THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED DAILY SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 1874.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1881, 15 August 1874, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED DAILY SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 1874.

The perfunctory efforts of the Superintendent of Nelson to do the bidding of his Executive Council in introducing the Gold-fields Act Amendment Bill and safely piloting it through the House of Representatives, have been frustrated by the actiou of the Legislative Council in rejecting the measure, and what must seem the un kindest cut of all, the rejection of the Bill may be attributed to Mr Curtis's next door neighbor, the Superintendent of Westland. The Bill had for its object the delegation of the powers, conferred upon the Superintendent by the Gold-fields Act of 1864 to his responsible advisers, and from the tone of the debate in the Upper House it is clear that the great objection was not so much to the general principle of delegation contained in the Bill as to the personnel of the particular Executive whom it was proposed to invest with enlarged powers. The Hon. Dr Pollen thought it undesirable that an " ephemeral body of men" (such as the present Executive of Nelson) " who were placed, by a majority of one or two, in a position of even greater power ■ than the Superintendent should have such powers delegated to them" as the Bill would confer. Another hon. member went further and much nearer the mark, when he said that "he did not think it wise to trust such powers to anyone who carried all tlie interest he held in the Frovince under his hat." Which of the members of the Nelson Executive this speaker had in his mind's eye when he made the above very pertinent remark, did not transpire, but anyone who is aware of the nature of the constituent elements of the new and "progressive" Nelson Government, will not find it difficult to nominate a head that would exactly fit the above-mentioned hat. The object of Mr Curtis, in consenting to father the Bill in the Assembly, is transparent enough. He was evidently inwardly chuckling over the knowledge, that in parting with s> much of his power he would be placing his " responsible advisers " in a fair position to make a spectacle of themselves, on the principle of the old adage about giving a dog rope enough and he will hang himself. The Superintendent of Nelson has sufficient foresight to perceive that if his present Executive, or the ruling spirit of it, had the full authority the Bill would confer, ( responsible irresponsibility would be carried to such a length, that the Executive Council would become a laughing- i stock for the Colony. The actions of the Nelson Government since the close of the last session of the Provincial Council, have not been of such a nature as to make it safe or advisable to delegate extended powers to it. There has not a single improvement, on the old plan been made in the administration of public affairs, and the real Government of the Piovince seems to be in abeyance. Nobody appears to have any real authority to act for tlie Government, and in the meantime, while

the people are befooled with a bo«U3 retrenchment scheme, the progress of the whole Province, and especially of the Gold-fields, is retarded through an inefficient performance of the duties which the Provincial Executive was placed in office to carry out. Complaints are coming from all parts of the disgraceful state of the roads, the consequent obstacles to traffic, and the resulting rise in prices ; the civil service is disorganised, and half its efficiency destroyed by reason of the feeling of insecurity which has spread through the departments, because no officer, no matter what lenth of time he may have served the public, or how his duties have been performed in, feels himself safe, if the responsible advisers or any of them should happen to " have a down" upon him. And yet while matters are notoriously in this state of confusion, the Executive forces the Superintendent to ask the Parliament for extended powers, so that its capability of working mischief might be further increased. Fortunately the design of the O'Conor Executive, although sufficiently well cloaked to pass the scrutiny of the House of Representatives, was too clearly apparent to the Council, and the much-coveted authority was very properly withheld. The Bill was shelved on the motion of Mr Bonar, that it should be read that day six months. The "New Zealand Times" thus remarks on the Bill, on its origin, and on the manner in which it came to be brought before the Parliament. "Under no popular pressure, with no petitions before them, but simply on the crude statement of a solitary member, the present Council of the Province of Nelson, less delicate towards the Governor's delegate than their predecessors, passed a resolution that the Governor's powers should be diffused, not concentrated, by being conferred upon the Executive as well as his Honor, and his Honor, with a liberality in sentiment and sympathy with which he has not always been credited, approved of the proposal. Fortified by this unanimity on the part of the Provincinl authorities, and representatives, Dr Ren wick brought his motion forward, but, if he was desirous of seeing it carried, he had miscalculated the feeling of those best acquainted with the questions which it raised, and an amendment by the Hon. Mr Bonar, that the matter be dealt with that day six months, was without difficulty carried. Whichever may be the more convenient method of exercising the Governor's powers under delegation, the circumstances in Nelson were not favorable for the introduction of the proposed change, seeing that the Superintendent himself, in word, if not in • deed, has delegated to others his own responsibility, and seeing also that he and his advisers are not reputed to be in thorough accord ; and no one could well suffer by matters remaining in statu quo. Even if it were otherwise, there would have remained the anomaly that, in one division of the western goldfields, there would have been a Superintendent in sole possession of the delegated powers, while yet having the advantage or disadvantage of advisers, and in another division — namely, Nelson — a Superintendent who, because he has advisers, would have no share in the delegated powers, any more than, according to his own arguments, he has in any other matters concerning the welfare of the Province."

A sale by auction of a valuable collection of fruit trees, brought by Mr Barker, from rahura, will be held on the wharf this day at 11 o'clock. The postponed sale of damaged flour, ex Annie Brown, from Adelaide, tak^s place tn day at 11 o'clock, at Messrs Kennedy Bros old store, Tainui street. The Ahaura Road Board is about making some ten chains of new road from Pothan's Hotel, outside Ahaura, in the direction ot Totara Flat. Mr James M'Laughlin and Mr John Reid, both of Ahaura, are spoken of as likely to be nominated for the seat in the Grcsy Valley Road Board vacated by Mr W. H. Lash, of Noble's Creek. The filling in the stone protective work on Richmond Quay opposite the end of Johnston street is going on apace. A double line of rails is laid from Morton's Hotel, and trucks, each containing about three tons of stone, are constantly running from the quarry to the works. The Mayor of Greymouth has received a telegram from his Honor the Superintendent stating that the erection of the new Telegraph Office, at Greymouth, will be delayed in order to enable the Government to come to some arrangement so as to secure the Hospital site for public building purposes. Another large casting took place at Messrs Rae and Sewell's Foundry yesterday, including among other things, the second centre piece for the Orwell Creek Flat Goldmiuing Company, tram wheels for the Greymouth Coal Company, stampers, false bottoms, and tram wheels, for the Just-in-'l'ime Company, Inangahua, &c, in all over two tons. Two men named respectively Thomas Hutchinson and Francis Simpson, were fined 203 each with costs, at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, before W. H. Revell, Esq., R.M., for removing gravel from the Preston Road Reserve, without permission of the Town Surveyor. A similar chauge [ was made against Walter Newport, but he did not appear, and the Magistrate fined him L 2 with costs. Mr K. J. Johnston, the Borough Surveyor, prosecuted, and stated the practice of removing gravel from the Reserve had been going on for a long time The Magistrate said he could iniiict a much heavier penalty, aud in. addition assess the damage at 5s per foot for every cubic foot of soil removed. Some 1800 ft had been removed, and the cost of mnking the road good would amount to L2O. An inquest was held at Hokitika on Thursday on the body of Christian Lawson, whose death by shooting at the Teremakau we recorded in our issue of Thursday. Hans Anderson Hansen, miner, of Greek's Gully No. 1, identified the body, and stated that he had known deceased for twelve years. He went out shooting with him yesterday morning, accompauied by a mate — Vans Beltoff. They came to Alex. Stewart's. Shortly after leaving Stewart's, he aaw deceased try to'get over two.logs. He held the gun by the barrel, and placed the stock towards the ground. Witness saw the guv go off and deceased fall off the log. He did not cry out. Witness and his mate then went up and found deceased lying partly on his back. Turned him over and found part of the back of his head blown off. Deceased was then uncons ious, but lived two aud a half hours afterwards. He was a Schleswig man, about forty years of age, and eingle. Witness went for assistance aud had him couveyed to Stewart's. Word was sent to the police, who came at half-past one p.m. The gun was a single-barrelled one. ¥ans Beltoff corroborated the evidence of Hansen, and btated that hd was not two yards off at the time the gun went off. The

hammer of the gun was down at the time the accident occurred. Dr Caro deposed that lie had been called in, and reached the place aboiic 2.45 p.m. Found deceased had a Jarge skull wound, and a portion of v the brain was protruding There was then no sign of breath, but a slight pulsation of the heart. He thought it was quite possible that the wound should have been caused by an accident as described. Sergeant Slattery deposed to having received information of the accident, and engaging Dr o'arlWfc When he reached the place deceased was dead. He found in his hut deposit receipts to the amount of L 390, also L 7 in cash, a watch and chain, and a little over 3oz of gold. The jury returned the following verdict :— "That the deceased, Christian Lawson, was accidentally shot by the explosion of his gun, in the bush, near Stewart's Bush Inn, on the Greenstone road, on the ]2th day of August, 1874."- "Register." A telegraph station has been opened at Opotiki in the Province of Auckland. The library of the Literary Society has received a valuable addition in the shape of about 60 volumes of entirely new works, shipped direct from the publishers in London. A Waikato telegram dated August 4th states that a European residing at Te Kuiti, now is distilling whisky for the Hauhaus. His still and worm are entirely made from kerosene tins, and are his own manufacture. He proposes making gunpowder. As shewing the increasing traffic between Nelson and the Central BuJJer it is mentioned that on a recent date fifteen packhorses in one goup and each heavily laden passed through Motueka Valley en route to the above district. The financial position of the city of Auckland seems to be in as bad a state as that of the Province, is according to Mr Yogel :— On 3rd August the City Council of Auckland had an overdraft at the bank amounting to L 992. Three years ago there was a small balance to the credit of the city. A man named Edward Little, was found dead on the 31st July, in the water-closet attached to the Wesleyan Church, Pitt street, Auckland. Little was undressed, and it is believed that he stripped himself (whilst; drunk) under the impression he was eoing to bed, and thereby perished from cold and cramp. A correspondent of the Nelson " Colonist" suggests that the Provincial Government should help forward the chance of the General Government undertaking the construction of the West Coast railway by offering a reward or bonus to the discoverer of a route to the West Coast that would not cause the railway to be so extremely costly in its construction. The " New Zealand Times," of the 7th inst, thus remarks on the indications of an early closing of the Assembly . — " The ' beginning of the end ' has evidently come. In the House of Representatives yesterday, great progress was made with the private Bills before the Chamber, some dozeu or more of them having been read a second time, or committed, reported, and read a third time." Mr R W. Morley, of Blenheim, on leaving that town for England, has been presented with a substantial gold watch and chain, on which the following inscription is ■to be placed on his arrival in England: — "Presented to R. W. Morley by his Worship the Mayor and friends in Blenheim and Awatere, as a token of kind remembrance on his leaving Marlborough, New Zealand, 3rd August, 1874." The Superintendent of Nelson has telegraphed to the Mayor of Westport, stating that he thinks the General Government will consent to convey the Municipal Reserves in Westport to the Borough Corporation, and that they will retain the Colliery Reserve in their own hand, refusing to convey either to Provincial Government or to Corporation, on the ground of reserve being hypothecated as security to harbor works. The value of life assurance receives (says the " Auckland Star") another striking illustration by the drowniDg of Mr T. G. Stocking, at Mercury Bay. The deceased was one of those who had been induced to insure by the persuasiveness of Mr W. A. Thompson, the indefatigable lecturer of the Australian Mutual Provident Society, in one of his tours through the out-districts of the Province. He had only paid one premium, which entitles his wife and family to receive the sum of L 250. With respect to the proposed construction of a submarine cable between Australia and New Zealand, Mr O'Neill in the Honae on the 4th instant, asked, " When arrangements will be commenced by New Zealand, New South Walles, and Queensland for the constrnefcion of an electric cable between New Zealand and New South Wales, and from Normantown, in Queensland, to Singapore, ia terms of agreement now ratified by tlie Parliaments of the three Colonies ?" Mr Yogel was understood to reply that the arrangements were expected to be completed very shortly. There li-is been a great deal of " chaff " and various sneers as to the "unknown" route to Canterbury, without the necessity, should a railway be required, of a tunnel at all, We ("West Coast Times, August 14), may state for the information of the incredulous that the gentleman in question started on Thursday, en route for further exploration, and what is more he expects to telegraph to us within a week of his successful peuetration of a yet unknown country. We need seed hardly add that we wish the plucky explorer all success, which, should he succeed in obtaining, we will give early notice of. The " Register " thus describes the demolition ot one "ancient landmarks" of Hokitika : — "Mr Jorgensen yesterday commenced the removal of the Criterion Hotel, Rcvell street, a house that did a roaring trade in the early and palmier days of Hokitiha. About noon the neighborhood was astonished at the sound of a loud crash caused by the upper half of the hotel front descending upon the street, with a speed scarcely expected by the workmen. A little crowd immediately collected to view the remains of the temple of Bacchus, It was not, however, observable that any tears were shed at the sight of the melencholy ruin." Some very valuable entire horses were on board the steamship Otago on her last trip from Me 1 bourne, including two belonging to the Hon. D. M'Lean. They suffered considerably during the passage, and we ("Colonist") notice that one Clydesdale entire, which had been purchased for LBOO by Messrs John M'lutosh and John Paterson, of Invercargill, has died since being landed. At Christchurch, a Mr Buckribge has obtained L 250 damages from the New Zealand Steam Shipping Company as damages for loss of an entire, which was killed, as was alleged, by the negligence of defendants' servants while being shipped per s.s. Taranaki. The London correspondent of the Aucklanu " Star" thus aliudes to a New Zealand authoress : — "By the way Lady Barker has been catching it from the Home critics. She has been caught red-handed in the act of plagiarism, and in these days such a discovery is almost literary death. She had published a book of cookery and had cribbed wholesale and without acknowledgement from a book of Dr Lankester's, published only a few years ago; it looks rather as if her Ladyship had written herself out. She came out suddenly, aohieved success in her t

''Station Life in New Zealand," and- ever since has been scribbling away for dear life and innumerable guiueas. That sort of thing seldom lasts long. /A least their are few minds of sulliciently permanent brilliancy to stand it for long. The " New Zealand Herald " says : -New Zealand and Australian tinned meats being introduced iDto English goals, a large tender having been accepted for a supply at 6Jd per pound The Home Government, howover, demand that whenever tinned meats are being supplied to prisoners, one-fourth more is to be served out than when it is ordinary butcher's meat. Doctors differ. It is alleged by some of the profession that colonial preserved fresh meats contain an equal amount of fat and muscle producing constituents as that fresh killed. It is notified iv the " Nelson Provincial Government Gazette," of August 5, thac the following gold mining leases in the Grey Valley will be granted at the expiration of the usual time : — A block of ten acres, mare or lesSj situated at German Gully, Nelson Creek, applied for by the Hochstetter Goldmining Company ; and a block of four acres, more or less, situated at Nelson Creek, applied for by James Williams and party. It is also notified, that after the expiration of two months from 31st July, it is intended to grant a special claim of ten acres, more or less, to James Lock and party at Orwell Creek. The education of sons of Native chiefs was the subject of a question in the House of Representatives on the sth inst. In reply, Mr M'Lean stated that the subject had received the earnest attention of the Government. It was desired to encourage the village schools for the education of the Native youth ; and the Ministry were desirous that the sons of Native chiefs should receive the best education possible in English institutions where they would be brought in contact with youths of the other race. A beginning had been made in Auckland, and also in Wellington ; and one young Maori gentleman trained in, Wellington, had passed a very creditable examination The education of the two races in the same classes would effectually remove the difficulties between the two races. When the steamer Parfchia arrived at Queenstown on June 10, a large and unruly mob had gathered on the dock awaiting tha appearance of Henri Rochefort As Rochefort passed down the gangway he was at once recognised by the crowd, who received him with hootings and execrations, and made a rush for him as he landed. The police surrounded Ruchefort, who it is feared would have been lynched but for their protection. The intensely-excited mob pressed forward, hooting and yelling, following the Frenchman to the Queen's hotel. From that place the police escorted him to the depot, where only passengers &ye admitted. His arrival at Cork was not expected ; he therefore passed through the city unnoticed, and took the train at 9 p.m. for Dublin, whence he proceeded to London. The following remarks are made respecting the great decrease in the population of the Sandwich Islands. A San Francisco exchange says the decrease of the native Jlawaiin population has been so great the King iSalakaua, in his first address to Parliament- suggests legislation to encourage the production of Kanakas. He proposes .the exemption of fathers of numerous children from taxes, the restriction of divorces, the adoption of measures to check increased mortality, and the improvement of .the sanitary system generally. Our contemporary says, of this proposal, "The result will probably prove the insufficiency of statutes to correct the evil. If the women are unable or unwilling to raise children, the Government will find it difficult to change their feelings of their powers. Perhaps the better plan to increase the native population would be to re-convert* them to their ancient superstition, under which they numbered 400,000, though now they are only 60,000. Five out of six have disappeared within a century." Speaking on the proposed exemption of firemen from juries, - which by the bye is not to be permitted until the person desiriug the exemption has been a fireman foi twelve month's, : — Mr White said (according to the ' • Register ") that he thought members of the volunteer fire brigades had no great objection to serve on special juries, because they were paid for doing so. He understood that the petitions which had been presented referred mainly, if not exclusively, to common juries. He thought the House would only be doing what was right in passing the Bill, for the firemen gave a great deal of time gratuitously to the public. One reason why members of fire brigades should be exempt was, that it would lead to their ranks being increased, for it would tend to encourage the citizens to enrol themselves as firemen He had always thought that the zealous manner in which they performed their duties deserved some recognition and encouragement, and as the Bill was a step in that direction he wonld support it. At the annual competition for University Scholarships, the pupils of the Nelson College have again succeeded in carrying off the larger share of the honors. From a return, we (Nelson "Colonist") learn that there were seventeen competitors in all, seven of whom came from the Nelson College. Of the eighteen scholarships awarded iv the various subjects ot examination, Nelson obtained seven— two in Classics, three in Mathematics, and two in Natural Science. The list, moreover, shows that though all those sent up from the College did not gain Scholarships, not one failed in taking an honorable pobition in more than one subject. Such a fact, while it indicates sound teaching, also provss that no attempt is made to cram one or two clever lads to the neglect of the majority of the pupils, but that the teaching is thorough throughout. The competition has now been in existence for three years, and the College, during that time, instead of losing, has rather gained ground. When it is remembered that both the teaching staff and the number of pupils they have to draw upon are the smallest of any public school in the Colony, the result of the recent as well as of the previous examinations cannot but be regarded as in the highest degree creditable to all concerned. The "Marlborough Express" of Wednesday week, gives the following from its Wellington correspondent :— " On Mr Harrison moving that all Resident Magistrates and their officers be placed solely under the control of the General Governmeat, and be paid by appropriations of Parliament, he got a snubbing from the Premier — an undeserved one— as the proposal is sound in policy, and the premier showed himse)f ignorant of the facts of the case. The motion, however, was more noteworthy from having induced a Nelson free fight. The mover, to show the desirability of removing judicial officers from local control repeated various reported threats of Mr O'Conor, made during his candidature for the Superintendency, some of which he is now, as Provincial Secretary, carrying out; to the detrimeut of the district. Mr O'Conor denied the assertion in anything but a bland manner, and was followed by Mr Curtis who said that since the establishment of so-called responsible Government in Nelson, he had to sign acts of which he did not approve. This brought mote Nelson members to their feet, denying Mr Curtis's statements, while other members said that the Superintendent having given signatures to decisions and instructions thereby adopted them as his own acts, which he could not afterwards disclaim. I can't picture the scene, but it disclosed an unhappy state of affairs in Nelson Govern* tnent.