West Coast Times. MONDAY, MAY 3, 1897.

West Coast Times, Issue 10559, 3 May 1897, Page 2

West Coast Times. MONDAY, MAY 3, 1897.

Although the '* public meeting in the ! TownHalloh Friflay night was sufriciently emphatic as to what should be done towards getting an adequate supply 'of water on to Back Creek, it is nob out o£ place to accentuate the fact that it requires more than spasmodic action on the part of a few whilst the majority of tho people remain apathetic. The people require to be thoroughly aroused so that they, in tiirn, can speak with no uncertain sound to the Premier, who is the member for the district, and to the Government of which ho is the head. THis race would have been comp loteid by now we're the people not so apathetic concerning their best interests. The undertaking promises to be as profitable to the Slate a£ it will be beneficial to the district, and can bear the most critical ingpectioi and examination. Our grievance is that the Government will not evon give it that examination. They content themselves with evasions, in the hope, apparently that in time people will become tired and leave them alone. The long telegram from the Minister of Mines to the Mayor, published in our Saturday's issue, is very much of a case in point. It' says that Mr Wilson, from what he learnt when here, speaks favorably of the proposal, but was not given data as to depth and quality of auriferous dirt. The telegram goes on further arid points to the necessity for careful consideration of the whole question. We fully agree to the necessity for this careful consideration, our Complaint is that it never receives it. It is quite proper for the Minister to point out that the proposals made to Him by iGrimmond' and Party involve an aggrandisement of private individuals with the aid of a Government subsidy. We ;are as fully aware of' it as he is and can only answer his objections by saying that it is a suggestion of the Premier. We would infinitely prefer the Government taking over ' the

whole thing, as .they have. -done - at-Ku-mara, but when this iwas referred to Mr

Seddon he raised objections and suggested a Company should be induced to undertake the work with the aid of a Government subsidy. It is natural the proinoters'gshbulas'eek to make money by selling their rights to ah English" Company, but the opportunity is given them by the Government, who will not undertake the Avork themselves. Every speaker in the Town Hall on Friday would have preferred that the work should be done by the Government, but if they will not do it the next best thin? is that it should be done by a private Company, the advantage to the miners from a subsidy being that it would carry with' it certain regulations and conditions, whilst without a subsidy the Company would be unfettered. Let their be no mistake in the mind of the Minister on this subject. We all want the water brought in because we are confident it would very greatly increase the prosperity of the district and prove of much benefit to the Colony, and we would prefer that the Government organised a water department as at Kunmra'. If they won't do this we must fall back on the next best thing, the construction by a Company, with a Government subsidy as a guarantee that the interests of

the miners shall be protected.

TficT Survey Department invite applications for three co-operative parties (two of eight men each and one of seven men) for the Woodstock-Mahinapua road. It is gratifying to find the men are requested to apply iv parties instead of individually. The Survey office adopted the practice of making the.men ballot in parties some ago aud^fou'nd it worked well. The reason they did' not adhere to it in respect of the first invitation for applications was because a great many men had previously sent in their names as applicants for employment' for this work and it v was feared they would not see the notification in time to form parties. , With ,the extended time ( now given they should have ample , opportunity for forming their parties. Mr Debenham notifies a share is for sale in that well known and profitable sluicing claim— Lemain and Party, Kanieri Forks. It has a constant supply of water. The death is announced of Mr Samuel Beatty, at one time a familiar figure in our streets but lately failing health' lias compelled him to remain at home. Recently he was taken to the hospital where be died on Saturday. The regular convocation of the Westland Pacific Chapter, E.C., will be held ■at the Masonic Hall, Revell street, this evening at 8 o'clock. Alterations in the train services for Wednesday, sth inst, are notified in thia issue. The Charitable Aid Board meet this day at rioon.

The TJ.S.S. Coy have notified their agent here, Mr Bonar, that they have arranged to carry to Napier free of freight up to 100 tons food contributions in aid lof the Hawkes Bay Belief Fund. Local committees wishing to avail themselves, of sending contributions in this forn? should lose no time in communicatin° with Mr Bonar. ** The Westport Times says:— "Mrs S. Black has grown a phenomenal chrysathemum, an "International," the bloom being 26 inches in breadth. The specimen has excited much admiration i amongst lovers of the flower. Unfortiijnately the 'mum bloomed too early for 'the Show." The writer of the foregoing • paragraph) has imaginative faculties more highly cultivated than Rider Haggard's.

Exception is being tak' en in the South to the action of Mr George Wilson, the ;new Inspector Engineer of the Mines De- ( partment, in issuing a circular to the managers of the various gold mines and dredges in {the colony asking them to supply him, owing to the limited time j given him to, .prepare his annual report with particulars o£ their machinery and' processes adopted, and also with plans and dra, wings, of. the plants and workings iTho circular has elicited replies from i most of those persons to whom it was j sent, and the Mines Department is now ,in possession.of a great deal of information which it would not have been able to [ collect without groat trouble and expense. The reports supplied by the mine managers are colourless-r-that is, the prospects of the various properties are not referred to— and the Department; reserves to itself the right of using, whatever portions it considers proper to insert in the annual report. A statement is made in a Southern paper (says the Post) that the Department is ipractically allowing managers to inspect and report upon their own porperties, but this is denied by the authorities, who explain that the reports ottained will not be published as official documents, and that care will be taken to prevent misleading statements to appear in its annual report.

Efforts are being made in Westport to obtain another evening's free eutertainj ment v . The Westpbrt Times" says : tfhe j indefimteness of the statute governing school committee electioias -has resulted in the usual dissatisfaction inJWestport, and ! the Education Board has been petitioned ito declare Monday night's election void. One petition was signed and posted to Nelson. We understand the petitions declared that, although 10.30 was fixed as the time for, closing the poll, it was really closed at 10.25 ; that six householders' in the room before, the doors were closed were refused ballot-papers ;' that more than one person from the same household was permitted to vote; that the returning- officer (tha chairman of the houselolders' meeting) left the polling-booth before the count of the votes was completed, and did not declare the result o£ the poll. One or two other grounds are also set out. This petition' has originated with a number of staiths workmen who were refused ballot-rkpers, as the time for dosing the poll (10.30) had' ■ arrived according to the Chairman's (Mr Oplvin's") watch, but not by- the Town Hail dock and 1 other timepieces. It is understood that a second petition is also beino- prepared for presentation to the Board, alleging disqualification of some .of' the elected members and other irregularities The petitions cannot be' dealt with by the' Board for a month.

The Westport News says:— "The West Coast is to be congratulated on having such an efficient police officer as Inspector Pratt, and since his arrival on the Coast he has placed the police on a sounder footing than it has ever been in the past. His excellent work has been spoken very highly of by several of our contemporaries, and the utmost good feeling exists between himself and the men under his command." Our contemporary appears to have but a limited knowledge of former police inspectors on the West Coast.

The Grey Star has the following : — Auother fatal accideni occurred at German Gully, about three miles fiom Dunganville, last Tuesday afternoon, being the third that has happened during the last nind moiiths. In this instance the victim was a Chinaman called Wi To'ng, wlio was working in a sluicing claim with another celestial named Ah Wun. About 4 in the afternoon <i miner named Copeland was passing the foot of the tail-race when he heard someone calling ,out for help. Going to iihe place where the cries' came from he found the unf qrtjunate man in a stooping position close to the face of the workings with one of his , feet .firmly held by the, pug that hq.d bepii 1 washed around it. fie was then alive ■ and spoke to him. He got assistance ds quickly as possible, but before the poor fellow could be extricated from his, position he was quite, dead, .Owing to the peculiar aversion that the natives of the Flowery Land have of, coming in contact wjth the dead the whole task of removing the body fell to the lot of the small party who went to the rescue. The road ,to the .township being a rough one 1 it was" not' atf enviable undertaking, but I may here • note the European miners ar« always prompt in action when assistance is required. The deceased was thirty-three years of age, a native of Canton, and a married man, leaving a Avife, and a child thirteen years of age to mourn his' loss. A.H inquest was gheld on the body on Thursday at Barnhill's New "fever Hotel before Mr Goldsworthy (acting-cproner.) The jury returned a verdict to the effect that deceased met his death by a quantity of earth falling upon him while working in his claim at German Gully.

Taieri Advocate, November 9th, 1889 says :— " Messrs Gawne & Co., Dunegin, sent us a sample of their Dqnedin-made "Sauce. It is quite equal to ,the imported article, and should sell readily." ,