The Westport Times TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 1882.

Westport Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1983, 14 March 1882, Page 2

The Westport Times TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 1882.

A man named James Mcßrearty was arrestedon Saturday on a charge of obtaining money under false pretences by means of a valueless cheque, and is now in custody. We learn that the accused " borrowed" a blank cheque from Mr Munro, and got him to till it up for £5. Subsequently Brierly went into Mrs Bardsley's drapery establishment and ordered goods to the value of 17s, in payment for which he gave the £5 cheque, signed "James Johnstone," receiving the change, £4 3s, (which he got rid of before his arrest.) He thou went away, leaving the goods on the counter, and stating that he would call for them later. Upon the cheque being presented at the Bank, the information was given that "James Johnstone" was not known there. Brierly also attempted to swindle Mr Sontgen, but was not successful. Sergeant Barrett recognises Brierly as having been convicted on three previous occasions—twice at Hokitika and once at Reefton—for offences similar to the one he is now charged, Mr C, H. Webb-Bowen, Clerk of Licensing Committees, has been engaged during the past week in holding the Committee meetings for the County, and he has kindly allowed us to extract the following information relating thereto from his books '.-—The Licensing meeting for the District of Wareatea North was held at the Railway Station, Waimangaroa, on the Bth, all members present, Mr Mulligan was appointed Chairman, upon the motion of Sir Blacklock, seconded by Mr Gumming. The Clerk was instructed to apply to the Reading Room Committee asking for the use of their room for holding future meetings of the Licensing Committee. Resolved, on the motion of Mr Wardrope, seconded by Ml' Blacklock—" That each of the members of th/j Licensing Committee receive the fee of one guinea for attendance at Licensing Committee meetings, as travelling expenses." The meeting for Wareatea South was held at Addison's on the 7th inst. Upon the proposition of Mr Tenuant, seconded by air Barclay, Mr Win,

Millikin was appointed Chairman. Resolved on the motion of the Chairman, seconded by Mr Carmody—" That the Clerk apply to the proper quarter for the sum of one guinea for each member of Licensing Committee present at each meeting, for travelling expenses."—The Karamea Committee sat at Mokihinui on the 10th. Messrs Johnson, McHarrig, and Scarlett were present. Mr Scarlett was elected Chairman. The Chairman directed the Clerk that the next meeting of the Committee be held at the Schoolhouse at Karamea. Resolved, on the motion of Mr McHarrie, seconded by Mr Johnson—"That the Clerk apply to the County Treasurer for the sum of £4 for each member for travelling expenses attending the Licensing meeting at Mokihinui." The Clerk was directed to obtain a supply of stationery for the Licensing Committee at Karamea. At each meeting the Clerk was also directed to obtain the necessary books, forms, and copies of the Licensing Act.

The Licensing Act, is local self-govern-ment done to death, as the Borough and County Councils will find when they receive the returns of expenditure incurred in administering the law. Four Committees have voted themselves "expenses," we presume under Section 109 of the Act, which provides for the payment of "the actual cost of the travelling expenses incurred by any member of Licensing Committee or the Clerk thereof in attending any meeting." Whether the payments voted will be allowed in every instance is, of course, quite another thing. As we read the law the Karamea Committee only is entitled to expenses. The foolish manner in which the districts are arranged—a point on which there is complaint all over the colony—is exemplified in the case of the Karamea. One £5 license fee is received from this district, and the expenses of the first meeting will exceed by about £ls. Professor Hugo was not favored with a very large audience on Friday night. At the conclusion of the lecture, he delineated the points of character in several gentlemen by means of hand-writing, style of walking, and physiognomically. The proeedings were highly amusing. With regard to certain doings at Waimangaroa, in which a widow, a Coal Co. 's Manager, and a fence are concerned, and of which a correspondent wrote in these columns the other day, we have received an explanation which puts matters in a different light than that which the letter referred to threw on the matter. We are told that the " lone widow" who is at the bottom of the disagreement resides on the Koranui Company's ground, rent free. She spoke to Mr Ferguson, the Manager, asking if she could enclose a portion of the ground for cultivation. Mr Ferguson stated that he had no objection, provided the fence was not built along further than a stated point—the gable of the applicant's house. The woman seemed satisfied at the time with the qualified permission, but subsequently changed her mind, as the erection of the fence was proceeded with in the direction objected to by Mr Ferguson, and upon being spoken to she gave the Manager to understand, in language the reverse of conciliatory, that she would build the fence where it pleased her. A quantity of the Company's property—wheels, timber, &c. —was then placed on the ground ; but at daybreak on Sunday last some of the lady's male friends went to work and finished the fence, removing the Company's material to allow them to do so, in spite of the warnings of the Managor. The fence then, we are given to understand, blocked up the usual pathway between the Koranui office and the Post Office, and on Monday, 6th inst., Mr Ferguson put on men and cleared away the obstruction. The affair has excited some interest at Waimangaroa, and we publish the above version so as to place readers in possession of both sides of the question, although the attention which the matter has received in print may appear something like making a mountain out of a mole-hill.

Another lease has been applied for at Mokihinui. The particulars are notified elsewhere.

The Koranui Company is inviting tenders for making 100 trucks. The arrangements for the late very successful " Old English Fair," held in Melbourne, were under the direction of Mr Montagu Brown, formerly editor of the Charleston Herald, a gentleman wellknown in New Zealand.

Mr Binns, Inspector of Mines, is on an official visit to Westport. Constable Hobson did not elicit anything further than what has already been published concerning the death of John Adams, at Karamea. The spot where deceased's gold is buried has not been discovered, nor is it likely to be, as Adams stated, when alive, that his treasure was "planted" where the whole of the Karamea would not find it.

The Go-ahead has been chartered by the Westport Coal Company to take a cargo of coal to Port Chalmers.

We have heard a great deal about the versatility of Sir Julius Vogel's genius, but it comes as a surprise to us that he has also tried his hand as a playwright, as will be seen from the following paragraph which we clip from the Newcastle Herald : —"The Queen's Star Dramatic Company re-opon this evening, when an entirely new version, by Sir Julius Vogel, of Miss Braddon's novel, ' Lady Audley's Secret," will be produced." We gravely suspect that Ben Farjeon is the dramatiser, and Sir Julius merely fathered the play. Vogel and Farjeon are old chums. They worked together on an obscure paper at Inglewood, in Victoria, and then transferred the scene of their labors to a more important paper in New Zealand. They aro both great men now in England, Sir Julius as a financier and statesman and Farjeon as an author. The scarcity of water is again being felt by the miners of the Charleston district, as nearly all the dams are run out. However, it is satisfactory to know that before long the water supply will be considerably augmented by the construction of the Argylo tunnel, &c. Until then we must grin and bear it.— Herald.

The facetious Wairarapa correspondent of the Hawke's Bay Herald writes with reference to the singular outrage at Waipawa, by which a young lady was despoiled of tier hair. It will be seen he thinks the hair was cut off by some one in the house. The following is the quotation :—ln the matter of "that 'ere" hair-cutting business I have discovered nothing. But in this question I am like

the sailor's parrot, which could not say much, but was a terror to " think." I do not often find my thinking run on all-fours (as the great parliamentary Wallis would say) with the multitude, but for this once lam in perfect accord with it. The mighty people (the multitude, you know) has made up his mind to this.tune :—" That this hair-cutting—this malignant and diabolical outrage on our common humanity—is due to " the profound concavity of the totality of purely mundane phenomena, distinctly traceable to causes absolutely indigenous to the domicile more particularly affected." I guess this conclusion of the mighty people's is as good as anything the sailor's parrot ever cogitated, and I thoroughly and entirely agree with it. On a recent date, the British brig Von Moltke, of Londonderry, when in the South Atlantic, fell in with the French ship Tage, bound to New Orleans, with distress signals flying. The captain of the Moltke went on board the Frenchman, and found that her captain, first officer, and six men had died of fever, and the remaining men were also ill. The vessel had been drifting about for 60 days in a helpless condition. The first officer and three men from the brig were put on board and took her into Colon.

Fifty-five grain and wool ships are on the berth at Lyttelton at the present time for early despatch to London and other Home ports. Mr Munro, M.H.R., has been in communication with the Minister for Public Works with regard to several public works in this district. The Under-Secre-tary replies that the tender of W. Ferguson and party has been accepted for work at the Argyle Race, and that tenders have been called for the Blackwater bridge. Writing of the Inangahua bridge Mr Knowles says:-—"The necessary survey of site and borings have been completed, and the plans are now in progress." The action taken in these matters is evidently due to the exertions of the member for the district. We learn from Melbourne that " the National Anthem was played in most of the city and suburban churches on Sunday last to commemorate the Queen's escape from assassination. Public meetings are being organised in the city and other towns in the Colony to mark the citizens' loyalty to the Queen, and their pleasure at Her Majesty's deliverance." At St. John's Church, Westport, the National Anthem was played as the closing voluntary, morning and evening, and the Minister referred to the attempt on Her Majesty's life in his discourse. A correspondent asks a southern contemporary : —" Can you inform me if a man can belong to a brass band and be a real earnest Christian ?" To which the editor replies :—" We see no impediment in the way. But if he is a member of a brass band, and is given to practising on his cornet at home, it is an impossibility for the man living next door to be a Christian." In the West Coast Times of the Bth instant, we find an article regarding the "new rush" to Woodstock. Referring to the prospectors' claim, our contemporary's reporter (who had paid a visit to the ground) says :—" At a depth of 54 feet from the surface, they had bottomed on payable wash. The prospect could only be roughly estimated, as there was no appliances to weigh the small quantity of gold obtained. About four grains to the three dishes was the general estimate made by those who saw the prospect taken out and washed. They had gone through 3 or 4 feet of wash and had come on to a large boulder, which took a large charge of dynamite to crack. This disturbed their operations for the afternoon, as they could not get rid of the foul air, caused by the shot. The wash and sample of gold are reported as being exactly similar to that got in the tunnel claims. The sample of gold shown to us, was of a heavy scaly kind, not what would be termed shotty gold, but containing several flatfish pieces, intermixed with a grain or two of coarse dusty gold. The party comprise Hearn, Ansell, Boyd and White, who are not likely to make any exaggerated statement, neither have they any wish to withhold anything respecting the discovery made by them." In his report to the Borough Council, on Wednesday night, the Overseer said : "It would be desirable that the County Council should construct an outlet culvert at the end of Brougham street road into the Orawaiti, to carry off the water out of drain already dug, as in dry weather stands full of stagnant water, and in wet or rainy weather the storm water overflows into the Borough." The matter was ordered to be made the subject of a letter to the County Council. Singing masters are now supplied by the State to the public schools in the Victoria.

The heat at Coonamble lately (the local journal informs us) lias been terrible ; the thermometer ranging at one place in the shade as high as 121 at noon, with scorching hot winds. A man named Killen, employed as groom at the Hibernian Hotel, Coonamble, was affected by sunstroke, which terminated fatally in a few hoars. We have been informed that birds fell dead from the trees, and in town several pigs succumbed to the dreadful heat. At midnight the glass registered 112, though towards morning a light wind from the south made things pleasanter. This has been the hottest weather ever felt in Coonamble even by the oldest inhabitant, and we trust suffering humanity may be spared such another dreadful experience.

With the exception of Victoria, New Zealand takes the lead of all the other Australasian Colonies in the production of gold, The attendance at the Masonic Hall on Saturday night was not sufficiently numerous to warrant Professor Hugo in lecturing, In dismissing those present Mr Hugo referred to a paragraph published in a local papor, but as ho enlarges his remarks in the shape- of a letter which will be found in to-day's Times, there is no necessity to report them. Mr Hugo returned to Reefton by yesterday morning's coach. The English mail may be expected down by the Kennedy to-day about 4 p.m. The tri-weekly coach to Reefton commenced running yesterday. A nasty accident happened in Henley fjireet shortly befcro 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon, whereby a son of the !?• v. Mr Pendray received an ugly cut on the forehead. Mr Eckermann Suisted was driving a spring trap along the street, in

which the injured boy was playing with another school-boy, and when the vehicle was passing the latter pushed (accidentally, perhaps) young Pendray down, one of the wheels striking him on the forehead, inflicting a wound as above stated. Mr Suisted (whose sorrow for the mishap is very marked, but for which he is not at all to blame) at once hurried away to Dr. Thorpe's residence with the sufferer. Wild rumors are current as to an alleged " seizure" by the Custom* Officers of a quantity of brandy said to be imported as vinegar. As is usual under such circumstances, the matter has been greatly exaggerated. We understand that the facts are these : Twelve large cases containing 3G small cases of brandy, were consigned, ex Kennedy, to Mr Jno. Munro, marked " Colonial vinegar." The Customs are not satisfied that duty has been paid upon the contents, and correspondence is now proceeding with Dunedin on this point. Meantime the cases remain in Mr Munro's possession on account of the Customs, pending enquiry.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court James Mcßrearty was charged on the information of John Bardsley (by Alice Bardsley) with obtaining money under false pretences, under circumstances already detailed. Accused confessed his guilt: and he was sentenced to six months imprisonment in Nelson gaol witli hard labor. An accident of a rather serious nature happened on Nelson road, about l| miles from Lyell, on Thursday night. Two men while driving a two-horse dray laden with their effects along the road after dark, fell over the sideling, a distance of seven or eight feet. The men escaped serious hurt, but one of the horses, it is feared, has received mortal injury. The shafts of the dray had to be cut in order to extricate the horses. Luckily the accident happened where it did, as quite near are places where a fall over the bank would mean a drop of several hundred feet into the Buller river.—Times.

The opening of a branch of the Manchester Unity at Lyell took place at the schoolroom on Tuesday last. The ceremony was performed by Prow C. S. Collings, of Reeftou, assisted by P.P.G.M. McKay, of Reef ton, P.D.G.M. Walker, of Westport, P.G. Woodhead, of Charleston, P.G. McLean, of Reef ton, and Bros. Payne, Brown, and Accolino, of Lyell. The new lodge was named the '' Loyal Alpine." Twenty-eight members were initiated, after which the election of officers for the ensuing quarter was proceeded with, resulting as follows :—N. G., Bro. C. Payne; V.G., Bro. E. P. Smyrk ; E.S., Bro. W. Brown ; Warden, Bro. A. F. Harrison ; 1.G., Bro. 'F. Best; 0.G., Bro. E. Carroll; G.M., Pro v. D.G.M. Walker.

The Rev. J. J. Pendray, of the Westport United Methodist Free Church, was on a visit to Reefton last week. Some commotion has been occasioned throughout the Grey Valley in conseqonce of the sudden and mysterious disappearance of a farmer named David Jelly. Diligent search and enquiry since Monday last has failed to reveal any trace of the missing man.

We learn from the Lyell that a good deal of trouble has been occasioned of late in the United Alpine mine through the gradual settling down of the ground in the upper workings. This subsidence was chiefly caused through defective fi.ll-ing-in in the early stages of working the mine, and teaches a lesson which it would be well for other mines to profit by. It is believed that the whole of the ground has now found a secure foundation, and the hands have thus been enabled to fully resume operations.—lnangahua Times. The Premier having neglected to pay his property tax in time, is mulcted in the 10 per cent, penalty. For some time past 33001b5. of butter have been weekly potted in Wellington, (says the correspondent of the Lyttclton Times) by three firms, and sent to Victoria for exportation Home and to China. In the latter place the butter realises a very high price. A peculiar storm was recently experienced at Buln Buln, Australia. A correspondent of the Melbourne Age writes concerning it as follows : —" Every time a few drops of rain fell they turned out to be drops of liquid mud. I went out to saddle my jhorse during a lull—it was just spitting and no more, but in two minutes my saddle was covered witli spots of mud, and up at my residence, where dust is unknown, a billy-full of water caught at a spout was pure puddle." According to the Press, the budget for the current year will show a surplus of fully £IOO,OOO. Of 73 leading jockeys in France, 66 are Englishmen. This shows -what "Mounseer" thinks of the Englishmen as horsemen. At the Dunedin R.M. Court, Hamilton and Willis obtained judgment for £75 against the Union Company for failing to land the Pomeroy troupe from Christchurch in time to perform on the evening advertised. Information from the Happy Valley claim, Merrijigs, (Reefton), reports that the reef has been crossed in the tunnel lately constructed. The stone is sft. thick, containing fine and coarse gold. The sm-face indications of this reef have now been traced for over 100 yards, and it is intended to sink a shaft 100 ft to test the ground. At the Warden's Court, Lyell, an ap-. plication for a prospecting area over Manuka Flat was refused. Applications for several gold-mining leases in the same ground were recommended. This (the Reefton correspondent of the Grey River Argus reports) is a well-known alluvial flat forming a basin in tho bend af the Lyell River above the township, into which gold has been traced from all sides in former years, but which, owing to the great lodgement of water, could not be worked for want of enterprise and capital to. drain it, arid. has i therefore, been allowed to remain untouched for a number of years. Favorable results are anticipated from the attention which is now pointed in this direction. Persons in Reefton affirm that when working up towards the ground in the early days, 3oz. to the set was not an unusual return from a small drive,- but as the ground was ex-, cessively wet and dipping in no fyivihe.l progress could be made, an,d the ground was consequently abandoned, and has remained so till now.

A decision winch is- of considerable interest to Friendly Societies lias b tn given by the English Court of Chancery. It was ruled that the trustees of a Friendly Society could not recover A'oOO lent oji

the security of a promissory note to a person who was not a member, on the ground that by the rules for the Society they are not allowed to lend money to one who was not a member.

The North Otago Times asserts that a couple of thousand domestic servants might with advantage be introduced into the colony during the next two years.

The banks in New Zealand have the custody of deposits amounting to £4,111,235 not bearing interest.