THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1877.

Inangahua Times, Volume III, Issue 59, 3 January 1877, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1877.

We publish to-day amended declarations from the Returning Officers. Iteefton now participates in the advantage of a daily mail to and from Greymouth, the new service having commenced on Monday last. <■■-.'. A tea-meeting was held in the Methodist Chapel, on Monday evening last, tbe various tables being presided over by the ladies of the congregation. There was a very numerous attendance, both of children and adults, and iiifter the tables had been cleared away the meeting was addressed by the Rev. B£r Wor* boys, and seyeral other gentlemen. The Resident Magistrate will sit on the Bth, in the Court House, Reefton," ' when the petition against the return of Mr T. Gallagher, for the Riding of Antonios, will be heard. The petition in question alleges amongst other things that the election is void owin» to in' sufficient notice of the polling having been given by the Returning Officer; that the nomination of Mr Gallagher was in'fornial, his nomination paper haying been signed by a non-ejector; that the polling booth was not kept open during the prescribed hours, and. lastly, that personation was committed. The ceremony of heating out the old year and welcoming in the new one was performed in Reefton with the usual accb-npanimehts. The death of the old year wis announced by tbe loud tolling of the fire-bell, the jingling of innumerable dinner-bells, the barking of dogs, and the beating of kerosene tins. In the midst of the hubbub and some blue ftre tbe town band appeared, plajing " Auld Lang Syae.". A procession was thereupon formed and by the light bf several, blazing tar-barrels placed at intervals down the street, the crowd marched. The whole turn out, however, was fearfully lame. In fact, we have seen more enthusiasm at tlie funeral of a bailiff in old country tban was shown on the occasion under notice. There was one part of the subsequent ceremony whioh we did not exactly understand. It consisted in the crowd carrying one of their number shoulder tigh from hotel to hotel and standing him on the counter while those present drank whiskey and sang " Auld Lang Syne." But the ceremony was gone through, nevertheless, so we are safe in assuming that the new year was ushered in in due form.