Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 515, 6 May 1869, Page 2

The case which was heard in the Besident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, and decided yesterday against two of the promoters of the now defunct Lake Brunner Grand Trunk Water-race Company (Limited), and which will be found fully repoi'ted elsewhere, had reference simply to a legal point. The promoter against whom the first action was taken by the official liquidator had paid LlO towards the expenses of the preliminary Eiirvy in order to prove the practicability of

the scheme, on condition that should it be successful he would receive two L5-shares for every L 5 paid. A favorable report was received from the surveyor and manager, the Company was registered, and the defendant's name appeared on the certificate as the holder of foiir shares. Th^e point raised was whether the four paid-up shares were the same as those which appeared on the certificate of registration, and whether the holding out to the public of the inducement to take up, shares, up(Ui the representation thafc certain, parties had already taken them was not a fraud upon the public. The Magistrate held that the directors could grant preference shares to the promoters as they pleased, but all the shares which appeared on the certificate of registration, and were sworn to by the manager of the Company before the Magistrate, were bon&jide shares, and, therefore, the holders of them were liable to pay up the full amount of their calls. Ajl those who wish to become members, of the Qreymouth Gymnasium are requested to send in their names at once to the president, Mr S. Barclay. It is expected that the County Chairman and Mr H. H. Lahinan, M.C.C., will be passengers to Wellington by the s.s, Alhainbra, for the purpose of consulting the Government with regard to the circular recently issued cautioning the Bank of New Zealand not to grant overdrafts or loans to Provincial Governments. It is, said that in cpnsequence of this notice the Bank has. withdrawn the promise to advance the loan to the County, and the mission of the above : named gentlemen will probably be to induce the Government to say that the notice did not apply to the County of Westland, or to take some other steps whereby, under, the exceptional circumstances of the .County, the proposed loan can be obtained for the carrying on of the public w^rks, Mr G. W. Home has resigned his seat in the Nelson Provincial Council, and will not be present during the present session. The Charleston Herald says :-— " Although Mr Hcrne has tendered his resignation, he might yet be induced to withdraw it, and we should be glad to hear that the representations of his admirers and supporters should have induced him to act in a manner which we are satisfied will be in accordance with the wishes of the majority." Yesterday the old Public Works Office, which has for some time past been located near the Fire Brigade Hall, was lifted on to a • truck, and removed to the vicinity of the wharf, where it will be used as an office by Mr Hall, collector of wharfage rates and tonnage dues. The Pakihi crushing plant and ground, Charleston, has been sold by auction for £100. The purchaser was Mr G. W. Jackson. The Revising Officer for Westland, Mr Lee, will hold a court for the revision of the electoral roll for the Westland Boroughs, at the Resident Magistrate's Court, Hokitika, on Monday, the 17th inst. ; and for WestJlanrL JSTurfch n.t. tlip. KpaiMpiTJ; MftgifitiraWg Court-house, Greymouth, on Tlmrsdayjthe 20th inst., at 10 a.m. Cobb's coach left town as usual yesterday morning for the Teremakau, but could not cross the Saltwater in consequence of the flooded state of that river at the fording place. It had consequently to return to town without joining with the coach on the Hokitika side. A private enquiry was held yesterday, before the Resident Magistrate, into the facts connected with the recent disappearance of a clerk in the employ of N. Edwards and Co., aud depositions taken for the purpose o being forwarded along -with a warrant to Victoria. An extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders in the Grey River Steam Tug Company (limited) is to be held at Kilgours Hotel on Saturday, at 4 p.m. The business is to consider the advisability of declaring a dividend. All who are interested in the movement for the establishment o2 a Presbyterian Church in Greymouth are reminded that the meeting for that purpose takes place at Johnstone's Melbourne Hotel, to-morrow evening, at half -past 8 o'clock. In our last we omitted to mention that at the meeting of gentlemen who met the Rev. Mr Gow on Monday evening, and when it was mentioned that the money collected here by the Rev. Mr Froser had not reachsd home, it was resolved to send a letter to that rev. gentleman asking some explanation of this matter. The lette r has since been drawn up, was yesterday signed by a large number of the original subscribers, and will be at orice transmitted to Christchurch. A correspondent writinj from Brighton to the Charleston Herald says : — A most extraordinary mortality amongst our new-born population has prevailed of late, as out of ten "children born in Brighton during the past month only one survives. A very strong feeling exists on the subject, and the last case of infant death was the subject of a coroner's inquest. The evidence disclosed gross carelessness and ignorance, aud although the jury, probably from humane motives, refrained from adding a severe rider to the verdict of " Died from natural causes," no one can doubt that had such a case been in the home country a very different verdict would have followed. It is to be hoped the severe comments made by the Coroner in this case may have the effect of procuring new-born infants a little more care and attention. Since the .closing of our hospital we have been without the services of a medical man, which is a great drawback in any community like ours. Some time ago it was stated to be the intention of a number of the storekeepers and miners up the river to present the late Warden of the district (Mr Lightband) with a testimonial. That intention has now taken a practical shape, and a handsome address has been prepared for presentation, accompanied by a purse of close on 100 sovereigns. As it is not convenient for Mr Lightband to return to the district at the present time, the address and purse will be transmitted to him. It was anticipated thaijthe amount subscribed would have beeu double, but various circumi stances have interfered with this, the prin-

cipal of which is the rush from Nelson Creek, where he was best known, to Napoleon's, and a number of those who promised to collect subscriptions in the outlying districts having neglected their duty. The following is the text of the address :— " To D. W. W. Lightband, Esq., late Warden of the Giey Elver District, Province of Nelson. — We, the undersigned storekeepers and miners^ of the Grey River District, respectfully request your acceptance of the accompanying purse of sovereigns, as a slight testimony of our appreciation of your many and valuable services so long rendered, and of the thorough ability and courtesy displayed by you when acting as Warden of this district." Signed by the Committee of Management. Mr G. Muir, Nelson Creek, was treasurer"; an,d Mr Campbell, Camptown, secretary. The election of a, successor- to Mr G.. S, Sale uj the representation of Hqkitika in the County Council, took place at Hokitika yesterday, with the. following result :— Mr Reeves, 129 ; Mr Cagsius, 120 ; Mr Shaw, 2. This result is likely to give rise to unpleasant complications, as Mr Reeves is at present a contractor under the Government, and there are other objections which need not be mentioned at present, but which are sure to be made when the successful candidate takes his seat. The fortnightly meeting of the Grey River Hospital Committee was held last evening at the Albion Hotel, Mr Lowe in the chair. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The Visiting Committee reported that during the month 10 patients had been admitted, 8 were discharged, and 2 died ; leaving 24 at present in the Hospital. The accounts for the past month, amounting to L 251 14s 10d, were laid on the table and passed. The Visiting Committee appointed for the present month were Messrs Kenrick, Maclean, and Greenwood. Two well-known coal-men yesterday eveniug had a narrow escape for their lives. In a state of drunkenness they made a bet as to who would walk along tha top of the embankment from one set of steps to the other. One was prevented- from starting, but the other started on bis hands and knees from opposite the Royal Hotel to crawl to th c steps opposite Mr Hosie's shop. Every moment he was in danger of losing his life, and once he fell, but luckily inward on the top of the brushwood. When he had reached the end of Boundary street, Mr Colburne, fruiterer, walked along one of the land-ties on to the top of the embankment, and when the drunken man had reached a safe place seized him by the jacket and dragged him down on to the brushwood, and sent him scrambling on to the road, nor doubt saving his life. Such foolliardiness ought to be punished in some way or other. The Westport Separation Committee, in arranging the details of their scheme, have raised the question which was so much debated in Westland during last session of the County Council, namely, the b^st means of -alfictiugLthe County Chairman, so as to ensure the apjjointment of the most efficient person. On this subject the Wnatport Times says : — In the adjoining County of Westland) the Chairman is elected openly by the Council' from amongst their own number. The precedent embodied in the New Provinces Act was adopted in the Westland Act, and although a good deal of objection has been raised to the principle, we confess we cannot see that election by the people at large would tend more to secure efficient administration. We cannot help thinking that, if conscientiously conducted, the election of Chairman by the Council itself offers by far the greatest security for the election of a proper chief officer. It is true that there was much that was objectionable in connection with the election of the Chairman of the Westland Council, tiut that was the fault of individuals and not of the system. Similar struggles for place and power continually occur in much more important bodies, and because some one or two individuals choose to intrigue, that is no reason why the whole system of election should be blamed. What would be gained by popular election ? It is no use disguising the fact, that as a rule in communities like ours men are frequently chosen for public positions, not because of their fitness for the post, but on account either of personal considerations, or of one or other of the many minor reasons which too often regulate elections. The man with the longest purse, who could establish the most numerous agencies, and pander most to the prejudices of the people, would undoubtedly be successful ; but would he be so likely to prove an efficient executive officer as one who, having first undergone the* ordeal of election to the Council can af terwards only arrive at the post of honor by undergoing the crucical test of election by his fellow Councillors ? We think not ; but we do think that a great improvement can be effected upon xhe plan of election adopted by the County, Council of Westland. The groat security against intrigue or cabal can be afforded by the ballot.-