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Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1152, 20 February 1874, Page 2

Mails for Nelson, "Wellington, and the Northern Provinces of New Zealand, per s.s. Kennedy, close at 9 o'clock this morning. A meeting of the Kynnersley Memorial Committee was held at the Post Office Hotel at 4 p.m. yesterday, Dr. Thorpe in the chair. The principal business transacted was the appointment of Dr Thorpe as permanent Chairman, Mr W. D. Kerr as Secretary, and Mr J. VV. Humphrey Treasurer. The Committee also decided to add to their number—subject to the consent of the gentlemen named—Messrs Harrison, Mullan, Braithwaite, Dunn, and Beaton, residents on the Terraces ; and Messrs M'Enroe, Mulligan, and M'Padden, of Addisons. A sub-committee was also appointed to prepare a circular, to be sent to the various outlying committees to be formed throughout the goldfields. Recently Mr T. Field sent up to Nelson for kiln burning a sample of bricks, made from the fire-clay and fire-stone obtained from the land held by the North Ngakawhau Coal Company, on the north bank of the Ngakawhau river. The bricks were returned per Wallace yesterday, properly burnt and really good articles. Some are made from the fire-clay, some from fire-stone, and some from an admixture of the two, but with all the burning has been successful. It is now proposed to send up some bags of the clay for lining furnaces at the foundries and thus fully test its useful qualities. If found suitable for such purpose there will at once be a ready demand in Nelson, the English fire-clay used in Moutray's foundry costing £o per ton. There should be a tfood brick-making industry soon started at the Ngakawhau. The clay both for fire and building bricks is found there in unlimited quantities. The coal is close to hand and every facility exists for constructing shed 3 and brick-yards. Three lads, incipient larrikins, named Peler Higgins, Edwin Thomason, and James An irews, belonging to Spring Grove, have been charged at the Magistrate's Court, Nelson, with having maliciously broken a telegraph insulator on the Richmond road. Mr Sharp, thconly magistrate on tbe Bench remarked upon the insignificant value of the article destroyed but, the enormous loss and inconvenience that might result from such mischievous acts, and sentenced the offenders to n fine of £3 each or 14 days imprisonment. The Inspector of police stated that the trick of these lads was a favorite amusement, and that a score of smashed insulators along the line testified equally to the accuracy of aim and absence of brain of some of the rising generation of the Waimeas.

We have found it necessary to make enquiries as to the cause of delays often occurring in the transmission of telegraph messages from Wellington to Westport, and in justice to the officers of the telegraph department, and as affording information to ourreaders, we publish an extract from a letter just received from the Manager of t he Anglo-Australian Press Telegraph Agency. He writes : —•* I applied to Mr Lemon, and after some delay—for these things necessarily take time—both of us together went over the month's telegrams received at Westport, for the purpose of tracing out where any undue delay might have occurred. After a pretty careful scrutiny, and from what I otherwise learned, I do not feel justified in blaming the department or any of its officers. It appears that the circuit is the slowest for transmission of any in the whole Colony, and though under favorable circumstances a message from Wellington may reach Westport in an hour, three hours or sometimes more is consumed beh,rj a message reaches its destination. The principal cause if delay, though there are other things which help to delay messages, is the number of stations at which "the messages have to be taken on' and repeated. Blenheim is the first, Chiistehurch is the second, and Hokitika or Greymouth is the third before reaching Westport. Then there is the delays caused by the business on the intern,ediate stations, for it is against the regulations of the department that a message from one telegraphic point to anothei should keep back work on the iiHeunediate stations. The messages are

made to alternate in their claim to the wires. A. further delay is alao caused by the peculiarity of the position of the Reeftou ofliee na regards telegraphic communication with Westport, so that a bmy day at Reefton is certain to cause delay to press messages for Westport." Uy the ship Harvest Home, from Loudon. Messrs X. Edwards and Co, have received the first steam hammer used in Nelson, and •according to the Mail, the largest in the colony. The same firm has replaced the old Albion wharf with a new one, and the Mail gives the dimensions in length, ll>s feet, breadth, n-ar the road, 45 feet, and at the outer end, ?0 feet. There is plenty of room for carts to pass backwards and forwards, it is provided with a steam wiueh, winch was at work on Thurs lay for the first time, and altogether will prove a very great convenience to the shipping trade. Attached to the wharf is an iron store 73ft by 28ft, a portion of which is set aside for goods in bond, as a very large transhipping business is done by Messrs N. Edwards and Co. with their fleet of coasting steamers the advantages of having such a building can scarcely be over-estimated. An application recently made by the Borough Council for the employment of surplus prison labor on works of public utility has been responded to by tile promise that the first available hard labor gang shall be employed in making the approach from Bentham street to the ferry practicable for loaded vehicles. It has been suggested t at the District Road Board might well expend any available funds in improving the approach on the other side of the river, so that wheeled ti-afac might be possible between i-Vestport and Addison's Plat The prospectors of claim No 3 South Mokihinui, Messrs Kiel and Stephens, who have been energetically prospecting the claim for some, time past, have brought down for the inspection of shareholders some splendid spcimens of gold bearing quartz, which is on view at the Post Office Hotel. The stone is thickly studded with sold, and compares favorably with any yet brought from the Mokihinui district. We may add that a small quantity of stone, in which no gold was visible, taken from the claim has been crushed at the Bank of New Zealand, and gave an t exceedingly good yield. A correspondent writes that the farewell ball and supper, given a few evenings ago by Mr David Barrie, at German Terrace, was a most enjoyable gathering. Friends, countrymen, and lovers, flocked from the terraces round about, anxious to spend one more merry evening with their old comrade before his departure to the "Lando' the leal." With stalwart and sturdy digging friends came al3o trooping a host of lady *guests, and their presence lent a charm to the scene better appreciated than described. Dancing was the order of the night, harmony and good feeling prevailed, and it was not until faraway in the "we sma hours" that the company dispersed, with many kindly wishes for the prosperous voyage of their worthy host and hostess and their- little ones.

Mr M'Leod is again busy pushing on with the extension of the Wakefield Street wharf, and in a short time will have the greater portion of the flooring laid ready for use. The wharf, when completed, will be the best of the many erected, from time to time, on the banks of the Buller.

Mr Evans, the Resident Engineer for Westport, has left Wellington for Nelson by the steamer Otago, and will in all probability arrive here on the next trip of the steamer Charles Edward.

It is stated as probable that in selecting land for the railway depot in Westport, the one line of sections facing Palmerston Street will be left intact, and that a clearance will be made between that line of sections and the river bank from Bentham to Nelson Street, and probably further down if increased area is required. The Colonist of Tuesday last says that the body of H. W. Turnell, Esq., R.M. and Warden at Golden Bay, has been found by a search party just below the second fall at the Takaka river.

Mr Charles Elliott has been appointed Immigration Agent for the port of Nelson vice Mr A. Greenfield. In view no doubt of the appointment being no longer a mere sinecure.

As a proof of the settled and more homely habits of the mining population, it may be instanced that on the Terraces where at the last taking of the census only some 50 or 60 separate habitations existed, there is some 115 domiciles, although the aggre* gate population has decreased. The miners live more comfortably, many being married and others having snug bachelor abodes. The Ahaura races are fixed for the 2nd and 3rd of March next, a fortnight before the Greymouth meeting.

The Inangahua Herald announces that a company with capital of £20,000 has been formed, the shareholders being chiefly residents of Wellington and Nelson, for the purpose of investing in the reefs in that district. Reports are now being prepared submitting.particulars of the various mining companies and the most suitable ones to invest in. Agents have been appointed in Reefton, and we believe that the speculation will be u profitable one provided its operations are confined to mines that are proved beyond a doubt.