PUBLISHED DAILY. i JWXpAY, MAltqil_ 23, 1|573.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1449, 24 March 1873, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1873.

Howevek chimerical the project, or however sanguine its pvorrioters, there is at least due to the, Nelson Inland Communication Committee the credit of having carefully investigated the matter of their inquiry, and accumulated a large amount of readable } and, it is to be hoped, accurate information. Divided into several sub-comnritfceeja, so that each conimitteo should deal distinctly with ond section of the subject of inquiry, the full i committee have beeii able to make a vejy presentable report, abounding with statistics, and with occasionally cogent, though more frequently plausible, arguments. Mr Dobson, Mr T. Mackay, aud others, have also contributed to the colthe leport, and, apart from the opinions of which they are the basis, the facts stated are sufficiently interesting to deserve quotation. The report as a whole is too magnificnt in il3 proportions ' to ' permit bf it 3 being reprinted in these columns, except at the! risk of inflicting too much of one subject ori the general reader, bin? we-purp6sei quoting from, it piece-meal,- and especially those portions of it which are mpre statistical, than argumentative. The introductory passages are from the pen of Mi; Joseph Shephard, the late Provincial Treasurer, and they are written with the ability and care which he has invariably exercised in dealing with any public quesi tion. He divides his report into variousj parts, each dealing with a different aspect of the subject — the resoiivces of tho country to be traversed by the proposed line, the means proposed to construct the 1 line, the inducements available as remu-l neration, the description and cost of the 1 work, and the estimated expenditure and income. The mean's by which it is prot I posed to eotttttrnofc the line is necessarily of paramount iwpoi^ancs, and, as jndij eating the scheme of the Committee, we quote the statement of the ease made by Mr Shephard, and by them subsequently adopted in the resolutions which have already been published : —

■'■'The construction of railways in the Colony having been assumed by the General Government, attention was naturally'first directed to considering how far there i 3 a i .probability of this Jine being adopted as part or that scheme. Had the views expressed when first the Public Works i policy. . was brought forward, that railways should bo made entirely as colonising word's, been fully adopted by the General there can be little doubt but the projected. Jjuid would have been regarded with great f,avor. : ; Unfortunately, , a reluctance to face necessary risks prevailed with many members, and in " The Immigration and Public Works Act, 1871j" it is provided, that the payroeht by each Province of the interest and, working expenses, of railways constructed iii it should ' jjp charged against the Land. Fund, and, thai $ny deficiency must be raised by direct taxation. "The Railways Act, 1872," further provides that no line shall be constructed unless the Engineer-in-Chief sl^aUUaye, certified that it is likely to pay working expenses from the date of its construction. ; Any pub. U'c officer, moderately careful of his reputation^, njnst construe this provision to m&bn, from t^ai|Jc , actually existing on roads for which a ] railway : is proposed to be substituted, and, as the projected line will pass chiefly through unocoupied country, this is fatal to any chance of receiving a favor- I able report, Even without this obstacle, ' the fact, that the tat>d #11 nd' proper of the Province is very amaU, *«d not susceptible of any permanent increase without a railway, and that it ik already' pledged for payment of a large part of the interest and all the working expenses of theFoK Hill Railway, extinguishes any hope of being- ablp <,o induce the Gi neral Ai.ssombly to pass a large appropriation, in anticipatiori . of, the. creation of a land fund by fresh >»i;ntry being opened. The .scale <o» whicli tha noi'led are proposed to be constructed, is' also fax below any tiling aanctioned by the Engineers, ; and, if increased in cost, w.o^jLd preclude every chance of succe&s. It is *

felt that any attempt to move the General Assembly to include this line in the schedule of railways is certainly at present hopeless, nor would it be wise to delay till possibly some future year might see a change of opinion.

" It has also been suggested, that the Provincial Government would do well to take up the project, and that the Provincial Council might be induced to make appropriations from year to year to carry on the work, reliance being placed in great measure on sales of land to provide the necessary funds. It is true the Provincial Council has repeatedly, and by large majorities, expressed opinions favorable to the construction of a railway between Nelson and the West Coast, and has consented that more than 2,090,000 acres of land with the Brunner and Mount llochfort Coal Fields should be given as a bonus to any Company constructing such a line. Yet it cannot be expected that, with a revenue too small to permit the formation, from it alone, of roads essential to the development of the country, and requiring the closest economy in every department, the Provincial Council should agree to revenue being diverted to a work, even so important as this, and the ordinary business of the province be permitted to stand still. So long as the Council is willing to grant a large bonus in land, and such portions of the coal fields as the line will pass through, probably all that could be expected in addition would be, that they should, at as early a date as possible, provide funds for a complete working survey, and to prevent delay, it is hoped the Superintendent will consent to call the Council together that progress may be made before the winter set 3 in.

" There yet remains a third proposition, "and that is to promote the formation of a company by which the line may be constructed from capital raised in the usual way in shares. The main features of this scheme are, that land to the extent of .nine hundred thousand acres, together with the right to work the Brunner mine, should' be given a's a bonus in a similiar way to that, wherein it was formerly proposed to- grant above %\\o million acres, and all the coal fields, as a bonus for the formation of the Nelson, Cobden and Westport Railway. That the use only of the ' Fox-hilt r and Brunnerton lines and rolling-stock should be given to the Company, they undertaking to keep separate accounts of traffic on these lines, and paying thereout, as a first charge, interest and working expenses charged to the Province, and to be entitled to any surplus as part of their general pecoipts. This must be regarded as a liberal arrangement for the Province, because the great increase of traffic the construction of the main line would supply to the short lines, would be the only means by which they could probably have a surplus, It is proposed further, that land should not be reserved from sale between the date of conditional agreement with the Com,pany, and the time when it might be fully .formed, so .that v for that period settlement would not be impeded, but that a separate account of such sales should be kept, and the amount received paid over to the Company at the time when tho land, if imoolcl, WOVilcl l»«v»-» 'Kr.r>Ql->ir> +Vw»i» ■ property.- • .tivi 1 monies of land having been recently reserved for special settlements in the Buller, it may be well to say that no influence injurious to this scheme need be exercised by the grant of land to a Company, which could take over the rights. of the Province in lands so set apartahd c^rry out the proposal. Nor would the 'Company bp prejudiced, but rather have its operations facilitated by labor of J the best description being at its command in some of the outlyhig districts. Jt is proposed that the Company should enlist the aid of the contractors in settling the country, by , letting, the work in small quantities, and paying for it part in money and part in land. With tho details of floating a Company, it is conceived this Committee has no direct concern, : their only object being to secure the formation of a railway, the settlement of the country, and the increased prosperity of those already in the Province, whether engaged in agriculture, mining, or commerce.' The^uifrwider of a large quantity pf land by the Province _&■? a bonus is no real sacrifice, for the only legitimate application of cash received' for land sales' is the construction of such public works as will ensure the profitable occupation of the country. When this duty is assumed by a Company, there cannot be a doubt that all the material aid furnished by the land for its own settlejnent, ought to be placed at their disposal. , Jsor, in proposing to transfer the right of working' the Brunner Mine to a Company, would the Province really su/Jer loss, the object of the Government in keeping it open for several years, not having been so much revenue, as preparing the way for a larger development of mining industry ; a result that would be completely attained by transferring the use of the property, tq a (jpnapany, whose success would depend on the best use being ir,ad f o of all the resources placed at- their com' mand."

ThoreVpre two performances at the Circus on Saturday— onfl to an admiring and astonished attendance of juveniLos, and the other in the evening to ari equal number of their elders. To-night there wiU be another performance, with a change of programme, and to-morrow evening there is to be a thorough imitation of Astley's by the amalgamation of the dramatic and equestrian companies. Mr ■Murray lias very considerately offered a benefit ifi Mf Charles Burford, in consequence ojt t]ifi ho has sustainel by his last series of entertainruenjL-s, aijd, as Miss Stephensou is announced to appear' £n a new character for her, there gbould bg a large attendance.

An alarm of fire was given last night, between seven and eight o'clock, by the bell at the Brigade Hall being rung ; and there was ft sudden and unceremonious exodus from tbe^eyeral churches before the churchwardens or d£a.c.Qn£i had made the usual collection! The alarm" Vas giyen in consequence of the dangerous proximity q'l a bush t> re to the house of Mr Heaphy, situated on the hill ; on the Greymouth side of the Gorge. The fire had been burning all day, but, as the wind blew down the Gorge after night-fall, it advanced rapidly towards Mr Eeaphy's house, and placed it in sufficient danger to justify the alarm being given. The members of thp 'Brigade mustered with promptitude, and one of the" engines was taken as closely to the scene of the firp as was possible. There was an abundant sup* ply of water easily available, and after an hour's work the tire was extinguished aud any risk to contiguous property averted. — A second alarra sounded at ten o'clock, and thore was anotliei' rush, into the streets— on this occasion from the fireside in private or, public houses. The alarm was given in cdn'secjuence of the sudden outburst of another |

bush-fire into something serious appearance, but more serious iti appearance than in fact. The fire occurred iv a patch of bush on one of Kilgour's sections, a short distance beyond tlie Wesleyan chapel, and in proximity to the 1 house of Mr Amos. The members of the Brigade were aga : 'i among the first to be roused by the alarm, and they were very speedily on the spot in considerable numbers. With water obtained from the Tidal Creek, the flames were soon extinguished, and Nature prevented -'ahyS chance o£ the fire regaining strength by supplyiug an otherwise welcome fall of rain.-; The body of Samuel Fisher, who was; drowned while towing a coal -boat onSatur-; day, 15th inst., was found last Saturday byj the crew of a boat coming down the river, ; near the place where tho accident happened.; The body was brought to town, and an in- j quest will be held on it this forenoon. I The Ahaura and Grey rivers are now so j low as to be completely impracticable for! boating. The Grey river above its' junction! with the Ahaura is not ■ more than three! inches deep on the fords, while the Ahaura; river — which in ordinary weather carries a! much larger body of water than the Grey — : can now be crossed in the current on foot. Mr Whitefoord has received from Nelson a number of Californian quail, intended for. liberation on Pheasant Island, near Mr David ; Donald's farm. The birds arrived in excellent order, and were forwarded to Mr Donald's farm on Thursday last, and by this time have been, released from their confine-: ment. ; , The Post Offices at Hunt's Beach and! Ayliner Terrace are now closed, there being no letters ever posted for eithei place. A telegram has been received by Mr War- 1 den Whitefoord, stating that the decision of! the Nelson Waste Lands Board, in respect to, the sale of town sections in the Ahaura, has! been rescinded, and the Board now awaitsj a survey of the allotments before fixing thej price at which they! will' be put up for sale. rush to Orwell; Creek,' says the:: G&iJValley Times, has not as yet definitely developed into anything very important. Seve-f ral claims have' bottomed on good payable' dirt, and by this time a considerable extent' of ground has been shown to be auriferous.! The claims on the extreme end of the terraco, are still being worked, and tbe miners are in; hourly expectation of hitting the lead, if! Buch itis. Should it turnout as was at firstj supposed, Napoleon Hill -will once more comd to tho front as a township. In anticipation joi such an event, a number of sections in tho' town have been secured, and immediately that the lead is proved, buildings will' be erected, and the Hill will again wear some oi: the old bustling appearance. i His Honor Judge Harvey sat in Chambers at Hokitika on. Friday r In the goods of Wm.' Quinn, late of Ross, carter, deceased, iutes-, bate, tAr Button moved for an order granting letters of administration oi the estate of the said William Quinn to Mary Ann Quinn, widow of the deceased. The order was made as prayed. In the goods of Martin Henry Kelly, late of Hokitika, hotelkeeper, de* ceased, intestate, Mr Button made a similar application to the above, which was granted. In m tho will of Thomas Pringle, late of Donnghue's, storekeeper, Mr Button moved for an order granting probate to fhomas Ecclesfield and Thomas Hindmarsh Ker, the executors in the will named. The order was 'made as prayed.

The Rev. Mr Watt, of Otago, is claimed as the latest champion of Spiritualism.

troleum springs in the East Coast of the North Island within the Province of Auckland.

The Dunstan Timed hears that M'Lennan's Pneumatic dredge is on good payable ground, their prospects every day for the past week steadily improving.

Three stacks, containing HOO bushels of wheat, the property of Mr Robert Steel, of Shag Valley, Otago, were destroyed by fird on Monday last. The fire is supposed to have been the work of an incendiary. The stacks were uninsured.

Dean Ramsay, whose amusjng f Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character," have made his name familiar to. a wide circle^ died on the.27th. December last, in. his 80th year,.

The programme for the Titriaru races comprises seven events, as follows :— Maiden Plate of L4O, Timaru Cup of L7O, Hurdle Race of LSO, South Canterbury Handicap of LGO, Hack Race of LlO, Tradesmen's Plate Handicap of L3O, Consolation Handicap of L 25. The total amount of prizes offered ia L 295, entry of L 3, -in the Maiden being added. The races come off on April 1(3. A lotter has been forwarded j;o thfl Super, intenderit of Nelson by the liquidators of the Reef ton Tramway Company, formally tendering the work executed by the company in the matter of road formation between Reefton and BlacK's Point, and which entailed a cost of L 439, for L 204, conditionally that the Government at once construct a horse track between the two places. A petition to the Governor in Council is in course of signature by the inhabitants of Hokitika, praying that the Mikonui Water R.. ace may be speedily constructed. A telegraph station is now open at Winton, Southland, hi the Province of Otago, They take some interest in mining board elections at Sale. At the late elections, 20 voters rode 26 reiles through fiqoded country, and risked their lives in. crossing the Itivei Avon, sooner than, miss the opportunity to vote for the^r man. One of them had a very narrow escape j" he k>3t bjs in the Avon, and was obliged to gwiin for his life ; but he recorded his vote. On the return journey three of the voters were swept away at a dangerous creek, but they were pulled up by a. log, ajid. rescued with difficulty. J3y our latest exchanges we learn "there js mueh'ejfcttemgnfc £n Adelaide and throughout f its districts respecting' the ■ petroleum sections in the south-east; It is Generally known amongst, mining speculators that about 2500 acres have been taken out as mineral claims' in the locality of the supposed discovery, and we understand that half a dozen flections in addition hayg been secured durjng the. last few days. Those interested j'» ihjy venture arp siang^ne and in earnest, so we may expe.cfc .thgi operations will be carried on with vigor, au'd tb#t the question of the existence Qt the oil will bethor roughly tested." The continuance of dry sunny weather leaves little to report in connection with the reefa. The Herald says that with the exception of Anderson's and the Ajax batterjea all. the miljs are idle, and the paddocks being f}lle& to '£ep}etfon with sfcone, many of the handg have bpen 'kpqckpd bfjf pending 1 a change in, the weather that will enable i crushing operations to bo generally started. Even at Anderson's the full crushing power of the batteries., has., not beeu obtainable owing to the extraordinary lowness of the Inangahua River, and inability to fill the race. The machine is at present crnshing about JOo tonu weekly, and the batteries have now been Vuftiuflg jfomtsen days. Stppe is now coming forward plentifully, i>njj,' 4qless obligjsd by pecuniary exigencies to olean up, the directors will, we think, deoide'l* continue operations for some time. The claim is improving greatly as they drive to the northward, and the reef shows very good 1 gold, patchy, but still generally above the average.' At the' 1 Energetic, after

sinking 40ft; ri r .-the shjift,- r i \yibh r tbljßrably; easy ./ progress, th^ rock i became ivory h#rd,' and about sfx inches, a -shift is is« ratfefafcwhich the'ivprk has sincp advanced] A\iey* thin veing-bi quarT^ippijig frfyi^MJJie \tffegt_ bave;:b.eeri' 'intersected; In a shaft in the" maintunTneV^hdications were met with of the. reef>":thickening into a good body of stone, but no work has been dpne^mjthat directrbiiWrTng^ne'^

i h Asjjairty ) ofj about six miuers have cCm* , 'nienced * to' bring in a water-race of a v"cry promising char ajcter_ia^ha ; Ro^s^ißtrictr^.,lt^ wilt belibbtit ievbn "miles in lenpn^na^wuT; carry twelve ..©bVeriJMGhti^ads of water. The water for the race is picked up by several small cheeks ! at a much higher' level than the Mikonui Water Race, and consequently; will command much higher sluicing ground. It is expected that the enterprise will turn out a good ''spec," as the men who have undertaken to bring in the race are of the right stamp to carry it out. The manager is Mr Samuel Todd, late temporary manager of the : Jones' Creek Water Race. When the s.s. Atrato was at the Cape, a Roman Catholic clergyman there — Mr O'Haire — wished to hear the confessions of the Catholic passengers. The agents did not mind his seeing them, but they objected to a. private confessional, because it fluid not be arranged without- inconvenience to all concerned. Mr O'Hara wrote to the Cape An/us, but expressed himself so strongly that the letter was not published. . „ A conviction of a publican for refusing to admit a sub-inspector of police ' into , r his hotel within a reasonable time after demand' for admission had been made, was recently quashed by Judge Pohlman at the General Session, , ,M elbourne, . on , fchs . curious point that though the sub-inspector had knocked afc the door of the hotel, it was not proved that he had asked to be admitted. A meeting of the shareholders of the Golden Ledge and Keep-it-Dark claims took place at Frankiyn's store, Black's Point, on Thursday last/ There were 12 shareholders in the Keep-it-Dark and .eight in the 1 Golden Ledge present. Estimates were received for race and battery of t'enhead of stamps. The figure for the latter was' LG4s; and the cost of a race, 105 chains long and boxes 3ft by lin, was estimated at LOO 6.' The entire cost of race and. plant was put down at L 2600 to L3OOO. : There are several offers for the' erection of wheel and ibattery. The race' will convey water from the Inangahua river.' Wednesday last was a red letter day at Reeftoh, « as it witnessed the christening and opening of Dalton's Suspension Bridge over, the Inangahua., The fridge, besides being of great public utility; is an ornament to theapproaches of the town. : ■ The 1 eh ristening! ceremony was performed by Mrs Dalton,! and Mr Warden Broad made a speech appro-! priate to the occasion/ The bridge-.was open! free of toll, and a ball took place in the evening. . .r . . . . j

St. Patrick's day, says the Wedport Timci of the iSth, was observed yesterday after an intermittent fashion. The outward mani-J festations of holiday-keeping were not nume-; rous, nor were thejsounda of (indoor revelry. The stores and places of business were open as usnal, but the press of customers was not. overwhelming. In the various pubs, the readiness to provide the necessary libations to pledge St. Patrick's Pot was more apparent than the desire tq welcome that venerable vessel. Still there were some who made exceeding merry. In the evening, the counter attraction of the concert at the Masonic Hall, and the anniversary dance assembly at the Theatre Royal, pretty erpaii^ aiYiaca tb c abtwtuuu qr tlie l F olida,v makers. The following mining items are taken from the Tnajiekn Times:—". Water still continues exceedingly scarce, and if a copious supply is not soon afforded by the clouds, a serious diminution in the already low escort retnrns may be anticipated. The O.P.QJ Company, Waipbrjp have suspended opera-! tions in thgir workings in. consequence of the; stone being too ; pobr to pay for raising and' crushing. The men k with the exception of two, have been discharged. , These two iraen 1 are engaged in prospecting another part oij the claim where 1 the reef croos out at the! surface. - : Th"eWe'tKerstone f s Reef PrQsp'eotfug] Company have discontinue i operations, " ] The debate in the, Wesleyan Education' Committee, ; in. ;England, ,oh the qaesfciorjofj giving up the denominational systemy re«j suited in the following resolution being carried as a compromise :— ",That this com-! niittee, while resolving to maintain, in full' vigor and efficiency our conriexio'nal day schools and training colleges, is .'of opinion that, with due regard for the' existing ins terests, all future legislation', for primary! education at the public cost khould provide for such education only ! upon the principle of iinsectarian schools under the school-' boards." . <■■■•■. i : ■ ;

..A wanton and unprovoked, assault was committed at Woodstock on. Thursday upon; , a miner named James Kerr by a man named! Lubkie, whose name has on former ocpasiouri figured in the Resident Magistrate's" Court] Kerr had for some time, .past been engaged] working in a tunnel at a terrace near Wood-j stock, and on Monday last had agreed with] Lubkie that he should be admitted as al shareholder into the claim on condition of working a share. Thfcre is said to have been no quarrel between the men, and on Thursday eyeing Kerr was working in the face of the tunnel, which is^ IGOff; in length, when ho thought he heard a, noise between himself and the mouth of, the tunnel 'On' looking round he saw nothing . unusual, and concluded that the sound be; had heard was pro-; duced by the fair of stones from the roof . fle heard the noise a second time, and on again looking round, a man rushed at him, and sfcruak him. a yi&Jent j)lo.tf qp the 1 ftead with a stone, Kerr' was for a moment, stupifted, but recovering himself, he put his hand on the truck, which was close to him, and pushing. it ; down the tunnel oyertoolfand recognised Lubkie, who put his hand onV tJHe' truck iand stopped it.,- At this tinfe Kerr seems to have, again become -insensible, and| when he rpached the ir.buth of the tunnel Lubkip was nqt to bp seen, liufc A^rg . Jiubkie was standing at the entrance' to tho drive.. 1 An information was laid, 'charging hira' with assault with interjt, to; do' grievous bodily, harm, ""*■'' ""■ ■■■'■'-'■■ ■- ; :; •

Thompson, Smith, and Barkley have accepted tenders for A brick; warehouse, and now wish' to dispose of one of their establishments on MawhorftQuay. They are offering, every clasp of ■ goods at prices hitherto unknown in Greymoutb, and invite particular attention to present, prioes, aB it is most necessary.; for them to reduce/ tapir :preaeiit ! heavy stock to enable them to carry on, alterations without inconvenience-.- T [Ajq\rti.]j Djj Brnjht's PhoS}>hodvnk.— Multitu«es! of people are hopelessly suffering from De-! bility, Nervous and Liver Complaints, De, pr.essj.oji ,of Delusions,: Uritytness; jfor Business or Study, Failure of Hearing; Sjghfc an 4 Memory, . Lassitude, Want, of vPojyer, } &e,*whbse oases admit pf a' permanent oure by the new remedy Phosphodyne (Ozonio 1 Oxygen), which at once allays all irritations and excitement, imparts'riew energy aticl'life! to the enfeebled, constitution, and rapidlyj cures every stage of these hitherto incurable! and"; dietreesiag inaladieo; ■: - Sold by^ alii Chemists and storekeepers thrbiigjio'u'tv^j Colonies, from^vhbm pamphlets containing! testimonials may be obtained. Caution — ( ! Be particular toask for Dr Bright's Phospho-i dyne as imitations are abroad. Wholesale agents for Now Zealand : — Kempthorne, Prosser, and Co, Dunedin.— [Advt.]