West Coast Times. AND WESTLAND OBSERVER. THURSDAY JANUARY 8, 1874.

West Coast Times, Issue 2588, 8 January 1874, Page 2

West Coast Times. AND WESTLAND OBSERVER. THURSDAY JANUARY 8, 1874.

Our telegrams from Nelson show that the Hokitika and Greymouth Tramway Company have been awarded damages in the Supreme Court to the amount of £15,000. This announce- I ment will probably take many persons by surprise, but every unprejudiced person in the Province must now admit that the minority in the County Council who manfully fought against overpowering numbers from session to session, were correct in their judgment when they argued that if the Government forced the company into litigation, the result would be that the trover nment would be mulcted in a heavy amount. Two of the members of the late County Council maintained that it was desirable to consider the claims of the several tramway companies, each on its own merits, as each claim differed from the rest. Eor instance the Hokitika and Greymouth Co. had the ordinary protection, which had been granted to other Companies, but there was also on the records of the Council, a special resolution which guaranteed compensation to the Company iv the event of a road being made within a mile of the line, to interfere with the traffic. The Kanieri Tramway Co. had protection, and so also had the Hau Hau Co. In the latter case the Company had evidently not been receiving remunerative dividends, while ih the case of the Kanieri Tramway there was no special claim against the Govenment, except for the eight per cent interest on the outlay which had

been guaranteed. Each of these claims were therefore perfectly distinct in every particular ; but, as a majority in the Council determined to prevent the claims being settled, unless upon the same footing, no decision was arrived at by members, and the inevitable appeal to the Supreme Court has resulted in the way we have mentioned. The Hokitika and Greymouth Tramway Company offered to take land in payment of their claim, but the prejudiced majority maintained their ground, and set the minority and common sense at defiance. Berhaps some of the enlightened individuals who would have it that the Company had no legal claim, and forced Westland into the unenviable position of paying a large amount in ready cash, will kindly inform the public where the money is to come from to pay the little bill which will shortly be presented. It is a very easy matter for narrow-minded, and inexperienced persons, with a decided leaning towards the shareholders in another company, to demur to an equitable settlement, but recent events prove that if the advice of the minority had been taken, litigation would have • been avoided, and instead of the Government being called upon at a month's notice to pay the sum of £15,000, the whole claim might have been settled for a few thousand acres of land. There was at no time any dispute as to the validity of the claim, but the question to be decided by the Supreme Court, was simply whether the local government had to pay a larger or a smaller sum. Thus but for the stand taken by a majority of the Council, the claim of the Company might have been amicably settled, add the country spared the necessity of paying the money which now h,as to be disbursed.

The annual parade of the First Westland Rifles has been postponed until Thursday, the I7fch instant, the Drill Shed being used fer the purpose of the, Exhibition.

At the Resident Magistrate's 1 Court yesterday, a man named Adams, was charged with drunkenness; 'the offence .being pibveq, a fine of 10s was imposed • Robert Whale and John M'Neil were charged with having committed robbery grom the person, and on the application of the police the prisoners were remanded until Friday. The Court then adjourned. ' ' The following is a return of prisoners at the Gaol for the month ending , December 31, 1873. Penal servitude— males, .8; females, 2. Hard laborer-males, 6 ; females, 3. Imprisonment—l female. Default of bail — females, 2. For 'trial— males, 2. Debtor— I male. - Total — males,. 17 ; females, 8. Received during the month— males, 2 ; females, 4. 'Discharged— males, 4 ; 1 female.

The children of St. Mary's School will have a pic-nic at the Race Course to-day, and will leave town at ten o'clock this morning.

The Presbytery of Westland met on yesterday at 2 p.m. for the first time in the Presbyterian Qnurch HoKitika, and

was commenced with prayer. Present — Rev. J. M'lntosh, J. Kirkland, and Hagg, Ministers^-Messfs' Orr and Geisow Elders— Rev. Mr Mjlntosji was appointed Moderator, and Geisow. clerk for theeasujng y eay :-^.C6mmißsiptis iVete received from tha Kirk sessions of Hokitika and Greymouth in favor of Messrs Orr and Geison respectively—Rev/MrKirklkiid^ead abstract! fjtom the. General Assembly of New Zealand auihorran^in&donsfltutioirof the Presbytery siud i.t wte thr&rf ters^i&M tnatii; J)e called the Presbyteryjof Wejtland and that Hokitika bo the seat of the Presbytery. Moved by the clerk and seconded by the Rev. Mr Kirklajid that commissions of iTSlders be handed in every year. It was further agreed to hold the ordinary meeting on the first Tuesday of January, April, July, and October. Messrs Orr and Mueller were appointed Assessors to act with Mr Hogg in the formation of a Kirk session :— Moved by Mr Kirkland, seconded by Mr Hogg and agreed to that a Presbytery fund be instituted for the purpose of meeting Exesbytery expenses and that the clerk be authorized to allocate to ea-jh congregation its proporti&n and collect the same. It ! was agreed that it to be recorded in the records of 'Presbytery that while the Church is solely at the disposal of tlie Minister for air religious purposes, the consent of the Financial Gommitteejas well as the Minister, is necessary before any meeting bot strictly of a religious or charitable nature can be held in it. It was moved by Mr Kirkland, seconded by Mr Orr and agreed to that the Prebytery instruct Mr Hogg to visit Reef ton, Ahaura and Nelson Creek, to ascertain the condition of the Presbyterian Church there and to report it next meeting. The Presbytery appointed itself therefore a committee on Church extension and Church property, to report the next meeting. The ' Presbytery then adjourned to meet at I Hokitika on the first Tuesday of April at I noon. The meeting closed with prayers.

The drawing for the prizes in Johnson's Art Union will take place on Tuesday next.

The Monthly Summary published to-day for Home circulation, contains an account of the late election for the. Superintendency, and of the opening of the Hokitika ExhibitionA list of engravings will be found in our advertising columns.

Mr Hawkin's will address the electors at the Duke of .Edinburgh Theatre to-morrow evening at 2 o'clock, and at the Pioneer Hotel at 0 o'clock.

There was a good attendance at the Exhibition yesterday. The concert in the evening was well attended. Miss Lazar presided at tbe piano. Mrs Allen and Miss Fosberry sang the duet # Sainted Mother," and Mrs Allen followed with " Merry is the Greeenwood." Several other pieces were executed, and Miss Fosberry sang " Robin's Return" with great feeling. The glee " Come Silent Evening," and the trio "Breathe soft ye Winds," by Mrs Allen, Miss Fosberry, and Mr Croft brought the entertainment to a close.

The man Darbeyson jvho has achieved such unenviable notoriety for stabbing Mr Connor at Callagan's, was -Jjroughi .Before the Resident Magistrate at Stafford yesterday, and after the hearing of a large amount of evidence, the prisoner was committed to .take his trial at the Supreme Court.

The Illustrated Leader, published to-day, contains a long list of engravings, and an account of the Superintendency election, and of the Exhibition.

At the opening of the District Court, at Ahaura, on Saturday, Judge Harvey apologised to the bar for appearing in the Court without his robes, giving in excuse that he forwarded his luggage from Greymouth before he left that morning, and it had not yet arrived. Mr Guiness then apologised for not appearing before the Court in his robes, giving as a reason that lie had unfortunately forgotten his luggage when he started from Greymouth. The duty therefore of upholding the majesty of the law in all its grandeur and dignity devolved upon Mr Staite, who was arrayed in complete forensic costume and who accepted the apologies of his Honor and of his learned brother with becoming graciousnes. :

At the banquet of the Interprovinciai cricket and rifle team 9at Auckland, Mr T. B. Gillies said he had been asked to respond on' behalf of the General Assembly ; he could scarcely tell why, for the General Assembly had done nothing for cricket. But he was aware tbat cricket had done a good deal for the General Assembly. It was not by the best " batting "• that victories were won in the General Assembly any more than in cricket. It was not the most slashing play that won the game there any more than in the field. Those who aspired to si^ccess in politics would learn a good deal even by studying ciicket: A cool head, a clear eye, and aßteady hand were required in th;e " House'" as well as in the field— that was, if they wanted to. make a?' good run." Neither was it all bowling or fielding that won the game in politics, any more than in cricket. It was by a calm and steady purpose pursued perseveringly, neither overrun, so as to be put out, or too aspiring, so as to be "caught out."

Erom the Thames papers, we learn thatiMr John Dermott, who is a brother of Dr Dermott of this town, bad his leg broken through an accident in the Tweedside claim, Shprtland.

Two sudden changes in the color of hair from black to white are reported in a foreign medical magazine' It appears that a physician of Berlin, a strong, healthy, and less than middle aged man, sent his wife and one daughter to spend last summer at a watering place. The day that he expected a letter informing him of their arrival, there came one saying that his daughter had been taken sick v<jry suddenly, and was already dead. The sHock was terrible, and instantly his hair became entirely grey. He had to visit some patients that same afternoon, aud they sciarcely recognised him. Their peculiar actions revealed the change to him. • The other case was that of a man thirty-five old, Hying in the Netherlands. He was one day passing the canal in Rotterdam, when he saw a child struggling in the water. He plunged iii and brought it to land, but it was already dead by the time he had rescued its body. Bending over to try to restore life, he discovered that the child was his own son. The blow, so sudden and unexpected, and coming: upon him when he himself was so much eihauated, turned his hair entirely grey, and left him scarcely recognisable.

f A Greymouth paper says:— '? We sincerely truat that it will be a long time before the Mayor ef th& town thinks it" needful to suppott his dignity by the adoption of gaudy ) trappings siiiimr to thdse worn by the Mayor :& jOh^tckurjcji Jpjf a "recent occasions. X might, have been fairly presumed that in whatever other respects colonists would d^s- 1 j^lay -a laclt of wisdom, they would at leaSt not have perpetuated such pjdria3]}ipn.ed iooi'eries as that q£ allowing a public officer to don a mountebank^ fig like that described by an admiring contemporary as worn by his Worship of Christchurch : — • The robe is composed of purple velvet, with train of eighteen inches, trimmed with ermine, and lined with amber-colored silk, and large open sleeves. The band or collar is made of black velvet edged with handsome gold braid, and four gold stars on breast of same, and attached to the point is the city coat of arms, embroidered in gold and silver, with gold border. The first link of a chain is also appended to the coat of arms, the intention being to add the links of the preceding Mayors. The cap is made of the same velvet, with gold buttons and ermine border.' There were no bells on the cap as far as we can learn."