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Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 51, 6 August 1877, Page 2

' <» [BY ELECTRIC TELEOjRAPE:] [PES, P8.^33 ASSOOIATION.] Gbeyjeouth, August 5, The. Greymouth Coal Company reached the sixteen feet seam in their shaft last night. The coal is hard, and of excellent quality. Kumajba, August 2i A numerously attended public^ meeting was held here last evening, to discuss the principles of Mr Fox's Local Option Bill. The.followingjrcsolufcions were carried— " That, in the opinion of this meeting, a very larga. proportion, of the vice, crime, disease, poverty, and other social evils which exist in this colony are- the direct results of th* traffic in, and the using of alcoholic beverages."-—" That no system of Licensing Laws bas yet been-, effectual for the prevention of those evils, to prepvevent which they were enacted, and tiiat therefore a change is necessary, both in the principle aud method of the laws dealing, with the liquor trade."—" That tho principle embodied in tho Local Option Bill is equitable, practicable, and likely to afford the public relief from many of the evils arising from the consumption of intoxicating liquors." Dukepin, August 2. Messrs Reeves and Roberts havo been appointed, a deputation to wait on the Government, ro railway. The. Customs revenuo for last month amounted, to £31,390. Amount for corresponding month last year, £2§ 845. Ono hundred and thirfcytwo applications have been, received for work at Balclutba. Men who have gone out complain tbat they cannot get work, or credit from, tho storekeepers, Government has reduced goods tariff on the Dunedin and Port Chalmers railway line, the gonpral manager having re* ceived instructions, authorising him to carry ship goods from Port Chalmers to Dunedin as Class C, which makes rates 5s 2d per ton. This order places rates

lower than they were. Recent alteration | of new tariff will, it is considered, place j Otago railway lines on a vyery satisfactory | footing. .;,' j A large number of Shares in excess of I the limit fixed • by : ' the provisional directors for registering tbe Company bavo^beeh^appljted "tefc in Gruth,rio and ■ Lavhach'sflimber and woodw a_ie factories, ■■! aiid tbe limited company is therefore sue- ■.. cessfully ; floated. Wellington', August 2. At a Conference of Munctpal delegates to»day, Mr Standisb moved, " that Government be asked to postpone the passing of the Charitable Instiutions Bill, in order* tbat suggestions of the Conference onHbo matter might be laid before Parliament, and if approved of, embodied in the Bill.' 1 Oarried unanimously. . It was moved by Mr Standish " That the Chairman write and request the Government to be good enough to inform this Conference on what basis of calculation the pro rata deduction for tho maintenance of charitable institutions and "hospitals out of subsidies payable to municipal corporations have been mado and are intended to. be made for the future, and whether subsidies payable, to County Councils and Road Boai ds have been and will be liable to tbe same deductions." Carried unanimouslyMr Reynolds considered clause 3. _ of the Bill a direct violation of the Abolition Act of last session, and urged that the Conference should insist on thoso < prin* ciples being maintained, as otherwise the Provincial Governments would have been abolished on false pretences. The subject then dropped. _ After some cursory discussion, the Conference went formally, into committee on the Municipal Corporations Aot, which, it was agreed, required several important amendments. It was resolvod, on tbe motion of Mr Standisb, to recommend tbat clause 11 be amended by empowering a' Resident Magistrate to exercise any jurisdiction exercisable under the Act by two Justices of tihe Peace. It was reoommended tbat clause 345 bo repealed. j Ifc was also agreed that the Conference recommend that tbe number of resident's ] required for a district to be formed into a borough should be 100. instead 150, as ■required by clause 17, provided that sucb new borough should be not less that five miles distant from an. existing, ono.^ Also tbat tbo number of signatures required to be attached to a petition for such borough to be constituted should be 50 instead of 100.. On the motion of Mr Hutchinson, it was resolved that the opinion of the Attorney-General be taken as to whether clause 223. gavo a municipal council power to take land' outside a borough, for drainage purposes. On tbe motion of Mr Steward, it waj3 resolved to seek legislative provision exempting receipts given by municipalities, from Stamp duty. A telegram was reoeived from, the Invercargill Municipal Council, asking the Conference to recommend tbat power be given to levy & general rate of 2d in the £ instead of Id, being the limit at present. Tbe proposal elicited ni.ij.-ii discussion, but the majority of the Co^'or. onca decided Hgainst the propositi, wtaiob on being put was. rejected. Other matters having boen touched: on, and several notices of motion given, the i Conference adjourned.