Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 866, 6 May 1871, Page 2

A printer's error in our leading article of yesterday, made the first sentence read ridiculously vague. It consisted in the omission of the word "and," and the substitution of the hyphon ( — ) before the words • ' either roads or railroads." The sentence was intended to introduce a description of the difference in character between wator works for Gold Fields, and roads or railways. We are without our usual files per tha Christchurch overland mail, through delays occasioned by the heavy rains. The telegraph communication between this place and Nelson was also suspended yesterday. The following additional Australian news by the Tararua is to hand :— The Hon. C. G. Duffy met with a serious accident by a fall from his horse. He sprained the lower part of his back. The late Colonial Secretary of New South Wales is endeavoring to obtain a subsidy of LBOOO to LIO.OOO towards Hall's Californian line. A Bank teller at Tamworth named Robertson h.as been sentenced to four years' penal servitude for embezzlement. At Adelaide a considerable quantity of wheat has been contributed to the French Relief fund. A crushing of quartz fmm a claim in Tasmania averaged 3oz 2dwt 12dwt to the ton. The adjourned annual sitting of the Licensing Bench ought to have taken place yesterday, but owing to the non-appearance of any Justices of the Peace, the meeting lapsed. The Justices give as a reason that they received no notice to attend, but surely the two Justices who were on the bench when the meeting was adjourned might have been in attendance. There were five applications for licenses to be heard, and instead of beinqj dealt with in open court, as they should have been, in order that the police might report upon them, we suppose they will simply be sent down to the County Chairman, and, as a matter form, granted, upon receipt of the money. The letter published yesterday from Mr M. Dowling, South Beach, relating to the non-attendance of Mr Cooper, District Surveyor, at a meeting of the South Beach miners on Thursday, for the purpose of coming to an understanding on the subject of agricultural leases, was unfair towards Mr Cooper. The facts are that in reply to a written request from the Paroa Road Board, Mr Cooper sent the following letter:— "Survey Office, Greymouth, May 3, 1871— In reply to your letter, No. and date as per margin, I have the honor to inform you that I will give the matter therein referred to my most careful consideration, and that lam , prepared to meet any members of the Board, and any signers of the petition, upon the ground at 10 a.m. to-morrow, if the weather 1 should be fine, or if otherwise, the first fine day thereafter, to afford an [opportunity of examining fully linto the question. I shall feel obliged if you will appiise the members of the Board, and as many of the signers of the petition as you conveniently can, of my desire to meet them as above." Mr Cooper did not attend on Thursday on account of the inclement weather, but he proceeded to the South Beach lead yesterday, and we are informed arrived at the following arrangements : — Agricultural leases to be granted, but any miner to have the right to enter on the ground at any time on proving to the satisfaction of the Warden that it is payably auriferous. The compensation to be paid in such case to be the value of the standing crop, if any, and the value of the clearing up to LlO per acre — if no clearing is done no compensation to be paid. These conditions are fair enough to all parties, and

any objections to them can only proceed from a selfish dog-in-the-manger policy, which we trust the miners will not largely Bhare in. It is quite as necessary to secure permanent agricultural settlement as any other branch of industry, and we regard agricultural leases on Gold Fields as the greatest boon to those miners who wish to make a home in the country. We would advise Mr Dowling to embrace more liberal ideas than he seems to have evinced on this matter. A meeting of the parishioners of the Trinity Church was held in the church last night, the Key. G. T. N. Watking in the chair. There was a very poor attendance, considering the importance of the subject the meeting was called to consider. Mr Revell, as one of the churchwardens, made a statement of the financial condition of the church, and asked the parishioners to assist the churchwardens and vestry in devising some means for clearing off the debt. He said that the crisis was really serious, that nothingshort of a combined effort would meet the difficulty, and unless some scheme was devised for meeting the liabilities, he would be compelled to resign his position. In consequence of the paucity of attendance, the proceedings became somewhat desultory, and nothing definite was arrived at, and the meeting was adjourned until Monday evening at the Masonic Hall. We would suggest that as the extension of the Church and its necessary accompaniment, additional fittings, was decided on by a meeting of the parishioners, it is rather unfair that so little interest should be taken by the congregation in the results of their decision. The Church is largely in debt, and it will require a strong effort to raise the means to defray it. The Hon. Mr Sewell has not yet left Westland. He is expected to sail for Wellington in the Alhanibra. We have been furnished with a return of the business transacted at the District Court, Resident Magistrates' Courts, and Wardens' Courts for the Gi-eymouth districts during the quarter ended the 31st March, 1871. In the District Court one civil case was heard, and 19 cases under the Bankruptcy Act, viz., eight declarations of insolvency, nine debtors' petitions, one creditor's petition, and one assignment. There were no criminal cases. The fees in the District Court for the period amounted to L 39 12s 6d. In the Resident Magistrates' Courts the following business was transacted : — Greyraouth, 232 civil and 133 criminal cases ; Clifton, 17 civil and four criminal cases j Maori Gully, nine civil and no criminal oases. The fees of the Resident Magistrates' Courts amounted to L 302 14s. In the Warden's Court, Greymouth, 11 cases were heard, and the Bold Fields revenue for the district amounted to L 1451 10s, of which L4O was received from spirit licenses. The Registrar of births, deaths, marriages, registered 39 births, 14 deaths, and 11 marriages. During the quarter 210 head of cattle, 1137 sheep, and 99 pigs were slaughtered at the licensed abattoirs^ The West Coast Times suggests that Westland should invite the Nelson West Coast Gold Fields to co-operate " in annexing that part to the County, inasmuch as the interests and advantages to be gained by each are identical." It commenced to rain at the Ahaura and the mining districts on Tuesday, about midnight, and continued with scarcely any intermission during Wednesday and the following night. It ceased on Thursday about six o'clock p. m. The Ahauia river rose ten feet in three hours on Wednesday night. The Grey did not rise so rapidly. All traffic was stopped, but the rain has had the good effect of filling all the dams and waterraces in the mining districts, and the benefits arising from this much-needed supply of water will soon be apparent. The Waimea correspondent of the West Coast Times reports an extraordinarily narrow escape from serious injury which occurred to a man named Nelson, on Toker's Terrace, last week. Close to where he lives there Is a shaft 43ft deep, covered over at the top with sticks and branches. Nelson, while carelessly walking along at about nine o'clock one morning stepped on to these sticks and branches, which immediately gave way under hi 3 weight, and he fell to the bottom. Some miners near, seeing the sudden fall, ran to his assistance, and by means of a rope hauled Nelson to the surface. He was at that time quite unconscious of what had happened, and was put to bed, when it was ascertained that no bones were broken nor any wounds caused, and in about two or three hours he was able to walk about and proceed to the Waimea. With the exception of feeling very stiff for two or three days, no ill effect was felt, and the man is as well now as ever he was. Such a miraculous escape can only be accounted for by the fact of the bushes scraping the sides of the shaft all the way to the bottom, and thus letting Nelson down in a comparatively easy manner. Several alterations have recently been made in the localisation of the Nelson police force in the Grey Valley District. Constable William Clarke has taken charge of the Half Ounce and Napoleon Districts, including Duffer's, Noble's, and the Upper Grey, vice Jeffries, who has taken charge of No Town, including Upper Red Jack's and the Lake Brunner Districts. Senior-Ser-geant Goodall and Constable Dorris remain in the Ahaura District, and Constable Edwards succeeds Constable Clarke at Cobden. Senior-Constable M'Myn continues in charge of Camptown and Nelson Creek, and as clerk to the Warden's and Resident Magistrate's Courts at Camptown. Constable Michael O'Meara, recently stationed at Camptown and Napoleon, has resigned, with an inten tion of paying a visit to the old country. Constable O'Meara was an efficient and energetic public officer, and he leaves the force and the district with the good wishes for his future welfare of a large circle of friends. The vacancy caused by Constable O'Meara's resignation will not be filled up at present. According to a return published in the Nelson Government Gazette, the Customs revenue collected at the Port of Westport during the quarter ended the 31st March, 1871, was just about one-half that received at the port of Nelson— the amounts being L 4242 and L 8457 respectively. This speaks well for the Buller district. The difference in the habits of the populations of the two districts is not so complimentary : the duties on spirits at Nelson being L 1992, and at Westport L 1721 The consumption of spirits in the whole of the Northern portion of Nelson being only about one-fourth of the whole consumption of dutiable goods, whilst in the Buller district it was more than half. The following appears in the West Coast Times of yesterday :— We understand a special meetiug was convened and' held at the Town Hall yesterday, at which there were present the Hon. J. A. Bonar, Messrs Evans, Cassius, Roberts, Macfarlane, Foster, Stronach, Harvey, Button, White, Clarke, and Klein. The object of the meeting was that a deputation should be formed to wait upon the Hon. Mr Sewell, the Minister of Justice, at present a visitor in Hokitika, to represent the desirability of Government aid to water schemes for mining purposes on the Coast. A public meeting woul i have been held had there been time and opportunity for so doing, but we believe some resolutions were arrived at, that a deputation will wait upon the Hon. Mr Sewell this day to ascertain his views upon the matter, which is at the present time of such serious importance

to the miners located on the West Coast, and the capitalists who have hitherto been the means instrumentally of providing a supply of water for mining purposes. It was agreed that the deputation should wait upon the honorable gentleman this day, but we have not loarned the names of the members who are to comprise the deputation. A number of men have been put on to repair the track from, No Town to the Twelve-mile landing, tfrthe disgraceful condition of which we drew attention in a recent issue. The worst parts of the Napoleon track have also partially been repaired. Notwithstanding the fact that the attention of the authorities has repeatedly been drawn to the subject, ths track through the bed of Duffers and Half-Ounce Creeks is becoming more dangerous every day. from fallen timber and other obstructions. The laxity of the authorities in the matter is the more to be cspsured because the impediments to the traffic existing in those creeks have been caused through the malicious willfulness and gross carelessness of parties, who are well known to accommodate and indirectly benefit themselves. At the last sitting of the Court at Camptown, Mr Warden Whitefoord mulct a party of miners in heavy damages for the same offence at Nelson Creek, and the Warden stated at the same time that he would severely punish such conduct for the future. Some contracts for making tracks in the Okarito district have been let, payment to be in land. The contracts accepted were as follows;— "M'Gloin, and Douglas, for the construction of sections 1 and 2 of the track from Bruce Bay to the Haast, payment to be given in land. Section 1, fifteen miles in length, will cost LSOO, and section 2, twentytwo miles in length, L 880." Two boatmen had a narrow escape at Hokilika during the recent flood. They left the steps to proceei to the South Spit, but they evidently had not calculated on the current which they wouldmeet, and rowed down close to che south bank. It was no doubt their intention to set sail to proceed up the lagoon, but before they could accomplish that object they were driven to the necessity of beaching their boat at the extreme end of the South Spit, to prevent going out to sea. It may be mentioned that James Teer, one of the occupants of the boat, was one of the survivors from the wreck of the ship General Grant. The Canterbury Press mentions the death of a boy four years old at Mount Grey Downs, from profuse inflammation arising from a scratch on the heel, caused by wearing a new boot. The heavy rain of the last few days have caused more damage in Hokitika than here. The Wf-st Coast Times state that on Wednesday a sudden fresh set in during the morning, which increased in volume and velocity up to tide time at night. The water in the river five hours before the time of tide was exactly as high as at full tide on Sunday, and gradually increased until night, when it reached nearly the top of the wharf, flooding that portion of Gibson's Quay opposite the Custom House, and the lower-level lying portions of the town, viz., Hamilton and other streets, but not to such an extent as to cause any damage. The Fitzherbert-sfcreet drain was full to overflowing, and it seemed very doubtful whether the box culvert on Gibson's Quay would not take its departure, the sides of it for a considerable distance being left bare. The floods carried away the fence of the race-course and a portioa of the grand stand, which we learn is not lost, but secured by Mr Hearn, and safely fastened alongside the bank near Islay Hotel. The powder magazine, which, no doubt, v/as placed in such a position as to be without the boundary of the township, on a small island, or rather shingle bed of the river, was carried awtty with its contents —some £200 worth of powder— the channel formed by the storm water across the bank, undermining it. There is no definite information as to its disappearance, nor the hour, but it was gone and with it its contents. The most disastrous and lamentable result of the flood in the river is that which caused a very great pecuniary loss to Mr John Walker, who had placed a number of sheep, some 140, on the middle bank, being unable to cross them to the south side after landing them from the punt. They were left there, and the fresh coming down they stuck to the only spot uncovered by water, until the constant tramping must have carried the bank away, and away went with it some forty or fifty of the sheep. The remainder were discovered to be on the island late on Thursday, but whether they would survive the night or not was a matter of doubt. The punt which broke adrift whilst conveying them across is safely secured, and has weathered out the fresh, and at tide-time was reported to be perfectly safe. It was recently mentioned that Mr Caspar, late of Dunedin, had been arrested in France and lodged in gaol for supplying boots to the army with paper soles. The London Times, 15th February, makes the following explanation respecting Mr Caspar .and the French Government: — "It was stated by some of our contemporaries that Mr Caspar had been arrested, at Lille, on the charge of having fraudulently sold to the French Government shoes with paper soles, to the grevious injury of the armies in the field. Mr Casper's solicitors ask us to state that immediately on his arrest he communicated with them, and they were euabled to lay before the Procureur de la Republique and the Judge d'lnstruction, and through them before the political and military authorities, conclusive testimony that no blame attached to their client, and he was released without a moment's delay, after the documents which they submitted had been inspected and verified, the authorities also expressing their regret at the inconvenience he had meanwhile sustained, and the Government continued their business relations with him as though nothing of the kind had happened."