West Coast Times. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10. 1966.

West Coast Times, Issue 132, 19 February 1866, Page 2

West Coast Times. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1866.

Whilst it, is an accepted truth amongst commercial men that a liberal expenditure in advertising is one of the grand secrets of business success, it is felt that very high charges for the publication of business notices operate as a great drag on trading transactions. This has, been especially the case in gold-fields districts. To advertisers the charges made appear excessive, and are undoubtedly large, compared with those charged in other places. But who are the parties who reap the exclusive benefits of these high rates ? The employees, to whom they are paid in the shape of high 'ages. In Victoria, in tho early gold-fields days, a compositor would often make money enough in a few weeks to become a master ; and in this town in one case three of our own hands have saved sufficient in eight months to enable them to embark in a small way as newspaper proprietors, themselves. Not only do business people suffer from the high charges which the high wages paid render it necessary should be imposed upon them,' but the proprietors of established newspapers suffer also, from the obstacles opposed to the legitimate extension of their business, which would be a natural and certain consequence of the prevalence of a moderate rate of charges. We find that it is high time to grapple with this state of things, and take the bull by the horns. We are determined to attempt what appears to us to be a step in the right direction, for the protection at once of our own interests and of those of our customers. Our employees are under notice of a reduction of twenty-five per cent on their wages, and we have no hesitation in saying that a steady and ordinarily-skilled workman fu ly employed at the proposed reduced rate, ought to make constantly his £6 per week. Hitherto the wage's paid in this office to compositors have been double the rates prevailing in Nelson and other neighboring provinces — and double those paid in Melbourne. Considering the late high price of living, &c , on the West Coast, the present rates of wages were willingly paid, and could not now perhaps be reasonably objected to if circumstances had not in many respects changed. The prices of provisions have, however, become comparatively moderate, and house accommodation is more within the reach of the workman ; and it is felt that the time has come for compositors to fall in with the general mass of the community and submit to the same conditions as other craftsmen. At all events such is the view we take, of the position of affairs, and we intend to insist on it as far as we can. It is possible that in consequence of the stand we have taken, we may have to crave the public indulgence for some temporary short-com-ings, in case an unreasonable contest should be forced upon us. Fortunately the proprietors are practical men, capable and ready at any moment that may be necessary to take off their coats and go to the case themselves. In this fact lies one-half the battle.

We are very happy, therefore, to believe that we shall shortly be in a position to fix our charges for advertising upon such a scale as will be more satisfactory to all parties.

THE Appropriation Ordinance, 1866, authorises the payment out of tho general revenues of the province for the public service and for defraying the charge of the Government, from 1st July, 1865, to the 30th June, 1866, a gross sum of £395,189. This sum is appropriated under three schedules Under the head of Ordinary Expenditure we find £83,629 13s 8d set down. This is schedule A. Under the head of Department of Land and Works (general account) £163,706 14s 3d. This is Schedule B, Under the head of

West Canterbury Goldfields £157,733 12s 7d. This is schedule D. There are two other schedules embodied in the Ordinance. C represents the Railway and Harbor Works account, amounting to £192,478 17s 2d raised by debentures under the Railway Loan Ordinance, or otherwise specially set apart as tho Harbor and Railway Works Fund. Schedule E enumerates certain payments, amounting in all to £47,346 5s Id, paid by the Provincial Treasurer by authority of the warrant of tho Superintendent for the year ending the 30th June, 1865, but which were not included in tho Appropriation Ordinance for the service of that year. As we have said, out of the ordinary revenue for the year 1865-1866, the total sum of £395,189 is appropriated to the ordinary service of the Government, and out of that sum tho charge for Westland (schedule D) amounts to the very respectable figure of £157,733. It is with schedule D we have how to do ; and as it is useless to attempt to exhaust it in a single article, wo shall at present content "ourselves with briefly summarising its contents. The cost of tho Commissioner's department is set down at £1000 — namely, £750 to the Commissioner himself, and £250 to his clerk. The two provincial sub-treasurers at Hokitika and Grey mouth, and ths clerk to the formrr, cost the very modest sum of £900. The Waste Lands Board — viz., the expenses of commissioners and clerks — amount to £600. The next item, " Surveys," is a heavier one : £9291 is set down for salaries of surveyors and draughtsmen, nnd travelling and other allowances, and £126 for contingencies, such as purchase of instruments, &c, — making a total of L 10,551. In the Engineer's Department, the total is L2852 — made up of L2052, salaries, and L800, contingencies. The administration of justice costs the district L8300 for the year — viz., Supreme Court, L1800 ; Resident Magistrates' Courts, L 1700; and Wardens' Courts, L4800. The police, including salaries and contingencies, is represented by the figures L8619 9s 6d ; the Hokitika gaol is set down at L1673 12s 6d ; and Hospital an charitable aids at L6220. For harbors (meaning salaries of officers and contingencies) L1850 is voted. The next item we come to is a most interesting one. It is that of Gold Escort. First, we have a schedule of annual salaries, representing a total of L2394 — of which, however, " there will be required for the current year only," L1815 — and contingencies, L4077 14s, of which the amount required for the current year is put down at L3045. Next we have the " First cost of Establing the Escort," viz, purchase of horses, saddlery, waggons, gold boxes, swords, &c, L2,900. Thirdly, the erection of buildings, viz., houses, stables, and forage stores, L2642. The cost of the escort, therefore, chargable against the revenue of the year amounts to L10,402. The sum of L 24,306 figures under the head of public buildings, and L 83,165 under that of public works. The principal items amongst the former, besides balances on outstanding accounts on contracts on the 30th June last, are L4,500 for the hospital, L3000 for the gaol, L1,500 for the Land and Survey Office, L2,800 for officers' residences, and L3,200 for wardens courts and police barracks. Amongst the latter, L6783 for Hokitika town improvements, (of which L5000 are for new works) ; L6957 for the Hokitika wharf, (of which L4500 are for new works) ; L13,000 for roads to Totara, Kanieri, Waimea, and Greenstone (new works) ; L7000 for stock road to Browning's Pass ; LSOOO for Grey., and Arnold roads (new works) ; L30,000 for road from Hokitika to Arthur's Pass - (new works) ; and L8000 for ferries, bridges, and fresh tracks to new diggings, (new works). Lastly, we have the head Miscellaneous, L7303, of which the chief items are telegraph (half cost), L4333; furniture, L1200 ; and printing and stationery, L1000. So is the gross total of West Coast Goldftelds expenditure, L157,733 12s 7d, made up.

In our commercial report of Saturday the price of best Adelaide flour was, by mistake, given as unchanged at L33. The quotation should have been L30. We understand that a telegram was received from Mr Jollie, Provincial Secretary Christchurch, on Saturday Inst, directing that the Town Lands on the West Coast should continue to be administered under the Goldfields Regulations until the date of their sale. This will give, for a brief period, a renewed lease of power to Mr Commissioner Sale, who was to leave Christchurch on Saturday last on his return to Hokilika.

A lithographic sketch map of the town of Hokitika has just been issued from the West Coast Times office. It gives the whole of the surveyed streets, with the allotments as numbered, the government reserves, &c., &c., from the town belts on the north and east to the beach and the Hokitika river. The scale is six chains to one inch. A most valuable feature of the map at the present moment is the distinction by dotted lines of the whole of the sections which are to be put up at the approaching first land sale. We may add that the map, which is very neatly and clearly executed, is the work of Mr. C. J. Schmidt, who has long been associated as a lithographic artist with the office of the present proprietors of this paper.

The different places of worship in Hokitika were well attended yesterday. In the morning Church of England service was hold at tho Supreme Court-house, Sewell street, by the Rev. Mr Monro. Three services were held at the Wesleyan Church, and Mass was performed at the Roman Catholic Church.

An enquiry into the cause of death of John Stanford Johnston, a carpenter, whose body was found on the beach of the Saltwater River, Blaketown, on Monday last, under circumstances suggestive of some foul play, was opened at Greymouth on Tuesday, before W. H. Revell, Esq., district coroner. Dr Pelley, who had examined the body of the deceased, deposed that it presented no symptoms of drowning, that the skull was extensively fractured at the base, the fractures being such as must have been caused by violence before

death, and may have been occasioned either by more than one blow from a blunt instrument, or by a fall from a height ; but that it was not probable that the deceased could have received the injuries described from a fall from the Blakotown bridge into the Saltwater River. The Grey River Argus reports the investigation at great length. The enquiry was ultimately adjourned for the production of further evidence.

We are happy to state that the report of a murder having been committed at the ,Teremakau, which was current in town on Friday night last, had no foundation in fact. The statemont, as reported to us, was made to the police, but on the constables reaching the scene of the alleged crime on the following morning on corroboration of the rumour could be obtained, and it has since been ascertained to have been an entire fabrication.

The "Southern Provinces Almanack Directory, and Year Book for 1860," published by Messrs. Ward and Reeves of Christchurch, contains as usual a mass of valuable information most carefully compiled. The Almanack proper, with its Ephemeris, is probably the most complete thing of the kind prepared in Now Zealand. The general information supplied is very voluminous.

The " Book of Hymns" issued from the office of Messrs Wayte and Batger of Auckland, contains a hundred and twenty two selected hymns suitable for public worship, including most of those which have long enjoyed the greatest popularity in the religious world. The little volume is very neatly printed in a portable form. The following communication from London was received in Sydney, by the Nov. mail. It is some what discouraging as to the prospect of floating not only the New South Wales loan of a million and a half, but the other Colonial securities. —"At the present moment, and for somo time past, the market has been glutted with Australian securities, the public showing no disposition to invest. The prices have, consequently, given way; and, judging from the present appearance of the money market, we are afraid no material rally will take place during this year. We need hardly add, that the intelligence received by the last mail. has not assisted prices. " The N Z. Advertiser of the 12th says :— General Chute arrived in town yesterday by the Ahuhriri, from Wanganui. The object of his coming to Wellington is, we understand, to write his despatches for the outgoing mail. The people of New Plymouth, grateful for a gallantry the result of which was likely to be the restoration of peace on the West Coast, erected a triumphal arch for him to pass through, and presented him with an address of thanks : and we trust that Wellington, too, will not let this gallant officer leave again without presenting him with some token of her appreciation of his conduct of the war in that hot-bed of rebellion the Wanganui district.

It is again our painful duty lo record another death from drowning in the Westland rivers — another body swept away, never, in all probability, to be recovered. The frequent recurrence of these cases saddens us, and we wonder when such precautionary measures will be adopted as will put a stop to them The victim is again an unfortunate digger, who had only just recovered from a severe attack of fever, and who, in company with his mates, was travelling from the south towards Okarita. They reached the Waiau River, which was somewhat higher than usual through the late rains, and there fell in with Mr Millen, a storekeeper of Okarita, who was on horseback. Thinking it a good opportunity to get their mate, who was sill very weak across, they asked Mr Millen to take him up behind him, us they feared he would not be able to cross the ford on foot. To this proposition he at once consented, and the horse with his double burden entered the river, but on arriving at mid stream the water deepened so much that he was carried off his feet, and commenced swimming for the shore. The sudden immersion caused deceased to lose his presence of mind, for he clung convulsively to Millen, hampering him completely, at tho same time crying out he should be drowned, and the next moment was swept away by the stream, dragging the other with him. They were carried fifty yards down the river before Millen could disengage himself from the desperate clutch of the doomed man, and although fortunately he succeeded in so doing, and managed to reach the shore, was so exhausted by his struggle for life as to be compelled to crawl up the bank on his hands and knees. On his arrival at Okarita he made known the occurrence to the police, who forwarded an account of it to the authorities here. The name of the drowned man is not known, and his body has not been recovered.

The Wizard Jacobs gave his first entertainment in Hokitika on Saturday evening last, at Harding's Corinthian Hall, We should imagine he is highly appreciated, as the room was crowded to excess.

A well known miner just returned from a visit to the beach diggings north of the Grey, informs us that between that river and the Buller there are many parties at work,some of whom are reported to be making good wages, At one locality about midway between the two, and close to a place called Jacob's ladder, some fair prospects were obtained, but owing to the difficulty of obtaining (supplies and tools, the discoverers were compelled to abandon it until an extension of the beach workings northward cause depots of stores to be formed nearer to it.

Under the head of telegraphic communications, the Sydney Morning Herald of the 25th January states that at Forbes " Many unemployed miners continue to leave for the back country and down the river in search of work. There are only four payable claims on the entire fields, including Forbes, Pinnacle, and the Billabong. Highway robberies are becoming frequent in the Grey district. Our contemporary of the 17th inst. says : — We regret to hear another case of highway robbery has taken place up the Grey, and about three miles from the Twelve-Mile Landing. Three diggers report they were bailed up by three armed men on Wednesday afternoon, and robbed of their alll, some ten pounds fifteen shillings, two loaves of bread, and one or two smaller articles. This district is gaining fast a most unenviable notoriety, and we do really hope that something will be at once done to meet the evil. We are quite aware of the disadvantages the police are under in tracking these scoundrels through a densely wooded country, but surely some mode can be devised by the authorities for finally checking the careers of these villains.

A telegram from Melbourne in the Sydney Empire states that Governor Darling has no longer any confidence in his law officers, in consequence of their having drawn down upon him the censure of the homo authorities.

The Grey River Argus of Saturday says :— "Our correspondent at the Arnold gives several instances of remarkable success in Maori Gully and adjacent diggings. One party are stated to have cleared 600 ozs. in a single week ; and another party obtained 90 ozs. It is satisfactory also to notice the progress of mining undertakings in this district — a sure sign of its prosperity." The Nelson Examiner gives an account of another flood, and says ' — We have been visited with a second flood, which although it did no damage as far as wo have learnt, caused the rivers to rise suddenly to a great height. The rain bogan to fall on Saturday evening, and continued without, intermission till the evening following, during which time the rain gauge gave 6.28 inches. As the weather then cleared, no further damage is likely to have been inflicted by the rain on the crops. The total rainfall during the last twelve days has been 16.08 inches — namely, February 1st, .48 ; 2nd, 7.90 ; 3rd, .97 ; 4th, .30 ; 5th, .13 ; 11th, 2.58 ; 12th, 2.70 ; giving a total of 16.08 inches, The day of twenty-four hours is reckoned from 10 a.m. This quantity of rain is about one-fourth of the

total rain-fall in Nelson for the year. To show how unequally are the rain-falls in different countries, and even in different parts of the same country, we take an extract from a little work on " Meteorology," by Sir J. W. Herschel : — " The annual fall at Seathwaite, in Borrowdale (Lake district) amounted , according to careful observations of Mr Miller, to no less than 141.54 inches on an average of three years ; while that in London is only 23 1/2. Rain, except in the tropical regions, is perhaps the most irregular of all meteorological phenomena, both in respect to the frequently of its occurrence and in the quantity which falls in a given time. The quantities recorded , are, in some instances, truly astonishing. It is considered, in the greater part of England, a heavy rain if an inch full in the course of twenty-four hours ; yet at Seathwaite, above mentioned, 6.62 inches are recorded by Mr Miller to have fallen in November 27, 1845, in that time. At Joyeuse (Ardeche), in France, 31.173 inches fell in twenty-two hours ; at Genoa, 30 inches in twenty-four hours ; at Gibraltar, 33 inches in twenty-six hours. ' On the mountain tops overhanging Bombay 24 inches of rain have been recorded in a single night. These are, however, only sudden unsustained falls. But in tropical regions we have instances of what may almost be called deluges. Humboldt collected, at Rio Negro, in the rainy season in May, as an ordinary rain, 1 3/4 inch in five hours, Admiral Roussin found, for the amount of rain at Cayenne, between the 1st and 24th February, 1820, no less than 12 feet 6.96 inches, and on one night, between eight p.m. and nine a.m., he collected 10 1/2 inches. At Cherra Ponjee, in the Khasyah mountains, east of Calcutta, nearly 600 inches per annum are stated to have fallen. Even in England great and persevering rainfalls occasionally occur in the rainy district of Westmoreland. Thus in January, 1851, 38-86 inches are recorded by Mr Miller (Tr. R. S. Edin. xxi), to have fallen at 'The Stye,' or ''The Shoulder of Sprinkling Fell in Wastdale, 1,600 feet above the sea level With reference to gold prospecting in Wellington, the Independent says :— " We are glad to see that the reward of L1.000 for the discovery of a payablo gold-field has induced two more of the right class of men to try their luck, who, after receiving all the information they could gather in town, started on their tour recently. Of course their destination is unknown, but they assured us that whatever were the gold prospects offered on other diggings, they intended giving this province a twelvemonths' trial, to endeavor to reveal the precious metal, which they appear to think from the formation of the hills, &c, abounds in large quantities. We heartily wish these plucky adventurers good luck, and it will be a source of great pleasure for us to announce on a future day that the L1.000 has been paid over to them."

The Advertiser says :— " We have been informed on very good authority that the head quarters of the 14th Regiment may be expectod in Wellington about the middle of next month."

The Advertiser says : — " A boy named John Henry Baker met his death in a most extraordinary manner. He was wheeling a barrow down the Karori road, when it suddenly capsized, and he was strangled by a rope attached to the handles.

We take the following from the Grey River Argus : — "We have received authentic information from the party who set out from here some little time since for the purpose of thoroughly investigating the prospects of successfully working the extensive coal-field known to exist at the mouth of the Buller River. The party consisted entirely of practical miners, who had been engaged in the coal mines on the Nelson side of the Grey. They took with them a suficient supply of provisions, implements, &c, to enable them to spend some time in properly exploring thoe mineral resources of the district. The report that has now roached us is of a highly satisfactory character, as far as it goes, although the writer expresses regret that the hitherto unfavorable weather had prevented them from doing as much as they wished. However, it appears to be quite certain that the reports of Dr Haast and of Mr Burnett, both of which were extremely favorable, are by no means exaggerated, either as to the quality of the coal, its abundance, the facility of working it, or the advantages that the country presents for its economical transport to the place of shipment, which is emphatically said to be the best and most available harbor on the West Coast. The quality is pronounced to be at least equal to that of any yet discovered in this hemisphere, the seam in many places being as much as twenty feet in thickness ; the ' dip,' as it is technically termed, is generally upwards, so as to permit of its being worked without costly pumping machinery, as the ' adits' will drain themselves, a most important consideration in mining operations ; and by the construction of a short tramway, the mineral would be brought down to the ship's side in Buller harbor. The coal crops out for a very considerable range of country along the banks of the Waimangaroa River, and is believed to be a portion of the same seam that is now being worked on the Grey, as it is found at intervals all along the range, which extends on a line parallel to the coast from here to some distance north of the Karamea. This range in the neighborhood of the Buller bears the name of the Papahua Mountains, and it is in an elevated space of these, called the Mount Rochfort, that the coal is now being sought for. If it can be extracted from the seaward face of this mountain, which the Maoris of the vicinity say is the case, it will materially lessen the expense of obtaining it, as it then could be sent down by a very short and expeditious route to the sea."