The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1892. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2843, 8 December 1892, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1892. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

0 .ving to extreme pressure on our space several communications are held over. The snake from the barque Nith at Oamaru "has turned out to be a lizard. The death is announced of Mr Charles Harley, sen., one of the pioneer settlers of 'Nelson, he having arrived m that province with his wife and family in 1842. Mr Harley was in his 88th year. At a meeting of the New Zealand Cyclists' Alliance, at Christchurch last night, permission was granted to the Ashburton Cycling Club to hold a three-mile provincial championship race. Mr Hugo Friedlander is a passenger by the Doric, which arrived at Hobart last night, from London, and sailed for Wellington this forenoon. William Morrin, aged twenty-five, was playing cricket at Horseshe Bend, near Roxburgh, on Tuesday, when he was struck on the forehead by the ball. He died next day. At the annual meeting of the Hospital Board, at Christchurch, held yesterday afternoon, Mr R S. Wood was elected chairman. It was stated that subscriptions amounting to £900 had been received towards the erection of a nurses home. It will be »eea in an advertisement on our third page that Messrs Craighead and Berryman intend showing a large stock of tweeds, suitings, etc., at Rakaia on Saturday next, to ascertain it any inducement should offer to open a branch there. Next Saturday Messrs Friedlander Bios, will hold a special sale of groceries, Bpirits, and beer—a consignment received in consequence of the failure ot a Melbourne importing firm ; and at the same time will be sold the privileges in connection with the Ashburton Trotting Club's meeting on Anniversary Day. " The J. G. Ward Farmers' Association of New New Zealand (Limited)," with a capital of £100,000, has been registered in Invercargill. The directors are the Hon J. G. Ward (managing), Dr Hanan (Inver- I cargil!), Mr Thomas Green, J. P. (Gore). Mr Ward retains the freezing works at the bluff. ' The Committee of the Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club have selected the following local athletes to represent the Club at the Championship meeting at Wellington in February:—L. Broad, 100 yds and 250 yds; C. G. Reea, half-mile, mile and three miles; F. J. Leggat, half,mile and mile; D. Matson, 120 yds hurdle* and 440 yds hurdles. There is considerable dissatisfaction in Wellington with the decision of the Resident Magistrate in letting off a man who bit a constable's thumb with a small fine and four days' imprisonment. It appears that the unfortunate policeman may have to have his thumb amputated, and meanwhile he is in great pain. One paper pertinently asks how the police can be expected to interfere in street rows when the Bench shelters offenders of this class. The members of the Ashburton County Polo Club have had several good practices lately, at which there has been a. good muster of players. At a meeting held on Wpdnesdav evening it was announced that a Sfrom the QhVchuroh Club would be present at the opening of the s§aßon of the local Club on Saturday, December 17, to take place on the groand at Tmwald, Members of the Club together with their friends are invited to be present. Mr Buckley was elected captain, and the colors of the Club were also arranged. There is a dangerously deep part of the river on the Tinwald side, at a point near fcbe bridge. On Tuesday evening, two lads, driving * horse and dog cart, essayed the river there, The ypunger lad, not liking the look of jthe stream, got pnj; of the trap before it left the banfc ? %t the other kept on The horse and trap sank down &p okcc -nto nine or ten feet of water, and were com"w »i v ™"ered. The trap became §ntangjed, P TILLrJ m* being Table to get above and the horse, no. *• ft..., _ , , • . water was drowned. Ine I** ™V *" driving, as soon as the danger became apparent to him, got out otthe trap and reached the bank with the aid of the willow boughs. , An effective mode of getting rid of thp grass on streets nuisance has just been|devised in the shape of an electrical vegetation destroyer. This consists of a wire brush, very much in appearance like an ordinary scrubbing brush. This ia connected by a wire with a dynamo in the nearest available electric light or power station, A powerful current; i« turned on, and the operator draj;s the fully charged brush, which is supplied by a wooden handle, over the grass, killing it instantly. There are many ways in which this ability to instantly destroy vegetation can be utilised. The Ashburton Borough Council should make inquiries about this invention before they order the mower. I "Observer" writes to the "Post":— " There will be an occulation of the planet Saturn by the moon on December 13, at 9h 18min 33sec a.m. The time is taken from the ' Nautical Almanac," and is there giyen iqe the ggrjtre of the earth, so good wajhch should be" kept papier, If the morning be clear and quiet, .this oceultftijoa j^lj be very beautiful. Saturn, at the emersion of the dark edge of moon ? will appear jta stapt out of nothing, as the dark edge will not be yisibl^ in full daylight. Saturn is not a bright p&nefc ? ij^d ifc is doubtful whether a binocular will show jbh,e placet at all, Ja a large telescope Saturn's largo satellite may be seen,?' At this sfiasos of wool fl»N> th,e following extract from a London journal jj'fll be of interest:—Nothing is heard of but; over supply, and this apparently because our worn out coats ho longer are annihilated, but disintegrated, and enter on another plane of existence after a painful progress through a i siwddv mill. The cycle now is from wool to mtingo, ftfrd from mungo to more shoddy; until 7 at a placje lfe L^ds, for instance, weaving from'the woolis'a cfyriowty, tQ see which you have to take to the surrounding country. The wear of wool is truly everlasting. The woolen plotl) goes forth to be madeiato a coat, and after months of wear returns to be shoddig.cj, i&nd forth again m thp roll'co be made" i#to t&ovfi gqats ? and comes brick to fee resh^ddie^. Where |s it all to end? It would se^m a» though shoijdy'woujd kjU the sheep, ?-nd Australia, whose wealth js her wool, 'will have to produce wool more ghfiaply flr find something else to make money withe The first of the Amateur Swimming (jlub's strips of races were swum on Wednesday evening. Tll2 fifty yards handicap for iusicr* (sixteen and uiider) W», the first F/Willianis I^' /• Al.^ .te JJPurchase The raw /as WTOWtor easily by Ale'oni, with Mitchell second, Time, 47sec, l*op £hp (Bgyenty-five yards handicap there were seye# c«Jm^tjf,ors— H. . Curtis and Pauling scr, Grubb 2see, Clowes Ssec, Burns ssec, Henry llsec, Cookson 15sec, rJ his was a capital race, all the competitors being in a bunch when within ten yards from home, where (Jrubb who va S gang well shot out on the overhand stroke; and wjth good judgment won an exciting tinish by Xarely two yards, Cookson second, hardly pressed by the other competitors, lime, £> 4 sth sec, Messrs A. J. Muller&nd A. Harrison were the judges, and the <*ptain w« starrer.