JOTTINGS FROM ASHBURTON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXI, Issue 7222, 23 April 1884, Page 5

JOTTINGS FROM ASHBURTON.

[from OtTE OWN COEEE SPONDENT.] April 21. Now that harvest is all over, that most of the threshing work is done, and that the weather question is of less vital importance than it was when the grain was either standing or in stock, we are being treated to just the sort of weather we prayed for when the reaping machines were at work. Instead of downpours of rain borne on the wild blast of sou’-easterly and sou’-westerly gales, we are experiencing hot sunshine, with occasional nor’westers, and clouds of dust have taken the place of thick rain clouds. The grain is now pouring steadily in to the stores, but up to date not half the quantity of corn has reached the township that had been stored or sent by rail at the corresponding date last year. By this time in 1883 some fifty thousand bushels of grain had come into the township. To date, scarcely 20,000 have been tallied. There is ample storage accommodation in Ashburton, and it would only be a heavy crop indeed, or a big railway breakdown, ‘that would compel us to stack in thej [[open air under tarpaulins; and as yet the stores have lots of room. Still, the railway crossing at Burnett street does, now and again, show a labyrinth of grain trains, and a good day brings in country carts by the dozen. Merchants exhibit but little anxiety to buy the grain, even at the low prices ruling, and a very large proportion of the crop will this year be shipped on farmers’ own account. An agitation has started in the County with a view to reducing, if possible, the cost of local government. At least, such is, I fancy, the idea the promoters entertain. The campaign began at Methven, on Friday, when some very pointed resolutions were passed. The first one reads like the introduction to a speech of an whose party is in Opposition—whether on the one side or the other don’t matter much,' for the party “ in ” is always ruining the country, according to the party “ out ” —and this is how it is made up •. — “What with general taxation—taxation by local bodies, combined with the oppressive grain tax, imposed by the general Government—the financial position of the County is deserving of the most serious attention.” And the second resolution is a fitting following to such a preamble: , “ That, &c., the time has come to do away with one rating power in the district, and that the Road Boards are the bodies most suitable to the necessities of the district for local government.” Then come two resolutions which perhaps some members of the County Council may look upon as two nails in the coffin of that august body, and other members again may treat as “ a tale told . . . full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” The two Council coffin, nails are forged in this shape: “ That, &c„ the scale of expenditure by the Ashburton County Council n? tar too great, and, in view of the general depression from which all classes are more or less suffering, ought to be considerably reduced, in future.” “That tlw Road Boards in this County bo invit ~N ■* con ‘ aider the above resolutions, oad‘ 1 or ward to the Chairman of this meeting their opinion on them.” So loi;,.: as the County Council had a plethoric u: credit born of land fund spoil, then- ; uo body in the County like the Coen iud deputations came from all quai • tor works to be done in thjpy ti. Now that rates have to bo e- ip do any

works at all, there is an absence of deputations from the County meetings, and nobody wants any works done. Why ? Because they know that either directly out of their own pocket, or indirectly by the general rate (also out of their own pocket), they will have to pay for them. The Methven meeting favours the abolition of the Council, and the retention of the Eoad Boards. As the Methven ratepayers pay for the support of both bodies, they have the right that every man who pays his money has, to say which is his choice. And as I don’t pay anything at all, I have no voice in the matter j but if I had I would rather, I think, drop the seven Eoad Boards with their seven staffs of officers, and retain the County with a slightly increased staff. Bob Malone would have condoled thusly with the obnoxious Council—obnoxious now that it has nothing to give

The crony who stuck like a htirr to your side. And vowed with his heart's dearest blood to defend ye, A five-guinea note, man, will part ye as wide As if oceans and deserts were lying between ye. When ye need a’ their friendship, naebody kens ye. It’s the siller that does’t, man, the siller, the siller— The siller that makes ye, and breaks yc, and men's ye; When your pockets are loom, and no wet i’ the loom. Then takeye my word for’t, there’s nuebody ions ye. When yo need a’ their countenance, nachody kens ye. I don’t object a bit to have the Gospel blared out in the streets .through cornets and tenor-horns, bombardons, bass drums, and triangles, with a variation introduced in the shape of the Gospel hymned forth by many voices. But to this I attach a condition, and a very reasonable one, too, I think you will allow. It is this —lf we are to have the Gospel in brass, the brass should be in tune; and if a choir is to sing the Gospel to us in the streets, the choir should know at least one strain of the melody. Do c you know how our S. A. brass band was formed ? It was like this: The captain can very nearly play on the cornet. He started one. _ Then he bought a lot of brass instruments, some new and some old. He handed them out in a miscellaneous sort of way to his newly-enlisted soldiers, not one of whom had ever done anything with brass instruments before. Next evening they were all out in procession, tooting and grunting, and thumping, and praising the Lord in this way. There are just now a good many cases of dysentery in Ashburton. Mr J. C. Wason has announced his intention of standing for the Ashburton seat at next general election. He said at his meeting recently that the member for Wakanui (who, it will be remembered, ousted him from the Wakanui seat on petition) forced his hand by asking him to prematurely declare which of the two seats he meant to go for. The public declarar tion may perhaps have been premature, but the fact of Mr Wason intending to stand for Ashburton was not much of a secret, and, therefore, was not much of a surprise. Already the wags are getting at him; and, in consequence of his complete veer round, and the influence that personal concerns had to do with his changing front, call him “ The Vicar of Bray.” The great growl just now is about the hard times, and the burden of everybody’s song is depression. Still, depression, or no depression, it was wonderful how much money moved about at our recent race meeting ; and still more surprising was the amount that changed hands over a couple of foot-races that came off on Easter Monday. The spins were only over 100 yards, and the runners, with the exception of D’Arcy Hyland, unknown to fame. Yet, though the events will not obtain hues in the annals of pedestrlanism, there was interest to the tune of .£3OO taken in them, and some biggish sums were lost and won by individuals. One of the runners is a genuine Irishman. He was rather astonished to find D’Arcy side-by-side with him before he had gone three bounds, notwithstanding that D’Arcy allowed him six yards’ start. In explaining how it was, Pat said: “ D’Arcy went off when the pistol fired ; I didn’t go till afterwards.” He was a remittance man, and he had been on the spree. He wanted sixpence badly to get one more drink. I had only one left, and was not sure what I might want it for, so I didn’t part, but instead gave him a teetotal lecture in two sentences. He took from his pocket a scrap of a newspaper tod read me a lecture of about two minutes long. It was, to me, a fresh view of the temperance question, so I bought it from him for sixpence, and, adopting the suggestion of the seller, I attach it. Perhaps you may find room for it beneath or in another column “a new way of looking at the dhink QUESTION. “Dr Trotter, of Perth, last week delivered a lecture in Ladybank, under the auspices of the Howe of Fife Blue Eibbon Temperance Union, before a large audience. The Doctor proceeded to give a review of the effects of various beverages on. the human body, giving the palm to milk as being the best beverage obtainable. In concluding his address Dr Trotter said: The drinking of alcoholic beverages is a necessary evil, and is not likely ever to be discontinued, it is Eke the cholera, or the plague, or war—one of the wise dispensations of Providence for, prf venting an undue increase of mankind; and there is consequently a strong desire for intoxicating drinks implanted in the human race. Even in this civilised and Christian country we could not do without it. It prevents the accumulation of all the property of the nation in the hands of a few, and the formation of two classes of society only—the very rich and the very poor. By its means the son scatters the savings of his father’s Efetime in a few months, enabling another man to fill his position, creates a class of drunken tradesmen to neglect their business, so that energetic men may succeed when they fail. It transforms a large proportion of the already too numerous working classes into waifs and wastrils, and enables other steady and sober men to get employment. It recruits our armies, and keeps off conscription. It peoples our workhouses and jails, giving employment to thousands. It excites and stimulates trade of every kind in various ways. In short, it benefits directly, or indirectly, everybody but those who drink it, and if they are fools enough to sacrifice themselves and their famiEes for the good of the sober and the industrious, why should we interfere with them ? Just let them do it. Were Ito advise you from a thoroughly selfish and worldly point of view, my advice would bo to persuade everybody you can to drink, but don’t taste a drop yourselves. If you want to rise on the ruin of your friends ; if you wish to undermine a rival in business, and step into his position ; if you want the situation of some friend you envy ; if you want to deprive a fellow-workman of nis employment, that you may get it yourself, just got a bottle and ply him with its contents out of the sinccrost friendship and purest motives, of course, and you will soon bo in a position to gratify your desires. If, on the other hand, you sick of wealth or tired of respectability; if you are oven annoyed at having plenty to eat; if you hate to see your wife happy, and think your children would be better of a few years of begging or starvation ; if you wish to enjoy the supreme pleasure of seeing every one dependent on you wretched and miserable, then my friend got a bottle and go into it Eke a man, and you will soon nave all your wishes gratified to the utmost. Addressing the teetotaEers, the Doctor said: Let mo say to you there is no need for me to expatiate to you on the evils of alcoholic drinks in order to convince you that you are hotter to avoid them. You are on the right road, and stick to it.” Dr Trotter is a courageous man. Many may think as he does, but precious, few would bo bold enough to own it.