The Evening Echo. TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1879.

Ashburton Herald, Volume I, Issue 240, 7 January 1879, Page 2

The Evening Echo. TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1879.

The Harvest.— There- is every prospect that harvest will be general all over this district towards the latter end of the week. To-day Messrs Miles, Hassal, and Co., on their Chatmoss and Islesworth estates, have no less than nineteen reapers and binders at work. Complaints are made of the demands made by laborers for wage 3 during harvest, and an instance is mentioned in which 10s 6d an acre was asked for tying on a M‘Cormick machine. An engagement was ultimately made with other workers for 5s 6d an acre. Presbyterian Soiree. —Last night the annual soiree of the Presbyterian Church was held in the Town flail. Between 300 and 400 people were present, including a large number of visitors from the country. Tea was served at half-past five o’clock, and the ladies deserve great credit not only for the quantity and quality of the repast provided, but the manner in which it was prepared and tastefully laid out. After everybody had enjoyed the good things, and the tables had been removed, the Chairman (the Bey. Mr. Burnett) addressed the meeting. Addresses were also delivered by the Bev. Mr. Cree, of Leeston, and Mr. Bichards, of the United States, the American humor of : the latter gentleman being very much enjoyed. He told a story from Kansas : — iC A teamster named his four horses as follows : Tli« offleader ‘ Episcopalian,’ because he held his head higher than, and overlooked all> the other cattle; the near-leader ■ Presbyterian,’ because he was a safe, sound, jogtrot horse; the off-shafter 1 Methodist,’ because he was always wanting. to be stirred up, and had such a lot of go in him; the near-shafter ‘Baptist,’ because he always made for the water, but would neither eat nor drink with the other horses. Bnt, taking the team all round, they worked splendidly together.” Good attention was paid to all the speakers. Music was supplied by a choir under Mr. J. S. Savage, with Miss Gates at the piano, and two or three sacred pieces were perormed very well. Mr. H. A. Gates conributed several songs with his usual ability ; notably, his “ Jolly Smiths ” was a great success, and received, as did his every effort, a well-deserved encore. Misses Annie Permain and Emma Savage sang the duet “ The Convent Bells,” and were rapturously applauded. Messrs Minnie and Bobinson gave recitations. The usual votes of thanks were passed to the Chairman, speakers, singers; to Mr Savage for taking charge of the choir ; to Miss Gates for playing that evening, and for kindly taking Mr. Stott’s place at the Church’s instrument during that gentleman’s absence. Thanks were also given to the ladies who took charge of the tables, viz., Mesdames Burnett, Orr, Caldwell, Jones, Leask, M'Donald, Muir, and Dunn; Misses Bobb, Hepburn, Hewston, Boss, Williamson, Gavin (2), and others. School Matters. —Dr. Stewart has received a letter from Mr. Colbom Veel, stating that the Board of Education has set aside a sum sufficient to cover the erection of a new house for the master, and an addition to the infant room. Mr. Yeel asks what sites are to be had, and desires the Committee to recommend the most suitable. _ Land Tax Valuer. The valuer under the Land Tax gazetted for this district is Charles Frederick Barker, Christchurch, and his jurisdiction comprises Ashburton Borough, Ashburton, Upper Ashburton, Mount Peel, (part) Mount Somers* and South Rakaia Road Districts.

Ashburton Cases at the Supreme Court. —At the sittings of the Supreme Court, Christchurch, George. Blind pleaded guilty to the charge against, him of breaking into and entering Mr. Fowler’s store. The case, it -iwill/be >yomembered, caused some stir in Ashburton,;, and the evidence was taken fully before the 8.M., at the time. ; His. Honor yesterday sentenced Brind'to Aa years imprisonment, expressing his regret that no reformatory establishment existed where such yonths as Brind could be placed for a term of imprisonment instead of herding with all classes of felons in the common gaols. A concurrent sentence of one year’s imprisonment was also pronounced upon Brind for the larceny of a watch from a dwelling-house and the theft of wearing apparel from Mr. Fowler’s premises. The case of John Casey, for stealing £4O odds from a Longbeach man, in a Christchurch boarding house, was deferred till Wednesday. Begarding the charge of libel brought by Mr. A. Weston against Spencer Stephens, Tinwald, His Honor, as reported by the “ Times,” said “ Publishing a libel which tended to bring a man into disrepute was a punishable offence on account of its tendency to cause a breach of the peace and not on account of any loss it might bring upon the individual libelled. The law, therefore, was, that if you wrote something defamatory of a man and directed it to him in a letter, that would not be good ground for a civil action, as he would lose nothing by it. If that something was published to another, that would be an injury to his character, for which he could bring a civil action. An Appeal to Mr Sheehan.— There is a very important matter affecting the u rights of women” to which we (“ Waka Maori”) are desirous of drawing the attention of our native readers —the female sex especially. Women, too frequently, through being married to spendthrift or drunken husbands, lose the possessions inherited by them from their ancestors. In the “ interests of humanity,” we maintain that there should be an alteration in the law with regard to the rights of native women owning land who marry. The law in such cases should make the ceremony of marriage have the effect of conferring upon the woman for her separate use such estate as she possessed prior to her marriage, or such estate as she might inherit after her marriage. Her property should be so pr.tected by law that her husband could not in any way influence her to alienate it from herself and her children ; and we think the safest way to attain this end would be to make her property inalienable during the period of her coverture. This would effectually save her from beiiig despoiled of her property either by her husband or her husband’s creditors. We recommend the native women throughout New Zealand to unite in getting up a petition to the Hon Mr Sheehan praying him to. use his influence in getting a law passed next session embodying the above principles. We think a gentleman possessing sentiments of gallantry so generous, and a devotion to the interests of the fair sex so chivalric, as Mr Sheehan is known to possess, could not possibly turn a deaf ear to the prayer of injured beauty and oppressed innocence. Petty Municipal Jobs.— Apparently the Sydney Corporation is in a bad way. For twenty years it has obtained an evil reputation for jobbery, cliqueism, incompetence, and wasteful extravagance. But a reformer, in the person of a Mr M‘Elhane, has been elected as an aiderman, and .is going, to make the Corporation work straight in the future. How he proposes to do so may be gleaned from a few sentences extracted from his speech in returning thanks. a I believe,’ he said, “ that-in,defeating Alderman Oatley I have defeated the whole of the aldermen whose favor I don’t court, and for whose frownp I don’t care. I .have beep told that every alderman has contributed to secure my opponent’s return. I know that the public is tired of the rotten, dirty way in which things have been carried on. I will • try to stop an alderman milking his cows at the expense of the city funds. I have been told that one of the ex-Mayors has £3B of %. ratepayers’ money expended on his own property, and if I find that out I’ll expose it. Another alderman is said to have manure carted to his grounds by Corporation laborers. I will put a stop to that. I admire the courage of the Tammany Bing in going in for a million swindle, but I can’t find words to express my contempt for the aldermen who get their cows milked at the ratepayers’ cost, and who manure their grounds by aid from the city purse.” The Electric Light in Practice.--The “ Pall Mall Budget ” says It is stated that on the 18th instant the ‘ Times ’ office was lighted by the electric light, the invention . adopted being that of M!r. Bapieff. Six lights were kept burning in one circuit, and in the presence of Lord Bichard Grosvenor and a large party of gentlemen, they were blown out, and instantly re-ignited automatically. The lights, were lowered just the same as in the case of ordinary, gas. . They were put out altogether, and . each one separately, at the desire of the spectators. It is stated that the “ Times ” office is to he lighted up with the electric light.

Telegraphic. Communication is restored, on the port Darwin line. The United States have an average of over 180 fires per day. The total number of English medical attendants and nurses employed during the late war, was 145, of whom 23 fell martyrs to charity. There are 98,557 more children enrolled this year than last, in the Victorian public schools. All capitation grants to denominational schools aro abolished.