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Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1851, 11 July 1874, Page 2

An alarm of fire was given yesterday evening, between six and seven o'clock, by the ringing of the fire-bell, and in an incredibly short space of time the Fire Brigade, under Captain Amos and his officers, mustered at the Brigade Hall. The fire-engine was quickly hurried along Mawhera Quay, but fortunately it was found on reaching Tainui street the services of the 3rigade would not be required. The fire was caused by the igniting of the soot in a chimney at the private residence of Mr G. W. Moss, on the hill between Mount and Alexander streets. The burning chimney, which was fixed to a skillion attached to the house, was pulled down, and the fire extinguished before any serious damage could be dono. The conduct of the Fire Brigade, in turning out in such numbers and so readily, is highly commendable, and confirms the universal belief that the members have a proper appreciation of their duties, and are always ready to perform them efficiently. On occasions of this kind, when the clanging of the fire-bell gives warning that a recurrence of the dreadful calamity which twice previously so nearly destroyed this town may again take place, it behoves every resident, whether he has the honor of belonging to the Fire Brigade or has not, to lend a hand to the best of his ability. This may be done in many ways besides being engaged in the trained and skilful working of the fireengine or its apparatus. The' engine itself should always be manned and trailed from the engine-house, or as soon as possible after it leaves that place, to the scene of the fire by the citizens who are not members of the Brigade, so that the firemen may be fresh and well able to perform their dangerous and very often desperate duties, when outsiders cannot assist them, except by keeping away from them, and withholding that advice as to " how it should be done," which so often impedes the real work of extinguishing a conflagration. There were as many ablebodied men standing idle at the corner of Boundary street and the Quay last evening, when the firemen rushed past with the engine as would man the machine easily, and yet not one of them made a move to assist the Brigade. In future it would well become some of these loungers instead of retaining that position of " masterly inaction " they can so efficiently occupy, to take a trick at the wheel themselves and release the firemen, so that the latter may arrive at the place where they can be of real service with their wits and their wind in good order, which can scarcely be expected to be the case if they are compelled to drag a heavy fire train after them. In connection with this subject it may not be out of place to refer to the movement now in progress among the fire brigades of Canterbury! and Otago, having for its object the exemption of members of Volunteer Fire Brigades from serving on juries. There are many arguments in favor of extending to bona fide working members of fire . companies ; this exemption, and very few good reasons could be adduced against the proposition. It is the custo earn all the large cities of America to encourage thef ormation of volunteer fire brigades by giving the members of these associations important civic privilages, and during the civil war in that country trained firemen were exempt in certain cases from militia duty in thickly populated localities, or in places where fires were most likely to take place. According to the Register the Hokitika Fire Brigade intends to take part in the movement alluded to, and no doubt the Greymouth Brigade will take measures to give effect to the resolution already arrived at by the members, that it would be advisable to co-operate with the other brigades in. petitioning the Assembly for the exemption sought for. A memorial to the Postmaster-General, praying that steps would be taken to establish a daily mail seavice between Greymouth and the up-river towns, was extensivelysigned throughout the Grey Valley recently, and forwarded to Wellington. Mr M 'Beath, the Chief Postmaster here, has received a reply* acknowledging the necessity of giying increased postal facilities to the districts mentioned, but that it is not probable that any alteration can be made in the present mail arrangements during the meeting of Parliament, or indeed during the present year. It is not thought advisable to exceed the vote for expenditure on mail service except where an. imperative necessity arises, but it is promised that the request will be considered when tenders are called for tht next annual mail service. In the meantime it may become necessary from the large and rapidly increasing amount of mail business doing between Reef ton and Greymouth te provide a tri-weekly means of transit between those places, and if so, the intermediate localities will, of course, reap the advantages of this change. ' A sitting of the District Court in Bankruptcy wag held yesterday morning at the Court House, at 10 o'clock, before his Honor Judge Harvey i In the matter of the bankruptcy of Thomas Hughes, Mr Warner applied for a final order of discharge. His His Honor suspended the granting the insolvent's certificate of discharge for six months. Inre James Noonan, the bankrupt took his discharge on the motion of Mr Perkins. There was one other application before the Court,' the hearing of which was postponed till the 21st of July. The Court then adjourned. At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, Charles- Roche, a sawyer, sued T. W. Hungerford, contractor, for a balance of account of L 8 7s lid, for timber sawn and delivered to the defendant's order under an alleged contract. The case for the plaintiff as stated by Mr Perkins, who appeared for him, was that he made a contract with the defendant or his agent, to saw some 14,000 ft of timber of spoonfed length and sizes, and that when about 7000 ft 'were ready, th c

plaintiff bought his partner's interest in the contract Afterwards a person named Smart examined and passed the timber, as according to the specification, and that delivery was taken of the whole quantity. Some 1450 ft were afterwards rejected and thrown upon the plaintiff's hands, 1 and it was alleged that just a sufficient quantity of the timber was taken by the defendant to cover the amount of an account plaintiff owed at one of his stores. It was contended tha: the timber was in good order when delivered some nine months ago, and that it had decayed since, which was the fault of the plaintiff. The evidence of plaintiff and his mate was given to sustain this statement. The written contract mentioned was put in, but the Magistrate did not take it in evidence, as besides being unilateral it was insufficiently stamped. The defendant, by Mr Newton, admitted the contract, but contended tbat the timber rejected was not cut It was not of the required dimensions when divested of pieces of bark attached to it, and besides it was full of knots and shakes, and had been rejected by the overseer of a certain portion of the works as unfit for the purposes required. It was denied that the defendant authorised anyone to examine the timber with a view to pass* ing it, or that it was passed on his account. Smart was sent to report upon the quantity of work the plaintiff had done, to see if he would be entitled to progress payments, and moreover, all the timber cut as agreed upon had been retained and paid for by the defendant. The evidence of John O'Brien, the manager of the defendant ; Henry Burgett, one of his overseers of works ; and Henry Young, the assistant engineer of the Brunnerton Railway Works, was given to uphold the defendant's case. His Worship, in giving judgment, commented upon the written contract offered as evidence, and held that was void. But the facts outside the contract were plain enough. The plaintiff undertook to deliver a quantity of timber of specified sizes and lengths at a fixed price. He was paid for what he did deliver according to the specification, and the weight of the evidence went to show that the timber rejected and now sued for was not as ordered, and was unfit for the purposes of the defendant. Verdict for the defendant with costs. His Honor Judge Harvey returned to Hokitika yesterday, after holding Courts, at Greymouth, Ahaura, and Reef ton, for the despatch of criminal and civil business. Sittings of the District Court in Bankruptcy were also held at each place. A very heavy rain and thunderstorm passed over Greymauth yesterday evening. There were "intermittent showers all the afternoon, but about four o'clock it commenced to pour down in torrents, with strong and frequent gusts of wind, and occasional flashes of lightning, followed by peals of thunder. As darkness came on the rain became more constant, and continued without intermission till midnight. Should the weather be of a similar description in the upcountry districts, it is feared this change may result in a heavy flood. A number of the brethren of the Masonic lodges of Greymouth assembled at the Masonic Hall, Mackay street, on Thursday evening, to a banquet given on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Worshipful Masters and officers of the Greymouth Lodge, E. C-, for the next twelve months. The chair was taken by the newly-installation W.M., Bro the Rev. G. T. N. Watkins, supported on the right by the" D.D.G.M. of Westland, Bro. G. W. Haryey. Bro. J. Arnott, it.W.M. of the Grey River St. Andrew Lodge, and P.M. E. Ancher, aod on the left by P.M. Hindmarsh, and P.M. J. Kerr. The usual toasts on such occasions were given and responded to, the Chairman introducing the formal part of the proceadings with that peculiarly happy blending of Masonic and Demosthenic elegance which is characseristic of his style of oratory. After an evening's pleasant enjoyment the company separated at a seasonable hour. The catering was done by Bro. W. Jones in a style whicb was highly appreciated and commended by those present We are in receipt of New Zealand Postal Guide No. 3, dated July, 1874 a copy of which has courteously been for warded by the Postmaster at Greymouth. This useful little publication contains, as usuual, all the latest information with respect to postal matters, and gives besides a well arranged and carefully condensed digest of the principal features of the Government Life Insurance and; Annuities system. ! The Most Rev. Bishop Moran requests us (Neio Zealang Tablet) to say that a Form of Prayer, of which copies are being distributed at present on the West Coast,! ha 3 not been authorised by him, and that the signature attached to it is a forgery We notice that Mr Joseph Clarke, son of the late Hon. J. T. Clarke, of Victoria who has been visiting his New Zealand estates, has, in conjunction with his brother,! become a director in the Colonial Bank. : Mr Clarke is by far the largest landed proprietor in the Colony, and the names of those fentlemen in connection with the bank; will c tower of strength. There are three candidates for ; the mayoralty of Dunedin, viz., Messrs Ramsay, Walters, and £. Birch. The Oddfellows of Reef ton are making no ordinary preparations for the celebration of the anniversary of the foundation of the order in Reefton, and the occasion promises to be a brilliant one. A ball and supper under the direct supervision of the society will be held in the Oddfellows' Hall on the 31st of July. Wiiliam Alexander was brought up before the Resident Magistrate, at Hokitika, on Thursday last, charged with the robbery of a sum of money from the house of Mrs Moye at Okarito, and there not being sufficient eyidenpe, on the application of Inspector James the prisoner was discharged. We hear (says the West Coast Times) that the Government are taking considerable interest in the proposal for the construction of a line between here and Christchuroh, and it is rumored that one of their engineering staff has been detailed to check the surveys recently made by Mr Browning between here and the Pass. Should it be found, as we have every expectation will be the case, that a route to avoid tunnelling at all can be pointed out, the cost will be vastly relieved, and the probabilities of early construction be greatly hastened. We trust the Committee will lose no time in resuming their functions. The stone now being raised at the Caledonian mine, Larry's, is exceptionally rich — some iB estimated to yield at the rate of lOoz per ton, and. the general stone, even by cautious judges, is put dowa as yielding at least 4oz to the ton. Some interesting details are told (says the Eyrppeaji Mail) of a certain emigrant ship, bound for New Zealand, which was detained the other'day by bad weather at the Tail of the Bank (Clyde.) There were over §00 on b"ard, and notwithstanding the regulations which exist with reeard to tte division of the sexes, it appears that though Love may be blind, he found a way to elude the vigi. lance of the constituted authorities on board, . and Bhot his shafts wholesale. Cupjd is by no means a bad marksman, tnd J. have it on the best authority that such good use did he make of his time that the Sheriff in Greenock was called upon to marry several couples who were permitted to come ashore for that purpose. Nor is this all : for, the services of some professional people were required from the shore during the detention of the vessel, and when they returned it was found that the complement of passengers had been in-

creased by the addition of several souls that were not enumerated in the passenger lht. All this was very pleasant and helped to wile away the time, but congratulations and merriment were changed when some dozen or so of deserted wives and forsaken maidens, with dishevelled hair streaming in the wind, came rushing for'ard in search of cruel husbands.and faithless swains. They had hoped to have escaped •• scot free," but th« war of elements was against them, and in several instances arrangements had to be come to before the faithless ones were allowed to proceed. Everything being settled to the satisfaction of all concerned, good humor again reigned triumphant, and the weather moderating, the ship —a splendid specimen of naval architecture — proceed on her voyage with every prospect of making a rapid and satisfactory run. During a recent sitting of the Nelson Municipal Council, a petition was . presented from a number of ratepayers resident in Collingwood street, stating that a person named M'Kay kept his own premises as a brothel,: and let other premises for the same purpose ; that in consequence of this four or five adjoining buildings were unoccupied, and praying the Council to lake some steps to prevent j this depreciation in the value' of their property. The Council promised to take the matter into consideration when framing the bye-laws. Perhaps some other Borough' Councils would do well to imitate this example. ' The Melbourne Argus, in alluding to the weights for the Melbourne Cup, remarks :— - 7 " It is seldom that the declaration of the handicap for the Melbourne. Cup has been received with so much' indifference as the present year. It. can hardly be said that any favorite has yet been made, though there is an inclination to select the four-year-olds in the double-event betting that takes place. One bookmaker has opened a double-event book on the Geelong Hurdle Race and the Melbourne Cup at 1000 to 5. Rory O'More, . Welshman, and Horizon are the most fancied for the Hurdle Race. For the Metropolitan 10 to 1 is offered on the field, while 100 to 5 is offered against anything in the Melbourne Cup. ' Mr Frank Giles, who will superintend the erection of machinery and other works in connection with the Inangahua Gold-mining and Quartz-crushing Company, arrived at Reefton from Charleston a few days ago, and will commence operations as soon as the weather Will permit, The latest work on which he has been engaged is the erection of water- wheel and battery of five 6c wt stampers for Messrs Thompson and Parker, of Charleston. The battery referred to' is used for crushing cement and surface, of which it put through 90 tons' daily. As a millwright Mr Giles enjoys a very high reputation, due to the successful manner in which every work has been completed upon which he has been engaged. " ; - ! The Reefton Road Board seems to be in sore straits as regards money matters. At a recent meeting the secretary announced that there were no funds in hand. Creditors were pressing, and he had received a hint that the Bank accommodation was no longer available.; The Valuator to the Board sued the Chairman for his commission for valuing the rateable property in the Lyell district. :The plaintiff obtained a verdict at the last sitting of the District Court for the amount he claimed, the Judge remarking that he wasn't quite sure but the members were personally responsible for the liabilities of the Board. His Honor made some very pertinent remarks on the fact of miners sitting at the Board and assisting to rate other people's property when their own was exempt from all liability to be rated. . The following is an extract of a letter received from Mr Andrew Duncan, immigration agent for Canterbury, by last mail :— " Your reply to this will be the last letter I shall receive. You need not write after June, as I intend starting for home in September.* The new ship Canterbury, leaving here on; 4th June, will be the last 1 shall have ok my own account, but many persons have gone to Canterbury from England already through what I have done here, and another j 1000 will very likely go when I go among them again. The Agent-General has been requested by sevaral influential persons in Rossshire, Skye, and Lewis, to take 400 or 500 people from there, who want to go to Canterbury — the outcome of my visit to those districts. I will not take any responsibility further jthan their inspection, to do which 1 have been re? quested by the. Agent-General, who will put' on a ship from here in the end of July, if the requisite number comes forward. I was away in England for three weeks lecturing, and have now completed my fifty lectures ia six months. I have received every assistance in my work from all quarters, and feel certain that New Zealand, and especially ' Canterbury, will not be the unknown place it was when I came to this country." j Steps are being taken with a view to united action by the various fire brigades in the colony for obtaining exemption from service on juries. The Christchurch and Dunedin brigades have already joined issue, and there can be no doubt that ; little" difficulty will be experienced in securing the co-operation of those in the other Provinces. The following is the text of a petition now being signed by the members of the Christchurch brigade :-r---"To the honorable members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled. — The petition sf the undersigned, members of the Christchurch Fire Brigade, humbly sheweth that your petitioners are; members of a voluntary fire brigade at Christchurch; that your petitioners in the performance of their duties are called upon at all hours of. the night and day to attend fires, and to work thereat for long periods of time ; that.serving as jury men materially interferes with the performance of their duties as firemen, besides entailing a larger sacrifice of their time on behalf of the public service than they can afford. Your petioners. therefore pray that your honorable House will be pleased to pass an Act relieving them from acting as jurymen while on active service as firemen ; and to grant such other relief as to your honorable House shall seem fit, and your petitioners will ever pray." Similar petitions will be signed by all other brigades joining in the movement. All sporting men will remember that Mr Redwood sent his splendid horse Manuka to Melbourne about five or six years ago, having entered him for the Melbourne Gup. The horse met with an accident, and did not start, and since that time he has been at the stud in VicSoria. Since then we have heard little or nothing of his stock.; but from the entries made with the Victoria Racing Club last month, there is every probability that we' shall soon have plenty of opportunity of j udging. of Manuka's qualities as a sire. By the Australasian of the 20th June we notice that amongst the entries for the St. Leger Stakes for three-year-old colts and fillies, there is the name of Mr'Hurile Fisher's b f Troy, by Manuka, out ot Fair Helen. In the Mares' Produce Stakes, to' be run in October 1877,. for three-year-olds, the produce of mares covered in 1873,, there are no less than 18 entries of polts and fillies who claitft Manuka as their sire, For the benefit of those who take an interest in the matter we five their names. Mr N. A; Wilson's Folle arnie and Deception, Mr R. Roderick's Arabella, Mr T. Sawyer's Psyche, Mr F. Henty : s Mayday and The Jewess, Mr S. P. Winter's Beguine and Gadabout, Mr Y(\ Learmonth's Dagmar, Briseis, Chatterbox, Thyra, Delight, Dewdrop, Evelyn, Stanza, Chatelaine, and Darkness. There are over two hundred nominations for the Mares' Produce Stakes.