THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1874.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1782, 22 April 1874, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1874.

It was in the nature of things that under the new Licensing Act the process of obtaining a renewal of old licenses, or the granting of new ones, would noi be so easy as aforetime, and the result in Greymouth has shown this. The Licensing Commissioners appear to have been thoroughly imbued with the spirit of Mr Fox's Act, the main features of which are to restrict the number of public-houses, and to ensure that every license-holder Bhall be a person of good repute, and keep a respectable house. It is not our province to take exception to the decisions of the Commissioners in regard to the refusal of a renewal of licenses to persons who, in their opinion, were not worthy to hold them. It is to be presumed that they had full information in their possession and acted impartially. At the same time it is remarkable that in one case of this kind the applicant had held a license for several years, that the police had no fault to find with the manner in which his house was generally conducted, and the only evidence offered in support of an accusation that the house was not 'of good repute, was a mere allegation that a butcher named flildebrand had, on one occasion, lost some jewelry whilst asleep in the house. Hildebrand was not produced, and the strangest part of the thing is, that it transpired that this person has not unfrequently declared that he has been robbed of things which he has afterwards found in his own possession. With regard to the granting of new licenses the Commissioners have evidently acted upon the determination to take the full power granted to them under the 22nd section of the Act, which reads : — " TheLiceusing Court shall exercise its discretion in granting or refusing any certificate for any description of license, and shall not be obliged to grant the same, merely because the requirements of the law as to accommodation, or personal fitness of the applicant, are fulfilled, unless in its opinion there is a necessity for the publiclwuse or other establishment for the sale of spirituous liquors for which application is made," We presume that it was upon the opinion that there was no necessity for the house that Mr Drew's application was refused. The question arises— how is the necessity or otherwise to be determined 1 In this case a new and substantial house had been built, situated at a greater distance from the nearest hotel than any other house in town ; the applicant was a man of excellent character, and no objection was raised by the householders in the neighborhood, whilst his application was backed by the recommendation of many of them. It seems somewhat inconsistent that whilst the Court granted licenses to houses in many cases actually next door to each other, they should refuse this. We suppose that the Commissioners took the gross number of public-houses in town— no doubt a most disproportionate one to the population — and adopted a general rule to grant, no new licenses under any circumstances. This appears to "be a narrow and prejudiced view to take.

But the action of the Court in refusing transfers of licenses seems to be open to great objection, and we doubt if they interpreted the Act aright in this matter. "The Licensing Act, 1874," does not override the local Ordinances, it is to be taken in connection with them, and the Provincial Ordinances remain in force except when their provisions clash with those of the Act. Now the Act says nothing about the transfer of licenses, but the local Ordinance does, and under this Ordinance alone are publicans subjected to pains and penalties. It is manifestly, absurd that a license once granted it cannot be transferred for a whole twelve months, under any circumstances. If the interpretation of the Court is the right one, it absolutely prevents the owners of hotel properties from ridding themselves

of objectionable tenants except at the cost ot closing their houses for a period sufficient to ruin their property altogether. There were two cases of this kind yesterday in which the transfer, if applied for under the local Ordinance, would have been unopposed by the police, but which the Court refused, the consequence being the compulsory closing of the houses for a twelvemonth, unless the Act be amended next session of the Assembly, as it is pretty certain to be.

A private telegram received by us yesterday states that the Nelson Provincial Government have decided to grant £100 towards the expenses of Mr Moriarty's survey, and that che money will be remitted to the Corporation by the next steamer. This, with the similar sum contributed by the Province of Westland, will materially reduce the obligations of the Borough Coudcil and the two Coal Companies.

We notice by an advertisement that Mr J. 8. Lewis, barrister, solicitor, and con* veyan r er, who is well-known to the residents on the West Coast through his professional connection with the present District Judge, Mr Harvey, and Mr S. M. South, Crown prosecutor, intends to commence practice here.

The Register, of yesterday, saya that the horse that won the Sydney Cup was nearly becoming the property of a resident in Revell street, who, some time ago, refused to " swap" a fine dog for the ticket which drew Speculation. Tho Buller Neios of Saturday last reports j that "a new rush is reported. The ground fc alluvial, it is about three miles from. Westpoet, at Coal Creek, on the Nine-mile Road. No further particulars to hand." The steam locomotive mauafactured in Dunedin for Messrs Findlay and Haworth of Hokitika, is of 10-horse power, and is to run on a tramway 3ft 6iu gauge. The boiler is of the description known as Field's. The locomotive i 3 built in an extra substantial manner, the carriage, which is 10ft long, being strongly constructed of wrought iron. It will be capable of running ten miles an hour, and will be used for drawing timber from the bush. A telegram from Sydney, in the Hamilton Spectator, says "Hundreds are returning from the Endeavor River." The West Coast Times states that 706 new claims to vote have been lodged for the Hokitika district, and 382 for the Totara district. At last the long-looked-for proclamation has appeared in the Government Gazette, constituting the town of Nelson a Borough under the Municipal Corporations Act. A married woman named Whitmore, residing in Christchurch attempted to poi3 in herself the other day* by taking Barter's phosphorous paste which her husband ha i in the house for the purpose of poisoi ; ng vermin, The woman is still under mcd ;al attendance, but is not yet considered ou of danger. The Sydney correspondent of the A -us writes :— " One of the Communists, M. Grant Acbille, has left for California in a sailing ship from Newcastle. It is his intention to remain there, where an uncle of his is already settled, and he will no doubt make a peaceable American citizen, and will forswear murder and arson. M. Rochefort's telegram to England for funds, where a member of Parliament is his trustee, has been responded to by an ample credit at the Oriental Bank. It is" probable that he will leave by the Cyphrenes. It was at one time considered doubtful whether there would not be some risk in running the chance of meeting a French man-of-war in Kandavau Harbor, but it is thought that Fiji is now almost as good as under the English flag, and tha* after the Trent affair no French captain would venture to take a political offender off an English mail ship. " The list of contributions to the Colonial Museum, at Wellington, for, the past six weeks comprises a number of articles of more thin ordinary interest, amongst them being a photograph of Leichardt, the only likeness of the unfortnnate explorer extant, presented by Mr Edmond Wyatt. The West Coast Times states that the miners in the Waimea district are taking steps to work their claims on a larger scale than is often attempted in alluvial ground. As a case in point, it mentions a company which has recently been formed to work the deep ground at Callaghan's, Waimea district. The shallow ground was worked out some time since, and as the two leads deepened the gold increased in quantity, but the amount of water with which the miners had to contend was so great that it was found impracticable to work the ground from shafts. A party of men obtained a special claim of .six acres, and drove a tunnel in for a distance of more than 2000 ft, when they %o> through the reef, and struck gold. The ground is now being opened up, and the returns are very good, as much as 2dwt to the dish having been obtained last week. The success of this company has induced a number of miners resident at Callaghan's, and well acquainted with the ground, to apply for a special claim of ten acres of the adjoining ground, and through which the gold runs. This has been granted, and very shortly the claim will be in full working order. From surveys which havo already been made, it is estiina ed that payable gold will be struck when the tunnel, which it is proposed to put in, has been driven 1200 ft. As there is at least 10 years' work in the claim, it is proposed to register the Company under the " Mining Companies Act, 1872," with a capital of L 2400. There will be 1200 shares at L 2 each, and as the cost of the tunnel has been estimated pretty closely, it is hardly probable that all the capital will be required to be called in. The speculation appears to be a most promising one, and the promoters of the enterprise deserve the best of good fortune. It is said that a prospectus will be issued, and scrip in the market in a few days. The Fiji correspondent of the Auckland Evening Star tells that most ef the cargo of the s.s. iVJacgregor had to be sacrificed before she was got off, and the native population of Kandavau had some fine pickings in conso , quence. In his report upon the damage done to the Christchurch road by the late floods, Mr Mueller, Chief Surveyor, says :— The immediate cause, irrespective of the rain, of so great an amount of damage having been done in the Otira Gorge, are two immense slips which took place, the one at the Zig-zag, and a little higher, and one on the opposite side of the river. The latter came down at a place a little above a narrow rock-bound gorge, completely blocking up the river at that point and forming a natural dam, behind which the water accumulated until its pressure burst the barrier, and the silt and rocks forced down the gorge by the immense body of water accumulated by the large slips referred to. Road, bridges, and everything else must have been carried before it like so many pieces of straw. Tho strength of the current may be imagined when contemplating the large rocks, many of these from sft to 6ft in height and thickness, which now lie where the road once ran Perhaps a like good conception of the irresistible force of the current may be had, by examining the few inch bolts which connected the upp bridges to the main rock, and some

which are still fast to the rock, twisted and turned in all manner of shapes. The whole of the Gorge presents a scene of desolation. The debris brought down from the ranges has, in several instances, covered portions of the old road to a depth of 2ft, and it is to this circumstance only that the preservation of the first bridge (the weakest of the four) can be ascribed. Before the flood, this bridge was from Bft to 9ft above the water, and immediately after the flood it was found to be completely silted up, with lift of silt on its flooring ; and, once silted up to that extent, the heavy stones carried down by the current could have no effect on it. When I saw this bridge, the Otira had cleared away a good deal of the debris, and already the flooring of the bridge was[2fb above the water running underneath ' it. This flood has been the greatest ever known in the Teremakau ; at the Otira flats it was 3ft higher than any previous one ; at Rounding's (40th mile post) it was fully 2ft higher. At Jackson's, above 6ft of water was covering the lower floor of the house, Mr Jackson and family occupying the loft ; and at Robertson's, where the water never before rose to the level o£ the flooring, 19in of water covered the floor when the flood was at its highest.

The Clio arrived at Auckland on the lOfck instant, from New Caledonia, and reports trade there to be brisk. Flour is scarce and fetcnes L 24 10s, The timber market is overstocked. The mines are progressing favorably. A hurricane occurred at the Norfolk Islands, damaging plantations, blowing build' ings, fences, and a church down. Over 300 pine trees, some of them 25 to 30ft in circumference, were torn up by the roots, and hurled like sticks before the storm. There was a tremendous sea on. The road from the landing-place at the Cascade was strewn with wreck, supposed to be of the Dishot and Mary Ann. The embankment facing the sea was utterly destroyed. The Southern Cross of April 9 states : — We unders and that arrangements have been made between the General Government and his Honor the Superintendent for a temporary assistance in the shape of a loan for the extension of deep-sinking at the Thames. The aid is only to be temporary so far as the Government is concerned, pending the meeting of Parliament, to which the whole subject will be submitted, with a view to obtain* ing its consent to the proposal. Meanwhile an advance for a period of four months is to be given, and with that means at command, the work of deep sinking will be prosecuted until Parliament meets in July. The Ballarat Star learns that the Government of Western Australia had received a report from Mr M'Lean, the leader of No. 1 prospecting party, notifying that he had removed to Victoria Plains, where, in the first hole sunk, some small flaky gold was found Se reports that the country pleased him much, as it looked like the Otago goldfields. Ihe Neio Zealand Herald of the 7th, gives the following particulars of a sad occurrence :— A fatal accident occurred yesterday through the incautious use of fire-arms, amongst a number of juvenila volunteers. Four boys, armed with carbines, proceeded to Titirangi for the purpose of having (to use their own language) a day's shooting. The names of the lads were Henry Arthur Collins, Joseph Garty, Edward Collins, and William Gorrie. Finding no sport in the shape of rabbits or birds, the lads commenced io fire at tmes, their rifles being loaded with ball cartridge. One of their number, named Joseph Garty, a lad fourteen years of age, went to place a mark as a target, on a tree, when a rifle in the hands of Henry Arthur Collins went off accidentally, shooting Garty in the right shoulder. The other lads observing the accident did the best to alleviate Garty's suffering, and procured water, wherewith they bathed the wound. In addition to this, they sent for Mr Henry Smith (a gentleman residing at the Whau), who at once proceeded to the scene, but arrived just in time to finn the sufferer dead. The debeased was a grandson of the late Mr Joseph Low, one of the early settlers of the Province, and late a member of the well-known firm of Low and Motion. Ha was also a scholar of the Pitt street Wesleyan Sunday school. '