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Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 809, 4 May 1871, Page 2

The usual monthly meeting of tho Westport Hospital Committee was held at the Court House, on Tuesday evening—Dr Giles in the chair. The following members were present—The Rev. Father Walsh, Messrs Whyte, Graves, Bailie, Rowlands, Simpson, Fisher, and Humphrey (secretary). The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. The Vi-siting Committee having been requested to make enquiries into the fact of inferior bread having been supplied to the patients, MiGraves reported that the Committee had investigated the matter. Tho contractor had admitted that the bread supplied was not of proper quality, and promised that it should not occur again. The Committee further reported that they had found everything satisfactory upon them visits to the hospital during the mon'h, and they had authorised an expenditure of £'2 by the house steward on the garden. The medical officer's report for the month was read, showing that five patients had been admitted during the past month, and five discharged. No deaths had occurred during the month. Various accounts, amounting to nearly <£loo, were passed for payment. Qhe election of a member was discussed, to act on the Committee in place of Mr R. C. Reid who had left the district. Mr Bailie poposed Mr John Corr as a member of the committee. Mr Simpson seconded the proposition, which was carried unanimously. The Treasurer reported that the funds were becoming inadequate to meet the expenditure; there were only £2O in hand to pay the accounts during the space of three months until the close of the financial year. The Chairma i said that there was a sabsidy of £IBB 6s 6d due from the Government to balance the public subscriptions.'* The sum of £230 had been taken off the Hospital vote this year to balance the advance of the previous year. He would communicate with the Government as to an advance to carry over the present financial year. Mr Bickerton Fisher, Mr R. Rowlands, and Mr J. Munson were appointed a Visiting Committee for the ensuing mouth. A vote ol thanks was then accorded to ths chair, and the meeting terminated. On Tuesday, in tho Warden's Court, Westport, a number of applications for reservoirs and water-races were disposed of. John Mees and party applied for a goldmining lease of ten acres, situate at Eochfort Terrace. The application was strongly opposed by Patrick Disney and other parties of minora, who stated that tho ground was payable if worked as extended claims. The granting of the lease would be to give the applieancs a monopoly of nearly all the payable ground ou the terrace. The Warden decided not to recommend the application to his Honour the Superintendent. In the R. M. Court, Wostport, on Tuesday last, the business was limited to the disposal of a few civil cases. Paterson v. Kennedy was a claim for £2 ss, in which judgment was confessed. The defendant asked for time, and the Bench made an order for payment in weekly instalments of 10s.—Paterson v. Gardiner— In this cas i the summons was enlarged for three weeks for service. Sheldon v. Theresa Mar'a Roderinjj. This was a rehearing, in which tho plaintiff claimed £2 IS?, the value of an iron chimney and fireplace supplied to the defendant. At the previous hearing of the case, the plaintiff was nonsuited, his evidence being flatly contradicted by the defendant, and he having failed to produce corroborative testimony. Mr Pitt conducted the case for the plaintiff, and stated that he should produce the evidence of the plaintiff, of his wife Mrs Sheldon, as also that of William Dunn, an independent witness. Sheldon stated that the defendant came to him about a fortnight ago, hi company with another man, whom he did not know, and ordered a chimney. The following morning she called at his shop, and said that, if he would accompany her, she would show him where the fire-place was to be put. On arriving at the cottage, the plaintiff asked her to whom it belonged, and she replied that it was hers. He also asked her respecting payment, and she said that as soon as the work was done the money was there. The plaintiff completed the work, and on asking for payment, she said that she would pay when the Greek's boat came down, as the cottage belonged to a foreigner, named Antonio. He asked her for her name, and she wrote it down on the paper produced. Mrs Sheldon gave corroborative testimony as to the defendant having called twice about the fire-place. Win. Dunn stated that he met the defendant about a fortnight ago, when she told him that she was not going to pay her present landlord any more rent, as she had bought a cottage, that Sheldon was making a fireplace for her, and that she would require some other little repairs to the cottage. The defendant having been sworn, contradicted the testimony of the three previous witnesses. She had never ordered a chimney, and knew nothing about it; nor did she go to Sheldon with a man who ordered a chimney. The entire evidence for the plaintiff was false. She had been to Mrs Sheldon some months ago about some dresses, but had paid her for them. The address produced was in her writing, but was given to Mrs Sheldon, so that she might send the dresses to the proper house. She had not given it to Mr Sheldon. He had come to her for a key of a cottage which had been left in her charge by Antonio, but that was all she knew about the matter. Sheldon never asked her name, and she never gave it to him. She had no such conversation with Dunn as stated by him. Tho defendant produced no witnesses. Judgment for the plaintiff in the amount claimed, and costs. F. Eockstrow made an application for time to pay the amount of judgment and eoata,

£29 2-5, in Iho casq of Carre v. Eockstrow, heard ou tho 25th ult. Ho had intended to defend the caso, but wa3 unable to attend. He was prepared to pay forthwith .£lO into Court. His Worship consontcd to stay execution until tho stn inst;, when both parties could appear with respect to a further arrangement. Tho Court thou adjourned. The Wostport Volunteer Fire Brigade held their monthly mooting last Monday evening. The business transacted was chiefly unimportant. The Finance Committee were appointed to draw up a petitior. to the Provincial Council for ass'etance in sinking a number of Abyssinian wells, several of which will be in the vicinity of the Government buildings. The petition will be forwarded to Mr O'Conor, M. P.'C,, for presentation to the Council by the next steamer leaving for Nelson. The Treasurer reported a balance of £l2 to the credit of tho Brigade, and the liabilities amounted to nearly =£4o. Recently, a little girl named Bridget Clavey, daughter of a farmer residing at Orange, New South Wales, whilst pulling a pumpkin from the garden, was bitten on tho finger by a snake. Her parents wero absent from home at tho time, but a younger sister representing the danger that would ensuo on neglect, induced the sufferer to submit the finger to her, and without any hesitation chopped it off with a tomahawk. The remedy, though harsh, seems to have been efficacious, for a few applications of such ordinary remedies as were at hand perfected a cure. The following scene lately occurred in the Ballarat East Council.—Councillor Rodier made some insinuations about ce •- tain tenders, and spoke in a manner very likely to call forth indignation, the town clerk suddenly rose to his feet, and taking hold of a candlestick, raised it above him, preparatory to hurling it at the worthy councillor's face, at the same moment an ink-bottle was snatched by Councillor Rodier from its place in an inkstand on the table, and holding it aloft, he shouted out—" Do you want this ink-bottle at your head ?'' At this stage fie intending combatants were separated, and the Council adjourned abruptly for half an hour. The adjournment did not, however, end the disturbance, as some very choice language, in which both parties joined pretty freely, ■was indulged in. Councillor Eodier called the town clerk a " skulk " and a" coward," while the town clerk replied that the councillor was an " insulting scoundrel," and a " contemptible scoundrel," and an " infernal liar and scoundrel," who had not only insulted him, but other officers of tho council. As the affair calmed down, Councillor Rodier, who had pronounced the Colonial Press in the forenoon to be venal, and c tpable of being bought and sold in any shape, advanced to the reporters, and in a dictatorial tone of voice made known a request that the affair should not be reported. The reporters (says the " Star") assured him that they represented certain newspapers, and not the Ballarat East Council, and that, as far as possible, they wished to do their duty. Colonel Hood, of the sSth Regiment, is about to pubiish an historical record of that regiment from 1775 to 1870, including tho war in New Zealand. The volume will cost £l. Intending subscribers are rerequested to apply to Colonel Balneavis, at Auckland.

Major Hamley, late of Auckland, has been appointed Assistant-Controller in tiie new Army Control Department in England, with the relative rank of LieutColonel. We (" Southern Cross" of April 19) learn from a gentleman who has recently arrived from Sydney that trade is exceedingly dull in that city. lie says the streets are daily thronged with large numbers of workmen unable to get employment. Among tho Chinese passengers who arrived in the Whirl wind from Hong KongatDunedin, there was one"passenger, the "Tuapcka Times" says, who deserves a passing notice, whoso name is Leang Chun Wah. This gentleman has arrived to administer to the bodily ailments of his countrymen and others who may require his services, as ho has diplomas from the proper authorities at Ilong Kong, having passed a brilliant examination, and attained the degree of M.D. The timber trade of Ilavclock, Marlborough, is assuming large proportions. In six months 56 vessels have loft the port, with 1,478,850 ft of sawn timber. The men employed in making roads in the Province of Auckland have been christened " Vegel's gangs." The Canterbury " Press" informs 119 that a noteworthy event in connection with sporting matters in Canterbury took place on Saturday evening last. A gentleman well-known in connection with the turf made a bet of £IOO with Bird, one of the English pedestrians, that he could not run 20 miles in two hours. The bet was promptly taken up on behalf of the English ped by Mr J. G. Harris, of Victorian celebrity, and £2O staked at once. The match is to come off on June 24, or if the weather is unfavorable, within a week after that date, the " convincing ground" to be within five miles of Ghristcurch. The articles of agreement have been drawn up and signed by both parties, two well-known gentlemen having been appointed as time-keeper and referee respectively. A second deposit of £3O 8-ride is to be made with the stakeholder in a fortnight's time, and the final deposit of £">o on the evening before the match. Bird is perfectly confident as to his capability of performing the task, and at the same time the backer of the old scythe-bearer has many supporters.