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Kumara Times, Issue 409, 17 January 1878, Page 2

The ' Kesident Magistrate, Matthew. Price, Esq., held his Court in the new Court House to-day, arid although it has not beeri completely netted up, the change, from the old place on the other j iside of the road materially added to the [ comfort of every pes'on having business to'!transact before his Worship.. When the , matting that is being prepared has been '■■ laid down, it will have the effect of dead- i eAing the sound that at times made it' difficult to hear what was said by witnesses. At times this morning' the noise caused by trampling >on the bare boards, combined with the patter of rain on th© v .

iron roof, made it necessary for Mr Rice to raise his voice to the pitch required of a skipper ordering his men aloft in a gale of wind.

Prom an advertisement in another column it will be seen that the Greymouth and Kumara' tramway time-table has been altered, the daily intermediate tram starting from either end at noon instead of at 11 a.m. as heretofore, and there being only two trams on Sundays. Plaintiffs and defendants, more particularly in cases of assault and abusive language, generally show a strong inclination to travel " beyond the record," and trace the history of the feud before the Court into the dim ages of antiquhy.. It was, however, reserved to a defendant in a case heard before the Resident Magistrate this morning, to strike out a new path in the opposite direction. In crossexamining a witness he asked "Do you know of any future case in which there's been a barney." The witness, like a sensible man, would'nt commit himself; and Mr Price, having after considerable difficulty confined the evidence to the day of the occurrence, brought the case to a conclusion by fining the ingenious defendant 40s and costs.

In a case of abusive language heard at the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day a lad, 15 years of age, a witness, admitted having thrown stones at the hut of the defendant, because the latter had been calling his (the lad's) mother names. His Worship in strong terms condemned the boy's conduct, pointing out that if the defendant had done as alleged there was a remedy at law, and stating that if any boy were brought before him charged with stonethrowing he would be severely punished. The Inangahua Times says it is understood that Sir George Grey will call at Westport first on his projected visit to the West Coast, and will thence proceed by coach via Reefton to Greymouth, visiting Kumara and Hokitika, and returning by coach to Christchurch.

At the present time there is no hall in Hokitika available for public amusements, the Borough Council having ordered certain alterations to be made in the Theatre and Drill Shed previous to granting a licences, which the proprietors are not inclined to carry out. This morning's West Coast Times states that yesterday Hokitika was cut off from telegraphic communication with all parts of the colony, except -Ross, arid yet it telegram purporting to have been received from Auckland yesterday. The anomaly is explained by the fact that the.telegram in question was published in Tuesday's Kvwlra TjatES,' which did not reach the West Coast Times until Wednesday.

in a case set down for hearing at the Greymouth District Court on Tuesday the solicitor for the plaintiff asked leave to withdraw the summons because he fpund that to procure to order for imprisonment would cost £3O in Court fees. His Honor Judge Weston expressed surprise at the amount stated, and thought if the Legislature intended to abolish imprisonment for debt they should do so, but so long as it was possible under; the Abolition of Debt Act to imprison ijjjder certain circumstances, the Court fees should not be prohibitory.

Some wonderful interpreter of prophecy has found out all about the Colorado beetle, rivalling Dr. Cumming's discovery that the potato blight of some 30 years ago was foretold in the Revelations of St. John. An English journal says :—" The Duke of Richmond ought to see to this. It would be a terrible thing for Great Britain if even a Conservative Govern-, ment were to stiffen their necks against Divine Providence, and try to delay theMillennium. Or perhaps it would be better to direct the attention of the cattledealers to the work;"

At a meeting held in Greymoudbh to arrange for celebrating the Anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns in a " fitting" manner it was decided that the celebration should be of a "Cosmopolitan" character. In fact, there is to be a general—well, a general rejoicing

The first cargo of coal from the Greymouth Coal Co's mine, said to be of splendid quality has, been shipped to the Hokitika Gas Co. The Argus says that three mines up the river are now in full working order, and the only question is how to get the coal away. Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Waddy K.C.8., so well known in New Zealand, has been appointed to the colonelcy, of the 63rd Regiment, vice General Thomas Maitland Wilson, transferred.to the 96th Foot. - .

Under the heading (( The Schoolmaster Makes the School," the Leisure Hour hasthe following sage remarks, addressed to Schools Boards, and directors of schools in general:—"The real 'religious difficulty' lies beyond the field of present discussion; a schoolmaster may use both Bible and Catechism, and yet teach infidelity, while another teacher, with none but secular books, might train pupils to be good Christians and good citizens."

The severe weather that has lately occurred will be the forerunner of indisposition—audi as rheumatism, sciatica, lumbago, neuralgia, and muscular shifting pains. "Ghottah's Great iidian Cures" have been pronounced by numbers of well-known Colonists to be the wonder of the Nineteenth Century, through the extraordinary cures that have been effected in. their own cases by these Indian modi- ; ciries ; amongst these mav be mentioned ;M. B. Hart, Esq. ex-Mayor of Christ>cMttih r ?j Melville Walker, Esq., J.P., of Lyttelton; John Griffen, Esq. J.P., of ipujwdin ;, and Mr Alex. Mackintosh, of Mackintosh Bay, a very old colonist, and now 76 years of age, who had been suffering, from rheumatism for fourteen years, but is now quite cured. Testimonials may be seen and Medicines procured at all Medicine