West Coast Times. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1866.

West Coast Times, Issue 336, 20 October 1866, Page 2

West Coast Times. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1866.

A meeting of the Municipal Council was held last night, at the Fire Brigade Hall, all the members being present. Several important .matters were disposed of, of which, the itost important was the ballot question, it being decided by a majority of one, that in the election of a candidate to any office at the disposal of the Council, the ballot should be resorted to. We give the division, which was called for by Cr Shaw : — Ayes : Messrs Williams, Clarke, Fitzsimmons, Eccles field, and Anderson ; Noes : Messrs Shaw, dimming, and Hungerford. The Chairman, on behig challenged, declared himself on the side of the " Noes." Pressure upon our. space prevents us giving the report of last night's proceedings in full 4 but we shall do so in our next

Another of those nuisances, of which we have had of late so frequently to complain, was committed on Thursday night last. It appeal's that a man named Webb was on his way to deposit a cartload of night-soil on that general manure depot — the seq. beach, when, in passing down the Empire right-of-way, a quantity of his disgusting burden was spilled in that narrow and muclj. frequented thoroughfare, aud coolly left there, to be churued up by the drays and passengers constantly passing and ropassing. It is satisfactory to know, however, that the man was observed," and has been summoned by the police to account for his dirtiness ; and though he appears to consider his offence a very trifling matter indeed — judging from the fact of his having posted, iv bravado, the summons on the door of the Fire Brigade Hall — we trust the Ifcesident Magistrate will signify in an unmistakeable manner his sense of the value of the public kealth, and his determination to check for the future such outrages on decency and cleanliness. Several complaints have from time to time been made by the owners of property closing valuable right-of-ways ; bxit we can scarcely blame them when they are reduced to the alternative of keeping them in repair, at a heavy expense, for the public use, or allowing them to N become public nuisances. ■ The number of these useful thoroughfares is daily becoming more reduced, and we trust the Municipal Council will take Bteps at an early period to render t.hoße still open, more like roads and less like cesspools — especially th°t next the " Empire," which is doubtless more used and useful than any other in Hokitika.

We regret to learn that an unfortunate accident occurred yesterday, in connexion' with the departure of Miss Julia Mathews for Melbourne. 1 The p.s. Yarra was engaged in taking on board luggage,, &c, for transhipment to .the Gothenburg, when suddenly the slings gave way, and precipitated a valuable pianoforte — the property of Mrs Mumford — into the river. A couple of boats instantly started after it, now floating rapidly down the stream ; but they were unable to make headway agninst the current, with the^pase in tow; and the Yarra herself was ultimately compelled to start after and drag back to the wharf the erring package. It was then got on board, but there is every reason to believe that the instrument will be much damaged, if not totally ruined by the immersion. This is so much the more to be deplored, as we understand it was presented to Mrs Mumford by several of her admirers in Dunedin, and must, therefore, be associated in her mind with many a bygone triumph.

The hull of the Ballarat, ono of the first steamers on the West Coast, is to be sold at Greymouth on Monday. She was one of a class of boats, of which the Ruby, Wakool, and Lady of the Lake are fair specimens, sent down here in the cirly days of the goldfields ; but being totally unsuited for theltWest Coast trade, soon left their bones to bleach omjthe shore, or were reduced to the more humble, but still useful condition of hulks. The Ballarat, after a sojourn of some months here, took her departure for Wellington for repairs ; but en-< countering heavy weather, and leaking badly, was compelled to run for shelter to the Q-rev. There she remained ; her engines were taken out and sold : aud now the " balance" of the " powerful and favorite Btemnship" Ballarat is to be submitted to the hammer — her auctioneers, Messrs Girdwood and Co., feelingly impressing on the public mjnd, HW V*lw M a Iwft I