LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 3135, 21 November 1893, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr G. C. Waby wiil address the Ashburton electors in the Hamp;tead schoolroom tonight, at 8 o'clock. The Sons and Daughters of Temperance in Aahburton district have resolved unanimously to support Mr Waby—he being the only candidate for the Ashburton seat in favor of the Direct Veto by a bare majority. We are requested to draw attention to an alteration in the dates of Mr Maalin's meetings at Mount Somera and Springburn rendared necessary in order to avoid clashing with the arrangements of other candidates for the Rangitata seat. Cork is about the most buoyant substance there is, but there are points beyond which even cork cannot go. A cork sunk 200 ft deep in the ocean will not rise again to the surface, owing to the great pressu' c of the water. At any less distance from the surface, however, it will gradually work its way back to light once more. The Tartars are supposed to have as a ■ation, the most powerful voices in the world, while the Germans possess the loudest voices of any civilised people. The voices of both Chinese and Japanese are of very low power and feeble compass, and are probably weakei than tnoseof any othw people. Taken as a whole, Europeans have strongsr, clearer, and better voices than the inhabitants of the other continents. The following will represent the A*CC. in their match against the Hinds C 0., on the Ashburton Domain ground on Wednesday next:— Denshire, Russell, Lane, Green, Fooks, G. Andrewes, L. F. Andrews, Flower, Purchase, Smith, Cuthbertson, Owen, and Black. Umpire—R, M. Buchanan. Scorer —A Curtis. The above players will meet the Hinds team at tho Somerset Hotel for lunch at 1 p.m. Play to commence at 1.30 p.m. sharp. There is in Spain a river called Tin to which has very extraordinary qualities. Its waters, which are as yellow as the topaz, harden the sand and petrify it in a mnst surprising manner. If a stone falls in the river and rests upon another they both become perfectly united and conglutinated in a year. It withers all the plants on ita banks as well as roots of trees, which it dyes of the same hue as its water. No fish live in the stream. Among the passengers by the Ruapehu next Thursday will be Mr Thomas Corbett, proprietor of the Perseverance Iron Works, Shrewsbury, and member of the Shrewsbury County Council. Mr Corbett, in the interest of his digging^plough and other agricultural implements, has travelled all over the Australian c lonies, and he unhesitatingly gives the palm to New Zealand for the excellence of her land and climate, and for the pleasant, genial character of her people. Mr Corbett has many friends here who will wish him bon, voyage. A meeting of members of the Church of England in the Longbeach parochial district was held on Saturday, in the Arcade buildings, for the purpose of discussing the parish fete, which is to be held on Mr Grigw's grounds Longbeacb. December 26 (Boxing; Day) was the date fixed upon. The following gentlemen were appointed a committee to arrange for sports :—Messrs J. C. N. Grigg, Robert Stoddart, William A°hton, M. Hawkings, J. Heseltine, and John Me Keague. A committee of ladies was also formed to look after the refreshment department, Which is liktly to be well provided for. The last instalment of {the census returns for England and Wales gives a total of 1,124,310 widows and 484,996 widowers. Married men numbered 4,851,548, and married, women 4,916, 649, ma^iy husbands being aboard when the returns were made. Respecting the age* of the married, 5560 " men " and 28,860 •• women " did not exceed 15 years of age. The foreigners in England and Wales were given at 169,814. The total population was 23,002,552—14,052,901 male* and 14,949,624 females. The unmarried numbered 8,716363 men and 8,908,665 women. At a meeting at Christchurch on Saturday Bishop Julius defined a pauper as a man who relied upon others to keep him up. They were^found in all classes of society. He who depended upon his rich relations was a pauper—he might be a very comfortable pauper, but still he was a pauper. The man depending for his advancement in life on some big man's influence was a pauper. If he saw a man wfco did not know what to do—who was too lazy to dig and too proud to beg—and who said " I must go for a seat in Parliament," he Baid that man was a pauper. Those men who, instead of helping themselves, look to the Government to do everything for them, were also becoming paupers. We are to be favored with a visit from Professor Mitchell, who is to intioduce to the notice of the Ashburton people the latest form of the masterstroke of Edison's) genius, the phonograph. The instrument Professor xMitchell is to show is said to be a great improvement on any that have previously visited New Zealand, and Professor Mitchell brings with him new records, some from several gifted orators, others giving vocal moreeaux from leading singers, orchestral pieces by bands of note in the States, and items of fun and humor. The professor is a genial soul, with a great willingness as well as ability to explain all that is hard to understand about the instrument and its working. The phonograph will be shown in the shop at Davis's corner, and the admission is only nominal. Mr %. G. Wright addressed a well attended meeting of electors at the Rangitata Station School on Friday evening. The chair was occupied by Mr P. N. Hawkes. At the conclusion of his address and in reply to questions, Mr Wright said that he was not in favor of any change from the land and income tax; that there had not been any appreciable increase in population to account for the increase in railway revenue, and that guch increase was largely due to the cutting off of useless tra|n sgryices j that he did not altogether agree with the present method of running the express; that the purchase of native land by Mr John Lundon, about which there had been so much talking, waß a most unbusinesslike transaction, as the agent was psi.d $6 PBr ccnfc for negotiation j that he (Mr Wright) had never begn ovpjr the Cheviot estate, but he had heard that a great part of the land was sour, and he knew of six buthels to the acre having been reaped off some of it, and he was afraid that the estate would prove a white elephant; he was not in favor of any change in the present system of State education. Mr Wright received a vote of thanks and go^adenoc.