THE PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1871.

Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 947, 9 August 1871, Page 2

THE PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1871.

Just as we expected, the County Council, after having previously endorsed the thanks of the County Chairman to the General Government for its consideration towards Westland in regard to the road works initiated in the County, has abso : lutely assumed ah attitude of hostility as soon as the inevitable <jwwZ pro quo is asked for. The other night, the Chairman invited the Council to refer the question of setting aside land reserves for immigration purposes to a select committeo ; but although the motion was passed, it is plain, from the language employed by several of the members, that the proposal is not favorably regarded. We were not surprised at this objection ; but we do confess to some surprise at the manner in which the question was debated. It never seems : to have occurred to any of the members — not even either Messrs Bonar or Bavff, who ought to fully understand it— that the Public Works policy of the Government is bound up also with a large Immigration scheme, and that the Colony must recoup itself to some extent for special outlay on public works by taking waste lands. And although immigrants may not be needed in Westland — not even that: " Heathon Chinee," which is. the bete noir of Mr Barff— -it is not the less a proper thing for the Government to receive land for immigration purposes elsewhere, in return for what it has done. Indeed, the Government is simply asking the Council to adopt in this instance that favorite measure of County Councillors, " payment for roads in land." It would really not be unfair if tlie Government were to. demand 40,000 acres of land for the £40,000 which the Ross and Greymouth road will probably cost ; but it does not go quite so far as this, and only asks for some reserves here and there. What the Committee will do we can only guess, and if, as we think probable, the report is unfavorable, and the County Chairman has to inform the Government that the Council declines to take any other but a self-interested part in the grand policy of the Government, it will be somewhat unfortunate. The course the Government would take under such circumstances would most likely be one which would not be very complimentary to the Council. The Government would take what land it pleased without asking for any permission wha'tver. The Act gives it power to do so, and do so it undoubtedly will. The Christchurch coach arrived at Hokitika on Saturday evening. Arrangements have been made for rendering greater facilities to passengers in getting through, an instance of which was presented in the last trip, one of the passengers being a lady with an infant in arms. By ; this opportunity we received a few Otago but no Canterbury papers. It is rather strange that passengers should take the place of ; the mails, for. carrying which a large subsidy is paid. There can be .little doubt that the man Joseph O'Neill, who has been missing since Sunday night, is drowned, although his body has not been found. His cap was cast up on the North Beach yesterday,. and an active search was made for the man's body, but it was not discovered. To-night, iherewill be -a performance at the Volunteer Hall by Messrs Seymour, D. Driscoll,andthe "Young American," assisted by Mrs Seymour and others. The programme consists of music and athletic feats, which we believe to be well worth public" patronage. Brave Mr Robinson ! There is still one member ot the Council who knows vhat is and what is not the duty of the County Council, and what functions legally and properly belong to the Road. Boards. That member is to move - "That upon expiration of the present contract for the maintenance of Greenstone road, and Chesterfield track, this Council is of opinion that the maintenance of these works should be remitted to the Road Boards of the respective districts. " What a shrewd set of men our County Councillors are to be sure ! .Recently, tenders were called for the Government advertising, and offers were sent in by the various local papers. There was considerable discrepancy in the terms proposed, but the Council solved the difficulty by resolving that "all the tenders be accepted," subject only, in the case of this journal, to a slight reduction in the terms. The idea that actuated the Council was that, bypassing such a resolution, the County Chairman might hand the advertisements to any journal he thought proper, liiit -the case leally stands, that the County viust advertise all its public notices in all the papers that have tendeied, and whose tenders were accepted. Let some of the stupid honorables— say Mr Button, for instance, who moved the resolution— consult the County Solicitor, and he will tell;him that if the County Chairman insert any advertisement in any one paper, to the exclusion of the others, they could recover damages. Apart from the awkward position in which the Council have left the advertising question, the: whole process of calling for tenders is absurd for such a service. ■ ■ '■ : ; It would have been surprising if the session of the County Council could have passed over without the eternal i " honorarium ": question cropping up again. Last session it was supposed to have been settled upori a reduced scale as compared with the former arrangement, but now, Mr Hoos has given notice to move, on the further consideration of the Estimates— "l hat payment to members be made to those representing the couhtay districts and Greymouth (LSO) fifty pounds per session, and L 25 for the members representing^ Hokitika, travelling expenses allowed extra." What a delightful arrangement, considering that three members "representing country districts" reside in Hokitika. and are put to not a shilling of extra expense by their attention to the duties of the Council. We don't think that LSO per session is too much for the members who have to travel considerable distances, and who are compelled to live in hotels in Hokitika, and be away from -their businesses for five or six weeks. Btit s we do object to any such sum being paid to such men; as Messrs Button, Boos, i and Barff, wno reside continuously in Hokitika, and 'ought to be placed on the footing of town members.' We shall be

curious to learn what course Mr Guinness takes on this question, as we remember he made it a strong point with his constituents that only fair and reasonable expenses should be allowed to members. The following business was on the order paper of the County Council for last evening: — 1. Mr Barff to move— "That tenders be called for, forthwith,. for the construction of a dray road from the Greenstone Road to Callaghan's and Italian's, payment for the work to be made as follows, Ll'Bo cash, the remainder in land. " 2. Mr Barff to move — "That the township of Goldsborough be surveyed forthwith.". 3. The Chairman to move - ' ' That the Council go into Committee to consider a resolution of the Provincial Council of Otago, forwarded by his Honor the Superintendent, asking the Council for cooperation, in order to prevent the further expenditure of the Revenue of the Middle Island in the Northern Island." 4. Mr Button to move — "That a copy of the resolution of this Council, having reference to the sale of the Ross Town lands, be forwarded to the Colonial Secretary, requesting him to bring the same under the notice of His Excellency the Governor." 5. Mr Guinness to move — " That a map of the County of Westland, showing the various blocks of land open for sale, and the several sections already sold be prepared and kept up properly recorded at the Survey office in Greymouth." 6. Mr Hoos to move — "That the resolution passed on the 28th July, 1870, be forwarded to the Colonial Secretary to bring the same under the notice of His Excellency the Go- . vernbr." 7. Mr Scanlan to move — "That there be laid on the table for the information of members, copies of all reports and papers which have been laid upon the table during the present Session by the County Chairman.' Here is a chance for the literary and debating circle?. Mr Robinson is to move in the County Council— " That a sum of LSO be placed upon the Estimates, the same to be offered as a premium for the best Essay upon the County of Westland, comprising the following subjects : — Yield of gold, customs i duties, population, climate and temperature, mineral resources, leading natural features, including altitudes of mountains, altitude of lakes, and extension of same, political epitome, description of forest woods, wildfowl, fish in rivers and on coast, statistics of health, and current rates of wages, and necessaries of life in the various centres of population." The timber trade of Hokitika is assuming large proportions. On Monday vessels sailed from that port for Lyttelton, Dunedin, and Nelson, whope aggregate cargo amounted to 200, 000 ft of sawn timber. When is the report of the Committee to whom the recommendations of the Otago Mining Commission were referred to be brought up ? We can hear nothing of the doings of the Committee, Lut we are sure that not even that spinner-out Mr Barff could have kept the members at work all this time. Members of the County Council complain of the very meagre manner in which some of the more important discussions in the Council are reported. Mr Dungan writes to us that during the consideration cf the grant for educational purposes he drew the attention of the Council to the necessity of the sum being equitably divided between the districts that most needed assistance. He stated that there were between fifty and sixty children at the Greenstone ; about as many in the Maori Gully district, and considerable numbers at Paroa and other mining centres. Tho parents of the children and others had for a long time done their utmost to retain the services of teachers, and they think that with some little assistance from the Education Board they will be enabled to maintain a schoolmaster. Heretofore it appeared that these important districts had received no help from the Board, and the inhabitants complained bitterly of such traatment. Tha Chairman said he would do all in his power to have the money fairly distributed. Mr Gray, of the Customs' department, is about leaving Hokitika, having received a superior appointment elsewhere. A handsome gold watch and chain have been presented to Mr Gray, as a memorial of the esteem in which he was held by a large circle of friends. The Hokitika Evening Star, of Saturday last, says: — " A special messenger arrived from Okarito this afternoon, conveying the intelligence that, in consequence of the s.s. Waipara not arriving with provisions, there is every prospect of something very much like a famine in the district. The bar at Okarito is good, and was so when the Waipara arrived a few days ago. The reason why the steamer did not enter the river was that the flagstaff and gear being rotten a line broke, and one of the balls fell." Another of those wretched farces— a Provincial Ministerial crisis— has occurred in the Council of Canterbury. The Council went into committee to discuss resolutions proposed by the Government for additional storage accommodation for the railway. Mr Buckley said that the resolutions were antagonistic to the report of the select committee on railway management, and moved that progress be reported. The motion was carriedJby 16 to 13. The Hon. John Hall, to the surprise of everybody, thereupon announced the resignation of the Government, I in consequenoe of the vote. A new Executive has been formed. The following scene is reported by a Nelson paper to have occurred in the Magistrate's Court, Nelson, lately : — " Crossexamining Counsel (coaxingly) : ' Now, tell me, little girl, didn't your mother tell you what to say in Court?' Little Girl, nine years of age (uffrightedly) : ' Ye-e-s, sir.' Counsel (triumphantly) : 'Oh ! she did, did she? Now, what was it you were told to say ?' Little Girl (bravely) : • Please sir, she told me I was to speak the truth.' Counsel resumed his seat." A very sudden death occurred at Balclutha, Otago, on the evening of the 2Gth ult. A man known as Bill the butcher, but whose proper name was William Melling, had during the day been indulging pretty freely_ in drink, and had been engaged in catching: and leading a bull about the township. He retired to rest on a shake-down in the Newmarket Hotel. A man in the hotel went next morning to wake him, and found him' dead. At the coroner's inquest, a verdict was returned of " Died from natural causes, accelerated by excitement." Large numbers of Chinese continne to arrive at Dunedin. Two large ships from Hongkong direct have recently \ brought six or seven hundred of the Celestials, arid more are to follow. A "Chinese difficulty " is likely to supply the Otago folks with the same excitement as the Maori difficulty creates in the north. A Dunedin paper of recent date says—" The vast numbers that have landed pa our shores, and are now on their Way from Chitia,' show that we must grapple with the Chinese difficulty. Few are found asserting that the Chinese, are a desirable class of colonists ; and if ' they threaten to overrun Otago, wliat then ? Are we with folded arms to sit apart: contemplating the influx of Mongolians, and to do nothing to preserve our lands and gold mines for those of our own race ? Of course there is a great deal to be said in favor of giving free and. perfect liberty to all races to come and settle in our midst. But when a race threatens our very existence, and the permanence of our social institutions, it seems to us that there mast be a limit to non-interven-tion. If it is allowable to go to war to

defend our lands from spoliation, shall we allaw the • heathen Chinee ' to settle amongst us without reproof? We know that this Chinese problem is beset with many difficulties, but that we cannot deal gingerly with it and look upon it simply as simply a miners' question, useful only at I election times, is daily becoming more plain. What, ,w]ll our future be -if we are overrun with Mongolia^?- The question is terribly important, iM^eqliffes an answer from bur: Legislatures. From the statistical tables accompanying the report of the Warden of the Tuapeka District, Otago, we gather the following information : — The total number of miners in in the district is 1609, of whom 1109 are Europeans and 500 Chinese. All the latter, and 1070 of the Europeans, are engaged in alluvial mining, and 39 of the Europeans in quartz mining. The alluvial miners employ 1 turbine wheel and machinery for pumping, 1 overshot wheel, with stamps, for crushing cement, 25 water-wheels, 12 hydraulic hoses, 1000 pumps, 3000 sluice-boxes, and 50 quicksilver and compound cradles. The quartz miners employ 1 steam-engine, 2 crushing machines of 18 stamp heads, 2 water-wheels, 1 whim and pulley, and 1 whip. The approximate value of all the mining plant in the district is L 5450. There are also 230 water-races, carrying 460 sluice-heads, valued atL27,000; 170 dams, valued at L 8100; and 440 ground sluices, valued at L 19,000. About 6 square miles of ground are being actually mined upon in the district. The present price of- gold throughout the district — except at Waipori— is L 3 15s per oz. At Waipori it is L 3 14s per oz. The gold escorted by the banks during the quarter is as follows :— From Lawrence, 40170z ;3 from Waipori, 2200oz ; from Waitahuna, 10576z ; from Woolshed, 7580z ; total, 86620z. The rate of wages in the district is from L 2 10s to L 3 6s, A Taranaki correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, speaking of the Provincial Government, says :— "I think it will be found that Taranaki is the most cheaply governed Province in New Zealand. Our Superintendent has L3OO a year, the Provincial Treasurer, nil ; Clerk in Superintendent's Office and also of Council, L 125; Speaker, L 25; members of Council expenses, L3O;. making a total of L 535 for the legislative department. There is an Assistant Treasurer (really the Accountant of the Province), who receives L2OO a year. The Superintendent has no Executive, and the offices of Provincial Secretary and Treasurer are non-political offices ; the names being retained only becausa ceitain Ordinances that have been passed during previous superintendehcies have rendered it necessary that there should be some one holding these offices to sign documents. It has not been thought worth while to amend these Ordinances, and consequently these honorary officials have little or no work to do. The Provincial Council consists of fifteen members, of whom one is elected Speaker. Members do riot meet (as in other Provinces), day after day till the work is done ; but assemble once a week when there is anything to do, and are then "adjourned till called together by the Speaker." The members are not paid, therefore this slow system of getting through the work is not expensive. Few of the country settlers could afford to give up their time for month, but they do not mind a few hours every week. I have said the members are not paid, but I should have stated that two of the number, who live between ten and twenty miles away, it has been lately decided, should be allowed their expenses, and the large sum of L3O has been placed on the Estimates accordingly." There was a little contretemps between the Resident Magistrate and a Provincial Councillor (Mr Upjohn) at Taranaki lately ; one holding up for the majesty of the law, arid the other the privileges of the Council. It happened this way— The Court was sitting, and a case going on, at the time a Select Committee had to meet in the Council Chamber. Mr; Upjohn was on this Committee, and walked into the Council Chamber with his hat on. The Magistrate told the policeman to ask him to take it off, but the constable in a brusque way said, " Take your hat off." Mr Upjohn's dignity was touched, and he refused, so the policeman knocked it off. There was a scene. The Councillor, wroth with the indignity, stood on his privileges. He was not in the Court room, and had a right to wear his hat, and threatened to do all manner of impossible things to the constable. There were a great many persons attending the Court on that day, and this little affair caused much laughter, therefore the Resident Magistrate, seeing the difficulty of the situation, with some tact adjourned the Court for a couple of hours. A London correspondent of the Otago Daily Times says, with regard to the great Tichborne case :— " As far as it has gone, the claimant seems to be the favorite^ but it is rumored that the other side will ultimately upset Sir Roger. With a limited liability company to back him, and a very clever lawyer, the claimant will, however, fight hard, and the wretched jury are not likely to escape under some weeks more at least. Many persons say that there is little or no doubt that this is the real Sir Roger— amongst others, many old brother officers and a few relations. But, on the other hand, some of the former, and the bulk of the latter, declare him to be an impostor. lam not able to form any very de'cicled opinion myself, and all the less because wherever 1 go I hear stories so absolutely conclusive as to banish all doubt, were it not that others equally conclusive are related by the next person one meets of a tendency diametrically opposite. There is to be a butcher at Wapping who will claim him as his son, it is said ; and a lady to whom the real Sir Roger waa for two years engaged, who will prove he could not recognise her, and mistook her aunt for herself ; and so on. These are the stories now current. I think, however, if the claimant can bear his examination decently, he will ultimately win. The Judge seems vather against him on all occasions. There is a good deal of what Artemus' Ward called "Sarkasum" in the following, from the Otago Daily Times of the 31st ultimo :-- " A goose sat on the Bench at the Mayor's Court on Saturday. In saying so, we have no desire to reflect upon the judicial acumen of his Worship the Mayor, or any of the worthy Justices who preside at that hall of justice— far be it from us to do so ; we simply record an unvarnished fact. To make our meaning more clear : one of those historic birds, while flying across Maolaggan street on Sunday afternoon, brought its career to an unexpected : close by entering the Mayor's Court head first, through the front window, causing what our American cousins would call 'an almighty smash.' Fortunately the Court was not sitting at the time, otherwise the luckless goose might have fared badly for its contempt of magisterial authority. Collecting its thoughts, however, the noble bird sought for itself a resting place. Avoiding the comfortless, uncarpeted passages, the seats redolent of the ? great unwashed/ the dock, the witness-box, the table at which our forensic notables sit, or the box in which the reporters are confined, it went straight to head-quarters, and settled on the Bench. Its reign, however, was a brief one, and in a short time the unhappy creature had expiated its guilt by undergoing the last penalty of the law. We hear that the owner demurs to paying for the pane of glass, on the ground that he did not give <. the goose instructions to enter the Mayor's Court through the window." ..,,.. ut ,_- a ■;*