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Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 949, 11 August 1871, Page 2

The second entertainment under the auspices of the Greymouth Literary Association takes place this evening, at the Masonic Hall, Gilmer's Hotel The programme will be au attractive one, and the charge for admission of the smallest, so we hope there will be a full house. The detention of the Claud Hamilton somewhat interferes with the wish of the West Coast members of the General Assembly to be present at the opening of the session. Parliament opens on Monday, and should the Claud Hamilton get away this evening the members will just be in time ; but should she go on without being tendered, they will be in an awkward fix. They may be able to get as far as Nelson perhaps in a day or two; but there they may he stuck for several days. The Government steamer Luna is to be there to-day, and the Taranaki, with the English, mail, will be at Nelson about Wednesday ; but in the present uncertain state of the weather it is impossible to calculate ! upon the movements of the steamers. We cannot understand how it is that the Scott Centenary has been celebrated in Dunedin — that Edinburgh of New Zealand — on the 9th. The standard biographies of Scott all fix his birth on the 15th August, 1771, and that is the date of this month fixed for the celebrations in Australia and Great Britain. In the County Council, the other evening (according to the Hokitika Evening Star) Mr Bonar expressed himself in favor of Chi- ; nese immigration. It is stated by the Hokitika Evening Star that when the steam subsidy to Southern ports was under discussion in the Council, it was pointed out that, for the purpose of affording the fullest publicity as to the com dition and prospects of the gold fields iv the Southern part of the County, it would be advisable to send an officer in the Waipara occasionally, who shall furnish detailed reports to the Chairman, or to tbe Council, upon the Southern diggings. The County members are getting disgusted with the delays and vexations of the County CounciJ sittings. Mr Scanlan ex-

cited considerable amusement in the Council i on Wednesday evening, by stating that he ( should give notice that the meetings of the ] Council should be held in Okarito, as he , was determined not to come to Hokitika ( again. j We learn that the contract for making the . Upper Arahura road is now completed, and 1 the traffic on it will commence aB soon as j the work has been passed by the Engineer. The track is 140 chains in length, and the contract made was for iorining, clearing, and metalling a track four feet in width. We are informed that the contractor has, for the first half-mile from the Ohristchurch road, ] metalled the track eight feet wide at his own cost. We are given to understand that Mr Frew, the Town Surveyor of Hokitika, is the \ favorite candidate for the office of County ] Engineer. j Mr G. H. Tribe, the member for the Totara District in the General Assembly, was entertained at dinner by a number of his leading constituents prior to his departure to attend the session at Wellington. The following business was upon the County Council order paper for last night's sitting : — Mr Guinness to move—" That this Council is of opinion that the tolls charged on cattle passing the Kawhaka toll-gate on the ; Chrischurch road are too low, and that they i shall, on and after the Ist clay of September nexc, be fixed at the rate of LI per head on all cattle passing through the said toll-gate. " The Chairman to move— " That the Council go into Comittee to consider the applications for the office of the County Engineer. " Mr Barff to move— "That sketch maps, showing the blocks of land open for sale throughout the County, be kept posted up at the various Wardens' Courts and Road Board Offices for the information of the public." The Timaru Herald has the following : — " A letter to Messrs G. G. Russell and Co. contains the following extract, which holds out hope that the protective duty on wool in America will prohably be modified or withdrawn altogether by Congress. If so, it will be an enormous boon to our flockmasters. The extract is as follows :— 'The demand from America is another .hopeful sign, as it is quite a novel feature in the London market, and, though it is put down as exceptional at at the last sales (April), in consequence of stocks running short, we have hopes that it will continue and increase. We are informed on good authority that the question of protection on wool is seriously occupying the attention of Congress, with a view to its being withdrawn or modified; and if this takes place, we may not only look for an increased demand by Americans in London, but a very large trade with New Zealand direct.' "