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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1229, 6 July 1872, Page 2

We believe that within a fortnight, through the strong efforts now being made to complete it, regular telegraphic communication will be carried on between Reefton and Ahaura, It will, however, be three weeks later before the line will be complete to the Grey; this delay being alone attributable to the bad weather lately experienced. A daily express will, however, be established on the latter route as soon as the first-named portion is finiskod, so as to allow the public the use of the line at once. When such is commenced, telegrams will be received each day, Sundays included, at Greymouth as well as Reefton, and forwarded daily 'for transmission. This telegraph express will not interfere with the ordinary mail, as the subject matter forwarded from Greymouth to Ahaura and vice versa, must be written on telegram forms only, and will be liable to a tariff charge, including delivery, yet to be decided upon. We feel sore that the public generally will gladly welcome this much-de-sired accommodation. At the present moment, when it is advisable that every precaution should be taken against the spread of small-pox in the Colony, •for the information of teachers of public schools we quote the following clause from the "Vaccination Act, 1871":-" If the teacher of any school which is supported wholly in or part by grant, or from rates or any public funds, or by any endowments, whether Colonial, Provincial, or Parochial, shall have reason to bolieve that any chlid attending such school has not been vaccinated he shall give notice to the nearest Public VacVmator. and such Vaccinator shall examine the child, a-od if. upon examination, he shall be of opinion that such clrild has not been successfully vaccinated, he shall there* upon vaccinate such child. Provided that in the case of persons above the age of sixteen the examination shall be conducted by a legally qualified medical practitioner, and the person, if necessary, be vaccinted by a him." At the Resident Magistrate's Court jesterday morning, James Dale was brought up under suspicion of being of unsound mind. Several witnesses having been examined, the defendant was remanded for medical examination. We have to acknowledge receipt, through the hands of a member of the Council, of copies of nine of the Acts passed by the Nelson Provincial Council during ics recent session. The more important of the clauses of several of these Acts have already been printed, but with the copies now before us, we shall be able to refer more fully to their contents, with regard both to their intention and diction, and we shall do so at the earliest opportunity. Signor Donato gave a benefit to the inhabitants of Greymouth last night— the benefit of witnessing what a man can do when be, may be wanting in flesh' and bone, so long as he is not wanting in spirit. The occasion was nominally, and by the playbill, a special one, and so it was in reality and in relation to the performance. Donato danced with more frequency, vigor, and hard- earned elegance than he has dune since his debut in Greymouth, and his exertions to please were warmly appreciated by the pretty numerous spectators who, notwithstanding the apparent permanency of that inconvenient institution, "the inclemency of the weather," had assembled to see him perform, and to see the comedies and burlesque in the . intervals of which he makes his appearance upon the stage. The patronage accorded to the performance, under all the outward circumstances, was fair in amount and in the fact that there were not a few feminine occupants of the' front seats, and the dancing and the flinging of the Signor were given with as much spirit as if he had been still more extensively patronised. The other ingredients of the entertaiument were a comedietta, a farce, and the burlesque "Don Giovanni, "in which all those whose names have already appeared in these columns took part, and sustained their parts, as the papers commonly say, with credit to themselves and satisfaction to the audience. The entertainment this evening is announced as the last to be given in Greymouth by this exceptionally good company. The usual meeting of the Borough Council was held last night in the Town HaU. Present : His Worship the Mayor in the chair. Councillors Kennedy, M'Gregor, Purcell, Smith, and Moore. After the minutes had been read and confirmed, a letter was r»ceiral from Mr H. Kenrick, Clerk to the B.incli, encliwing L 2 ss, bning amount of fines onllt>c'.-'(l during the month of June, under t!*u Municipal Corporation Act. A number of letters and telegrams were read which had passed between the Town Clerk, the Collector of Customs, the County Chairman, and the General Government respecting a site for the powder magazine. The letter from the Uollector of Customs enclosed a license for the Borough Council (not being dealers), to store more than lOlbs of- powder in the Dangerous Goods Shore, in order to protect them against any proceedings that might be taken against them for having the p lwder in their possession. The license was dated back to the Bth February. Several members expressed a strong opinion that the I' cense should be returned, as the powder was stored there at the request of the

Collector of Customs, and that he was now attempting to shift the responsibility from his own to the Council's shoulder. It was resolved that the license be returned, and the Collector of Customs be informed that any responsibility regarding the said powiler rests with bim ; and that bucu responsibility is repudiated by the Council. Tbo above-mentioned letter contained mention of the appointment of an anchorage for vessels bringing gunpowder to the port, and it was referred to a committee consisting of Messrs Moore, Kennedy, and the Mayor. Three applications for leases of sites for slaughterryards on Preston road, were referred to the Public Works Committee with •power to act. A long letter was read from Mr W. W. Woolfe regarding a disagreement which had taken place between him and the Town Clerk on the subject. of the payment of certain wharfage rates The Town Clerk made explanations, and produced receipts in support of his statements. The Mayor stated that he happened to be present on the occasion when the dispute took place between Mr Woolfe and Mr Whall, and that the Town Clerk had been most unwarrantably abused upon the occasion. The letter, vouchers, and other documents were referred to' the Finance Committee. The- Public Works Committee's report was read,' bub it contained nothing of importance. No tender was accepted for the formation of Leonard street, and the time for receiving such was extended for a week. The Council adjourned till Friday next. Mr Robert Burn is sooken of as a probable candidate for the seat in the Nelson Council vacated by Mr Collins. Mr Bum was formerly a member of the Council. * '■■'■■ .■■'■■ Mr Sharp who was, until recently, Resident Magistrate at Nelson, has been appointed Commissioner to arrange the allocation of those inhabitants of Westport who ate compelled or willing to removed to new sites, and is now in Westport discharging the duties of his Commissionership. Mr Sharp has a most difficult duty before him, but we believe the ofovernment may be congratulated upon choosing, in him, the man for the duty and the difficulty.

Mr E. J. O'Conor, after reviling men and measures to the utter weariness of his hearers, now poures out the vials of his wrath upon the West Coast Press. Referring to this,, outpouring the Westport Times indulges in what it is pleased to call " mild sarcasm :"— ' ' Poor, persecuted, immaculate Eugene Joseph. According to his own show- | ing, his case is most pitiable. Conspired against in the Council Chamber, the victim of fraud, of false lying reports, of perjured slanders, maligned by his enemies, shunned, by his friends, doubted by his once warmest supporters, the last drop has been added to his cup of bitterness by a corrupt and 'bigotted' Press. His actions misrepresented, the outpouring of his fervent eloquence unrecorded, his character wronged and villified, reports garbled, twisted, and contorted into every conceivable form of misstatement against him, the devoted martyr to his country's cause, the champion who 'alone and unaided, armed with the one little weapon— truth,' lias dared to defy, and in defying, dared to win, a victory over the multitude of his oppressors. It is not enough that the hireling journals of Nelson City, the 'noxious things' he .scarcely dares to touch, have traduced his fair fame, stained his spotless purity, but, oh perdition ! in his own stronghold, among those whose interests are as dear to his heart as bis very life, he has been stabbed, vilely stabbed, by the very weapon he once so deftly wielded. Pity him in his agony, lovers of justice, of truth, defenders of injured innocence, pity and protect him, for he is sore afflicted." A meeting of the Paroa Road Board took place on last Thursday night, when there were present— Messrs O'Connor (Chairman), Barnhill, O'Bowd, and Colton. The minutes having 'been confirmed, the correspondence was received, among which there was a letter from the Okarito Road Board stating that, owing to the anomalous position of that body, in consequence of there having been no quorum for more than two months, and also because the Board had~fe©««i compelled to strike a rate which would not pay for collection, tbe Board did not think it desirable to join in the proposed memorial of the combined Road Boards to the General Assembly. ■ A number of accounts were proved, and the Rate Collector handed in his report showing further receipts of L 43 7s. on account of rates ; also an amount of LI 10s was handed to the Board as tolls collected on Marsden roads by the late toll collector. The Board then went into committee to open and consider the tenders for the pro* jected portion of the Greymouth road. Fourteen tenders were laid upon the table, and that of Peter Campbell for Ll7O Is being the lowest, was accepted, the amount being calculated as follows :— 6O chains 83 links of road, at 47s 6d per chain, L 144 11s; culverts, LSC ; and syphons, 555 ; do, 10s ; total, LI 7O Is. Mr Dowling's motion on the proposed change in the management of the Gold Fields of the West Coast, as recommonded by Mr Harrison's scheme, lapsed owing to the absence of the mover. The contractor having been informed that -his tender was accepted, notified his intention to put a number of men on the work at once. The Board then adjourned. Another gap has been made in the fast dwindling row of houses forming the western side of Gladstone street, Westport. The large drapery store of Mr Christopher Brown is now on its travels, having been shifted out of line, and hauled on rollers up to the corner of Molesworth street, en route for its present location at the corner of Wallabi street. House-shifting, says the Times, is becoming a steady branch of business at Westport, Mr Watson, the diver, with Mr Butt, attempted, on Saturday last, to recover the iron wheel centre, now lying under water at tbe Inangahua Landing, but were unsuccessful. The exact position of the lost piece of machinery is doubtful, and it is very probable that it is now covered with snags and shingle drift. Mr AYatson left Westport by the Murray for Nelson, having been engaged to recover the iron safe lately dropped off the wharf there.

The Auckland Herald states that the bulk of the citizens there are undergoing the process of vaccination. Medical men are busily engaged in all directions in operating on their patients. We are very glad that the warnme; which we have received has had this effect. It may, indeed, be that the one fatal case having occurred in Auckland will thus be our real safeguard. - The following letter, explanatory of a telegram which appeared in our columns the other day, has been addressed by Mr M, Gassiusto the West Coast Times :—" Allow me to explain a paragraph which appeared in your issue of this morning to the effect that I offered to contribute L2OO towards LIOOO as a reward fund for tbe discovery of a payable gold-bearing quartz reef country in the County of "Westland, south of the Teremakau. The fact of the matter is, that although I have made the offer spontaneously and hardly expecting it to be made public, I would willingly contribute L2OC towards a reward fund for the above object, provided LBOO be subscribed by the public, as an encouragement to prospecting parties ; and I take this opportunity of repeating my offer, which is to remain binding on me to the Ist January next. I have been induced to offer the above explanation in order to prevent being suspected of making a mere boast, and in tfie hope that my offer may induce my neighbors and othersto come forward, and p >ssibly, thus hasten the tracing of the j Inangahua line of reefs, south (of the Tereniakau.".