OUR WEST COAST. LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2059, 10 August 1893, Page 13

OUR WEST COAST. LETTER.

(From Ova Own Correspondent.) Ross, August 2. "TilE REFEREE IN TROUBLE. The Greymouth Jockey Club, continuing to feel the 'rather too keen criticism of the Referee in connection with the late celebrated Liberator case, have decided to proceed against the editor of that journal for libel, and I believe the damages have been fixed at £2000. At the meeting of the stewards, however, there was a diversity of opinion in connection with entering the plea, but the decision to prosecute was carried by the majority. A WIND STORM. Last Saturday night the denizens of Ross were treated to a real blizzard, the like of which has not been experienced before by even the oldest residents. During the whole of the day the sky exhibited a most threatening appearance, but although light showers and ordinary wind gusts ocourred. no serious indications were observable. At 6 o'clock, however, the fun began, the wind bursting with perfect fury over the town, and by 10 o'clock everything was a howling tempest. Prom that until 3 in the morning the storm raged with unprecedented fury, tearing up chimneys and fences and blowing out three shop fronts and that of the reading room. As a further indication of the force of the storm on the highlands about Ross, I may add that numbers of large pine trees have been torn up. A BISHOP MISREPORTED. The Branner News, which gets the name of being a pretty well informed paper, must have been napping when it published, " The Bishop of Nelson, at the Reefton social given in his honour, is reported to have commented on the marked unsociability of the Greymouth people at a similar function"- for the Reefton papers publish under authority emphatic and unqualified denials, no euch remark having been made by his lordship. The fact is that some one gulled the Brunner paper. THE CAPE TERRACE RUSH. A large area of ground has been pegged off at the recent gold discoveries at Cape Terrace, Kumara, but the reports from there are somewhat contradictory. From one source we learn that the driving is about 200 ft, the depth of wash from 2ft to 4ft, and the prospects from 2gr to Bgr to the dish ; that the terrace is about a mile long, and it is believed the gold will be traced the whole distance. Other accounts say that the reports have been greatly exaggerated, and that most of the miners are disappointed with the field so far, although determined to give it a fair trial. Of course the same thing has occurred on every rush ; but the main hope here lies in getting the locality well prospected. ' MINOR ITEMS. „.... In reply to the application of the Hokitika Prospecting Association, Government has promised to assist prospecting in the Low Level Tunnel, Dunedin Flat, by granting a subsidy. During the yeaya 189.2-B3 coal was delivered to . the Railway department at the folk) wing prices :— Taupiri Reserve Colliery, Auckland, 3s lOd per ton : Grey Valley Coal Company, 19s 9d to 24s per ton; White Cliffs, 8s 9d; Kaitangata, 7s; and Nightcaps, 6s. , A small syndicate at Staffordtown have taken up a block of 600 acres of the finest timber land on the West Coast for sawmilling purposes. - At the Blackball Coal Company, Grey Valley, all the wires of the aeriel tramway are on the ground, and it is confidently anticipated that the company will be at work in about six weeks. The representatives of the Cassels Company are engaged making experimental assays of samples of tailings at Reefton with the view of undertaking a second trial of the process ; but theCapleston cyanide works are at present at a standstill. .. , „ The cutter Lizzie, found some time ago bottom upwards outside Westport, was knocked down at auction last Wednesday to the mortgagee for the sum. of £9. , „ „ , A man named W. Jackson, who attempted to commit suicide, died in the Hokitika Hospital last Saturday. In response to the urgent solicitude or tne Inangahua County Council the member for- the district is endeavouring to get Government to subsidise deep level mining in the Reefton dis"The local Acclimatisation Society, at the urgent request of local sportsmen, applied to the Colonial Secretary to extend the season for shooting native game for one month, the birds up till now having been rathermodestaboutputtinginanappearance ; but the official mentioned curtly replies that as the season closed on the 31st ult. it is not deemed desirable to extend it beyond that date ; consequently there is much grumbling among the Coast shootists, who have hardlj had what may be termed " a good field day " this year. Just one or two more words about the Lape Terrace rush. There is, up to the present time, nothing to brag about— in fact nothing has been found to warrant a rush. The wash of the prospectors is about 18in thick, and is 'said to average lidwt to the load, but it will have to make considerably if wages are to be earned. However, the terrace terminates in a large flat, and many seem to think the gold may run into a lead there, but if it] did the sinking would be deep— say 90ft ; so that it means money, time, and labour, but for all that attention may become directed this way. My own candid opinion about the gold found is that it is just a patch, as no one but the prospectors can get much more than a colour, and that one may get 'almost anywhere along the Last Tuesday, while a man named M'Neil was attempting to cros3 that dangerous creek Larry's, on the Reef ton- Westport road, he had a very narrow escape from being drowned. He was swept down a couple of chains, but happily succeeded in ending. This is the treacherous creek j in which the unfortunate mail coachman was drowned some little time ago, and ever since then i the inhabitants have been urging on the Govern- j ment the necessity of bridging it. Up to now, however, nothing has been done in that way, but at the last monthly meeting of the Inangahua County Council a letter was read from Sir Robert Stout, member for the district, stating, in reply to one sent, that he would endeavour to get a sum on the Supplementary Estimates for the work At the ordinary meeting of the Hokitika Harbour Board last Monday the harbour master reported (for a wonder) that the bar was in. good working order, and had'frora 10ft to 12ft of water on it Speaking of West ■ Coast harbours generally, I may add that the Grey river is again causing a lot of uneasiness: For many years an extensive shingle bank has been travelling down the river slowly but surely,' and despite the efforts of the river dredge it is becoming a frequent occurrence for loaded vessels attempting to swing off from the wharf to get stuck broadside on on one of these shingle drifts sluiced off the main bank by freshets. The bar, however, at Greymouth has generally plenty of water with a straight run to sea ; yet the shingle bank referred to will doubtless prove an expensive obstruction to the local harbour board. A rather grim interruption to a funeral occurred at Reefton last Monday. The remains of a very old resident named A. H. Bell were being taken to the cemetery when the hearse was stuck up for some time at a flooded creek. . Eventually sue ceeding in crossing, another serious obstacle was met with. The sexton had been unable to sink the grave more than 2ft, owing to the heavy influx of water, and although several of the mourners aided him in the undertaking, they were unable to beat the water, so that the body had to be removed to the mortuary, to await a more favourable opportunity, wherearßeefton is scandalised, and talks of getting a more "comfortable" si^e for a cemetery. . It is found that the scour m the Buller river by the coal Btaiths is injuring the training wall of the Westport harbour works, consequently the harbour board, with that promptness and despatch which always characterises its movements when anything affecting the harbour presents itself, reported the matter to the authorities at Wellington, and last Thursday received the following reply from Mr Mayor Suisted .*-" Sir Robert, Mr O'Conor, and self interviewed the Premier last night. He fully recognises the importance of straightening the training wall, and will at once consult the Engineer-in-chief re report sent up." The Weßtport Borough Counoil carried a resolution last Wednesday to assist the Palnierstpn North Borough Council in getting a clause in.

seited in the Rating Bill which would give permission to boroughs to charge 10 per cent, on rents remaining overdue for three months. A case of interest to mining lessees came before Mr Warden Greenfield, Westport, in which the receiver of gold revenue sought to recover from the liquidator of the Fair Maid Gold Mining Company the sum of £112 rent. Counsel for defendant contended that the receiver had no power to su6 the liquidator, nor yet had the court any jurisdiction in the matter, and cited as his authority a recent decision by Judge Ward at Dunedin on a similar point. He also added that no deed of lease had been executed by the defunct company or the liquidator, and therefore there could be no agreement with, the Crown to pay rent. To this the Receiver of Gold Revenue said his instructions were that Judge Ward had given an opinion that the company should be sued, but the judge held it really did not make any difference, because there was power to amend. It did not matter whether judgment was obtained against the liquidator or the company. Even if . judgment were now given against the liquidator, it was laid down that an amendment could bo made after judgment was given. No authority had been quoted why tho liquidator- should not be sued. Supposing the court were to decide the liquidator should not be sued, th<» proceedings could be amended. He quoted New Zealand Law Reports, Daniels v. Lake Corporation.— Mr Moynihan, in reply, stated that the court had no power to amend, and that the case quoted was not applicable to the present proceedings. The Supreme Court in Dunedin had ruled that the company and not the liquidator, if anyone, should be sued. Under section 191 of the " Companies Act of 1882 " it was clear that the liquidator could not be sued. Counsel summarised his many Objections, and in conclusion contended that the action was .not maintainable, and that the complainant was barred under the Statue of Frauds. The Warden reserved his decision. The receiver of gold revenue at Ross is likely to get into trouble over some excessive charges he has made on miners desirious of making a search among the Warden's Court records. Two different parties have made complaints to the Totara Miners' Association thereon, and their complaints are to be forwarded on to the Minister for Justice. It appears that Mr Folly demanded 2i in each of the cases quoted, whereas the statue empowers tha very reddest-taped official to charge only Is as a search fee.