SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC.

West Coast Times, Issue 359, 16 November 1866, Page 5

SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC.

There has been ;i steady influx of population to our shores, which soeuw steadily on the in crease, while the corresponding- departures have been, as usual, small. The arrivals during the past four weeks arc stated at 157i),while the departures only number 50u. This is quite sufficient to .show tho value of Westland as a new field of enterprise, and a complete refutation of the melancholy and mendacious stories that find i their way into the Australian and Otagan journals. The gold returns for the same period prove continued prosperity, 29,708 ounces having paid duty at the Hokitika Custom House, and about 20,000 ounces at the Grey. We are unable to state exactly the returns at the latter port, but the above may be accepted as a close approximation to the truth, thus showing a total export for the month of close upon fifty thousand ounces. As an index to the state of trade iv Hokitika, we may remark that the sum of L 13,624 3s 8d has been paid at the Custom House in the shape of import duty during the same period. Our newly-elected Municipal Councillors have been assiduous in their attention to their public duties, though as yet most of their operations have been only preliminary. They have elected officers and prepared bye-laws, but there their labors may be said to have terminated, as they are unable to undertake any public works till they are supplied with the " sinews of war. 5 ' The arrival of Archdeacon Harper on the 20th ult., enabled the Church of England to be opened for public worship on the following day, when he commenced his ministrations before a large and highly respectable congregation. The majority of the sittings in the church have been taken, and the general attendance is good. The Presbyterians have commenced to erect a place of worship of their own, and the Rev. Mr Gow, of Lyttelton, has received a "call" to the ministry, "When this building is finished the various denominations will be well represented, as.the Wcsleyans and Catholics have for some time possessed chapels. At the Kanieri a building has also been erected and opened for worship according to the ritual of the Church of England, the attendance at which is good. The frequent heavy floods by which we have been visited this month has on more than one occasion suspended communication the .surrounding districts, and point to the necessity of bridging the more turbulent of the numerous streams that everywhere intersect the country. The Grey, the Ro.s.s, and the Christchurch coaches, have been delayed, and on one occasion the latter conveyance narrowly escaped a serious accident; while travellers on foot and horseback are constantly running considerable risk, and we have during tho past month to report the usual loss of life by drowning, which constitutes no less a proportion than five per cent, of tho annual mortality of the colony. With the exception of that over the Saltwater Creek, there is not a single bridge on the Coast, or any other means of crossing the numerous streams but ordinary ferry boats — which of course, are rendered useless directly a " fresh" comes down — except on the Hokitika, where a punt has been placed. Delay and danger are therefore neccssury concomitants of Westland travelling, and the consequent loss of life is well known to every resident here. Without asserting that the accidents that have so frequently occurred could in eveiy case have been prevented, there can be no doubt that the number would have been considerably less had steps been taken by the Government to encourage private enterprise in the construction of bridges and punts between this port and the Grey, where such a large traffic exists, by granting certain privileges to those willing to embark in such undertakings. A safe mode of transit across our rivers, even though constituted a monopoly, would be infinitely preferable to a dangerous competition, and would be of immense public value, though perhaps the interests of a few private individuals might suffer. We have frequently heard objections made to undertaking any very expensive work grounded on the fact that no protection was obtainable, and though the public have no objection to pay a small toll in times of flood and danger, they prefer fording or swimming the streams on other occasions, and thus saving their coin. Were the same rule enforced, with respect to such works, that applies to the evasion of tolls on an ordinary turnpike road, the evil would be met, and we should see a substantial bridge erected over every creek of consequence in Westland, with a corresponding reduction in the number of deaths by drowning. We are glad to see that the new Goldfields Act provides for the encouragement of public works on the goldfields by private enterprise, and that the difficulty heretofore experienced in initiating such works will be in future considerably lessened. The full report that our last Summary contained of the dreadful tragedies on the Maungsitapu mountain is likely soon to be supplemented by the account of the murder of Mr George Dobson by the same gang, assisted, it is supposed, by others who are now cither in custody or under the surveillance of the police. One of the men implicated in tb.e IS[elKpn murders, named, Sullivan,

who was admitted approver, and »vliose evidence convicted the 'v'son^r 1 !, charged a man named .Murray, or Wil-"•i'-n. \\Tth the murler of Dobso i, ami i Jiplicaf-f' snvra l 'others, upon which they were arrehted and lodged in the Hokitika gaol. These men have been remanded from week to week during a period of some three months, and though five or six weeks have elapsed since the conclusion of the Maungatapu trials, the presence of the most essential witness has not been obtained. To the repeated enquiries of the police the same reply was made — that the Crown Prosecutor had not been able to obtain a writ of Habeas Corpus, but that application had been made to the Attorney-General. In consequence of this unaccountable delay aud carelessness on the part of the authorities, the the Resident Magistrate did not consider himself justified in detaining' men against whom no evidence had been brought; and consequently they were first liberated on heavy bail ; then on their own recognizances; and now some have been discharged altogether. The only one still retained in custody is the prisoner^ Wilson, against whom a stronger suspicion of guilt exists : and there can be no doubt that he would also have been at lai*ge by this time had not a message arrived two or three days ago to the effect that a writ had been issued, and Sullivan might be daily expected in Hokitika. The grief I and indignation of the public when they saw the- probability dealining day by day of this most foul and brutal murder becoming investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice, miy be understood when it is remembered that the unfortunate victim was intimately known to the majority of the residents on the coast, as well as to a large circle in Christchurch, and was respected and esteemed, as widely as he was known. It is not sufficient for the ends of justice that the wretched men who have ju««t expiated their crimes ou the scaffold should close with their lives a chapter so grim in our history, when other malefactors may exisfln our midst perhaps equally guilty with them, and equally deserving of a shameful death. Though justice has overtaken some of the members of the felon gang who have left footsteps of blood wherever they have trod, hextask is not yet ended, nor, we are assured, will the public mind be satisfied till the death of George Dobson receive as close an investigation as those of the unfortunate Maungatapu victims. It is satisfactory to observe that an institution of so much value in a woodbuilt town like this, as a well-equipped Fire Brigade is steadily progressing both in strength and efficiency, and the arrival on the 1 7th ult., per the Alma, from Melbourne, of a good fire engine was the subject of considerable congratulation. The ceremony of c!:ristenit, took place on the folio <ving evening by Mrs Mumford (Julia Mathews). Accompanied by several lady friends, and surrounded by the Brigade, who formed a cordon about the engine, Mrs Mu'uford performed her part by breaking a bottle of champagne and naming the engine the '-Victoria." She declared that it afforded her much gratification to officiate upon such an auspicious occasion, • but trusted the town would be long spared that calamity which would bring the services of tha engine into requisition. Mi\s Mumford was responded to by three hearty cheers from the Brigade, which was followed by three more for the fair lady, and three for the " little Mum-fords." Cap-t-iin Millard assures us that it is perfect of its kind, and in capital condition, and being light and easily managed just the thing required for Hokitika. It is one of the many constructed by Mr Merryweather, whose fame as a builder is so wide spread. A subject, upon which not only the prosperity, but the very existence of Hokitika depends, has lately been brought prominently before the public, and has caused a considerable amount of discussion in the Municipal Council. The Hokitika river has become so diverted from its usual course that there is every probability that Hokitika will in the course of a short time become an inland instead of a seaport town. An old channel exists, leading from a point about a mile up the river, across to the lagoon, which his always been dry till within a very recent date, wjb.cn attention was culled to the fact th-at owing to the formation of a bank, a '• set" had taken place, which threatened to break through the natural barrier that kept the river in its present channel. With admirable promptitude a dam was constructed, which was swept away by a flood before it had been properly completed ; but so i'nr portant was the work deemed, that a second was some time after built, which has since partially shared the fate of its predecessor. ' The inroads made by the stream, especially during tho heavy floods by which we have been lately visited, are almost incredible, but the damage that has hitherto taken place, is as nothing compared to that with which the town is threatened, unless speedy steps be taken to confine the river to its present course, by either cutting through the bank which has been the proximate cause of the evil, or by constructing a substantial work to prevent the diversion of the stream to the old channel. i Should any delay take place in the adoption of either one or other of these two alternatives, the present bed of the Hokitika will become a muddy ditch, or a dry trc ich, and the wharf, which has caused the outlay of so large a proportion of the insufficient revenues of ■ Westland, will be as useless a§ if it had ! been constructed, on the Canterbury j plains.

Though a considerable sum has been expended on the construction of the wharf, amounting to over L-3 '.)"'), \i :s | vet i'u from being perfect. Fiisiiy. a I spnpo should be fenced in whue c.mL> may be landed with pome fit grce of safety, instead of, as at pioent, being put ashore iv close proximity t > a crowd busily engaged in shipping matteis. Instances have frequently oc-cuned where half-savage an-m.ils, released from the confiiieni'>!it of shipboard, have pursued pedestrians peacefully parsing along the quay, who haw owed the safely of their lives and limbs to a display of agility more prudent than graceful. A moderate space at the upper end of the quay, surrounded by a well built fence, would be quite sufficient to lcstrain the vicious propensities of these dangerous brutes, and would gefst but a very moderate sum. AAhcd, or yard, where coals, timber, and similar cargo might be discharged, is also much required ; at present the wharf is littered and disfigured by unsightly heaps of coal and timber, which block up the way and cause a considerable amount of annoj'ance,while it often happens that the importer is totally unable for the time to remove them, and thus leaves himself open to prosecution and fine. The absence of roa: ? s, of which West land has so much reason to complain, promises soon to become a thing of the past, thanks to the exertions of private enterprise. The need of such works to our prosperity and success is only equalled by the difficulty of their construction in a country like this, where dense forests and fathomless swamps btretch in all directions, v.iried only "by a strip 'of soft yielding sand along the sea shore, and to travel which entails vast labor and heaA-y expense. The diggings, upon which it is needless to say tho prosperity of the West Coast mainly depends, have been hitherto supplied with food, too's, and other necessaries by means of pack-horses, the cost of which mode of conveyance seriously detracts from the value of the diggings, as none but ground of considerable richness will enable the miner to do more than pay his bare expenses. It has been a constant cause of complaint against the Canterbury Government that no efforts have been made to connect the outlying districts with the chief port of supply in a more satisfactory mariner than by the present wretched pack-tracks, which wind through the dense bush more like miniature canals of mud than roads intended for traffic, and where stumps and supplejacks, bogholes and unbridged creeks lend their aid to endanger and vex the way Hirers whom an adverse fate condemns to travel th°m. Th« expense of forming efficient roads, however, where scarcely anything but " corduroy " would stand for a week the constant and heavy traffic, has acted as an insuperable bar to their construction by the Government, vi hich nevertheless has recognised their inrportance by promising in the Provincial Council to guarantee a certain rate of interest on the capital subscribed by private parties for that purpose. It is satisfactory to see that we shall shortly enjoy increased facilities of communication with at least two or three of the mo^t important centres of mining industry. Experience has shown the difficulty, if not impossibility, of forming ordinary roads at a moderate cos I in such a district as this of sufficient stability to endure heavy traffic ; and it has therefore been wisely determined to construct wooden railways, which offer the comfeiu'ed advantages of a maximum of speed with a minimum of wear The first and shortest line projected — from Hokitika to the Kanieri, distant about five miles — has been completed for some time for about a mile of the way, but through an unexplained cause no further steps ' were taken till very lately to continue the works. We arc glad to learn, however, that the terms of Mr Edgar, the wejl-known contractor, have since been accepted by the directors of the company, and that the line is guaranteed to be completed by Chris-tnas. - The second, and considerably more difficult work is intended to connect the two important towns of Hokitika and Greymouth, distant some five and, twenty miles, and will span some of the most dangerous rivers on this coast, which, much more than the distance, separate the two ports, both of which constitute centres of a large mining population. The vigor with which the operations of this company have been prosecuted can be readily understood from the following facts. On the 6th ult. it was formed under its present auspices ; on the 23rd, per miswas granted by the Municipal Council to lay the line within the town boundary; on the 27th the first rail was laid at -the company's Hokitika terminus; two miles of the way are now completed, and by the 24th of the present month, or in eight days' time, the first section of the line — to the Three-mile Creek — will be opened to public traffic. The extent of auriferous country embraced by the company's operations is a sufficient guarantee of tho payable nature of the undertaking : the Waimea, with 'its busy population of four or five thousand ; the Arabia a, Saltwater^ Creek, and five-and-twenty miles of beach workings, together with the two large towns of Hokitika and the Grey, will all be brought into communication one with the other ; and the impetus that will thereby be given to mining enterprise by the reduced cost of provisions, &c, must be very great, as it will enable ground to be worked that is not now payable. It would scarcely be supposed, considering these circumstances, that so important an undertaking would meet with opposition in the Municipal Council ; yet so it was. <v Eager to to flesh their maiden swords," the representatives of the people made a

furious onslaught on the railway bantling, on the occasion of an application being made to extend the line clown the main street to the terminus; and actually out of nine members a majority w.as found to oppose the scheme. The value of the reasons shown by these sapient gentlemen may be imagined by the fact that one opposed it because, as he said, wood was harder than gravel or sand, and if a man were run over on the latter he would be less hurt than if that remote contingenny happened on the former. The public indignation, however, made itself so soon manifest that after a further struggle of two nights' duration the desired permission was granted, the works to be subject to the approval of the town surveyor. A matter seriously affecting the interests of importers which has arisen since the "imposition of the new tariff, has been the subject of much comment lately, and a public meeting was called to consider it on the 3rd inst., which was well attended, Mr Lemming being present to represent the Customs. The question, though purely commercial, is yet fraught with sufficient general interest to call for a few words of explanation. Merchandise of every description is classed under the heads of dutiable and free. The latter, under the present tariff are few in number and easily disposed of — a simple entry declaring the nature and value of the goods being all that is necessary to pass at the Custom House. Dutiable goods may be on landing at once stored in the name of the importer in a bonded or Queen's warehouse, which is presided over by an officer of the Customs. Should the owner wish to take immediate delivery, and be in possession of the exact particulars of his goods, he may at once do so by paying the necessary amount of duty under a home consumption entry. As, however, it often happens the importer has not thpse particulars he then makes a sight entry. Here it is that the first of the alterations is introduced. In the form written out by the person passing the entry, the particulars as far as known are stated, and a deposit made equal to from twenty-five to fifty per cent, in excess of the supposed duty. This sight entry is then transmitted to the tide waiter on the wharf, by whom the goods are guaged, measured, or weighed, as ci'cumstances require, and the document returned to the Custom House, with the correct contents liable for duty noted thereon. The statement of contents, it will be observad, is made solely by the Customs authorities, and it appears that although liitherto the accuracy ol these returns has seldom been questioned, yet by an order lately issued from the Customs it is made compulsory on the importer or his agent to attend on the tide-waiter at the time when he so guages, weighs, or measures his goods. It is one of the grievances, complained of that the importer or his agent should be thus ■ compelled to dance attendance on the wharf officer until he finds opportunity to do the necessary work. Another annoyance arrising from the new regulations is, that when a parcel of goods is entered under a sight entry a portion > of those goods is retained by the Customs authorities until the sight is completed by the importer. The loss that may occur through detention of goods — more especially in such a fluctuating market as ours —is too well known to call for explanation. Not content, however, with this annoyance,, expense is added by this detained portion being placed in the Government shed, and made liable for storage and other charges. It may be well to state that these charges are not imposed in the case of free goods passing through the shed, or on goods intended for bond, -but only those under sight. It appears also that on the payment of duty an alteration is made. Previously cheques marked by the bank clerk as correct were accepted. Now only cash is taken. This poiut is not one of vital importance. It certainly causes additional trouble on the unfortunate importer, but that seems to be the object aimed at in one-half of these new regulations. A committee was appointed to wait upon Mr Seed, Inspector of Customs, who was on an official visit to the district, to lay the resolutions of the meeting before him, and to request his interference in remedying the grievances complained of. Last night, at 7 o'clock, the Christchurch ooacli arrived in Hokitika. Through the flooded state of the Arahwra eoiue little delay was experienced there, but the horses were eventually swum across and haruessed to the coach which was waiting on tliis side of the river, and the passengers and mails safely reached town as above. Mr Knox reports that the road is in a good state. On the way bill we noticed the names of Messrs Fabian, Dobßon, Eirwin senior, Hendrick, and Thompson. The escort which should have left town for the Totara district on Wednesday last, has been detained by the flooded state of the country. Weather permitting, it will leave for its destination to-day. Every "flood that now occurs makes ivemendous inroadß upon the South Spit, which is surely and rapidly melting away, and at the rate it is at present disappearing promises to soon be numbered with things of the past. More than one hundred feet of the bank were washed away by the late freshet, and the work of destruction is still going on. We quite anticipate that in the course of a few months the river will be running close to Lagoon Town, which would very seriously jeopardise the safety of that place. In proportion as the South Spit recedes the North Spit advances, as not the slightest difference ia perceptabie in the width of the channel between them. But the North Spit has decreased in width, as the flood cut away some fifteen feet of the bank below the protective ■work at the end of Beach street, several building* in cons6<jueßce are placed in close and disagreeable proximity to ths water's edge.