Untitled

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 207, 28 October 1873, Page 5

Our Court reports will be found in our third page. . - V;• A' ':\ Thursday, 30th October, is the day appointed for the nomination of an' Auditor. There are said to be between 500 and 600 Chinese scattered up and down the Nevis district. • Mr Bailey, of Buley T s gully, Bannockburn, was taken into custody, to-day on a charge of lunacy. Oats are now selling at nine shillings per bushel in Cromwell, and are still reported as on the rise. Complaints are made from many quarters that it is getting very difficult to obtain the services of men for labouring work at any price. Mr Fred Clifton and Miss Fanny Sara gave two entertainments on Wednesday and Thursday last in Cromwell. The entertainment laboured under a great drawback in the absence ©i any music to accompany the singing. The town water supply has been stopped twice lately on account of the dust winds. When the wind blows, the race above the boxes lately laid gets silted up, and of course the supply is stopped. The last stoppage began late on Saturday night, and has not yet been remedied. ' that Mr James Taylor has secured fyhe, contract for the repairs to the Gentle Annie bridge. It will be seen by our advertising columns that considerable repairs are also about to be made on a portion of the road between Cromwell and the Annie. Tenders are invited for them. The cow we spoke of lately as having taken to evil courses by roaming about at night° time has been joined bv four or five others Their favourite walk is 'in that portion of the town race above the school fence (they crop off the long grass growing on the banks of the race), and up to, and into Mr Baird's garden. Mr Baird's crop of apricots and peaches is not expected to be very large this season ; and it is doubtful whether the arbour which he has now m course of formation will come up to his expectations. The cows don't appear to care. The Presbyterian Church Committee met on Friday evening to take into consideration the matter of erecting a church building. The matter was pressed upon their immediate attention, in consequence of an offer made them by Mr John Marsh to give a section of land and a donation of ten pounds sterling for the erection of a church. It was resolved to gratefully accept the offer made by Mr Marsh. It was' further resolved that the Secretary write to the Episcopalian Church Committee, offering to unite with them in building a. church for the joint use of the Episcopalian and Presbyterian bodies, and one which might also be used by christian ministers of any denomination who might happen to be visiting or travelliug'through Cromwell. The meeting was then adjourned till an answer.gottid be4»tamed{rbm the-jlpis: oopalian Committed*. .

«3 The rate of carriage from Dunedin to Cromwell is reported at £l4 10s. per ton. The Warden at Queenstown has a pleasant time of it according to all reports. He gets the monotony of his office annually relieved by a trip to the West Coast. If he has any more time to spend soon, we would suggest a trip to the Haast via Lake Wanaka and the Makarora Valley.. It mttst be tiresome always going the same way. There is no show thirty inches deep, let alone thirty feet, by the way we suggest. At the last meeting of the Waste Lands Board in Dunedin, the following business was transacted:—Mr John Fleming applied to purchase section 18, block 111, Cromwell district, being fifty acres on Run No. 245. It was resolved that the land should be advertised and then surveyed.—Mr John Marsh applied to purchase section 1, Wakefield district, held under an agricultural lease. The lease had lapsed three days prior to the application being made to purchase. It was resolved that the land should be sold under the 73rd clause of the Act. The following telegram was sent to his Honor the Superintendent on Friday by the Mayor :—" Loughnan again indiscriminately impounding. Third draft expected to pass through immediately. Corporation beg that immediate stoppage be ordered. Residents exasperated at breach of agreement, and threaten resistance. Somethingmust be done immediately, or owners of stock will suffer heavily.—James Dawkins, Mayor." An answer was received as follows : " Agents for station know nothing of these impoundihgs, but assume that Manager is clearing i run of stray horses and cattle, which, if nume™ i rous, he is bound to do at this season, preparing I for washing and shearing next month.— J. j Log.vjt." ... I There was a meeting of the Cromwell Jockey Club on Friday evening, 24th inst., at which werepresent: MessrsPreshaw(president), Dawkins (vice-president), Jolly (treasurer), Lake, Starkey, Heron, and Pierce. " The business was to consider the programme for the annual meeting. Mr Dawkins proposed, and Mr Preshaw seconded, a motion that the sum of £375 be given as added money for the prizes at the ensuing annual meeting. The motion was lost, however, in favour of an amendment, proposed by Messrs Starkey and Pierce, that the sum of £4OO be given. Messrs Preshaw, Dawkins, Starkey, Cowan, and Wrightson were appointed a programme committee, with instructions to submit a draft programme at a meeting to be held on Friday. 31st inst. A committee was also appointed to draw up a code of rules for the Club, after which the committee adjourned till Friday next. Only about a. dozen of the citizens assembled in the Town-hall on Saturday last, at the time fixed for the nomination of a Councillor for Bridge Ward. Mr Colclough, Town-clerk, acted as Returning Officer. There was only one nomination; that of Mr David A. Jolly, who was proposed bv Mr Isaac Wright, seconded by Mr William Whetter. Mr Jollv was therefore declared duly elected. Mr Jolly briefly thanked the electors for the honour they had conferred upon him. . He regretted very much a little more animation had not been infused into the affair. He would much rather have had to fight for the vacant post in the Council than to gain it so easily, as honours so lightly gained were apt to be lightly esteemed. However, he would always be found doing his duty when in the Council, and, he trusted, in harmony with other Councillors. With a vote of thanks to the Presiding Officer, the proceedings terminated. A mob of cattle (about 150) passed through Cromwell on Sunday on their road to som'? station down country. Two bensts were nearly lost while passing over the Kawarau bridge. The leaders got frightened, and in trying to press back from the centre of the bridge the two were forced through one of the open panels of the railings of the bridge. One fell npon the rocks at the foot of the pier on the south side, and was instaneously killed ; the other fell into the river, and was able, though with much difficulty, to come ashore at Stuart's ferry. The bridge proprietors, we believe, have been intending for some time to render the railing more secure by placing seven or e ; sdit rows of wire along from standard to standard, but have been prevented from doing so on account of the impossibi'ity of procuring the proper kind of wire. _ They have now ordered galvanized feucing wire of the strongest kind for the purpose. The practice of gambling appears to be taking a hold upon a number of our citizens, if we are to judge from the rumours which have been flying about the town for the last week or two. The rumours; especially as regards the amount of the stakes played for, are probably exaggerated, but there can be no doubt they have some foundation in fact, and the names of one I or two prominent citizens are very disagreeably mixed up with them. It will be well that hotelkeepers should remember that they are liable to very heavy fines for allowing anything of this kind in their houses ; and we believe Mr Cassels has signified his intention to prosecute with the utmost rigour any offences of this nature which may become known to him. Whilst the hotelkeeper is fined for allowing cards to be played for money in his house, it may be interesting to the players to know that they have no alternative, if the offence is proved against them, but imprisonment. The offence on their part comes under one of the clauses of the Vagrant Act. °

Mr Burres is taking round a memorial for the signature of the citizens in the matter of narrowing Melmore-street to a width of fiftyseven feet from Mumv-street to Erris-street. The memorial, so far as it has gone, is signerl by about thirty-five persona. The premise's of the memorial are :—lst. That various of our fellowcitizens have occupied for some time past certain portions-of Melmore-terrace. and have made considerable improvements upon the ground so occupied by them. 2nd. That if Melmore-terrace was narrowed to the width of (ifty-seven feet, all the occupied ground would be outside the street, and would in no way interfere with the public convenience. ' 3rd. That we consider no part of Melmore-terrace is in any way suitable for a recreation ground. 4th. That if the terrace was narrowed to the width of fifty -seven feet, and - the part qirt tiff sub-divided into sections, then >,hoae peraoaa now in occupation would bo

able to purchase the ground occupied by them, and would be inclined to considerably improve same. The memorialists therefore pray that the street may narrowed to meet their views. A correspondent of the Wairarapa Standard informs that journal of an intellectual Maori going to a store with some other natives. " While there he saw his friends make some purohases ; also saw some fine clothes he took a fancy to. How to get them without money he was at a loss to know for a short time, but at last he hit upon a plan. He went home to his hut, got his son, took him to the store, showed him the things he wanted, and instructed him how to go to work and remain quiet. After giving all the necessary cautions, he placed him in a sack, took him on his back, carried him to the store, and asked permission to leave his sack until next morning, when he would call early and take it away. The shopman of course said ' All right, put it down there.' So the sack was left. When the shop was shut up, and the shopman was snoring like a porker, the boy came out of the sack, took the articles pointed out by his father, put them into his sack, got in again himself, sewed the sack up again on the inside, and remained quiet. Early the next morning his father came for his sack. The shopman said 'There it is,' so he shouldere.l his sack and cleared out with all the articles he was anxious to possess the day before."