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Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1788, 29 April 1874, Page 2

The following letter with regard to the repairing of the Christchurch road has been placed at our disposal by the Hon. H. fl. Lahman : — " -ir— Knowing that you are deeply interested in the affairs of the Province, and the Grey district in particular, we make bold to trouble you to take into your earnest consideration a movement on foot here in regard to the Christchurch road. We would deem it a favor on your part if you brought the matter under the notice of the Greymouth people, believing that it interests them materially. The following is a copy of a resolution passed at a public meeting, here, last evening — • That this meeting desires to impress upon the Government the desirability of deviating the Christchurch road from its present unsafe course and bringing it through the Greenstone district to connect with the road already surveyed to Lake Brunner, and it is the opinion of this meeting that by doing so there would be a great saving to the country, and less liability of any accident happening than by continuing it in its present course.' We would feel much obliged if you brought this matter before your colleagues in the Council, M essrs Wickes and Wool cock, as well as the public, and by doing so you will confer a favor not only on the people of this place, but on your obedient servant, M. S. Hanna, Secretary of Committee. Greenstone, April 24, 1874. " Mr M. Tobin, a mate of Mr William Witham, the man who was received into the Hospital on Satnrday night last in a dying state, says that the deceased, about three months ago, complained of a headache, but did not consider it of any consequence, thinking he would be all riyht from day to day. About a fortnight ago he took co bed, and his mates, believing the case was assuming rather serious appearance**, sent to the Ahaura for Dr Phillips, who advised, after a day or two, that he should be taken .to Grey mouth. To prevent him being jolted in a dray or waggon, his icates carried him on their shoulders to the Arnold Bridge, a distance of 14 miles, and from thence he was conveyed by boat to Greymouth. Aa it has been stated that the deceased was not properly taken care of, and no medical aid procured, the mates of the deceased have volunteered the above particulars. The West CoasfTivies of yesterday says :— " We are in a p sition to state authoritatively that the Provincial Council will be convened by the Superintendent for either the Bth or 15th of May. The Public Works Committee appointed to prepare a report during the recess, on the necessary works to be submitted to the General Assembly, will meet on Wednesday next, and their report is expected to be in readiness in the course of next week. The Bills to be submitted to the Council during the present session are also in the course of preparation, and will be ready for the Councils consideration on the Bth proximo." His Honor the Superintendent has received the following telegram in respect to the Christchurch road, from the Colonial Secretary's Office :— "The Government have further considered the matter since receipt, of your telegram of 25th, and cannot, without submitting the matter to Parliament, tak« this road over as a colonial work, as it involves not only the present large outlay, but a large amount annually for repairs." Advices have been received at Wellington from Sydney to the effect that the March mails from London reached Boston at least two days late. The New South Wales Government have telegraphed and written to the Imperial Government urging that fast steamers should be selected for tho San Francisco mails across the Atlantic. We learn from the West Coast Times that further sections of the Waimea Water-race have been contracted for at prices within the estimate. Section 8, a distance of three miles one chain, has been taken at L 6915 2s Gd, and section 9, three miles twenty-four chains in length, at L 7318 12s. The contractor for both is Mr P. W. Wilkinson, and the time for completion is six months. The contract for section 7, taken by Mr M'Whirter, has been abandoned, and the tenderer has forfeited his deposit. Two hundred and fifty residents in the city of Wellington have been notified that, in default of non-compliance with the Bth section of the Public Health Act, which relates to compulsory vaccination, a penalty of 40s may be imposed by any Justice of the Peace after the expiration of one month from date of notice. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, the following civil cases were disposed of :— Goldsborough y. Kyle ; no appearance. Mamilton Hewitt v. Spivey and party— Ll 3 12s ; goods supplied. Same v. Same — another claim for Ll2 Is. In both cases a verdict was recorded for the amount claimed with costs. Mayor and Burgesaes of Greymouth, by the Town Clerk, v. Hugh Doherty — L(i 03 lOd, for unpaid rates ; verdict for amount claimed with costs, and on representation of plaintiff that defendant was likely to leave the jurisdiction of the Court, a fraud summons was' granted. We learn from the Went Coast I imes that on Monday evening tne first expedition that has been despatched southward by any Westland Government, left Hokitika in the Waipara, and Fox and party have now bad sufficient assistance to prospect the south thoroughly. Vox, Billl Fox, as he is better known, is the leader, and his followers are made up of good and tried men. Our readers will of course know, that the party is equipped out of the L2OO voted during the last session of the Council. They consist df William Fox (leader), James Teer, who it may be remembered had such a narrow escape in the General Grant on the Auckland Islands, Joha Cellary, Timothy Casey, J. Brown, and Andrew Finn, Our contemporary predicts great things as likely to accrue from this expedition, but we still hold to the opinion that paid prospecting parties are, and always have been a mistake. The programme of the expedition is thus described by the i Times:— •• As we understand, their intention will not he so much to prospect generally, as to follow up the tracks of previous explorers, and pursue the golden vein that is reputedly running from Westland into Otago. In pursuance of this object, it is their idea to be landed in Barn Bay, though it is exceedingly improbable that the boat will be able to land them there, but if not they will be landed, at Jackson's Bay. Should this bp the cape, the explorers will have company, as Mr Collyer goes dpwn with them to the latter place, and has hod certain de*

| served privileges granted him for settling at such a forsaken spot. Reverting to the prospecting party, we may say that they intend testing the country from 20 to 30 miles inland, where some years ago, Barrington and Farrell went and got gold, but were compelled to give up through the impossibility of getting provisions. The party that left yesterday have no fear on that head,, iuas? much as they have provisions for a full six months. Before their stock is exhausted, the summer will be in, but before that season comes, we have every confidence that a goldfield will be opened up that will fully justify the expenditure that the Province is now going to." The directors of the Bank of Fiji have resolved to issue no more shares, except at a premium of ss. They are in possession of the field, and their business ought to be profitable, but we believe this rise is chiefly on the ground that their position as debentureholders will be materially improved by the annexation of the islands. The Paris journals report that the Duke de Feltre has just won a curious wager. He backed himself to drive his trotter in a light carriage from Paris to Lyons before Count Phillippe de Nevule would reach the place on his velocipede. The distance was 356 kilometres, or 2224 miles. The distance was run in 60| hours, and was mou by a neck by the duke, who drove into the courtyard of tha Grand Hotel at Lyons just two minutes before the Count arrived on his velocipede. The first day's journey was 80 kilometres, or 50 miles ; the second was 104 (65 miles), and the last day both competitors ran 172 kilometres, or 107 miles. Messrs A.- and T. Burt, of Dunedin, received by last mail full drawings and particulars of a complete plant ordered by them for the manufacture of lead pipe and composition gas tube, which they intend to erect on their new premises, Cumberland street, in the course of a month or two. This plans will be capable of turning out 1000 tons per year, being one of the latest improved, and having every appliance for the saying of labor. This machine will be the most complete of its kind iv the Southern colonies, and the first in New Zealand. With regard to the Timaru Harbor Work?, the South Canterbury Times, of April 23, says : — Through the courtesy of his Worship the Mayor, we are enabled to inform our roaders that his Honor the Superintendent has received a telegram from Mr Ottywell, the agent of the Province in England, to the effect that Sir John Coode considers that sending an engineer to Timaru will not exceed L2OOO This includes Sir John Coode's fee advanced. Mr Rolleston has since authorised the agent sending an engineer to Timaru, in accordance with the advice of Sir John Coode. The following is an extract from the Defence Minister's remarks at the recent volunteer banquet in Auckland i — ln order tbat volunteering shall not be a mere name, it is my^intention to bring in some regulations more stringent than those we have hitherto had ; for I believe that one good man is better than three useless men. I have already prepared certain regulations in that direction, and it is not to the men alone that I look, but also to the officers. I have invariably seen that where there is a good company, there must also be a good officer, who devotes a great deal of his time to the company. Alluding to the subject of the acqu ; sition of tne South Sea trade, the HawMs Bay Herald make? the following sensible remarks in its leading columns : — The project is a magnificent one ; and at the same time there seems every reason to believe that, if gone into vith the due degree of wisdom and energy, it is a feasible one. We have manufacturing resources in abundance here in the shape of coal, iron, and water power. Could we only briug them to bear on the cotton, the sugar, and the numberless other tropical products of the islands, a splendid future would certainly await us. We need then never have any hesitation about bringing in immigrants by thousands or tens of thousands. There would be unlimited demand, for their labor, and for that very sort of labor which most enriches a country. Property all over the colony would treble or quadruple its value We should take a fresh lease of good " times," or rather, we should enter on an era compared with which the present "good times" would appear to have been a period of miserable impecuniosity. A fire occurred between 4 and 5 a. m. on Tuesday, on a farm near Broomfield station, Kowai, and in the occupation of a Mr David Robertson. It appears that Mr Wornall's threshing machine was on the premises, and had been at work the day previous. The straw elevator, together with the threshed straw and chaff, were entirely burnt, and the combiue with a portion of 200 bushels of wheat were also partly destroyed. All the men attached to the machine turned out and did their utmost to extinguish the fire, and fortunately succeeded before more damage than that above, stated had happened. The fire is supposed to have originated from a spark having fallen from the engine into the chaff, and there smouldered until the wind on rising caused it to burst into flames, and. in this instance there is not any suspicion attached to any person. The shreshing machine waa insured for about half its value. The following is the full report by Mr F. W. Hutton, the otago Provincial Geologist, regarding reoent important discoveries of coal in that Province, which was lately mentioned in our telegrams: — "I have the honor to inform you that I have just returned from an examination of the Tokomairiro and Kaitaugata Coal-field. I believe this to be the largest coal-field in New Zealand. It covers an extent of about sixty square miles, from the north side of the Tokomariro ßiver to the Molyneux, and contains several seams of workable coal from 22ft to 3ft in thickness. The total amount of coal in the field is certainly considerably over 1,000,000,000 of tons. The coal is the best kind of brown coal, and is quite suitable for all stationary engine?, locomotives, &c. This field can be easily opened up by making a branch line, some four or five miles long, from Tokomairiro down the river, and by extending the Kaitangata line another five or six miles, to Coal Point, on Mr M'Karlane'n farm. Neither line presents any difficulties to the engineer. I consider it very important for the whole Province that steps should be at once taken to open this magnificent coal-field. For when these two lines are made, Dunedin will be supplied with coal cheaper than any other pity in New Z.ealaud. Kaitangata alone can never supply tlje demaudj neither can coals from there be landed in Dunedin at so low a price aa they could either from Tokomairiro or Coal Point, owing $o the great facilities these latter place 3 hive for working them." We (Cromwell Neips) have heard a good deal lately about the quantity pf gold which was being turned out trom the Nevis, but we did not know that suph good finds had been made as we are now informed on good authority have been. One party above the Nevis township, we hear, is realising about L3O a week per man, there being four shareholders; and they have been doing that for about twelve months past. Another party have been doing still better, we understand, and have been for a still longer period. From all accounts we have heard, we draw the conclusion that there is every prospect of the Nevis being proved to contain many such claims, but that it will only pay men who have some capital to invest in preliminary works, and that, it is not a "poor man's diggings," as that phrase, is generally understood, :

Sir J. Ciacroft Wilson, C.8., stated at a political meeting the other daj that if the sale of land in Canterbury continued at the present rate until 1880, the date when the pastoral leases expire, there would be no runs to thfnk about in that Province. At the 'same meeting, and in reply to a similar question, Mr Stafford said :— "I think it is wise on the part of those . who. desire ...to. see the country settled, that they sffoufd not enter into engagements which will last for 12 or. 14 years after 1880. When the time comes, 1 think, so far as 1 can see now, that the land which then remains should be classified into different qualities, and that there should be a fair assessment of their value to the country and to individuals, and I would say to the person in possession, ' this is the value of your land, if we will give it you may continue on, if not, someone else must come in.'" Upon the subject of the conviction of Dr. Honeywell for manslaughter, through the unskilful treatment of a woman in childbirth, a writer in the Otago Daily Times says :— "Another medical case, and a verdict of Guilty against Honeywell for the manslaughter of Agnes Smith. The doctors are getting poked up ; and a good thing too. Public opinion will undoubtedly endorse the verdict of the jury. Perhaps a grosser case of malpractice has not been often made public. Made public ! there's the rub Every second person you meet through the country will tell you, privately and quietly, be sure, his impression of the evil doings of that medical man next door. How many human beings are put to death, or subjected to a lifetime of deformitory and torture every year because some drunken brute of a doctor has mismanaged their case? The evil has long since become a crying one, and silence on the subject has only been kept because people fancied that it would be difficult or impossible to. punish the medical sinner, or prove his guilt by unskilled evidence. Lately the long silence has been broken by one or two trials and convictions, and I hope the very numerous cases of malpractice, which have so long been groaned over, will now be exposed. A drunken doctor is an abomination which disgraces any civilised settlement, and which ought noi to be endured."