The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 1885.

Kumara Times, Issue 2603, 9 January 1885, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 1885.

The election of School Committees by householders in the Education District of '•'■fstland is fixed for Monday, the 26th ii -d. The elections will bo conducted in the various school-houses, as heretofore,

at 8 o’clock in the evening. The first meetings of all committees is fixed for the following Wednesday, 28th instant, at 8 p.m. The ordinary meeting of the Borough Council which should have been held last evening was adjourned till Saturday afternoon. The Presbyterian Church Committee publicly tender their thanks to the ladies who made articles for the Bazaar, to those also who so materially aided to its success, and to the public in general for their patronage. Colonel H. Stewart, after returning to Korti, is now on his way again across the desert of Bayouda to Gakdul, where the Guards are to remain, strengthened by fortifications. Gakdul is about half way between Korti and Shendy. This track across the desert lessens considerably the distance to Khartoum by avoiding a great arm or bend of the Nile, and which shortens the distance between Korti and Shendy by about one-half. Colonel Stewart was expected to reach El Melemeneh, a village a short distance to the south of Shendy, and on the left bank of the Nile, yesterday; and, if a steamer was available there, regular communication with General Gordon would be opened forthwith. Khartoum is distant from El Melemeneh about 100 miles, and the only obstacle to the free navigation of the river is the Sixth Cataract, near Hajir. Contractors are reminded that tenders for the road sections Ahaura to Amuri close at the Public Works Office, Greymouth, at noon to-morrow. The Bank of New Zealand shipped on Wednesday by the steamer Waipara to be put on board the Mahinapua, thence per Tongariro, for London, 57440z5. 3dwts. of gold, of the value of £22,980 upon which gold duty was paid at the Customs, amounting to £574 8s 3d. The Times states that the last shipment made by the same Branch was on the 6th of December, when 3018ozs. lldwts., of the value of £12,072 was exported, upon which £302 of duty was paid. Wednesday’s shipment is therefore the purchases of one month by one of the Banks, a circumstance which speaks well for the present prosperity of Westland. The House, last session, on the motion of Mr Bradshaw, passed a resolution that medical men in practice should not be coroners. The Government accordingly called on all medical men holding that office to resign it. Most of them (including Dr. Monckton, of this town) have done so, but Dr. Hocken, Coroner of Dunedin, and Dr. Smith, of the Clutha, have refused to give up either private practice or their coronial appointments. We shall be curious to know how the matter will end, as these are Crown officers appointed by warrants under the hand of the Governor and by law only subject to removal upon proof of gross and wanton misconduct.

The Ven. Archdeacon Harper is expected to visit this portion of the diocese about the end of the present month.

The Grey River Argus of yesterday says:—“The body of a man was seen floating out to sea on Tuesday last. It seemed to have passed the shipping unobserved, but was seen close to the bar, when it turned partly over, showing black whiskers on the face. It is strange that nothing has been heard as to any person being missing. Doubtless the remains will come ashore on the north beach, as so many other bodies have done before.”

Mr Perotti has been elected member of the Greymouth Borough Council. The result of the polling was, Perotti, 57 ; Matheson, 52 ; M'Davitt, 20 ; F. B. Waters, 17.‘ A quadrille assembly will be held at the Theatre Royal to-morrow evening, at 8 o’clock.

The Grey District Education Comraismissioners, Messrs Nancarrow and Ronayne, met at the Education Office, Greymouth, on Tuesday evening, and among other business it was resolved that the meeting of householders for the purpose of electing school committees take place on the 26th inst. at 8 p.m. ; and that the meetings of householders for Pounamu take place in the Greenstone school-house. A very remarkable escape from a coach accident is reported by the West Coast Times to have taken place in Hokitika yesterday, “so remarkable indeed that the incident is almost incredible. It appears that the four-horse Ross coach arrived at the usual hour yesterday, that is about noon, at the Post Office. The driver got off the box to give in the mails, the reins being, it is said, handed to a passenger on the box seat, who let them fall. The horses started at this moment for some reason or other, and went along Gibson’s Quay at a great pace. The passenger on the box seat put on the break, but his position, as he had not hold of the reins, was not a pleasant one. The horses,

which are accustomed to take Wharf street, instead of doing so, made straight for Lynch’s right-of-way, and, wonderful to say, took the coach through that passage without mishap or damage beyond scraping a little paint off the side of the Occidental Hotel. Those who are not acquainted with the right-of-way will be surprised to hear that it is over forty yards long, and so narrow that there was scarcely two inches space to spare on either side of it for the naves of the wheels and the sides of the box-seat. There is not a driver in the world who could perform the feat of driving four horses and a coach through this right-of-way, but on the occasion of the “bolt,” Mr J. Thompson, driver of Messrs Keech and Malloy’s waggon, happened to be passing down it. Notwithstanding his natural astonishment at meeting a coach-and-four in such a place, he evinced much presence of mind, and hung on to the leaders until the coach got into Revell street. The horses were stopped in Revell, street and strangely enough there was no damage done to either horses or coach. The box-passenger, Mr Ooltman, of Ross, had, it may be imagined, an unique experience.” The cost of the Nile expedition, says an English paper, is so far surpassing Ministerial calculation, that an effort is being made to check the outlay. The result is that between General Wolseley and the War Office relations are not satisfactory. General Wolseley is not obtaining the full support he has demanded, and his discontent is shared by the general officers he has with him. A remark made by General Butler, that there was “no Nile expedition,” is an illustration of this feeling. It is reported from Alexandria that Lord Wolseley has threatened to offer resignation unless he receives the supplies of men, money, and material necessary to ensure the success of the expedition. The rumour is hardly credible, but it quite indicates the position between General Wolseley and the Government. He knows what he is about, and the Government are only beginning to have a confused conception of it. Cured op Drinking.— “ Afyoung friend of mine was cured of an insatiable thirst for liquor, that had so prostrated his system that he was unable to do any business. He was entirely cured by the use of Hop Bitters. It allayed all that burning thirst, took away the appetite for liquor, made his nerves steady, and he has no desire to return to his cups.”—From a leading R.R. Official. Read A Lady’s Wish.— “ Oh, how I do wish my skin was as clear and soft as yours ! ” said a lady to a friend. “ You can easily makeitso,” answered the friend. “How?” inquired the first lady. “By using Hop Bitters, that makes pure rich blood and blooming health. It did it for me, as you observe.” Read