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Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1720, 7 February 1874, Page 2

We are informed by the Postmaster that the mails for San Francisco, already posted to go by that route, will go on by the Mikado, via Christchurch, the mails at which place close on the 11th instant. All not already posted will, however, go via Suez as previously notified, the mail by which route will close on the 12th. In the Nelson Provincial Council, the other day, the Provincial Treasurer moved- "That in the opinion of this Council it is expedient that the General Government be requested to instruct the Agent-General to arrange for the transmission to this Province of 150 persons per month, to consist of laboring men and tbeir families, calculated for employment upon public works and in agricultural pursuits, but including in the number a fair proportion of artizans, such as blacksmiths, carpenters, coal and iron miners; at least three-fourths of the entire number to be natives of the United Kingdom." He said : — The history of the past few months had demonstrated to every employer the scarcity of labor. The fact is the population is too few and not too large ; if we are to have our mines worked we must increase our population. We are about to provide public works, and we must bring people to do the works and to occupy the lands. The Council should remember that it cost the Province nothing now for immigration — the Government has taken the whole responsibility ; we are actually paying for chances that we are throwing away. Immigration is the very life-blood of our policy, and unless we show the Government our intention, we shall get no loan, no public works. The motion was carried by 16 to 4. Mr Duncan M'Lean, Boundary street, is the successful tenderer for the supply of rations to the Greymouth gaol. At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, P. Dighton was charged with obtaining money by false pretences from Rhody Slattery. The evidence for the prosecution was very weak, and the Magistrate dismissed the charge. A number of debt cases were heard which were of no public interest. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, Ahaura, on Friday, a man named Murphy was sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment for stealing a coat from Harry Gilmer, at TotaraFlat. In thecascof Gough v. Ashton, for tolls chasged while defendant was carrying the mail, the decision was reserved for another week. Twenty shillings per hundred for sawn timber in a forest-bound township is an incongruity, but such is the case at Reef ton, where the consumption is tolerably large. Whethei the price is to be ascribed to a want of competition, or owing to some* special peculiarity in the manner of its production we are unable to say. From the Lyell we hear that in the Break o'Uay claim while extending the tramway, used for the purpose of procuring mining timber, across ground recently granted to the company, and known as the old Helvetia Lease, a leader was met with exactly on a level with the low level iunnel now being worked. It was struck 30ft within the boundary of the new ground. The size varies from 6in to Bin. It is a beautifully

defined leader, and contains very gorjd gold. The appearance at the surface is far more encouraging than was the original Break o'Day leader, which, nevertheless, is turning out so remarkably well. Men will be employed at the new leader night and day, so as to prove it as rapidly as possible. Provided the Maruia Company are not ready for the machine, this company will crush as soon as Carroll and Cairns have finished their own stone, probably in about 14 days. Miss Clara Stephenson, burlesque actress, was recently married to her agent, Mr F. Wills, at Queenstown, Otago. The New Zealand Herald has an article on the Thames gold-field, in which it says:— "To judge, however, of the real condition of the mines, and the opinion of those most conversant -with their working, we must go to the Thames, where a widely different feeliugwillbe found to prevail. Speculators are there also in the shade, bub bona fide miners are full of confidence in the future, point with pride to the dead-work done during the past two y«ars, and give by their own outlay the fullest proof of their own good faith For our own parts, looking at the smallness of the calls and the great amount of wo: k done, looking at the steadfast faith of those best able to judge, and of whom so many work on, through good report and through evil report, we believe firmly that a great mining future is before this Province. To attain it, skilled and honest management will be increasingly necessary, and the difficulty of finding a sufficient supply of such management must be one of the chief drawbacks, if not the most material, which the mining interests will have to overcome." We are sorry to hear from the Nehqn Mail that many of the Nelson hop-growers are likely to sustain a serious loss this year from the depredations of a small grub that eats its way into the bine just above the ground, the result being that the plant languishes for some time and ultimately dies. A remedy is being tried in the shape of applying lime to the roots, but this with the presenb scarcity of labor is a mos tedious and expensive process, nor has it yet been shown to be really efficacious. Young plants of only a year's growth are not attacked by the insect. The failure of the hop crop would be a ir.ost serious loss not only to the growers themselves but to the community generally, as the cultivation and gathering of every acre planted provides occupation for a large number of hands. The Golden Bay correspondent of the Nelson Colonist writes, on 28th January, that favorable accounts have been received at Collingwood from the Anatori rush, and that first-rate specimens are reported to have beeu obtained by the thirty men that are now on the ground. Further information from this locality is expected in a day or two. The Thames Advertiser, in a recent article, says:— "We are sorry to learn from t,he interior tnat native affairs are in a most unsatisfactory state. Our Ohinemuri correspondent mentions that Te Hira has stopped the construction of the road between that place and Katikati, a work we were all congratulating ourselves was proceeding smoothly. We hear ie stated also, that Te Hira has to a certain extent handed over his authority to Tareranui, who for some years past has been a kind of lieutenant, and who will prove as obstinate, or more so, if possible, than Te Hira himself. The natives have learned that when they make a noise about anything the Government give in, and we presume that in deference to the sentiments of Te Hira, the construction of the road will be stopped. We have remarked upon the quietness of the Kingites of late, but it appears that they have not been unobservant of what is going on. The roads; the railways, the new militia, and so on, have surprised the council of King Tawhiao, who have come to a resolution that all this kind of thing must be stopped — that the line must be drawn somewhere. If the natives really mean to do anything, March will be the month, and then perhaps the new force of ' militarised ' navvies will have an opportunity of showing their skill with the rifle, as they are now showing their prowess with the spade." The Hawera correspondent of the Wanganui Herald states that a native disturbance took place at Ketemarae a few d ays ago. A considerable number assembled there and threatened to burn down Mr E. Gibson's store. A reinforcement of the corps at Waihi was sent for from Patea, and Major Turner and Captain Blake arrived at about five next morning. The affair was there and then settled for the time by giving the natives L 5 and a bucket of beer. It appeared that the disturbance arose through one of the natives having stolen an axe belonging to Mr Gibson, who rather hastily presented a revolver at a native, and ordered him out of the store. In a leading article, the Ciomwell Argus says : — "The next time Sir James Fergusson travels throug Otago, which we hope will be at an early date, we trust he will do one of two things ; either travel as the Governor of New Zealand, or as plain Sir James Fergusson. To do the latter, and to escape any demonstrations of any kind, it will only be necessary for him to leave his mounted escort behind in Dunedin, and to give particular injunctions to his Honor the Superintendent to avoid giving announcement? of his movements to Mayors and Councillors. He will not be molested on his journey throughout the province. It is impossible for any man to enjoy the honor and dignity of being a Governor, and at the same time the privacy of a private gentleman." Mr Engall, mining engineer, arrived in Auckland from London by the s.s Hero, for the purpose of examining the Miranda coalfield on behalf of the Eng'ish shareholders. If they are satisfied, all the capital will be subscribed in England, and the works will < be pushed on vigorously. With respect to mining matters in the Wakatip district the Mail says : — " There is very little news of any importance from the gold-fields since the commencement of the year. The miners have generally resumed work, and several parties, encouraged by the hopes of a dry autumn season, have set in to their river claims. The worth and value of the claims, except at such places as Arthur's Point and the Big Beach, where heavy and costly protective works have been carried out, depend purely upon the state of the river. The Chinese are still migrating from the district." An English telegram we published some days ago announced the discovery of a valuable gold discovery in Natal. The following paragraph, which is taken from the City article of the Times, of November 20, probably relates to the same gold-field :— " The advices from the. Cape of Good Hope state that the gold discoveries reported by the previous mail are at a locality about 500 or 600 miles north of the diamond fields, whence they can be reached in about seven or eight days. At present there seems to be no information sufficient to attract many explorers, but the fact of two nuggets having been found, one weighing 16ioz, and the other nearly 230z, has led to the inference that the district may be very rich." Speaking or the collapse of the New Zealand Coal Company started in Wellington some months since, the Evening Post says:— "The company was justly expected to do great things in the way of de /eloping our coal resources, but seems likely to die a natural death, solely in consequence of the I want of support and unanimity among its <

own members, some of whom may possibly prefer to direct the anticipated profits into their own private pockets by carrying out personally the undertaking projected by the company, which chus shares the fate which seems the inevitable destined portion of all similar schemes initiated in this city." From Okarito we learn, through the columns of the Ross Guardian, that at the Five-Mile Beach, Hallaghan >md party have started their new wheel, and made a fair, commencement to test their ground. It is now some three months since they first commenced to open out, during which time they got no returns ; but now that everything is in working order, they will be able to test it in a few weeks. Cloher Brothers have taken up a fresh extended claim, and are employing some wages men. This party is about the most plucky on the Beach. They go in for employing labor more than anyone else, and I believe they manage to make their ground pay them better than the majority of the claims. Anderson and party adjoins Cloher's claim. They have got some good ground,but have a very bad method of working it. One would imagine that of late there had been a host of moles at work. O'Grady and party have commenced to lift another paddock, being the first since the holidays. Wilson's party has broken up, and Wilson has taken up some fresh ground, out of which he expects to do pretty well. Sweeney and party are busy washing, but tho most of. the ground they have stripped has been previously worked, and consequently they do not expect great returns from it. Lamacroft and party have stripped another large,paddock, but the surf being too high they will have to defer lifting it until the sea gets calm. When there is a heavy surf on it generally raises the height of the water in the ground from 2ft to 4tt above the level it stands at in calm weather. With regard to the scarcity of labor in the Colony, , the Colonist relates the following incident which recently occurred near Nelson.—"A gentleman had engaged some, men to reap and carry his hay. ' The terms were 7s per day and beer. The latter element in the bargain was a far more important one than the employer imagined, as the sequel will show. The beer, wita bread and cheese thrown in, was regularly supplied for five days at the hours of eleven in the morning and three in the afternoon. On the morning of the sixth day, however, the supply of the requisite beverage on the premises was exhausted ; and the employer hastened into town to get it renewed. During his absence, orders came from the field at ten o'clock for beer. The messenger was informed that there was none in the house, and that consequently it could not be sent till Mr returned. What followed ? One man dashed down his tools on the spot, and took an oath that he would see Mr and every body else in the hot and unmentionable place before he would work for him or any other man without his beer? It is almost superfluous to add that the beer was in the field by eleven o'clock, but that before then the tali-talking gentleman had taken himself off, and the only trace of him to be found was the unpleasant smell of brimstone he had left behind. A man and a dray were thus reduced to idleness in the field ; while next day application was made for the wages due. These being refused, a polite note was received containing information that if the amount due was not promptly paid, summary proceedings would be the result—it was a case of •stump up,' or the luxury of settling a point of law ! " As showing how primary education is cared for in Canterbury, it may be mentioned during the September quarter of last year there were eight denominational and 71 district schools, attended by 7695 scholars, the average daily attendance beinu; 4519, out of a population estimated at 51,510. In 1871, there were 32 denominational and 37 district schools, with an average total attendance of 2919.