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Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 916, 4 July 1871, Page 2

We have to remind the members of the Masonic fraternity that the Greymouth Lodge will be opened this afternoon, at three o'clock, when the officers for the ensuing year will bo installed. Brother Lazar will be present, and conduct the ceremony, assisted by Brothers Moss and Ancber. All the brethren are requested to be present. A banquet will be given in the evening, and tickets can be had from any of the committed. '!"!)•■ half-yearly meeting of the Greymouth \ ohuitLcr Fire Brigade was held last evening. Present— Captain Amos (in the chair; and twenty members. The half-yearly balance-sheet was presented, which showed receipts to the amount of L 415 16a 9d, which included an acceptance of LSO, given by the officers to cover deficiencies. The expenditure for the same period was L 413 11s Id,

the principal items of which were — new buildings, L 124; watchman's salary, L 99 Ss ; hose-reel and ladders, L 65 19s 9d ; hook and ladder carriage, L 52 10s. The report was duly received and adopted. A vote of thau&s wf 9 passed to Messrs Greenwood and Hardwick, for tbeir services as auditors. Letters were received from the Greymouth Brass Baud, asking for the patronage of the Brigade on the ISth July ; and from Mr Maxwell, inviting the Brigade to a celebration of the anniversary of American Independence. It was decided that the request of the Band be cordially granted, and Mr Maxwell's invitation be accepted. Mr P. Purcell was appointed to the "Fire Company." It was decided to fence in the Brigade allotment with an iron fence. A resolution was passed calling the attention of the Borough Council to the necessity of inspecting the heating apparatus of Spoor's baths, where a narrow escape from fire occurred on Sunday morning. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Greenwood, that efforts be made by the Borough Council to [obtain larger powers for dealing with dengerous chimneys and fire-places. One new member was elected, and the meeting closed. It should not be omitted that the expenses of the Brigade banquet come out of the "Members' Fund," which is made up of subscriptions and fines. The receipts from these sources during the half-year were L 67 Ss 6d, and the expenditure L 35, leaviug a credit to the fund of L 32 Ss Cd. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, Cobden, yesterday, before Caleb Whitefoord, Esq., E.M., Thomas Smith was charged with maliciously maiming two horses, the property of Antonio Lardi, of Antonio's Flat. This charge was previously heard, and the prisoner discharged, but since then the police have obtained fresh evidence, and the prisoner was again arrested. He was remanded to the Ahaura, there to be brought up on Saturday. According to a recent letter from Okarito, published by the West Coast Times, there are no new . discoveries in that district to make mention of. The prospectors can get gold almost anywhere in the back country, but nothing payable as yet. Leahey and. party have just finished washing up and obtained 200oz of gold, the result of twentytwo weeks' work for five men. This is about one of the best claims on the FiveMile Beach. A public meeting of the electors of the Borough, convened by Mr F. Guinness, was held in the Town Hall last night. Owing to the inclemancy of the weather, there was a small attendance. Mr W. S. Smith was called upon to take the chair, and introduced the business. Mr Sheedy moved—" That in consequence of the limited attendance the meeting adjourn until Thursday evening, at the same time and place." Mr Cox seconded the motion. Mr Guinness explained that he was entirely in the hands of those present ; he was ready to address them, or he would postpone his remarks until Thursday. It was of little importance to him personally, but it was of considerable importance to the residents that they should explain ta him what they considered should be carried out at the next meeting of the County Council for the interests of the Borough. The motion was put and carried, and the meeting adjourned. Sickness is reported to be very prevalent among the Upper Waikato King natives, and a number of deaths have taken place. According to the Bruce Standard, pheasants are becoming numerous in the Tokomairiro district, though, theiju^ttfritfSr'uir of hawks "everywhere to be seen." A crusade against goats has been made by three valiant inhabitants at Clyde, the result being that eleven have been slain, and an unknown number wounded. According to the Dunstan Times "no public body ever said so much and did so little as the late Mining Commission." Several outx-ages have occurred at Fiji. One, which took place at Levuka, was caused by a number of Chinamen, who attempted to stab a European, and being afterwards reinforced by one of their countrymen armed with a revolver, paraded the beach for a time, though they abstained from further violence. In a table published in the New Zealand Gazette of June 24, showing approximately the population of the colony, as ascertained by the last census, we find the following totals of increase, as compared with the returns of December, 1567 : —Auckland, 14,014, or 29.00 per cent. ; Otago (as before union with Southland), 12,001, or 24. 70 per cent. ; Taranaki, 121, or 9.25 per cent. ; Hawke's Bay, 776, or 14.68 per cent.; Marlborough, 868, or 19. 76 per cent. ; Canterbury 8468, or 22.09 per cent; Southland (before union with Otago), 826, or 10.36 per cent. In the following divisions of the colony the populations have decreased. The figures are :- -Nelson, 1376, or 5.77 percent ; Westland, 176, or 1.13 per cent ; Chatham Islands 51, or 27.71 per cent. The total difference in the population of the colony shows an increase since December, 1867, of 37,499, or 17.14 percent. The following further particulars as to the survey of the Ross and Hokitika road are given by the Guardian of Saturday : — " The line has been marked off in sections of not more than five chains in each section, levels taken, and level pegs driven in a short interval during the length, and which has also been chained. The total length of the read from the Totara road — nearly beyond the Victoria Steam Mills— is fourteen miles and a half. The road will pass through undulating country, a great portion of which is almost a dead level, and more than one-half of the land along the line is sound, fairly timbered, apparently of first-rate quality, and with fine creeks running through it at about intervals of two miles. There are no engineering difficulties of any sort in the construction of the road, and gravel can be obtained in unlimited quantities from all the terraces." Mr C. E. Haughton, M.H.R., has been delivering a lecture in Dunedin, on "flow We are Governed," in the course of which he gave the following humorous reminiscence of the Maori members :■— " The Maori representation in the Assembly — a comparatively new institution — in his opinion, although it might be just theoretically, was practically a great mistake. The representation was confined exclusively to the Maori race, and they had, consequently, men sent into the House who were unable to speak or understand the language in which the business was carried on j and who voted pretty much as they were told by the Ministry of the day. One of the Maori representatives was a great chieftain named Mete Kingi, of whom they had doubtless heard. That hon. gentleman had very peculiar notions of the functions of a legislator, and had a number of weaknesses altogether beyond political weaknesses. For instance, he had a habit of walking away with the soap and hair brushes belonging to the Lavatory. (Laughter.) He (Mr Haughion) met that hon. gentlemen one day on the beach at Wellington with a hair brush sticking out of hiß pocket. (Continued laughter.) That hon member also had a weakness which was unfortunately not confined to the Maori race— that of borrowing half-crowns and never repaying them. Mete Kingi very soon found out that the best time to borrow half-crowns was just before a division ; and he (Mr Haughton) was sorry to say that having acted as ' Whip ' for one of the parties in the House, he was very f re>

quently the victim ; and the common honesty of that party had never prompted them to repay him. (Loud laughter. ) After sketching some of the other 'little weaknesses ' of the hon. member, Mr flaughton said that on one occasion he met with Mete Kingi and a colored colleague coming out of a certain fishmonger's shop in Wellington, holding by the tail a shark about three feet long. It was a remarkable fact that for about a week after the occurrence, it was utterly impossible to sit in that part of the House where the Maoris were ; and everyone certainly pitied the unfortunate interpreter who had to sit among them (Great laughter.) Mete Kingi made a speech once, and a very fair sample it was. He said — ' England is a great nation. [A pause.] The Maoris are a great people. [A pause.] The English have called us to this great House. [A pause.] We sit here.' Then came the anti-climax — ' They have pounded my cow at Wanganui !' Then he ended like an ancient chief of an Indian tribe- '1 have spoken.' That was the ,besfc speech he ever made." (Great laughter.) It may interest our Volunteers to know that in the Otago Provincial Council the following resolution has, amongst others affecting the Otago Volunteers, been carried :— "That this Council is of opinion that Section 2 of ' The Volunteer Land Act, 1565,' should be amended, and provision made to the following effect, viz. :- ' That the Superintendent may grant efficient Volunteers who have served for a period of seven years, certificates entitling them to select and occupy, subject to any law or regulation for the time being in force for the disposal of W:iste Lands of the Crown witbin the Province, such areas of land not exceeding fifty acres each, as the Superintendent may, with the advice and consent of the Provincial Council, appoint. Such certificates to be issued, conditionally on one third part of the land being enclosed and cultivated within a period of three years from the date of the certificate. As soon as the conditions are fulfilled, a Crown grant to issue. In the event of the conditions not being fulfilled within the time specified, the certificate to be cancelled.' "