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Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1167, 14 April 1874, Page 2

The contract for bringing in sixty heads of water to the Inangabna Quartz Mining Company's claim has been let, the price being .£787. This work when completed will give employment to over 100 men, in | opening np and working ground in the ! vicinity. The Grey Argus regrets to say there is every sign of a considerable rush to the Palmer diggings from the Grey district. lb is known that some forty or fifty men have taken passages in the Claud Hamilton. There have been heavy withdrawals from the Government Savings Bank and the local banks by those intexding to leave. A passenger by the Charles Edward says at least ■£lo,ooo have been withdrawn during the last week. Groat damage has been done to the Christchnrch road by the late floods. The West Coast Times states that at the upper crossing at the Arahura an approach to Hungerford's bridge is swept away, and the river nearly, if not quite, runs at present under Harcourt's hotel. At the Kawhaka, a large strip of road has been completely washed away, and the river now runs where the road traversed a week informed, take many thousands to make good this damage alone, and where the money is to come from has yet to be ascertained. The damage done to the Christchurch road is reported as follows, and the cost of restoration is estimated at between £7OOO and £Booo.—Above Walter Kay's two bridges have been washed away bodily, together with about a mile of the road, and this being in the Gorge will cost a heavy sum to put it in a passable condition. Between the 43rd, 44th, and 45th mile-posts the road is entirely washed away, no trace of it remaining. At the 40th' mile-post, sixty chains of the road are gone, and at the 35th mile-post half a mile of the road is completely washed away. Mr Jackson's house was completely washed away, with all its contents, and the family narrowly escaped with their lives. The Teromakau now runs where the house stood. At the Eangiriri there is no trace of the road for two miles. At the Taipo, the foot-bridge is carried away, and from that place to the mouth of the Arahura, the river has encroached here and there, doing more or less damage.

Racing arrangements in Ilokitika fail to give,general satisfaction, if a letter written by a Boothholtlcr to the Register proves anything/ lie says—"While the self-styled ' Westland Racing Club' is composed of persons without the slightest sympathy for the popular and manly sport of horse racing as a sport, but who merely look upon ifc as a moans of raising money from owners of horses, from the public, from booth-holders, and from apple-sellers, so long will the Club be a bye-word and a scoff in the limited circle in which it is known; and so long will the public of Hokitika have to pay their shillings to witness such miserable apologies for sport, as the dreary exhibition of yesterday."

As an encouragement to more frequent travelling, by coach, between Charleston and Westport, the fare has been reduced to sixteen shillings. From Cobden cornea the news that the fresh in Fox's river has done a considerable amount of damage. The fencing of the paddocks and gardens up the river banks have, in most instances, been completely swept out to sea. The volume of water which came down was unusually large, and up to the present time the actual injury sustained is not known. The various tracks have suffered most severely, ii: some places tie approaches to crossing places have disappeared for ever, and consequently travelling overland up-river to Groymouth is highly dangerous. By the Wallace, last week, a passenger returned to No Town from the Palmer river. The news he gives is deplorable, ami he states that in Sydney hundreds of miners who had taken passages by ship and steamer, are offering their tickets for sale at any sacrifice. We have to acknowledge receipt from the Government Printer, of Vol. II appendix, to journals of the House of Representatives.

Miss Aitken has been performing with the Hokiiika Dramatic Club, in the " Bonnie Fish wife," and " Time tries all." The Lyell Argus, of the 4th instant, says:—MrT-Mabillo, who has been connected with the quartz mining industry of the district from its birth, and has been very successful in his investments, left Lyell on Tuesday last for Nelson en route for Switzerland, his native country. On

tho eve of his departure several of his friends met at the Commercial Hotel for tho double purpose of wishing him bon voyage and spending a social evening together. Another party of four Chinese have taken up their location at Westport, and are about to Visit tho outlying country to spy out tho best place for setting in as miners. They have lived in the Duustan District, Otago. for eight years past, and form tho advance guard of a largo body of their countrymen who are prepared to como and settle on the Coast as soon as they get favorable news from their pioneer brethren. Mr Alfred Burton, of Burton Brothers, Duncdin, who accompanied tho Luna on her recent trip, at the request of the General Government, for the purpose of taking photographic views of the West Coast Sounds visited during the cruise, has the whole series of pictures now open for inspection at his establishment in Princes street, Duncdin, and the collection attracts great attention. The Otago Times says : The series is brought to a conclusion with a couple of views representing the return of the party to civilisation. These views represent the streets of Westport. where a site has been cleared in the bush for the new township. As proof of the marvellously rapid growth of blue gums under favorable circumstances, the Otago Daily Times instances that in the Knox Manse garden, George street, a blue gum was cut level with the ground fiftoen aud sixteen months ago. Since then, it has sent tip numerous shoots, and the leading one on being measured lately, wus found to be thirteen feet four inches in height. The planting of blue gums in marshy regions has been found to be a preventative of fever.

The floods on the Christchurch and Hokitika road have been unprecedently severe. About ten miles of the road is washed away, and weeks must elapse before through communication is opened for wheeled traffic. There is a chance of active operations being shortly resumed in the Albion Company's Coal Mine. Negotiations are now pending with the owners of the Ino to load regularly with coal for Westport, and as soon as terms are concluded a mining manager and gang of coal-hewers will be at once employed. The lease to the company has been duly executed, and the most satisfactory stipulation is that the payment of rent will only commence from the opening of railway communication with Westport. The charge for freight on the line has been fixed at 2d per ton per mile, and a small additional charge for weighing and loading. In round figures the cost of carriage for eighteen miles will be about three shillings and sis pence per ton. The next mooting of the Provincial Council has been fixed for the first week in May. Telegraph communication with the various provinces was re-opened yesterday, and the telegraphists were busily engaged during the day working off the long accumulated messages.