Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1185, 16 May 1872, Page 2

As we already indicated, the General Government have taken the contract of the Mia Mia and Keefton road over, and will finish it •without delay. In another column an advertisement for a large number of men appears, and as the employers are virtually the Government, and there is no doubt of wages being punctually and fully paid, there will be no difficulty in procuring the required labor. Under these altered circumstances it is probable that the road will be finished in a month or so. It was with sincere regret we last night heard of a lamentable accident at the | Buller, by which Mr E. De Carle lost his life. It appears that he was going on board one of the steamers lying there, the Kennedy it is stated, wheu by some means he lost his footing and fell overboard. A pretty heavy fresh was on at the time, and he was swept rapidly down the river, though we hear he struck out manfully to save his life. How it was, if he kept himself afloat for any time, there were no boats to rescue him does not appear, more especially as the accident happened in daylight. Despite his exertions he was carried over the bar and drowned, and the. body was washed up on the north beach. An inquest was held yesterday afternoon, but we have no further particulars. Deceased was a most enterprising business man. He carried on a large business in Melbourne for a number of years, and subsequently conducted a large carrying agency in Dunedin. He had just started in the same line between Keefton and Westport, and had also taken out an auctioneer's license, intending to conduct that business iv conjunction with it. We regret to hear that he leaves a family behind him, who are in Victoria, and to whom the sod news will we presume be conveyed by the Albion. Owing to the frightful weather, the Burford and Stephenson Con>pany did not play last evening. To-night the Hall is required by the volunteers for their usual parade, and consequently Miss Stephensons farewell benefit is put off till to-morrow evening. On the occasion the sensational drama, " The Relief of Lucknow," will be produced. In it, we understand, Miss Stephenson excels. The Christchurch coach left € Hokitika ou Tuesday morning at the usual hour. On arriving at the Arahura, the creek near the Queen's Hotel was so much swollen, that the water was nearly over the horses' backs. Mr Burton persevered, however, and proceeded on, but seeing at length that it would be impossible to get through, he returned to Hokitika. In the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, John Brockley and Samuel Godfrey for drunkenness, were fined 5s each.— John Kullarton was charged with being drunk and disorderly, and also with using obscene language in a public place. For the firafc offence he was lined LI, or 48 hours' imprisonment ; and for the second JL2, or one week's imprisonment. This was all the business before the Court. Owing to the weather the coach between here r»na Hokitika was stopped for two days but got through yesterday. We did not, however, receive our usual files that should be brought by the Christchurchjcoach arriving on Saturday. In the Hokitika papers to hand there is no mention of any stoppage or accident having occurred, or of any interruption of communication through damage of the road up to that time (Saturday) and we are puzzled to account for the circumstance. At last the Nelson Government Gazette has published the amount of revenue collected at the ports of Nelson and Westport for the quarter ending the 31st March last. At Nelson it amonnted to L 7044 14s lOd, • and at Westport, L 5856 11s 9d. Messrs Brogden and Sons have been informed that they must increase their deposit by LlOO if they wish the Survey Department to complete the survey of the Mikonui Race. A number of gentlemen in Chriatchurch are contributing 1.10 each towards the expense of another large shipment of birds from England. At Alexandra, a well was sunk by order of the Borough Council, but when the rock was reached, gold was found instead of water. The washdirt was 2ft thick. It is proposed to hand over the shaft for mining. According to a Victorian paper, bullock drays 18ft long, and capable of carrying eight tons, are now the fashion for up-country wool-carriers. Drays of this size are being made at Pleasant Creek. The body of a boy named Webb was found floating in Auckland -Harbor last Tuesday with fishing tackle in his pocket. A woman of ill repute, named Jane Ballinget, residing on the Lincoln road, Christchurch, hanged herself last Thursday behind a door leading to one of the rooms in the house. Contrary to the practice recently adopted \>y th* B^iicli at both Greymouth and Ross, Mr Fitzgerald, R.M. at Hokitika, has decided to recommend the granting of a dancing-house license to Mr R. Walker, of the Duke of Edinburgh Cafe, although it was strongly opposed by the Licensed Victuallers' Association. Iv stating his decision he gave the following reasons:— "lt was true that the memorial stated that this dancing-house had been a nuisance, but he must take it that the broad question of the moral tendency of those licensed dauue houses had been determined by the Legislature, when they passed the Act providing for their issue. If it were asked in what the discretion of the Resident Magistrate is to be exercised ha would reply, that each case should be dealt with on its merits as retail licenses are, and that for various reasons a recommendation, would properly bo refused, as 'when the applicant was a man of note

riously bad character, or where robberies had been committed on the premises, or where the business had been generally conducted in a disorderly manner. It was hot alleged that this had been the case in the present instance, or that the applicant was a man of bad character ; indeed, when he applied for a publican's license the police reported favorably of the house. He (the Magistrate) gave no opinion on the pre- , 'dent state of the law of licenses! If the public were dissatisfied they should move the Legislature to, amend it. His duty was only to work the Act to the best of his ability, and for the reasons he had^ men- ; tioned he should recommend the granting of \ the license." • A congregational meeting of the Presbyterian Church was held lately in Hokitika, when the committee appointed to recommend a minister brought up a report recommend-, ing that a call be given to the Rev. James' Cree, now officiating in the Selwyn district. The recommendation was adopted, and it was agreed that the Presbytery meet on the 22nd instant, when a congregational meeting will be held for the purpose of moderating in a call. At a sittiug 6f the Supreme Court in Banco, in Dunedin, on the 3rd instant, a rule nisi was granted upon the application of Mr Macassey to quash the conviction of J. Y. Henrj " for ringing without due cause the fire-bell of Queenstown, thereby causing public alarm and commotion " It will be remembered that the individual in question was fined LlO for the offence. A special sitting of the Waste Lands Board was held in Hokitika, on Tuesday last, to consider Mr Brogden's application for a grant of land along the line of the Mikonui Waterrace. The following resolution was agreed to—" That all the land on the proposed line of the Mikonui Water-race, as shewn on the map, that is not taken up at the present date (13th May) be, and is temporarily reserved, and that copies of this resolution be forwarded to the Colonial Secretary and to the Warden at Ross." The Board then adjourned. The Otago Daily Times says :-"The ps Peninsula has lately been burning Green Island coal, amongst the cinders of which has been found a fine sample of tin ore, which may be seen at the Harbor Company's office. A sample of the same is to be sent to Dr Hector for analysis, and we believe also to Professor Black." We learn that the way round the Wanganui Bluff is in a very bad state, and that Mr Diedrich has again been losing cattle in driving them round. Altogether he has lost fully fifty head within a very short period, lately. From the same source, we learn that Mr Bell, the contractor for the mail, contrived to get through last Monday, but it was with great difficulty. A statement was made recently that a wild kangaroo had been seen at the back of Mount Watkins, near Waikouaiti, but it was generally discredited. AMr Dasent now comes forward and states that he and two other gentlemen while shooting in the district on April 1 saw a doe kangaroo, and, after an exciting chase, captured it. It was a dirty greyish color, stood over 2ft high, and its tail measured nearly 3 ft. Not wishing to be hampered with the animal Mr Dasent marked its ears and let it go, A suggestion has been | made that it was J the progeny of some kan- , garoos let loose on Dansey's tud, Oamaru, some years ago. In a civil case at Sandhurst, Mr Martley, who was conducting the defence, facetiously remarked that they ought to prove that the Christian name was as stated, and he asked the plaintiff whether he was at his own christening, and cautioned him against answering without considering theTjuestion. Plaintiff took some seconds to consider the question, and then answered in a most solemn mauner, "No, Mr Martley, I was not." It need hardly be said that the answer created no small amount of merriment. A sad accident occurred the other day to one of the oldest storekeepers at Switzer's, Otago, Mr John Utting, which resulted in a fracture of the leg. It appears that his dray, with about half a ton of meat on, was standing at his door, and the mare in the dray being rather flighty, he held her head while some other horses were being driven past. The mare took fright and bolted, Mr Utting holding on for some thirty yards, making fruitless efforts to arrest her progress ; at length he stumbled in a small hole, and, falling, broke his leg — luckily the cart did not pass over him. The Diuiolly Express says :— " Ifc is rather unusual for a jibbing horse to prove a means of much profit to its owner, but such it appears was the case a few days ago at Murphy's Plat, where one of these obstinate brutes (with a load of wheat for the mill) refused to pull, and commenced kicking up the soil as he stood, when a bright shining speck of gold made its appearance near the horsed feet. A little further search was thereupon made, and a nugget l|oz turned up. With this result the owner was sufficiently satisfied to register a prospecting claim at Nuggety Point, and once more ply the pick and shovel as a digger. We are informed that he was rewarded for his last week's work with soz of gold from the claim, and has plenty of ground still to work." The streets in Dunedin are 'described in the lecal press as being in a wretched condition. A writer in the Daily Times, referring to the subject, says: — "Complaints are being made, and none too soon, about the bad state of the roads in the city, and especially of the. main road, which is supposed to be kept in order by the Provincial Government. This main road has for some time past consisted of a number of hollows on which vehicles jolt dreadfully, and two long lines of mud apparently designed to test the agility of anyone, who wishes to cross the street. As for that portion of the road in the. lower part of the Octagon, its state must be seen to be adequately conceived. From close to the corner of Princes street to the corner of Stuart street, this 'main' ioad is one- large 'glue-pot' — to borrow an expressive West Coast phrase." Discussing the Verdon dinner, the Spectator says: — "The general tone of the speeches was exceedingly satisfactory, showing a very different and much more cordial relation between the Colonial Office, indeed, the British. Government generally, and the Colonies, than has prevailed for many years. Lord Kiniberley made a sensible and very amusing speech, with which we find only one fault. Why must he— and not he only, but Colonial .Secretaries in general — always be suggesting and harping upon the possible separation between England and her Colonies, which the Government professes to dread much, and which we have no doubt Lord Kitnberley does really dread ? It is the very way to bring it about, thus to accustom the public mind to think of it as inevitably forcing itself on the most reluctant imaginations. For the rest. Lord Kimberley was very wise as well as entertaining, and told a capital story of the attempt of a fidgetty governor to consult him from the other end of the world by telegraph on the minutite of Colonial business. Lord Kimberley promptly telegraphed back — ' Matter much too difficult to decide by telegraph, -write by post.' It would have been better still to say— 1 Hither decide for yourself, or write by post,' -—but the notion of governing the" antipodes by telegraph. is positively alarniing.' These great . discoveries may break up empiras^ after all, if we are not sober-minded enough td know the limits within which to use them."