THE PUBLISHED. DAILY. THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1268, 22 August 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED. DAILY. THURSDA Y, AUG UST 22, 1872.

The five-act drama of "Under the Gas§jht" is to be produced at the Volunteer alt this evening. .The company, as lately enlarged, have men making great exertions to produce the piece, in , a suitable manner, and Mr Thornton has produced some splendid scenery, and effects . for the occasion. . The piece is. sure to prove a success, and • any company that goes to so much labor and ex* pense to please the public certainly deserves support. ■•'• ; ; The half-yearly general meeting of the members of the Jockey Club was neld last night in the Albion Hotel. There was a fall quorum present, and the following gentlemen were elected a Committee for the ensuing year:— Messrs Maclean, Girdwood, Tonks, Maxwell, Crogan, Strike, M'Millan, Keny Guinness, Woolfe, Middleton, and Campbell.. The reports of the Treasurer and retiring Committee were read and adopted, and votes of thanks were awarded to them for their successful management during the past year. A vote of thanks was also ordered to be for-, warded to Messrs James Kirton and J. M. Butt for their honorary services as Auditors to the Club.

The County Council sat till 10 o'clock on Tuesday evening, but nothing more was done beyond altering a few toll oharges, and adopting the report on the Select Committee on the application of Mr John Evans to be permitted to purchase 1250 acres of land at 10s per acre. The time was chiefly occupied in discussions' of a personal character, while in Committees on the question of revising the tolls.

The Westland Gazette announces that block 77, rural land, situate on the Marsden and Hohohu road, is open for sale. ' '

At the Resident Magistrate's Coort yesterday, before E. Wickes and R. Reid, Esqs, J.P, John M 'Lean, for riding in a furious manner through the streets, was fined 10s and costs. Peter M'Pherson, Henry Bade, and George Sawyer were severally charged with throwing rubbish on Mawhera Quay. They had been in the habit, as many others have been of late, of throwing all the ashes and rubbish from certain hotels on the banks of the river. Sub-Inspector Hickson stated th»t this had been a custom for some time, and as these were the first cases brought up, he would ask. that a nominal penalty should be enforced. All he desired was to caution the defendants and others not to repeat the offence. The defendants were dismissed with a caution. James Brimble, for causing an obstruction in Hospital street by leaving his dray thereon, was fined 10s and costs.

In reference to certain remarks made in a recent issue on the excessive charges made for mileage in the Resident Magistrates^ Courts in the country districts, we find, on farther inquiry, that in the case we cited as an example the facts given were not strictly accurate. The plaintiff in the case referred to obtained his summons at No Town for parties residing in that district, and the cases were to be heard at Ahaura. He declined to'aerve the summons personally, and the bailiff had to go from Ahaura to No Town to serve them. It was the extra mileage fees the plaintiff objected to pay. At first sight the objection was reasonable enough, because the Court at No Town is quite as important as that of Ahaura, and the bailiff is not specially attached to the latter Court, bnt the fact that the plaintiff issued the, summonses in one district and made them for hearing in another is what led to the mistake on our part. The amount of

the mileage was a" typographical error ; if should be 16s instead of 265, as stated. With respect to the statement that the bailiff is not paid by fees^ I . we were, it seems, also in error, because that officer is not paid at all. A kind of arrangement, it is said, has been made, by which the bailiff holds office on what may be called reciprocal probation. If the fees amount to a. certain sum in a given time, the remuneration the bailiff is to receive will be fixed. In the meantime, 'the Govern* ment give Mr Edwards credit' for his services, and he is giving the Government " tiok'? for his salary. The fact still remains that suitors to the Courts must pay the fees, mileage included, whether they avail themselves of the services of the bailiff or not, unless by the Magistrate's special permission.

The contractors for the Atlas Company's tunnel at Inaneahua have completed their contract. In the last 40 feet they drove through a seam of coal about 16 feet thick, Intermixed with which a good deal of pure rosin was discovered^ Crushing 'operations' are expected to be commenced in the Band of Hope Company, Shiek's line, early in December next. The low level' tunnel is being pushed on, but there are at present no indications of the reef. , i. ■ , ; ;:V •' ■ '■

At a meeting of the Westland Waste Lands Board, held at / Hokitika, on Tuesday, the following business relating to this district was done : —A petition was read from a number of miners and residents of Paroa, praj ing that the Board would withhold its consent to the renewal of a pasturage lease to Messrs Hill and Haughton, on,the ground that the. granting of same would be highly detrimental to the settlement of the district and to the mining community generally, The petition was, aHeived, but the Board were of opinion thaffc was unadvisable to do anything in the matter. —John Eerr applied, by his agent,. Mr Learmpnth, to purchase section 297, town of Greymoutn. Granted, Ll2 paid.— James Wylde applied to purchase* land in Block 75, Grey District. As it appeared that Mr Wylde had entered his name in the application book two hours, before the land, was gazetted as open for sale, the Board wonldi.not entertain the appliqatipn.— F. A. Learmonth, Hugh Boyle (by bis agent Mr Lear month), James Wylde, and Edward Masters (by his agent Mr. Wylde), applied to purchase land in Block 75, varying in 'acreage, but each application included the section applied for oy Mr Wylde. As it appeared that the 'applicants were in attendance to enter their names in the book at the same time, the Board determined the priority by lot, and it resulted in fayor of Mr Wylde. James Wylde then applied to purchase 55 acres of ruial land in Block 75, Grey dis« trict. Granted, L 55 paid. v ( ' :i ; ; ■

. k . A meeting of merchants and 'other citizens in Hokitika was Held at the Cafe on Tuesday night, for the purpose of considering the best cburs^ to \ .be pursued in, the event of ( Mr Stafford's^anji.of 'cprifidrace motion, which was to come on last evening, being .carried. His.Woifship the Mayor was' in tKe chair. The' following resolutions were adopted after discussion :— l. "That it is i the opinion of meeting that no Government should receive the pupport of the, members for Westland but the one which would pledge itself to carry out during this session the proposed unification <)f the West Coast Gold Fields." 2. "That the foregoing resolution be communicated to Messrs John White, G. H. Triba, W. H. Harrisiin, and E, J. ; O'Conor." The first resolution was, at the conclusion of the meeting, telegraphed to Wellington to the members mentioned in the second resolution.

No further news, says the Inangahia Herald, has been received of themissingman Costello. The residents at the foot of Boatman's and at Larry's, assembled on Sunday last, 1 and searched Larry's and Boatman's Creeks, the prevailing opinion being that he ( i« drowned. We are informed that he was seen at Kelly's Hotel, Broadway, on Sunday, the 4th inst., arid subsequently by_ Mr Cato at Reefton, on Thursday, the Bth inst.

The Buller road is progressing slowly towards completion. Some of the sections at the Reefton end will be ready for traffic in three weeks, always assuming that bad weather does not interfere. Gravel is easily obtainable, so that no delay need be apprehended in metalling after the road is formed throughout.