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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 137, 1 June 1876, Page 2

The G. R. Argus says that during the last few weeks several cases of poisoning by the bite of the " katipo," a little natives black spider, have occurred, and the sufferers have narrowly escaped death. The other day two individuals of an enquiring turn of mind washed the surface of the ground on which stood the old building lately occupied by the Union Bank of Australia, in St. Jamesstreet, Ross (Westland), and obtained lldwts of gold. A shooting party (says the Marlborough Express) went down to Vernon on "Wednesday in order to have a day's sport with the rabbits . As affording some idea of tht plentiful supply we are informed that they shot 300, and a cart load which came to Blenheim was quickly disposed of at a shilling each. Household expenses at Hokitika are light compared to those roling in other localities on the Coast. A casual look at current advertisements in Hokitika papers, shows that meat sells at 3Jd to 5d per lb, new milk fourpence per i quart, and that a three-roomed cottage, with garden, may be rented at four shillings per week. The Argus comments as follows on the negligence of the masters of vessels at Greymouth to display their bunting on the Quoen's Birthday: — It was a rather unusual feature of the anniversary of her Majesty's birthday yesterday that only one of the vessels in the river was " dressed." Whether it was want of bunting, or want of loyalty, or both combined which caused the nakedness of the craft, we do not pretend to know. A small suburb ofDunedin, called Maori Hill, has been formed into a municipality. At the first meeting of the Council we are told by theDunedin Evening News the only business was the reading of the proclamation in the, Government Gazette, unless some choice •" Billingsgate " from Mr Talbot, and his subsequent ejectment, come under that heading. Oaths were flying about the room in the most promiscuous manner, and with but few exceptions the conduct of all present was the reverse of gentlemanly. An amusing case of somnambulism, occurring at Napier, caused some little stir amongst the audience at the Musical Society's concert. The Telegraph says that the eldest son of Mr S. Hooper, a child about seven years old, was discovered in his night-dress walking into the hall, towards the close of the first part of the programme. Before being put to bed he had expressed his wish to go and hear the music, and he must have gone to sleep and dreamt that he was being taken to the concert. It was not tiil he had again been placed in bed that he woke up.

Greytnouth (says lijfe local Star) will require to look 'well 'to its interests and s endeavor to get ijbs coal trade developed with all speed, otherwise "Westport will soon take the leacl, as the recent openjug up of large,, ( ,yajuable seams of. coal in the neighborhood of "Westportl point to the future prosperity of that district. The depth of water on the bar is over twenty-one feet, and quite recently the steamer Kennedy towed in at half-flood the Wbllotnai, drawing fifteen, feet of water. Added to all this, a new company, with a capital of £10,000, has been successfully floated to work one of the coal mines. The average rates; for miners in Vicr . toria is £2 per week for surface miners, and £2 5s for the underground work ; : in some deep wet mines £2 10s is paid. In some outlying districts higher wages are obtained, but only by a few men. An attempt is being' made in some; of the mining districts to lower the rates! Dunedin shareholders are a cheerful sort : of people. Not long ago at a meeting of the shareholders in the Grey mouth Coal Company, it was suggested that the Directors should be put at the bottom of the shaft and immured there, and! at a meeting of the Dunedin shareholders in the Titanic Steel Company (Taranaki), a mild way of .disposing of the Secretary was hinted at, .viz., throwing him into the furnace with the first blast when smelting was attempted. The sooner that Secretary changes his name to Meshach or rach the better. About thirty gentlemen in Hokitika have entered into an agreement, guaranteeing the payment of £5 each, towards prospecting for coal in the Kanieri district. A prospecting license has been obtained by them from the "Waste Lands Board, giving them the righlb to,, prospect over an, area of 2000 acres, and they intend despatching three or, four working shareholders . to the ground on the understanding that subscribers shall have the benefit with the working shareholders of any discovery which may be made. The company is named' the *' Kanieri Coal Prospecting Company," and the scene of operations is about seven miles from Hokitika. The shareholders are in expectation, from indications already manifested, that a seam will be struck in the; course' of three or four months. The correspondent of the Buller News Btates that great suffering has been endured on the Mokihinui reefs during the last, month, owing to, the? boat accidents ond the fldoded ; state of the river. . Over half the people have had no animal food for the last three weeks. The want of tools has.alsq. been a great hindrance to the progress-; .of the work. The actual loss during the last two months through want of tools and tucker, combined with loss of cargo through boat accidents, is fully £300, and there appears little likelihood of improvement until a track is made. The cargo boats were stuck up for a fortnight on the river last trip owing to ; the. floods;; and now winter is; come ■ upon us a constant recurrence of delays may be looked for. It is to be sincerely lioped that the long looked-for and often-promised track will be made with? out any further unjustifiable delay. „ "We {Lyttelton Times) hear that it is rumored on good authority that Mr Pitzherbert's election to the Speakership is by no means as great a certainty as it looks. It is not improbable that the Premier may, after conducting his negotiations to a successful > conclusion, leave the election of Mr Pitzherbert an open question for his followers. The result may be that Mr Pitzherbert will find himself with his influence in Perliament gone and the Speakership" vanished from his grasp., „ .. « : . The "Wellington Argus learns thai! the two entire horses which passed through here from Melbourne in the Albion for Mr Thompson, of Temuka, and which were to have been landed at \ Lyttelton for overland transit to that ' place, are likely to be taken on to. Sydney in the Albion. The authorities at Lyttelton would not allow them to be landed at that port; as the owner v had no "clean" certificate with him. • He telegraphed to Melbourne for . Che, but was not able to obtain a reply before the boat sailed, and consequently the animals were taken on to Dunedin.' If a clean certificate wore not obtained; there, it is doubtful if they could 1 be^ landed, in which case they would have to be taken on to Sydney. ■•■-•u A free and independent electjor'at a,. Parliamentary election in Tasmania recently adopted a new mode of intimating his disapproval of the candidature of Jone of the seekers after the seat. Instead of crossing Cut" the; candidate's name he merely :. attached, the word " duffer " to it. , A writer in the Dunedin Guardian: recommends the sending of Sullivan,, the Nelson murderer, across to the Philadelphia Exhibition; as a representative of the biggest scoundrel Unhung New Zealand can produce. The Station-master's office at the. Opawa station, Marlborough, was on Thursday evening broken into after he had left for the night, by some, one who prised open the window-sash. The sum ; of 27a. was carried off from the till, but. fortunately the burglar missed another sum of £8, which was stowed away in a bag. A letter was received by the Dunedin Harbor Board from a person named.'. Ta Kef, offering to make a channel to Dunedin capable of bringing up the largest ships, and to maintain it in good order for.lO years, for. tl^oVum dfi £250,000; He proposed to. do this bj£ means of his countrymen and Chinese patent machines, which he would explain to the Board did they 1 so desire

it ; but the Board did not seem ioto be interviewed hy this |Celeitial dredger. ti !■■'■'. • :■■■> ---'i — ' ■■' ' ~ "•