Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 180, 9 March 1867, Page 2

The yieldof the^Grey and its adjoining gold fields fully' maintains the high reputation of the district , On Thursday 11, 839 ozs of gold were shipped frbm this port — 7,201 of \yhich were exported to Sydney, and 4,638 ozs to Melbourne, ■/. . _.-,•;. A new regulation which has been brought into force without being publicly notified is causing great dissatisfaction amongst the /miners, and very justly so. It appears that a clause in Jibe new Goldfields Act provides that for all water races an annual rental of not exceeding 20s and not legs than 5s shall be charged for each sluice-head of water. A

few days ago instractions were received at theXVarden'B Courffrbmithe Provincial Goverpment to charge 10s per annum. on ; each-, sluice-head of water in addition to 'the^tisual fee of 2s 6d for registration. . It appears also that this tax— for it is nothing else, and ai most oppressive -one too, applies to all races previously registered, but we understand that owners of such races will only be required to pay it from the present time. This is an im* post which ought to be urgently represented to the Superintendent as calculated to retards mining enterprise, and we trust a strong remonstrance may lead to its|»bplition, or at any rate, its reduction to the lowest limit allowed by the Aot. •■■'*'. We are glad to notice that the traffic returns of the Greymouth aud Saltwater Tramway show, a ; steady increase, The retiirn for the week ending the Bth instant, states the receipts of the Company to have been L6B 2s, of which amount L 66 17s was derived from passengers. The number of tickets issued was 558, of which 447 were for single tickets. The New Zealand Herald says 'Jr-The present commercial depression in Auckland < ,is mainly the effect of a cause which ought to be clear to every one. '. And it is simply this, that the town has pvergrownitself, and is to large for the ordinary reqiiirements of the coiintry. The bounds to the increase and expansion of oixr trade are very easily passed. They are so- now, for the number of traders : in town, men who, deal in property created by others,; is .too great for ; the trade created by the producers of Ayealthampng;us.": A deserter named Peter Grant has been captured ftmongst the Hau-'haus on the East Coast of Auckland, He is a deserter from the Ist Waikato Regiment ; lie escaped from the stockade at Tauranga several mqnths ago with haudcuffs on ; . since then he has been a perfect terror to the ownei-s of horses in the district; arid has been living with the Hauhaus in the different settlements in the neighborhood. He states that there arc three other white men •vvith*theHau-haii"sj arid offers to itnparfe all the informaticin in liis' power.' He is a young roan, about 24, rather prepossessing ; is from Melbourae, where his parents reside; he is heavily ironed. We learn from the \Vellbmt6n Independent that by the last Panama Mail letters were received in Auckland from Mr Sewell, late Attorney-General t fpr this Colony, in one of which he says he has commenced business in London as a law and general agent for the colonies. A return, furnished by the Inspector of Slaughterhouses, shows that during tlie month of February 35 cattle, 221 sheep, and 19 pigs were slaughtered in Greymouth ;. and* 20 sheep were slaughtered on board the;p.s. Persevere, by special permission of tfco. Resi- ' dent Magistrate. "... . - Our local Bonifaces are reminded that the sale of booth sites on, the racecourse takes place : at noon on Monday, in the Ipig room at Kilgour's Union Hotel, when the auctioneer, Mr D. Maclean, will exhibit a cor" rect plan and furnish all desired particulars,' We may meution, however, that there wil be three compartments under the coxnmo--dious grand stand, (the one; that fetches the .highest price to be the Stewards, Booth, whilst the lots laid out for the publicans' coriipetition are divided on each side of the M'inning post, /airi'd have been thoughtfully placed by the Clerk of the Course pax'allcl with the fenced straight run. in, aud so. near the rails that, whilst/allowing an ample thoroughfaro, the visitors at any particular booth can' see the whole area, and the equine contests! thereon, with- , but leaving the counter-attractions of the bar. Stands for fruit an<L pastry, restaurant, toys, and also the sole rig\t of tending horses will afterwards b'd^iffer^d^^'-WeV'uideiß&^d'tliat' 1 his Honor the Superintendent has - been specially invited to be present at the races,, a favtr. his well-kiip.wn courtesy and love of oiir national pastime is sure to grantOn the night after the meeting there is to be a Race Ball, in Kilgour's Union Theatre. private advices we ( West Coast.Times) learn that some excitement was occasioned ■i.,i the Waimea district last week by the disC- very of gold upon the, large flat through which the corduroyed track runs.' - The prospectors' claim is at no. great distance from Stafford Town, towards the beach, and out of a paddock eight feet by four feet, they obtained three and a half ounces of gold. A heavy rush was the immediate result, but of the many shafts whiqh were commenced only /two or three, succeeded; ii* reaching the wash.dirt, the others r beings swamped out at six feet from the surfacew^^Hi^prpspects obtained from the last': si^tae^pttomed en- ! courage the belief that the%it!w^li eventually turn put a diggings M'here small^ud moderate wages can be made. As. compared with those ; c-f th.e/'previous. month, the last fprtnight's gold returns from the Waimea district show an increase, which is attributed to the greater. 'command of water supplied by the late rains. The population is also increasing. Steps, have been taken by the police authorities to mitigate the nuisance caused • by the numerous piggeries and deposits of filth in the public thoroughfares, and several individuals-iii the Government township have been fined under the Police Ordinance, and others in the Maori township under the Common Law, for keeping pigs, and otherwise allowing a common nuisaix.e on their premises. We trust the efforts of the police wiil result in abating these nuisances. We notice that Mr W B Armson has resigned the office of Towii Surveyor to the Corporation of Hokitika. Mr John Millar is spoken of as his probable succersor. -In reference to the goldfields, Mr Blackett, one,p|, the candidates for the Superintendency of Nelson, says in his address t — He had always been an . advocate and supporter of the policy which has; in the ! Nelson South. West goldfields, met with such warm support— a policy which consisted in the promptest possible attention in meeting and even foxestaUing : the probable and ever varying demands and requirements pf a'large andactiye gpldworking popidlatipn,; (Cheers. )^ He/feit proud think he: was the person charged withthe duty of initiating that policy and of administeririg it on the first opening of the goldfields, and he had ever;,since— fi;om the experience then . gained: as 1;^ wha.t

was' necessaryior the successful fostering of ■ " that brancK of industry— been forward in adyising a cjointinuance and extension of those liberal -views with wliich the Government Startedi and which had been admitted by v every one to have tended so much to the sue. cess of the goldfields, and the real develop-.*^ ;ffient of their wealth. Should he be chargedißP in the future with the responsibility of ad-W' miuisieriug to the wants of the' goidfields, he would pursue that path which had led to ' ' such signally successful results. • Theopenfe ing of roads, the establishing of ferries, the- ' - dispensing of justice, and the preservation of order with the certainty «f protection to the " • : diggers in the pursuit of their calling, demanded a constant vigilance and foresight! and situated as the goldfields are, spread over. ~ a large area, necessitated the employmeut of ' a large number of officials, and great care waafcdemanded to keep their number within due > bounds, and yet to preserve the efficiency of the different departments, We Jiave again to draw attention to. tha;-: sale of rural lands in Dunedin, pn the 26£b5 instant. The particulars are given in an :■ advertisement in another column," ; : . The wreck of tlie Star of the Evening was - on the 25th ult, sold at Napier for;the sumof L3O, the purchaser bemgMrMundy,AfdUf report of the disaster .appears in another - column. ' We learn from our Hokiti^bpiitemporary; : f>- : -' ... that on Tnesday morning M'Barff; M. P. C.^ : presented a memorial wit^ -upwards of 750-; ' signiitures, praying for tha^oiritment pf ii r ; ■ Resident Magistrate for th^^f^i^ district; ' ; His Hpnor, we understand^i^ted "tfiat he had communicated \ntb^jfte> aiathorities ' at Wf llington recoimiieud^g tiKat; the appoiiitment should be qonferred on Mr Keogh, tho present WOTden. The Ti?nes adds also that ;'■■ at the suggestion of Mr Bi^ff/ liisHoiror ha/ ' promised to take the necessary steps to mako sohool reseryes on all the digging townships; . to make a cemetery reserve in the Waimca, district, and to secure the appointment of registrars of Im-tbs, deaths, and. marriages iv the Ross, Wqimea, a^d 'other golilfield; districts. * . .. ■: '■ We have to remind :JM i public that v a public meeting wil|;be;VheW in tli« M 1 Theatre Royal, Sweeney's Hbteli this eyeuiiig \ for the purpose of rec|iying- the report of thq . Hospital Committefetfor; the past year, and oi electing a fresh Committee for the ensuing twelve months. • 7 The West. Coast Times of yesterday^cpn ? v tains the following important notice :— lt will lie seen on reference-t^fiovir advertising v columns thatmeetings of miriersare convened i at the several goldfields, for the purpose of electing delegates to a conference to be held ' ■ to consider the necessary amendments to the. . present Goldfields Regulations' s The fdrnoi which the^announcement api)ears iris,"a nolifie I that his Honor the.Superintendent intehcl^n^^ appoint a commission, and invites the &p^fi|| trictspf Hokitika, Waimea^ Tptara, and, .-_/? Grey, each to recommend one delegate. ;i The, names of all gentlemen so nonxinated must ba forwarded id the Superiutemleut at Hpkltikiu^Sip' on Wednesday next. ■ " \' r X'--sSlit' ' ' , Messrs Gisborne and Spence, the^MV ": ;: : Service Commissioners, arrived at Gveymoutli 1 yesterday afternoon from. Hokitika, and took their departure last evening. , : J:. ':■ '■■'. ■ ' ■ ■""■■'.•■. .. '■.<■■ ' . ■' ■ ■■"■■■■ -.^jc Oh Tnesday week last a fatal accident oc» I curred at German Bivy, Akama, A Polish. Jew hawker, named Solomon Levy, was intending to stay for the night at. Mr J Brie,tmcyer'a, and about seveix p 4 ih.; his : mare got ; loose. After some troablo he, assisted by Messrs Brietmeyer aiul Hammond, caught her, and as aUPthree were talking Mr Brietv meyer's hat w?is blown off and flew past the. mare, .frightening her. She plunged and \ started off, dragging the deceasedj andkicked ' him on the head with such force as to break : \ the skull. The unfortunate man fell on hiai | back aud never spoke after. His remains^/ were brought into Akaroa, where an inquest ' was held before J. Watson, Esq ; ,JyP^and & jury, with Mr Adams foreman. A* verdict of accidental death was returned. ; . The- la&tu Provincial : :GdzeUe,Mconta\m the following nptificatious : — Mr -,■; Thomas. Cass having resigned '. 'J;he ' office r of % ; Chief Surveyor of the Province, Mr Cytui Davie has been; appointed. in his. stead. Mr Malcolm Fraser has been appoinred Surveyor in charge- of the. Survey Department at Hokitika and/MiningSui'veyor on the West Cah». terbury Goldfields.' Mr A. Lean has resigned t the office- of Assistant Sectary in the Public Works Department. . The appointment of Mr Heiny Stanhope May in the Survey Dey partment has been cancelled. Mr T. jW. x ■Maude having tendered the resignation. rif : his seat in the* Executive Council, it hasbeen^" accepted.- .^ ;v ; ? We have Auckland papera to tlie 2nd irisi; The latest intelligence from Tauranga is satisfactory, a cessation '-'o\ ; hostilities- having : occurred. The Colonial, troops pletely driven the Hau-hajis out °f-^|^^^p,^^ trict,-destroyed,their props, and bulrtrap|p'.J|| villages. The correspondent of the land Herald says :-It wouhyje use^^^jffl attempt to arrive even at an^pproxim^^^^^au of the value of the provisions lost to^Ss^Pß rebels during this campaign. It nwstnHHflj many thousands. The crops were all of,;tjH&H finest description, wheat and potatoes eape^^fflH ally, one fieldTilone measuring between thiriy^B and forty acres, yielding an excellent ctopJ;pjpaH the finest grain, was consumed, andvmanyf^^B huridreds^bf tons of potatoes have been bunucl : -!h fl and otherwise destioyed; some reachsdTe : 1 Papa. I never saw better in my life, even ' « in Tasmania. Most of^them appear to have 418 grown from those which arrived frbm; tne Chatham Islands last: year ?': A report was current that the Waikato chief Rewi with. three hundred :'i{ ollowera • vras ; threatening i ' deslptt on theColpjai4 f° rces a * Tauranga. 0 : J