THE Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1870.

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 760, 1 December 1870, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1870.

The nomination of candidates for the representation of Greymouth in the County Council takes place to-day at the Court House. The candidates who have been announced are Messrs Lnhman, Payne, Guinness, and Kilgour, so that the electors cannot complain of any want of choice. It is almost idle to speculate upon the result of the contest, as no indications have yet been manifested of any decided public preference of one candidate over another. AH are gentlumen well known to the electors, aud each has at one time or another been connected with the public affairs of the town. Mr Lahtnan, as a representative in the Counui 1 for two years, and who has on several occasions been honored with votes of confidence by his constituents, should have little difficulty iv securing Uis re-election — indeed, it is desirable that at least one of the town members should be experienced in the affairs of the County and in the procedure of public business. Mr Payne ha 3in various capacities been identified with the town of Gieymouth since its existence. He took an active part in the formation of the first Improvement Committee, of which he was for some time secretary, and he rendered valuable assistance in the first establishment and management of the Grey River Hospital. Mr Payne has not hitherto taken a prominent part in poli'ics, but, doubtless, should he be elected, he will devote his accustomed' •activity and energy to the public service. Mr F. Guinness has resided in Greymouth for a considerable time. He has held until lately responsible offices under the County Government, and for a short time was Acting-Town Clerk. His experience of the working of gold fields administration should make him a useful member of the Council, especially when such a subject is under consideration. Mr Kilgour, the present Mayor of Greymouth, is one of the most enterprising and energetic of its citizens. He has been associated with every public undertaking in which the interests of the town and district have been concerned, and has freely aided with his time and money every object calculated to further the welfare of the public. He would bring to the Council an amount of practical knowledge of public works, and of their means of construction and maintenance, that could not fail to be of great benefit and advantage. As none of the candidates have as yet afforded the electors the opportunity of hearing their views on public affairs generally, or of learning the policy thfiy would follow in the Council, we cannot, of course, as yet express any opinion upon the respective merits of the aspirants for the two seats. Judging from what is already well known of each of them the electors may fairly assume that, whoever may be returned, the inteiestsof the town and district will be in good hands. Probably they will be able to make a better selection after the speeches which no doubt will be made at the nomination to-day. We notice that Mr and Mrs Lachlan M'Gowan, who are well known here, intend paying Greymouth a visit, and giving two entertainments in the Volunteer Hall on Saturday and Monday evenings. Pedestrians find a great difference now to what it used to be formerly in travelling to and fro between Rutherglen and the Eightmile (Clifton). Than it was a laborious day's work to go from one place to another; now a party can return the same day without being fatigued. Of course, this great improvement must bo credited to the Marsden I tramway and the tracks marie \>y the Road Board. There is, however, a great necessity of the road being continued from the Eightmile Creek to the township (Clifton) on the hill. The distance is not more than 150 to I 200 yards. There is a private track to it, and now that tolls are to he levied on the Clifton road, it is incumbent on the Board either to purchase this track or make a fresh one, as it would be a great hardship on horsemen to pay tolls on the Government road, and afterwards to pay an additional toll to go so short a distance. If the ascent of the private track be approved of by the Road Board Engineer, undoubtedly let it be purchased at once. To repair the old one would be very doubtful economy, and past

experience has shown that it is very dangerous both to man and boast. It could only be repaired by cutting into the terrace, and the tremendous slips that have already occurred show clearly that the ground is not to be depended on. The population round about the Eight-mile is very much scattered. The bulk of them are, however, to be found ah Maori Creek and the Cock-a-Bulla. There are some very important mining works going on near Card s store, at Liverpool's. They are situated on the terrace on the New River. This seems to be no man's ground, and nothing like justice is being done to it. Correspondents seem to have ignored its existence.

The nomination for the vacant seats in the Paroa lioad Board were made yesterday at noon at Barnhill's store, Paroa, before J p'Oonnor, Esq, Returning Officer, as follows :— Mr T. Colton, proposed by Mr Dowling, seconded by Mr Leach. Mr M. Q'Connor, proposed by Mr T. Colton, seconded by Mr Carreras. Mr H. Ba'nhiil, proposed by Mr J. Dowling, seconded by Mr T. Cclton. Mr R. Stansell, proposed by Kir Gadd, seconded by Mr Carreras. The show of hands gave the following result :— Stansell 10, Barnhill 9, O'Connor 8, and Colton 6. Dowling and Gadd demanded a poll on behalf of Mr Colton. The poll takes place on Thursday, the Bth inst, but the polling-places have not yet been announced. The rush over the Saddle, to the Inangahua district, which, we have frequently asserted as sure to take place this summer, is now setting in quietly and steadily, and has jevery indication of assuming considerable proportions within the next few weeks. ! News concerning the district is eagerlysought for by the diggers at Napoleon, Mosquito, Half-ounce, &c, but we would recommend all to remain where they are until some more definite information is to hand. There is no doubt about the richness of the country, but no one thould go there who has not both time and money to spare. We have authority for saying that the nugget which vvas represented as having been found in some alluvial work ings in the district, weighed lOoz, and was found up the right-hand bt annh of Murray Creek, by a butcher from Napoleon. With regard to the Cement Claim, at Murray's, we saw a letter from the manager yesterday, in which he says that the contract for tho construction of the dam has been let, the work is being done well, and it will hold a large quantity of water. There is now nothing to hinder the machinery being started early next week, and over 100 tons of cement has been got to grass ready to be put through. No extra bands will be required on the claim till after Ohristm as. with the exception of two men to feed the stampers. No change has taken place in the appearance of the cement ; it appears to be as rich as ever. The people of these colonies have been appealed to by the Home News to assist in tho relief of desolated France. We republish. the appeal as it was made, in the hope that it will assist the movements in that direction which are now on foot, both in this town and district :—" Having in view the terrible disaster now devastating Europe, it would seem almost out of place for us to offer any suggestion or opinion of our own. There is, however, a theme that must actuate all men. The sufferings of those who are powciless to protect themselves speak "trumpefc-tongued" to all the civilised world. The war iv France has left many a pleasant home devastated and many a family helpless. On. the banks of the Rhine, in tho pleasaut valleys that lie to the westof it, on the mountain sides of the Vos^es, all over Alsnce and Lorraine, terrible trouble and much wretchedness remain as the results of the war. The people thereabouts are not only deprived of their presoat msans of subsistence, but their seed corn, has been destroyed, The people of Alsace and Lorraine are helpless ; just as helpless as the folk living on the banks of_Australian rivers are after a flood has'swept away We harvest." The people of Eastern France have not only lost their present means of subsistence, but their hope of another harvest. The sick and the wounded would be attended to. We appeal to Australians to assist those who. not being doomed to die, know not where to look for the means to live. Australian journalists will have the chief influence in this matter, and to them we confidently appeal to carry out our simple suggestion for an Australian subcription to assist those who have unwittingly suffered by the war. When those who starved during the cotton famine craved and India clamoured for held, Australia was "to the fore." It remains with Australia to show whether the England of the South shall be behindhand now. The Australians will answer if their leaders call upon them. If ever suffering had a claim it has one in France now. " The nomination for the representation of Paroa district in the County Council took place yesterday at the Paroa Road Board Office, before Harry Kenrick, Esq., Returning Officer. There was a very poor attendance. Mr James Howieson proposed, and Mr James Keith seconded, Don Francisco de las Carreras as a candidate. Mr Hugh Barnhill proposed, and Mr Thomas Colton seconded, Mr John O'Connor. A show of hands was called, with the following result :— Carreras 3. O'Connor 4. Messrs Howieson and Keith demanded a poll on behalf of Mr Carreras. The poll was fixed to take place on Thursday, the Bth instant. The Hokitika nomination took place on Tuesday, when Messrs S. M. South, N. Evans, H. Cassidy, J. Dixon, W. S. Reid, J. White, J. Bonar, and C. Hoos were proposed. On the same day, for the Arahura district, Mr E. Barff, Dr Matthews R. J. Seclrion, and D. Hannan were nominated ; aud for the Kanieri district, Messrs H. L. liobinson, F. Dale, W. M'Lean, and Reynolds. The returns have been received of the shooting of the St. Kilda Artillery in the match with the Greymouth Rifles, which was fired on Saturday, the 19th November. They show that the local company has been victorious by 88 points. The Greymouth Rangers made a total of 412 points, or an average of 41 2-10 per man, while the Sb. Kilda only made a total score of 324. The following is the detailed score made by the St. Kiida Artillery :—

Not the least interesting item in the mail news is the announcement of the intended marriage of the Princess Louise to the Marquis of Lorn Commenting on this the Melbourne Daily Telegraph says :— Since ' the Duke of Gloucester degraded himself by a marriage with an illigitiniate daughter of Sir Edward Walpole, no member of the (Royal Family has been permitted to contract a legal union (illegal unions they have entered upon by the score) with an English man or woman. The indiscretions of the brothers and children of George 111. have l>een visited upon the children of the third and fourth generations. The Royal Marriage Act has always been pleaded as a bar, even jn cases where a mutual affection has been known to exist. We may presume, however,

that it will be no longer necessary for an English Princess to find a German husband or remain in single blessedness. She may now be a respected, and wealthy, and happy English duchess, if she cannot be a poor and contemned foreign princess. And it is a noteworthy fact, as showing the tendencies of the age. that the Duke, whose one son is to wed with Royalty, astonished the world a year or two ago by sending another to a merchant's counting-house A question which comes nearer home is, whether our Princes are to be more restricted in t n eir choice than our Princesses ? Is the Duke of Edinburgh at liberty to choose an Australian or New Zealand bride ! J . And if so, ought, he not to commence the round of the Colonies aa;ain, that the ladies in each might start fair ? We direct attention to the Dramatic Entertainment which is to be given in the Volunteer Hall to-morrow evening by the Greymouth Amateur Dramatic Company, assisted by Miss Lucy Ashton, from Ifolcitika. A new play, " The Mad Beauty," will be produced, which has been written by Mr P. P. Atkinson, expressly for the various j ladies and gentlemen who are going to play. ' The piece has been very ably written, and it will be no fault of the author's should it not prove as successful A3 he deserves. We know that the members of the company have been carefully studying their parts, and rehearsals have been frequent, so that we have cause to believe the entertainment will be a very pleasant one. The farce of " Caught in his own Trap" will follow theplny. At the Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, the following list of civil cases was disposed of;:— B. Jones v. W. M'lvor. Judgment by default for LI los 6d, and costs. — W. M. Cooper v. W. Jones. Judgment for plaintiff for 10s, and 9s costs. — James Cattle v. Rli Hellier. Judgment for plaintiff, LI 14s 6d and costs, to be paid within a fortnight. — Thomas Gourlay v. W. Burton. Judgment by default for L 2, costs. — R. Keown v. William Taylor. Judgment confessed for L 7 3s 8d ; defendant ordered to pay the amount at the rate of 10s per week, or, in default, one month's imprisonment — Mrs Stokes v. — Jones. Claim of L 2 13s 6d. The defendant paid into Court 13s Gd. Judgment was given for the amounfopaid into Court, the plaintiff to pay the costs, 9s. — T. Aldridge v. T. Brown. Judgment by default for LI 18s 6d, and costs. — Glenn Brothers v. T. Brown. Judgment by default for LI 153 10d, aud costs. — Thomas Joyce v. James West. Judgment by default 'for L 2 10s 6d, and costs. - Yesterday, one drunkard was fined the usual amount. The proposition of Mr Julius Yogel to raise on loan for the New Zealand colonies the sum of L 10 ,000,000, to be expended on emigration and public works, has (says the Home News) ' met with a considerable amount of comment from colonists and others in London. A. recent writer on the subject says: — "We are now reaching that stage in the whirligig of time when such Finance Ministers as Mr Yogel become the pets of the populace ; when the foundations are laid for the erection of the deceptive-looking paper edifices which would vanish like a chdteau en Espagne did they not leave the debris of broken champagne bottles, of oyster- shells, empty tins, and rummaged packages to add to the desolation, and tell tli3 sad tale to the then starving spectator of former riot and folly, flow such periods— so well known, so fully described, so marked with disaster- -should be enabled to return as regularly as a pnstnnn calls on well-ordered rounds, is a marvel, but nevertheless a fact. Every symptom shown. in New Zeal md has been frequently seen in other eolonhs. The grand Men., the popular enthusiasm, the return of a House of Representatives pledffed to ihs execution, the unparalleled prosperity— and the micrhty smash !" After referring to the expenditure of millions of Enfflish' money on the conefcruofcioii of Canjulinn railways and the collapse that followed, he proceeds :— "If the scheme of the inance Minister can be carried out, New Zealand will pass from a period of pleasant intoxication to the usual awakening after excesses. But there are two sides to such a financial arrangement. The New Zealand scheme requires a lender as well as a borrower, and the latter party to the contract v* nr>t likely to bo forthcoming. Ten millions sterling for New Zealand as an additional loan ! the very idea is preposterous. Does Mr Yogel suppose that the problem of social advancement can thus be solved ? Does he think that by pouring in people and constructing road? and railways that he can make a nation to shoulder and refund the heavy burden of at once turning a waste into a garden, a swamp into a city? or that new towns are to grow up and people settle as he may map and decree ? The first effect he may reckon on for his ten millions sterling will be to brin? along, like vultures to the carrion, plotters and schemers ; to substitute for honest trade and labor, jobbery and speculation; to inaugurate a system of fraud and lying ; a ' real estate ' inflation and joint-stock mania. Hundreds of thousands will be stolen, millions will be misdirected ; jealousy and strife between the provinces will be inaugurated ; the country will soon be glutted with labor, and the stream will rapidly flow to Australia, California, or the best markets within reach ; and when the balloon collapses there will follow a* period of great prostration, after which a curious traveller may speculate on the ruins of fine roads through the wastes, and wonder that it was never known that the Romans in ancient days had occupied New Zealand. There is one effect even more certain than any of these others— that the result will be a riddance to New Zealand of many of its clever schemers. The most eager advocates of the Finance Minister's projected loan, we feel certain, are those who are preparing to profit by the false prosperity they know it would generate. Town lots, in choice localities, would riao to fabulous prices ; an era of reckless buying and selling: would supervene, and a free indulgence in luxuries would make the fortune of early importers. But these men know also what the end would be ; and whist emptying their breath to waft aloft the commercial bills of the colony, they would be all the time filling their pockets with coin of the realm, and they would be the less hampered in their movements in that their plan of action embraced as its final resiilt their retirement from the colony with their plunder, However despondingly the colonists might sin-i 'Farewell, ye visioned hopen of bliss,' these gentlemen would be far beyond the strains in their pleasant English retreats ; grouseshooting in the autumn, hunting in the winter, figuring in Rotten Row with the budding leaves of spring, and, perhaps, descanting on finance from their places in Parliament to a House whose attention is commanded by those who, in their own success, bave proved their superior aptitude." Such writing may fairly enough claim api ace among the " Ctuonnl Topics" of the month, and we reproduce it for the edit) cation of our New Zealand readers.

SUU yds. Gunner Davis ...43434 Sergt. Wilson ...33332 Gunner Lacey ...22344 Lieut. Watson ...23332 Gunner Beale ...43432 Sergfc. Reid ...24334 Gunner Meacles ...32204 Gunner Seotson ...23233 Lieut. H earns ..20223 Gunner Smith ...00230 yda. 43230 32244 30333 42422 02224 33040 30023 23232 23030 44303 y«le. Tl. 24340-43 42000—35 02023-34 00330—33 30400—33 20020-30 33203-30 30002 30 40332—29 30320-27 Total 324