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Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1717, 4 February 1874, Page 2

A special meeting of the Grey Valley Progress Committee was held last evening, for the purpose of receiving and taking action upon any telegrams that might have been received from the General Government, or from the Superintendents of Nelson and Westland, with regard to the employment of Mr Moriarty.for the purpose of examining and reporting upon the Grey river protective works, and the best means of improving the: entrance to the port. There were present Messrs Smith (chair), Harrhon, Wickes, M;P.C, J. Kilgour, Hughes, Nichol, McCarthy, F. Hamilton, M'Lean, Woolcock, M.P.C., Kennedy,, and J. Kerr. It was proposed and carried that the following gentlemen be added to the Committee :— Messrs M'Garthy (Brunner Coal Company), Nichol, Glenn, Diipre, Wylde, Coates, R. J. Johnston,' R. Young, J. Fitzgerald, F. Campbell, and J. J. Blackmore. The Chairman read the repeated telegram from Mr Moriarty, which was to the effect that he would charge .£350 to accept the engagement offered him. A telegram was also read from the Minister of Public Works, which was as follows :— " Government Buildings, "February 3, 1874. " His Worship the Mayor of Greymouth. "lam not aware of any necessity existing for incurring, the expense which would be occasioned by Mr Moriarty i being asked to report upon the Grey harbor, the professional skill at' the service of the Government being considered quite sufficient for the purpose ; I cannot therefore advise any such expenditure. ' ' Edward Richaedson. " ; Another ielegram was read from the Superintendent of Westland, which was to the effect that. he. .had. jcjommunicated with the General Government upon the question of engaging Mr Moriarty, and would inform the. Committee of the result as soon as 'he a reply. A lottg discussion took place as to the desirability of taking the responsibility of engaging Mr Moriarty at the sole expense of the local oommunity, and it was moved

p,nd carried " that in the interests of the port it is highly desirable that a Report should be obtained from Mr Moriarty, I jiow at Auckland, as to the best means of 'improving the navigation of the Grey River^o as to make it accessible to ships of a large\ draught ,' of water." It was further decided '"that fie Progress Committee do urgently press upon the Borough Council the importance of taking immediate steps to secure the services of Mr Moriarty, who is about leaving thi3 Colony, and who has signified his willingness to make the required report." A deputation, consisting of Messrs Harrison, •Kennedy, Kilgour, Wickes, Woolcock, and Nichol, was appointed to wait upon the Borough Council, a special meeting of which will, we understand, be called early to-day, and to confer with such other parties as may; necessary in order to secure the accomplishment of the resolution previously carried. A conversation ensued, which elicited that the local coal companies were quite willing to bear- a fair share of the cost of Mr Moriarty's engagement, and it was, on the moiion of Mr Kennedy, carried "That the lessees of the Brunner Coal-mine, and the Greymouth Coal Company, be requested to guarantee to the Borough Council one-third each of the expense of Mr^Moriarty's visit and report, and that whatever contribution may be received from the Provincial Governments it be divided proportionately between the Borough Council and the two Coal Companies above referred to." [We have only to say that we. fully endorae the action of the Committee. This is not an occasion to allow practical business to stand idle on grounds of professional etiquette, and we hope the , Committee will persevere steadily until the desired end is accomplished.] In the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, James Kyan, for being drunk, was fined ss, or 24 hours' im prison a* en t. Verdicts by default were given in Fitzgerald v. Walsh — L 5 14s, and Morice v. Weeniclt— Ll9 13a 6d. In Wick v. Seebeck; same v. Roaoh ; same v. M'Carthy and Co, the plaintiff was nonsuited. Several other cases were adjourned. ; Early this morning, a young woman living in Johnston street, known by the name of "Rosa," attempted to commit suicide by jumping into the river, but was shortly afcer rescued. She will be brought before the Resident Magistrate to-day. The West Coast Times says that the miners of the Arahura district are anxiously looking forward to the time when the Waimea Water-race will be completed, and numbers of men are leaving for other fields every week, as there is but little to be done until a regular supply of water is obtained for sluicing purposes. The work on the sections of .the race already contracted for is being pushed ahead with vigor, but anxiety is felt in consequence of no notification appearing inviting tenders for the construction of the remainder of the race. There is some doubt as to whether sufficient fall is allowed in the first five sections, and we, are informed that considerably less than 4ft to the mile is given to one portion of the work. i Two; gentlemen. returning to Dunedin from Mosgiel in a buggy at night recently, met with a Bight which, under the circumstances, was a startling one. When about the highest point on the road near Saddle Hill— the night not only being very dark, but so misty that shadows from the lamps were reflected on the fog ahead— just as- they were turning a corner they were startled by seeing a man stark naked rush up to near the horses' heads. He threw up his arms in the air, and shouted "Stop, stop." The occupants of the buggy at the time were returning to town in a hurry, and had been at once urging the horses at a pretty high rate, of speed, and keeping a look out for carts without lights and embankments, wheni the! unwelcome pedestrian'appeared. .Though, of ter calling on them to stop, he shouted, „".I am an honest man," they did not, 'under the pecular circumßtahcesi consider ;it advisable they .should, comply with the request, bjit urged their horses on at greater speed. A little distance further on they saw some clothes lying on the road, possibly those of the unfortunate lunatic ; but they were not in a mood to pause and examine them. Had the buggy been going at a slowler rate, the sensational incident of a struggle with a madman at midnight on Saddle Hill might have occurred. j The following extract from a letter from Mr Andrew Duncan, the Otago Immigration Agent in Scotland, will be read with interest :— " I have been only nine days jat actual work, and have picked out 170 fr^m the number of applicants that have presented themselves. I could fill a ship a week, but that would not suit myself or. the Province. The greatest difficulty I find is in getting single girls ; but I anticipate when I have time to go through the country more, that many will be induced to venture out " j Is this a joke or not ? The Lyttelton Times, under the head of erratum, siys : — •' An error occurred in the report of the New Zealand Shipping Company's meeting which appeared in yesterday's issue. In speaking of the class of ships being built for the Company, the Chairman is made to say tjiat 'they are of the very highest ciats^iron ships, Alfor 10 years —and built to meet the requirements of the Passenger Act.' The report should have said 'A 1 for 100 years.* " In his speech at Oaraaru, the other da}', the Premier, in referring to municipal institutions, expressed the opinion that many great works "were far better in municipal than in private hands." For instance, "instead of allowing" a monopoly of their water and gas supply, these works should be undertakon by themselves, indeed, by so doing they would practically free themselves of municipal taxation.' Mr Yogel explained this by stating that the inhabitants of a town should get their water and gas at cost price " instead of having to pay prices which would afford large dividends to shareholders." They would thus save " more than the whole of their municipal taxation ;" and "they had the opportunity of doing this without having, as in some other places, first to buy up existing interests. Another institution was that of tramways, which in. other cities were found to be splendid investments, and which would one day, perhaps, be soon required in Oatnaru, and these, also, they should keep in their own hands." The Southern Gross, speaking of Auckland, where it is published, says that " the vast amount of juvenile depravity in the city cannot be hid. The Auckland Te ichors' Association, which has just completed the first half-year of its existence, now has 64 members. Two Christchurch tradesmen have been fined for not having the New Zealand stamp on their yard measures, though the English .stamp, was on. them. The following encouragiug paragraph appears in the circular of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co.. Limited, dated London, November 28 : — " We understand from competent authorities that an increasing desireisnow being exhibited amongst the operative classes in this country towards emigration to New Zealand, and in this they are now supported rather than opposed by the representatives of the Agricultural [Labored Union." .•>'■'■

One of the firemen of. the s.s. Gotbenburgi named Alexander Hamilton, txpeiiencod a* narrow escape from death or severe maiming a f«w dayi ago. Be was standing on the edge, of the graving dock at Port Chalmers, talking to the. chief engineer of the steamer, when through some unexplained cause he lost his footing, and fell from the top of the dock to the bottom. If the side of the dock had been perpendicular, instead of graduating in steps/the man. must have been killed, and as it was he received severe bumping from step to step until he reached the bottom. ( The proposed Sugar Refining Company has been abandoned, for the present at least. The promoters did not feel inclined to go on with it unless the Government was likely to look favorably on the proposal to admit unrefined sugar at a reduced rate of duty, and to give a bonus for the first sugar refined in the Colony. The Government did not very favorably entertain either proposal. They pointed out that the sugar duties realised L90,0(J0 a year, and that any alteration was a matter for the consideration of the Assembly, and they would not even pledge themselves to any particular course of action in the matter. With regard . to the bonus, it was pointed out that the Assembly had only authorised one for the first sugar grown and manufactured in the Colony. Under these circumstances, it was resolved not to go on with the company until the next session of the Assembly, when, unless Dunedin or Auckland have previously entered, the field, an attempt will will probably be made to get the House to grant a bonus, and, admit unrefined sugar at a reduced rate of duty. Speaking of the advantages of the railway policy of the Government, Mr. Yogel at a recent public dinner remarked that those who opposed the railway scheme on the ground, that it would not be an immediate financial success ; must bear in. mind that it would leave behind it results of a more satisfactory nature.. There was one consideration which he asked them to .take into account in judging the, railway policy, and. that was the enormous increase in the value, of private property alone, which had been its direct result. If, he said, they appraised the value of property in private hands, and the value of the property in the hands of the Government, immediately prior to the initiation < f the railway policy, and the value of the same, property at the present time, they would find that the increase was sufficient to cover the cost of constructing the lines twice over. A gossipping correspondent of the Otdgo Daily Times, writing from Clm3tchurch, says : — " I am not given as a rule to present ecclesiastical matters to the public from a ludicrous point of view, but a scene occurred here the other Sunday in a 'fashionable' church which I cannot help recording. A very stout old gentleman — a very respectable member of society, and a retired wholesale and retail crockery merchant— named L c, had taken bis seat with all due decorum. But his equanimity was somewhat disturbed upon finding that" the owner of a toy and fancy shop — Mrs A— -n— a dear old lady, whose rotundity was equally disproportioned with his own, was coming up. the aisle, and had to pass him to reach her own seat, be being already so wedged in that all he could do was to rise. The lady tried to pass, but her efforts were unavailing. In fact, affairs had come to such a crisis that an actual dead-lock ensued, The situation was most distressing, inasmuch as everybody but the hero and heroine were sitting down, and the tittering was quite audible At length, by dint of more tnau ene terrible struggle, a passage was effected, and the lady reached her seat, after the most painful exhibition that was ever witnessed in a place of worship. The charcoal blast furnace iv course of erection for the Titanic Iron and Steel Company, near New Plymouth, is to be finished, according to the contract, by the 2nd of April next. It will be the first furnace of the kind in these colonies. The firestones, bricks, and machinery are expected to arrive from England in about three months. A woman stated at the Thames Police Court recently that her husband, dnribg their married life, had given her 107 black eyes. i Most of the miners on the banks of the Molyneux, owing to there being too much water in the river, and too little available for sluicing, are reported to have left their claims aud gone to labor on the public works or at harvesting. . The Christchurch City Council have passed a resolution asking the Superintendent of Canterbury to cause Llo,ooo to be placed on the Supplementary Estimates as a grant in ; aid to the Council for the purpose of Erecting aCityHall. ; The Home News of 14th November says : — " The ship China, that sailed from London yesterday, took out for New Zealand several specimens of cattle and sheep of the purest strains in England. They consist of "British Flag," a first prize animal, lately the pro- t perty of the Messrs Dudding, of Pantonl;' 11 Wellingtonia," a splendid half-bred by Mr KirkTiam. of Audley Caistor ; and "Cherry Gwynne," from the herd of Mr Sharpley, of Acthorpe. This last hails from a herd! of which a cow and three descendants — two heifers and a bull — realised "at a recent sale nearly LISOO. These, as well as 25 pure Lincolnshire ewes, are being shipped -by Mr T. Lark worthy, of the Bank of New. Zealand. Twenty Lincoln ewes ant two rams from the flocks of Mr Thomas Kirkhamjof Biscathorpe, wid the Messrs Dudding,]6f' Panton, have also betn shipped by the China for Mr Cathcart Wason, of Uanterbury. ■ England's deficit in wheat, the Saturday Review observes, is probably twelve million' quarters, and that of France six, or together eighteen millions. England, the only buyer in the past year, has imported from all other countries, France included, nearly thirteen millions of quarters of wheat. The two countries now require that quantity, and fully five millions more, between them. Bread must be dear, certainly dearer than in the past year,; and perhaps very dear. There is only one encouraging feature in the prospect— narrely, the probability that the potato crop will be the largest and .soundest ; that has been gathered for many years. Nothing reduces the consumption of bread so much as a plentiful supply of this .vegetable, and it is to be hoped that the promise that it will largely take the place of bread this year will- be realised. Whoever goes short, this country will not starve j but we ( shall hava to pay a high price for our loaf. I [If the above figures are correct, the grain- \ growers of these Colonies need not fear to , export their surplus wheat to the old country ; and now would be an extremely favorable opportunity to establish a large trade between the Home country and the Colonies in the supply of grain.]