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Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1786, 27 April 1874, Page 2

We are informed that the result of the month's crushing in the Wealth of Nations claim, lnangahua dietrict is4oloz of retorted gold. The directors met on Friday, and resolved to declare a dividend of 2s 6d per scrip, which, after being paid, will leave LHS to the credit of the compauy. Several alterations in the working of the machinery and mine ha-e been made, which, it is thought will prove beneficial to the shareholders. The contractors for procuring stone having both paddocks full, the machine will be kept in full employment. To-night a great treat is in store for the pleasure-ssekers of Greymouth, in more senses than one. First of all they have the opportunity of witnessing Miss Aitken in one of her best parts ; and, further, a number of amateurs who will, uader any circumstances, make up for any deficiencies of a technical character by the enthusiasm which they generally display. Miss Aitken will deliver some of her best recitations and descriptive reading?, an amusing " character sketch " is promised" by Mr Leech, but the piece de resistance is, as the playbill designates it, the charming vaudeville "The Bonny Fishwife " —the principal character being taken by Miss Aitken. The amateurs who will take part in this a? c Messrs Crocker, Leech, aad Thomas. A good house may be expected. A patient, in the Hospital, admitted on Saturday evening from Nelson Creek, died suddenly three hours afterwards. We have n>t been informed a3 to the cause of death, but we understand that the deceased was in an advanced stage of general debility when he entered the Hospital A meeting of the Grey Valley Road Board is to be held at Ahaura on Tuesday, 28th inst. At the urgent and repeated request of the chairman the Government has placed another LI OO at the disposal of the Board, wbich sum has already'been well laid out in re-opening the traffic on the main Grey Valley road. Mr Jones, the chairman, and VI r Willis, the overseer of works to the Board, were busy all last week personally ascertaining the amount of damage done by the recent storm, and putting men on to make repairs. Gangs of men are now working at the Little Grey Junction, on the HalfOunce track, and on different parts of the road between Nelson Creek and the Arnold. ! A proclamation which appears in the Province of Westland Gazette, dated the 20th inst., relative to the Protection to Animals ! Act, 1873. It will be seen that the months of April, May, June, and July in each year shall be the months in which native game, as described in the fifth schedule of the above Act, shall be hunted, shot, taken, or 'killed in any part of Westland. At the last sitting of the Resident Magistrate's Court, Ahaura, the case White and Carth v. Pennefather was finally decided. The case originally was to recover the amount of a claim for goods sold to the defendant,' who is now a constable in the force at Queenstown, Otago, and at the first hearing an affidavit made by him was read, which was to the effect that he was not indebted, and that another person was responsible The third party resides at Reef too, and the case was adjourned to procure his evidence. This witness's evidence was now forwarded, and it went to show that he did guarantee the plaintiff to a certain amount for goods for Pennefather, but he bad paid the amount of his liability, which the plaintifi said was correct. Judgment was given for the plaintiff for the amount claimed with costs. There is considerable misapprehension existing on the gold-fields as to the necessity of men working for wages in mining claims having miners' rights. It s widely supposed that if the employer be in possession of a right, the workman in an ordinary claim, or in a mining, leasehold, need not have a miner's right. In a case tried at .the last sitting >f the "Warden's Court, at Ahaura, a man sued the holder of a share in a leasehold for wages, while working in the mine, but when the plaintiff appeared, it was found that he did not hold a miner's right, and the Court ruled that he had no locus standi, and moreover that the plaintiff and defendant had rendered themselves liable to a denalty, for if the hired man had no right, it was the duty of the employer to see that he wasproyided with one. His Worship r e . lated a ourious case he had to deal with a + Cobden some time before, where a man aue^

for L9O as wages, but he was nonsuited through not having a miner's right, although it was shown that he bad actually given his employer, Ll.to take out a right for him, but the^ejaipioyer neglected to do so. Lessees of mining leaseholds' need not possess miners' rights, but their representatives must, for no one can mine on land under the juris iction of the Gold Fields Act, without being therlegalpossessor of aminer's-right. It was incidentally mentioned that the holding of a share in a mining leasehold does not entile a person to vote at elections, although a person can claim to be placed on the electoral roll through being a leaseholder, Great complaint is made by a number of men who were put on to work on the main Grey Valley road to re-open it after the late Hood, that they were suddenly discharged, and could not get a settlement of their claims for wages. The men were engaged on behalf of the Nelson Government, but it seems there was no authority to pay them when the road was turned over to the Road Board, and the hands employed by the Government were dismissed. It is shameful as well as shabby in the extreme that the paltry sums coming to these men could not be paid at once, instead of compelling the peor fellows to go away and forfeit their wages or to hang about for a fortnight waiting to receive hard earned money, and spending perhaps more than the amount in the meantime. The reason given for the delay was that the money was coming in a steamer from Nelson, and until it arrived there were not any funds available, a very roundabout way of excusing matters, aud one quite characteristic of Nelson officialism. The Inangahva Herald of Saturday says : — "It is with much regret we learn that by a resolution passed by the Road Board yestesday afternoon, its members have decided to resign in a body in the event of the Government failing to provide the promised subsidy towards the Murray Creek road. It appears that two telegrams have been forwarded by the secretary to the Government calling attention to the fact that a sum of L2oo— being two months' payment — was due and had not been received. To these telegrams no reply has been received, and itnder those circumstances the Board had to regard the possible contingency of the Government failing to fulfil the very unequivocal 'pledges given in this particular matter. They therefore decided that, in the event of the money not being forthcoming prior to the n«xt fortnightly meetiug, they would place their resignations in the hands of the Government." The only item of any importance from the Lyell is that a number of leases lately taken up on the north side of the Eight-Mile Creek have been put into active work. Some new leases in' the same locality are also applied for. Thfire is a souabble of some sort between the Auckland Evening Star and the Thames Evening Star, and in the course of the friendly discussion the former accuses the latter of owing its existence to " specimenstealers," and says other complimentary things. All the anplioations for publicans' licenses were, with one exception, granted at Westport. The somewhat difficult and risky undertaking of heightening the steeple of the First Church, Dunedin, is being proceeded with. Th 9 present height is about 180 ft., and from 15ft to 20ft more are to be added. The Westport Times says that some excellent specimens of gold-bearing quartz have been brought down from the Cascade Creek, from a point about nine miles iroud Westport and are now ou view at Mr Thielfi's store. The prospectors, who have been working on and off for some time past, have put iv a drive some 22ft through slate casing, and at that distance have struck what appears to be a reef, varying from 2ft 6in to 3ft. The drive is in the precipitous face of the ravine, about 6ft above the level of high water mark in the creek, and the outcrop of the reef: has been traced for some distance up the hill. The stone is of bluish tint, showing both rough and fine gold, and resembles the Mokihinui stone. It is proposed to invite Mr Yogel to a public dinner iv Wellington. The Hokitika Borough Council has wisely rescinded the resolution to levy wharfage rates on timber for exportation. "Miles," in the Australasian, says— Not everybody can realise how difficult it is for a colonial Bishop to sustain a full measure of dignity. The Bishop of Newcastle, N.S. W., some time ago was piloted through a bush district by an old colonial clergyman. Late at night they arrived at the household of a country settler. After supper and prayers the farmer made some domestic inquiries, and announced the disagreeable fact " that there was but one bed," and he hoped "his Lordship would have no objection to sleep with ,Mr B," His Lordship looked aghast at the suggestion. " A sofa, an arm-chair ; anything, my dear sir, will do one night." Just imagine a Bishop in bare legs trying to maintain his proper dignity, or more dreadful still, in bed with a Curate at Ll5O a year, paidcasuaily ! The question of making the Nelson Executive directly responsible to the Council is attracting much attention in Nelson. 'fAn Elector," writing to the Colonist says :4-" I believe it would be better for the Province if there were more frequent changes in ; the Executive. The present system of irresponsibility seems only productive of arrogance and perfect indifference on the part of the office holders. As to the responsibilfty of tie Superintendent to the people, it is not worth a button. His Honor's re-election was solely due, not to the faith the people had in his political activity, but to the dislike to his opponent in certain quarters, and the strenuous efforts put forth by the kith and kin of the nominated Executive. We never have had a responsible Executive, but the sooner we get one the better, to make the deliberations of our Council of real utility in developing the resources and encouraging the industries of this Province. If our Executive will not work they should be remoyed by a vote of the Provincial Council; and if they make grave blunders in the expenditure of the public funds, or in the execution of public works, a similar fate should await them. A writer jn the Southern Crass says : — "A circumstance came to my knowledge the other day which proves that a Custom House officer at all events is capable of true devotion to bis country's good, cotnbined with a laudable desire for promotion. A wellknown citizen in Auckland (we will call him Mr A.) received from Sydney a valuable gold watch as a present, sent in charge of the obliging captain of the Hero. Just before the hour at which that vessel was to leave on her last trip Mr A. had occasion to interview the gentleman who fills the post of sub collector (say Mr B.). Said Mr A., 'I should <like the clearance at once, it is close , 6ji " r three' o'clock,' pulling out the watch. "Said Mr B , ' What a very handsome watch.' 'Yes,' said Mr A., 'I got it down the other day »>y the Hero— a present, worth L6o.' • Ah, indeed ! Well, you are a lucky fellow,' gushed Mr 8., with a strange twinkle in his eye ; and the interview closed. So did the dexter optic of that astute official— into a wink extatic, but subdued. ' Mow'b the day and now's the hour ' (3 p m. ) thought he, ■nd forthwith resolved to earn the encomiums of his superior by a very pretty bit of smarc practice. He refused to clear the vessel until an entry had been passed for the watch, and duty paid on it, amounting to about L6i" ..•:.= •*■'