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Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 976, 4 June 1872, Page 2

The petition in circulation for some few days past, praying His Excellency the Governor, to declare the town of Westport a borough, under the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1867, has been numerously signed, and the requisite number of names nearly all obtained. The proposed borough of Wesfcport is described as bounded on the south by Stafford street, on the east by Domett street, north by the Pacific Ocean, and West by the Buller River, within an area not exceeding nine square miles. The document states that the petitioners view with pleasure the great benefits accruing to other towns in New Zealand, from their being brought under the provisions of the Act, and that they believe their own town and the comfort and prosperity of the inhabitants will be improved by an extension of its benefits to Westport. It must be satisfactory to the promoters of the movement to find that objections raised at first have speedily vanished, and that a comparative few now only doubt the propriety or expediency of the action. A meeting of the Hospital Committee is convened for 8 o'clock sharp to-morrow evening. It has happened of late that several proposed meetings have lapsed for want .of a sufficient quorum of members, and it is suggested that those amongst the committee, who, by reason of the many demands on their spare time, cannot afford to devote even a single hour now and then to public duties, should notify their resignations, and allow individuals of more leisurely vocation a chance of accepting office. Ju a i ition to the petition for the incorpoiMtio. of Westport as a Borough, another has been signed by the majority of the householders, praying the Nelson Executive to give instant effect to tho recommendations of Mr Dobson, as to the formation of Palmerston street, the immediate shifting of the Government Buildings to the reserve facing Wakefield street, and other matters pertaining to the establishment of a permanent site for the town of Westport. The petition has been forwarded to Mr E. J. o'Conor, and the result -will be waited for with some degree of anxiety, as indicating whether or not the Nelson Government are really in earnest in the expressed desire to deal justly with the people of Westport. The P. S. Re»ult left the river at low water at 1.30 on Saturday afternoon last, for the Ngakawhao, arriving there at 4.30, and crossing the bar there in 6 feet of water. She loaded coals the same evening from the shoot at the wharf, and oame. away at high water the following morning, crossing the Ngakawahao bar with eight feet of water. She brings from 15 to 20 tons of coal of very fair quality. Captain Leech went up by the Result, with tho intention of fixing beacons as guides for steering across the bar but owing to the prompt dispatch in loading the boat, had no opportunity. He goes up again during the week either by the Kennedy or overland. The wharf at the Ngakawahao h now completed and is a good and substantial structure capable of holding 200 tons of coal. In the pit a better system of work has been initiated, three shifts of men are employed, and trucks and tramway are being prepared for use in lieu of hand barrows and planks. The men will thus be enabled to get out at least 30 tons per day, and arrangements have been made for a constant supply to Westpert. The ground in the working is still faulty, but the drive has been only carried in about fifteen feet, and the manager of the works does not anticipate reaching a perfectly solid face of coal until they have penetrated to a distance of about fifty feet. There is urgent need existing for the improvement of the pack track up Caledonian Creek. The recent floods having undermined tho banks and made tho narrow bed of the creek, which forms tho only practicable route at any time for horse traffic,

now nearly impassable. In fact the work of getting up stores and provisions, for the miners living on Caledonian and Giles's Terraces, is so severe that packers hardly care to undertake it except at advanced rates. Two or three men, working for three days, would with ordinary industry do all the cutting away of the overhanging banks at present absolutely necessary. Tho Westport Brass Band again favored the public by performing a selection of music in front of the Court House last evening. They are evidently rapidly improving in practice. The very attractive programme issued by the Social Entertainment Committee, for tomorrow evening, should attract a good audience. Attention is drawn to Mr Jno. Mnnro's sale of oats, wheat, and oatmeal, this day, as also to tho sale of a valuable section and cottage in Wallabi street. We hear that Messrs N. Edwards and Co, of Nelson, intend to erect shortly at Westport a commodious wharf for the accommodation of their own steamers, and sufficiently capacious to store thereon a constant supply of coals that will obviate the frequent detentions of tho boats at Greymouth while waiting there for fuel. The steamer Lyttelton will be also brought round to assist in the service. The Charleston escort arriving here on Wednesday last, bringing gold for the Bank of New Zealand and Union Bank of Australia An inquest was held at Brighton on Weinesday last, on tho body of Simon Ilandall, who was killed the day previous at Hope Terrace, three miles south of Brighton, by a fall of granite in his claim. From the evidence given it appears deceased was working in the face of the claim, ground-sluicing, on a high reef of granite, picking a bit of cement, when the reef above him gave way, and about a ton weight of granite rolled over him. A verdict of " accidental death" M.a.B recorded.

A paragraph is travelling round the newspapers in the Colony respecting the postal rates, and as it is apt to mislead and eouse inconvenience, being incorrect, we quote it as we find it in the "Thames Advertiser":—"The New Zealand postal regulations provide that all newspapers not printed in this colony cannot be posted except as book parcels and paid at the rate of 2d per oz. We were not aware until lately, when the matter was brought under out notice by a gentleman who had been in the habit of posting to his friends Australian papers, and accidentally discovered whilst at the post office that these were not forwarded through deficient postage. We do not complain so much of the interest of newspapers published in this colony being thus provided for, but we do complain that the public are not made aware of such provisions by advertisement, instead of allowing people mail after mail to contribute to the postal revenue without reaping any benefit. Why should Australia or any colony's newspapers be forbidden to pass through the New Zealand post offices without such an enormous tax ? The '• Australasian," if posted in New Zealand, costs the senderSd." The'above-mentionedregulation is not observed in the Westpoi;t Post Office nor, as far as we know, from actual experience and enquiry, in any other office in the Colony. The writer of Casual Notes in the ' Otago Daily Times' says: —lf the 'Tuapekfl, Times' is correctly informed, a swarm of Chinese, more numerous than any previous one in the history of the Province, is about to invade Otago. It would seem from this as if " John " were not very much afraid of any steps being taken by the Assembly to tax him. heavily, either by imposing a poll tax or a still heavier duty on rlco. The influx will show also that the Chinamen already here have been doing well despite the long drought. If the new comers are as numerous as it is said they will be, the antiChinese agitation, which has been remarkably quiet lately, will become as active a3 ever. The invasion will not be without its use, however, for it will enable Mr Macandrew, in opening the Provincial Council nevt year, once more to point to " a balance in favor of immigration" over emigration. On the other hand, if the Chinese continue to increase and the Europeans to decrease, it will before long be necessary for the Superintendent's speech to b3 published in Chinese as well as in English. The total amount of Customs revenue collected during the quarter amounted to £196,283 as against £171,481 for the corresponding quarter of 1871, showing an increase of ,£24,802. The increase i; spread over most of the highest duty-paying articles:—There is an increase of .£SOOO upon imported spirits, whilst the duty upon spirits manufactured in the colony has more than doubled. Tobacco shows an increase of over £1000; wine, £1300; and there is an increase of about the same proportion with respect to imported ales and porter, tea and sugar. There is a considerable increase in the duties upon general commodities—that is to say goods the duty upon which is fixed by measurement and weight. The difference is—on goods by measurement ■£544(5; and on goods by weight—£2o32. The ad valorem duties have just doubled, the amounts being £319 and* £76S respectively. The contributions of the several provinces during the quarter are shown in the following table, which also gives the figures for the corresponding quarter of 1871 :

Mar. Qr. Mar. Qr 1S72. 1871. Auckland 46.041 34,359 Hawke's Bay 6,145 5,849 Taranaki ... 1,621 1,377 "Wellington 20,215 17,308 Nelson 11,221 11,921 Marlborough 1,659 1,464 Canterbury 25,835 25,770 Otago & Southland 65.778 55,409 Westland 17,769 18,022