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Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 16 April 1880, Page 2

We some time ago called attention to the fact of no Registration Officer under tbe new Electoral Act having been appointed for Beefton, and the result being that a large number of forms of claims to vote, together with all necessary schedule* under the Act have been forwarded to the Inangahua County Council, and Mr F. Brennan has been appointed Registration Officer for the district. This will be a great boon to the inhabitants, and will dispense with tbe necessity of forwarding voting claims to Greymouth. Those of the iohabitant* of the Inangahua who desire to see themselres as others see them, have now a full opportunity of doing so by the presence in town of two wellknown photograpers. Mr W. H. Perkins has opened bis studio in the premises adjoining Dowsing and Lines' while Mr H. Williams' has also erected a studio adjoining Mr George Wise's office, tbe latter under tb» direction of Mr Bing i both artists appear to be well patronised by tbe public, and some exceptionally fine portraits and local views are on display. At the opportunity of thus securing a really high class pioture will only be open to the public for a week or ten dart, those who wish to take advantage of it should do so without delay. With the object of opening up at early as possible a way for traffic between Berfton and tbe Big Biver country to the southeast of Reefton, Mr Gardner, County Engineer, has despatched Mesars Quigley and Anderson to chain off tbe route of the proposed track. Mr Gardner made a running survey of the line some time ago, and definitely fixed upon tbe route, but it is necessary that the exact length of the track should be ascertained tor the purpose of calling tenders, and hence Messrs Quigley and Anderson being sent out for that purpose. A genera! meeting of the members of the Beefton Volunteer Fire Brigade nag held in tbe engioe-roorn on Wednesday evening last— nineteen members being present. Captain Callings was voted to the chair. Thi roll being called, and the whole of the members' present baring paid up their arrears of duet and fines, the business of the meeting proceeded. The first matter dealt with was the consideration of applications *mt in for the position of night-watchman. Tb» following offers were then opened and reiid j— John Littk, £2 10»s A. Moor, £3; J J. Danks, £2 183 ; J. De Young. £Z 15s t W. A. Smith, £2, and W. B^ckbim, £2 Upon being put to the bailor, Mr <T. Lit lie w,as electee! by a large majority, and a vofe of ihanks was passed to Mr Beckhani, the lat9 watchman. Mr J. 8, Smith wi-i elected sub«Heutßnont, and Mr W, Brown secretary, both hi tbe stead of Robert BouUton, re* •igned Tbe question of the purchase of a bose«reel was deferred foi future consideration. The meeting then adjourned. A meeting will be held at Dawson's Hotel tbis evening at 8 o'clock, for tbe purpose of forming an Amateur Dramatio Club. The. meeting was erroneously coarened by us for Wednesday ewning las», whereas it should have been as above, Should a sufficient numWr attend, it is intended to give tbe first nsrlbrmanfle yi about » fortnight's time. It is astran^ebut eloquent com-neiita y upon 'he unaoand style of conducting bunness ou ihij West Co~3t, ilut sufh % 'nrge pif j ortion

of tba well*to-do bu«n«ss firms of teu or tw«l?e years ago should hare ended so disastrously to the persons oonoerned. It i» melancholy to reaeet upon the number of once wealthy and respected firms, which haw bad to succumb to the pressure of the times in later years, How few of the ••merchant princes' of Hokitika hare been able to weather out the jtorm, and when it is considered that the transactions of many of them reaobed to the extent of hundreds of thousands annually, and this over a long series of years, one is driven to wonder bow tbey oould possibly have been dragged down. Of course theire is but the one eiplaration—over oredit, and the daelina of the goldfields } but even tbis potent agent would seem hardly sufficient to account for the widespread mortality, which has taken place of late years, amongst -West Coast business firms. It is really astonishing running over the names of the prominent leading firm* of the early days of Hokitika, to find bow few hare survived the crash, but we suppose that it is after alt only another page of the ordinary history of "Life on'the Gfbldflelds." We notieq that the old and respected firm of M'Fetrich Brothers, storekeepers, of Okarito, have been compelled to assign their estate. The following is a statement of the re* oeipts and expenses in connection with the recent concert in aid of the Irish Belief Fund. Total receipts, £19 5a 6d. Exs penses— Herald, SI 10s; TIM« 9, £1 j J. Daweon, £1 1b ; bellringing, ss ; tola) ex* pen ccc, £3 16s. The netfc balance of £15 9s 6d was paid by Mr J. Lynch, the hon. treasurer, to the credit of tlio Irish. Relief Fuud. Acton Adams stands charged with having committed perjury in a civil action, Acton Adams v. Hoyes, concerning a bill of sale wbioh Adatns alleged had been satiufied. The " Wanganui Herald ' says :~" It is not generally understood the* that the present Parliament will expire by effluxiou of time in February, 1888, and that the dissolution, according to English custom, will take place at the end of next year, toon after the conclusion of the session of 1631. The dissolution may take place by tie exerowe of the royal prerogative before then, and it is quite possible that, should the promised Representation Bill pas? next session, the Governor may be advised to dissolve the Assembly immediately after the session is over, in wbioh case we shall bare a general election in Septemb r next. The Government ~pf coiirso will' select their own time, and a good excuse would exist in a Redistribution of. Seats Bill becoming law j indeed there is an impression among some politicians that the passing of such a measure implies an immediate dissolution consequent upon it. The necessity, therefore of every man t»hh.g core to register bis name will be spparent." After considerable delay, the promoters of the fund to establish a Chinese Chair at Oxford have succeeded in collecting £30,000. This will give nearly £1000 a year, which was the original design. The first piofeasor ' to be selected is Lr Legge, a well-known ' writer on Chinese subjects. Lord Stanley's allowance as an eldest son was £12,000 a year, apd few men knew it, so that he realized the ideal income shetcbed by the gentleman in " Coningsby "—ten thousand a year, with the reputation of having only five thousand. Lord Derby himself says that he w is richer before he came into the estates tban he is now,. But tb»fc is one o( your quite men's paradoxes— rarely uttered, and the wildest conceivable. For Lord Derby is enormously rich — and of the very wealthiest subjects in Europe— and his income is steadily increasing. It is calculated that in a few years be will be in reo ipt of some two thirds of a million per annum. There we have the first and chitfest explanations of Lord Derby's success, rather of the profound veneration with which the mojorty of Englishmen regard him. For successful he hat scarcely boen, but Of that presently. The second fact to be *i*ew into account is that this man of £600,000 a year is the bend of the Stanleys, a name which has shone a*ain and again with singular brightness in English history and has been inscribed by immortal writers in the pages of English literature. The Earldom of Derby, the oldest on the roll excepting that of Shrewsbury, dates from 1485, when Henry VII. conferred it on Thomas Lord Stanley, as the meed of hitreason to Richard 111. For even a Stanley may fall short of absolute pefeotion. — London Truth. It wi'l interest some of our Ross readers to know that Mv David Curie, late of the Boss Guirdian, entered the bonds of holy matrimony last week in tbe Empire of City. Mr P, J, MoKenna, well-known in Westport and Reefton, is now installed as host of tbe Club Hotel, at Putabarmi, near Wellington.