THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1871.

Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 1023, 6 November 1871, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1871.

The monthly meeting of fthe members of the Volunteer Fire Brigade will be held this evening at eight o'clock. There was only one case at the Resident Magistrate's Court on Saturday, that of Thomas K itch high ara, master of the p.s. Dispatch against James Johnston, for using abusive language. On the application of Mr Guinness, who appeared for the defendant, the case was adjourned till Wednesday. v The yield from the Perseverance mine, Wangapeka, for three weeks' crushing, of 336 tons of quartz, was something les3 than 12oz of gold. We (Post) have good authority for saying that on the retirement of the Hon. Mr Waterhovse, which will take place at tbe end of the session, Mr E. B. Cargill, of Dunedin, will be called to the Upper House, and represent the Government in that body. A correspondent informs us that the Nelson Company's dredge was successfully launched in the Aorere, by Mr Swyer, the manager, on Tuesday last. Operations will commence on Monday next. We have seen a letter from an old resident of this town at present at Currajong. the scene of the latest rush in New South Wales. The information he gives may be relied upon as correct. He left Greymouthfor Gulgong, bub found the place overdone, audnnmbers of West Coast miners walking about doing nothing, not being able to get a show. The news arriving of fresh gold having been struck at Ourrajong, which, by the bye, is a very old diggings, being one of the first opened in New South Wales, there was a i general stampede to the new rush, which is i about 120 miles away from (Ttilgong, and situated on the banks of the Billibong, about four miles from Foibes. Business sites were being taken up in every direction, but as yet little is doing, as the miners are abovjt , the poorest that the writer ever met with, and

are glad to earn a few coppers in . carrying water. Provisions are cheap and abundant, while horses range from 5s and upwards. The lead that had been struck was rich, but very narrow, and the ground was shepherded for miles on its supposed line. Till more country is opened up the writer advises West Coast miners not to risk it, as, if no more new ground is opened up, there will be a general exodus from the place, as the weather is very trying to new-comers. He saw Mr Wm. Hobbs there, but he was doing nothing, besides other well-known West Coast people. We learn by the Christchurch papers that the Provincial Government of Canterbury, without waiting for any action on the part of the Legislature, have determined on proceeding with the erection of a Reformatory for boys at once. The site chosen is at Burnham, fifteen miles from Christchurch, and will accommodate thirty-six boys. Provision is made for the erection of another wing for girls at some future time. The kelson Mail of the 2nd says : — We were yesterday shown a very handsome photographic album, with a mother-o'-pearl binding, about to be presented by tJic officers of the late steamer Airedale to Mrs J)s Bayly, the wife of a settler in the Taranaki Province, who on the occasion of the wreck of that steamer displayed the greatest kindness and consideration to those who were unexpectedly thrown upon her hospitality. The fly-leaf of the album bears the following inscription, which was most tastefully illuminated by Mr Wix, of Nelson: — "Presented to Mrs D. Bayly by the captain and officers of the s.s. Airedale, wrecked off the River Waibara, Taranaki, New Zealand, as a slight vmemento of their, appreciation of her never-to-be-forgotten kindness and hospitality. With sincere wishes for the health, happiness, and prosperity of herself, esteemed husband, and family. — A. Kenned y, Commander; R. B. Prtncle, Purser ; Gm j Hussick, Chief Engineer." I With regard to the resignation of Mr { Scwell as a member of tho Government, the Evening Post says: — "In the Legislative Council last evening (30th ult. ), on the Council resuming after dinner, the Hon. Mr Sewell said that there had been a want of harmony between him and the remainder of. the Cabinet, and he had that morning received a letter from the Hon. the Premier, stating that the relations between the Executive and Mr Sewell were such that they were relunctantly compelled to arrive at the conclusion that either Mr Sewell must resign his seat in the Executive, or that the Executive must be dissolved. In consequence of j this letter, Mr Sewell said that he immediately tendered his resignation. He also | stated that for some time past there had been a total want of harmony between the members of the Ministry, indeed on no one subject did any two of the Executive agree. Our American cousins have not taken much by an 'attempt to work a wool ring. The trans-Pacific buyers who recently visited Melbourne came to an understanding among themselves about wool purchases. They felt it would be folly to oppose each other and tb raise the price against themselves. So it was agreed that only one should buy. and that the others should stand in for their shares. This didn't suit the Melbourne wool-brokers, who had not been engaged by the new buyers, and who seemed likely to be left out in the cold. So one or two of the youngest of the local wool-dealing brotherhood bought nearly every bale of wool suitable for the American market, to the astonishment of the new men, who stood aghast. A few days later they found themselves constrained to take over at a handsome advance, the clips which had slipped through their fingers at the public sale. In this first conflict of business between England and Victoria the colony hasn't come off second best. It has long been evident from the speeches and actions of the members of the Nelson Government that they were quite ignorant of the resources of the West Coast. The following is the latest confession made by Mr A. Greenfield, Provincial Secretary, at a railway meeting held recently in Nelson : — "He had recently travelled down theßuller and through the Inangabua Valley to the Grey, and was surprised at the large extent of valuable agricultural land to be found there ; many thousands of acres of splendid land covered with pines and totaras, and taking into consideration the evidently rich quartz reefs in the locality, and the large amount of agricultural land, the district would undoubtedly, before long, become largely and permanently settled, and the importance of connecting that district with Nelson could only be appreciated by those who had seen the country. Should the line be constructed to Foxhill, extension to the Central Buller would almost immediately follow, if not by Government, private enterprise would not be wanting. Already proposals had been made to construct a line of railway from the Hope to the Maruia. If the line were. taken down the Valley of the Hope, at least 25 miles would be saved, which would reduce the distance from Foxhill to the Inangalma to about 75 miles, an insignificant distance for a railway." In the course of the debate on the Permissive Bill, Mr Fox quoted the following startling statistics: — "I have made a careful calculation of the figures and statistics of tho liquor trade of New Zealand at the period of the previous census, 1867, and they will be sufficient to enable the House to arrive at something approaching the exact rates of the cost and consumption of liquor in both countries. The total consumption of alcoholic liquors in Great Britain is estimated to amount to L 100.000,000 sterling annually, or a ratio of over three guineas per head. New Zealand collected as duties, in 1867, upon ardent spirits, wines, imported ale in cask and in bottle, the sum of L 429.000, which was received as revenue by the Government of tho country ; and those who are in any way acquainted with the trade, and the different ways in which this liquor reaches the public, know that the figures I have given represent nothing like the retail expenditure. Let us multiply the amount by three, to ascertain the retail price, and we see that the aggregate revenue yielded by this means is L 1,287,000 on liquors imported into this Colony. Then, taking the 2,274,900 gallons of ale and beer brewed in the Colony at 3s per gallon, we have an additional sum of L 412,000 to add to the cost of liquor for the people of New Zealand. Thus we see that in 1867 the Colony consumed L 1,699,000, 699, 000 worth of liquor. The ordinary revenue of the Colony was that year estimated at L 1,225,584,, 225, 584, and including the territorial at Ll, 757, 000. We find that we actually consumed within LIOO,OOO of the ordinary and territorial revenue of the Colony both put together. This was poured down the throats of 238,000 Europeans, and about 38,000 Maoris, or a total of 276,000 souls ; or upwards of L 6 10s per annum for every man, woman, and child, or sucking baby in the country." An accident, which was very nearly being attended with fatal consequences, occurred at Cromwell Bridge, Otago, on the 23rd ult. Two boys— one of whom was the eldest sou of Sergeant Cassels -were gathering water--1 cress on the brink of the precipice which forms the eastern abutment of the bridge, when by some means the boy Cassels got too near the brink, and rolled down the rocky slope with fearful rapidity towards the edge | of the river for a distance of about 80 feet, to a point where the slope terminates abruptly, and thence fell iv an oblique direction twelve or fourteen feet farther, till he >wa3 caught on a shelf of rock within a few

feet of the pier, and on to the very erlge of the river. The boy must have been stunned by the fall, for he Jay motionless, face downward, iv about six inches of water until rescued from his perilous position by another boy— Richard Whetter — who happened to be crossing the bridge at the time, and who promptly gave the alarm. Mr F. Frenuesson, an employe" of the Road Department, heard the cry, and went without a moment's delay to the assistance of the drowning boy. Mr Frennesson took the apparently lifeless form in his arms and' succeeded, with great difficulty, in regaining the top of the bank. The Wellington Post, of the 30th ultimo, says :— " Mr Haughton, as we suppose, may be looked upon as a strong Government man," says some one, generally believed to be Mr Haughton himself, in an article iv this morning's Advertiser, devoted to lauding the billet-hunting section of the Legislature for their virtuous magnaminity in refusing to swallow the luscious baits of the Board of Works, which were snatched from beyond their reach. And this is tho Fox Ministry, too, it should be borne in mind, to which this " strong Government man" once swore enmity as deep and fervent as that of Hannibal to the Romans. "We congratulate the House upon the position taken up in this matter. We expected nothing else when it came to the point." Congratulate ! upon what? Upon the character it bore in the eyes of Ministers when they could dare to make such an insulting proposition to it, as to buy it wholesale ? Or upon the adroitness with which a section of it followed the example of the fabled fox in the matter of the grapes?' x Otemp6rd! O mores! The Olago Daily Times of the 26th ult. says:— "The Dunedin Gas Works Company's property was sold yesterday, the auctioneers being Messrs Driver, Stewart, and Co., who put up the property on behalf of the debenture holders of the Company, to satisfy the debentures held by them, together with interest thereon. , There were sold the lease, with a perpetual right of renewal, of the ground on which the works are situate, and for which txi annual rent of LSO is payable, and the whole of the gas works, with mains, service pipes, and meters, subject to an underlease, vested in Mr H. A. Hankey, for 21 years, part of which time has expired, and at a yearly rental of L 2400 per annum. There were present in the sale room a good many of the citizens notable for agitating on the gas and water questions. After Mr Cook, solicitor, had read the conditions of sale, Mr Driver said he wished to remove an impression that had got abroad by saying that the present sale was an absolutely hona fide one — that the property^ would be sold to the highest bidder and without the slightest reserve. Mr W. J. M. Larnach then bid L 15 ,000, and the bidding ran up to L 17.800, at which sum the property was bought by Mr Larnach, on account of Mr H. \. Hankey. On whose behalf the opposition biddings were made was not disclosed) but we understand that the bids were hona, fide ones. While moving for the reduction of the gold duty, Mr A. Collins, of Nelson, made the following remarks :— " The Colonial Secretary had said that he (Mr Collins) had argued to the effect that, because the gold duty was a provincial revenue, and the Provinces were in a reduced condition, they should take it away. The House knew well that he had said nothing of the sort. But he had said that tne gold duty was a provincial revenue, and, so far as he could understand the proposals of the Government, it was proposed that it should remain so. The revenue of the Provinces was to be reduced, and if the diggers had had very considerable difficulty in getting anything like a fair scare of provincial revenue expended on the gold fields when the Provinces were prosperous, they would not be able to get any when the Provinces were poor. The proceeds of the gold duty would be grabbed by the Provinces to prolong their miserable lives, instead of being spent on the gold fields. It would be expended in keeping up Superintendents, Provincial Councils, and other institutions which trouble the land : the gold fields would not get any of it. The honorable member for Nelson had called his attention to the fact that the gold duty raised in tbe Province of Kelson had been spent on the gold fields on the West Coast of that Province. That was the case, and that it was so was owing to the exertions of a gentleman who had a seat in the House last session— Mr Kynnersley, who was a man of great intelligence and firmness of character. ,He had been sent to the West Coast to manage the gold fields, and succeeded in getting the revenue raised on those gold fields spent on them ; and grievous was the grumbling of the Provincial authorities on the subject. It was spent much against the will of those authorities, and they were in that instance driven into what was right. He did not think that one swallow made a summer, nor that the fact that 'one Superintendent had been driven into doing what was fair and just, by any means proved that others do the same."