WESTLAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 9093, 2 May 1890, Page 2

WESTLAND.

[from our own correspondent.] • Hokitika, April 28, A SAD ENDING. Recently we have bad a number of serious mining accidents on the Coast, far too large a percentage of which have proved fatal. One of the saddest of these took place last week. A young man, Donald M'Padyen, was fatally injured in his claim at Constitution Mat, and only lingered a day or two at the Hospital. It appears that he had been suffering from influenza, and hie mother did not want him to go to work, but he determined to do something at his claim, which he considered a matter of some urgency, and went 5 only to be carried past his homo a few hours afterwards on the way to the Hospital. It was the common occurrence—a fall of earth. The head was dreadfully injured, the face, especially the jaw-bones, being badly crushed. His mate, young Forsyth, exhibited great physical strength, as well as presence of mind, in at once carrying him out of the tunnel and up the incline, and everything that human skill and sympathy could devise was done, but without effect. There was great feeling in the Kanieri district over this fatality, because he was essentially a Kanieri boy. I am not sure if he was born in the locality, but be had lived there nearly all his life—twenty-five years —and with his father and mother, brothers and sisters, was thoroughly identified with the place. The funeral was a very largeone, the mourners and spectators at the cemetery numbering nearly 1500 persons. At the time of his death he was a member of the Kanieri contingent of the First Westland Rifles, and was accorded a military funeral, his comrades turning out in strong force. KUHAEA TO THE FOEE. The Kumara Rifles have again given the Colony some points in rifle shooting, and we are all, Kumara especially, very much elated over it. In the firing for the Government medals the scoring was as follows : —Gold medals—South Island: Sergeant T. T. Jones, Kumara Rifles, 89 points; North Island: Private M'Gregor, Wellington City Rifles, 83. Gold and silver medals —South Island : Sergeant W. Evenden, Kumara Rifles, 88 points; North Island: Private M'Geoch, Hawera Rifles, 83. For the district silver medals, a Kumara man also ranks highest, BandSergeant Keller, Kumara Rifles, scoring 86, the next highest being Private M'Carthy, of the City Guards, Dunedin, who scored 85. With big scores like those I have just mentioned, it is little wonder that the Kumara men should feel well pleased with themselves, or that rifle shooting, which has recently become very popular in this part of the Coast, should have had an additional zest imported to it. A EESIGNATION. It now seems that the leave of absence granted to Mr Bird, Resident Magistrate and Warden for Westland North, has been permanently extended, and Mr Bird will not resume bis seat on the Bench. The rumour is that Mr Bird has been intimated that he bad better resign, and will get a retiring allowance of .£3OO, Much comment has been excited by this, and newspapers on the Coast friendly to Mr Bird have waxed wroth and strongly demand an enquiry. From what I can learn they had better let things be, for the Government have certainly done him no wrong, except, perhaps, in ever, placing him in the position. Probably the thing that brought about Mr Bird's retirement was his action for libel against the editor of a Reefton paper in which, after the Grand Jury bad brought in a true bill, he allowed the proceedings to drop. This was generally regarded as a throwing-up of the sponge induced by fear

of a cross-examination by the accused’s counsel—Mr Jellicoe. Whether this withdrawal of proceedings was the lever that moved the Government X cannot say, but it is well known that other things were at the hack. EEDIVIVDG, After a year or so of sleep, if not of death, the Chemistry Club has had a new life infused into it, and comes before the public once more, this time as the Hokitika School of Mines. When Mr Larnach, as Minister for Mines, sent Professor Black throughout the country on chemistry and kindred subjects, chemistry classes or schools of mines were established everywhere and much practical knowledge of testing gained. Deprived of the Professor’s magnetic enthusiasm and vivifying presence the movement slackened off considerably and went out in darkness, although there have been sparks of light occasionally flashing here and there to show that it could soon be made aglow again. Such promises to be the case at Hokitika at the present time. They have an enthusiast in their President, Mr Purkiss, and a number of men of intellect who having an interest in the subject have taken it up; and as we have a boundless extent of mineral wealth to operate upon, there is ample to give local interest to their work. A SION OF THE TIMES. Whilst our Grey neighbours are complaining of dull times and a diminished coal output, Westport is recording a constantly increasing output, and a still greater ratio of bankruptcies. The thing is inexplicable. Figures, we know, can be made to explain everything, and I was about to make ”an elaborate series of calculations, showing that every ton of coal shipped must mean so much actual loss to the traders, when I was stopped by a portentous figure looming in the distance, which told me that before long I should have to try and prove that the place was hopelessly insolvent. And bo I gave it up. But it is singular all the same. Whether it is that our neighbours are having less public money spent in their midst or not, the dearth of the nimble shilling, to say nothing of the stately and dignified half-crown, is severely felt. People are at length beginning to acknowledge that this southern portion of the West Coast, which we call Westland and you call Hokitika, is, after all, the richest and most prosperous portion, and though there is Hot a shilling of public money being spent amongst us, we can pay our way fairly well without it. INFLUENZA. I feel that in one respect we are suffering an injustice. It is true we have influenza, la gripps, or whatever it may be called, hut there have been no deaths. At' the Lyell a woman is supposed to have died from it, but even in her case it is not certain that the ailment was not something else. If we except this we have nothing at all to acquire note by. At Kanieri the State school has been closed; but I am afraid that I cannot even invest this fact with sufficient importance, in outside eyes especially, when we are told that elsewhere numbers of schools have been closed, and doctors and chemists run off their legs. Perhaps it is our unfortunate isolation, or the neglect of the Government, or, happy thought, the Representation Commissioners who have deprived us of some other things besides a member. Of one thing we can at least be satisfied: that diphtheria, which usually makes itself unpleasantly felt in autumn and the early winter, has this fall let us alone. COMPENSATION. When Judge Dennistonwas here beheld sittings of the Compensation Court to determine the prospective losses of the settlers in the Teremakau and Arahura valleys, from damages by tailings, owing to the proclamation of those rivers as public tailing sites. Unfortunately for tbe claimants, many of them had assessed the value of their properties at rather a low figure for Property tax purposes, and this prevented the rapid expansion they would have liked. The total amount allowed was .£3215, of which £3045 represented compensation and £l7O law costs. The Public Trustee gets about £IBOO for the Maoris, about £650 more than the Government offered; but the Maoris will not have the pleasure of handling the money, as it is to ho invested for them. The money is supposed to be paid by the County of Westland, eventually; but they are never likely to be in a position to do so. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Gbbtmouth, April 28. contractors’ troubles. The District Court at Reef ton. has been engaged for a couple of days enquiring into a dispute between Messrs J. R. Rees and Co., contractors for a portion of the Midland Railway, and some of their subcontractors. It seems that Messrs Rees and Co., after letting a contract to Small and party, subsequently had wrongfully taken possession of the work —so it is alleged—and had thereby deprived the latter of the profits of the contract. The amount sued for was £142 19s lOd, being .£92 19s lOd for work done, and £SO damages for breach of contract. Defendants paid the amount claimed for work done into Court, but disputed the claim of £SO damages. After the Jury had patiently listened to the statements of fifteen witnesses, for and against, and also to what the lawyers had to say, they returned a verdict for £3O damages, and costs against defendants, amounting to £4O 9s. In the case of Brown and M‘Kenzie against the same defendants, the latter consented to a verdict for £3O damages and costs £l9 Gs. JOHANNESBURG. A letter dated February last has been received by Mrs Williams, of Eeefton, from her husband, Mr Isaiah Williams, who is at present in South Africa. He sends a horrible account of the place. He says typhoid fever is rampant, and the people are dying at the rate of a hundred a week, eight hundred having died since the beginning of the year. People stricken with the sickness only last a few days, and as the newspapers carefully exclude death notices from their columns, the first intimation one receives of the death of a friend or acquaintance is by stumbling over bis grave. Mr Williams does not say how he knows a friend or acquaintance is buried below. If he knows by the headstone there must be a boom amongst the monumental masons. Another writer says although Johannesberg is 6000 feet above sea level, it is not a healthy place. Typhoid fever and inflammation of the lungs are prevalent all over the district. These diseases do not "parley or dissemble" much with their victims, but make quick work in preparing for the cemetery those whom they attack. So it behoves our miners who are not satisfied with the yield of gold on the West Coast to pause before they make tracks for Johannesburg. MISCELLANEOUS. It has been decided by the Government to extend the North Training Wall in the harbour. Messrs Hungetford and M'Kay have secured the contract. Mr John Qow, late Manager of the Nelson Creek and other Government water-races, who succeeds Mr Binns as Inspector of Mines, will be presented with a testimonial on his leaving the district. Although Westport turned out last week 4680 tons of coal as against our 3655, we bring up our export with 300 tons of coke, 5 j tons of fire-clay and 6 tons of fire-bricks —a fair output for Greymoutln The little s.s, Tay has arrived in the river on her way overland to Lake Brunner. Her enterprising owner, Mr Alexander M'Kenzie, sees an opening for his energy in running the boat on the lake for tho benefit of pleasure parties. After many months of patient endurance, the footbridge over the river at Taylorville and Wallsend is available for traffic. A railway station is in course of construction. At a meeting of the Borough Council, it was resolved to cover about hal£-a-milo of sidewalks with asphalt. This will be a great boon to the inhabitants. We are getting somewhat civilised. T. Dollman, the Secretary of the Oddfellows’ Lodge, Dennistcn, pleaded “Guilty" to the larceny of £8 12s, belonging to the Society. He was admitted to probation for six months, and to pay £3 3s costs within four months. It seems

that the costs were looked after,but nothing said about the £8 12s belonging to the Society. _ . Co-operative Societies seem to flourish on this side of the range. Our Westport friends have rented suitable premises to commence business. A Society on same principle is being formed at Cape Poulwind. The Denniston Co-operative Society have just brought up their report and balance-sheet. They show the transactions for the year to have been most profitable. A dividend of 2s 6d per share has been declared, and a cash balance carried forward. Skating rinks have been opened for the winter months in the Ahaura township, Westport, and other places. During the last few days we have had a visit from a couple of Indians, dressed up in Oriental fashion —their heads swathed with many folds of Eastern shawls. Speculation as to who they were, or what they wanted, has been rife. It seems they are doctors from Hindostan, and are prepared to relieve sufferers from all sorts of eye diseases. Having twenty thousand testimonials as to their skill, and being able to remove a cataract in three, minutes, without any operation, they should do a roaring trade amongst those thus afflicted. The Manager of the Wealth of Nations, Reef ton, reports that the reef Hitherto showing a mixture of mullock and quartz now shows a solid body of quartz five feet wide with a good show of gold. He has driven thirty-five feet in all on the reef, and as there is quartz underfoot and overhead, to what depth or height is not known, it is surmised that this old Company will once more come to the front with many dividends, which have been anxiously looked for by patient shareholders for about ten years. Twenty-one tons of machinery have been conveyed to No Town for the purpose of prospecting the local Company's lease. The contract has been let for sinking the cylinders at 30s per foot. The depth of sinking is estimated at about thirty feet. It is intended to try the ground in half a dozen places. The entertainment given in aid of the Westport Athenaeum was a great success. The Harmonic Society, under the leadership of Mr Holdsworth, gave several pieces in excellent style; they were also assisted by lady and gentleman amateurs, whose efforts to please were most successful. Misses Gowland, Thorpe, Bingley, Brind and Marris, Mesdames Songten, Wright and Helling, and Messrs Bassett, Holdsworth, Barrowman and Dr Wright gave songs, duets and trios, which were much appreciated. The tableaux vivants under the direction of Dr Wright were much admired. The many friends of Mr Craddock, head master of the Greymouth District High School, and Captain of the Grey Football Club, will regret to hear that he met with a very serious accident while playing in the football match. Grey Club v. White Stars. Shortly after the commencement of the first spell, Mr Craddock got the ball, and when running he came in collision \ with one of the Stars. He immediately j retired from the field. At first it was aur« / mised he had only received a severe shaking, but ou examination it was found his collar-bone was broken. Mr Craddock has been very unfortunate on the football field, and there has hardly been a match in which he has not met with some accident.