THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1869.

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 579, 2 October 1869, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1869.

A better illustration of the old parable of the Ten Virgins could not be afforded than that given by the members of the Borough Council on Thursday evening. Five were present, aud five were absent. While the absent ones slumbered, or were otherwise engaged, those present, although they did not literally " trim their lamps," "trimmed" their conduct, to improve the occasion, and while " attending to the interests of their constituents," managed to authorise the making up of several roadways in suspicious contiguity to their own properties. An open and barefaced system of "log-rolling" characterised the proceedings. We have seen more mouey voted .away in the Council on the same principle, but in a refined manner, nicely glossed over, so that the secret could not be detected unless; by one who " was in the know ;" but on Thursday evening last the members present cast aside the mask and spoke out plainly, and, although not literally, yet somewhat to this effect : — "If you will vote for making a road to my private residence, I will vote for a road to your brewery. " • « But, " says another, "if I vote for both of your roads, what then?" " O, we'll all vote for widening the roadway in front of your store !" And so the " logrolling" was carried on until tenders were authorised to be called for making up and metalling Arney street, from the Tramway Hotel to Sefton bridge ; for constructing a road from Arney street past Messrs. Strike and Blackmore's brewery, and widening Richmond Quay, from Boundary street to past Johnston street. They were "wise" enough not to consent to Mr Strike's sugges* tion to widen the Quay as far as Arney street at present. The wonder is that they were, and that they did not then order thedecking of the works from Boundary street to Arney street. Asa set-off, we suppose, a footpath was ordered to be made in Hospital street. Seriously speaking, the amount of money involved in these works is trifling compared with the benefits which they will confer, but there is a principle involved in the transaction which ought not to be over-

looked, anil for which we contend. The widening of Richmond Quay can be paid, for OHt of tbo vote of the County Council for completing the protective works ; but where w the money to come from for making Arney, ({reason, and Hospital streets? After the revenue from every conceivable source has been absorbed, the Council will still be in debt at the end of the year over £2000, and surely this is no time for selecting favored localities upon which to expend more mouey. There was no stipulation made in the motions passed on Thursday evening for payment on the deferred principle, as was adopted in the contracts now in course of completion for building the breakwater and finishing the Boundary street clam, and should the tenders bo accepted, the payment will have to be cash. Besides, there are plenty of streets in town that require making as well as the favored ones mentioned, and if the construction of footpaths and dray-roads is to be recommenced, let it be general, so that all the ratepayers may enjoy an equa' benefit. If the Council intend to tlive deeper iuto debt let them do so properly, so that some public benefit may be derived therefrom. No doubt, it will be said that the members for the East Ward ought to have been present to watch over the interests of those who elected them to their present offices ; but it may be retorted that the members who were present ought to have had better taste than to order the construction of works in which they were directly interested, when the half of the Council was absent. The result will be that the discussion will come on when the tenders are opened, and should thej be accepted, a general scramble will take place, each man for his own particular street, local jealousies will be engendered, and much money will be thrown away by the adoption of a system of "pottering" with the streets, and "logrolling" in the Council. The Southern Cross says that when the natives were captured at Ngaruawahia with ammunition and arms, the main body behind went safely by way of Raglan. Mr Gordon, the warder who was on duty in Hokitika Gaol when German Charley escaped, has, after an inquiry into the whole of the circumstances, been dismissed, Mr Stevens, M.H.R., one of the "Cave," and member for Selwyn, Canterbury, has been asked by his constituents to resign his seat. The other day, at Napier, a house belonging to Mr J. M'Dougall was totally destroyed by fire, nothing whatever having been saved. The Virginia claim at Coromandel has yielded nugget specimens surpassing anything obtained at the Thames. The appointment of Harry William Barbour, Esq., to be Receiver of Land Revenue in Westland, vice George Winter, is notified in the New Zealand Gazette. The coming election for the Superintendent is causing great excitement throughout the Province of Auckland. A fire, by which the Tokomairiro flaxmill was destroyed, took place on Tuesday, 21st ult. It appears to have been caused by a spark from the engine falling into one of the bales of the prepared fibre. Yesterday the body of a man was found un one of the shingle beaches up the river near the Twelve-mile. It was brought to Cobden in one of Mr M 'Gill's boats. As it had apparently been a long time in the river, an inquest was held by Mr Warden Revell in the afternoon. Dr Moiice, who had made an examination of the body, stated that he had found no external marks of violence ; the face was much disfigured, having been eaten by rats. The deceased was not identified, and the jury returned a verdict of "found drowned." The Corporation affairs at Cromwell, Otago, are in a dead lock, as the Postmaster refuses to deliver letters addressed to the Town Clerk, saying that he has no authority to do so. The statement made in a private letter, and recently published in a Christchurch paper, to the effect that Sir George Grey with his niece Miss Matthews was about to revisit New Zealand, is confirmed by the Southern Cross, which adds that Sir George will reside at Kawau "for some length of time." The Otago Daily Times learns that Mr G. P. Clifford, who is still in Hobart Town, anticipates leaving that place shortly for Otago, with a supply of trout ova. The Tasmanian Salmon Commissioners have decided to provide 1000 ova for Otago, whilst Canterbury and Southland, whose ova are to be brought over under Mr Clifford's care, are to receive 800 each. Ai. inquiry into the recent fire at Jacobs and Isaacs' store was held in Christchurch on Thursday. There was no evidence as to the origin of the fire. Tauroa, the Chief of the West Coast prisoners, is not amongst those for trial. „He, He has been admitted to give evidence against some of the others. We learn from Wellington that the Ngatiraiokawa dissentients are greatly dissatisfied with the award in the Manawatu case, and declare their intention to return +o the Tokangamatu, where they originally came from. Captain G. J. Finlayson, late master of the brig Anna Maria, trading between Dunedin, and the Chatham Islands, was received iuto the gaol, at Dunedin, on the 22nd ult., sentenced to ten months' imprisonment witli hard labor for Btealing, at Waitangi (Chatham Islands), goods and chattels the property of one Hans Anderson. He had also received an additional sentence of 28 days' imprisonment with hard labor, for escaping from the gaol at Waitangi. The warrant for the prisoner's removal to Dunedin gaol is under the hand and seal of His Excelleucy the Governor. } During the week the following civil cases have been disposed of in the Resident Magistrate's Court :- -Cook and Sampson v. J. Rugg; Claim of Ll2 10s } judgment by default, with costs. Hildebrand and Weber v. J. Rugg : Claim of Lls j no appearance of plaintiffs ; case dismissed. D. M 'Kinty v. Q. Gerrie : Claim of LS 2s 7d ; this was a fraud su~ ruon*; the defendant was ordered

to pay Ll per week, or in default two months' imprisonment. T. Spoor v. P. Crawford : Claim of Lls las ; judgment confessed for LBO. M. Fleming v. Miss Rutherford : Claim of L 7 10s ; case dismissed, with costs. S. Macaulay v. J. M'Gregor: Claim of L2O 1 6s ; j udgmeut for L2O and costs. C. Brockley v. Beiss-jl : Fraud summons for Ll 14s ; defendant ordered to pay 5s per week, or in default one month's imprisonment. I. O'Donnell v. D. Girdwood and Co. : This was a re-hearing of a claim for Lsl 2s ; a set-off was lodged for L 32 12s ; judgment was given by consent for L 25 and cosbs. M. Levy v. Lahey and party : Judgment by default for L 37 2s Gd aud costs. Richard Shannon v. W. C. Shepherd : Claim of Ll4 17s ; judgment for Ll2 17s and costs. With rogard to the forthcoming election for the Superintemlency of Nelson, the Colonist states that the present holder of the office still desires to retain his seat. Mr W. Gibbs, of Totaranui ; Mr William Akersten, of Nelson ; Mr Thomas Dwan, of Charleston ; and, last, and least, Mr J. Poppleton Horn, of Appleby, have severally announced their intention to come forward and appeal to the people for their 1 -suffrages. Mr Horn's notification is supposed to be a joke. It is said that Mr Gibbs has had large promises of support over the bay, and Mr Akersten's friends affirm that in both town and country he has had similar extensive inducements. Mr Dwan's requisition show 3 eighty names. A sitting of the District Court will take place here on Tuesday. The following is the list of business :— James Johnston v. Marks aud Fuerst, Hokitika, claim of £100 damages for breach of contract ; John Skehan, Ahaura, v. John Hamilton, Ahaura, claim of £150 damages for breach of contract. In bankruptcy, applications for final discharge will be made on behalf of Norris Griffiths, Hayden and Rankin, Edward J. Bylnnd, Alex. S. Dryer, Edward Gittoes, Phillip M'Oarthy, William Wright, and Henry Hammett. We have received a sample package of cij>ars manufactured at the Ahaura Township, by Mr C. Harville, who has recently sbarted this new industry there. He imports Victorian grown tobacco in the leaf, and by the difference in duty alone is enabled to produce a superior article at a lower price than imported cigars. We are not surprised to hear that they are rapidly gaining in favor up country, for they are really of excellent quality. Their only fault is their newness, which can be easily overcome in time. We wish Mr Harville every success in his undertaking. , We are informed that Mr F. Guinness, whose appointment to the office of Chief Clerk was cancelled on Thursday evening, has been appointed Warden's Clerk at the Kanieri. Our readers are reminded that the grand Ethiopian Entertainment in aid of the funds of the Greymouth Rifle Corps takes place in i tha Volunteer Hall on Monday evening. The programme is a very attractive one, and the hall is sure to be crowded. The Borough Council has altered its ordinary night of meeting from Thursday to ! Friday. The session of the County Council was expected to terminate last evening. A Prospecting Committee has been appointed in Hokitika by a public meeting. It is not the intention of the committee to send cut paid parties, but they propose to furnish provisions at any given point, no m vtter how far or how difficult of access, at Hokitika prices, taking all the expenses of transport, &c, on themselves. From the Nelson Colonist we learn that a large meeting was held in the Trafalgar Hotel, Nelson, on the night of the 27fch ult., to take measures for equipping and sending out one or more parties to prospect for gold in the likely districts in this part of the province. Efforts to obtain subscriptions for this purpose had been made during the past week, and Messrs Younger and Nehse were enabled to report that they had obtained subscriptions at the rate of £10 8s 6d per week, most of which was promised for three months. This, the meeting agreed, would suffice to send out two prospecting parties, as all that wa» requisite was to provide them with food and other necessaries, no wages being given. A number of experienced miners expressed their readiness to undertake the work on those terms, and a sufficiently equipped party of five will be despatched on Thursday to begin with. A committee of management was appointed. With regard to mining matters in the Alt. Ida district, Otago, the Chronicle says : — No special report has reached us from Clark's during the last week, but we understand that water is plentiful, the races in full work, with anticipated good results. The presei't beautiful weather has already begun to tell upon the water of this district, and complaints are already rife that the supply is falling short. The shortness complained of is on the west side of the Main Gully, but there is reason to fear, unless rain soon falls, that the complaint will soon become general throughout the district. The season is now too far advanced to expect much, if any, more snow, and that on the mountains is fast disappearing. From Kyeburn, we hear that most parties .are doing well, though there have been no late washings-up to report. The Celestials who lately returned to this district have set in in Spec Gully, above Gillespies. There are, we understand, no less than from 60 to 80 now working in this one gully, all of whom appear to be making fair wages. — The Hamilton correspondent of the same journal writes :— The Cornish Company have washed-up at the Shepherd's Hut, and rumor gays they have been well paid for all the labor expended there. Bremmer Brothers are still busy at their Leviathan Dam, and to all appearance will be finished in about a month. I hear that they also are getting good returns from it. Several parties are prospecting around the district, and I fully anticipate being able sopn to report some new ground being opened here.