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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1105, 12 February 1872, Page 2

Jurors summoned to attend the District Court to-day are excused from attendance. There being only bankruptcy busmess, the Court will not open unf eleven o'clock, instead of ten. A public meet' lg with reference to the main road to Reef ton was held at Ahaura on the evening of Friday, the 9th inst. Mr A. Nicol was ca^ed to the chair, and resolutions were passed approving of the action of the Greymouth Coir nittee and condemnatory of the Nelson Government. The meeting was addressed by Messrs F. GuiDuess, James Wilkie, M.P.C., P. M'lnernay, F.Hodges, £. Fraser, W. S. Staite, and others. A man named Pollock, a hawker of drapery and' knicknacks, gave information to the police at Ahaura thajf he had been robbed of goods to the value of about L 5, at the Little Grey Junction, on Thursday, Bth inst., during the flood. Sergeant GoodalJ arrested a man named Lee on suspicion of the theft on Saturday. » A meeting of the Public Works Committee of the Borough Council was, under the exceptional circumstances requiring their attention, held specially for the purpose of arranging for the execution of protective works. The members of the Council present at the meeting were— the Mayor, and' Messrs Purcell, Woolcock, Moore, and Coates. At this meeting the Town Clerk reported that Mr Greenwood, agent forthe Native Reserves, had placed at the disposal of the Conncila site for quarrying stone, 'and, on the motion of Mr Purcell, it was agreed to request the County Chairman* to give the services of Mir Brown for the purpose of lajlng off levels for a tramway from the quarry to the head of the work. The Town Clerk was also instructed to employ hands to collect all the available material belonging to the Council as speedily as possible; to call for tenders for a pile-driving derrick ; and to apply to the County Chairman for the loan of the steam engine and other pile-drh Ing plant at Hokitika. He was further instructed to employ labor for blasting rock, at the head of the town, and to get the derrick raised and put to work in securing the remaining portion of the lower protective works, and at the same time to forward a message to Mr Alabaster, the contractor, requesting him to supply fifty -feet piles as quickly as possible. Subsequent to the meeting Mr Greenwood chose a site for the quarry immediately beyond Mr Hiudmarsh's house, near where the punt wire was fixed, and twenty men will be at work this morning quarrying the cliff at that point. For this' 'purpose some of the boatmen's huts will require to be removed, and preparations will be made for the conveyance of the stone to the position in which it is required. Several gentlemen who last week left Greymouth and Hokitika for the purpose of visiting the scene of the new rush beyond Reefton returned to town yesterday. They are unanimous in 'expressing their opinion as to the richness of the reefs formerly discovered, and of those which have more recently been found at Boatman's Creek. ■ Mr Curtis, Superintendent of Nelson, accompanied by Mr Shallcrass, Inspector of the Provincial Police, arrived at Westport by the steamer Kennedy. Mr Mirfin, Overseer of Works on the Nelson Gold Fields; made- the journey from the Ahaura to Greymouth yesterday. He confirms the descriptions yxen of the destruction of roads and bridge 3on the Nelson side of the river. Meeting some parties of men on the way, Mr Mirfin at once engaged . them to effect repairs, and he willy no doubt, r ceive instructions to proceed with whatever work is urgent. It is now ascertained that seventy separate tenements :n Greymouth were washed away by the late flood, or ao destroyed as to be rendered uninhabitable. A special meetiog|of the Paroa Road Board was held on the 9th inst, at^the Road Board Office. Present— Messrs O'Connor (in the chair), Barnhill, Colton, Butler, Dowling, and Collins. It was moved by Mr Colton, and seconded by Mr Dowl'ng— ' • That the Board go into. Committee of the whole to consider the applications for Secretary,'' — Carried. In committee: Moved by Mr Butler, and seconded by Mr Colton — " That the application of Mr Wolters, to be secretary to the Board, be accepted, provided that he sariafy the Board as to the required sureties;" Moved, as an amendment, by. Mr Bambill, ami seconded by Mr Downng— "That Mr Tyler's application, be accepted." | Both the resolution and' amendment wars lost. Moved by Mr Dowling, arid seconded by Mr Collinß— "That the election take place by ballot." Carried. The ballot being taken the result was declared as follows— H H Wolters, 3 ; E Tyler, 2 ; J JMetcalfe, 1. Moved by Mr Colton, and seconded by Mr O'Connor— "That the Secretaiy be called, to explain the terms of expenses alluded to in his application." Carried. The explanation having been given, the Board resumed, and the Committee's decision was adopted. Mr Dowling, by leave, withdrew the report now presented, of the Select: Committee on the Marsden roads, and the Board adjourned. ' ■ .