The Ellesmere Guardian. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28,1896. LOCAL & GENERAL

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XVII, Issue 1789, 28 October 1896, Page 2

THE ELLESMERE GUARDIAN. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28,1896. LOCAL & GENERAL

a ■ ■■ Angling. — A fevr nigrlifcs ?.go, Mr Thos. Brown, Lecsfcon, landed an exceptionally fine female trout from a tributary of the Rakaia. It weighed a fraction over 16£ lbs, and measured 33 inches m length. The fish wag m somewhat poor condition, and would probable have "tipped the beam" at 251 b if properly fat. Mr Brown has landed several pother nice fish since the season opened. § %J Pebsonal. — Mr Thomas SMcKenzie, who is about to proceed to England to assume the managership of the London agency of the New" Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Association, paid a viiit to Southbridge on Saturday evening. Mb McLachlan's Intentions. — An Ashburton correspondent writes : — The number of candidates who hare definitely announced themselves for the Ashburton seat has now been increased to seven, namely :— Messrs E. G-. Wright, W. Maslin, J-5 McLachlan, J. Ivess, J. McKeague, J. W. Sawle and J. Withell. It is understood, however, that Mr Withell will withdraw, leaving six probable starters m the field. Mr McLachlan was m town on Saturday, and, after an interview with a considerable number of his supporters, definitely decided to contest the seat against all comers. Kboisteb ! Register ! — We cannot too earnestly imprest upon all electors, male and female, the importance of at once seeing that their names are on the electoral roll of the district m which they reside — residence being now the only qualification. The main roll is now m the hands of the printer, and ai the date of elections is so near it is the business of every citizen to see that, hit or her name is on the roll. The qualification now is twelvemonths' residence m the-oolony and three months' residence m the electoral district, if of the age of 21 years or upwards. When the writ* for the elections are once issued, no names can be put on the supplementary rolls, so we say at once Rbgisteb.

I A New Jotjbnal. — We have received a j copy of The Guardian, " a paper for the I people," started this month at Wellington. It is to be published fortnightly, and ] is devoted principally to financial and business affairs. The Editor and Proprietor is Mr V. M. Braund, who is one ( of New Zealand* 8 cleverest bankers and business men. The number before us 1 contains a large amount of interesting I information for investors and speculators, I and should be a valuable journal m the hands of business men and others interested m public companies or holding shares of any kind. A feature of the Guardian will be the column m which the Editor intends to review all balancesheets, prospectuses, etc., of public com panics. We should say that our contemporary will he much appreciated among a large number of colonists as filling a want which must be felt. Reading the Guardian we are impressed with the Editor's independence and fearlessness, and wish him a useful and prosperous life. West Austbaiia.— The West Australian Government intend to go m for a £6,000,000 loan to develop the goldfields, a water supply, harbour works, railway construction, and tho purchase of private railways. Evidently West Australians intend to boom. Our Governob.— Lord Glasgow says that his. experience as a Governor has been that so long as he sat tight and said very little he got along very well. Pensions fob Evbbybodt.— -There is m Denmark a law giving every Danish subject, man and woman, the right to a pension at sixty years of age. Exception is made of persons convicted of crime ; 1 who have fraudulently made over their property to relatives or others ; who have '< brought themselves to distress by extravax gance or evil-living ; who have during the - preceding ten years received relief from s the poor law ; or who have' been convicted ■of mendacity. Applications are addressed to the parish ; who make all enquiries and fix the amount of the relief to be granted. A GodD Society. -—lnsurance against non-employment is 'an accomplished fact m Cologne. Working men who have resided two years m that city, and are over 18 years of age, can join the society. The dues are threepence per week. If no employment can be procured for a J member, two shillings per day are paid to him if married ; eighteen pence if single. The city has started a guaranty fund for the society with £1,200, to which £2,900 have been added by subscription among employers. The Quickest Tbaiw m Eukopb. — The quickest train m Europe runs from Car lisle to Aberdeen. The distance is 240£ miles. The actual run is done m 246 minutes, but the direct ruh from start to finish would take only 234 minutes. The " flying average " pace when fairly under way, is about 6| miles an hour. - This is done without " racing," no urging on of poor, anxious overpressed drivers j and firemen, and all done with a smoothlyrunning train, with the utmost c»re at all f awkward curves or. junctions. Twelve . miles an hour .is about the "flying average " here. r ' st The Pbohibition Question. — The Tuapelca Times (Otago) says : — Mr T. D. j Seivwright will deliver a lecture m the Town Hall, Lawrence, on Thursday evening, on "The Fallacies of Prohibition." ' Until the advent of Mr Seivwright on the platform a few weeks age the Prohi- [ bitionists had a monopoly of the popular ear, and it need not be said that they never failed to take the fullest advantage of their opportunities. Therefore it is that it has never occurred to very many people that there could possibly be any arguments to advance on the other side, and that the dootrine of Prohibition has been allowed to grow and gather strength and crystallise into a form of religious belief. Mr Seivwright, it is admitted, has succeeded m showing that there are flaws and fallacies and imperfections m this new religion, aud has done something towards assigning to it its proper place m the region of controversial subjects. The aim of the lecturer is to combat, not temperance, of which he is an advocate, but the means by which it is sought to coerce and force people into the adoption of that practice. He pleads for liberty, for personal liberty, and combats the principle that dragonading or the employment of coercive legislation can be ■ productive of enduring or genuine virtue. Mr Seivwright, we believe, is prepared to answer any questions that may be put to him at the close of his lecture. The Bbighton Dbownins Case. — The Christchurch.^pectqt^r gives currency to the following extraordinary story regarding the recent drowning of Miss Wells at New Brighton :— " She was standing on the lower deck of the pier-head, watchinga boy fishing. The boy suddenly and excitedly informed her that he had got a bite, and had hooked a big fish, and he begged her to hold his line for a moment. This she did, and almost instantly the boy, whose back was turned, heard a 1 scream, and on lookius? round saw Miss ' Wells m the water. This boy has told his story to the family, and there is no reason whatever to doubt its accuracy. What object would the boy have m lying ? There were at least three , other witnesses of the accident. One of these men threw a line to Miss Wells, it seems, ' but it fell short, and— this part of the story is almost incredible, but we are assured that it is an absolute fact-r=rjust as | the man was about tol render further j assistance he saw the tram starting for ; town, and exclaiming : " I can't stop, or I shall miss my tram; and I have an appointment with my dentist " — -ran off, leaving the unfortunate girl to her 1 fate P" '