Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XXX, Issue 47828, 18 January 1884, Page 2

The District Court ■will he duly opened on Monday next, but only to be adjourned until the Wednesday following. Jurors and witnesses therefore who are summoned for Monday next need not attend until the Wednesday following. The charge sheet at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday was blank, their being neither civil nor criminal business. The overland mail from Christchurch, which under ordinary circumstances and with average weather should have arrived here on Wednesday evening last, did not arrive last night, and will not therefore reach here before some time to-day. At the meeting of the Governors of the Greymouth High School, Messrs Lahman, Barkley, Petrie, and Guinness being present, Mr Barkley was elected chairman. Messrs Petrie and Guinness were appointed a sub-committee to draft standing orders. The Chairman and the Hon. Mr Lahinan were appointed a committee to select a suitable site on which to erect a school building. The Secretary (Mr Robinson) was instructed to point out to Government that no nomination had been made by the Education Board. It was resolved that the School Commissioners be requested to hand over half the amount accruing from the sale of land, as provided by the Act. The meeting then adjourned until the 29fch instant. Our evening contemporary says : — " An officer of the Education Department at Wellington will be immediately despatched to Greymouth to arrange with the Education Board for the carrying on of the schools until next session of Parliament, the Ministry being of opinion that the Sub-division Act is unworkable, and cannot be brought into force." A very significant statement this. But is it not just as likely, and a little more so, that if the Government is sending down an oflicer to ' ' carry on the schools" that his arrangements will be confined to the Secretary, and the different school committees, and that he will not require to " arrange with the Education Board," at all. The Board has distinguished itself. Greymouth and neighborhood have contributed £30 towards the Parnell Tribute Fund, that being the amount yesterday forwarded by Mr James Creagh on behalf of that fund to Mr Joseph Winter, editor of the Melbourne Advocate, and treasurer for the Parnell Tribute Fund in Australasia. The public must have of late remarked the infrequent sound of the engine whistle when trains of stone waggons are on their way to the tip-head. Scarcely one truck of stone now goes down to 20 formerly. The reason for this is that the system of blindly rolling rubble into the sea to take its chance afterwards has been given up for good. Quite a change has been made at the tip-head of late, and the character of the work and of the system are entirely changed. The progress made is not by any means rapid, but it is sure. What is effected this week can be depended on as a fixture. The apsaults of the sea during the past couple of weeks Avere equal to anything that has been experienced since the commencement of the work, and yet not the slightest damage has been done. However, had the cribbing not been there, with the piles outside, we should have had the old story to tell of so many chains washed away, or of a still further " broadening of the base," with the usual additional development of apron. But lately the waves have dashed

against the tip-head in vain. To show that the sea would be as destructive as ever had the stone been unprotected, it may be mentioned that any stone dumped outside of the protective influence of the cribbing was displaced by the waves with as much ease as it ever was. A large gang of men have been employed there for some weeks, and they have laid down a permanent and well-ballasted track, which branches off into three side- ways near the end of the tip, this being required owing to the increased width of the structure. By means of these sidetracks the stone can be deposited exactly where it is wanted, so that the piles ought never be allowed to get any great distance ahead of the stonework. Altogether, there is a substantial look about the harbor works now that tney have never worn before. The progress made may not be rapid, but it is satifactory to feel that every foot gained from the sea will remain to the credit of the department and the satisfaction of the public. Preparations are now being made for driving another outsiderow of the piles, while stone will be packed close up to the last roAV driven. Our Ahaura correspondent says : — " Mr Haszard, who for a long time past has I been acting telegraphist and postmaster at i Ahaura, left there on Tuesday, having been succeeded by Mr Mayne, from Napier. During the period of his stay Mr Haszard was at all times courteous and obliging in his official duties, and left with the best of good wishes from all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. It is believed that Mr Haszard will be removed to some office away north." There was a long array of cases at the Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Court, Ahaura, on Friday last, Mr Guinness appearing as counsel in most of them. The matters involved were of no public importance. Preparations for the forthcoming fancy dress ball . are affording mental employment and pleasant gentle excitement to quite a number in certain circles in town. The attention at present bestowed on historical and novel costumes is something very unusual here. The committee of the ball held a meeting on Wednesday, at which it was shown that a large number of applications were in, and thus affording the best possible evidence of the ball turning out a great success. Amongst the cargo brought yesterday by the Star of the South is a quantity of material for the Westport Colliery Company's mine at Wallseiid, which does not look much like as if there would be any prolonged stoppage of work at the mine. It may also be mentioned that the Teviotdale has on board about 60 tons additional machinery for the mine. A Wellington correspondent telegraphs to the Hokitika Star regarding the education difficulty as follows : — Messrs FitzGerald and Rae interviewed the Minister of Education, again yesterday re the advertisements for the new committees inserted by the Secretary to the old Board. Mr Dick reported that the Government did not recognise the old Board ; they were defunct. Mr FitzGerald said it might save a good deal of trouble if the Government intimated plainly to the members of the old Board, or their secretary, that the Government regarded the old Board as defunct, and would not recognise any committees elected under their authority. Mr Dick said that such an intimation would be given after the meeting of the Cabinet, the members of the Board would probably see the futility of attempting to exercise any of their functions, when they understood that the Government would not pay any moneys to them or recognise the old Board in any way. The Government could not do so after the opinions delivered by the AttorneyGeneral and Solicitor-General. Mr Rae reminded Mr Dick that provision would have to be made for the scholarship examinations. Mr Dick said that could be arranged by holding the examination a little later on. Mr George Brooks writes to the Christchurch Press: — " Sir, — Archibald Forbes spent an evening with my friend, S. W. Silver, of the ' Colonies and India,' and in answer to the question, ' Greater traveller as you are than most, toll me the spot you are inclined to adopt to spend the evening of life?' 'New Zealand,' was his reply; 'the climate, the people, the country, all round are delightful. New Zealand has a great future.' If you think the above will interest your readers please insert it." Captain Short, of the Hobart Observatory, has received from Mr A. Campbell of St. Mary's, the first, and as yet the only paper marked by the seismometer he has in use for marking the direction of earthquakes. The record or seismograph was made at 9.45 p.m., on the 7th., and marks a course due north and south. Mr 0. C. Arden, writing from Gould's Country on the Bth inst., says that for the last week or two the shocks occurring in that district have shown increased force, and he feels certain that serious damage would have happened to brick or stone buildings, if any such had been erected in the locality. His own wooden cottage has, on several occasions, swayec l and creaked in every joint of the timber work. His record shows that shocks and tremors have occurred on every day during the present month, up to the Sth inst., several of which are described as " heavy shocks of great force and duration." The average yield of the New Zealand mines for several years lias been about £1,000,00 per annum, and the total value of the exports of gold from the colony since 1857 has amonnted 10 nearly £40,000,000. The first discovery of gold is believed to have been made in the province of Auckland in the year preceding the occupation of the islond as a British colony. Gold was known to exist in the Thames River in 1835, and there is a record of gold being found in placers in the Driving Creek, Coromandel, in 1852, but the export returns do not date beyond 1857. The rich gold discoveries made in Victoria in 1853 "diverted for a time full attention from the Coromandel gold discoveries; but from 1802 mining gold-bear-ing quartz has been a regular industry there.