Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1088, 23 January 1872, Page 2

The treasurer of the Grey River Hospital begs to acknowledge receipt of Lll 9d, being amount of subscriptions receh od by Ahaura sub-committee, per Mr M. H. Hayden At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, Ann Smith was charged with being drunk and disorderly about eight o'clock on Sunday evening, on Richmond Quay. The prisoner, who had nothing to say, was sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment. The final deposit on the mile-race between Vaughan and Twohill was paid last night at the Brian Boru Hotel. The race comes off at two o'clock to-day on the Race-course. The Collius and Carroll Excelsior Troupe gave their second entertainment in the Volunteer Hall, last evening, to a well-filled house. The new programme w*B gone through with much spirit ; the dancing was excellent, more especially the pedestal dance by Messrs Collins and Carroll, and the singing and dancing was also remarkably good. The Minstrels announce their last attainment here for to-night, as they intend t6 leave for Westport by the Charlea Edward. Before they leave we recommend our readers to pay them a visit. The Hokitika Evening Star says : — ln re* fcrence to a paragraph which appeared in our issue of yesterday, we are informed that Mr Langdon has not purchased the right and title to Curtis's ferry on the Arnold river, but that he merely became the purchaser of tho punt wire at a sale which recently took place at the ferry. Mr Langdon appars, however, virtually to have stopped the traffic over the ferry by neglecting to repair the damages done by a flood to a bridge across a creek running into the Arnold. The Canterbury Press regrets to have to report a serious loss by fire which occurred at Lawferd on Sunday, whilst Mr Cardale was at church. It appears that Mr Bailey's man had previously been on the ground for the purpose of threshing out some grass seed, and it is supposed that the cook had left some live embers which kindled the grass, and ran on to the stacks, burning about 800 bushels of beautiful seed, besides Mr Bailey's combine and elevator, altogether destroying about L7OO worth of property. With regard to Dr Hector's present visit to Murray Creek, the Wellington Independent of the 12th January says :— We understand that Dr Hector, who' is now making an inspection of a rich reefing district at Murray Creek, Nelson Gold Fields, has re.ported that he has travelled up the Puller River and visited the Lyell Reefs and ether diggings, and finds the prospects .of that district exceedingly satisfactory. Be had despatched Mr Mackay to Mount Rochfort ' for tho purpose of making preparations for a

thorough examination of the coal-field there. We may expect that Dr Hector's report on the Murray. Creek reefs will; confirm the reports of their richness, and that steps ■will te at once taken by the Government for commencing roads to connect that district with the ports of Westport and Greymouth. The local papers are full of accounts of new discoveries of rich reefs in that neighborhooo\ and a sort of furore appears to have set in. The Canterbury Press says t-rt^Ve understand that the River Waimakairiri, at the south branch, is making serious inroads on the bank in the vicinity of the railway across the Bouth branch. The river here assumes a zig-zag course, and the Board of Conservators anticipate considerable difficulty iv dealing with it, and also it is to be feared a large expenditure of money in keeping it within bounds. Already, we believe, the river has eaten into the bank some nine o" ten feet during the last fresh, and it is still further encroaching, , At the Nelson Lunatic Asylum the other day, an inquiry was held by the Visiting Justices respecting the ill treatment of a lunatic by one of the warders, who had inflicted one or two severe blows with a poker. The defence was that the lunatic had attacked him, and that the poker was used in self-defence; but the Justices were of opinion that as there were three wardelpr in the establishment, the man was notfjustified in resorting to such violent means, and consequently recommended that he should be dismissed — a recommendation that was at I once acted upon. To would appear that the Otago Provincial Government intend to carry thetecominendation of the Goldfields Commission, that wardens should be changed from district to district periodically, into effect, and the first move will be that of Mr Pyke, who will be transferred to Tuapeka, the change to take place some time next month. The Cromwell Argus considers the proposed changes, so far as the public are concerned, unnecessary and. undesirable, while they involve the unfortunate wardens in much needless expencc and inconvenience. Here is an annoncement by the frrespressible Mr J. G. Grant, of Danedin. We cut it from the advertising columns of the: Evening Star: — '"New Zealand Unveiled' — To-morrow will be published a book on the Colony, price one shilling, but such as have the means are expected to give half-a-crown. Mr J. G. S. Grant has been frequently importuned to write such a book. Here it is. About eighteen [months ago a certain Congregational Association cast the author in . financial arrears because he attempted to tear the veil off the public eyes. Time has confirmed his predictions. Therefore, shell out the dust, ye Mammon worshippers, for ye cannot carry your gold to the grave." ' ' Water Cure " relates in the Ballarat Star Bow he^Gured a sunstroke, and his rough and ready plan has at all events the merit of being always available. He says : — " I sent a man up aloft to sit on the rafters of the place, armed with a tin teapot, and from a distance of 12ft or more let a cool stream of cold water run unceasingly on the poor fellow's head, or rather, fche back of his neck. Fresh water from the pump ke.pt the teapot going, and after about forty minutes of the remorseless stream the sufferer gave a deep sigh apd opened his eyes ; a few minutes more and he jumped up and made off as hard as his legs would carry him, requiring some trouble to catch him. He was kept under cover until every sign of illness had passed away. Whether the teapot would answer on all occasions 1 cannot say. At all events, in country places, where the orthodox treatment cannot be had, let those concerned try it." With regard to the recent strike of the Canterbury police force, as mentioned ; -i our telegrams, the Lyttelton Times of the 17th instant says : — The action of the Provincial Council on Monday night in reference to the reduction in the pay to sergeants and constables of the police, brought about a very serious contretemps yesterday. During the morning, all the men stationed in Christchurch sent in their resignations, and iv the afternoon refused to go on duty, whilst from every out-station within reach of the telegraph, resignations also came to hand. The matter had in fact resolved itself into a strike, which had every appearance of being taken up throughout the province. For some considerable time there was not a policeman to be seen on duty in the city, and the citizens were general in expressing their opinion that the attempt to reduce the rate of pay to present members of the force was a step in the wrong direction. Inspector Pender, on being informed that the men refused to go on duty, and that those on duty had returned to the depot, communicated with the Commissioner, who at once waited upon the Provincial Secretary to lay the matter before the Executive. On returning thence, he ordered the men to parade, and informed them that the Government had not yet reduced the rate of pay, and that, before doing ao, a month's notice would be given to all the members of the force. Under these circumstances, he would give them ten minutes to consider whether they would resume duty, and, after a brief consideration, they decided to do so, ku) wjsh the understanding that immediately notice was given of a reduction in their pay, they would discontinue their services. The Provincial Secretary made an explanation to the Council the same night. A late number of the Dunedin Echo contains the following. I—Not1 — Not very long ago we heard the Rev Mr Christie, of Waikouaiti, deliver an address, in which he said that one cause of apathy on the part of professing Christians arose from their being long accustomed to one clergyman, whose voice, appearance, and thoughts were so familiar that they compelled a mechanical— not an intellectual audience. We thoroughly agree with what fj?ll from Mr .Christie on this subject Scotch Presbyterian, children are excessively drilled in religioxis" exercises. In school and out of school, Bible instruction is conetijjitly presented to them. We are convinced ffiat much Scotch infidelity and indifferentism is caused by the extreme culture of the religious faculty at a very early age. Children of eight and ten are forced to listen to long, and to them drydoctiinal disquisitions on abtruse Bible texts. Words of six syllables are spoken to children who do not understand words of two syllables. But this is not all. Not merely are such children compelled to go to church twice on a Sunday, to Sabbath school once on a Sunday, tp prayer meetings once or twice a week, to a lecture about once a week, and to family worship nightly; but they are excluded from all secular recreation unmixed with religion. Is it any wonder that the adult Scot should prove to be more infidel ? Mr Saunders, late Superintendent of Nelson, who returned the other day from a visit to England, has been enlightening his brother colonists as to his experiences. He said:— The first spnsatjon experienced by one who had been absent for twenty .-six years in the colonies, where he had be,en so accustomed to find himself among friencfc, was one of complete isolation, as although in the midst of a crowd, the new arrival felt that he was an object of complete indifference to those around him, except when, as was sometimes the case, ho was viewed with suspicion as though he were a pickpocket. It had been truly remarked thai; very few of New Zealand's old settlers who went home remained long there, and the reason no doubt was that in the colonies there was a feeling of family sociability that certainly possessed considerable attractions, but which could not be expected to exist in larger com-

munities. Speaking for himself, he' would say that there was something exceedingly pleasant in finding himself back in New Zealand again, and in receiving a familiar, nod from nearly every face^ne' met. A-f^r describingithe". sights; he had seen in London and the larger towns',' he went on to speak of the country, remarkiug tbat one thing which struck him was the peculiar beauty of,thefresh greenness of the fields, in which respect no country he had ever visited could vie with England. Mr Saunders then related his meeting, with Mr. Bright on. a steamer, while travelling from Holyhead to Dublin. Some extraordinary fascination; or ! perhaps 1 should call it impudence, he said, induced me to introduce myself to the great man, 1 who at first did not accord me a very cour. teous reception, but after a time we com--menced to converse on New Zealand topics, and this appeared to me an excellent opportunity to tell him what I thought of the conduct of the Home Government towards the colonists. With a sort.of confident presumption, he met me with a statement that in his opinion the natives had been very badly and cruelly used by the settlers, and in reply to this I gave him a number of facts which I hoped might influence his future opinions, though not so far as to induce him to introduce any change into the policy of England to the Colony, a policy of which, I remarked, I should have approved had it been adopted at the right time, but having entered upon hostilities with the natives, and commenced a war that could never redound .to our ci edit, prosperity, or interest in any way, it was England's duty to see it out to the end. A case arising out of tho application of the provisions of., the. Stamp Act o4 last session was heard on the Bth instant, in the Resident Magistrate's Court, Wellington. The manager of the Australasian Mutual Provident Society, being in doubt as to whether the company was liable to pay the duty of an incorporated company, had endeavored to make the point sure by making an application to the Government on the point, which however, was not replied to, and the case was a'lowed to go into Court to obtain a decision. Mr Brandon appeared for the company, which he admitted was carrying on business in New Zealand, and was incorporated in Australia, but inasmuch as it has no nominal capital, he con-tended-that he was not liable to pay duty. The decision given was as follows : — " From the evidence before me, it appears that this company has no subscribed capital, and therefore nothing on which to levy the duty required by the act, and although a strict reading of clause 15 would seem to imply the necessity for taking out a license, yet, as the reason for taking out that license, namely, : the payment of duty, cannot be enforced, I think a common sense view of tho provisions of this clause and of clause 18 will show that they do not apply to the case before me." Dismissed with costs.