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Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1910, 22 December 1874, Page 2

Volunteer Richard Heaphy, of Greymouth, will represent Westland, at tte approaching colonial prize firing,. his score of 89 not having been beaten in the District Representative Competition. The Volunteer Fire Brigade had a good practice last evening. The Boundary street and other stand-pipes were tested and. found to work well. The length of hose available for the Brigade ought certainly to ba increased, either by public or private subscriptions Yesterday there was a sale at Cobden of Crown lands in Square No. 119. Lots of suburban land from No. 130 to No. 162 inclusive, were offered, but only three were sold -Nos. 130, 141. and 147, which fetched L 25, L 25, and L 26 respectively. Lots of rural land on Coal Creek Flat, from No. 79 to No. 200, were offered, but none sold. This comes of not advertising the sale. We observe by an advertisement in the " New Zealand Times" that the Wellington Manager of the National Bank of New Zealand and the Union Bank of Australia announce that the rates of interest on deposits have been increased as follows : — 3O days' notice, 5 per cent j 3 months' notice, ,5£ per cent; and 6 months' notice, 6 per cent, per annum. We have received a copy of the New Zealand Insurance Company's Almanac for 1875. It is a neat handy little publication, and contains a vast amount of the memoribilia of fires and shipwrecks, and is thus a good book for reference regarding such events, j 1 There are also several pages of reading matter, consisting of articles upon fires and their prevention, and anecdotes. We regreat to learn that the high fiuming which crosses Lank ey's Creek, being part of the Wf'a'.th of Nations Water-race, gave way on Sunday afternoon. As this structure was erected some two years ago it is thought that the sleepers may have rotted. The height from the creek level is 92ft, and five chains in length. This will cause a few weeks delay. It is the intention of the directors at once to proceed and make good the breakage with mallable iron rivitted pipes, aa it can be obtained cheaper (than oreoting a costly struotu.ro of wooaY "

We are informed that mails for Sydney per Wonga close at Auckland at 10 a. in. on Wednesday, 23rd instant. Telegrams for transmission to Auckland will be received at Greymouth up till 8 p.m. on Tuesday, the 22nd instant. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday morning, before W. H. Revell, Esq., R.M., and H. a. Lahman, Esq., J.P., John De Router was charged with the theft of a pair of trousers, valued at 255, and also a pair of trousers and Is 6d in coin, from the swags of John and James Flocker, while on board the steamer Waipara. They were remanded until Wednesday for the evidence of Captain Bascand of the s.s. Waipara, on board which vessel the thefts were said tio have been committed. Henry Taylor anil Murdoch Callan, for fighting in Gresson street, where each fined 10s or 24 hours' imprisonment. These parties had quarelled about the disappearance of a goose, anil Murdoch Callan was charged with stealing it. The charge was proved, and the prisoner sentenced to one month's imprisonment witk hard labor. The remanded charge of assault, brought by Francis M'Guire, lately cabinboy of the barque Samuel Merriti against a settler on the South Beach, named. Tees, was then gone into, and from the boy's evidence it appears that on Sunday, the 13 th instant, the complainant was in the service of the defendant, and was ordered to turn some cattle. .This he was unable to do, whereupon defendant abused him, and struck him in the head with a stone, inflicting a serious wound. Mr Guinness for the defendant contended, that the stone was thrown at the cattle, and the injury sustained by the boy was the result of accident. The Bench held the charge proved, and fined the defendant L 2 with 1 1 14s costs and witness's expenses. A meeting of the Greymouth Race-course Sports Committee was held last to consider the proposal from the Greymouth Volunteer Band to play during the two days on which the Sports are to be held. As the two committees hai already joined issue in the matter, a price for three days was aJso asked, an answer was sent in that the band would play for L3O on Saturday, on the Camp Reserve, and on Monday and Tuesday on the Race-course ; or for two days on Monday and Tuesday on the Race-course, with their conveyance there and back defrayed for the sum of L 25. This (being known as the ultimatum of the band) was fairly and dispassionately considered,* but as the subscriptions for the Race-course sports amounted to a little over LIOO, the committee, in the interests of the public did not see that nearly 25 per cent of the amount subscvibed could be, with due respect to their own pockets, and payment of prizes offered. The offer was therefore declined a« far as the Race 1 Durse Committee was concerned, but steps will be taken by them to substitute music, if not of such an excellent character, yet it will be such as will bring the payment within their means. Handicappers for the different races were appointed, and sundry other r cessary business w<,s transacted preparatory to calling a general meeting of the Committee, to be held on Wednesday night next, when all the usual and necessary arrangements for carrying out the sports will be entertained. The Okarito correspondent of the " West Coast Times " states that the following gentlemen were nominated as candidates for the vacant seat in the Provincial Council : — Mr Thomas M'Gloine, Mr Frank Bird, Mr W. H. Perkins, Mr O'Donovan, and Mr Barff. The show of hands, he states, was in favor of Mr Barff . The Auckland correspondent of the Dunedin "Guardian" says: — I am inclined to think that Mr Vogel's presence in Victoria had something to do with Mr Russell's run home upon mail matters. Mr Russell is disgusted with New South Wales' ingratitude and selfishness, and an endeavor will be made to come to terms with Victoria, T have reason to believe. Combining the Suez and Frisco routes under the company, with Auckland as the first port of call and the last of departure for New Zealand, and Victoria as the terminus of the Suez route, with a branch to New Zealand, a suitable line might be obtained, and Sydney properly made to play second fiddle for her greed. The Kaikorai glue and bone manure works near Dunedin disposes yearly of thirty tons" of glue and one hundred tons of bone manure in Otago Province alone. Three tons of alfalfa seed from California have been ordered by Mr Reid, of.Duuedin, with a view to let the Otago farmers try the value of the plant. Referring to Dr Redwood, the '* Colonist' says :— " The visit of his Lordship to Nelson is expected in a few weeks. We hear on good authority that the Bishop is likely to be very popular, his ordinary costume is quite unclerinal in cut, he has a particularly pleasant winner manner, and he plays the fiddle like a second Paganini. Altogether those who have met htm say he is an able and accomplished gentleman, and a thorough good fellow." ' . : A schoolmaster of the name of John B MAdam died at Oamaru, on the 9th. instant, from suffocation; caused by a : piece of meat which he was eating having stuck in his throat. The deceased had been in Oamaru drinking during the few days prior to his death. On the above date he went into a butcher's shop, and obtained three small pieces of raw meat and some salt. He ate one of the pieces of the meat in the shop, and then left, taking the other two with him. About 10 minutes afterwards he was found dead on the pavement, at a distance of about 70 yards frem the shop. On a postmortem examination being made, one of the pieces of meat was found stuck in his throat. The deosased was 40 years of age, native of the South of Ireland, and arrived in the colony about 10 years ago. ' Dr Pollen and Sir Donald M'Lean have been interviewed upon the subject of a proposed special settlement on. the Upper Thames. Given certain privileges, a number of well-to-do families on the Thames are prepared, with their friends, to be sent for to form a settlement in the Upper Thames district, each family to guarantee the expenditure of at least LlOOOiu clearing arid starting farms. The Ministers expressed their willingness to assist the scheme in every possible way, aud the lands they promise, as soon as acquired, will be handed over to the province, to be administered mder: the Waste Land Act. while the Colonial Government would offer no objection to, the disposal of the land under the .deferredipayment. clauses of the Act. News has also been received of Mr Versey Stewart's arrival in Ireland, and the immediate disposal of his 10,000-acre settlement at Tauranga, while three times the amount was applied for. Mr Stewart's first shipment leaves for Auckland hv March next. '■■'' : ■■ ■■<'■ •''■■ •" \ - A Mokihinui correspondent of the " Westport Times" writes :— " Prospecting in the Rough and Tumble Creek has' been going ahead for some" time— several prospecting parties have been penetrating the primeval wilderness of these regions. Some alluvial gold has been found, and many splendid looking reef 8 have been exposed; bat owing to the extremely hard character of ithe country, and also to the want of blasting powder, tools, &c, no really effective prospecting has yet been done barring surface testing. Mr Montgomery, surveyor, is now engaged surveying a township at Mokihinui. : He has a^party of four men with him, and it is reported that the Government ■'■ intend selling allotments by public auction as soon as^urvey is completed arid plans made." a