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Grey River Argus, Volume 21, Issue 3133, 27 August 1878, Page 2

The election of a membor of the Borough Council for the East Ward in the room of Francis Hamilton, Esq., resigned, took place yesterday, the candidates being Mr James Barkley and Mr J. W. Hall. There was but littlo excitement on the occasion, but unobtrusively a considerable number of votes were polled. The polling was Barkley, 129 ; Hall, 81; Mr Sarkley having got in by a majority of 4S. Attention is drawn to the advertisement in another column announcing that those parents of children attending the State School wh) desire that they should be educated in muscular Christianity can make arrangements on reasonable terms with the master of gymnastics in the Government School. Mails fur the United Kiugdom and Australian Colonies per Arawata close at 11 a.m this day. Telegrams will br received at the Telegraph Office, Greymouth, till 10 a.m. Owing to the unsatisfactory results, the whole of the staff of the Dunedin Gas Works, from the manager downwards, have been served with notice to quit. The Council at first seemed disposed to give Mr Genevpr another but final reminder, but the Mayor, who has always felt and spoken strongly on the gas question, proved to the Council that while a loss of L2OOO a year was going on, and the engineer was unable to account for an immense waste of gas, it was necessary to adopt severe measures; and as Mr Genever haa had unlimited coatrol without being able to produce satisfactory resnlts it was time to look out for some one who could do better. So with a mild remonstrance on the part of one or two that a professional man was not being treated in a way that would encourage others to seek for service under the Corporation, the resolution was carried. Since then/one of the newspapers has received plenty of letters attempting to prove that the gas engineer has been very badly used. But the public don't see it. Th«y insist now on having better gas. Everybody tells us that it is the worst in the colony, and as Mr Genever has not been able to give it, they are willing that somebody else should try to do so. According to • the report of the Minister of Education there were, last yea", 65 teachers in Westland, and one sewing mistress. The average daily attendance in the Westland schools was 1,953, out of a total of 2,800. The total receipts of the Board were L 21,911, a large propoition of which wa3 expended on school buildings. The total rate per head per each average attendance was L 8 17s Id, and the same, less cost of school buildiug, L 5 03 Bd. The rate for the Board's departmental expenditure was the highest in the Colony, it amounting to 17s 2|d per head. Mr Duffy, who was arrested here on Saturday on a charge of embezzling moneys, the property of his employers, was brought up on remand at Hokitika yesterday, and acquitted, there being no evidence to substantiate the charge. Referring to tha debate on the abolition of Gofd Duty Bill, a correspondent of a contemporary says :—" The goldfields members are not at all unanimous. Matters have eh nged, and opinions also, ginc9 the duty has become County revenue. The goldfietds members would like to satisfy the cravings of their constituents for the abolition of the tax, but do not see how, ab the same time, local works are to be provided for. Mr Pyke'a argument was against the abolition of the duty. He denied that the miner asked for it, because he would not benefit by the' abolition. It was the large compmies who craved for the abolition to increase their dividends. He instanced several companies in Otago, and pointed out that the tax had boen practically remitted, inasmuch a^h was a contribution to Iced revenua from a class who could not be reached by any other measure. The miners of Otago were perfectly apathetic iv the mitter, for he had asked them their opinion, and they had given no answer." The Savings Banks Profits Bill, which has pa 3ed the Legislative Council, and is now before the Lower House, i* a short measure of thirteen clauses. . It provides that when a savings bank has by investment of its deposits realised a profit of LIOOO, the trustees may, subject to confirmation by the Governor in Council, pay over such excess to any public hospital, benevolent society, or association for the relief of aged, deceased, incurable, or destitute perso: s. The money so paid shall be held upon trust for the benefib of the institution, and regarded as a permanent endowment, the principal being invested in real property or Government securities in New Zealand. The Resident Magistrate's Court at Wellington was occupied recently with a case of an alleged attempt to murder. Accused — William Naylor Arnold —is a young man with a daUard appearance, and fom the evidence it would seeai thab he had tried to shoot his former employer, a firmer at Porirua, because the latter put a stop to prisoner paying attentions to his niece. Arnold is evidently non compos ment s. His behaviour in the dock was very eccentric. During the hearing of the case he made use of such observations as the following: — " Well, I know how the world was fixed Jast Thursday, I see it all in the sun. I see the compass In the sun." His Worship, in committing him for trial, said he had little doubt as to his insanity. Mr Joseph Ivess, proprietor of the Aehburton Mail, is starting a newspaper in the Napier District. It is reported on good authority that the Timaru Herald has undertaken to make such an amende to the Hon John Martin in regard to its recent slanderous attacks on that gentleman, as will prove satisfactory to Mr Martin and hib friends. This arrangement has been brought about by the intervention of mutual friends of the parties. A wrinkle for excise officers: —Look-out for false ends of kegs and hogsheads. A. few gallons less in a cask will make up for the duty. —So writes to us an "old hand" in matters of this sort. The Timaru Herald, whose, edibor is one of the leading members of the House of Representatives, considers the position of the present Government as by no means a sure one. The writer says inter d'ia :- "It is plain that Sir George Grey and Mr Sheehan are the life and soul of the Miniatry, and that without them Mr Stout and Mr Ballance could not stand for 24 honrs. The efforts of these latter at leading the House appear to be an utter failure. We are assured by those who were present that Mr Ballance's debut in Committee of Supply wes most pitiable, He knew nothing about the Estimates and had not the wit to conceal his ignorance. Major \tkinson dealt very tenderly with him, aud made no athempfi to puzzle him. Yet, slight as tbe difficulty was for a man of any resolution, he was completely nonplussed; and could do nothiug but stammer out excuses or sit at the table looking horrribly nervous and miserable, while the Attorney-General endeavored by a bold dash to rel eve him from his perplexities Mr Stout, though never lacking in nerve, has no more tact than his colleague, and hiy audacious attempts to bully the House into si enue, are producing exactly the opposite result trom that sought to be achieved."

Mr W. H. Watt, the Mayor of Wanganui, has [resolved to erect a noble monument to the memory of his eldest daughter, who, it will be remembered, was among those who perished in the dreadful Avalanche disaster. W6 learn that Mr Watt has resolved to devote a property yielding an incame of LIOOO per annum, which he intended to bequeath to Miss Watt, towards the erection of an Orphanage, to be open to orphan children of all classes and creeds alike, a secular education of a most liberal kind being provided, while Bible teaching also is to be given daily. The carrying out of this provision is entrusted to the Presbyterian Church. The Wanganui Chronicle justly remarks: "In every way this generous bequest will rear a most suitable and lasting mouutnent to the memory of a Christian young lady, who was beloved by all who knew her, and whose gentle, loving, winning ways were never more endearing than when quietly planning relief for some helpless sufferer, or in the midst of the children of the Sunday school, of which she was a teacher, ministering to their wants, or guiding their simple sport at the annual picnic." All who had the pleasure of knowing the late Miss Watt will most earnestly endorse these remarks. A young native girl died suddenly in a carriage on the Foxton and Palmerston Railway the other day. The following figures show the quantity and value of wool exported from this Colony during last year and the preceding one : — Quantity "Value 1876 ... 59,853 4541 b ...£3,395,316 1873 ... 64,481,3241 b ... 3,658,938 Increase, 1877 4,627,8701 b ... £263,122 Mrs Sarah Coombes, who arrived in Nelson in 1805, has recently died at the age of 68 years. In order to get over the question of the legality of the City Council of Wellington paying the cost of the banquet to the Municipal delegates out of borough funds, it was decided to vote an increase of salary to the Mayor, who from this source paid all expenses— amounting to about Ll5O. A special telegram to the Wellington Post dated London, 14th August, is to the following effect :— " A most desperate and successful resistance is being made to the occupation of Bosnia by Austria.- -The Bosnians are completely triumphant, and have compelled the whole of the Austrian divisions to retreat. — The matter assumes a serious complexion, as involving a danger of grave European difficulties and complications. A writer in an Otago paper suggests that a temperance society should be started in the township of Clyde, where it is no unusual thing to see a Justice of the Peace parading the streets with a jug of beer under his arm, while another Justice goes about with an attendant whose business is to keep his master from holding his head too long under the I tap.