The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1478, 23 June 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1881.

In another column will be found a letter from Mr Joseph Petrie, one of the members of the Central Board of Education, on the subject of " School Requisites." Mr Bassett's pair-horse coach which leaves Kumara about three o'clock in the afternoon was capsized yesterday close to the Kapitea bridge. It left at the customary time with a good complement of passengers, so full, indeed, that it is stated there was not room inside for one who was himself loaded with more than was good for him, and this individual had to mount the box-seat, which, if it had

not Leon raining, would no doubt have been pre-oecupied. The younger Mr Bassett, who was driving, states that he had some difficulty in keeping this personage on his seat, and that when near the old stables on the flat between the two hills this side of the Kapitea," the man fell off the seat and would probably have fallen over between the horses' legs had he (Bassett) not caught hold of him. In doing so, however, Bassett lost his hold of one of the reins. He immediately put the break on, and succeeded in stopping the coach. He then jumped down himself to recover the reins, but in so doing, fell on his head and sustained several severe bruises ; meanwhile the horses, being restive, started off and galloped away down the hill, and, where the approach to the bridge and the road to the ford join, the coach was turned over and the top knocked clean off. The passengers who were inside fortunately succeeded in scrambling out behind before this happened ; but the man on the box although he managed to keep his seat till the crash came, was eventually found underneath the coach, very little the worse for his prostration. In due time another coach was sent to the Kapitea, and most of the passengers resumed their journey to Hokitika. To the proprietor the loss is a somewhat serious one ; but it was exceedingly fortunate that no lives were lost, and that the passengers escaped with so little injury. At a recent meeting of the Kumara Contingent of the First Westland Rifles it was resolved to present a petition to the Government, praying to be constituted an independent corps, under the name of the Kumara Rifles. There are at the present time about seventy enrolled members, the Contingent, in fact, probably numbering more than the Company in Hokitika. It is believed that the proposal will be favorably entertained at head quarters. In a Parliamentary return recently laid upon the table in the House of Representatives, an item appears under the head of "unauthorised expenditure" as follows :—" Borough of Kumara in respect of gold duty erroneously credited to the Borough instead of the County of Westland, £560 os. 4d., less recovered, £l9B lis Id. In reply to a question in the House yesterday, Government said they did intend to fill up the portfolio of Public Works. The correspondent of the West Coast Times telegraphed from Wellington yesterday—" The Minister intends to put on the estimates £IO,OOO for prosecuting tracks and minor works on goldfields, but he is opposed to renewing the prospecting vote of £2OOO. Members will take steps to have the vote renewed." Tenders are invited by the County Chairman for the following works : (1) widening the second mile of the Christchurch road and Dillman's Town track into a dray road, and (2) for certain protective works at Waimea Creek, near Stafford bridge. Tenders close on Wed. nesday, 13th July, at 12 noon. The Kumara Hospital Committee invite tenders for the half-yearly supply of provisions and other articles, also for firewood, and for conducting funerals. Tenders close on Tuesday next. I love those rural dances—(wrote the poet Longfellow)—from my heart I love them. This world, at best, is full of care and sorrow ; the life of a poor man is so stained with the sweat of his brow, there is so much toil and struggling, and anguish and disappointment here below, that I gaze with delight on a scene where all those are laid aside and forgotten ; and the heart of the toil-worn peasant seems to throw off its load, and to leap to the sound of music, when merrily, " Beneath soft eve's consenting star, Fandango twirls his jocund castanet." Hence it is that Mr Wilkinson, of the Albion Hotel, to-night, and Mr Hannan, of the Post-office Hotel, 10-morrow night, invite their friends and the public to throw off for awhile the restraints of toil and care of the day, and join with them in the sprightly and healthy exercise they have announced. J. Manson and Co. announce some " special lines" in drapery and clothing, for sale for a few days only, at their Berlin House, Kumara. From satin cloths to remnants, all are offered at startling reductions, as the object is—" Small profits and quick returns." An opportunity is now offered to small capitalists for acquiring an eligible piece of freehold property at Goldsborough, on which is erected a substantial hotel, licensed and enjoying a good business, and let to a tenant at a good rental. This is known at the Cafe' de Paris ; it will be

put up to auction on Saturday next, by Messrs Wade and Spence ; and the furniture can be taken at the option of the purchaser, at a valuation. We draw attention to some additional particulars in connection with Mr A. A. Cameron's £6OOO Consultation on the English Derby race. The consultation will probably be closed and drawn before the 20th July. Mr Cameron announces that " this will probably be the final consultation carried through in the colony, as very strong repressive measures are likely to be passed by Parliament this session; and, if so, no consultation on the Melbourne Cup could either be carried out or filled up." The race between Albert White, of Auckland, and W. Ream, of Wellington, for £2OO and the sculling championship of the colony, is now definitely fixed for the 9th July, Mr B. C. Batkin having received a telegram from Mr Thomas Henderson, of Auckland, stating that, with one exception, White had agreed to Hearn's alterations in the terms of the agreement. We (New Zealand Times) understand that the match will come off at three o'clock in the afternoon, and besides the principal event, there will be a four-oared race between the Town and Civil Service, and a handicap sculler's race, open to all comers* The New Zealand Stud Book is now iti the printer's hands, and will probably make its appearance in about three weeks. The good horse Pinfire died last Thurs* day morning, at Yaldhurst, from the rupture of an intestine. He was one of the gamest horses (the Press states) that ever looked through a bridle, and his loss will be a serious one to the stable. He was bred by Mr Redwood, but his most successful performances took place when trained by Mr R. Mason. The San Francisco Post says :—" Illustrative of the value of the New Zealand and Australian markets to American manufacturers, we were informed by the general agent for the Deering heavesters and twine binders, who arrived by the Zealandia, that he sold last season fifty odd machines in Sydney and Melbourne, and 180 in New Zealand. In his opinion, New Zealand takes hold of an American invention much quicker than Australia does." The census report thus classifies the population of the United States :—Males, 25,520,582 ; females, 24,682,284—t0ta1, 50,152,866. Native born, 43,475,506 ; and foreign born, 6,677,360. Whites, 43,404,077 ; coloured, 6,577,151. The remaining 170,838 are composed of Indians not in tribal relations and under Government care, Chinese and other Asiatics. The Chinese are estimated at 105,363. Since the previous census the proportion of coloured people to whites and the excess of males over females have slightly increased ; the proportion of foreign born has slightly decreased.