LOOKING BACK.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 133, 16 March 1940, Page 4

LOOKING BACK.

FIFTY YEARS SYNE (From the “Guardian,” Mar.. 16, 1890) New Gun-boat for Australia The Admiralty has selected the new composite gun vessel Goldfinch, 6805 tons, 1200 h.p., for service on tho Australian station in place of the Raven, which is to come home and be put out of commission as her armament is obsolete and her speed considerably below that of modern gunboats. Tho Goldfinch is equipped with six 4-inch breech-load-ing guns, and two quicktfiring guns, and is capable of steaming? 13 knots an hour.

Floods in America—During the Mississippi flood tho river was forty miles wide at Memphis, in Tenessee. The floods are now decreasing. TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO. (From the “Guardian,” Mar. 16, 1915) Alford Forest Racing Club —The Alford Forest-Racing Club held its annual meeting on the Mount Harding racecourse, Met liven, to-day. The fixture was well patronised by the County residents, and it also drew a few enthusiasts from Ashburton and Christchurch, special excursion fares being The Railway Department also ran an excursion from/. Christchurch to Timaru, but the number of Ashburton people who took advantage of it was small. The races and tho excursion would probably have been a little better patronised had the Ashburton show not been opened to-day. A German’s '‘Defence of England—Dr. Lindauer, in a pamphlet published in Vienna, says that the allegation that England desired a. world‘ wari is not proved. He cites a series of crises which were settled owing to Britain’s efforts, and quotes Dr. Bethmann Hollweg’s recognition of this- fact-. He adds: “Those acquainted ‘ with tho English will never believe they would be criminal against - themselves or humanity.”