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Grey River Argus, Volume 21, Issue 3058, 4 June 1878, Page 2

The Licensing Court for the districts of Greymoufch, Paroa, and Coaldale will sit at the Court House, Greymouth, afc noon today.

Parliament is expected to be summoned for the deapatch of business about the middle of July.

We remind contractors thafc the time for the reception of tendors for the construction of bridges over the Ahaura river, the Grey river, the Teremakau river, and the Hokitika river, close to-day.

There were 14,611 shares applied for in the Hokitika Quartz Mining Company afc the meeting of direitors on Friday evening. Twelve thousand were allotted..

The Rev. Mr Kempthorne arrived at Ahaura, accompanied by Mr Shaw, on Thursday last, having journeyed overland from Nelson. He preached his first sermon at Ahaura on Friday evening to a large congregation, who had assembled to welcome their new pastor. The impressive manner in whioh Mr Kempthorne delivered his sermon aud conducted the service, has left a very favorable impression upon his hearers. Since the Rev. Mr Rutherford's departure the district has been without a Protestant clergyman, save a farewell visit from Rev. Mr Douglas. The blank has, however, been filled up at Ahaura by Dr Campbell, who very thoughtfully undertook the arduous duty of reading the service. The large and attentive congregation wh'ch assembled every Sunday evening, fully testified to the appreciation of his well-direcbed efforts by the residents.

A narrow escape from |drowning occurred near the Ahaura township soma days' since. Mr Galwey, Government surveyor, while returning on foot after completing the survey of the Moonlight reefs, attempted the ford where he had been accustomed to cross, not being aware the Grey had changed its course from two branches into one. The same ford had been refused the day before by a horseman. It being too dark for Mr Galwey to perceive the large body of water, hepushd boldly in, but bad nofc a third of the distance passed before he was swept off his fee b. Being a poweiful man and inured to hardship through the nature of his profession, he was happily enabled by swimming to reach the opposite bank. Had he been carried down a few yards further, }_c would have entered the Ahaura River where, with the combined waters of the two rivers, he musfc inevitably have been drowned.

Ifc is rather strange tbat whilst the Borough Council of Greymoufch, and the Counfcy Council of Westland have had the "screw pufc on" by their bankers, the Auckland Municipal Council i 3 specially favored. A local paper gives tbe following as the very favorable term 3 ou which the Na ional Bulk's tender for the Auckland municipal acc&unt has beeu accepted by fche City Council :— Fixed deposits, three, six, and twelve months, 6s. 6|, andO^ per cent ; daily credit balance, 6£ per cent per annum. Negotiating loans half per eenfc, less brokerage and expenses ; exchange on London at half ordinary rates ; overdrawn acoount, 2 per cenfc below current rates, the Corporation to be allowed an overdraft of L 25.000 without speciil security. The New Zealand and Colonial Banks tendered. The New South Wales and Australasian declined.

The usual comparative return of the business of the Telegraph Department for the quarter ending March 31 lasfc, and tho corresponding quarter of the previous year has been issued. The figures given are as follows :— Number of telegrams forwarded — 1877 quarter. 292.305; 1878 quarter, 333,415; increase, 4107. Cash revenue received — 1877 quarter, Ll6 337 9s Id ; 1878 quarter, L 18.937 6s ; increase, L 2649 16s I Id. Value of General Government telegrams transmitted—lß77 quarter, L454G 2s 8d ; 1878 quarter, LslOl Os 31 ; increase, L 554 17s 7d.

Messrs Bignall Brothers, who have a lease of the Hauraki sawmills, Thames river, have turcei out duiing a twelvemonth no less than two and a quarter million feet of sawn kaklkatea.

There is a Road Board at Temuka, in the Canterbury district, which excludes the reporters of fche press from its meetings, and, according to one of its members who resigned his seat after fche first sitting, there have been reasons why publicity should not be given to its proceedings. Mr Hayburst, the gentleman in question, addressed a meeting of the ratepayers and explained the causes whicb led to his resignatson. He said that the manner in which the members conducted the busine-is of the Board had become so corrupt that he could not conscientiously sit there and see fche public money wasted. The Board voted money for anything and everything af f er the most reckless fashion. Progress payments were made on contracts which no one knew anything aboufc, money voted for new works that were never heard of before, and ifc was questionable if they would be ever heard of again, Au account for buggy hire was presented by the engineer, and passed wifchoufc a question. Only a favored few were accepted as contractors by the Board. If by chance an outsider got a contract, and was a little behind time, the engineer dropped on him, and the contract was taken out of his hands, and a day extension of time would not be allowed him ; but should a friend of the engineer's be behind time wifch a contract, two or three months would be allowed him if required." The Temuka Road Board is not alone in these respects, Ifc has conpeers on fche West Coast.

A somewhat peculiar case, and one which is likely to lead to a great deal of litigation, came before his Honor Air Justice Johnston in banco afc Christchurch the other day. From the facfc laid before his Hooor ifc appears thafc in 1850 a gentleman named T. H. Reeves came to the Province and purchased 200 acres of laud in the Oxford district. In 1552 he left Canterbury, presumably for Australia, bufc from fchafc time to this nothing has be*n heard of bim. In the meanwhile, for some at present unexplained reason, portions of the property became occupied, a moiety which remained unoccupied having been taken possession of by the public trustee. After some seventeen years had elapsed, during which the present occupants havo remained undisturbed, Mr Harry Bill Johnstone, acting under power o£ attorney from some members of the family of Mr Reeves, caused an application to be made constituting them heirs at law. The application was adjourned in order that all those interested might appear. This, as hia Honor remarked, seems to promise an endless amount of litigation.