Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1440, 13 March 1873, Page 2

ia addition to forwarding a telegram to the effect that the delegation from the Greymoufch Committee of shareholders in the New Zealand Company would leave for Wellington by an early steamer, the Mayor, as Chairman of the Committee, has by letter communicated with Mr Dransfield, stating the purposes of the delegation to be to explain in detail their views in regard to the organisation and working of such a company. In this communication the Mayor states that, how far these views may coincide with the views of the Directory, the local Committee, owing to the paucity of information before it, is unable to judge, but it deems the conclusions it has arrived at to be essentially necessary to ensure the complete success of any company undertaking to work the Grey River Coal Fields. At the same time, it is added, the Committee recognises the importance of unity of action, and believes that, should there be any divergence of views between the two bodies of shareholders, they may be brought to coincide by mutual concessions, and by regarding the undertaking solely from a practical and commercial point of view. The letter coucludes with an expression of satisfaction that the meeting of Wellington shareholders had been postponed until the arrival of the representatives of the shareholders resident here. Included in the long list of passengers by the steamer Charles Edward there are the names of several West Coast officials, present or past, and of members of musical or dramatic compat.ies who have lately been entertaining the inhabitants of the Coast. Mr Hodgson, Inspector of Schools in Nelson Province, Mr Dobson, Provincial Engineer, and Mr Schaw, late Warden in Westland, were among the officials. The opera was represented by the Carandini Family, the drama by members of Miss Stephenson's Company, and the hippodrome by a quantity of "properties" belonging to Mr Murray's Circus Troupe, who are expected to pay an early and, for themselves, opportune visit to Grey mouth. There is promise of plenty of entertainment for visitors to town during the raceweek. The Alexander troupe are among the latest and newest announced to arrive. They have been playing to good houses in all the townships between Ross and No Town, the company comprising Mr and Mrs Alexander, Mr and Mrs. T. Sbapter, Mr Llewellyn Thomas, the Welsh harpist, and other performeis. They give their first entertainment in Greymouth, on Saturday evening, at Hunt's Club Hotel. An effort is being made by the Westland Register to incite tho inhabitants of Hokitikt to take fresh interest in the project of establishing a Gas Compauy. Chamberlain and Levy are still at large, though them is a number of professional am amateur detectives out in search of them. A man known as Hobart Town Jack, who figured as a witness on Chamberlain's trial, was arrested on Monday at Greek's on some trivial charge. It is understood that the Hon. Mr Eeynolds, Commissioner of Customs, is a passenger to Wellington by the steame; Rangitoto. He had left Sydney for Melbourne on business connected with the Mail Service, intending to sail by the first steamor for New Zealand. The Carandini Family, with Mr Gordon and Mr Sherwin, re-appeared at the Volunteer Hall last evening, before a numerous and delighted audience, who enthusiastically applauded and encored an entertainment of rare excellence. "Old Sport's" reply to " Bannathlath " is unavoidably held over. The opening of the sittings of the Supreme Court, at Hokitika, is fixed for Monday next, .the 17th inst. As happened last year, th« sessions are again .held during general holidays. Amongst the cases to be tried will be a charge of manslaughter against a medical practitioner at Stafford. We learn that Mr Reader Wood, M.H.R., and Mr Joseph Howard have been appointed local directors of the National Bank at Auckland. The West Coast Times learns that there are only two men working at the recent rush at the JBlue Spur, the others being driven away by the quantity of water to be contended with ; but as soon as the two at work hare bottomed, should they have good prospects, a tail-race will be put in and other claims will be worked. The body of a man of color named Joseph Brooks was found on Tuesday in the Hokitika River, near the Kanieri. Deceased had been missing from the Kanieri township fo? several days. A search was thereupon instituted, resulting in the discovery of the body in the river. It is supposed that he fell into the stream when in a fit, to which he was subject. The right of the Lyell ferry is in dispute. One Blower has sued O'Brien for the return of amounts paid to him for sheep and cattle crossed without the use of punt or boat. Mr Broad adjourned the case for information frcin the Provincial Secretary as to the protection granted. A novel feature at New Zealand rifle matches was the provision of a telegraph station at the butts at Nelson, during the Colonial Prize Firing. The telegraphist was kept pretty fully occupied all day in transmitting messages of the results as the firing proceeded. The Nelson Colonist briefly describes the political position thus:— "The whole difficulty is of a purely personal character which, had Mr Yogel been at home, would have been settled by the simple announcement, Mr Yogel, Premier, vice Mr Waterhouse. resigned. As it ia, the mind of the Colony has been agitated by a hasty step, savoring more of temper than policy." Robert Mackay has been sent to Nelson prison for six months, for stealing three L5uotes from John Mjwat, a digger from the Lyell, who was living at the Miners' Arms. Both before aud since the meetings held in. Gieymouth with a view to promote the formation of a Coal Company, a local resident, Mr Garside, has been industrious in accumulating facts and figures illustrative of the prospects of a well-established company, and in preparing suggestions which are likely to be very serviceable in promoting the future and favorable consideration of the scheme. The results of Mr Garside's labors were submitted to the last meeting of the Coal Committee. The information was appreciated, the recommendations generally approved of, and both will, no doubt, be of considerable

assistance to the delegates who are shortly to proceed to Wellington for the purpose of conferring with tb<* Provisional Directors. An opportunity will, no doubt, offer early for the publication of some of the statistics so collated. Articles of jewellery received in the Colony are chargeable with an ad valorem fluty of ten per cent. Ifc is not generally kuown to the public that any letters or packets containing such articles sent through the post are liable, with their contents, to be forfeited. An event of someimportance to the Thames people occurred on Saturday last. The first dust-cart, under the auspices of the Kuraeranga Board, made its appearance in the principal street, and the old ory of "Dust oh !" heard and accepted as one of the voices of human progress. As the town is now also lit with gas, Grahamstown is obviously going a-head. Captain Murray, of the Auckland Volunteers, had lately a narrow escape of being shot. He was practising at the rifle butts with others; when Mr Partington took up a rifle believing it to be unloaded, and putting a cap upon it, turned the muzzle downwards to fire it off for the purpose of cleaning the rifle. It was loaded, however, and the ball struck a stone, breaking it into pieces. One piece struck Murray'srightarm, going slightly into the muscle, and another struck his lip, which bled profusely, bnt he expected to be all right on reaching Nelson. The latest on (lit is that Sir Charles Gavan , Duffy contemplates a return to Europe, and I that with the termination of the present Victorian Parliament he will bid farewell to colonial politics. The mining men of Stawell, Victoria, have some faith in deep sinking. The shareholders of the Magdada Company have sunk to a depth of 1084 ft, and from the appearance of the mine they think that a reef is close at hand. It is generally believed that the Statute of Limitations would only be available by a debtor where a creditor had neglected to prefer his claim within the prescribed six years, and that if payment had been urged within that period no advantage could be taken of the statute. This is the point on •which the public requires to be fully informed, for a recent case at Nelson has gone to prove that if a creditor can be in any way cajoled to extend his credit one day beyond six years the debtor can, with law but without justice, shelter himself under the Statute of Limitations, snap his finger at his creditors, and escape the debt altogether ! A written acknowledgment of the debt or speedier action to recover it, the Colonist suggests, must therefore be resorted to. '■' The Westport Times states that the amount of goods now sent up river to the Lyell is in excess of that sent to the Inangahua district. As a young man named Lowden, employed on the Pareora station, Canterbury, was loading a dray with some iron standards, one of th«m suddenly tilted up and struck one of his eyes full on the globe, immediately depriving him of sight. What makes the awident the more sad is that the poor young fellow lost through an accident the use of the other eye some years since. The Coromandel Mail says it is a sad thing to think that while the late Mr N. M. Montgomery was slowly starving to death in a bush hut at Coromandel, money was lying to his credit in Auckland. Only the day after the inqnest Mr Cadiran received a letter from Mr Dilworth stating that he had for some some had a sum of money in trust for Mr Montgomery. The money of course comes too late — too late even to save him from a pauper's grave. The Thames Advertiser understands that the damage done to the bridges at Kawakawa, Bay of Islands, has been temporarily made good, and that the loading of vessels with coal has recommenced at the mines today. The Westland Register learns that the efforts of the shareholders in the Phoenix (late Maori Reserve) Gold-mining Company to obtain payable prospects in tneir claim have been crowned with success, as on Saturday last the wash was struck at the termination of a drive in a soft sandstone reef, the result of the prospect being 3,£dwt to the dish. The wash, we are informed, runs down the flat, off the point of the terrace, so that there is every probability of its extent being very considerable.