The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 1883.

Kumara Times, Issue 2042, 15 March 1883, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 1883.

In reference to the absence of the County Chairman from the meeting of miners at Dill man’s Town on Monday evening, and a paragraph we inserted in our Tuesday’s issue as an apology for being the cause of his absence, we have received this afternoon the following telegi’aphic reply : To the Editor Kumara Times, Kumara. Thanks for explanation re meeting ; regret that a misunderstanding occurred. I need not say I am anxious to assist the miners. I have forwarded the resolutions carried at the meeting to the Minister, also a resolution to the same effect carried by the County Council. John M'Whirter, County Chairman. Hokitika, March 15, 1883. Now that the operations for determining the exact longitudes of the different cities of Australia, Port Darwin, and Singapore have been completed, telegraphic communication with Europe may be expected to be resumed. Again we have the painful task of recording the departure from this life of a well-known and respected miner. Jonathan (but more commonly known as Jack) Marks, after some weeks of suffering from a diseased spine, borne with a fortitude and patience which was characteristic of him in health as well as in sickness, last evening at half-past five o’clock passed away into a never-ending slumber. “Death, the liberator of him whom freedom cannot release and the physician of him whom medicine cannot cure ” has taken his prisoner captive, and the kind, genial, and unassuming sport Jack Marks will no more be seen amongst those with whom he has been wont to indulge in innocent pastimes, and in most of which he was known to excel. John Marks would be taken by most people to be older than he really was ; but at an early age he assisted his father at the laborious occupation of oak-sawing, in the Messrs Green’s shipbuilding yard, near the great metropolis, and near to which place John was born 52 years ago. He was a very old and experienced goldseeker ; and, like many others, had shared in the alternating smiles and frowns of Fortune, the latter predominating of late years. His remains will be conveyed to Rugg’s Hotel this evening ; from which place the funeral procession will start tomorrow afternoon to Holy Trinity Church, proceeding from thence to the Kumara Cemetery.

To-night, at the Theatre Royal, Ben Allah, the Illusionist and Ventriloquist, gives a performance, and prizes of almost every description. Tenders are invited for the purchase of a seventh share in a sluicing claim, at present working into the sludge-channel. Particulars may be seen in our advertising columns. The Gazette of February 22nd contains the amended passenger fares, which are to come into force on March 20th. The reduction is considerable. For instance, the first-class fare for 20 miles at present is ss, under the new regulations it will be 3s 9d ; for 100 miles at present it is 255, under the new system it will be 18s 9d, or at the rate of 2|d per mile. Second-class rates are at lid per mile, instead of 2d as at present. Return tickets will be issued only on Saturday and Sunday, and will be available for use up to the end of the following Monday. The return fares are 3d and 2d per mile for first and second class respectively. The Bay of Plenty Times of February 24th, says : —“ We hear that a Dunedin merchant, a Mr Wilson, has astonished the citizens of Nelson (known now as the Sleepy Hollow) by purchasing the whole of the hop crop of this season. This gentleman wired last week to his agent at Nelson, requesting the price of hops now being harvested. The reply was Is 6d per lb.; the reply was ‘ Purchase all you can,’ which was done, amounting to £IO,OOO. The next day the Nelson hopgrowers awoke to the fact that hops had risen in price in London to 5s per lb., and that Mr Wilson had realised upon his bargains 200 per cent., or a clear gain of £20,000. The Nelson hop-growers, after this lesson, are now agitating for a cooperative association, by which they will hold weekly markets, and so have their hops sold by auction.” Madame Lotti Wilmot, who has been for a long time absent from Dunedin, again made her appearance on the public platform there last Sunday evening. The Times says:—“The audience was not very numerous, and Madame Wilmot delivered a somewhat disconnected but certainly fluent discourse upon ‘People I Have Met in New Zealand.’” In a Christchurch evening paper a day or two ago appeared the following ; ‘ ‘ The persons who eased me of about 2cwt. of coal last night are requested to come again to-night, and I will wait up for them. Refreshments Ginger-ale, cake, and small bull pup.— J. Wheatley.” Within the next few months (writes the Times) there will be quite a contractors’ harvest in Southland, as during that period the Conncil will have the expendithre of about £23,000 hard cash on county work. £21,000 of this sum will be spent under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, and £3OOO is the amount of a grant by Parliament for works in the Waikiwi district, and the supervision of which has been undertaken by the Council at the request of the Government. The correspondent of the London Times at Shanghai says:—“There is every reason to believe that China has fallen off enormously in wealth and population during the last 50 years. The last complete census of the Empire, taken in 1812, gave a total of 360,000,000. Since that time there has been an internecine civil war, which caused the death of 30,000,000 of people, while other wars have made serious inroads, so that by many it is thought the population cannot now exceed from 250,000,000 to 300,000,000.”