THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED DAILY MONDAY, APRIL 13, 1874.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1774, 13 April 1874, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus PUBLISHED DAILY MONDAY, APRIL 13, 1874.

The information given by the Australian papers regarding the Palmer diggings, although most probably genuine to a certain extent, is liable to the suspicion that the attractions]of the gold-field have been exaggerated. At the best, the temptations offered to the miners of New Zealand can scarcely compete with the genuine realities of this part of the world. It is possible that a very few persons may be lucky enough to drop upon a " pile " at the Palmer, but the evidence generally shows that tha conditions of mining in that part of the Australian continent are not worth the highest possible results in the mining lottery. We have the opportunity of giving to our mining readers the copy of a letter received in Greymouth from a miner who, at the date of his letter had returned to Sydney, after a sojourn of three months on the Palmer diggings. His name is Louis Wicheren, a miner well-known at Nelson Creek, and brother of a storekeeper generally known as " German Jack," who was a storekeeper in that district. Writing from Sydney on the 37th March, he says :— v I have just arrived from the Palmer, after being there three monhha, 1 made fifty pounds but had to spend it. Keep everybody back that intends to come here, because the ground has been worked out. Over a thousand diggers have been on the diggings for a long while. They have overrun the whole neighborhood, and'found nothing new, and you may consider that the rush is a failure, if nothing fresh is discovered. And, as for the reefs, they have been tried, but little more than the color has been got in different places, I suppose there are about 5000 diggers at Cooktown. Many of them intend to go to the diggings and see for themselves in spite of the bad news. Still there is a lot going from Sydney — in fact as many as the vessels can carry away. They will not be advised not to go, for they want to see for themselves. They will see, and starve, for the famine has been immense, and dogs and horseflesh are considered a luxury. None of tis (our party) will go again, for the gold thajt has been got is not worth while the hardships we have to go through. The luckiest of the lucky have not made £400 per man all the time. The prospectors have given up their claim, which they worked out in fourteen days. They have tried various places, but not finding anything, they have left the place entirely." We are of opinion that an independent letter like this is worth far more credence than bushels of telegrams, many, if not most of which are often set going in the ititerest of shipowners of persons interested in bringing about a rush. The letter, an extract of which we have given above, was addressed to Mr Muller, of the European Hotel, to whose courtesy we are indebted for the information.

A paragraph appeared in the Evening Star on Saturday relative to the omission on that day in this paper of the report ot the Borough Council's proceediugs, which calls for some comment. Whoever tfaa Editor of our evening contemporary may be. be is evidently not a member of the guild of journalists, but an amateur, and ignorant of those courtesies 3ybich are generally exchanged between journals upon particular occasions. The Star complains that we did not publish the proceedings of the Council on Saturday morning, and the writer of the paragraph must have known the reason for the omission. Owing to the illness of one of our staff, we have been compelled to omit many things that we should otherwise have published, and, added to this fact, there is tne other reason, that the Council did not conclude its business until after 11 o'clock p m. — a time when, even under ordinary circumstance*, the withholding of the report wouid be perfectly justifiable. We have to add that our contem poraoy is in this case, as in many others, utterly at fault in its statements. The " Minute-book" was not, nor ever has been handed to us, but it is true that the various reports and official documents are here, as elsewhere, placed at the disposal of the morning paper to save the unnecessaty trouble of copying them. We are informed, oa the authority of the Town Clerk, that that officer offered to procure them from this office for the evening's publication of the Star (and we should, of course, have willingly handed them over), but the offer was declined. So much for the ill-natured, and, under the circumstances, uncharitable remarks of our contemporary. A meeting of the Ahaura Race Committee was held at Ahaura on the Bth inst. The hon. sec. stated that he had, as directed, obtained the opinion of Mr Hustler as to whether the nomination and acceptance fees in certain of the advertised events of the last meeting which did not come off, should , be returned to the depositors or retained for : the racing club. Mr Hustler's opinion was '• that, "according to recognised usage," the ftw fr-vtoh cwfcs shwjW J>b Y£tsrsed f tojt he

did not say there was any recognised racing law on the subject. During the discussion which ensued, several of the , members present said there .did not appear to be any rule that would, specially, meet the case^laid down in the bye-laws of the Greymouth Jockey Club, and that many of the members of the club who had been spoken to on the subject were not positive about the right of nominators or acceptors to have fees refunded to them in cases similar to those occurring at the Ahaura races, but that the money was generally returned •' as a matter of courtesy" to the owners of horses. Tne meeting at length decided to return the foes, cot because the stewards owed any debt of courtesy or gratitude to certain of the owners of horses who attended the late Abaura races, or because " recognised usage" compelled them to give or return the aforesaid owners anything but the strict justice "nominated in the bend;" but as the stewards had by a special resolution previously decided to return the acceptance and nomination fees in certain cases, it would be best to act impartially, and treat all the owners of horses alike, especially as the money was not required for any other purpose. A letter was read from Mr H. Robertson, Btating the hardship of a position in which a strict carrying out of the rules of the course had placed him. The hon. sec. was directed to write to Mr Robertson, informing him that the stewards did not recognise his right to any compensation at their hands, but on consideration of the hardship of his case a sura of L 3 had been voted to him as a bonus. A. claim of Mr Joseph Graham to the money for the Trial Stakes race, on behalf of Mr G. Flower's North Star, and to the Consolation Stakes race with Lacenfeed, also to the second place in the Trial Stakes with Laceufeed, was laid before the meeting. The hon. sec. was directed to inform Mr Graham that the stewards could not recognise his claim to the stakes for any of the events named. The consideration of Mr D. Carroll's protest against North Star being declared the winner of the District Handicap race was then brought on. The protest of Mr D Carroll was disallowed and dismissed, but as there was no appearance of anyone on behalf of North Star, the further disposal of the matter was postponed for a week. After settling all the accounts presented, and transacting other business, the meeting adjourned for one week, when the treasurer's balancesheet would be submitted and the committee dissolved. We notice that Bachelder's " Pantascope of the trans-American tour and other panoramic views will be exhibited at the Volunteer Hall to-night, and for this night only. An accident took place between twelve and one o'clock on Saturday night to a miner named Michael Nolan. He had been to Maori Gully, and was on his way to his home, between Maori Gully and the Arnold, when he fell from a height of 13ft into a tailrace, and suffered a fracture above the ancle joint. He was brought down to the Grey River Hospital, and promptly attended to by the medical officer. He is progressing as well as could be expected. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, Ahaura, on Friday, the case Hamilton v. Elliott came on for hearing. The action was brought to recover Lsl odd being half the first prize money in the Derby sweepstakes recently drawn at ahaura on the Greymouth Jockey Club Handicap Race, the amouut of which was paid to the defendant under protest from the plaintiff, who claimed a share in it. The hearing of the case occupied the Court for several hours, and at its conclusion the Magistrate reserved hii decision for one week. Mr W, S. Staite appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr William Pitt, of Reefton, for the defendant. A case was disposed of in the Resident Magistrate's Dourt, Ahaura, at a recent sitting, in which the plaintiff, W. Methven, sued the defendant, A. Constautiiie, for a balance due on transactions between them. The defendant did not appear, and after the plaintift had undergone an examination by the Court he obtained a verdict for the amount he claimed with costs. The defendant aftervyards applied for a re-hearing on the ground that he had made an arrangement with the plaintiff, who had agreed that the case should not go to Court, and consequently he (the defendant) did not appear, and also that a sum of L 6, which he had paid the defendant when this agreement was made, had not been credited in the bill of particulars. An affidavit made by the defendant, setting forth these facts., was put in, and an order for a re -hearing was granted. Notice was given the plaintiff that the rehearing would take place on 10th April, but when the case was called on Friday he did not appear to substantiate his previous statements, and the defendant was awarded costs and expenses to the amount of lA, together with a professional fee of two guineas. We observe by a telegram from Adelaide that Jupp, one of the English Eleveu, had to be confined in a padded room in the Adelaide Hospital. He was suffering from delirium tremens. IHe was subsequently able to leave with the party to Yorke's Peninsula. It was rumored lately that Mr Heller, the well-known magician and pianist, had died in Mexico, from the effects ot a blow received from a Mexican robber. The story. we now learn, was unfounded, as information has reached Sydney that he is about to revisit the Colonies on another professional tour. S >me practical joking of a dangerous kind was indulged in at the Volunteer encampment at Nelson. The first act was the firing of the fern to the great danger of the property of the person upon whose ground they were encamped ; the other is thus described :— " Three mounted men, bent on a spree, rode up at a smart pace, and on being challenged by the sentry declined to halt bat still rode ] qu, whereupon the sentry fired at them, and two of the horses, not being accustomed to such ti-eatment, turned tail and bolted and were seen no more on the field of battle. TLe third cavalier, however, pursued the tenor of his way, but the sentry, being as determined as he, brought his rifle to the " charge," and the consequence was that the horse ran against the point of a bayonet, and, as that weapon has an ugly habit of being persevering in its researches when once they are entered upon, a considerable portion of the horse's body made acquaintauce with cold steel. The animajl was able to get away, and carry its master out of the reach of the enemy, but his hat was left behind and was brought into town in triumph. The demand for immigrants is evidently flagging. At Dunedin the immigrants are finding employment very slowly ; at Christchurch, complaints of want of employment have been raised by the immigrants, and the following paragraph, from a Wellington paper, would seem to indicate that the demand for particular descriptions of labor is not so great as the supply :- "The immigrants, per the Woodlark, having been collected at Ih9 barracks yesterday, arrangements were made for their engagement. Mr Elliot, the Immigration Officer, was present early in the morning, and was immediately besieged by crowds of immigrants under the impression that he carried all the engagements in his pocket. The number of wouldbe employers present did not at all come up to the number of names put down on the application list during the time previous to the arrival, and there was not nearly the usual number of ladies on the look-out for single women, the interest usually displayed in the selection of this class seeming to have flagged in the Dasep^ the Woodlark."

The Volunteers at Na ier have res-'gned and given up their arms. At Welli tgton the other day, the Rev. Mr Sir alley, Wesleyan Miuister, was presented with ..-51) guineas and a handsome Bible, as a farewell gift, on the occasion of his moving to Napier, by the Wesleyan Young Men's Improvement Society. Mr Stewart, the special immigration agent for the north of Ireland, is" visiting the Tauranga district to select a site for a settlement. He is said to be favorably impressed with the land. A determined attempt to set the Press office in Christchurch on fire was made on Sunday week. That journal says :— " The incendiary, determined if possible to make his work sure, procured some oil from the machine room of the office, and poured a quantity of it on the floor of the jobbing room, afterwards setting fire to it. The fire smouldered for some time before it was discovered, and burnt out a large p ; ece of the floor, joists, ace. Fortunately alike for the safety of the premises and the block in which it is situated, the fire was discovered early in the evening and extinguished." The Press Company offer a reward of LIOO for the discovery of the person or persons implicated. A Wanganui contemporary has the following : — " A quantity of jewellery was sent through the post a few days ago, amounting to Ll4'), addressed to a house in Patea. Suspicion was aroused at the Post Office that a fraud was jbeing perpetrated on the Custom House, and an embargo was laid upon the parcel, pending explanations. The result was that the attempted fraud was fully proved, but either frooa a supposition that the consignee was innocent, or that the law gave no pover to intercept a parcel coming through the Post Office, the goods were not confiscated. The jewellery in question came from a well-known house in Sydney." A Waterloo veteran, aged 94, is living in Baker street, Auckland, and still follows the trade of a saw sharpener, at which he is an adept. A. company has been formed in Wellington to supply the great want of houses in that city. The voluntary support accorded to the company has been of such an encouraging character that resort to the ordinary process of iioating a venture of this kind has not been necessary. The objects of the company, as stated in the articles of association, are —the purchase or leasing of eligible parcels of land within the Province, and of suitable sites within or in the vicinity of the City of Wellington, and the erection of residences or other buildings, and the sale or letting of such lands, buildings, or building sites. With these and other facilities which now present themselves, the demand for cottage tenements will not long remain unsupplied.