Lyell Times. SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1886.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume VI, Issue 281, 10 July 1886, Page 2

Lyell Times. SATURDAY, JULY 10, 1886.

Mails for the United Kingdom, Continent of Europe, and United States of America, via San Francisco, close on Thursday, loth Julj, at 1-30 p.m. Money orders for the mail will be issued up to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, 13th July. Mr I. Lewis, manager of the National Bank, Reefton, will arrive in Lyell to-day on his usual monthly visit for the transaction of banking business. The Rev. Father Rolland will arrive in Lyell this evening, and conduct two masses to-morrow at the usual hours. Tenders were accepted last week by the Lyell Creek Low Level tunnel, for 500 feet driving, and resulted as follows : P. Hunt £1 17s with timber; £1 18s without, (accepted) Five other tenders were sent in and were very close to the one accepted. The party made a start to work yesterday. About six months ago the Buller County Council voted a small *um of money or authorised their engineer to incur the expenditure for a track from the Alpine battery to the mouth of the tunnel, which is only a distance of 800 yards, and nothing has yet been done in the matter; and as the contractors require iron rails and other heavy goods for the construction of this tunnel, the want of the track is greatly felt. There is no material change to report from any of the stopes in the Alpine mine for the past week. The western cro. c scut is now discontinued and the eastera one taken in hand, which is now extended a distance of 30 feet, and the country being pierced is likely looking, with small leaders coming in with the right underlie. It is the intention of the man; ger to continue this eastern crosscut until the line of reef at present beinp worked is cut, as the north bloik con-

nected with the track of the south block in No. 5 level. The monthly cleaning up at the battery took place on Wednesday, the retorting was finished on Thursday evening, and gave the result of 740 ounces from 933 tons of stone treated. The directors met on Thursday and decided in consequence of the unusual expenses now engaged in by the Company to depart from their usual custom of striking a shilling dividend and substituted a ninepence dividend per shire. The character of these works are ne cessarily very heavy, are permanent, urgently required, and will prove of great advantage in working both the mine and battery. They are as follows: erection of new head race for battery, and progress payments on same and timber, which fell due during the current month, and were necessarily very heavy ; extension of No. 6 level, and putting in prospecting rcosscuts for north block. The directors have also accepted tenders for the first 300 feet of the No. 7 level, which will be started on Monday. The successf tenderers, out of ten competing, were Leon Blanchet and party, at £1 4s 6d per foot, finding everything with the exception of rails. The tender of the same party for outside works to the extent of i'2o was accepted.

The foliowing business was disposed of before Frank Bird, Esq., Warden, on Wednesday last:—James M'Donough, application for water race, granted : same applied for tail race, which was objected to by a party of Chinese to whom he had previously sold the claim at a good figure, on the grounds of a very palpable interference with their rights, and was consequently very justly refused; the sime applicant made applcation for a dam, which was adjourned until next Court day; the Lyell Creek Extended Company's application for water- race, in consequence of non-appearance, was struck out.

I Owing to the inclement state of the weather prevailing at Westport, and its anticipated continuation on Saturday last, Mr Bird decided to adjonm the Murchison Court till Tuesday the 3rd August. There was only one case dealt with in the Resident M agistrate's Court, in which one Helena Pearce sought to obtain a maintenance order for herself and three children, against her husband Henry Pearce, who, it appeared from her evidence had failed to contribute more than £& towards their support for the last .12 months. The defendent on oath stated that the amount mentioned was really all that he had been enabled to supply his wife with, owing to the fact that he had entered into a very unprofitable contract, and had scarcely made enough out of it to provide himself with provisions. He also adduced that he could not see a way to remedy affairs owing to the depressed state ol the labor market and its scarcity. The magistrate in giving his decision remained that he knew of many cases where laboring men were supporting much larger families, and as both parties appeared strong and able to work he would adjourn decision in the case untill the next sitting of the Court, and suggested that they try and make .some arrangement between them in the interim. The Rev. Innes-Jones held two services in St. Matthew's Church last Sunday morning and evening, and the evening service was better attended than usual. It is to be hoped that when the weather becomes more settled that the attendance at monthly services will be larger and more regular, thereby offering more encouragement to the church committee in their eudeavors to continue Sunday services, without reverting to the old system of week day services. It will be remembered the exertion made some time ago to secure this concession, and it will soon be found impossible to continue the existing arrangements without a greater interest is taken in church matters by the residents of the district. At both morning and evening services last Sunday the Rev. Mr Jones had occasion to address a few kindly words with respect to the attendance at the parishoners' meetingannouncsdforthe previous evening, and which, in consequence ot the paucity of that attendance, was adjourned until his next monthly visit, when the meeting will be held on a Friday evening, of which due notice will be given. I'he reverend gentleman pointed out the importance of every member of the

church, of both sexes, attending this meeting, and showiug a greater desire for and interest in the welfare of their church in Lyell than hitherto. We hope that this matter will not require reference to again either by us or the visiting minister, and that for the future the entire duties appertaining to the church will not be left to a few willing workers residing in the town. An accident occurred in the Alpiue mine yesterday afternoon to a miner named Patrick Byrne, who was engaged at the windlass in one of the passes hauling some tools. A slight hitch occurred, and Byrne in order to clear the obstruction let go the handle of the windlass, to shake the rope adrift, when it became clear and the windlass revolving with great rapidity the handle came in contact with Byrnes' head aud inflicted a very dangerous looking wound. Mr Saxton, chairman of the company was present at the time, gave instructions for the removal of the sufferer to the Westport Hospital to-day. Wd extract the following from the Melbourne Age of the sth of June :—At the City Police Court yest rday Daniel Creed, hotelkeeper, Tullamarine, was brought up on remand on a charge of killing one Samuel Downey. Sup-Inspector Swale asked that accused might be discharged, as the inquest which had been held on deceased had resulted in a verdict that his death was caused by his accidentally falling out of a high window at the Holyhead Hotel. Accused complained of having been grossly maligned by a Melbourne newspaper, which had, without any foundation for the statement, branded him as one of the greatest criminals in the colony. He desired an expression of opinion from the bench that he left the court without a stain on his character. The statement had injured him. The police magistrate : You are discharged. The accused then left the court with his friends.

The following is the concluding portioD of the business transacted at the last meeting of the Inangahua County Council :—Cr. Gardner referred to the necessity of having the northern boundary of the county defined, so as to determine whether the Owen district is within or without this county. The map and the gazette notices did not agree, and it was therefore necessary that a survey should be made to settle the question. He moved that the Surveyor-General be requested to have the northern boundary laid off.— Agreed to. Cr. Lynch moved that a subsidy of £3O be granted in aid of the erection of a Heading Boom at Murchison. Seconded by Cr. M'Ginley ; a discussion arose as to the advisability of the Murchison people procuring a freehold in preference to a 30 years lease for reading room site, anq it was eveetually decided that the matter stand over, and the committee be requested to obtain a to entitle them to the subsidy. An account was presented by C. Downie for travelling expenses as a member of the Licensing Bench at Hampden, from 1882; moved by Cr. Campbell seconded by Cr. Gardner that only those items which were certified, to be passed.—Carried.