The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1520, 11 August 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 1881.

The election of a member for the Borough Council in place of Mr George Simmons, sen., took plaCe yesterday. Shortly after 6 p.m., the houi* at which the poll closed, the Returning Officer for the borough issued from the Town Hall and announced Mr Joseph Dove to have been duly elected, the votes being—Joseph Dove 58 George Robert Rudkin ... 55 Duncan M'Lennan 6 The result was received with cheers, and, Mr Dove being called upon to make a speech, said—“ Gentlemen—l thank you for the honor you have done me in electing me. I shall do my best to promote the interests of the borough.”— [Cheers.] The East Coast mails arrived at the Kumara post-office at 10.40 hist night. The Union Company’s s.s. Hero arrived at Port Chalmers yesterday, and as it has been found necessary to put her into dock, she will not leave for the Coast until Wednesday next. Her departure from the Coast for Newcastle and Melbourne is now postponed until Saturday, the 20th iust. In the District Court civil jurisdiction yesterday, a startling incident occurred. When the first case set down for hearing was called—Baird v. Ward—Mr South, for the defendant, applied for an adjournment of the hearing, on the ground of the defendant being unable to be present, owing to the state of the weather and badness of the roads between Hokitika and Paringa, a distance of 140 miles, and also applied that the costs of the adjournment be made costs in the cause. Mr Purkiss, for the plaintiff, was speaking against the adjournment, when a telegram was placed in Mr South’s hands conveying the news that the defendant had been

drowned in the Omeroa creek, four miles south of Waiho river, on Friday, while on his way to Hokitika to defend the action. Mr South handed the telegram to Mr Purkiss, who read it .aloud, when his Honor the Judge immediately stayed the proceedings. A singular coincidence may here be related. His Honor Judge Broad dreamt the night previously that Ward, (of whose drowning we noticed yesterday) whom he neither knew nor heard of before, was drowned on his way up; and was just on the eve of saying to Mr Purkiss in Court, when speaking against the adjournment, “The man might be drowned!” His Honor, therefore, was less astounded than most persons in Court who heard the announcement. Ward was a married man with seven children ; and had a small farm at Paringa. We hear that his life was insured for LSOO. The tea meeting in connection with the Presbyterian Church, takes place this evening. The following is the text of a petition praying that no more five-acre claims will be granted in the Kumara district “We, the undersigned residents of Kumara and the surrounding district, desire to point out that the granting of extended claims of five acres is calculated to establish a monopoly of ground which might be profitably worked in smaller areas, and thus prove detrimental to the miners generally. We, therefore, respectfully pray that the Warden be requested to grant no more five-acre claims in the Kumara district.” This petition has been forwarded to the Minister of Mines,

Mails for the United Kingdom and Australian Colonies, per Rotomahana, close at the Bluff to-morrow at noon.

Among the entire press of New Zealand, the Canterbury Times was probably the most staunch supporter Sir George Grey ever had ; but a change has taken place, for we find that in a recent issue of that paper, Sir George’s conduct of late is stated to be “ so funny as to border on the insane.” A cleverly written article on his line of action in connection with the Affirmation Bill, concludes as follows : —“Yet Sir George Grey’s folllowei’s complain that he cannot get a following. It is absurdities of this kind that kill Sir George Grey’s chance of leading. ” An inquest was held at Goldsborough on the human remains lately found near there. The West Coast Times reports : “It was proved that an Italian named Mose Monfrini had been missing since April 1880, when search parties were out for two days. As a means of identification Dr. Bakewell mentioned that the deceased must have had an aquiline nose and long forehead. The evidence of a bootmaker showed that the boots found with the skeleton had been made by him for Monfrini some nine years ago in Victoria, and that they had been repaired by him since, and that Monfrini had them on the last time witness saw him. One of the friends of Monfrini was called to show that the missing man had an aquiline nose, and a low forehead. The jury found that the remains were those of Mose Monfrini, but that there was no evidence to show how he came by his death.”

News has been received in Wellington from Brisbane of the death of Major Heaphy, an old and respected settler of New Zealand. A beggar, arrested in Sydney, on being searched at the Police Station was found to have in his possession bank receipts for sums of £1159 and £2O, with a bank deposit book representing £IOO to his credit, and 27s in cash, making a total of £1277 7s 3|d. The Opera-house at Nice, recently destroyed by fire, involving a great loss of life, is to be rebuilt by the municip.,l authorities.