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Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1694, 8 January 1874, Page 2

.Four of the candidates for the Provincial Council, viz Messrs Masters, Wickes, Wool 1 cock, and Fox, announce that they will address the electors au ttie Volunteer Hall, on Friday evening. This is introducing a new feature into the electioneering business, and instead of "stumping it," onoremajonwi, the candidates in this* enlightened age take to "luni ing it." Ik is rather doubtful if the four gentlemen, of whose views on Provincial politics we as yet know, nothing, will be ablein one evening to traverse the whole field. , ; v The Treasurer of the Grey River Hospital begs to acknowledge receipt of the following donations : — LI Bs, balance in hand of Marsden Committee for ball, 1873 ; 10s balance in hand of Marsden Sports Committee ; LI from Ben. Southworth for amount won at Christmas sports. The annual picnic of the children attending St. Patrick's School took place on. Wednesday, in the paddock in Alexanderstreet belonging to Mr E. Masters, which was kindly placed at their disposal for the occasion. The weather was fine, the ground was admirably adapted for the purpose, and as the Committee had made all the arrangements in a thoroughly, systematic manner, the whole of the day's amusements passed off in the most enjoyable manner. In the morning abbut 130 children mustered in the Church' grounds, under the superintendence of their head teacher, Mr J. C. Abeam, and with banners flying, and headed by the.; Town Band, maiched through the streets, to the place of- entertainment, which, having been reached, the usual round of amusements; including swings, merry-go-rounds, football, dancing on the green, &c., commenced, and were carried on with unflagging energy until the evening. Throughout the day largefc-huicbers of children and their parents continued to arrive, until, in the evening, there must have been over 600 present. Refreshments were provided for both children and adults in the most liberal .manner. Amongst those who exerted them'"S'elvea. most to . provide for the comfort and amusement of all we may mention the names of Mrs M. Kennedy, Mrs Quinn, Misses Lundon, Miss Simms and Miss Clark; and the Rev. Father Belliard, Messrs M. Kennedy,' Hickson, Fitzgerald, Qiiinn, and the master, of the ' school, Mr- Ahearn. An adjoining cottage, belonging to Mr Amos, was kindly lent for the day, and was used, as a storeroom. In the evening the procession was once more formed, and headed by the Town Band, the children marched back to the chur h grounds, where they dispersed, after enjoying a very pleasant day's amusement, and giving three cneers for Father Belhard, Miss Clark, the school mis tress ; Mr Ahearn, the schoolmaster, and the members of the committee. . The time for sending in tenders for making the Saddle section of the Ahaura and Amuri cattle track expired at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Of the tenders sent in by that time that of Messrs White and Garth, of Ahaura, was the lowest. As there were other tenders received after the advertised hour, the final decision of the Provincial Engineer is not yet known. ■$•'-... , Much surprise was occasioned among a number of contractors at Ahaura, on Saturday, when it became known by the merest accident that tenders \yere required for the maintainance of the main Grey Valley road, from the Arnold Bridge to Ahaura, for the uexfc six or twelve months. The tenderers for making the Amuri track were waiting tbe' ; result of the .opening of the tenderß, when it transpired by chance that tenders for^ the. work were wanted. The gross official negli«ence displayed in not giving proper publicity ,to ; this ' matter has. given [rise to a good deal of indignant comment. There was quite a rush of visitors and travellers to Ahaura on Saturday. Three four-wheeled coaches, all loaded with passengers, arrived from Greymouth during the day. At the usual time the down coach arrived from Reefton, also full of passengers. This was the first down trip of the new contractors, * (Messrs Gilmer Bros.) coach. The fine looking team was tooled by our old acquaintance "Mat," who so satisfactorily ran the first mail coach in the Grey Valley for Messrs A shton and Co. ■;■:•' ; His Honor Judge Harvey arrived at Ahaura, on circuit, on Saturday. His Honor opened the District Court, and disposed of the business on the list. There were not any criminal or bankruptcy cases, and the Judge congratulated the district on the absence of crime within it; and the presumedly sound state of its commercial affairs as shown by the scarcity of bankruptcy business in the Court. Mr.W.S. Staite and Mr A. R. Guinness represented the bar, and were engaged in the civil actions decided. Judge Harvey left Ahaura on Sunday for Reefton, where the business before the District Court will be unusually heavy. : At a Bitting of the Westland Waste Lands Board, held at Hokitika on Tuesday last, the following applications in connection w.ith this district were considered :— George J. Smith., by his agent, F. Learmopthy applied for a site for a saw mill at Cariboo. ' Granted, LI paid. An application by one Ryan, to have section No. 31, Greenstone, sold, was postponed. The Board deferred the consideration of Mr Copper's application to purchase section 1111, Grey district, until next Board day, for the report' of the Surveyor" and District Engineer. S. .Hill, by his agent, F. A. Learmonth, made a similar application to the foregoing for ah adjoining section, which was similarly dealt with by the Board. W.Evans, by his agent, F. A. Learmonth, applied to purchase the following sections, town of Hokitika :—Nos: 3302 and 3323. Granted, L 33 paid. M. Cassius applied to purchase sections 555, 3298, 2399, 3300, and 3303, town of Hokitika. The consideration of the application was postponed until next I Board day. An application that some Greenstone sections should be put up to auction at the next sale, with value for improvements added, was postponed. Nicholson, O'Conor, and Is'ichol, applied to complete the purchase of sections 3207 and 482, and for a joint Crown grant. Granted; L 9 paid. A passenger who arrived at Hokitika by the Gothenburg from Melbourne/ and who, shortly after his arrival, , distinguished himself as an ardent votary, of Bacchus, was eased of a number of sovereigns— some 20 or 30— on Tuesday morning.^ It'appears that he bad been drinking during the night, and about nine on Tuesday morning was escorted on to the beach by two individuals named Whale and Neill. , Subsequently, as the Waipara was leaving the wharf, Whale arid Neil were arrested by Serjeant Blanc and Detective Browne. On searching the prisoners, the' police discovered several sovereigns t concealed in Whale's boots, and also, we believe, some gold coins on Neill's person. The complainant, who has ; been locked up for drunkenness, is minus his sovereigns, and alleges that he started from Melbourne with 40- of these desirable coins. It will be seen by advertisement elsewhei c. that Messrs M 'Hardy and, Ferguson, runholders and cattle-dealers',' at the Mawhorita, aud Ikamatua, and ; butchers., at „,. Reef ton," Black's Point, and the Little' Grey, have dissolved., partnership. Thtj firm was one of the longest standing and among the most extensive in ; its commercial transactions of any in the Grey Valley. .

We. learn \ that the news, .of the •'-! reconstruction", of the Executive Couucil of Nelson, and the! almost, incredible rumors which were flying^about that Mr Curtis intended making^certain changes in the personnel of his Executive, excited a widespread feeling of disappointment and. deep .indignation among the constituencies of the Grey Valley. Tn Tawhiao, the hcir-apparenfc to the Maori "throne," is descrnecKby a correß* pondent. of the J^aihato Times , as a quiety shy, smart-lookiag youth of about twent^ years, apparently inclined to ingratiate himself with the p'akehas. ' '■' " ./ The Australian magpies have been Success: f ully acclimatised in Canterbury. A few were turned out recently at Akaroa. ! The reclamation of the railway area in Dunedia is to cost L 6609 5s 4d. ; The annual cricket match between Canterbury and Otago is to be played on the 12th and 15th inst. The residents in the Big Paddock and Blue Spur districts will be glad -to know that a tender has been accepted for tht> construction of a dray-road from Hokitika to the Big Paddock., We learn that ' ; Messrs, Hanton and Co. arc the successful tenderers for the first section. One o£ the earliest settlers, or the Kokf tahi, Mr Lang, was thrown from a vehicle on Monday, and sustained some rather severe, injuries. • . . ; . The official ' declaration of the poll in connection with the election for the Superintend dency, will take place at the hustings outside the Resident Magistrate's Court; Hokitika, to-morrow, at. n00n.. ; ; ! ' We are ■ informed that . good progress is being made with, theitrack. which is being constructed between Martin's Bay and Lake' Wakatip. The portion oE the road near the Hollyford is now completed, and fit forldra'y traffic. . r : :»; „ , r." ; The' Ofcago, iunder ths" command.of- Capt. John M'Lean,. will: bring down the next Suez mail. - She has had; a thorou^b. overhaul, and is now.one of the finest vesselsjn southern waters. . , , A party (aays the Ross Guardian of Tuesday last), M under. ,the direction of Mr Matthews, started yesterday' morning to survey the proposed .new road between Bo wen and Okarito. This should be good news to the residents of the Totara, as the construction of this road may be fairly ex- ' pected to open up fresh deposits of gold, and also a large, extent of agricultural country; "*,The telegraph announces to us another failure of the attempt to pass from the centre of Australia to the settled districts of the western colony. Several attempts have been made to. explore this large tract of terra incognita, and to open up its secretß, but all of them up to the present time have been failures, ... Mr Giles was the leader of a party who last; year niade a gallant effort to. cross the great, desolate region, , and he succeeded in reacbing to longittde' 129deg 38min, a meridian which he has touched in two places 100 miles apart. But each time he was .compelled to tnrn back, the first time from encountering some dry sandstone ranges in the midst of. dense scrub, and with no fresh water, and the second time from coming on to the shore of a large salt lake, equally destitute of that indispensable element. : Mr Gosse, the leader of the expedition'fitted out by the South Australian Government, now returns to tell a similar story of non-success. He reached longitude 129deg 59min, nearly as far 1 westward as Mr Giles, and about 120 miles to the southward, but from some cause or other not yet explained was unable to go any further, and had to return. Mr Gosse started ab.out the end of March from A lice Springs, and now telegraphs his return to Charlotte Waters, after about nine moa'ths' absence. ' ! So this large region, tke largest unexplored, trafcfc upon the earth's' surface, ' still ; , reriiains ja' mystery; anil stands as a problem and; a task for future explorers. . . " '„ | A : man named Nicholas, Has been cony niitted for trial" ai the TKam'es on ! thr6B charges of arson. Accused had' fired thr^e Maori whares, which the (natives had built upon land belonging to prisoner's wife without nis : permission. . " ' ;