The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 1882.

Kumara Times, Issue 1786, 22 June 1882, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 1882.

In tho Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday a large number of small debt cases were heard and disposed of, but none were of any public importance or interest. A report of tho business transacted at the Warden's Court appears in another column. We have the same news only as yesterday to report in reference to the crosscountry coaches, which is that none of the four—two from the east and two from the west—have yet arrived at the Bealey. But wo understand that the Christchurch coaches have reached the Cass, which is nino miles on the other side of the Bealey. It is probable that a portion of the new sideling, which is about three miles this side of the Cass, is washed away by the Waimakariri river. The old adage that " Misfortuhes never come singly" was again verified last evening. It will be remembered that soon after bix o'clock, a thunderstorm, accompanied by very vivid flashes of lightning occurred. It was about this time that Mr Foldi's spring cart was being driven hither along the Hokitika road, in advance of the two coaches from that town. Somewhere between the Loopline road and tho Kapitea bridge, the horse, frightened at the lightning, it is said, made a swerve, and the cart was turned over into tho ditch. The driver managed to tie the horse up to somo bush, and went along to Callaghan's to get assistance. Holmes, the driver of Antoni's two-horse coach shared tho same fate with his conveyance, a little way behind. Cameron and Bassett's fourhorse coach followed soon after, and Mr Angus Cameron proceeded to act the good Samaritan by unyoking his two leaders and successfully dragging his rival coachman out of his difficulty. But his.trouble did not end here. A passenger who assisted him in harnessing the leaders again, after handing the driver tho reins, neglected effectually to hook the bars on to the pole ; he sung out "All right!" and Mr Cameron started. But the driver very soon found the leaders wore free, and, dragging the reins from his bauds, they of courso bolted onwards towards home. By some moans or other (which it is not difficult to account for, being yoked and harnessed together), the weaker of the leaders, a grey mare, fell, aud was dragged wime distance by the more pewerful of the two affrighted horses, and it was not until the harness gave way that they were separated. There was much consternation in Main street when they came galloping along in the dark to the stables, and many were tho conjectures as to what had befallen the coach. But the worst forebodings wore soon allayed when both coaches arrived in a few minutes afterwards, and it was found no one was hurt. Foldi's trap came hi soon afterwards, apparently none the worse for the mishap. Cameron's t,'rey mare is much skinned and bruised, and it will probably be some weeks before it can he nf any service. The gold yield at Sandhurst (Victoria) f«>r the week ending May 25th, was twenty - six thousand ounces, the laivesl, for wmi-s.

Mr Roderick Hanrahan has been appointed Mining Manager for the Long Tunnel Company's sluicing claim. There were nine applications for the appointment.

Mr Weston's Westland High School Bill provides for the establishment and management of a High School on the West Coast, the Board of Governors to consist of Bix persons, of whom two shall be appointed by the Governor of the colony, one by the Westland, Grey, Buller, and Inangahua County Councils respectively, the chairman to have a deliberate and casting vote. The board to establish in one or more of the towns of the West Coast a school or schools for the higher education of boys or girls, or both. Throughout this Act includes in the term "High School" or "Westland High School," always that the site of the tirst school shall be selected by the Governor. The reserves hitherto set apart for secondary education in Westland, together with the cash proceeds of so much thereof as may have been sold under the Kumara Education Reserves Act, 1879, " shall rest in the board provided always that nothing shall be taken to repeal the Kumara Education Reserve Act, 1879,'* except in so far that the board shall upon their appointment enjoy and execute all the powers and privileges that are vested in the school committees in the Act referred to. The board may, out of such moneys as shall come into their hands, expend any sum not exceeding £3OOO in erecting a suitable building upon the site selected by the Governor. The High School shall be subject to inspection, the inspector to be appointed by the Minister of Education. Mr W. C. Palmer, from Woodstock (late of Dunedin Flat), the eminent chessplayer, visited this locality yesterday prior to his taking an excursion to Australia, and from thonce to Canada via the Home country. We wish him a pleasant and safe passage to and fro. Another of those unfortunate accidents which have made the Black's Point road the terror of draymen (the Inangahua Times reports), happened near the slip on on Thursday last. Mr James Kidd was passing the point mentioned with his dray that morning, when both dray and horse went over the precipice, and at once disappeared in the whirlpool beneath. The river was slightly flooded at the time, and it was quite impossible to attempt to do anything. Up to the time we write neither dray nor horse have been seen, and, therefore, it is beyond hope that the horse, a splendid animal, and the dray, together valued at something like £7O, has been irretrievably lost. The loss is a very heavy one to Mr Kidd, and the greatest sympathy is felt for him. It is said that the regular attendants in the Parliamentary Gallery are going to start a sewing bee for charitable purposes, to relieve the tedium of the Order Paper, and to keep themselves awake while some members are oratorically inclined. A Wellington paper observes :—" It is gratifying to obaerve the number of boys from the ages of 13 to 14 upwards who are regular attendants, and untired in the Gallery of the House of Representatives. The apparently keen interest taken in politics by our local youth will go far to show many of our politicians that notwithstanding the prolixity of the matter they have to put up with, they are prepared to see the result, and perhaps treasure in their young minds the notion of altering that state of things when they get into the popular Chamber. John Cameron, one of the first Wellington hotel-keepers and afterwards a miller at Ngahauranga, died at Napier last week at the age of 80.