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Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1559, 4 August 1873, Page 2

A meeting of the Grey River Hospital Committee was held at Gilmer's Hotel on Saturday night, for the purpose of considering the advisability of appointing a person to fill the joint-office of laundress and matron. There were S9ven applicants for the situation, and the choice of the Committee fell upon Bridget Quinlan, who will enter upon her duties at once. The Visiting Committee were empowered to get the requisites for the laundry. Mr James Hamilton having resigned, through his tender for wines and spirits being accepted, Mr Joseph Kilgour was elected in his place. The remaining business was merely of a routine nature. During the meeting of the Borough Council on Friday night, a letter was read from the Secretary to the Paroa Road Board, urging the Council to proceed with the construction of the last section' of the Paroa road. It was stated, that the County Council had agreed to make this section, and the Town Clerk was instructed 1 to write to the County, Chairman, \arging the necesity which existed for proceeding with the work at once. ■■.•.,■ An Obarito correspondent sends us the following particulars of an unfortunate fatal accident,, which occurred last week to one of the early residents of the , Coast :— "I am sorry to report that Mr Thomas Millroy lost his life, last Monday, by being thrown from his horse in crossing the mouth of Cook's River. Mr Millroy was one of the f»rst settlers down in that district, and was on his way up to Hokitika (as I understood) when his horse, being one of those known as "buckers," pitched his rider off, and, although Mr Millroy was a first-class swimmer, the sea-breakers got hold of him and before he could be got out he was dead. Two or three men were near, or within sight of him at the time, the whole matter not occupying ten minutes, but they were unable to render any assistance." Dr Cair's farewell lecture, if his entertaining illustrations of mesmerism and phrenology may be so called, is to be given at the Volunteer Hall this evening, when the Town Band have promised to be present. On the subject of the widening of the Omotumotu road, a second correspondent writes to us, and puzzles us with, questions, as follows:—"! am very glad to see that a correspondent has drawn attention to the formation of the road between Greymouth and the Omotumotu Creek, inasmuch as several contractors were misled about the work. to be performed and the manner ia

which it was to be done. I have to ask you whether tenders for this road were advertised for in Greymouth ? Were any tenders sent from this town ? Was the acceptance of Mr Hungerf ord's tender made public ? Is the work being carried out to the satisfaction of those who have to pay the piper, namely, the rate-paying population ?" A resident of the Five-Mile, Okarito, writes to us : — "I am happy to say that the spirit of cheerfulness is beginning to be felt once more here ; one of our water-races is all but finished, and a few 1 parties have now got a plentiful supply of water. The last ten weeks has been a great trial on the purse and the patience of all parties, but now we are past the worst. Since my last to you I do not hear of particulars up and down the coast among the diggers. They seem to be all settling down to hard work. I may mention that the company known here as the Ten Acres have got their new wheel nearly into working order, and, as they are ail steady, go-ahead men, we will all by-and-by be starting into new life, and, what is greatly to be wished for, prosperity along with it. At the last sitting of the Waste Lands Board, the following sections in this district were sold :— 1560. 10 acres, Block 69, Grey district, William Simpson Smith applicant, upset price L2O ; sold to applicant at upset price. 462. 1 rood, Town of Greymouth, Edward Dixon applicant, upset price, Ll2 ; sold to Harry Kenrick for L 27. 463. 1 rood. Town of Greymouth, Edward Dixon applicant, upset price, Ll2 ; sold to Harry Kenrick for L 33. 464. 1 rood, Town of Greymouth, Edward Dixoa applicant, upset price Ll2 ; sold to Harry Kenrick for JL4O. 465. 1 rood, Town of Greymouth, Edward Dixon applicant, upset price, LI 2 ; sold to applicant for L 52. A petition has been received by the County Council from the First Westland Rifles, paying for a grant of land of 30 acres to each of the corps. Our telegrams announce that the HokiI tika and Nelson Chambers of Commerce have communicated their views on the tariff to the Anglo-Australian Press Agency. There is no such body as a Chamber of Commerce in Hokitika,. and 1 we have a suspicion that neither is there in Nelson. The National Bank of New Zealand have purchased, in Nelson, the land and premises in Trafalgar street at present occupied by Mr Augarde, auctioneer, facing the Bank of New South Wales, and within a few yards ( of the Bank of New Zealand. The price was LISOO. Mr J. Rennie, formerly of Dunedin, has ; been found guilty of manslaughter at Fiji, and sentenced to two years' imprisonment. \ Mr Rennie was an influential leader of those who were in armed opposition to the \ Government. It is thought that if a change of Ministry takes place Mr Rennie will be released. A Committee of the County Council recommend the purchase, for a new hospital site ■ at Hokitika, of about six acres from Mr Ferguson, for L2lu, and also the purchase of the adjoining sections, the property of Dr. Dennott, if they could be obtained at a reasonable rate. The Murray shipped 19390z of gold at Hokitika for the Bank of New Zealand. She takes 14440z from this port for the same Bank. Mr J. L. Greenwood, at present Clerk to [ the Bench at Reefton, has received instructions to proceed to the Ahaura, where he will fulfil similar duties. The second celebration of the anniversary i of the Loyal Reefton Lodge was commemorated by a ball held at the Oddfellows' Hall, • there, on Friday evening.

Among its items of mining news the Inangahua Herald reports :— " The rainfall on Monday enabled the Energetic to continue crushing. Work is proceeding in the mine, the shaft now being down 112 ft, and the tunnel is also being brought up to strike the bottom of the shaft.— ln the Wealth of Nations the new reef has not yet been cut through, and already shows a thickness of 16ft. The stone is estimated to yield not less than an ounce to the ton. The excellent prospects of the mine is most encouraging to the shareholders .-r At a recent meeting of the Caledonian Company, Larry's, it was decided to sink a shaft following down the reef, erect water-wheel of sufficient power to drain the. same, and to drive five head of 6001 b stampers. The pumps have been purchased from a company at Addison's, and will be brought to the ground without delay."

According to a telegram which appeared in the West Coast Times, in reply to MiHarrison the Minister for Public Works said that tenders for the sleepers for the Brunner railway would be called as soon as the specifications were ready ; that no steps ■would be taken in respect to a bridge over the Grey at the Brunner mine ; that tenders would be called in about two months for the construction of the' Lake Hochstetter Waterrace. At the Hokitika Resident Magistrate's Court, on Friday, a case was tried which was made the occasion of much merriment during the hearing, though the subject-matter of the action must have been painful enough to the plaintiff. Robert Whale sued Robert Walker for LlO damages allege 1 to have been sustained by him in consequence of defendant having put a quantity of cowhage or cow-itch do.wu plaintiff's back. Plaintiff and defendant were in the Town Hall, at a public meeting held there on the 24th ult., in the matter of Mr Clarke's coal wharf. Defendant took hold of plaintiffs coat collar, remarking that the coat plaintiff was wearing was not fit for the weather, and immediately upon that. plaintiff felt a most intolerable itching, which only got worse on his scratching or rubbing the part. He got out quickly from the meeting, intending to plunge into the river, bnt he altered his mind and went to Dr Maunsell instead, and ultimately got relieved. Defendant denied that he had put any stuff whatever on plaintiff, and one of the witnesses called by plaintiff admitted in cross-examination that the defendant had nothing whatever ia his Land when he took' hold of plaintiff's collar. Defendant, howi ever, refused, to be sworn, evidently, because he feared that on cross-examination by Mr I Button (who appeared for the plaintiff) he .would criminate the culprit. His Worship said that though defendant might be guiltless of the act imputed to him it was clear he knew who did it, and the verdict must go against him. Judgment was given for L 2 with Ll 5s costs. A petition to bring Nelson city under the operation of the Municipal Corporations Act is being all but unanimously signed. The following is a comparative return of the quantity of gold exported from the several Provinces of New Zealand for the half-year ended 30th June, 1873, and 30th June, IS72:—

Stealing prayer-books from church-pews appears to be the latest form of kleptomania which has developed itself in Dunedin. The following notice is said to have been posted up lately in a pew in a certain church not a hundred . miles from the; Octagon :—" Pew 21. Notice. — Three hymn-books having been

stolen from this pew during the last six months, the owner of this book respectfully reminds any persons who wish to exercise their thievish propensities in the same direction, that hymn-books are of ho use to them where they are going, as their time will be more fully occupied in that endless and not too pleasing occupation, of weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.— B-7«73." From July 29,|1871, to November 17, 1872, 6516 immierants came to this Colony, by 35 ; vessels. The nationality of the immigrants

Britain ... 5174 Tl. Foreigners 1342 ; Some handsome specimens of .auriferous quartz from the Turner reefj Queen Char-' lotte's Sound, have been deposited in the . Wellington Museum. The reef was discovered about three years ago, and has been 3eveloped by. a company which, after many delays in the erection of machinery, have just had the first crushing of about 20 tons of quartz, which will yield about two ounces to the ton. ...... A fire broke out last week in the portion of the Immigration Barracks at Caversham known as the northern wash-house, which was totally destroyed, it having been necessary to pull it down, in order to prevent the flames spreading to the main building. A sea leopard has been caugbt.on the beach at Leithfi'eld, and brought to Christchurch. It is very vicious, and when being placed in a buggy at Leithfield, it seized one wheel in its teeth, and by its struggles rendered the vehicle useless for the time being. Ever since being caught the leopard refused to eat, and 'cannot of course live long; Dr Haast pronounces it to be a vers good specimen of the Phoca Antarcticus, and has purchased it for the -Museum. : * ' "Kapai Marae," exclaims the Wanganui Herald, as it relates the following incident : —An old settler, when talking to a friend, was accosted by a Wahine, who stated that she was very hungry. The gentleman, having known her for some considerable time, and; considering her a deservingwoman, gave her half-a-crown to getsome hai, .andfa few minutes afterwards ..she. returned and placed a two shilling piece in his hand, saying that six pennorih was quite sufficient for her and her husband. ;:;.■,<;.

Provinces. June 30, 1873. Oz. Auckland ... 64,983 Marlborough 1,058 Nelson ... 52,150 Wesbland ... 55,284 Otago ... 116,586 , June 30, 1872. Oz. ... .. 71,071 1,030 40,280 60,865 104,796 Totals ... 290,061 ... 287,672

English ... 3698 Germans-... 637 Scotch ... 570' Danes ' ' ... 403 Irish ... 842, 5wede5,, . , ..,:. . 11, Welsh ... 64 '■• ; Norwegians ! . ' 535; Other countries .26 Total Great — ' ;: ' ! — —