THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1874

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1730, 19 February 1874, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1874

A meeting of the stewards of the Ahaura Baces was held at Kennedy's Hotel, Ahaura, on Tuesday evening. The canvassers for the Ahaura, Half-Ounce, and Greymoutb, Bent in their reports, from which it was seen that an unusual and unexpected amount of success had been met with. The districts of Totara and the Little Grey have yet to be cmvassed, and the right to the gates, &c, has yet to be sold. With the money from these sources, together with the entry, qualification, and other fees, sufficient will be available to meet all the liabilities in connection with the races, and to leave a handsome balance. It is the intention of the stewards to give prizes for'one or two hurry scurry races after the advertised running each day. The resignation of Dr Phillips as clerk to the course was accepted, and several gentlemen were nominated to the post, the selection to be made at the next meeting. Mr J . W. utcliffe.waB nominated clerk to the scales, and the hon. sec. was requested to obtain Mr Sutclifie's consent to act. The secretary was directed to communicate with h. Hustler, Esq., with respect to the handicapping for the Grej Valley Handicap, the nominations for which are to be made at Pinkerton's Hotel, Ahaura, on Friday, 20th February. Mr M'Laughlin and the hon. sec. were requested to wait upon Mr Warden Whitefoord, to ask that gentleman to proclaim the race days holidays, and to give protection for claims, and also to wait upon Inspector Gooflall to request the assistance of the police in keeping the course and gates. The question was mooted whether it would not be better, seeing that the funds are availing, to increase the stake for the Handicap Hurdle Race, or to make the Grey Valley Handicap 100 soys., instead of 75 POVB. The final decision was reserved for a full meeting of the stewards. As will be seen by advertisement elsewhere, the rights to the grand stand, booths, gates, &c, will be sold by auction at Ahaura on Monday next, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to appointet John Wilson Humphrey, Esq , J P., to be a Visiting Justice of the prison at Westport. At the sitting of the Waste Lands Board at Hokitika, on Monday, T. W. Bruce applied by his agent F. A Learmonth, to purchase 152 acres of land in Block 72, Grey district. Granted, Ll5O paid. Three young men, firewood carters at Nelson, were fined by the Eesident Magistrate the other day L 3 each and costs, or in default, fourteen days' imprisonment with hard labor, for breaking a telegraph insulator by throwing stones at it. The Magistrate said that as the offence was becoming only too common he felt that he could not let them off with a light fine, and that the next time a similar case came before him, he should inflict the full penalty, which was 140, or three months' imprisonment, or com •

mittid for trial at the Supremo Court, when the offender would be liable to a sentence of two years' imprisonment. At the conclusion of a casein the Resident Magistrates Court, on Wednesday morning, VI r Revell remarked that the number of nuisances existing in the town was perfectly disgraceful. He did not know whose fault it was, whether that of the Corporation or who, but the nuisances were permitted to exist unchecked. The Inspector of Nuisances (Sergeant Moeller) said it was not his fault. He had represented these facts to the Borough Council, but without effect, and there were no bye-laws in existence under which he could proceed against offenders. The Magistrats said if the Corporation refused to do their duty as a local Board of Health, it would be necessary to bring the subject under the notice of the Central Board, who would no doubt act at once. Should the Council not act promptly it is to be hoped the Magistrate will carry oat his threat, and obtain the interference of the Central Board. In the Resident Magistrate's Court, on Wednesday, H. Hamill and Eliza Coburn, alias Horton, were fined 58 each, with the alternative of 24 hours' imprisonment, for drunkenness. H-mney v. Cashin was a disputed claim for L 24 ; a verdict was given for Lll. George Martin was sutnmoned for allowing three horses to stray in the public street on Sunday last. One of them had been impounded, but the other two could not 1 be caught, and, situated as the so-called pound is, it was not possible to drive them into it. Defendant was fined 10s and costs. Iv the Neio Zealand Gazette of the 12th instant, Alexander Burrows is appointed to be clerk to the Resident Magistrate's Court at Okarito and Thomas Sugrue to be clerk to the Resident Magistrate's Court at the Haast. At Otaki, Wellington, a place notorious for its drunken lfrawls, a powerful half-caste of local celebrity as a wrestler has been appointed policeman and bailiff. He is looked upon as the right man in the right place The first ateam hammer in v elson,. and the largest we (Mail) believe in the Colony, was received by Messrs N. Edwards and Co. by the Harvest H^me, from London, and has been erected in their workshop at the port. We had an opportunity of seeing it at work, and in eommou with a large number of visitors who were present at the same time were much interested in observing the ease with which the machinery is controlled, so that the same mass of iron may be used to strike a giant blow of three tons or to be lowered so gently as to crack a nut without injuring the kernel. This is a great addition to the working power of the establishment, whicn now contains a large amount of machinery of the most expensive dpscription, and is a credit to the owners, to Mr Brown, the manager, and to the Province. The Wellington Post says :— " Would the anticipation of vaccination be a preventive to drunkenness?" We fear even anticipated amputation scarcely would be efficacious, but we caution those gentlemen who are in the habit of receiving sentences of "5s or 24 hours," that by the 94th clause of the " Public Health Act, 1872," which is to be strictly enforced, every person received into a prison must be vaccinated instauter. The clause saya, " Every gaoler of a prison shall cause all inmates thereof to be vaccinated immediately on their entrance, unless they shall produce sufficient evidence of a previous successful vaccination within five years, and unless in the opinion of a duly qualified medical man the operation would be attended with danger to such person." The following particulars of Dr Turnell's death are from the Nelson Mail of the 14tii inst. : — " Wo rugret to state that news was brought by the Lady Barkly this morning of the supposed death by drowning of Dr Turnell, the Resident Magistrate and Warden at Collingwood. It appears that he left the Court House at Takaka for Collingwood on Monday afternoon, and waited at Waitapu until 7 p.m. for the fall of the tide to enable him to cross the Takaka River. On Thursday, as he had not arrived at home, Mr J. D. Brace started to ascertain che cause of the delay. An immediate search was made, and his horse was found on an island at the mouth of the river with the bridle broken and both stirrups gene. The horse was known to be restive in the water, and it is supposed that it 'reared and threw its rider. Up to yesterday afternoon the body had not been recovered, but a large search party was out, and it was intended to drag the river. Dr Turnell will be greatly missed in the district, where he had resided for a long time and gained the respect and esteem of the inhabitants." That well-known end old-established hostelry the British Hotel, Queen street, Auckland, has, we hear, changed hands, the price being LISOO cash down, and L 2 per week for seven years. Despite of gomewhat dull times, and the onslaught of Good Templars, hotel property is not altogether at a discount as yet in Auckland. The four Thames representatives, to compete at the Colonial prize firing besides | Lieutenant Hoskins, are Sergeant Campbell and Volunteers Gordon, Clark, and Grundy. Owing to the completion of the road from Marsden to Greymouth, the coach of Messrs Cameron Bros., mail contractors, came right through from Hokitika for the first time yesterday. It is rumored, with what truth we cannot say, that a toll-bar was placed at the point where the road crosses the Marsden tramway, and toll was demanded from the mail coach.