The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1868.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 245, 14 May 1868, Page 2

The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1868.

The estimates being now before the public, it is open to the public prior to various items being passed to express some opinion on them, and to urge anyreasonable objections through their representatives, before the amounts are actually disposed of. We have repeatedly called public attention to the very unsatisfactory present arrangements for the conduct of the hospital here, and before the session closes it would be well if something definite as to future management was to be arrived at. If the public are to have the control of the hospital affairs let them know it, and at once take an active part in them ; if they are not, at least let us be made aware of the grounds on which such privilege is withheld. At prssent, however, we would more particularly attract notice to the amounts set down for hospital purposes on the Coast, with a view, if possible, of procuring some alteration in the present distribution. In the first place, though we were promised a new building, more suitable than the present converted stable, for the reception of the sick, no mention of any money towards the erection of a hospital is made mention of; and it is clearly the. duty of our representatives to make enquiries on the subject, and elicit, at least, an explanation. The Custom-house, Post-office extension, both at Westport and Charleston, a warden's house and survey office at the latter place, gaol extension here, are specifically mentioned, but no werd of the hospital appears unless it comes under the head of the item "other buildings, repairs, and fittings." A.t present we have the most disreputable building for the purpose on the Coast; let us hope that the above has reference to a hospital. Passing from that portion of the subject, we find that a total of £4,200 is apportioned as maintenance money to hospitals on the South-West Groldfields, a sum amply sufficient for the purpose were it only properly divided. With reference to the Westport, Charleston, and Brighton portions, we have nothing to say, though we cannot help thinking that if these two latter institutions were amalgamated it would be far better, and the sick of each district would be better cared for. A great portion of necessary expense now incident to each would suffice for both by such union, and some charges of a peculiar nature in connection with the Brighton Hospital during the past year would be avoided in future. Still, that is a matter that the two places alone are interested in, and if they do not care to coalesce when coalition would do so much towards hospital efficiency, we have no right or inclination to insist otherwise. But the last and the largest amount is one that we conceive to be utterly and entirely unjust. This sum, £ISOO, does not go towards the maintenance of any hospital within .the Nelson boundaries, but towards that of Grreymouth. The arrangement maae in the earlier rush to the was then no doubt an equitable, and indeed the only one possible. At that time patients were being constantly sent to Greymouth from these goldfields, or rather from the Pakihis, as Charleston was then called, and of course it was not reasonable that they should be housed and cared for without any contribution from the province that sent "them. Now, however, all these things are changed. There are no less than

tbree hospitals—Brighton, Charleston, and Westport, where none however at that time existed. Now, if it is necessary to send away a patient from either of these, he is sent not to Greymouth, but to Nelson, and we do not believe that for months past half a dozen patients from the Nelson Province, including the river or other diggings in the Cobden District, have been any expense to Westland or Greymouth. The population in the southern portion of this Province is very small, whilst on the other side of the Grey it is just as large, yet under present circumstances, we contribute just one half of the whole expense of the Greymouth hospital, whilst we do not reap onetenth the benefit in the care and treatment of our sick. It must be remembered that this £ISOO is just onehalf of the money on which the Grey hospital is maintained, and that the County in which it is situated only contributes just the same amount. If our own sick people have occasion to go to that institution, let it be recuperated by all means to the fullest extent that can be fairly claimed, but it is monstrous to coolly hand over £ISOO in return for which we derive but a trifling amount of benefit. Why not, if need be, establish a small hospital at Cobden, similar to that at Brighton and save £9OO to be spent in our province, where there are plenty needing all the care we can bestow. Why not, instead of sinking the £9OO balance for the benefit of Westland, establish a hospital at Addison's, or elsewhere, where large numbers of people are permanently settled. A hospital of the description pointed out, would amply suffice for the Nelson portion of the population in the district, and we look on the bestowal of the total £ISOO on Greymouth as nothing more or less than a misappropriation, and a total disregard of the wants and requirements of our own people. It is not too late yet, we hope, for our members to protest against this grant —it must be obvious to all that it is both unjust and unreasonable. Public money is not so plentiful that we can afford to be liberal to other places ; if we are, we must go without ourselves.

At the very time that a new Licensing Ordinance is supposed to be engaging the attention of the Provincial Council, the business of hotel-keeping at Charleston appears to have drifted into a most peculiar position. It seems that a large number of public houses, so called, are —in defiance of the present Act—kept by single women, the license being nominally held by some male friend, perhaps a storekeeper who supplies the liquor, or a ginger beer man, or, it may be, a mere bully, for apparently it matters very little who is the ostensible holder of the license. Some of these places are quite respectable, but the majority are said to be mere brothels in disguise, and a very thin disguise too, one that any passer by can easily enough see through. The evil has of late increased to such an extent, that we hear the diggers have given a shameful nickname to a principal street of the town, and legitimate hotel-keepers have found it necessary to meet together to concert some measures for self-protection. They complain that not only are there sham hotels allowed to be kept open during the ordinary hours of business, but that drinking goes on in them long after the regular houses are closed for the night, without that amount of interference by the police which the more respectable publicans experience. We do not know what amount of truth there may be in these particular complaints, but that an important clause of the Licensing Act is systematically evaded, or set at defiance, is a fact which is patent to all who know anything of Charleston. Whether the fault lays with the Ordinance, or with the officers who have to see to its proper administration, there can be no two opinions about the present state of things being a disgrace to the town, as well as to the authorities who are set over it, and the sooner a remedy is applied the better. If sufficient authority cannot be found in the Licensing Act as it stands, nj time should be lost in calling the attention of the Council to the deficiency, and we would suggest to the newly-formed Licensed Victuallers' Association of Charleston the propriety of at once bringing the subject under the notice of that body, by memorial or otherwise, presented through our representatives.

In our reference to the engagement of the Japanese troupe, we should have stated that the time of their arrival will be about the 12th, not the 17th inst. A new rush was reported to have taken place to fresh ground on Tuesday, and yesterday several parties went out in search of the place. Up to the hour of going to press we have not been able

to ascertain anything about it, or to gather the slightest reliable information on the subject. The alleged spot is a terrace between the Orawaite and the Caledonian, but whether there is any truth or not in the rumor we are unable to say. The Volunteers met last eveuing, Lieutenant Harrison in the chair, in the absence of Captain Pitt, for the purpose of considering rules and choosing a uniform. ]t was arranged that the subscription money should be Is per head per week, and eight weeks are to be paid up by Monday next. The uniform selected was a scarlet tunic with regulation facings; black trousers, black braid facings with scarlet bead; and black cap without peak. A finance committee was also chosen. After some other unimportant business the meeting separated.

We take the following from the West Coast Times :—-A singular discovery of those extraordinary little creatures belonging to the genus amphibia, and known by the name of " mud fish," was made the other day by Mr Goods, a carrier, who, whilst engaged digging his garden in Park street, turned an old root over, and at the same time, to his intense astonishment, unearthed a number of living creatures of fish-like form, which hopped about with surprising vigor and activity. About a dozen of them were collected by Mr Goods, who, being an old hand upon the coast, immediately recognised them as mud fish. They ran from three inches to five inches in length, and are yet to be seen at Mr Goods's residence by persons curious in such matters." The Peak Downs Telegram's Springsure correspondent states that a young girl, named Augusta Pettifoot, living with her parents at Arcturus Downs, was burnt in a most singular w ay. She was attending to the cooking at an outside fire when a whirlwind came past and scattered the fire over her. She lived about 24 hours. Mr R. D. Ireland is now in Hokitika, having arrived per Claud Hamilton, for the purpose of defending Larkin, Manning, and the others charged with sedition and riot. Up to the receipt of last advices the time of trial had not been definitely fixed. The Supreme Court sittings were to commence on Wednesday. By the Waipara we learn that these trials will not commence till Friday (to-morrow) morning. Mr Ireland receives as a fee for his services the magnificent sum of £IOOO, probably the highest ever paid south of the line. The amount has been made up by subscriptions, and so liberal have the contributions been that we hear there will be a large balance unexpended after this heavy drain on the exchequer. A gentleman now residing in Newcastle, New South Wales, makes a statement giving some idea of the expense of transmitting messages by the great Atlantic cable. When Captain Tidmarsh, of the ship Wennington, now lying in this port, arrived in San Francisco, after the loss of the Golden Sunset, he telegraphed to his wife in Liverpool informing her of his safety. The telegram was despatched from San Francisco between nine and ten o'clock on Monday evening, and was delivered to Mrs Tidmarsh by ten o'clock on the following morning* The message only contained nine words, and cost the very insignificant sum of £45.

Mr Hodgson, inspector of schools, and secretary for the Central Board of Education, was one of the passengers by the John Penn en route to Cobden. During the time of his stay he paid a visit to Mr Erazer's school, though of course not officially, and we understand expressed himself as perfectly satisfied with its conduct. At the same time he met some of the members of the local Education Committee, and entirely concurred in all the arrangements in reference to the establishment of a school under the management of the Board made by them. The house and school-house will soon be completed, and by the beginning of next month all will be in readiness for a start.

From Hokitika we hear that the encroachment of the sea still continues, and considerable alarm is felt in portions of the town hitherto considered safe from its incursions. The spring tides of a few days ago did considerable damage in North Revellstreet, near the Tramway, and the sea came up higher than has been known. It is certainly time that our southern friends should take some measures for preventing the further progress of the destroying element. Apropos of that, however, the same will very well apply to our owu case, for our river bank is gradually disappearing, and at the present rate even, in a month or two, Morey's Hotel will have a full water frontage with no intervening solid ground.

Suitors in the Resident Magistrate's Court are often greatly inconvenienced through ignorance of the requirements of the prosent Act. This was especially illustrated on Tuesday last. As the law stands at present, personal service is not necessary and it is held sufficiient if the summons is served at the defendant's last known place of abode but when this is the case seven clear days must be given before the case can be heard. One of our business men was not apparently aware of this, and had to submit to a postponement of a suit in consequence on the above day. Another provision is, that hearing fees must be paid before cases are gone into at all, and this on the same occasion led a suitor into difficulty. A claim for £4 was made, both parties appeared, and defendant admitted being indebted £l, but the plaintiff had no money with him, and as he consequently could not pay the fees, seven shillings, the cases was struck out. These instances may be of service to those who have business at this court.