THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1874.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1989, 21 December 1874, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1874.

A meeting of the subscribers to the Grey River Hospital, resident in the Nelson Creek distrieb, waß held at Hatter'B Terrace, on Thursday evening. There was an unusually numerous attendance, and Mr Arthur Ellis, of Try- A gain Terrace, was called to the chair. The chairman stated the object of the meeting, and explained that the principal business would be to elect a new committee and collectors for the ensuing twelve months. The report and balance-sheet of the outgoing committee were read and received, and the following gentlemen were elected a sub-com-mittee for the district :— Messrs Richard Philpotts, Richard Lochhead, B, Sutherland, F. Davis, J. Coll, J. Penrose, C. Kelli, C. Schillerman, M. Nealon, and P. Laney. Mr F. Davis was appointed hon. treasurer, and Mr R. Philpotts hon. secretaiy to the committee. The following are the newly-elected collectors :— Messrs Philpotts, Nealon, aud R. Larkin on Try-Again ; Messrs Laney, Cole, and Penrose at Owen's Look-out; Messrs Davis and Schillerman at Hatter's Terrace ; Messrs Sutherland and Kelli, along the Government water-race. Votes of thanks to the retiring committee and officers, and to the chairman, terminated the proceedings. We are informed that the Wealth of Nations Company, during the last week, collected 5510z of amalgam from their plates. The "Herald" Bays that improved yields are expected from the mine, that the paddocks are full cf stone, and thab work gene- | rally jhas been resumed in earnest. Christmas will be here during the present week, and m c have to recall to the memory of our readers that it is usual on this occasion to send in Christmas presents to the Grey River Hospital for tho use of the patients at their dinner on Christmas Day. This good old habit has always been observed since Grey mouth was a town, and we hope the Superintendent, Mr Rugg, will have a long list of presents to acknowledge this year. In addition to the entries for the West*

land Handicap Champion ftace, published on Saturday last, another name should ha,ve been added, name)y, that of D. Cochraiio. This makes 33 in all. For the March Race Meeting nominations for the Groymouth Jockey G'lub Handic/ip, of 200 soys added to a sweep of 7 soys each, have to be made to the Secretary, at the Albion Hotel, to-morrow evening, before 8 o'clock. It is fully expected that a satisfactory nvnab&Y vjill be received, &% this stake is one of the plums offered to the New Zealand racing world. The half-yearly general meeting of the managing committee in connection with the Church of England congregations at the Grey Valley, was held at Ahaura on Friday evening. The Rev. T. Flavell was itv the chair, and there were present — Mesrs W. S. Staite, S. B. Walmsley, Trent, and J. M. Ollivier, of Ahaura ; A. Ellis, Nelson Creek ; W. H. Lash, Nelson Creek ; C. Parfitt, No Town. . and other delegates, Mr J. Sutcliffe, the hon. treasurer and secretary to the general committee, read the half-yearly report and laid the balance-sheet before the meeting. The report, which was descriptive generally of the progress of affairs relating to the Church, was very satisfactory, and was received unanimously. The balancesheet showed that the several district committees, as well as the general committee, were in a flourishing condition financially, and on a consideration of these facts the committee came to the conclusion that it would be justified in", purchasing a freehold property as a parsonage for the minister. A formal resolution to that effect was carried unanimously, and it was arranged that negotiations should be at once entered into with a view to purchasing the house and grounds at Ahaura, recently occupied by Mr H. J. Lewis, and tenanted by Mr Trent, the District Surveyor. The premises are, in every respect, suitable for the purpose intended, the situation being one of the most desirable in the neighborhood. After disposing of other business the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the officers of the committee, who were re-elected to the offices held by them for the last six months. Mr William Gleeson, one of the overland cattle-dealers was seriously injured, through being kicked in the face by a horse at Ahaura on Friday. A rare treat is in store for our local sportsmen during the holidays. Rabbit Island and the adjoining property of Mr D. Donald, situated in the Grey River, opposite Totara Flat, is to be thrown open for a week during the ensuing holidays. The island literally swarms with rabbits, and there is an abundance of game in the locality. Parties availing themselves of this privilige will be permitted to en joy it only during good behaviour, for it has become necessary to make this , proviso in consequence of the disgraceful conduct of certain Cockney marauders, who ' recently received permission to have a day's ' shooting, and abusing the privilege made an indiscriminate raid and slaughtered everything coming within reach, including the i domestic fowls of the farmers. Several cases of diptheria have (says the | " Echo ") occurred at Newton, a suburb of i Auckland. The Good Templars of Auckland have raised L2O which has been expended in the purchase of two cows for the Industrial School. A correßpendent of the Auckland " Echo " gravely suggests whether the Parliament of New Zealand had a right to remove the seat of Government from Auckland to Wellington, and asks "if good and valid claims for compensation" would not lie from those who purchased lands from 1841 to 1846 on the strength of their being described as "near to Auckland, the seati of Government." The " Ross Guardian," in an article urging on the survey of the Mikonui Water-race, says:— "The Premier has pledged himself that the Government would maks the race. It was no ' half promise,' but a distinct one given to Mr Tribe." We are loth to disabuse the mind of our contemporary, but we are quite sure that no promise to make the race has ever been given, and it was only after great pressure that the Government consented to undertake a thorough survey. We may add our firm opinion that the Government and Parliament will not enter upon the construction of any further water-races until they see the results of those in hand. The Mikonui Race will have to depend a good deal upon private enterprise in the same manner as the Kanieri Lake Race. A Mrs Foreman fell over an embankment at Ross a few days ago, and broke her arm. At Ross, the other day, the public vaccinator for that district, charged John Hunt Currie with having refused to allow him to remove some vaccine lymph from the arm of his child. Defendant pleaded not guilty. Dr Duff said he was unwilling to bring the action, but did so on public grounds. He wished to let the public understand that every parent was bound to allow the public vaccinator to remove a portion of vaccine lymph fiom the arm of his child, Lymph was scarce, and defendant sent his child to, Hokitika to bo vaccinated, and would not allow him to remove any of the lymph without he paid for it. [Dr Duff read the clause in the Act, making defendant liable to a fine of 40s for having refused.] Had defendant, waited two days longer he would have had his child vaccinated by him (Dr Duff) without any charge. The case was dismissed, the Bench stating that clause 108 was merely a penal section, stating that every parent was liable to a fine who neglected to get a child vaccinated, or refused to permit the public vaccinator to take lymph. He did not think there was anything in the Act, stating that a public vaccinator could claim lymph when the vaccination was not performed in his own district, or whea performed by another operator. As for the vaccination having been performed at Hokitika, ha had nothing to say. It seemed to him a man could have his child vaccinoted where he liked. Numerous cases of low fever are reported in the Reefton district. Henry Compton Higgius, aged 25 years, was drowned in the Taieri River on Sunday, the 6th instant. Deceased and another man were sailing up the river, from the beach towards' the bridge, when a squall or gust of wind caught the boat and caused her to capsize. Higgins sank and was drowned, but his companion succeeded in gaining the shore. A curious accident happened in the house of the Resident Magistrate, Wellington, on the 10th instant. Two servant girls, sleeping ia the same room, upset a kerosene lamp and s^t fire to their night-dresses and to the room. After considerable trouble, Mr Crawford, who was reading in another room, , hearing screams, managed to save the girls from their perilous position, but one was seriously burnt, and has since died. A driver of one of Cobb's caches was recently presented with a purse of one hundred and ten sovereigns by the inhabitants of the Kowai Pass and Oourtenay districts, Canterbury, to mark their sense of his civility and trustworthiness during the time that the coach (now withdrawn on account of the railwov) had been running. An interesting match at billiards took place at the Diggers' Arms Hotel, Greenstone, on Tuesday, between Alt Lien and Alfred Lambert, for L 5 a-aide. The hour of meeting was 9 o'clock, at which time the game, which was for 100 up, started in the prdsence of a large assembly of almost all nations. The game was conducted in the moßt straight

f orwird and respectable manner, nnd after a keenly contested efforb, showing some very good pi ay on both sides. The result proved t» be 15 in favor of Lambert, to whom the priz9 was at once handed over by the stakeholder. Some interesting geologicai curiosities are being discovered in the course of constructing the Waimea Water Race. One of the most recent (says' the "West Coast Times") is. tue discovery of portion, of the bones of a whale in the neighborhood of Fox's township, about five miles inland, and in a situation about hundred feet above the level of the Bea. The bones were found in a blue lias deposit, abounding with shells and other indications of an old sea-bottom or sea-beach. ; In the same vicinity; some moa, bones were ; found some time ago, but these were got in '' the superficial deposits. In, this instance the bones were enclosed in an altogether older . formation, but are in a wonderful state of j preservation, and unpetrified, though they must have been in the situation where they ! werefound for many thousands, it may be millions, of years. The oldest foundry in Dunedin, the Otago Foundry, has changed hand, the former proproprietor, Mr Wilson, retiring from busi-i ness. The new proprietors are Mr Conyers, late ot the Railway Department, and Mr Davidson, formerly ©f the Standard Iron Works. The Awarua (says the " Southland Times") brought the intelligence that a whaler had been seen in the offing on her passage from the Solanders, busily engaged in the operation of "trying out," the fires being kept up all night. The vessel thus seen proves to be the Chance, owned v by Messrs Nichol and Tucker, of the Bluff (of which firm our late townsman^ Mr A.. iSTichol, is a member), who may be congratulated on their good fortune in so soon falling in wilh a prize.