The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. FRIDAY, JULY 28, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1509, 29 July 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. FRIDAY, JULY 28, 1881.

There was no quorum at the appointed hour of meeting of the Borough Council last night, and an adjournment was made till 7.30 this evening. The entertainment at the Theatre Royal last evening for the purpose of augmenting the funds of the Kumara Hospital did not prove so great a pecuniary success as might have been expected. This was perhaps due in great measure to the “ indications” of Captain Edwin, which had to some extent been verified during the day, and which had rendered travelling from a distance less pleasurable. Nevertheless the gifted little company used their best endeavors, and went through the very long programme with a fidelity and vivacity that were truly pleasing and astonishing. “ Susan and Her Lover in their Dress Rehearsal,” was a capital piece of acting throughout. Mr Hart sustained the characters of Mr Gruff and Robert Staveall (a policeman), and Mrs Hart that of Susan (a cook), and the songs and dances incidental to the piece Were highly amusing, and well received by the audience. The duet “ Come, be Consoled,” by Mr and Sirs Hart, and “ Make him Pop the Question,” by Miss Hart, in "The Masquerade” were also moments for great applause from all parts of the house. The re-production of “King Henry’s Little Game” brought a capital evening’s entertainment to a close. The funds of the Hospital will be benefitted to the extent of about £9. The company open to-night at Greymouth.

We have received No. 10 Hansard accompanied by some Parliamentary Papers.

In a Government Gazette just i-ecoived we notice “the Governor has been pleased to disband the Greymouth Rifle Cadet Volunteers,” and “John Griffiths Thomas, late Captain, ceases to be an officer of the Volunteer Force, his commission having lapsed.”

Replying to questions put in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, it was stated—Government saw no reason why publicity should not be given by advertisement to the fees charged for mining on the Kumara Education Reserve. —lnquiries would be made as to whether water from the Waimea Water-race had been wrongfully diverted' and sold at Kumara.—Government would take steps to prevent the Chinese working on the goldfields without miners’ rights, as provided for by the Miners’ Act, 1867. Mr Singer’s art-union of watches and jewellery will positively be drawn at the Town Hall, on Monday next. Sweeps for tickets will take place to-morrow night Messrs Smith and Kroener and Mr Woods, bakers, notify the same advances in the price of broad at their establishments as announced yesterday by another firm, viz., 8d the 41b. loaf for cash, lOd if booked.

It is singular that whilst there has been at various places on the East Coast lately, forty-eight hours’ incessant rain, we on the W est Coast have had a continuance of remarkably fine weather for nearly a fortnight until yesterday; in fact so long that the miners were many of them idle on account of the scarcity of water. The Nelson Mail of Monday last observes “From the persistency with which the south-east gale, which sprung up at Wellington some seven or eight days ago, has been blowing ever since, the state of the weather in that favored locality has become quite an object of interest to residents in Nelson where there has been at the same period an almost unusual calm.” News from the Thames, dated 17th inst., states :—“ The severest and most destructive flood ever experienced here occurred last night. The rain was incessant for forty-eight hours, and all the creeks were so flooded as to carry away bridges, and bring down a thousand tons of debris. Two men were washed away, and one body only has been recovered. About fifty million feet of bulk timber were washed to the booms at the Shorthand mills, and millions were washed to sea. The damage to the town was very great, and is estimated at about £IO,OOO. The borough corporation put on fifty men to repair damages, and it is estimated that they will require £SOOO to make good the injury to the culverts, streets, Ac. The domestic water-supply race, and some of the county races have been destroj’ed, and the water is cut off. The body recovered is that of Daniel Boyle, of Bhortlaud ; the other is a Maori. Many

small dwellings were washed away, and much damage done to the batteries. The captain of the Rotomahana states that he saw a waterspout break over the toiVn as he approached it from Auckland. The estate of the notorious George North, of Wellington, has paid 4s 4d in the £.