Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1823, 9 June 1874, Page 2

■ Yesterday a deputation feom the Borough Council, consisting of his Worship the M ayor, (Mr D. Maclean, Dr Acheson, the Town Clerk, and the Town Surveyor, waited upon the Engineer-in-Chief, Mr Carruthers, at the Public Works Office ; Mr W. H. Harrison, the member for the district, was alsojpresent. The Mayor opened the business by informing Mr Carruthers that the first purpose of their attendance was to urge upon the General Government, through the Engineer-in-Chief, the necessity of continuing the protective works to the extent necessary for making a good port. The Government had, he said, already intimated the intention of asking for a further appropriation of money for this purpose (copy of letter from Undersecretary of Public Works read), and the Corporation were anxious to know the intentions of the Government as to the mode in which the work would be carried out. The Corporation was so alive to the importance of this work, that they had already incurred a heavy outlay in protecting the lower part of the river bank, and were prepared to expend further money in the same direction. But, as his Worship observed, there were a number of sections originally on dry land, but which were now in the fairway of the river, and unless these were acquired by the Government the owners might at any time take possession of the site if the Corporation should reclaim it or make the sections accessible. The plan most carefully prepared by the Town Surveyor Was produced, and the effects of the recent flood lucidly explained to Mr Carruthers. His W orship also brought under the notice of the Engineer-in-Chief that, although the Minister of Public Works had allowed the Corporation the use of the rails for conveying stone to the proposed protective works, he had not consented to lend them sleepers. A telegram was read from the Minister of Public Works upon this subject, in which he suggested that the Corporation could probably obtain condemned i

sleepers in sufficient quantity for the purpose." But it was stated by the Town Surveyor that there was no probability of procuring such sleepers, as so few had been condemned. In reply to the deputation, Mr Carruthers said that he was here simply for the purpose of dealing with mutters relating to the railway ; that he had no instructions whatever as to harbor works, but was of opinion, that the Borough Corporation intended to carry them out on plans to be supplied by Mr Moriarty. He would,, however, make an inspection of the river, and particularly of the shingle bpit above the. town, which he considered had or might have a most important influence upon any; harbor works that might be constructed.' After this examinatioc he would of courss; make a report to the Minister. With regard to the question of acquiring the sec ; tions now under water, he quite agreed with', the deputation that it was desirable they; should be proclaimed for public purposes, j and he would bring the subject under the| notice of the Government. He thought that; there would be no objection to allowing the Corporation the use of the sleepers, if they undertook to preserve them, and would re-' commend that this wish of the Council! should be granted. The subject of the pur- ; chase of the stone quarries by the Govern-, ment was discussed, and Mr Carruthers i quite agreed that they should be acquired; for public purposes. His Worship the Mayor j and Councillor Acheson ware the chief j spokesmen, and they both presented the casej of the Borough in a clear and business-like j manner. After thanking; Mr Carruthers, , the deputation witndrew. . . . '.

We draw attention to the advertisements in anothet column announcing, that the dividend of the National Fire and Marine Insurance Company, for. the half-year ended March 31, is now payable at .the office of the agent. G. W. Moss and. Co., Creymouth; and that the Greymouth share list for the Colonial Bank of New Zealand will close on the 29th inst. Full particulars are mentioned in the advertisements. . .

Regarding the fire at Haworth's saw-mill, the West Coast Times says :— " Though the loss to Mr Haworth, direotly and indirectly cannot be less than a thousand pounds, we are glad to know that it is not quite so serious as was anticipated, while the flames were raging, as a large portion of the machinery has escaped with much less damage than was then thought, the ironwork on the engine being not much the worse, and the largt saw with other valuable pieces having been saved in tolerably fair condition. The exact origin . of the fire has not been ascertained, though there can be little doubt it was caused by one of the lamp lights not being properly extinguished before the men left, about ten on Friday night. The supposition is, that one of the lamps must have been smouldering all night, and the sparks have ignited the loose shavings about."

A special meeting of the Greymouth Volunteer Fire Brigade was held last night, when the officers tendered their resignation in a body. Nominations for fresh officers were taken, and the election will take place at the next regular meeting.

Mr Hollo way, the agent of the Agricultural Laborers Union, England, arrived at Hokitika on Saturday evening by the Christchurch coach, and is the guest of his Honor the Superintendent, Mr Holloway intends to make a stay in this Province for some con* siderable time, during which he will inspect the country with the view of ascertaining its capabilities for settlement.

The new responsible Executive in Nelson appears to be regarded with satisfaction by the press of that city. The Colonist speaking of Mr O'Conor, says :— " If Mr O'Conor whilst performing the duties of a double office, evinces but halt the determination he displayed in his recent contest for the Superintendency of the 'roviuee, or one tithe of the activity and judgment he has shown since the recent political crisis placed him as the foremost man, we think that something has been gained, and that we have at least reached the ladder of Hope, for it is said that Mr O'Conor has agreed to perform the duties of his conjoined offices for L 350 a year, and other reductions will follow ; something, we believe, that will effect a saving of fully L6OO per annum upon the salaries of the Executive themselves, or about half the first proposed salaries for the coming financial year. "

Holloioay's Ointment and Pills.— Constant Success.— No diseases are more trying to the temper, and more exhausting to the constitution, than the pains in muscles and joints caused by exposure to wet or cold. Wherever the seat of suffering it will only be necessary to foment the affected part with warm water, dry thoroughly, and immediately rub in Holloway's inestimable Ointment to obtain ease. Gout, rheumatism, neuralgia, and ticdoloreux are soon relieved and ultimately cured by the use of this une mailed Unguent, aided by Holloway's purifying and aperative Pills. Under this judicious treatment the afflicted parts soon cease to ache, and Bhortly regain their natural sensibility and appearance. These remedies are invaluable for curing spinal affections and nervous diseases.

During the recent sittings of the District Court, at Hokitika, his Honor Judge Harvey pointed out an anomaly in the scale of witnesses' allowances that surely the attention of the authorities should be directed to. By the schedule , in force, witnesses . are only allowed 5s per diem each, whilst at the same time the bailiffs of the Court are allowed 3s for serving each summons or subpoena. As his Honor very properly pointed out, the service of the document may occupy a few minutes only, whilst a witness may lose his whole day, and he thought attention Bhould be drawn to the matter, with a view to its remedy. The Coromandel Mail complains of the scarcity of men on the gold-field. This is partially accounted for by the fact that numbers of men have given up regular work and are prospecting on their own account in the new country known to be auriferous.

A charge, under the Licensing Act, of selling liquor on a Sunday, was heard on May 23, aq. the Resident Magistrate's Court, Auckland. The principal witness was a little girl of eleven years of age, who made one statement to the police, and another before the Court. The Magistrate, in dismissing the case, said :— "The Act should be so amended as to utterly prohibit publicans from selling on Sunday ; or alter the law so as to permit them to sell on Sunday. A s the law utands at present, it is most conducive to perjury. I say unhesitatingly that it is far better to alter the law, so that the pub? lican can sell on Sunday, than to leave the law as it is ; for now we have two sets of crime — first, selling on Sunday ; and, secondly, perjury. There is not a doubt about it, that there is selling, on Sunday, and. when the police get a case, it is generally met by the abomination of perjury." A report, we {New Zealand Times) learn has been currant for some days in the wairarapa district, to the effect that a payable quartz reef had been discovered there. One of the many tongues of gossip Rumor spread it that the prospectors had proceeded to Wellington, to claim a reward from the Government for the discovery of a gold-field in the Province. Nothing has been heard here of the party, so far as we can learn, though they would no doubt be welcome if they brought with them und-niable proofa of such a discovery. Our Wairarapa correspondent says •. — "a, rucnor is current in Wairarapa that a gold-field has been discovered on the East Coast by two men who were engaged fenoing. The accounts about the matter are

rather conflicting. I believe that two men went to Wellington last week to claim the reward for the discovery of a gold-field, and that when they discovered that the glittering metal that raised their hopes to fever point was nob gold, but a bright metal that is to be found in quantities in different parts of Wairarapa, but which no practical gold digger would ever mistake for gold. It also appears than the rumor about , the discovery only gained cuhency here after their return —sadder but wiser men — and not on their way to town, as they then kept their precious Becret safe from everyone here until they found out its real value ia town.': Among the conflicting-accounts. L-hear. about the matter, I believe the above to be near trnth."

The foolish manner in which some people hold out a premium to thieves by traversing the streets of colonial towns at night with! large sums of money in their possession, says the Melbourne Argus, was brought! under the notice of the police at about mid- , night on Wednesday, and but for the judi-i cious conduct of a member of the force, a ; large robbery from the person would probably have been reported by this time. At about the hour named, Senior-constable Ryan noticed a man in an oyster saloon in Lonsdale street, and made a remark as to the expression of his countenance to the saloon-keeper. The man came out and asked the constable to have "a bottle of champagne, or something of that sort." On Ryan declining, the man said, '* Don't suppose I can't pay for ir. Now how much money do you suppose I've got about me ?" The constable confessed that he was no medium. "Why," said the man, "I've got LI4OO in my pocket " Ryan took him t>-> a respectable hotel, where, in presence of the landlord, the man drew forth -a heavy canvas bag full of sovereigns, which caused an exclamation. " Hold on," cried the mau of money, "that's not all— look here," and diving into the folds of his raiment he drew out a huge roll of bank-notes The senior constable and the landlord then took the man to his lodgings, and gave him into the charge of the lodginghouse-keeper.

A private letter received in Dunedin states that the hairless horse Caoutchouc has arrived in San Francisco, and is causing some little stir there. He was landed in splendid condition, and was "playing" to crowded houses.

The wanderings of Mr Joseph Small, comic vocalist, seem to be unceasing. He pays flying visits — now to Cnina, then to Cali; fornia. and then again to the Celestial Empire, but he inevitably finds his way back, to New Zealand, and is always welcome. His last arrival was made at Dunedin in company with a numerous party of Chinese and about 300 tons of imports by local Chinese houses.

The Canterbury Acclimatisation Society has made a request to the Superintendent of the Province to place L3OO on the Estimates for the introduction of salmon ova. The secretary reported that Dr Haast had forwarded him an extract from a letter from Dr Spencer Baird, asking why an attempt had not been made to introduce eggs of the Californian salmon into the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, New Zealand, and stating that they were munh more adapted to the.: New Zealand waters than English salmon ; also that such eggs could be forwarded with comparatively little difficulty.

The No. 2 (Dunedin Scottish) Company of Otago Volunteers has been disbanded, and the commissions of the officers have lapsed.

It is rumored that the General Government intend erecting a new Supreme Court House in Wellington as soon as an eligible site can be found for the purpose.

An important meeting of mine managers and directors has been held at the Coromandel Hotel, at which the present system of mine teporting was condemned. The opinion of rhe speakers was that the reporters should only get their information from head quarters — the managers.— and that they should .confine themselves to facts, and not build hypotheses upon these ; in fact, thai! the reports should be as those are in The Mining Journal. Subsequently a resolution was passed that each mine manager should: draw up a weekly report and send it to the newspaper offices, with his name appended; and that all other reports should, be deemed unreliable. :; ■■"■ ■'•••■

Messrs Wilson and Co., of the Otago Foundry, have just completed a rock-boring apparatus for Messrs Stracbau and . Hunter, contractors on the Lawrence and Tokomairiro railway. The machinery comprising it consists of a six-horse boiler, ivhich drives an engine and air-pumps. Of an experiment the Guardian says :— The rock-drill was fixed upon a temporary frame, under which were placed two solid blocks of stone, each 2ft Sin in thickness, one of which was from Port Chalmers, and the other consisted of Bell Hill bluestone. With an average pressure of 451 bof air a hole was put through the former in ten minutes, and through the latter in about seventeen minutes.

In Silver and Co.'s journal, T/te Colonies, published twice a month in Londoa, middleclass emigration is very strongly recommended. Persons possessing property of sufficient value to bring them in LSOO or L6OO per annum, are advised to proceed to the Colonies and invest in land, which would most certainly become much mure valuable; as the resources of a Colony were developed and its prosperity increased.: A, young man doing this would probably find himself in the possession of a magnificent fortune; if spared to live to a good old age ; and the advantage to the Colonies would be great- if a number of educated English; gentlemen were settled, here and there, all over them. Such a class of settlers would necessarily have great weight and influence, which would be thrown into the best scale. And they would infuse fresh ideas into the minds of the colonists with whom they came in contact. We admit the necessity that there is for laborers to be freely imported, but it is scarcely possible to overlook the fact that, if a better class of emigrants could be induced to come out, it would be well for New Zealand. A corres-, pondent of The Colonist, who writes to strongly back up the idea, signs himself "H. B. T. S." These are the initials of Mr Henry Bull Templar Strangeways, who was for many years a leading politician in South Australia. . .

The following are the telegrams published by the Otago Daily Times, and referred to in a recent telegram from Dunedin. Judge Ward has since stated them to be impudent forgeries :— "Oamaru, April, 1874 —T0 Honorable Julius Yogel, Wellington.— Great excitement in Dunedin consequent on Judge's order to produce telegrams. It is reported, and I belibve not without some truth, that Macassey has got access to them. This should be looked into. You have a remedy. Surely there is ample proof of Judge Chap-, man's partiality in the matter. His son is. a partner of Macassey 's, and holds a brief in the case, and he is likewise godtather to Macassi-y's child, Will you attend to my suggestion, and suspend Judge Chapman unti l after the meeting of the (General Assembly. Send down Judge Johnston to try the case. You can get a copy of the Judge's order respecting the telegrams from the Deputy- Registrar. No suspicion whatever will be; excited regarding what I mentioned. Do not hesitate; no time to lose ; act at once — C. D. R. .Ward." " Oama'u, April, 1874— T0 Honorable Julius Yogel Wellington.— l never make private (Complaints, of course I intehd.it; to be a'publio one. I shall be in Wellington next week, and will then prove to you beyond all doubt how entirely interested Judge Chapman ia

in the whole affair. It -would be*the height ; cf injustice to allow him' iio^he^t'; the case.: He works only througn^MlcasSey. No one , else has a chance. Nbiffii' moment to be ■ lost ; act at once, or they ywill succeed.— C. D. R. Ward." '"?<■■ " - : '

One of the most impudent cases of attempting to evade just claims occurred in the District Court, Hokitika, on Friday (says the West'Codst Times ), when ! a bankrupt named John Hopkins came up and: asked for" a final 'order of discharge. Out 1 of his owrn mouth it was proved that he was living in adultery, with a Mrs Smith, who has a husband in Victoria, and who, according to Hopkins's account, was in the habit of receiving money from her confiding spouse. Bankrupt ran up a score of between L 2- and L3O to Mr Gibson, of Ross, and on being pressed for payment filed his schedule, the soi distant Mrs Hopkins resuming her old matrimonial name of Smith, and claiming all the household goods in the Hopkins-Smith possession. AU the debts together very little exceeded the above amount: ' The' bankrupt was, and has been in fall work, and his 6 ling was a deliberate attempt to baulk hiß creditors. His Honor, without making any commenV on the 1 bankrupt's conduct/suspended his certificate without protection for the longest period the law allows, three years ; and the opposing creditor or creditors will therefore have an opportunity of introducing Mr Hopkins . to Mr Uleary, as it happens, however, in only the debtors' department, of the latter gentleman's establishment.