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Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 594, 6 November 1869, Page 2

We believe that a message has been received from the Bishop of Nelson to the effect that the Rev. Mr Watkins will arrive during the ensuing week to take permanent charge of the parish of Greymouth. A meeting of the members of Trinity Church is to be held on Wednesday evening, at eight o'clock, to consider the question of raising the clergyman's stipend, and other business. The polling in the election of two members of the Nelson Provincial Council for the Grey District took place yesterday at Cobden, Ahaura, and Napoleon Hill. The. voting at Cobden was as follows : — MrWilkie, 29 ; Mr Boase, 18; Mr Franklyn, 14; Mr Mackley, 7. The up-country returns are not to hand, so that the result cannot be guessed at. Mr Franklyn suggests that as we have published letters containing strictures on police interfeience in this election, we should inform the public that he has made it a point of honor to be in Greymouth at the time the poll was earned on up-country, on account of the poll being taken at the different police stations, so that his opponents could not say that any undue influence was used by him to secure his election. The Rev. Mr Sheriffs, Presbyterian Minister, will preach twice to-morrow in the Volunteer Hall, Werita street. Tenders are called for the erection of a bridge on the Arnold Road, over the Stillwater Creek. It is notified that Tuesday, being the Prince of Wales birthday, will be observed as a holiday, and all public offices will be closed. For want of a quorum there was no meeting of the Borough Council last night. The meeting was adjourned until to-day at 3 p.m. Sergeant R. White has been appointed gaoler of the new Public Gaol, Greymouth. Tuesday next being a general holiday, a cricket match will be played on the Camp Reserve between the following elevens : — Messrs Lee, Horton, Buggy, M'Dougall, Cochrane, Lyle, Hoare, Fulkner, Wright, and two others. On the other side there will play — Messrs Strike, Paul, Guinness, Peale, Boden, Kent, Kenrick, Hogg, Gleesou, Broadbont, and another. It appears that the old Grey River Coal Mining Company have never paid any rent to the County, according to their lease. Tin Chairman has now determined to push the matter, in order to bring about a better arrangement with the new company, aud should the rent not be paid forthwith, to sell off the available assets of the old company. The directors in Ohristchurch have been communicated with, and the Secretary telegraphs that a meeting will be held to-day to consider the matter. A magisterial enquiry was held on Thursday at Brunnerton by Mr J. Henry Lowe, R.M., touching the death of John Bams, a miner, who was killed in the Brunner co;il mine by a fall of coal from the face on Wednesday last. A jury being appointed, with Mr Wilkie as foreman, aud the usual formalities having been gone through, — Brown deposed that he was working in the mine on November 3rd. We were filling trucks in the second bord in No. 1 incline after firing a shot. The coal came away without warning, and a lump about five cwt. fell on deceased. He never breathed or made any sound. Deceased had sounded the face about half-an-hour previous to the accident, ami said he thought it was safe. I had sounded the face myself,' and thought it safe. I procured assistance, and we removed him. By the Foreman: The size of the drive is 16 feet wide, and v;e were working at 14 feet high ; aU the props had been knocked out eight hours previous to the accident. I consider it was safe to work the face at 14 feet, but not so safe as if it were woi ked in benches. I have worked coal in benches in this mine before ; but it doe.3 not pay so well, becauaa

it makes more slack coal, and by working it on a face we make better coal and get it cheaper. John Kerr : I was in the Hat sheet when I heard Brown call out, I assisted to remove the coal from him, and there was no ! sign of life. By the Foreman :lam a practical miner. I should not like to say whether it was safer to work the coal in benches or on a face. Ido not consider there is any danger in working the coal on a face of 14 feet. This closed the evidence, and a wish being expressed to hear more evidence in connection with the proper working of the mine, Win, Heslin was called, who deposed : I am a miner working in the Brunner mine. ' The seam varies from 14 to 18 feet. The bords are 16 feet wide ; if the whole thickness of coal is taken it should be benched, but we work it as high as 12 feet on a face. Where deceased was working the face was 14 feet high. I consider benching is necessary where the face exceeds 12 feet in height, for the safety of the miners. The miner loses by benching, because there are two cuttings in place of one ; more powder is used, and the coal being brittle mokes more slack by being thrown from the top bench. The feeling of the miners is that it is comparatively safe to work the coal in one " carry" until it reache 8 12 feet in height. A miner to be safe should always have the roof within reach of his pick to sound it, as there is often a " drift 1 ' that may come away without notice. A man can reach about eight feet with his pick. In the old company's time, with Mr Taylor as manager, we always benched it, but we got paid for the coal, small and large, aud it was screened outside. We were paid the same price as now, 4a per ton. The Jury found a verdict of "accidental death," and attached the following rider— -'That a competent inspector or overseer be appointed, whose duty snail be to see that the working of the mine is carried an with safety." The Daily Times states that among the objects recently presented to the Otago Museum are a specimen of the coal which is now being worked by Mr Huteheson at his collieay at Shag Point, and a fine fossil from the shale or indurated clay which forms the roof of the seam. The coal is of first-rate quality, being hard and bright, and looks as well as if it had come from Newcastle; It is reported that all the vacant ground on the Government Reserve at the head of the town is shortly to be leased by the County Chairman. In order to bring in as much money as possible, some of the Government officers' houses are to be placed closer together, and the spare ground leased. In that case one-haJf of the rents will be paid over to the Borough Council. The other morning, Mr Solomons, a general dealer, was found dead in the water under Compton's wharf at Wellington. The jury returned a verdict of found drowned, but that there was no evidence to show how deceased came to his death. The local journal learns from private sources that reefs under the Dunstan range are being prospected, and that in one instance in particular the stone looks well. All holders of publicans' licenses in town which expire before the 2nd March next who wi9h for a renewal of the same, must lodge an application at the Resident Magistrate's office on to-day or on Monday. They will then be forwarded to the County Chairman at Hokitika, who will cause notice of each of these applications to be advertised. They will then be considered by a bench of Justices on the 7th ISeeeinber, when any objection to the granting of these licenses can be made either by the police or the residents. It is distinctly provided by the Act that the holders of license? must be persons of good character, and as licenses have hitherto been held in town by many persons who could scarcely be brought under this category, it is to be hoped that the police, and the citizens will see it to be their duty on the licensing day to watch over their own interests. The shaft at the Brighton lead, alluded to in Wednesday's issue of the West Coast Times, was bottomed yesterday and proved a duffer. It is, however, a good distance off the new line of lead, and, although hopes were entertained that it would strike the gold, yet no disappointment was felt when it proved otherwise The new line, as laid out by the Mining Surveyor, is being sunk upon ; but some little time will necesscirily elapse befoie it Ccin be proved whether the new line is correct or not. An application was yesterday telegraphed to the County Chairman for a prospecting area, by the prospectors of a quartz reef at the Taipo. It was stated that the application had been lodged with Mr Warden Schaw, in whose district the reef was supposed, to exist. We presume the following, from the West Coast Times, refers to the same subject : — An application was made yesterday for a lease of ground containing a quartz reef, situated 15 miles up the Taipo, and altogether about 35 miles from Hokitika. The application was made by Mr Joseph Blake, Mining Surveyor, and Mr Weyinouth Roberts, who have had men prospecting in the above locality for some time back. We have been shown the stone, and gold is plainly discerniMe in it— in the solid quartz— and is quite equal to any yet required in this part o f New Zealand. We are informed by Mr Blake that a well-defined quartz spur two feet thick, and another nine inches thick, both gold bearing, are near the reef, and a also a large reef from twenty to thirty feet wide, are close to the above, but as yet no gold has been discovered in the latter The IF. C. Times of Thursday is responsible for the following :— " On the evening of the 27th instant, a large and influential meeting was held at Goldsborough, to take into consideration the contemplated removal of the Warden from this district. Mr Clarke, M.C.C., was called to the chair. Several resolutions were passed condemnatory of the action taken by the County Chairman as regards the above removal. Mr M'Whirter addressed the meeting to the effect that the present Warden has given general satisfaction to the inhabitants of this district, and that his removal would l»e attended with very serious injury to the nciyhb< N^ooil,' Mr

Beale proposed — ' That the delegated powers be taken from the County Chairman, and placed in the hands of some one better able to fulfil them,' which was carried unanimously, amidst loud cheera. A committee was then formed to get up a petition to be forwarded to liia Excellency the Governor." . The adjourned meeting of the Grey Kiver Hospital Commitee was held on Thursday evening, to resume consideration of the applications for the situations lately advertised. MrE. Greenwood was in the chair. The mass of testimonials and applications was carefully gone through, and, after much consideration, the following were the chosen candidates : — Superintendent of Hospital and Dispenser, Mr J. H. Lowe, at present employed in the Ballarat District Hospital. For this situation there were forty-five applications, but the testimonials of Mr Lowe were of a very first-class description. For the situations of Day Wardsman, and wife to acb aa cook, Mr Eiley and wife, lately employed in the Melbourne Hospital, were chosen. The present night watchman was re-elected. ..._-- We are in receipt of telegrams from Nelson with regard to the result of the election for the Superintendency, which ought to have been to hand in time for our last publication, but were delayed owing to some negligence on the part of the Telegraph Department. Since then papers are to hand per Charles Edward, which gives the following as theresuit, as far as ascertained : —

.L>II£UUVII J Majority for Mr Curtis, 539. The returns are still to come in from two districts. Telegraphic communication between this port and Wanganui is now open, the line having been completed between Wellington aud that place. No less than thirty flax machines have been sold in the Province of Otago within the last four months ; of these, twenty-five were manufactured by Mr William Wilson, of Dunedin. This shows the Otago people rightly encourage local inanufactiires. The monster sweep on the Melbourne Cup is to be drawn at the Cosmopolitan Hotel on Monday evening. Shareholders are requested to pay up on or before to-night. Annother large sweep is to be drawn for tonight at the Wharf Hotel, on the same event, at nine o'clock . A Provincial Art Exhibition is to be held in Christchurch on an early date. The Bnice Standard states that "a very much larger area of oats has been sown this year in the Wakatip district than in previous years. It is found that the growth of tbis cereal is more profitable than wheat." The County Chairman yesterday inspected the track up the river as far as the Racecourse, and found tint it is much obstructed by landslips. This has been its condition after every shower of rain ever siuce it was cut. Mr Hoos has resolved to have a road made further back, where it would be permanent, behind the first ridge, as far up as the Omotumotu Creek. Instructions have been given for the survey, and it is to be hoped that tenders will soon be called for the work. According to a Canterbury paper, ' ' a large number of the imported birds, including chaffinches and sparrows, have taken up their quarters in the trees surrounding Mr Gould's house, Spiingfield Road, Christchurch." A Gazette notice has been issued by the Governor under the Marine Act, 1867, fixing the port charges, harbor-master's fees, fees for licenses, pilotage rates, and lighthouse dues, to be levied at this, as well as the other ports of New Zealand. These charges do not interfere with the wharfage and tonnage dnea now levied by the Borough Council, but they evidently interfere with the right of the " Borough Council to issue licenses to the watermen. The license for a cargo boat is fixed at LI Is, for the master of a cargo boat the same amount, for every waterman's boat Ll Is, and the same amount on every waterman. A number of the Canterbury squatters have lately been directing their attention to finding an outlet for their surplus stock, by preparing large quantities of cured mutton hams for exportation. The first shipment of the article to this port arrived a few days ago from Kaiapoi in the Colleen Bawn, consigned to Messrs Nancarrow, Henderson and Co. We have had the pleasure of testing these hams, and can vouch for the fact that they are of first-rate quality, and ought to command a large sale, not only in town, but more especially iv the mining districts. * At the Resideut Magistrate's Court, on Thursday, before W. H. Kevell, Esq., ft. M., Thomas Moore was fined 10s for having been drunk, arid 40s, or 14 days' imprisonment, for having made use of obscene language in public. Samuel Jones was also fined 10s for having been drunk. A long list of civil cases was got through, of which the following were the only ones of interest :— Leviathan Water Race Company v. Greymouth Gold Mining Company, claim of L 2 per week for nine and a-half week's water; judgment by default, with costs. Greymouth Gold Mining Company v. D Girdwood. — This was a re-hearing of a case recently reported, in which the defendant was sued for calls on shares alleged to be held by him in the company ; judgment was reserved for a week. J. Johnston v. Tew; judgment by default for L 26 12s, and costs-. B. Marks v. J. Johnston ; notice of discontinuance of action had been lodged. Guinness v. Rhodes; judgment by default. A.. Levy v. Conner and party ; a new summons to be served. --Yesterday there was no police business, "

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