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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1400, 25 January 1873, Page 2

It is worthy of notice that, while the price of coal in England and in the Australian colonies has been steadily increasing, our local merchants can afford to reduce their charges. As notified in another column, Mr R. Wilson has reduced the price of coal from 25s to 20s per ton. Our latest quotations from Newcastle are 25s per ton, and in Sydney coal is quoted at 70s. At the Volunteer Hall last evening the entertainment was for the benefit of Mr Raby, the bell-ringer, and the piece announced was the sparkling comedy of " Masks and Faces." There was, we regret to say, but a small house, and "The Hunchback" was repeated instead of the first-named play. This was rendered necessary, we believe, at the last moment, owing to several of the amateurs who were to have assisted in the advertised play not putting in an appearance in time. We hear that the company purpose paying Hokitika a visit, and that they will return . in time for the races. At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, John Tanner and Thomas Osbaldiston were charged with committing a. . breach of the peace by being concerned in a prize fight on Sunday morning last. The case was not gone into, bub was remanded until Monday on their own sureties of L 5 and another surety of L 5 each. A meeting of the Paroa Road Board was held on Thursday evening last, when there were present— Messrs Colton (chairman), Dowling, and O'Connor. The Treasurer reported that there was a balance of 13s 9d to the credit of the Board in the Bank of New South Wales. A letter was read from the County Chairman ask ; ng for a statement of the Board's assets and liabilities, and of works proposed to be executed during the ensuing financial year. The Board went into committee to consider the letter, and after djspussion it was resolved — " That the Secretary bs instiucted, in supplying the County Chairman with the information requested by him, as to how the Board intend I expending the grants from the General Government under the Payments to Provinces Acts, to state that it intends to apply the old gr^nt under the Act of 1871 to paying for thp work already performed on the Grey mouth and Paroa road, and the new grant to paying balance of amount due on section 2 of the said road and continuing the same to the town boundary ; also that the Board contemplate oontinuing the Marsden and German track up to the district of Lake Brunner." It was further agreed that an assessment of all the rateable property within the district be made, and for that purpose applications should be called by advertisement in the Gkf.y River Aegus for assessors, applicants to state %c remuneration they were willing to perform the work for, and applications to be received up to Thursday, the 7th of February next. After £pme jfnrther unimportant business the Board adjourned till, the 7th of February, The Hokitika Amateur Pramatic Club intend erecting a stage in tfae local "Volunteer Hall, for the purpose of giving performances for charitable objects. At the meeting of the County Council, on Thursday evening, all the members were present. A resolution moved by Mr Kennedy, in respect to the construction of the OroymoutK and lirunncf lXo.il-.viiy, WilS passed unanimously. A Committee of Public Works was appointed, on the motion of the Chairman, consisting of Messrs Cassius, Smith, Dijngan, g,ud O'Donovan ; and by another resolution the Committee was directed to report upon the contract for tho maintenance of the Christchurch road, The Council then adjourned to Monday evening. Mr Blackett, Assistant Fngineer, is at present in Canterbury, inspecting works. The Auckland and Onehunga Railway is expected to be opened in February. | Mr George Bromley and Miss Neilson have lately appeared at the Oddfellows' Hail, Wellington. The other day a falj. of snow took place on the main South road, Otago, two inches deep. It was confined, we are informed, to tde small valley lying on the Green Island side of Look-out Point. It is remarkable that the fall did noj; extend beyond a distance of a little over a mile, an 4 that the roads and fields at both extremities presented their usual aspect. From Coromandel we learn that a good many of the claims abandoned or forfeited are being taken up again, and are being worked on a systematic scale. The Sappho and the are just about being worked upon the co-operative principle, and no doubt other mines will be prospected and developed on the same system. The last vestige of the hall in which the colony's representatives have deliberated in Wellington for several years was removed on the 14th inst. to clear the way for the erection of the new building. A proclamation has been issued, further postponing the meeting of Parliament to the 15th April next. Fire has again broken out in the Kawarau coal pit (Otago), which had to be flooded to put out the flames. Heavy floods have recently been experienced at the Pelorus, which have destroyed a quantity of mining plant, and washed away a considerable amount of timber at Wakamarina. From a circular issued by the Manager of South British Insurance Company we learn that the receipts for premiums for the first four months of its existence, to the end of December last, amount to nearly L 9000; losses, L 2099 lls Id 5 investments on firstclass security, L 19.289. The shareholders now number 721, and are distributed as foLlows: — Auckland, 145 ; Wellington and Wanganui, 225 ; Canterbury, 175 ; Otago, 140; and Nelson, 36. The residents at Addison's Flat are preparing to give the Bight Rev. Bishop Moran, D.L\, a complimentary reception on his arrival, which is expected to take place about the middle of February. A banquet will be held at Mr M'Enroe'e Hotel. We recommend the following tj the attention of the Superintendent of Nelson. The Colonist of the 18th instant says :— Mr Seymour, the Superintendent of Marlborougn, shows a good example in the direction of making himself personally acquainted .with the terra incognita of his Province, He travelled on foot from Blenheim to Nelson, arriving here yesterday, passing through the Rai Valley, and performing adifficult journey through a difficult bash country, amidst two days' heavy rain. Mr Seymour does not talk much, nor does he write manifold letters about nothing — he acts. The following details are given by a correspondent of the Westport Times of the recent storm at the Lyell, which was noticed in our telegrams :— " A violent storm of wind and rain passed over this little townBhip early on the morning of the 14th, doing considerable damage, and for the moment causing the stoutest heart amongst us to juake. Trees were thrown down in all directions, and the air was thick with the

branches, and none for a few minutes could ? eel that their lives were safe. The shop md dwelling of Mr Cullen, draper, came iown with a crash, giv ; ng the jnmates, Mr md Mrs Cullen, just sufficient time to get slear, or otherwise they could not bub have been seriously if not fatally injured. The billiard-room, a temporary structure erected by Mr John Campbell, was lilted from its fonndation aud borne on the wind at least for a, distance of fifty yards, carrying in its flight a part of the way one of the inmates, who fortunately was more astonished than hurt. A large tree fell on the school-house, smashing it to pieces, Mr Metca'fe having just time to reach the door and jump out of the ■p-ay. Not a tent was left standing, and the owners clustered together half naked, wet and hungry ; found boiling the billy was for the time a matter of impossibility, so all hands adjourned to Mr Robertson's hospitable domicile, and made themselves contented." A Gazette published on the 16th inst. contains the following notifications :— Samuel Deighton, Esq., J.P., to be Resident Magistrate for the Chatham Islands, vice T. M'Donnell, Esq., resigned ; Thos. Jackson, E3q , J.P., of Maungatawhiri, Auckland, to be a coroner within the colony ; G. L. Asher, Esq., to be Clerk of the Resident Magistrate's Court at Port. Chalmers, vice D. Rolfe, Esq., resigned ; Thomas (Jass, Esq., to be Receiver of Land Revenue in Canterbury ; the H on. T. M. Haultain to be Trust Commissioner under the Native Land Frauds Prevention Act, 1870, for the district of Auckland, vice Dr Pullen, resigned. -• Alexander Stewart, Esq., of Waipori, and Thos. S. Buhner, Esq., of Reefton, have been appointed medical referees under the Government Annuities Act, 1869. To New Zealanders, one of the most cheering and significant items of news contained in recent English telegrams, is the paragraph which, states that a New Zealand Investment Company for the purchase of mining shares, has been started with a capital of L 50,000. This, in conjunction witk the intelligence received last week that a New Zealand Fibre Company with a capital of L 40,000 had been started, is an unerring indication that the latent wealth of the colony is receiving no little attention amongst the moneyed and speculative class of Great Britain. At the present moment the colony has many able and influential representatives throughout the kingdom, and we are inclined to the belief that those cheering signs of commercial enterprise in New Zealand is mainly due to the energetic strivings of old settlers to advance the interests of the colony. English capitalists are largely interested in American mines in every part of the Union, and there ought to be nothing to prevent English capital flowing here in the same way, and becoming mutually beneficial tp "tfte '^brng pountry afj.d the colony. An exchange says s— " The inequality of condition which has always more or less characterised the different Provinces o£ New Zealand, is somewhat unusually marked at the present time. On the one hand, Auck* land is in deep water, Nelson reported to be on the high road to insolvency, and Westland declared to be in • Queer street.' On the other hand, the money bags of Canterbury are full to bursting, and in Otago, according to Mr Macandrew, • affairs are not at present wore unsatisfactory than usual,' an expression which is probably Ab^rdonian for ' satisfactory.' "Wellington is'ajso unusually prosperous, her debts hiving been 'paid -by 'the Colony, while the little Provinces of Marlborough, Hawke's Bay, and Taranaki are quiet, so that they may be regarded as between the two extreme? of. poyerty and plethora." 1 The Alpina Company, at the Lyell, says ihc Wcetjjurt Tlmea, wasUeti up on Saturday last, after having crushed 100 tons for the Little Wonder. The result, it is expected, will be 12oz or 14oz to the ton. The stone on the Alpine Company's claim is showing very rich, and the reßulfc of the next crushing will be eagerly looked for. The machinery for the Little Wonder is now lying in the Lyell township, as it is impossible to convey it' t9 th 6 machine site owing to the dangerous state of '' tiie track. Some little damage was done to the Alpine Company's water-race during the stoim, but it is being quickly repaired. The prospects at the Eight-Mile are improving every day, and they have struck a main reef near to the prospectors that bids fair to rival the Alpiue . A correspondent writes from Bull's, Rangitikei, Wellington, that a sad accident hap-i-ened there on Thursday evening, between seven and eight o'clock. It appears that Mr Will'am Sanson, along with his wife and child (about sixm6nths old)', le|fc his residence at Sandon to atteud'a Feistite meetirig in the township at Bull's. In crossing the iiangitikej river, they kept too much below the ford, although the ferryman had marked it distinctly with flags. Still they had crossed all but the last channel ; but in this, the water being a little too deep, Mrs Sanson let the child drop partly into the water, and in reaching after it lost her balance, and the next instant both were swept down the current. Mr Sanson immediately plunged after them, but was a second too late, for wife and child sank to rise no more almost within his grasp. Mr Sanson is left with six children to mourn the loss of his wife. The body of Mrs Sanson has sinoe been found, but not that of the child.