisco mail ia expected at Wellington ab four o'clock this afternoon, and the eouthern portion go on by the Mokoia leaving an hour later. Bank oj? New Zealand.—-according to a Wellington telegram, the Directors of the Bank of New Zealand have decided to close all its offices in the colony which are found te be doing an unprofitable businesi. The Tohunga.-—A recent number of the Maori Gazette opens with a notice by the Hon. Native Minister, denouncing the practice of makutu, and the profession of the tohunga. Us states in strong terms that the Crown means te put a stop to these practices, and that the police have instructions to prosecute if they are continued. Foreign Postage.—The amended postal regulations appear in the Gazette, but the postage to England still remains at 2£d for letters of |cz or fraction thereof, and newspapers to Australia (except Queensland) Id, and all other places, including Queensland and Great Britain. Id for 4>z and $d additional fer every 2oz or fraction thereof. The Rude Man.—lt is currently reported thab owing to a guard having demanded the I production of a ticket from some friends of a Cabinet Minister travelling in a reserved carriage on the Wellington-Napier section a few weeks ago, a departmental order has been issued forbidding railway servants entering a carriage occupied by a Minister in the tuture. The Phylloxera Pest. — An Auckland, telegram states that Mr A. T. Potter, entomologist, acting under instructions from the Agricultural Department, inspected the Remuera district, near the city of Auckland, and found four vineries infected with phylloxera. The vineries were destroyed yesterday. Mr Potter states that Che whole district, so far as he knows, is now free from the pesK

Business Change.—We learn bhab the whole of the sto.ik in Mr W. H. Collier's esbate has been secured by Mr G. D. H, Heiford, whose tender has been accepted by fche trustees, Mr Hefford has been long and favorably known in Ashburton in the drapery business, and we are sure he has the good wishes of everybody in hia new venture. He takes Mr Northcote into partnership with him who has come from Chrlstchurch. A "Queer Fish." — A gentleman in Wellington has received a letter from a Marton sportsman describing an adventure in which he took part when out after trout the other evening. He saw through the dusk what he took to be a "rise," and promptly made a cast. He was astonished to find that he had hooked, not a four-pounder, but a grey wild duck. The bird was hooked in one of its wings. The little water circug which thereupon commenced in the creek may be well imagined by any angler. Pennyroyal.—A correspondent, writing from Foxfcon, draws attention bo the pennyroyal pest, and warns farmers against allowing the iioxioua weed to spread. He has observed small putches of it in paddocks near Foxton, and he adds.: —"Should ib get firmly established in this district, it will mean ruin to the dairying industry, as no ■loubb it will fljvor the butter. I paid a visit to the Aratapu district, in Auckland, last year, and saw thousands of acres of land completely covered with it, and, of course, killing the grass. Ib has become a curse, and will, I am afraid, never be eradicated. Unimpkoved Values —A poll was taken in Waimata on Friday on the proposal to adopt The Rating on Unimproved Value Act, 1896, in Waimate. There voted for the proposal 100, and against 16. There were 2 informal votes, and as only the number necessary to carry the proposal voted, the question of whether the two informal votes can beoounted in becomes one of considerable moment to Waimate. If they can be so dealt with, then the proposal is carried, but if nob then it is lost. The point has been referred to a solicitor for a legal opinion. Bubnham School. —Ab the meeting of the Ohristchuroh Presbytery on Tuesday the Rev Dr Elmslie brought up the question of the unsatisfactory state of things ab the Burnham Industrial School. He had visited homes in the country where boys and girls from Burnham had been received into the respective families, and he had direct knowledge of the sad state of affairs at the institution, consequent on the criminal and the non-criminal and the sexes being mixed. He moved : "That this Presbytery desires respectfully to submit to the Minister of Education the urgent necessity thab exists for the effecting of radical changes in the Industrial School ab Burnham—changes requiting more especially that bhe sexes be kepb separate, and that criminal and nonI criminal children shall not be brought under the same roof," Dr Elmslie pointed out thab he did not wish bo reflect on the persons I who had managed the school, the state of affairs, in his opinion, being the outcome of che system. The motion waa agreed to unanimously. Valedictory Entertainment.—Mr Mangin, who has for some time been chairman of the Newiands School Committee, ia about to leave that district and make permanent resident in the Metfayen district. His friends and neighbors at Newiands, appreciating the excellent) work he has done, and to show the esteem in which they held him as a good neighbor and useful settler, decided to give him aad his popular wife a good send o|Sf, and arrangements were made accordingly. Mr and Mps Ifangin were entertained on Weduesday evening to a sumptuous banquet in the schoolroom, to which about 150 sat down. Full justice having been done to the good thiDga, Mr Joseph Lloyd, who presided, delivered an address, eulogising the good qualities of the guests of the evening, and presented bo them a set of handsome carvers and silver butter knives, as a souvenir of their period of residence at Newiands. He paid a tribute to useful work done by Mr Mangin, and piied the large atbendaaos as a pi oof of the kindly feeling entertained towards him and Mrs Mangin by the people of the district. Mr Mangin feelingly acknowledged the compliment and honor paid him, and in an appropriate speech accepted for himself and wife the handsome souvenir of what they would always look back upon as a happy bime. Mr Margetts spoke of the loss the district would suffer by Mr Mangin's removal, and mentioned the efficiency with which he had discharged the duties of the chairmanship of the school committee, A musical programme was* then gone through, the elements of which were supplied by Messrs Syme, Maxwell, Furze and Fling, and Miss Buck, and the room was cleared for a dance which waa carried on to the music of Mr W. Syme's violin, and the piano played by Miss Pearce, the company dispersing after thjeg pheera had been given for the guests of the evening?

Wellington Water Supply. — An eel, 1 about two feet long, supposed to have come from the X 4rori reservoir, was found jammed in a Wellington waterpipe a day or two ago. The Firto Brig\de.~The Ashburtoa Fire B igade h d a successful and satisfactory wet pracice laat evening. The steamer w B r in use a d worked admirably, and all the plant was found in good order. For (some eveniugs past the cracks of the Brigade have been in hard practice for the Geraldine competition. The Weathkr —Fine weather has been the rule duriug the greater portion of the week, after the heavy storm of Saturday and Sunday During thatato m snow fell to a groat dppth on the hills, which have not been ao thickly clad for a long time. A stiff and fairly long continued north-west gale would have the eifect of flooding the ripers somewhat seriously, Fairfikld Freezing Works.—Ab Fairfiald freezing worka ouThureday slaughtering i:i earnest began, 623 sheep and lambs being pub through. These were the property of Mr John Grigg, of Longbeach, and Mr E. Taylor, of Raapuua. The latter were fine half bred wethers, and the skins were Bold by the Farmers' Co-operative to Mr Henry MoElrea at 2s 5d each—the first line sold at: the new works. The works are hardly completed yet, though in working order, and it) will be several days before all the workmen connected with the building contract and the finishing of the works will have left what has been a busy scene for the building trade for the last six months.