Untitled

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 975, 31 May 1872, Page 2

The sudden demand for building sites has caused section holders in esse and in posse, to be on the alert, and the current topics of the week have been neither " weather" nor "times," so much as "corner pegs" and "jumpers." Palmerston street, and the streets and sections abutting thereon, have beon eagerly scanned by seekers after eligible sites, and a goodly crop of jumping cases arc likely to engage the attention of the Warden. The important recommendations now made by Mr Dobson, as detailed in our Nelson telegrams, will doubtless give a more decided impetus to the taking up of sections. We have some authority for stating that the building sections will be probably offered for sale as freeholds, and that arrangements are also pending for the equitable granting of areas, under business licenses, to parties suffering loss of present holding by the encroachment of the sea. The District Engineer and Harbor Master have both recommended that a wharf should be built between Wakefield and Ponblanque streets, as being the only site giving any promise of permanancy. and also as being contiguous to what must of necessity be the site of the permanent township. Parties having business at the Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Courts will notice that the Court will hereafter be opened at 10 a.m. on Monday's instead of 11 o'clock as heretofore. All efforts to raise the sunken machinery from the river bed, by means of present appliances, having proved unavailing, the contractors have now secured the services of the well known diver, Mr Watson of Lyttelton, who is expected to arrive here by the first boat. By proclamation, contained in the Provincial Government Gazette of the 7th instant, new regulations are proscribed for the granting of agricultural lenses, which may be thus shortly enumerated. Copies of implications must be posted for fourte n days at each coiner of the ground applied

for, on boards not less than three feet high. Notice of application and the date fixed for hearing must be twice advertised, at the expense of applicant, in such newspaper as the Warden shall direct, and copies of the papers must be produced to the Warden on the day of hearing. The amount of deposit required for any area not exceeding 50 acres is £lO, and for greater areas four shillings per acre. Boundaries must be marked by trenches and substantial corner posts, not loss than three feet high. A.reas must bo rectangular unless natural obstacles renfW a- dovlation necessary. Objections may be made in writing or verbally, but must be sustained at the hearing by objectors in person or by counsel. A surveyors report and plan of the ground applied for must be furnished, setting forth its probable auriferous nature, the prior existence or otherwise of mining privilege thereon, and the desirability or otherwise of reserving any portion for public purposes. Subject to the Warden's recommendation as to granting or refusal, all applications will bo reserved for the final decision of the Superintendent; the areas in the meanwhile being " protected." Failure to take up a certificate within thirty days after advertised notice to do so, will result in such document being cancelled. Leases will be granted for periods not exceeding seven yea', s, but in the event of failure to execute lease and counterpart within thirty days from advertised notice, the ground will bo declared again open for occupation. The rent will not exceed two and sixpence per acre. The sale or transfer of rights or interests will not be permitted without the written sanction of the Superintendent. Leases will be cancelled if permanent improvements are not commenced within three months from the issue of a lease, or if the land is neglected for six months, or the rent not paid on the days appointed. Eights of entry are reserved to permit the construction of water-races and to search for gold ; upon terms and conditions as to compensation to be decided by the Superintendent.

Tho ' sad sea waves' are stil by slow but sure degrees fulfilling the work of destruction. On the west side of Gladstoue street a gap now exists, where familiar building 3 so lately stood; suggestive of most unpleasant forebodings as to the impending fate of adjoining properties. Following the sudden disappearance of the Empire, every building in the coiner block has been pulled down, the houses on the south side of Freeman street carted away in fragmentary condition, and the sea at high water now washes with steady encroachment, a curved line of broken ground, extending from what remains of the recent site of the Bank of New South Wales melting house to Munson's cottage, at the rear of M'Farlana's Hotel. The proprietor of that hotel may now, in Auctioneers phrase, boast of an eligible corner section, commanding an uninterrupted view of the river and port of entrance, and offering facilities for business only limited by the contingencies of sudden interruption by salt water. The conclusion arrived at by those who, from long residence at Westport, should be enabled to form a competent opinion, is that at no distant date the removal of all the buildings on. the west side of Gladstone street will be compulsory. A Telegraph Station has been just opined at Motueka in the province of Nelson.

The fresh prevailing in the river during the early part of the week put a temporary stop to all cargo traffic. On Tuesday the river rose three feet, but is now falling. A few boats have now started up stream and sufficient loading awaits transit to fill f revy boat on the river for several trips. In fact considerable inconvenience is daily experienced on account of the delays in forwarding goods, arising in some measure from the inadequate boating service. Every mail from Reef ton brings urgent messages for goods to be forwarded with more expedition. A new craft, the " XL," of six or seven tons burthen was launched on Tuesday last by Mason and party, and will prove a useful addition to the fleet of cargo boats. The launch wa3 made the occasion of a little quiet jollification among the owners of the boat and their friends. The XL was baptized with customary libations, but, wise in their generation, the crew shattered not the orthodox bottle of Champagne on the bows of their new born craft but quietly drew the corlc and poured the contents down their throttles. Afterwards pulling off in the stream, and with music and grog aboar 1, making a short trial trip, tho result apparently being in every way satisfactory. We have shown a beautiful specim?n of illuminated writing in the form of a testimonial, to P.P.O. Secretary, Brother Edwards, from the officers past and present of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in tho Buller district. It has been most elaborately executed by Mr Wandrum of Charleston, and as a specimen of high artistic skill and manipulation is worthy of ranking among treasures of art. The testimonial will be forwarded to Brother Edwards, at Nelson, as a token of tho respect and esteem he has gained among the members of the order in this district. Our prediction that the rotten plankinoand gaping holes in t'ie Orawaiti Bridge would prove a pitfall for some benighted traveller has apparently received speedy confirmation. A well known miner Charles Osterland or German Charlev, who resided at Deadman's Creek, has been missing since Monday evening and fears are entertained that he has fallen through a hole in tho planking of the bridge and has been drowned in the river. He was last seen by Mr Wilson the dairyman on the north side of the bridge accompanied by a little terrier dog his constant-faithful companion. Thedog was seen the next day running backwards and forwards on the bridge and along the river bank in evident distress, and. has since persistently remained waiting and watching for his missing master. The hut inhabited by Osterland has been searched but no evidence found of his return there, and a swag he carried with him from town has been picked) up on the track from the bridge. It is surmised that being under the influence of liquor he had, after crossins? the bridge in safety, retraced his footsteps, and in the darkness of the night stumbled into the living grave gaping to receive him. The police have since been actively engaged searching the banks and bed of the stream, and the sea beach, but up to last night had discovered no traces of • the missing man. Ten thousand acres, in blocks of fifty acres each, when surveyed in the Inangahua Valley, will be offered for sale by public auction in accordance with the Land Regulations of 1863. Upper and Lower Broadway, at Eeefton are becoming almost impassable, owing to the recent bad weather and large amount of traflc.

At a recent meeting of the congregation of the Hokitika Presbyterian Church, it was unanimously agreed that the Rev. James Warnock Cree should be invited to become the pastor, at a stipend of JMijO per annum, with a manse. A public meeting has been held at Christohurch, at which a thousand persons

were present, for the purpose of discussing the political situation of the Province. Resolutions were almost unanimously passed for a petition asking the Conucil to advise the Superintendent to obtain a dissolution of the Council immediately. Public meetings are contemplated in all centres of population. The thanksgiving day for the recovery of the Pritico of Wales was no more impressively observed in Dunedin than on the West Coast. The ' Daily Times says it might easily have been mistaken for either a Fast Day or a Day of Humiliation by a stranger, but no one could over have guessed that it was a Day of Thanksgiving. No salute was fired, but few flags were hoisted, and even at the churches there was no manifestation, in the shape of increased attendance, that tho people were overjoyed that the Prince had got better. The sermons were equally spiritless, and more than one clergyman went so far as to say that, as a man, the Prince would not have been much missed, though as an official his death would have been a matter of importoace- I don't think the Prince would feel much flattered by tho distinction thus drawn. Altogether the day wa3 a failure, so far as a public manifestation of joy was concerned and even as a holiday it was disregarded by many, who showed their loyalty to the future King of England by putting up their shutters, and their loyalty to King Mammon by keeping the doors of their places of business coveniently ajar. All these little incongruities might have been avoided if Sir George Bowen had not been two months making up his mind about the issuing of his proclamation. Sir George must have been taking the San Francisco service as his model, otherwise he would never have been so long behind time.