Lyell Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1886.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume VI, Issue 303, 11 December 1886, Page 2

Lyell Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1886.

According tc announcement Dr. Gaze, of Westport, will arrive in Lyell tomorrow and remaining until the following day. For the convenience of local ratepayers the Buller County Council has appointed Mr R. W. M'Coy to collect rates due in Lyell riding, and it is further notified that all rates remaining unpaid after the Ist proximo will be sued for without further notice. Mr J. G. Heslop, rate collector for the Inangahua County, notifies that he will he in attendance in Hampden riding on 11th 12th and 13th January next for the purpose of receiving rates, aud that all rates remaining unpaid at the termination of his visit will positively be sued for. The funeral of the late H. E. Smithers took place on Tuesday afternoon immediately after the inquest, and was well attended by the residents to show a last mark of respect to a stranger who had mot with so untimely, and melancholy an end. The funeral service of the Church of England was read at the grave. Mr Hopkins, battery manager for the Croesus Company, is now getting the headrace and battery in readiness for crushing two parcels of stone, one from the Tyr Council claim and the other from luf lion Accord. The latter crushing will hj conducted on account of Messrs John Ritchie and party. We hope that H will turn out well.

Miss Chesterfield will deliver a lecture this evening at FeunelPs Hall, selecting from her course of lectures the subject of "New Zealand, Past and Present." This lady has met with considerable success as a lecturess throughout Victoria and New Zealand, and independent of being a good speaker is an accomplished performer both on the violin and piano, with which instruments she will intersperse her discourse this evening. We hope that the inhabitants will show their appreciation of an instructive entertainment of this description by a bumper house.

There was a special meeting of the members of the Lyell State School Committee yesterday at Mr Inglis' office, when there were present Messrs J. Inglis (chairman), Peck, Brown, Holman, Lowick, Bray and M'Coy. The principal business to be transacted was the declaration of the usual midsummer holidays, when it was decided that the school be closed on Friday 10th instant and reopen on Monday 17th January. Monday next being the second Monday in the mouth the usual monthly meeting will take place when a matter of unusual importance will be brought on for discussion. The usual monthly meeting of the dil'ectors in the United Alpine miue took place on Wednesday last, when there was a full attendance. After disposal of the regular formal business the matter was brought on of the utility of using rock borers for driving No. 7 level by means of electric power, Mr Prince, electric engineer, now in Reefton, having made the directors an offer for the introduction of that motive power, it was decided that the Reefton directors be empowered to arrange with Mr Prince tor supply of dynamo and other apparatus. It is intended that besides driving the rock borers, arrangements will be made for lighting the battery and mine with electricity. The directors are instructed to make arrangements with Mr Prince to carry out these works as soon as possible, and no doubt the order will be cabled immediately. From the mine we have nothing further to report than that contained in our last. The usual output of stone has been maintained, and the show of stone in the stopes south is improving both in size and quality. Everything at the battery is going on in the usual satisfactory manner, and it is intended to run uninterruptedly up to Christmas, when the cleaning will take place and the usual annual overhaul for repairs. The Reefton manager of tne National Bank of New Zealand, Limited, arrived Lyell yesterday, and will leave this morning, as already announced, for Murchison, to transact general banking business.

From the Owen we have not received much intelligence lately, no doubt owing to the fact that the claims already opened there and having stone to grass, are waiting for erection of crushing battery. The workmen engaged on gravelling road from Nelson main road are making good progress ; altogether a hopetul feeling is felt throughout the district. The Parihaka craze is evidently over. It is no longer what it was. There is no longer the free feeding as of yore. Visitors are expected to pay. Iu former times the Natives flocked from all parts of the island bringing liberal contributions of potatoes, eels, and shark. These supplies having fallen off the dwellers at Parihaka have nothing to give away. Evidently the bottom has been knocked out of Parihaka, a name that once oxercised Govern inents a good deal. — Grey River Argus. Alan Scott, manager for the Midland Railway Company, has returned from the West Coast to Christchurch. He has made arrangements for placing the contractors for the first section from Brunnerton to Teremakau in legal possession of the land required for the line. This contract has been divided into 11 sub-con-tracts, for which tenders will be called forthwith. By February the work will be in full swing all along the section.

The race between Crosson and Shaw at Auckland, December 4th, for £IOO and the mile championship of New Zealand resulted in a splendid race, the latter winning by 10 yards. Amusements for Christmas' week-West-port, are crowding in, and if all the different proposals are carried out the public will have wide choice of fun. It has now been arranged to hold one day's races for local horses during Christmas week, and a fair amount of money has been collected. Mr H. W. Lloyd, of the Victoria Hotel, Westport, is an enthusiastic sport. He has undertaken, solely on his own responsibility, to arrange a day's athletic sports for Boxing Day, Monday, December 27th, at the Orawaiti Racecourse. He has determined to give away £QO in prizes for various events on that day, among which will be one Handicap in three distances of £39. The Defence Department have received a specimen of the new Martini-Enfield rifle adopted for the English army, a number of which have recently been ordered by the New Zealand Government. This weapon, though somewhat similar in appearance to the Martini-Henry rifle, has many improvements over the latter. The bore is smaller, with better grooving, and the bullet is longer than those used in the Martini-Henris. The new weapon has better facilities for discharging empty cartridge cases, which are thrown out by means of a spring ; and another improvement is that a small magazine capable of holding six cartridges can be attached to the stock of the gun, thus providing for rapid firing when repulsing a charge or attacking a fortified position. For the Martini-Enfields it is claimed they are not so likel}' to get out of order as did the Martini-Henri during the Soudan war by

choking with saud in the breech. Protection is also given against the heating of the barrel. The spot where the hand is usually rested is cased with wood, and the novelty in connection with this weapon is that by the manipulation of a small flange attached to the lock the accidental firing of the gun is safely guarded against. There is practically only one sight for all the distances up to 400 yards. Beyond that it is sighted in the usual way, with this difference, that the back sight also acts on a wind gauge. The range is 2000 yards.