Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1731, 20 February 1874, Page 2

What was supposed to be a public meeting of the residents jin the Cobden district, was held last evening at the School-house, but at first no person seemed to know who was its convener, or for what purpose it had been called, except that it was in the interest of " the progress of the district." Between 40 and 50 persons assembled, when Mr Tindall asked who had called the meeting. Mr Peyman moved that Mr Stone take the chair, but that gentleman declined ; whereupon some person moved that they should have no Chairman at all. Mr Archer moved and Mr Peyman seconded that Mr Hornby take the chair, which he did, saying it was only not to disappoint the person who had called the meeting. Mr Peynnn then came forward, and stated he had called tha meeting, in order to bring before the residents several matters affecting the intorests ef the diatriota, He then proceeded

*it great length, and with much characteristic vigor' of language and gesticulation, to show how, under tho great mammoth scheme of borrowing recently propounded in the Nelson Council, the Cobden district was being robbed, because the LGO.OOO proposed to be advanced on the loan was to be spent in constructing a main road from Nelson to Oreymouth, while the Cobden and Coal Creek road was utterly neglected. That was enongh to cause him to suspect the members of the Council of "little games," because he considered that if there was a district in the civilised world to which statesmen should give their undivided attention it was I Cobden, and that Mr Boase ought to have fought; up to his eyes in bloo.l to defend their rights. He strongly objected to the quantity of land that was to be given iv the Grey Valley as security tor the small amount to be received oub of the loan. His object in colling the meeting was to see if his Honor the Superintendent was sincere ia what Jbe said when here regarding the Coal Creek road, and he moved — " That in the opinion of this meeting, it is desirable that a petition he forwarded to his Honor the Superintendent, asking him to construct the road between Coal Creek and Cobden forthwith." The Chairman thought it was improper for the speaker to move a motion, and called upon some other person to do so. Mr Dickie then moved, and Mr Archer seconded the motion. Mr Wallace believed the motion was calculated to do the district much injury. The sum of L 60.000 had been set apart for a specific work, and could not be altered, and they would only be making a parcel of ridiculous fools of themselves by asking the Superintendent to attempt what they knew he could not possibly do. Mr Fowler moved an amendment " That as the members of the Executive are expected here next week, the matter be referred to them for consideration." This was not seconded. Messrs Boase and Ivess, M.P.C.'s, made explanations, showing the absurdity of the motion, and that all the petitions in the world could not affect the question. Ultimately the motion was put, when there voted for it 3, and against it 15 - - at least so the Chairman said, but as by this time the stock of kerosene on hand was exhausted, and resort bad to bp- made to matches, the meeting adjourned. The hon. treasurer of the Grey River Hospital begs to acknowledge receipt of a cheque for L 6 7s from the Red Jack's Benefit Society. We regret to hear that Mr William Sexton, of Haines and party, near Charleston, met with a serious accident on the 6th inst. It appears that the unfortunate man was engaged driving two loaded trucks, and the horse shying, Sexton made a rush to gefc to the brake, and the place where the truck? were at the time being narrow, one of the truck wheels caught him by the back of the leg, throwing him down, and, it is believed, breaking the leg. The sufferer was conveyed to the hospital. By private advices received a few day 3 ago from the Lyell by the Westport Times, it appears that the Monte Christo Company, in their new tunnel, have struck exceedingly rich stone supposed to be a continuation of the Maruia leader. The event lias caused some excitement at the Lyell, and active speculation in shares has resulted. Lieut. Liddell, of Foxton, in firing for choice of Colonial representatives, fiangitikei district, made the magnificent total of 94, the highest yet made throughout the Colony. He will represent Raugitikei at Napier. A splendid yield of 2240z of gold was obtained a few days ago as the result of the week's crushing for the Caledonian Company, Thames, which included 60 tons of quartz and 1301 b specimens. The former was poor stuff, which had been sent to the mill prior to tho rich stone being found, and, at a rough estimate, the 60 tons could not have been worth more thau 20oz, so that the remainder was entirely. the produce of the specimens. The Lyttdton Times writes : — As an instance of the unusually heavy crop.3 which are grown on the Native Reserve, Woodend, it may be mentioned that on Monday last MrJ. Rickus threshed oufc 35 acres of firstclass oats, which yielded a total of 3216 bushels, or rather over an average of 89 bushels per acre. Nearly the whole of the parcel has beeu sold and delivered for shipment at a good paying price. The Charleston Herald says that some scoundrels, on the evening of the 3rd inst., committed a most disgraceful act, of a description rarely indulged in on the goldfields, On the evening of the 4th, about six o'clock, there came a rush of water into the claim of Mr O'Rourke, completely flooding it out and carrying away the proceeds of the day's washing, and the cloths from the tables, besides doing serious damage to the claim. There must have been a hundred heads of water discharged into the claim when the rush of water occurred. On going up to the dam Mr O'Rourke found by its appearance that the dam had been cut over the guage, and that the water must have been percolating through the dam wall until it had formed a hole large enough to cause the bursting of the dam. In consequence of the unavoidable absence of G. G. FitzGerald, Esq., Chief Commissioner of Waste Lands, the public sale of right to pasturage that should have taken place at Hokitika on Wednesday was postponed until noon yesterday. A telegram has been received at Hokitika from, the Minister of Public Works, atating that tenders will be invited on Monday next, for the construction of three additional miles of the Waiucea Water-race. A public meeting was to be held at the Town Hall, last evening, to urge upon the Government the necessity of calling for tenders for the remaining sections of the race without delay. Mr Bright, in a speech recently delivered by him at Birmingham, referred to the scandal of the English Church, preferment by purchase, in the following witheriug terms: — " Another great principle has been established, that office, authority, dignity in a great service of the State which spends ten or eleven millions a year, shall not henceforth be bought by the rich to the exclusion of those that are less rich, or aie poor, and promotion in the army is no longer to be obtained upon the old, and I will say the corrupt, terms. The corruption market is closed for ever in that department of the public service. Unfortunately there is still a purchase of office of the highest character in another brancn — that of the church established. I was glad to see a few days ago that a bishop, very active in my county, condemned this, and, I think, described it as a scandalous thing. 1 say that is odious in any branch, but it is specially scandalous within the organisation of a Christian Church. I sometimes ask myself what would be said if it were proposed to be introduced into the Wesleyan body, or among the Independents or Baptists, or the .Presbyterians in Scotland, or even in the Catholic Church in Ireland. It exists only in the Established Church in England, and I trust the time will come when the members of that church will regard it m the light that it is regarded, I believe, by all persons outside and unconnected with. that church "

We learn from the Otago Daily Times than an association is being formed for establishind a piggery on a large scale in Dunedin. It is proposed to rent or urcnase a piece of land in the suburbs, and carry on the business of a curing establishment, for which the climato is wolHidaplod.

We have been requested to make public the following extract from a letter of the Agent-General to the Colonial Secretary :— " In the case of Scandinavian or Gerraau emigrants nominated for passages, I would suggest that the nominees should be recommended to place themselves in communication with the agents of this office at one or otber of the following places, viz. : In Christiania, Messrs Gunnestad and Co., Skippergaden, 27 ; Copenhagen, Messrs Homeman and Veteraen, Nyhavn, 13 ; Hamburg, Mr August Behrens.— l have, &c. (signed), I. E. FEATHERsroN, Agent-Gene-ral.