West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22,1880.

West Coast Times, Issue 3579, 22 September 1880, Page 2

West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1880.

Last evening the Harbor Board adopted a report from the Finance Committee, in which it is proposed to request the various public bodies in the district to accede to the imposition of a small rate, ia order that the Board may be enabled to borrow sufficient money to coidplete the present contract. The amount which the. Board trill require to borrow is £5000, upon which sum the annual charge, far interest seven per cent and sinking fund one p«r cent, will be £400. The value of the property which it is hoped will be included

is this scheme is about £46,982 6s Bd, divided

as follows :— County Council, £17,392 6s 8d ; Hokitika Borough, £20,000 ; Kumara Borough, £5720; and Boss Borough, £3870. It is u&derstood that the Board will not ask for a rate exceeding, say 2d in the £, which, should the various bodies agree to pay it, wil reach the following sums: — County Council 1 £144 183 Bi3; Hokitika Borough, £166 13s 4d; Kumara, £47 13s 4d; and JBosa, £32 ss. When the advantages are considered which the whole district will gain by the increased facilities for shipping business sure to be given by the completion of the harbor works, the contributions üßked for cannot be considered excessive. It is to be hoped that the proposition of the Board will meet with the approval of the districts concerned.

At a committee meeting of the County Council yesterday, Mr Seddon drew attention to the state of neglect in which the new bridge across the Teremakau river at Kumara was left by the persons responsible for it. It appears that this bridge — the cost of which, we believe, was £9000 or £10,000 - by the Counties Act, 1876, was wholly within the Grey County, but an arrangement was made with the Westland County Counci for the proper care of the structure, and the Grey Council were asked to contribute hal f the cost of tbe arrangement entered into for keeping the bridge free from snags and other dangerous obstructions. The Grey Council declined this, and took over the whole control of the bridge for the current year. The structure has been left ever since without attention, and now we are informed that it is *n a state of considerable danger from the accumulation of snags, trees, and debris in and around the piled. As the Counties Act Amendment Act, 1880, gives the Westland Council control over a portion of the bridge) we presume that the present state of matters will be rectified as soon as possible.

It will be seen by notification in another column that a benefit entertainment has been arranged to take place at the Duke of Edinburgh Theatre on Friday Ist of October, in aid of Mr George King, who is perfectly blind in Melbourne. Mr King was for many years a resident on this coast and lost his eyesight whilst engaged as a member of a Fire Brigade. The services of Mr J. Bevan have been secured for the occasion, that gentleman having consented to deliver a lecture on the life and Works of Charles Dickens. We need only refer our readers to the announcement, which shows tbat Mr Bevan has selected a large number of the great novelist's choicest passages, the delivery of which should of itself be sufficient to fill tbe theatre, apart altogether from the charitableness of tbe object. The Mayor will preside aad the Fire Brigade and Volunteer Company will take part in tbe entertainment. A woman named M'Gregor was locked up yesterday afternoon in a deplorable state of drunkenness. She bad, it appeared, broken the windows of a house iv Stafford street. The worst feature of tbe matter is that she had three little children with her, one a baby in arms. These unfortunate little ones had perforce to accompany their wretched mother to the lock-up, where they were yesterday a source of some concern to the police. The Secretary to the School Commissioners has despatched the following letter to the Mayor of Kumara :—": — " The Commissioners have informed the Government of their willingness to consent to the sale of the sections at Kumara held under lease, upon terms not materially differing from those submitted by the deputation from the section holders." It is reported that District Judges Shaw and Hardcastle have been informed that the Government de not longer require their services. At tbe Wellington Hospital enquiry the steward said that during eight months there was no account how 348 bottles of wine and brandy had been consumed. The Kumara Times is indignant that the Grey County Council do not take ordinary precautions to preserve the Teremakau bridge from serious damage. A large tree is said to be now acting as a battering ram, shaking the bridge to its very foundation, The Grey Council is a shocking example of " how not to do it." A correspondent of the New Zealand Tablet, writing from Nelson, says :— The congregation, St. Mary's Roman Catholic, is noticed to increase, slowly it is true, but still perceptibly, and I have heard that during the last five year 3 the Rev. Father Mahoney has received into the church ia and about Nelson from 40 to 50 converts, th e latest being Dr and Mrs Dun: and family* who are likely known to many of your readers; Dr Duff being son of Alex. Duff) D.D., who so distinguished himself in the cause of the Indian missions as to be appointed Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland'

The Borough Council of Kumara have decided to reduce the salary of the Town Clerk to £250 per annum, and to allow him private practice as an engineer.

A large land sale of the famed Waimate Plains on the West Coast of the North Island is announced in to-day's issue, first page. Colored lithographic plans may be seen at the Land Office or at the office of this paper ; and all information may be obtained, together with the necessary forms of application at the Office ef the Waste Lands Board.

A very sad case was brought before the Greymouth Bench on Saturday, by Mr Inspector Feast. The Argus report is as follows :—": — " It appears that a widow named Kent, who had five little children, ranging from seven years dowa to about twelve months, went to reside, some five or six months since, at Barrysville. When the family first went to the rush the little children were well dressed, but latterly their cloths got worn out and there was nothing to replace them. In the meanwhile the children managed to get a living the best way they could, and at night slept with their mother in an old 6ft by Bft tent. The story as tolu in Court, was indeed a pitiable one- Twelve montli9 since tbe family was in good circumstances at the Thames, the father being a mining broker in a good position. Misfortune came upon the family and the father, in a fit of temporary insanity, committed suicide, aud the family was left destitute. The mother and her once happy family came to the West Coast, and then went to the new rush, where the mother

took to drink to banish thought, and the result was that the children were taken in charge by the police and brought up under the Neglected Children's Act and the mother under the Vagrancy Act. After a consultation, their Worships decided to send the children to the Industrial School at Caversham for Bevea years, and the mother, who looked the wreck of a fine woman, to gaol for three months."

The new post-master at Greyoiouth is blessed with the name of Yon Rotter.

A project is on foot in the Otago Institute to have an addres3 prepared, and sent to the veteran naturalist Charles Darwin, incon° gratulation of the coming of age of " the origin of species." The Otago Institute considers that it would be most acceptable if the addresß was sent from all the societies constituting the New Zealand Institute. The Hokitika Literary Society, being a part of the parent institution, has, in consequence, been applied to, among others, to assist in. the proposal. The President of the local society has forwarded the letter received, for the consideration of the Committee. As a copy of the proposed address will not likely be to hand before next meeting, members will be enabled to say whether they will fall in with the suggestion, iv its entirely or not.

It is reported in an American journal that a Btalliou called Morgan BUck Hawk ia still living at Milton, Delaware, thirty-seven years old, and that a number of his colts near by are over twenty-five years old .