THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1359, 6 December 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1872.

The representation of the Paroa district in the County CoiiDcil is still a matter of dabate. It is said that Mr James Hamilton, though elected, is disqualified from holding j the seat by the fact that be is a contractor for County work. If such is the case another election will be necessary, and, having accepted the position, it is Mr Hamilton's duty to himself and to the constituency to ascertain whether his qualification is good, and to be guided accordingly. It might \ cause considerable inconvenience as well as , injustice to the district, to have his qualification effectually disputed when he takes his seat in the Council, and if he is only acting the part of a warming-pan, it is bare justice to others that ho should do so legitimately. An inquest was held yesterday at Gilmer's Hotel by the Coroner, Mr Eevell, as to the j death of a child antler three years of age, the j son of Mr Parkinson, stationer. By the evidence given it appeared that the death of the child was caused by hi 3 having, unobsarved, eaten a quantity of phosphnrised matches, and the jury returned a verdict to that effect. On "Wednesday afternoon the boy's parents noticed he was sick, and, when being nursed, ie was observed that his breath smelt of ; phospherous. He also vomited what appeared to be pieces of matches. Medical men were called, and every means taken to promote his recovery, but he died early yesterday morning. Dr Ache9on and Dr Smith. who attended him during his short and fatal illness, attributed his death to the eatiug of matches, and their opinion was that even a smaller quantity than he harl apparently consumed would have proved fatal. It appeared also from the evidence the deceased had previously been in the habit of picking up matches, and putting them in his mouth, aud his parents had been careful to keep them out of the way, but it is supposed that he had found some in the jard adjoining the house, whero a fire had been lie on the day OD whiok l>o felt BlCk. A County of Wesfcland Gazette published on Monday last, contains an amended scale of tolls to be levied at the Arnold Bridge, and a foot-note notifies that the former proclamation is suspended. There is also a notification under the hand of the Governor's Delegate, that in pursuance of the powers and authorities vested in him by sections 11 and 12 of the Trespass of Cattle Ordinance, tho Newmarket Yards, situate and adjoining the public highway at Arahura, is a Public Pound, within the meaning of the .above Ordinance, aud that Mr W. W. Hawkins is appointed poundkeeper. An interesting experiment is being made in connection with water supply for Hokitika. An artesian well is being put down on the old Camp Reserve, and near the Fire Brigade Tower. A rather awkward typographical error occurred in a recent issue of tho Sydney Herald. In its summary for home readers an account was given of the reception into a certain religious order of some Roman Catholic ladies. The exact words used sbould have been — "The ceremony of clothing six postulants in the habit of the order, &c." Somo sensation was caused amongst a large section of the Sydney community by the substitution of the word 1 • Protestants" for " postulants ." In the Resident Magistrate's Court, Hokitika, on Wednesday, Edward Pickerton was charged with obtaining from Louis Cramer the Bum of LI by means of a valueless cheque upon the Bank of New Zealand at Greymonth. The prisoner pleaded Guilty. la reply to the usual question from the Clerk of the Court, the prisoner stated that he had held several responsible situations, but had latterly been out of employment. He had fallen into bad company and had been led into intemperate habits. It was while in a state of intoxication that lie had committed the crime with which he wag charged. The Crown Prosecutor admitted that the prisoner had borne a good character. His Honor said that it was very probable that the prisoner had committed the .crime while intoxicated, still, drunkenness was no excuse. There were two other charges of a similar nature against the prisoner, but in consideration of his previous good character the sentence would not be heavy. The prisoner was sentenced to six months' imprisonment with hard labor, for each of the three charges, the sentences to be concurrent. A comparative statement of the annual gross returns from traffic upon the Canterbury railways from the Ist October, 1867, to j the 31sfc October, 1872, shows an increase on tbo Lyttelton line in passenger traffic from L7G67 9s 4d in 1867-1868 to L 8047 13s lOd in 1871-1872, and on the Southern line from L 3687 14s sdin 1867-1868 to L 6153 7s 2d in 1871-1872 ; aud in goods traffic on the Lyttelton line from L 15,896 103 4d in 18(57-1863 t . L 32.748 63 4d in 1871-1872, and on the Southern line from L 5839 Us 9d in 1867---1868 to L 8837 4a 5d in 1871-1872. These returns— as his Honor the Superintendent told his Council when reading them— speak for themselves and require no comment. A distressing and fatal accident is reported as having happened lately to a little child named Hoffman in Martin street, Wellington. Ib appeared that; the mother Lad just made the breakfast coffee, and left the coffee pot beside the fire. Turning her back for an instant to attend to something else, tie child seized the spout of the coffee pot unoerceived, and took a gulp of the boiling liquid. The result was that the poor little sufferer died in great agony in about three hours. Dr France was sent for soon after

the accident happened, but he held out no hope of saving the child's life as soon as he saw the nature of tho case ; nor did he think ho could have done more than alleviate suffering had he been on the spot. Dr Franco adopted what ho deemed the best course under the circumstances, and then sent for Dr Harding, but the child died before tho arrival of the second medical man. Tho mouth was not scalded at all, except on the lips slightly, but the throat was very badly scalded from top to botton™ . Tho plan for calling for public tenders for the construction of the colonial railways is to Lave a test applied to it. The Wellington Independent learns that the Minister for Public Works has called for tenders for the construction of 20 miles of the Canterbury Southern Railway, and that the work will he absolutely thrown open to public competition. The experiment will bo an interesting one, for the reason that it will enable the public to estimate with somo degree of accuracy the nature of the contracts with Messrs Brogden. « " Atticus," writing in the Leader, has the following paragraph, which apparently refers to Sir James Fergusson, the Governor-elect of New Zealand :-"A marriage in high life is spoken of as likely to come off very shortly. The Governor of a neighboring colony is said to be 6pris with a lady, the neice of a member of the Legislative Council of this colony. The lover has been a widower for some time, and his first wife was a woman of high rank. His future bride been out for some years, but is said to possess all the qualities which will grace her future station." The Superintendent of Otago has received the following telearam from his Excellency : "The Governor and Lady Bowen shall have great pleasure in attending the Caledonian games on Ist January; also the Masonic ball, to which they have been invited on the 26th December. His Excellency has just had a very successful meeting at Foxton with all the leading chiefs and tribes. He congratulates Otago that his successor is a Scotchman." Dr Hector has returned to Wellington after visiting the Collingwood coal-field. In the few weeks during which telegraphic communication between "England and Australia had been established, the receipts for direct messages from this Colony have amounted to T-130, exclusive of Government messages, which probably will have reached half this sum. As in all probability this business represents a mutual transmission of messages, the revenue of the new line, as far as New Zealand is concerned, amounts to L4OO a month, or L'JSOO a year. In consequence of the increased business at the Lyell, Mr Warden Broad intends holding fortnightly courts there. Four persons were fined Ll each for nonattendance as jurymen at the District Court in Hokitika, on Tuesday last. A Christchurcb paper states that Friday, the 29th ultimo, was one of the hottest days experienced in that city for some time. The thermometer registered 120 degrees in the sun. and 96 degrees was the highest in the shade.