Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 972, 7 September 1871, Page 2

A petition was taken round' a portion ot the town yesterday, for the construction of the main road bctvreen Greytnouth and Marsden by the direct route, ;in opposition to the proposed Omotuinotu Creek route. Over 120 signatures were obtained, although scarcely half of the town was eauvassed. Many who signed it stated that they had signed the other petition through a misapprehension. A meeting of the Grey River Hospital Committee was . held fat Gilmer's Hotel on Tuesday evening. T aer3 were presentNT essra Reid .(in the chair), Whitefoord, Kennedy, Moss, Revell, Masters, Newton, Nancarrow, and King. The nrinntes of the last raeetiug. having been read and confirmed, the Visiting Committee's monthly report and the monthly accounts, amounting to L 252 18s 2d, were laid on the table. The accounts were passed and ordered to be paid. It was moved by Mr Whitefoord, seconded by Mr Kennedy, and carried - "That the Visiting Committee be outho^ rised to make arrangements for laying on gas to the Hospital." The Visiting Coinni it tee for the month was appointed to consist of Messrs Revell, Newton, and Reid. A telegram' from Mr F. Guinness was laid on the table,' stating that 1 the County Government had placed LIOO at the service of the Hospital Committee for the purpose of building a femalo ward. The following letter was read from the Red Jack's Friendly Society :—'• Gilbert King, Esq. - Sir— The ' Committee of the Red Jack's Benefit Society have instructed me to thank your Committee of Mah'rige'mtinlf for the liberal manner in which our patients have .been attended to ; also, to especially thank them for their appreciation of Local Committee Scheme. —I am, &0., J. H. Sullivan, Hon. Treasurer." A '\J> . ■ ■■.'•■■'

letter was read sfrom tbe No Towu Friendly Society, forwarding LlO 10s, being tlivee months' subsidy for seventy members. It was moved by Mr Whitefoord, seconded by Mr Revell, and carried:— "That the hon. Secretary be instructed to write to the Secretaries of the Friendly Societies subscribing to the Hospital, informing them that members of these Societies would bo .admitted to the Hospital on the order of their Secretary, subject to the Surgeon's approval. " It was moved by Mr King, and seconded by Mr Nancarrow pro forma, ."that the Vmtiug Committee be authorised to erect an entrance .gate to the day-wardsmarrV house." The motion was put and negatived, and the meeting adjourned. We lately mentioned the mining dispute between Wilson and party and P. Kerns, the holder of an agricultural lease near the Teremakau, and we complained that the award of the arbitrators had not been made known ta ; the parties before the County Chairman left Greymonfch on Monday last. We have been informed by telegram from the County Chairman that the award of the arbitrators was illegal, because they neglected to appoint an umpire, in accordance with the Act. Tbe arbitration will have to be gone into de novo, and a new arbitrator has been appointed on the part of the Government, in I'ooin of Mr Dungan, M.O.C. Mr Revell, 11. M., visited the Arnold yesterday, and held a Court. A. Gould was fined lOa arid costs for having been drunk and disorderly. The following civil cases were disposed of: —M. Phillips v. M. M'Grrath— judgment by default for L 5 10s and costs ; J. Ryan v. J. Noonan — judgment by default for L 9 Is/ and costs,; J. Sullivan v. P. Buchan, claihiof L 27 19s B(l— judgment was given for plaintiff for L2C 10s and costs ; Thomas Cahill v. P. Whelan— judgment confessed;for L 7 (is 6d suid costs, defendant to pay LI a week, or, in default, one month's imprisonment ; B. Bremond v. L. Ouray— judgment confessed ior L2O 7s and costs. * The weather in the up-country districts is stiil of the worst description. It rained continuously on Monday, and during Tues- : day there were occasional hail and rain stor.ns with snow iv the hilly country. The* snow was a foot deep at Napoleon on Wednesday morning, and for the second time since the town has been in existence the residents amused themselves by snowballing each other. . • Public attention is directed to the usual fortnightly entertainment, under the auspices of the Greymouth Literary Society, which takes place at Gilmer'g Hall, tomorrow evening at eight o'clock. These entertainments have become very popular, and' we believe that;, something very attractive and entirely new is to be producpd tomorrow night. Our Volunteer readers are reminded that the annual general meeting of the Greyraouth Company will be held to-night at the Volunteer Hall. The report of the Company.Committee for the paat<; year,; the balance-sheet,; &c, will be laid before the meeting, and a new committee elected for the ensuing twelve months, and other business of importance to the Company. It is very desirable that all members should attend, including, of course, the Band. : ••••.. At a large meeting of farmers, held on the 4th instaut, at Leeston, it was resolved to petition the Assembly in favor of a protective duty on t»rain. At the Criminal Sittings of the Supremo Court, Canterbury, on the sth instant, John Bufh, charged with horse-stealing, was found guilty, and sentenced to three years' penal servitude. -^Harry Reeves, convicted of larceny, was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment with hard labor. — Thomas Alder, also convicted of larceny, received a sentence of two years' imprisonment with hard labor. A timW waggon was upset at the Hutt, Wellington Province, killing George Ryan, the driver. A truo bill has been found Ly the Grand Jury at Dunedin against Reicheldt, for fireraising, and also against M'Leod, for libel. The Arroto Advocate states that Mr Vincent Pyke, 11. M. ana Warden, has sent in his resignation to the Government, being induced to take the step because of the reduc- v tion in his salary. A meeting of the Waste Lands Board was heid -at Hokitika on Tuesday. The members present were — The Chief Commissioner, Messrs Hoos, Lahnian, Evans, and the Receiver of Land Revenue. The miuufes of the previous meeting were read ancl confirmed. Captain Hamilton, of the Greymouth Raugers Rifle Volunteers, applied to purchase the Rifle Reserve, consisting of 20 acres. The reserve had been temporarily set apart for the purpose, renewable as the Board might dcciii fit. , The lime for reri'ewal having expired, the Board resolved that the area should be sold as suburban land. Chas. Clifford applied by letter and personally, stating that he had discovered indications of coal in the Ross district. He desired to know what ; amount of ground the Board w"ould grant him 'to finish his prospecting. The Board resol 7ed that they had no power to grant a reserve for such a purpose, and recommended the applicant to apply to the County Chairman for protection for a prospecting area. Letters were received from the County Chairman with reference to reserves for immigration purposes and for special settlements. James Forley took up a run of 500 rf icres on the New River, and paid LI2 10s rent thereon, Edward Spencer purchased 20 acres of rural land at the Kawhaka Crossing, and paid L2O purchase money. Monthly timber licenses were granted to John Irvine, Thomas Wilson, and James Thomas. The following suburban sections were ordered to go to auction :— J. B. Allen, 4 acres on the , Woojhouse road ; Frank Hamilton, 1') acres . of the Rifle Reserve, Greymouth ; Frank Hamilton, other 10 acres of the same; The following applications for agricultural leases were dealt with :— Hamc-r, 2 acres 2 roods on the New River, granted ; Mullins, 25 acres, same locality, refused ; Rody, 5 acres south of Greymouth,' refused. The local paper tells us that the principal company engaged mining at the Four- Mile, near Charleston, is known as Greenwood's party, consisting of about nine shareholders, all of whom are engaged in the claim, as well -as 'several , wages tnen, these latter making the party up to fifteen hands. They have recently imported from Melbourne a first-class tubuler boiler, made by Langlands, having been stopped from Christmas last, until a month ago, in consequence of their former boiler having been so much worn, as far as the tubes were concernel, as to be unequal to the work of producing sufficient steam to drive their large aud heavy battery. The enterprise of this company doservps the highest commendation, they having brought the boiler, which- is 12ft longr' and weighing about three tons, successfully over ai placa bo dangerous and difficult as the Deep Creek, and although the prophecies against the successful conveyance of it over that place were almost numerous enough to deter any but the most determined men, yet they were plucky enough to boldly fauo the difficulties of the road, and have now the boiler safely bedded in its enclosure, ana working capitally. ! TJie engine is a horizontal one, very corapabt, of fifteen horse-power, nominal, but work ngup to twenty or even twenty-five horse-poverif necessary. There are fifteen heads of stampers, each weighing 4501 b, and the so arc driven night and day at a very rapid n ite, as they have to be, when the battery iias to operate on from seventy to eighty t>ns of dirt per diem. The machinery is also fitted

with steam, ripples, the Hot water being obtained from the exhausted steum. Thenia-. chinery is enclosed in a substantial shed built of galvanised iron, and attached to it are workshops for repairing; tooljjv and mining implements, all of which work is done dn the premises. Attached to the works also is a retorting-house, which makes the plant very complete ; indeed, I believe it is one of the best on the Coast. From an Otago paper we lesrr. that a movement to check or altogether prevent the* influx of Chinese immigrants has been commenced at Arrowtown, Lakes ,distrjjgs, f Similar organisations ''are,' we ''learn, in course of formation in other parts of the province— lnvercargill among the number. Although begim rather; late in the day, there may be yet time to avert the threatened Mongolian invasion, of which thus far only the scouting parties have made their appearance. It is stated on good authority that ' at least 12,000,000 coolies of the same stamp as those already imported are available at any moment for transport wherever their services may be required. A: writer in the Daily Times on the Chinese question says :-^How shall we meet the ghost of our future troubles? There are two ways that I can suggest: Ist, Shut up our schools, and ba-iish our schoolmasters— reduce thepedplo' to compliant ignorance, rye bread and potatoes—then the Celestial wculcl have his match. A Scotchman even would then get fat where John would starve, and so would not come here in shiploads ; or, 2nd, Bend to circumstances and make the most of it. Let the highly educated working Englishman accept his .iguoraut Mongolian brother and make use of him, at the rates, and under the : system going., If the merchants and junkmasters of China can make money out of the ignorance and muscle of their countrymen, why shdiild not also the Englishman ? The money made out of them might as well go into English pockets as into Chinese caddie 3. Chinese labor is largely mads use of now in various parts of the world— the West and East Indies, North and South America— and I do not see ..why his usefulness should not be extended here, to the European also, in many branches of labor, and enterprise ; for of this, we may speak with certainty, that when mauual labor of whatever kind can be brought to bear as an adjunct to machinery, skill, and science, there the European will grasp his fair share of the spoils, and. of -which. ■ he is entirely denuded by keeping aloof from the Chinese producing element- now pouring in upon these shores.'