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Grey River Argus, Volume 21, Issue 3102, 25 July 1878, Page 2

The length of the report of the interview of the deputation with Ministers, compells lis to hold over mining news, and Beveral letters, until our next issue,

The annual meeting of the subscribers to the Grey River Hospital was held last evening at Gilmer's Hotel. There was not so large an attendance as has been usual, and 8.. Nancarrow, Esq , Mayor., took tho chair. The annual reports of the Committee of Management, of- the Treasurer, and the Medical Superintendent, were read and adopted. Voteß of thanks were voted to the outgoing committee, the Hon. Secretary, the Hon. Treasurer, tho officers of the Inst tution, and the local committees of the various country districts. Similar votes > ere passed to Mr Gilbert King, late hon. treasurer, and Mr H. Kenrick, one of the oldest members of the committee, who had recently left the district. The followwing nominations were received for members of the ensuing committee : — Messrs F. C. Dupre, F. W. Lahman, J. Arnott, H. Gilmer, F Hamilton, E. Wickes, W. F. Strike, E. Masters, J. Greenwood, Dr. Smith, George Glenn, W. G. Smith, R. Nancarrow (the late member), and Messrs C. Holder, P. Cameron, F. Campbell, George Wethered. Thomas Joyce, J. G.JThomas, Ji M. Ollivier, W. B. Moss, M. Kennedy, Duncan M'Leaa, and James Hamilton. It was resolved, after some discus-ion, that subscribets of 10s should be entitled to one vote ; of LI and upwards, two votes. The question of voting by proxy was raised and discussed, and it was finally decided that bank managers be entitled to vote for their respective banks, also persons holding powers-of-attorney for their principals. The election takes place on Saturday from noon until 4 p. a., and Messrs Payne and Hall were appointed scrutineers.

Applications are invited from skilled miners to prospect the country between Kumara and the sea beach, in parties of three men. The applications must be addressed to tho Secretary of the Kumara Prospecting Association, and forwarded before noon of Monday, the 29th inst.

Messrs Nancarrow and Co. will sell at 2 o'clock to-day, on the ground, Tainui street, the premises known as Kettle's buildings, by order of the Registrar of the Supreme Court.

Both on Tuesday an 1 Wednesday mornings (says the Press of the 18th inst,) an area of about six or eight acres in Lyttelton harbor, extending from the Gladstone Pier to the newly reclaimed land, was frozen over, the ice being from an eighth to m quarter of an inch thick. Such a thing has never been known to occur in Lyttelton before since the first settlement. This shows how severe the frosts must have been, The water at the head of the Bay has also been frozen over.

Until the arrival of the Luna and the St. Kilda, there was quite a coal famine at Waneanui, as the following paragraph from the Herald of a recent date will show : — "The scarcity of coal in the local market during the last week or so has been productive of the most serious inconvenience. The straits that those in regular demand of the supply of coal have been put to are in some cases ludicrous. The St Kilda has been delayed for over a week, not having on board a sufficient stock to enable her to leave this port. Numberless demands have been made on all sides, and worst of all the railway people have actually had to send round to the publicans to borrow small quantities of coal to enable them to start the train off,"

At a meeting of the West Wanganui Coal Co., held at Wellington, it was resolved to call for tenders ia the colony for the construction of a steam collier.

. The following letter appears in the Christchurch PreßS of the 18th instant :— " Sir,— L9t me ask, through your columns, why the merchants, tradesmen, and commercial community of Caristchurah generally, do not stir themselves to get railway communication with Greymouth without delay. If there is one thing of more than another to the trade of this town, it is this joining the East coast with the hitherto distant West. It is, I believe, no secret that very strong efforts are being used to get Governmeut to effect this junction via Dunedin, and if the Chamber of Commerce here does not take the matter up, and stir up the merchants to take action with promptness, this valuable opening for Canterbury trade will be gone for ever, I would suggest that a meeting be called at once, as which resolutions be carried pressing Government to take steps for the work via Amberley and North Canterbury, and let the CaoterburyM.H.R's. be requested to take up the question as one man, Whatever is done should be do >c at once. 1 am, &c, W:

Mr Macandrew says the railway department has obtained come locomotives frota America -which will do the through trip from Ohristchurch to Dunedin in ten hours.

At Timaru on the 17th instant Captain Moir, of the three-ma ted schooner Annie Bow, was charged with assaulting Sergeant Haldane on May 26fch. The evidence showed that the sergeaac went on board in plain clothes with the absconder Blythe. to enable the latter to get his clothes. When down in the cabin, Captain Moir asked for his

warrant, and tho sergeant said he had none, he oaptain then, as the anchor was just being hove up ordered him out of the vessel, and as he refused to go, struck him. The Court held that Captain Moir was wrong ia striking the sergeant, and fined him L 2. They said, however, that the police were trespassing on the vessel by not having a warrant, and that OapUin Moir would have been perfectly justified in bundling him overboard. The fine inflicted will be appealed against: No evidence was offered for the defence, and it is probable that Captain Moir will now take action against the sergeant and detectives for being illegally on the vessel;

Although Sir John Coode was not employed officially to report on the Timaru Harbor, ho was frequently sounded privately as to what he thought about the breakwater scheme. Some of his alleged opinions have got ahroad. One of these is stated to be to the effect that by the tune the Harbor Board have spent L 30,000 or L 35,000, they will discover that the principle of their design is fallacious, and that they have wasted their moDey and spoilt the roadstead. The Timaru Herald is not prepared to accept the above statement, baying it is the work of an enemy.