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Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 825, 20 March 1871, Page 2

Our readers would consider themselves aggrieved did we appear on Monday mornings without any telegrams, if any important event had occurred. Ib is not our intention to deprive the public of its usual telegraphic pabulum, but we may mention that the Government in the plenitude of its "wisdom charges double the usual rates for press messages on SiuuUys. We cannot learn the principle upon which this charge is b*ased. The hours during which the wires can be used are limited, and the message costs the Government no more on Sunday thau on any other day. It is simply an arbitrary injustice to the press and to the public, for naturally we curtail our messages as much as possible on that day. But just fancy our being asked to pay double for a message sent from Auckland yesterday week (12th inst.), and only delivered yesterday ! We can understand the delay, having known of its cause some days ago, but it is too bad to charge double price for a message delayed all this time.

The police arrangements in connection with the races were admirable, except with regard to the road between the town and the course. Unfortunately so many persons that ought never to be put outside anything but an old valueless screw, will persist in riding to the course like a lot of maniacs, that the lives and limbs of sober pedestrians are endangered. On Saturday several of these individuals persisted in galloping at full speed along the narrow track, leaving the unfortunate foot passengers to hurry out of the'way, or be — as we saw on one occasion — cannoned off the road down the steep bank. On. future occasions of the \iad it would be wcH tor the police to put » gfcop bo this sorb of thing.

Hokitika is rather noted as a hotbed of political intrigues. We have had a few samples of what can be produced there in this way ; but the plot said to be now in process of incubation is about the best of the kind. We are given to understand that the erudite and lively member for Paroa contemplates resigning the unwonted cares which his contituents in a moment of gushing patriotism forced upon him, and the electors of that district are to be asked to wash some exceedingly dirty linen from Hokitika by returning Mr Richard Reeves of that place. It is expected that if the Paroa electors consent to this humiliation, and Mr Reeves obtain a seat in the Council, the Hon. J. A. Bonar will discover reasons for no longer remaining a member, and that on his resignation Mr Hoos is to be put into the Council by hook or crook. Our informant assures us that this programme has been seriously discussed by certain " thinking men" in Hokitika, and that there is a probability of ics being attempted. What a delightful arrangement to be sure ! We give it this early publicity, as we think it a pity our Parca neighbors should remain in ignorance of the good things their Hokitika friends are providing for them.

We learn that the rather difficult problem that was left to be settled by the County Chairman with respect to the apportionment of the sura voted by the County Council for the honorarium of members received the following solution. The member for Okarito received L 4 5; the members for Paroa and Greymouth received L4O each ; the members for Arahura, Kanieri, and Totara, L 25 each. The Hokitika members received nothing.

The recent rains have had a most beneficial effect on mining operations. At Kanieri LI2OO worth of gold was sold a day or two ago, the result of a recent washing-up.

When will the authorities at Wellington find out that Hokitika is not all Westland, and that Greymouth and it are not a few minutes walk from each other. The latest instance of the sacrifice of public convenience and economy to want of proper knowledge is to be found in a recent change made by the Chief Commissioner of Stamps compelling the local duty-stamp distributors to obtain their supplies from Hokitika. No depositary here is to be allowed a greater stock than LIOO worth— making it quite impossible for him to keep a proper assortment, and the result will be that on many occasions it will be necessary for any one needing a

duty stamp to send to Hokitika for it ! This arrangement will practically prevent small supplies' being kept up-country by storekeepers, who could easily obtain tbier stamps from Greymouth, and all sorts of troublojand inconvenience will be the result. It is to be hoped that this contemplated piece of mismanagement will not be allowed to be carried out. If necessary, representations might be made by the merchants and traders to the Government on the subject.

A miner named Hyndman went underground, at Ross, on Wednesday morning, at about ter. o'clock, to examine some drainagetunnels, and being an unusually long time without making his appearance, hia mates made a search for him, and found him at eight in the evening, groping about in some old workings, vainly endeavoring to find a way out, his candle having been consumed long before.

There will be a compulsory practice meeting of the Volunteer Fire Brigade at eight o'clock this evening at the Fire Brigade Hall.

Our contemporary the , West Coast Times, in continuing its opposition to the proposal to endow the Borough Council of Greymouth with the rents or royalties of the coal reserve, quotes a statement of expenditure on the Grey wharf by the Government, which bears the impress of the authorship of Mr Hoos, the late County Chairman. We shall reply to our contemporary's remarks and erroneous statements to-morrow ; meantime, we give an extract from his article of Saturday for the information of the burgfisses : — "But what we wish more particularly to point out at present are the incomplete, and, therefore incorrect representations made by the Greymouth Council in their correspondence with the General Government on this subject. The Council, in their last circular, challenge a statement made by the late County Chairman as "seriously misleading the Government on points of vital importance,' and at some length they quote from his letter sentences coutaining such opinions or facts as they seek to dispute. The one sentence to which they seem to take special exception is the following :— ' It would not, in my opinion, be a fair arrangement to vest the reserve in the Corporation of Greymouth, as the expenditure within that Borough has been borne by the public funds of the County,' In refutation of that statement, the Borough Council show that they have expended £8667 2s 10d, towards which the County Government contributed £3000. The Council, however, have omitted to state also that, from 1867 to 1868, about £8000 was spent exclusively on the Greymouth wharf ; that in 1868, £3752 were expended on the Hokitika and Grey wharves, about £1800 of which may be placed to the debit of the Grey wharf ; and that during 1869 and 1870, as admitted by the Council themselves, £3000 was expended, making a total of nearly £13,000 paid out of the public funds, against £5600 spent by the Borough Council, it has to be remembered also that a large amount of this was contributed by revenue derivable from the wharf, and that the voluntary contributions of individuals, exclusive of a j grant from, the Maori Commissioner, assisted in maintaing the channel, though intended for the protection of private property, and the benefit of its owners, for which purpose I public expenditure could not be claimed."