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Ashburton Guardian, Volume 2, Issue 265, 10 February 1881, Page 2

To Correspondents. Several letters are unavoidably held over, but will have early insertion. Obituary. —Mr. F W. Draper, of the firm of Draper and Charters, Christchurch, died suddenly this morning. Bench and Bar. —The members of the Otago Bar intend to entertain Mr. Justice Williams at dinner on. Tuesday, prior tp his departure for England. Refusing Duty.— The seamen from the steamer Huia, who went out on strike, were charged at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, with refusing duty, and sentenced to three hours’ imprisonment. Prospecting. —A prospecting party has started to search for gold between Taranaki and Waikato. They propose going inland from Mokau or Awakino. The party is headed by a well-known Thames prospector, named,. Barry, and they say they have the permission of the Government.

• An Industry Stifled. —lt is reported in Auckland, that the Waikato Coal Company is about closing, its . mine, in consequence of the uncertainty as to the rates of carriage and terminal charges that the Government propose levying. The company is said to have paid nearly L 2,400 for railway carriage on coals for the last six months.

Gospel Address. —An evangelistic service will be conducted by the Rev. C. Melville Pym in the Town Hall, to-morrow evening. As this meeting is the last of the series, we have no doubt a goodly number will avail themselves of this opportunity of hearing the rev. gentleman, who has rendered himself so popular during his stay among us. The Revenue. —The Wellington correspondent of a contemporary writes :—“I hear that there, are grounds for expecting that the proceeds of the property tax will be considerably better than was supposed likely after the results of the assessment were ascertained. Instead of being some fifty thousand short, as feared, it is now hoped that the deficiency will not be more than twenty-five or thirty. In that case, the receipts from the tax would be two hundred and seventy or two hundred and seventy-five thousand, exclusive of all land tax arrears. Unfortunately, however, as the second instalment of the tax is due on March 22nd, or eight days before the expiration of the financial year, it is not likely that all will be got in soon enough to count in this year’s balance sheet. This may make some difference in the above calculations. The Customs and Railways continue to show a marked and steady improvement, and the revenue generally is looking up well.”