THE The Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1341, 15 November 1872, Page 2

THE The Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1872.

However much or little Mr Harrison may have been justified in forming. Ihe opinion which he did form as to the character of the overtures made to him by Mr Holt — and our humble estimate is that, but for Mr Brogden's 'denial of Holt having acted with authority, he would atill be justified in his opinion— there can be no doubt that, as the Committee has declared, there were circumstances calculated "to raise suspicions of the existence of an unhealthy state of things." And these circumstances are not solely those which transpired in the interviews between Mr Harrison and Mr Holt. They are circumstances which might have occurred altogether separately ■ from the object of these interviews, yet, being simultaneous, similar, and shaping towards the 3ame end, they reasonably became part of the grounds of Mr Harrison's suspicions, and we may safely presume that they also formed part of the grounds of the suspicions of which confession, has been made by the Committee. The incidents, to which we refer are some of a peculiarly suggestive but possibly perfectly innocent character which occurred in the course of some negotiations between Mr Tribe and. Messrs Brogden's representative, Mr Henderson, withregard to the Mikonui water-race and at the time when the fate of the Stafford Ministry wai* hanging in the balance. These incidents can, perhaps, be best indicated by literal quotations from the evidence as printed, and, thus quoted, they may be left to excite the comment of each reader according to the light that is given him. The circumstances are first mentioned in Mr Harrison's evidence, and in these words : —

" At the! time I left Mr Holt, I did not realise the gravity of the proposal made j to me ; and it was only after certain other facts had come to my knowledge, that I felt that an attempt had been made to influence me as a member improperly. I was strengthened in this opinion by what fell from Mr Tribe, to whom 1 told in general terms what had taken place. T said to him, ' 1 suppose that something of tho sort was suggested to you.' He said, ' Yes, something of the Bame sort.' I referred to what had taken place during the interview when I found him at Mr Brogden's office. . There was one circumstance to my mind very conclusive : for some time previously Mr Tribe had been acting ns agent for Messrs Brogden and Co., at Rosb, for tho purpose of obtaining . certain concessions from the local authorities for the, construction ,of .water races. Finding that the thing was likely to hang on indefinitely, Mr Tribe saw Mr Brogden'a chief engineer, Mr Henderson, and had some communication with him on the subject, in the course of which he (Henderson} said they never allowed anybody to work for their firm for nothing ; what did he consider a fair thing for the work done for them 1 Mr Tribe replied that '

le had never expected any remuneration What he had clone was simply done to see the water-race for his district constructed, but if Mr Henderson thought ho wa> fairly entitled to some remuneration for his trouble, probably L2O or L3O would be sufficient remuneration. Mr Henderson said that it was far too little, and they would not think of giving less than LIOO, as his services were worth LIOO. I know nothing further of what took place. It was the knowledge of that fact had a tendency to confirm mo in the opinion I formed as to the nature of the proposal which had been made to me. The general conversation I- had with Mr Holt relative to the state if political parties, likewise combined to form my opinion upon the point." At, a subsequent stage of the examination of Mr Harrison, the following were some of the questions put and answers given, the.interrogator being Mr Travers, as counsel for Mr Holt : — "In your evidence you stated something about some money paid by Mr Brogden to Mr Tribe I— l stated that Mr Tribe had rendered some services lo Mr Brogden on the West Coast, arid that at an interview he had with Mr Henderson, Mr Brogden's chief engineer, he suggested that he should receive some payment for these services. On the matter being discussed, Mr Henderson named a sum double that proposed by Mr Tribe himself. "That is> Mr Henderson considered the remuneration suggested to be below the mark ? — Yes. "Did Mr Tribe inform you that he looked upon that as an improper attempt to influence him ? — No, not at all. " Do you consider that he was fairly entitled to remuneration for his services? Yes, I think so. " Was it. then communicated to you for the first time at the interview on Monday that an attempt of this kind had been made ?— 1 think it was. I may state that I have not heard that Mr Tribe actually received remuneration for these services. "You had sufficient knowledge of the services rendered to justify you in believing that he was entitled to remuneration. Do you think that the amount he asked for was enough ?— I think so. " Therefore, you infer that it was improper on Mr Brogden's part to estimate these labors at a higher rate I—No,1 — No, that is not the case. The circumstance simply confirmed other suspicions that existed on my mind at the time." The version of the same circumstances given by Mr Tribe corroborates that of Mr Harrison. He says : — . "I think it was Monday morning that I saw Mr Henderson at his own house. We had some conversation about negotiations that I had been trying to manage for Mr Brogden, for the attainment of water concessions in Westland, and Mr Henderson asked me what I would charge for the services I had rendered. I replied that I had not thought of making any charge ; that my whole and sole object was to get a race for the benefit of the district. Mr Henderson replied, ' You have had a vast deal of trouble, and it is not our custom to accept gratuitous services, and I think it right to make yon a present of .£loo.' Mr Henderson is chief engineer to Mr Brogden. Mr | Henderson pressed me to name a sum, I and I said, 'If you press it upon me I ' cannot well refuse j will £50 be too | much?' It was after that he said it was too little ; ho would make me a present of I had been acting for Mr Brogden in this matter of applications for water-race, and in the matter of railway concessions, since last session ; I have been corresponding with him. I have received ho money from him for my services. I probably said to. Mr Harrison something to this effect : that if the £100 offered had anything to do with influencing my political action, that I should decline it." The following further questions were put to Mr Tribe by the gentlemen whose names are prefixed : — Mr Fox : "At the time when Mr Henderson made this offer to you, were those negotiations complete? Had they been brought to a final conclusion ? — No ; they are not yet. "Had the negotiations arrived at any stage which made the offer of remuneration particularly appropriate?— l cannot say that they had. " Would you have felt that Mr Brogden was not sufficiently prompt in recognising your services if he had allowed the offer of remuneration to 1 stand over until the the end of the session ? — I should not. Mr Harrison : "Had you not expressed yourself to me as being in doubt as to the earnestness of Mr Brogden in carrying out the Mikonui Water-race ? — I had; and I had written to Mr Brogden, pressing him to give me an answer on the subject, whether he intended to go on with the water-race or not. " You wrote a letter to Mr Brogden on this particular subject ? — Yes ; and have not received an answer ; the letter was written a fortnight ago. "On the day that you went to see Mr Henderson, did you not go with the determination to have the thing settled, yea or nay? — That was my intention, to. get a positive answer. "That was the occasion on which the suggestion of the payment of £100 wag made ?— Yes. Mr Travers : " Did you, in the letter referred to, mention that you had been put to a good deal of expense in the matter? — Not expense, but pecuniary loss. " That you had suffered pecuniary loss in the matter ? — Yes ; I have a copy of the letter in my lodgings. I think I said it would cause me pecuniary loss. T I should like the letter to be produced.. " Was it in reference to that part of your letter that Mr Henderson said, 'We do not wish you to be put to any expense on our account ?' — It was. :" Had you, in any part of your negotiations with Mr Brogden, or any person connected with his firm, any proposals made to you that you looked upon as affecting your position aa a member ? — ' None whatever. " Had you, until the conversation withMr Harrison, entertained any suspicion that any proposal made to you, or any conversation with you, tended in that direction ? — I may have gone so far as to say, in reference to the offer of remuneration by Mr Henderson, ' Surely it cannot be thought in any way to influence my political action.'" There may be nothing but mere coincidence in the circumstances described in this evidence, and in the evidence which we have already quoted^ occurring simultaneously oh the eve of a division on a vote of want of confidence* It may bo

imple accident, scarcely warranting th nosl; subdued sense- of suspicion on the part of the Committee, as to the existence )f an " unhealthy state of things." We congratulate those whose sentiments are so healthy that they can believo so, as we congratulate the Colony upon having within it a contracting firm whose manager appreciates the laborer as being " worthy of his hire," and— a little more.

The musical and literary entertainment given last evening at the Volunteer Hall in aid of the funds of the Greymouth Literary Society was in every respect a success. The performance opened with an instrumental quartette by members of the Town Band, followed by songs, readings, recitations, duets, and choruses by lady and gentlemen amateurs. A ' reading from Dickens and the story of the " Nancy Bell," in the first part, were well rendered and received. The song, "Just before the Battle," in which the solo parts were sung by a lady, with a chorus of male voices, was also well rendered. The second part commenced with a pianoforte duet, artistically executed by lady performers. A recitation, " The Bridge of Sighs," was very effectively delivered. The basso song, "Kit the Cobbler," was siing with a verve and attention to details rarely found among amateurs. The duet, " Where Fairies dwell," by two young ladies, may be considered the gem of the evening. This part of the performance was enthusiastically applauded, and the fair performers were called before the curtain at its conclusion. The second part finished with a recitation, "The Maniac," by a young lady, her first appearance 6n a public stage. The debutante, as is almost invariably the case under similar circumstances, was slightly nervous at first, but she soon recovered her self-possession, and accomplished the difficult performance to the unanimously." expressed satisfaction of the crowded audience. The performance concluded with a. real live adaptation of the Marionettes, dignified with the learned playbill title of " Phantasmata." The vagaries of the phantoms were received with uproarious expressions of delight by the juvenile: portion of the audience. At the close of the entertainment Mr Revell, the President of the Literary Society, briefly thanited the performers and the audience on behalf of the Society, for the efforts of the one and the attendance of the latter. -':■■..-■

A meeting of the Jockey Club, for the despatch of important business, is appointed to be held at eight o'clock this evening at the Albion Hotel.

The Resident . Magistrate's Court , at No Town was occupied tor some hours at the last sitting in the hearing of an action, M 'Kenzie v Molloy, to recover LIOO, the purchase-money of a house or hotel at Paddy's Gully. The alleged purchase was made in May, 1872. The case was a very complicated one. Mr Newton, for the plaintiff, informed his Worship that he would have to call him to give evidence with respect to a case bearing on the present one, which was heard before his Worship at Csmptown, in June, 1870. A difficulty here arose, as on the motion of Mr Perkins, who appeared for the defendant, all witnesses in the case had to leave the Court and the hearing thereof. The Court not being a ventriloquist nor endowed with the faculty of übiquity, could hardly give evidence before itself and remain out of hearing at the same time. The perplexity was got rid of by the Magistrate suggesting that the case should proceed without his evidence, and that the final decision should be given at Cobden, where he could give his evidence. In the meantime he would have an opportunity of looking over the notes taken at the former trial, which were not accessible at present. After the evidence of the other witnesses was concluded, the case was adjourned to Cobden as proposed. . ,

Wo are informed by the Immigration Officer, Mr Wylde, that in consequence of the number of applications received by hint from residents in the town requiring domestic servants, ho has endeavored to have some of those lately arrived in Lyttelton by the Lady Jocelyn sent to Greymouth, and that he has received the following letter from the Chief Immigration Officer in Chrisfcchurch :

— " I regret lam unable to procure the servants required. There are only twenty-eight general servants on board che Lady Jocelyn, and I have applications for four times that number. I trust a much larger number of single women will shortly be sent out, in order that the wants of your district and other parts of the Island may be siippljed."

The Wellington Independent understands, with regard to the Moeraki line and the Greymoivth coal railway, that the time for Messrs Brogden sending in their tenders has been extended to the 15th December.

The body ,of William Teer, who was drowned at the mouth of the Hokitika river, last Tuesday morning, has been washed apjiore on the beach facing Ross.

At the Resident Magistrate's Qourb yesterday, before W. H. Revell, Esq.; the two adjourned charges against Augustus Hilde. brand, of hanging meat over the footpath in Boundary street, were called on. Inspector Hickson stated that he had received instructions from the. County Chairman' to withdraw these cases, and he had no alternative. The case for the prosecution iaconnection' with the first charge having, however, been concluded, he could not see that he could at that stage apply for its withdrawal. Mr Guinness, for the defence, called Mr.Whall, who produced certain Gazettes proclaiming by-laws. The Magistrate reserved his judgmeut until to-day, and with regard to the second charge expressed a strong opinion as to its withdrawal at- the present stage, and intimated hi 3 intention of representing the circumstances to the General Government. The only civil case was Jones v. M'Kay, Stillwater. This was a fraud summons for L 4 2s ; as the defendant did not appear, it was ordered that a warrant should issue on application.

The following is the address which was presented to the members of the Canterbury Jockey Club. It was largely and influentially signed:— "To the members 'of the Canterbury Jockey Club. Gentlemen— We, the undersigned, desire to thank ' you for the fearless manner in which you have discharged a very responsible duty, in your decision in the 'Peeress case,' and we fully concur in the opinion that the adoption of any other course would 'Lave effectually ruined racing in Canterbury."

An amusing foot race took place last week at Auckland, a professional pedestrian named O'Hare giving forty yards start to Donate, the one-legged dancer, in a race the distance of which is not specified in the exchange from which we obtain the information. After an exciting race the pedestrian won by less than a yard. Donate attributes his failure to having looked behind him when the lookers-on urged him forward. He fairly hopped over the course, and the enormous strides he took were really surprising.

r Three gentlemen recently took their seats in theraihvay carriage at Tararu (AupltlandV and finding there were no fadies present they complacently lit their cigars. Presently a pleasant-looking young s*aori woman entered, having in her arms a fine half-caste boy and a shark. One of the gentlemen, distinguished byjthe urbanity of his manner, genteelly lifted his hat, and said, " Madam, do you object to smoking?" She, with a broad good-humored grin, replied, " Kapai ; you try • give me tobac J" . It is needless to say that the gallant gentleman was heartily laujjbqd at by his coinpaniouf) .

At the Resident Magistrate's Court," at No P-nvn, on Tuesday, 12th inst., before C. ; Whitefoord, Esq., R.M7, a man named Gemv berg was charged with obtaining money; under false pretences. Tha prisoner was arrested on warrant at the Seventeen-mile beach, north of Greymouth, and forwarded bo No Town. The evidence not substantiating the charge, the accused was dismissed. A most extraordinary application was made to the Court by the police in this case. Mr yewton, who appeared for Gennberg, at the, conclusion of the case, asked that certain monies, found on the prisoner when he was arrested, and retained by the police, should be given up to him. The police objected to refund the money, and requested the magistrate to make an order that it should be applied, towards defraying the expense of conveying the prisoner from the place where he was arrested, to the lock-up at No Town. The chief reason advanced by the police in support of the application to retain the money was, that Gennberg, when he left the No Town district, was indebted, to several tradespeople there. Mr Newton replied that this had nothing to do with the charge on which his client had just been acquitted, and warned the police thatiE they refused to give up the money they would do so at their own risk. The magistrate: declined to make an order either way, and the subject dropped!

Mr. Bromley was so liberally supported during his stay in Charleston that he was necessitated to borrow from his reserve fund a sum of about L 6 to defray his expenses. .Ifter such liberal support fixe Herald feels ironically hopeful of seeing many more .companies visit; Charleston at an early date. :

The Okarito district, says the Ross News, does not display any marked improveme'nps since we heard last from that quarter— in fact, theTwo-Miie is the only place in that district where any degree of briskness is observable.

Robert Manisty, the " missing friend, "fpr whom anxious inquiries have been made in this district during the last ten days, has been.discovered by his brother to be residing at Westport. * ...

The Rev Mr Larsons, formerly the Baptist minister at Dunedin, is suffering' from ill health, and proceeds to England for a year.

Sergeant Mallard,, well known, in Port Chalmers and Tokbmairiro, and who has the conducting of the police cases at the Mayor's Court, Dunedin, has been appointed Acting Sub-Inspector of Otago Police.

; The conventional Hibernian is losing caste as a standing eccentricity in the witness-box. At the last sitting of the Supreme Court in Wanganui a witness hailing from the north of the Tweed, in answer to' the preliminary question, " What' are you?" stated that he was at Wangaehu. The question being again put, he answered, "I am Scotch," which created considerable merriment. Evidently the Scotchman was very " ill at the up tak. " His' Honor Mr Justice Johnston helped the witness out by declaring his own nationality, saying, "lam Scotch, too, but that . is not mv profession," and after that aid the witness was able to give a satisfactory answer, by stating that he was a farmer.

It is stated, says the Charleston Herald, that one of the Bank agents has recently tramped the district informing miners that on and after the 15th his Bank will be prepared to increase, the price at preseut paid for gold. Whatever the price that Bank will pay, we have been informed, the other two Banks will be prepared to pay a stilt higher price for, so that there is a likelihood of miners having a pleasant surprise at Christmas time in regard to the amount per ounce they will receive for their precious earnings.

There is nothing like advertising. I (Atticns, in Melbourne Leader) heard the other day of a man who advertised for a wife receiving an answer from 1987 husbands, each of whom wanted to get ridof his. .It is hard if amongst such a number he could not gat suited,

The Dimslan Times, published at Clyde; says that "the prospects of the town and district are brighter now than they have been for years past. " .'.'.'

MrT. Daniel, M.P.C., is going to establish a local museum at Riverton, and is said to possess a good collection of articles as a nucleus for an institution of the kind. -

In one of the debates at the close of the session, Mr Swanson said there was not a Provincial Council in the Colony which did not conduct its business, with more dignity and knowledge of tho subjects under consideration than the Assembly, and the Wellington correspondent of the Auckland Herald endorses the statement. :