THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. FRIDAY, FEB. 23, 1877.

Inangahua Times, Volume III, Issue 81, 23 February 1877, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. FRIDAY, FEB. 23, 1877.

, Atflmeetmgoftbe directors of tlieKpep.itDark Company held last night, Mr William Jl'Lean was permanently appointed legal manager of the company. The Inangabua County Counoil following the example of most of the olb r local governing bodies of the colony, has scoured *n overdraft, and yesterday a number of overdue accounts were ." wiped off." It is not known to what extent the credit of the County is to run, but tbe sum has been guessed at about £6000. The Council being therefore ia funds, we may soon hope to see a number of the most necessary public wot-ks undertaken. The proceedings of the Counoil will, however be to tiome extent fettered i ntil the two local bodies are amalgamated j but it is likely tbat the union will be effected before long, as tbe i petition of the inhabitants praying that the Eoad Board be merged in tbe County, will be i presented at the Eoad Board meeting to-day. It was stated at the County Cou n oil meeting , yesterday that Mr Woo Hey, Dial riot Surveyor, had been oaaimunicaied with reJafire to tbe survey of tbe unfinished portion of tbe Grey road, and that the fee asked for the performance of the work was £70. This, it was considered, was excessive, and for the present therefore the matter rests in abeyance. Ihe Council expressed a strong wish that the work should be hur.ied though as early as possible, but no definite action in the mailer will be taken until a iep)v is re» ceived from the newly appointed County Overseer. The meeting of the County Council on Wednesday last, was tsken up chiefly with tbe consideration of tbe applications sent in for the office of Eoad Overseer. As will be seen by our report, there were some twenty applicants for t-ie office, amongst the number being some five or six professional men. As soon as tbe applications had been all opened, the Council was unanimous in the opinion that the choice should rest with the profession il men o.ily. Accordingly all the other applicatious were V,y common consent laid on one side. After much deliberation, the choice was eventually imvowed down to twocandi* dates, namely, Messrs Koss and Butlei-, ihe whole of the Council favoring the appoint* ment of the former, Boss in bis application, however, stated that be would be unable to take up the appointment for six weeks, and this was regarded as a grave objection to his appointment in view of the great urgency for tbe survey of llie Grey Fbad. Uliinoalely Mr Byrne moved and Mr Kelly seconded, Mr Butler be appointed, when the point was raised that that ge.nleman might; after all turn cut to be not a professional man, although bis testimonials referred to him as such. Mr Dick was of opinion that but Hide faith \.as to be put in testimonials at tbe best of times. He thought after all it would be as well to disoard testi* mouials altogether, and give a local man a chance. It was pointed out that by adoptiug such a course the Council would be travelling over the same ground again, a.id if that weve done ail the candidates should be readmitted oa the same footing. Mr Ey/ne said that ia order to b ing tbe metier lo an issue one way or the ether he would press his motion. Mr Dick and M- Dimes then moved the amendments elsewhere reported, and on the voting being equal, the Chairman sa ! d he wo^d give hi* c&ating vote in favor of a professional man, for he thought there was little doubt the applicant was as represented. Iv this manner the question was eventually settled. The Council appeared to be fairly bevriicie.'ed with i the range of choice presented io them. It was no doubt a diißcuit lnek amongst so many eligible men to fix upon soy particular one. Between the two geuilemen nominated for the office there was no difference of opinion, but a doubt appeared to exist as to whether one of them was all that be reprepresented. Owing to the flooded stale of tbe river, the down coach was unable to leave for GreymoutU yesterday mo'iiing, and for the same reason tbe up mail did not arrive. Owing, we presume, to the nrgligence of the TVefs agent at Greymouth, we are without a telegraphic summary of the cricket match. We learn, however, that the match has been drawn, in consequence it 3s to be presumed, of the English team being ur.able to remain to play it out. The All England Elevsn were to leave Greymouth for Christchurch this morning. Wednesday's issue of the Otago Daily Times contains a three column report of the floods in Otago. It says :— Tbe rain which set in steadily shortly before midnight on

Sunday last, continued to pour down in tori ; rents during Monday and Tuesday, and showed no signs of abatement until after nightfall on Tuesday. The rain was nccoin* panied with little o? no wind, and poured down with great steadiness from a dense mass of cloud whioh slowly drifted up from tbe southward, and see Tied to touch the top cf the hills surrounding the city. The effects of the downpour were soon visible in town, tbe water channels ia the streets rapidly assuming the appearance of mountain torrents, choking the culverts, and flooding tbe cellars . and stoiea of those unfortunate citizens who occupy the low«lyieg parts of the city. Tbe Water of Leitb, which is always a s>ource of terror on such occjs:ons, rase rapidly, and, rushing aloug with fearful force, brought along with it an immense quantity of timber some of it consisting of pine trees of g eat size — which contributed largely lo tbe work of destruction. On Tuesday morning intelligence cameia from all quarters of the extent of the floods, and before the afternoon was well atlyanced Dunedin was practically cut off from communication with the country, either by coach or lailway. A more unfortunate time for suoh a visitation could scarcely be conceived, as farmers throughout the country were busily engaged in gathering in the harvest, md it is now too evident; that tbe crops are almost utterly destroyed. Strange to say, the floods of 1868 also occurred about the sih and 6th February, and although we may congratulate ourselves upon the fact that oa the present occasion no loss of life has to be recorded, yet it is to be feared tbat the destruction of property this jear will exceed anything which took pace previously. It is of cou' se impossible totstimsite the exact amount, of damage done in the city and suburbs; but it is certainly very extensive, and owing to tbe great increase of population in Kensington, South Dunedin, and St Kildn, much misery must be endured by many poor families who are ill prepared to cope wilh such a misfortune. G-ener.'! Bartolomeo Gulletti, who cccom* panied Madame Risto.'i to Australia, has written an account of bis sojourn. He says 85 recilals were given, for wh'ch tie oom« par»y received £13,336' He remarks ;— ! "£156 for each performance wiil seem, oad is ia fact, very satisfactory, but yet we must admit tbat it does not re .ilbe the notions we had conceived of tbe richness of Australia, and d->es not adequately represent the great li&k of enormous expense, and uncertain success in a country to winch the lialian dram. d ie art is qui'e new. ill of m believed before leaving Ita!y, in cons:que.ioe of accurate information gained f om ti-u-t worthy souices, that £1 in Auslralia was spent; with the same indifference as five Hro are in Italy, lhis we found to be quite the contra y, and I wish to pot.it out another cirsamsiurfce, which I believe will contribute to encourage this pxsimomous spirit for some time to com". It is the absence of that aristocratio class which, we aH must admit, adds snlendou" and dignity to the great cities of Eu-o^e. Although thee are pleuty of wealthy people in Australia, yet a cultured class has not had time to form itself/ Although (he Paris stnden^s may fairly claim to be mo:e fre9 and disorderly than those of London and Berlin, it is quiie clear <hat tbe P*. is Ear is under 93 stnofc a discipline as that of any c'ty in the world- An edict lips gone forth to tbe effect that moustaches s c nt onoe and i revocably to disappear in ihe Pain' 3 de Justice. Of late years the FacuV.ie de Di-oit have connived at tbe wcaing of tbo?e unprofessional ornaments, and Ria,ve profesaois have ever oarmd inlo the lec'.nre room the forbidden embellish- j mei'ts. But tbe Mi.iuter of Just'ce haa in- i tevfered to correct tbe scandal, and the learned counsel will no longer be permitted to dispense wilh ther lazors. The incident has given occasion not only to a g?eat deal of giumbling on the part of tbo*e gentlemen, but to sonoe couside able amount of discus- j sion in the public press as to the history of moustaches. j The following BTinsiiijf unlr^ Teller on the " Wretched condition of New Z°u!jTid " was p«blisb"d in the No; Ih F.riiish Daily Mnil of December 4:— "Sir,— l have ju«fc received fi'om a rebtive in Dnnedin a letter wb rein lie briefly dpscnbecl the pve'ent wreteberl co,idition of New Zealand at present, and as his | remark m^y serve as a warning to intending em ! gran<s to that counliy, I tru«t you will allow ther ia^e-tion in some pavt'of your valuab'e snace. Fo says— 'The Country is deluged wilh p^oplp, who, tbou^h they are wilVinj to work r;m get nothing to do, and the G-overnment still keen b- i'l^ing more. There is a g:evious trouble looming in the distance, inasmuch &* the unrtn iloyed will, ere lon-j, be a source of considerable annoyance to the Government. They are mawhing about hand after hand, begging work or bread for ' their children. The Government bave givpn some slone-breakiitg and country j roads to repai' 1 , and for this they get i 10s or 12s per week. Eut. when they pay 9s | to 133 per week for rent, and from 4s to 6s 'bf i coals, tbe i- e is not much left for food and I clothes* Besides the weather is so miserably wet, that in a fortnight they require to go to the hospital to get ready for a fresh start at roarl making. I will stake all I possess there i% not another country in the world can com nete with. New Zealand for rheumatism, lum-. ba«o, neuralgia, and chilblains; and if any docior comes out who can effectually cure tbpse he will make his fortune as easily assay 1 Fly Presto.' r i he price of food is enormous, and for a small box of ointment they oharge the extortionate sura of Is. In conclusion f may add that there will be some fine fun when the Government have to pay the interest on the iiorrowing money undthe sinkiug fund for tbe capital.'— fam, &o , J.D.H." Some days ago we published a telegram to the effect that the police in Dunedin had determined to put a stop to gambling by billiard pay. Hy papers to hand we observe that a prosecution has taken place. John Jenkins Was charged with having, on the27tb January, permitted gambling by playing; at billiards for money in bis licensed house, the Rose, Thistle, and Shamrock Ho.el, Green Island. Mr A. Bathgate appeared for tbe defendant, who pleaded not guilty. Inspector* Mallard said that the circumstances of the case were tlie«e :-~Twenty men put down half a crown each, and in fact go in for what you might almost term sweepstakes. The names of the players are put on slips of paper, and they are drawn. 'J be first and second men play together. Consequently the c would bo ten games between the twenty players. On the expiration of that game the ten players

put their names into a hat and they are drawn, and consequently five games are played. The men at the end of that game stand out. Then two games of four are played, and the winner plays with the odd man. Then afc the expiration of that the two last men play, and the money in certain uroportions is divided. These ard the pai-tioulara of the game. He (Inspector Mallard) held th>tt par ies playing it billiiuds, cards, or with dice, fat money or moneys worth, must ?o into the " gambling tenitorr." He cited a oase from " The Justice of the Peace," November, i 876, an Eng *sh journal. Mr Batngate contended that billiards wns purely » game of skill, and not a game of chance. Seeing that the Licensing Banch had set their face against billiard tournaments, he wished to state that the ga./ie alluded to by Inspector Mallard was played without the defendant's knowledge, that the table was let in the ordinaij manner, and the defendant only received the ordinary rate of payment. William Monteith, storekeeper, deposed that on the 27ih January he witacssed a billiard match in defendant's hotel. The game wus got up by the players themselves. One shilling a game, the ordinary rate, went towards payment for the table. Witness, who was acting as marker on the occasion, received the money, and handed it over to the defendant. His Worship said that as this case wus very important, he should reserve bis deoision for a week.