Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 921, 10 July 1871, Page 2

The annual meeting of the subscribers to the Grey River Hospital will be held at Giliner's Hotel, on Wednesday evening, at

eight o'clock, for the purpose of receiving the report of the out-going Committee and nominating a Committee of Management for. the ensuing year. The captain's compulsory J practice of the Volunteer Fire Brigade takes place this evening, at the usual hour. This evening, there will be an extraordinary meeting of the shareholders in the Grey Kiver Steam Tug Company, at the Union Hotel, for the purpose of considering the desirability of declaring a dividend. ' We have read a letter from Mossy Creek, criticising the action of the local Eace and Hospital Committees at the Ahaura. We cannot insert the letter as it stands, as it unfortunately mixes up statements of alleged facts with very liberal comments upon individuals. We select a fair portion of the letter for public information :— " About ourteen months ago, a few of the leading business people (hotel keepers, &c.) at the Ahaura set in motion the establishment of a local hospital. Though the majority were well satisfied with the Greyraouth institution, and only desired two hospital boats to be placed on the river, one at Camp Town Creek and the other at Lardi's landing, Totara Flat, yet the pushing few of the " Little Peddlingtob," having an eye to their personal interest, were most clamarous iv their cry for a local building. Money was subscribed, a committee by the public chosen, and everything augured success in the future ; but the properly elected members withdrew, and the now ruling selfelected, self-constituted committee presided in their stead. What then has become of the money subscribed ? Why has no list been published. A ball, &c, was held, and upwards of LIOO realised. Why was not the sawyer paid ? and why did the committee allow judgment to be obtained? What has been done with the money raised ? Let those who have regulated the expenditure answer. At the latter end of February our annual races were held, but strange to tell, again no list has been published of the amount realised, and no account furnished of the expenditure of the money. Between L3OO and L4OO were raised and no balance has been presented. Can you or will the Secretary inform the public of the sum raised by subscription ? Will not the stewards, for their own honor, see that some account is furnished, so that the racing community may be satisfied." The recent encroachments of the sea at Westport have been very serious. We take the following particulars : from the Westport Times oi the 6th hist. :— "During the past forty-eight hours Westport has been visited by a succession of high tides, which, together with a very heavy surf, have encroached terribly upon the beach from the north spit in the direction of the Orawaiti. A, few issues back we mentioned that a narrow strip of beach yet remained between high water mark and the rear of the properties in north Gladstone street. All this has been since swept away by the breakers. Tuesday night's tide was very severe, and fully twenty feet of beach, between Molesworth street and Dr Thorpe's residence were washed away. Yesterday at noon the surf raged with similar fury, inflicting considerable damage. The premises belonging to Mr Williams, chemist, were partially undermined by the action of the waves, the entire building very much shaken, and the fencing and outhouses completely demolished. Similar damage was done to the premises south of Palmerston street. A portion of she premises occupied by Mr Butler was washed away, and the two shops adjoining were completely flooded. The 1-^i.i- .-n~ xs^^^iif »jK»s*»iii.v,Q? Mr M. Steel's Buller Hotel was similarly flooded and the fencing of the Nelson Hotel adjoining, and numerous out-buildings were destroyed. At this point a atrip of solid ground fully fifty feet wide has been swept away. The premises of Mr Brown, grocer ; Messrs Jones and Colvin, proprietors of the Victoria Butchery, who had but quite recently purchabed the property, and Mr Corpenter, poulterer and greengrocer, were also flooded to a depth of several inches, and the remaining properties in the block were surrounded with water. Several cottages in Moleswotth-street, and others situated at the rear of the abovementioned premises, were also swept away or damaged. At the end of Freeman street also the inroad has been considerable. The flagstaff and shed for the signals, lamps, &c, were swept away, and a small hut was was dislodged from its position and carried into the middle of Herbert street. On the low lying portions of Molesworth and Freeman streets there was a depth of several feet of water which partially discharged itself into the river near the National JBotel. The water surrounded the Gaol, the Athenteum, the Fire Engine Shed, and a portion of the Government buildings. Dr Thorpe's residence was also completely surrounded by the flood, as also various properties between it and Palmerston street. The surf continued to roll up with scarcely abated fury for fully two hours after high water, when the gale freshened, with every appearance of the following tide inflicting greater damage; As the surf receded the work of dismantling and removing the buildings commenced. Messrs Bull and Bond, who held the contract for the removal of Mr Williams's premises, in the course of a few hours had taken down the building, and Mr Emannel's American Bowling Saloon was also removed." We take the following mining news relating to the Waimea district srom the West Coast Times:— "The rush to the Italian Flat has slightly increased this week owing to Bramhall and party having bottomed and obtained a prospect, which, although not very good, may be termed payable, as a dish of dirt yielded nearly three grains of gold. They have now made a paddock, and are stacking the washdirt, and intend driving in without delay. Two or three other parties will also bottom in the course of the week, and then a more decided opinion as to the value of the Flat can be formed. In the meantime, a good many parties are "shepherding" and building huts. The Stafford Town Prospecting Company re-commenced operations close to the shaft that they recently abandoned, and intend when they are down a good depth to erect a whim, by the help of which there is no doubt but what they will be able to find out whether the Flat they are working in is payable or not. Stafford Town was canvassed for subscriptions last week to give the Prospecting Company a fair start, and about L 53 was obtained ; and on Wednesday last some Hokitika merchants were called upon, and a sum. amounting to about L6O was collected. So that the disbursement for a time by the company will be lightened considerably. Another prospecting party has been formed, and work commenced this week in Greek's Gully, No. 1. Some very good ground has been wrought in this locality, but a large extent of it remains untouched, as the part where the prospectors are is deep aud wet. This party, however, have determined to reach the main bottom, and persons knowing the gully have great faith in the speculation turning out satisfactorily. A rather important question affecting mortgagees of mining property was decided at Ross, on Thursday : — Mr Dimant, as representing the Drainage Board, sued the Bank of New Zealand for drainage rates on the Scandinavian Gold-mining claim, amounting to L 496 6s. Mr Harvey, assisted by Mr Purkiss, for the plaintiff; Mr Button for the defendant. Mr Harvey stated the claim was made Against the Bank, and its age ntg

held possession as mortgagees of the Scan" dinavian Company. According to the report in the News, his Worship said he did not consider that the Board had any power to make jj, bye-laws to affect pre-existent interests. Sub-sections 2 and 3 could not be read together. No. 2 gave power to rate, and No. 3 to adjust the amount to be paid for drainage by one party to another. The Board's byelaw was made under No. 2; and made no mention of mortgagees ;it only imposed the n rate. He would not make any order in the g case. Mr Harvey asked his Worship's ruling as to bye-law No. G. His Worship replied that he did not consider the Bank I in possession within the meaning of that bye-law. Writing on the 'subject of river dredging for gold, the Nelson Evening Mail says :— " The Aorere River, which is to be the first s in this Province to be submitted to the test, j holds out peculiar encouragement for the operations that will shortly be commenced there, as it has long been known that the I Maoris in the neighborhood have been in the s habit of obtaining small quantities of the precious metal at various times by the very rude method of digging the grave^fefewith a < shovel and washing it ; the hopesSHrajfore, ■ that are entertained of success att^^Htidie efforts of those who fire shortly commence dredging the river in a s^^^Rc manner and upon scientific principles^^^Bo be in a fair way of being realised. T^^^Bpany that is about to make the exp^^H las been granted a claim of half a nuCTn length, and has gone to the expense of procuring from Otago a manager who is accustomed to this particular kind of work, under whose supervision a machine is now being constructed that will be at work within the next two or three months. The result of the enterprise will be eagerly looked for, as should it prove successful, it will inevitably lead to the full development of an industry that we may fairly hope will tend very largely to the prosperity of the Province. The Aorere is not the only river that holds out prospects of yielding payable, if not handsome, returns if properly dredged. There are many others, the beds of which, there is every reason to suppose, are equally rich with that of this particular stream, take for instance the . Mangles, from which it is said that an exceedingly rich prospect has just been obtained, the Matakitaki, the Buller, and Motueka, from which last named river gold has at various times been taken in considerable quantities ; all these, it is believed, are rich in golden wealth if only proper means are adopted to extract it from their gravelly beds. " We take the following, with regard to the proposed towing-track from Westport to the Inangahua, from the Westport Times :—" Mr O'Conor accompanied the horse boat, which left Westport on Thursday last, as far as Grange's Point, go far everything went tolerably well ; several trifling accidents occurred, but nothing more serious than might be expected on an experimental trip. There is no doubt that, with the river banks as at present, the application of horse-power would not effect a saving, as the beaches where the horse could work are few and very much disconnected, but enough has been done to show that the proposed towing-track, when completed, will lead to the immediate application of horse-power for passengers to the interior. Peter Williams and party, who have taken up the horse boat, engaged a double crew for the purpose of clearing away obstructions on the Inangahua, and they intend going much nearer to Reefton with their boats thc«n has previously been attempted. Mr O'Conor ascended and descended the river in his Rob Roy canoe, a boat of only sixty pounds the river was very "rough, it did"not~ship water during the entire journey." The Charleston Argus says :— " We have seen the model of a machine which Mr James Walker has invented, which is likely to prove of much service in mining operations. The object of the machine is to pulverise the tailings, and save the gold more effectually than can be done by the present method now in use. It is computed that quite as much as two-thirds of the gold is lost in passing through machines, and Mr Walker proposes to take up the tailings as they come from the ordinary machine, and pulverise them in the newly invented machine. The invention is in some respects a combination of principles already known, but includes also some novelties of Mr Walker's own introduction. We believe it is the intention of Mr Walker to take out a patent for his invention." A correspondent of the Westport Times, writing from Reefton (Inanguhua), says :— " We have a Court every month, but no ac comxrodation suitable for it. Surely the Province could spare a hundred or so wherewith to ereot a Court House, and quarters for a constable. It must be exceedingly annoying to Dr Giles to sit for seven or eight houra, and sometimes longer, in a semi-dark room, about twelve feet by ten, and continually interrupted by the noises from the adjoining bar of the public house in which the room is situated. A lock-up is also required. At present, the unfortnnate drunkards who get into the hands of the police are incarcerated in a stable which, not being very secure, necessitates the additional restraiut of handcuffs. The other day, a well known old tar, having got into trouble, was duly handcuffed, and lodged iv the saidstable along with some horses. Not liking his quarters, Jack soon kicked an opening in the wall, and made sail across the river, but finding the bracelets ratherirbsome, he stood in for head-quarters avain, when the officer in chat go took him under his care." The Westland Independent was, by the County Chairman, chosen as the medium for circulating such notifications by the County Government, as it might be considered desirable should be advertised. Probably the journal in question may serve the purposes of publicity in the Hokitika district, but beyond that the Independent, or its contemporary, the West Coast Times, have no circulation in. the true sense of the term. In the Grey district not a dozen copies of the Independent ' are circulated, and the result is that many " important announcements escape public notice. This objection especially applies to i the notices issued by the Waste Lands ] Board, than which none demand wider cir- ] culation. Notices of the sale or withdrawal ' from sale of blocks of land, are issued by the j Board, but the residents of one-half of the County never see them. The public of this 1 district have a right to expect that they £ should be kept in the same knowledge as • their Hokitika neighbors, and this can only be obtained by publishing the notices of the J Board in the local papers. It Js hardly to s be|expected that newspapers will publish a gratis the announcements which are paid for c being inserted in another journal. If the object of the Board be economy, this limita- Q tion of publicity is a very doubtful form of carrying out that object. As an instance of " the importance of some of the Waste Lands ?• Board notices we copy the following from the Independent of Saturday. Our readers P should remember that we are publishing an advertisement without charge:— "ln pur- b suance of the provisions of Sections 80 and h Sl^of 'The Westland Waste Lands Act, t< 1(570,' the Waste Lands Board have reserved 0! from public sale the lands comprised iv the +, following schedule, to be granted in pay- + ment for Public Works :— Schedule : 195 ~ acres in Block XVIII, 450 acres in Block ° LXIX, 50 acres in Block LXV, 880 acres in C( Block LXIV, 100 acres in Blocks XXVI and ni XVIII, 240 acres in Blocks XXVI and at XVIII. By order of the Wapte Lands Board, G. Gr. FitzGerald, Chief Commissioner." w