Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 896, 10 June 1871, Page 2

We have not received the results of the Paroa election yesterday, further than at Paroa the votes were— Leach, 87 ; Dungan, 40. The Borough Council met last evening, but we have to hold over a report of the proceedings until our next issue. Jurors summoned under the hand of the sheriff will be excused from • attendance at the District Court on. Monday. This leave does not extend to jurors summoned in civil cases. It is announced in our advertising columns that all accounts against the [County must be sent in to the Department from which the oi'der for the supply was issued on or before the 20th inst., on which, date the accounts for the half-year close. The recent visit of His Excellency the Governor has left a legacy- of disputed accounts which are somewhat of a scandal to the authorities. The other day at Hokitika the County Chairman was summoned for the hire of a carriage ordered by him for the convenience of His Excellency. The plaintiff claimed Lll 10s for two clays use of the vehicle and horses ; Mr Lahrnan had offered one pound for the first and two pounds ten shillings for the second day. The judgment of the Court was in favor of the plaintiff. An action is, we understand, also pending in this district, Mr James Johnstone of the Melbourne Hotel having so far been " left out in the cold" with respect to payment for the dejeuner at the Coal Mine. Some misunderstanding appears to have arisen as to who should pay for the spread on the occasion of the Viceregal visit underground. Mr Warden Whitfoord issued his invitations ■, his Worship the Mayor of Greymouth issued his ; the guests .fared sumptuously, but "mine host "cannot get paid. The aid of Mr Justice Ward will be invoked on Monday to unravel this tangled skein, and fix the liability. In respect to the payment for the personal accommodation of his Excellency and suite, Mr Johnstone has fared no better. Certain arrangements were authorised by the County Chairman, and were carried out to the complete satisfaction of the Governor, but in the item of charge not to that of the County Chairman. A discount of about 40 per cent, was insisted upon by the custodian ot the County purse, which we believe the proprietor of the Melbourne Hotel had to submit to rather than go to law. It is a pity these matters should not have been arranged so as to exclude all possibility of dispute. A case has been brought under our notice that should receive the attention of the Government. In June, 1866, a person in this town obtaiued a warrant of arrest against a debtor, who was duly consigned to the Hokitika Gaol. The detaining creditor paid the maintenance fees for one month, and discharged. Meeting the debtor, who is now in a good position, a few days ago, he asked payment of the debt, when he was informed that it had been paid within a few days of the debtor's incarceration in 1566. Enquiriep were instituted and the gaol books examined, when it appeared that the debtor had been discharged after a day or two's confinement, the debt having been satisfied. The detaining creditor has never received his money, and can get no satisfaction from the gaol authorities. The matter has been referred to the Minister of Justice. The adjourned meeting of the Grey River Hospital Committee was held last evening, at Gilmer's Hotel. Present— Messrs Eevell (chair), Winter, Moss, King, Masters, Strike, Kilgour, Arnott, and Kenrick. The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed, a letter was received from the Secretary of the Red Jack's Benevolent .Fund, enclofing cheque for Lll 11s, being their quarter's subscription. The letter was acknowledged with thanks. The Treasurer reported having received the following subscriptions : — Hamilton and Co., five lists, L 69 ; White and Garth, L 3 10s b'd ; Stevens, LG 10s ; Campbell, L 9 19s ; Hastie, on account, Lll; J. Ryan, L 6 12s; Aiken and M'Gill, L 6 15s Gd ; Marr and Lock, Ll 16s ; Nelson subsidy for July, L 66 15s Id. The following lists have been returned blank :— J. D. Pinkerton ; John Williams, Inangahua; E. Fraser, Ahaura; A. White; I\. Keown, Australasian ; It. E. Gulline, Murray Creek. The list from the Inangahua list was endorsed "that the miners in that district subscribed to the Westport Hospital, and would not do it to the Grey ;" and the explanation from some of the districts is that the claims of the Arahura District Hospital interfere with those of the Greymouth institution. A telegram from the County Chairman was received, stating that the Westland subsidies to the end of March would be up by to-day's coach. As there is still a large number of lists unreturned, it was agreed to advertise the list of holders, and request them to return them at once, as the present Committee retire from office next month. The accounts for the month of May, amounting to Ll!)7 16s 3d, were laid on the table and passed. The Visiting Committee reported that the New Ward had been re-lined, and that the Hospital generally was in a very fair state. The number of patients admitted during the month was 19 ; discharged, 13 ; died, 3 ; remaining in Hospital, 23. It was agreed that the next meeting of the Committee should be held on the 28th inst. At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, before W. H. Revell, Esq., R.M., Samuel Rich, publican, Boundary street, was charged on the information of Henry P. Andrews, Deputy Commissioner of Customs, that on the 24th May last, he was concerned in harboring and being in possession of certain prohibited goods, viz., one box of obscene pictures, contrary to section 163 of the Customs Regulations Act, 185S, whereby the said Samuel Rich had forfeited the sum of LIOO, for which penalty the said Deputy Commissioner of Customs elected to sue. Mr Newton appeared for the complainant, and Mr Perkins for the defence. Mr Newton said the action was brought under the 163 rd clause of the Customs Regulations Act, which provided that any person harboring, keeping, or concealing, prohibited goods shall forfeit treble the amount of the value of the goods, or a penalty of LIOO, at the election of the Deputy Commissioner. The 32nd clause contained a schedule of what was considered prohibited goods, and amongst them A\as included indecent or obscene articles, and the pictures before the Court must be deemed to belong to that list. The extreme penalty provided by the Act was LIOO, but the complainant was not anxious to press for this amount. The Bench had pover to mitigate the penalty to one-fourth, if it thought fit, and he thought that if the charge was admitted that would be a sufficient ground

for asking the Bench to mitigate the penalty. Mr Perkins, on behalf of the defendant, pleaded guilty, and asked that the penalty should bo v mitigated, because the circu instances of the case did not warrant the inffiction of a severe penalty. The pictures were discovered accidentally while the police were executing a search warrant on the defendant's premises, and they were stowed away in a box, and not exposed to the view of any person. *"- The Magistrate said he thought the defendant had acted wisely in admitting the charge. It was impossible to to assess the value of the pictures, as they had no marketable value, beiug prohibited goods, and he had no alternative but to inflict the penalty of LIOO, which would be mitigated to L 25 and costs. The Westland Independent has reduced its dimensions, and is now issued as a penny morning paper. As an instance of the value of land in Otago, we may mention that, some few days ago, a block, containing 11 acres 2 roods, being section 5, block 1, Upper Kaikorai district, was sold by auction at Dunedin for L 1065, or L 92 an acre. The Jioss News states that there is employment there for many| experienced miners on wages, but none but the skilled deepsiukers need look for engagement. The wages are L 3 a week. The Nelson Provincial Council has just abolished the office of Gold Fields' Secretary; but in Otago a different course is supported. A resolution has been passed by the Mining Commission entirely approving "of the policy and advisability of appointing a Gold Fields Secretary as a political head of the Executive Government." A miner, recently working on the South Beach, and now in Australia, writes to a friend in Greymouth, from Gulgong, N.S. W., as follows :—" Previous to our arrival, the diggings were looking very dull, and some thousands had left disgusted. Since then, three new leads have been opened up -the "Happy Valley," the "Coming Event," and the "Three-Mile." There are a fewpayable holes bottomed on all three, but nothing to equal the Black Lead. The prospects vary from 6 grs. to the dish to 1 dwt. 12 grs., and on the whole the field is looking well. But there are more people here than can find claims." The Boss Guardian of Thursday contaius the following items of mining intelligence : — The Morning Star Company expect to be in full working order in about ten days. At present they have only eleven men on a shift. The yield of gold for the quantity of washdirt that they are able to get exceeds anything that they have worked in the claim, and does more than realise their expectations. Although the ground is. not better than what is in the adjoining claims, | yet their appliances for raising and washing the dirt make it pay much better than the old system of whim, bucket, and sluice-box. The company has gone to considerable expense in getting good appliances for working their ground ; and now they find the advantage of them. As soon as the claim is in full working order, we trust to be able to publish the weekly returns. The scarcity of competent miners seems to be a great draw-hack to this place. Ihe cry in all the mining companies is that they cannot get a sufficient number of men. There is at least room for a large number of experienced miners, who can depend on constant employment at the present rate of wages, namely L 3 per week. The Mining Commission of Otago is very determined against the admission of Chinese into the Colony. The following is its recom-jijarxini-wv"- on t.hio -cuhiect : — "That this Commission is ot opinion tuat torTlie Best iuterests of the country, it is desirable that no Chinese shall be permitted to come into this Colony, and with the view of carrying this recommendation to a practical end, the Commission recommend to the'favorable consideration of the Legislature Mie advisability of passing an act to close the auriferous mines of the Colony from being worked by Chinese arriving in the Colony after the passing of the Act." Mr John Frederick Clark, of Auckland, deserves to be held up to the commercial world as a bright and shining example in these mercenary, schedule-fling, deeds of arrangement times: — " Whereas in the mouth of August, 1870, certain of my creditors assented to a certain deed of assignment favorable to me, I have much pleasure in informing the said creditors that, upon presentation of their respective accounts at my office, they will receive the balance of the amounts in full. " A modest plan for bleeding the Southern Provinces has been published in Auckland. It is a plan by Dr Stratford for fortifying the harbor of A uckland, and and Mr M'Lean has ordered it to be copied for the use of the Government. It will suffice to show the nature of Dr Stratford's recommendations when we state that it is proposed to construct several forts, in order to do which, among other things, the North Head is to be excavated, and the crater of Eangitoto is to bo turned into a parade-ground and fitted up with casemates. The guns of the forts are to be 36 in number, of the heaviest calibre (GOOlb or 7001 b being suggested), and to be supplemented by six ''or more" torpedoes, all the works being intimately connected by telegraph. Nothing is said regarding the fortifications of the Manukau or Ivaipara harbors, without which all these stupendous works would be useless, as it is not to be supposed an enemy would attempt to batter down the front door, so to speak, while he could walk in at the back door at his leisure. It appears that the Captain and Officers of the mail steamer Nevada were offended at their names, ;or the occasion of their visit, not being referred to in the toasts or speeches at the Featherston Banquet at Wellington. The health of the President of America was proposed, and, a correspondent says :— "This toast was, of course, inserted in honor of the officers of the Nevada who were present, but strange to say Mr Fitzherbert never alluded to them at all, and of course the duty of replying devolved on the official representative of the President, Captain M'lntyre, the U.S. Consul. It had been originally intended to have given the officers a dejeuner to themselves, but as two could not very well come off on one day, they were invited to the Featherston one ; but so badly were matters arranged that the presence of their ship in harbor or their own presence at table was never even alluded to. Several gentlemen were very indignant that the health of Captain Blsthen was not proposed, and I believe that Captain Rhodes would have supplied the omission on his own responsibility if the chairman had not left the chair immediately the last syllable was uttered by Captain M'lntyre." The practice of advertising, gratis, the stocks of importers of goods, in the form of publishing the consignees' names in the list of shipping manifests, has been put a stop to in Melbourne by a combination of the various newspapers. The writer, " Under the Verandah," in the Melbourne Leader, thus refers to this matter,: — "I must congratulate the conductors of the Melbourne daily press at having effected a clever aud plucky change by leaving out the names of shippers and consignees in the lists of imports aud exports. What possible interest was it to me or to the rest of the public to know that Messrs Brown, Jones, and Robinson, the lolly-pop dealers of Little Lonsdale street, had received per Ann, Captain Blowhard, two cases of Everton's toffy, one of hardbake, two '.

aoxes of Boney's ribs, and half a pound of ratafia biscuits 1 It was a remnant of the lays wLen Melbourne was a petty village, md the arrival of a coaster from Sydney irove the whole population mad with excitement. Publish the experts and imports by ill means, but do not gratuitously puff the transactions of every grocer and linendraper in the Colony ; the real merchant does not require this publicity —the middlemen should not receive it. If they want to advertise, let them pay for the privilege." I The City of Auckland has just been declared a Borough under the Municipal Corporations' Act. The first act of the newlyelected Council was to vote a salary of L 250 to be attached to the office of Mayor. A Taranaki correspondent of the Dunedin Daily Times writes :— I should have mentioned that with these rebels at Mokau, there is a white man living who has adopted their habits. His name is Coburn, and he was formerly ft military settler in Captain Carthew's company. He is a man between 20 and 30 years of age, with light brown hair, and little or no whiskers or Beard. His eyebrows project,: and. his forehead is square and prominent. His complexion is pale, and eyes sunken. The countenance of the man, 1 hear, is repulsive, especially as his cheeks were daubed with a red paint. The natives state that this man incited them to kill the Eev. Mr Whitely. He was with them when Gascoigne and the others were murdered, and when the Rev. Mr Whitely appeared on the scene they were about to leave, but Coburn urged them not. Coburn then fired, and they did the same. This is the native story, but whether true of course is not known ; at any rate, I think it necessary that the authorities should do something to have him arrested, even if they have to pardon some of the natives in doing so. -.. The following is the opinion of- the Otago Gold Fields Commission on the subject of Government aid to water-supply, the Superintendent o£ Ofcago having previously intimated to the Commission that : he was in favor of subsidies to private enterprise rather than of the Government undertaking water works itself :— " That this Commission having taken into consideration the third part of the Immigration and Public Works Act, desire to express their entire concurrence in his Honor's suggestion as one of the means of making the provisions of that part of the Act available in Otago. They, however, desire to suggest that while part of the available means may be well expended in encouraging private enterprise, yet care should be taken that the construction of large works of general advantage may not be imperilled by the dissipation of the funds in many small schemes. They are further of opinion that such a modification of the Act as wo\ild permit part of the funds to be employed in the constiuction of drainage and sludge channels, and other works of utility on the Gold Fields, would be beneficial ; and also that great care should be taken not to interfere to an injurious extent with private enterprise by unduly interfering with same." In some remarks upon the Otago Mining Conference, the Itosn News advocates the abolition of miners' rights and the substitution of a system of rental of claims. Our contemporary says:— "But the subject which seems to be of most importance to the miner — that of tenure of claims — we are not aware of its having been considered. At present the original plan is in foree — of miners pegging-off ground and holding it without any title beyond possession. This has always appeared to be a very unsatisfactory tenure, and one that could easily be improved. We do not see why mining claims cannot be held on rent— the same as other lauds, and the miners' right abolished. Let a unlusr "iieiMiuiuv, t,u uiy a nor- [JieutJ ut ground, and, on giving a description thereof to the Warden, obtain a permit to occupy, on payment ot a fee according to area. The principle might extend to all mining claims, which could, as at present, vary in extent according to such circumstances as now guide a Warden in granting prospecting, extended, and lease claims. . But one rule ought to be observed— that the title should lapse on failure to comply with regulations as to occupancy aud payment of rent. This idea may appear strange to miners accustomed to the old system of miners' rights, but we are convioced there is no greater difficulty in the way of giving titles to mining claims than to other lands, and with it the miners' right and gold duty ought to be abolished." A wooden railway has been uudertakeu for connecting the district of Lake St. John with Quebec. The length of the line will be about 150 miles, of which 26 miles have been completed, at an actual cost of 5000 dollars per mile. The total cost of the whole line from Quebec to Lake St. John, including rolling stock, stations, telegraphs, &<;. (estimated on the usual cost of the 26 miles already constructed), is set down at 1,000,000 dollars. The line will pass through nearly 100 miles of the public domain, on which consideration the Government is expected by the company that have built the first 26 miles to take stock equal to one-half the extension, payable in debentures bearing 6 per cent., to be issued as the work' progresses. As the city of Quebec is also expected to benefit, the council is to be asked to take stock to the amount of 150,000 dollars. The line will open a large tract of good agricultural and heavily timbered land, and will induce rapid settlement. The peculiarity of construction of this line is its cheapness, from the fact that not a particle of iron is used, the whole material being wood. The rails are of maple wood, fastened in notched sleepers with maple wedges ; the wood is obtained on the line, and sawn by machiner. The carriages, springs, wheels, and other parts of the rolling stock are made in Quebec, while the locomotives are imported. The whole distance (150 miles) will be performed in 12 hours, and this railway is the first of the kind undertaken in the dominion. A Select Committee of the Nelson Provincial Council appointed to consider the ques- j tion of opening up the Mount Rochfort Coal Field lias recommended the construction of a railway* under the Public Works Act. The following passage occurs in the report : — The obstacles which have hitherto existed in the way of such a work being undertaken, have been the high, ami your committee are disposed to believe exaggerated estimate formed as to the cost of constructing a sufficiently suitable railway from Mount Rochfort to Westport, and the abseuce of adequate en- | couragement, by guaranteed interest or otherwise, to any compauy of capitalists who might be prepared to undertake that work Bolely, without reference to the general proposal of a railway from Nelson to the West Coast. Your committee consider that a further and close examination of the country, undertaken with a view to the construction of the lighter forms of railway, or wire tramway, now so generally recommended as the works most suitable for similar situations, would result in demonstrating that sufficient 'facilities for the conveyance of coal from the mine to Westport, might be furnished at a much lower cost than that indicated in existing estimates. TJicugh they have no actual evidence before them that such would be the case, they feel justified in coming to that conclusion by their partial knowledge of the situation, and by a comparison of the results in similar situations where the more modern systems of railway construction have been adopted. They are further justified in so doing by the statement contained in Mr Wrigg's report that in the actual construction of the proposed railway, the . discovery of coal in closer proximity to Westport is a highly probable contingency. t