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Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 19 July 1880, Page 2

Notwithstanding the abuse which has been for years past showered upon the devoted head of Mr Berry and his much maligned administration, by the self-styled Conservative Press of Victoria, the Liberals of that Colony have carried the elections triumphantly. The result is in no way way surprising, if it leads, as it assuredly will, to a final settlement of the great Constitutional question which has so long impeded the path of legislation in that Colony, it will prove a great blessing. Mr Berry is about the best abused public man in the southern hemisphere, but as his detractors have never been able to assail him with anything more hurtful than abuse, pure and simple, his return to power upon the shoulders of a triumphant majority, is a crushing answer to his opponents. The Service, who were all unopposed, were re-elected, as also were tba whole of the members of the lato Berry Cabinet, and it is expected that the Liberals will have a working majority of twenty^three votes. The mild rain of Friday night and Sutur* day brought down a heavy flood in the Inangahna river, and an immense quantity of drift-wood went dancing down the current. It is needless to say that the Grey ooach did not arrive that night. Constable Scully, who has been stationed at Reefton for twelve months past, left Beefton on Friday morning last, for Timaru, where he will be in future stationed. In reference to Constable Scully's departure, we are not able to squeeze in the conventional phraseology and say that he carries with him the general good esteem of the community, for there is one class in the community who do not a little bit regret his departure, and that is the publicans. Soully was the bete noire of every licensee in the Inangahua. He had ■ the eye of a hawk for a basksliding publican, , and every mothers' son of them had to toe the scratch with relentless impartiality. For this execution of his duty the publicans out« lawed him, but this must he the position of every efficient member of the force, and we do not hesitate to commend him as a highly den serving officer. The time allowed for the erectiou of the Inangahua bridge is> we believe, nine months from the date of signing, the contractors to maintain the work one month after completion. The bridge should therefore be open 'or traffic by April or May nxet. Work has not yet commenced. The affairs of the Eeefton Hospital under the " continuous " Committee appear to be drifting into a pretty hobble. The institution has been empty for some time past, and still the expense of wardsman, matron, and their family is running on at full pressure, as though money were no object in the world to the management. And while all this is going on, monetary difficulties are gathering in upon the Committee, butcher's, bakers and storekeepers bills are running; on unpaid, until credit has been well nigh exhausted. When the necessity for retrenchment was clearly shown, it was disregarded, and what consideration an institution so managed is likely to receive at the hands of the Govern* mont it is easy to foretel. Fof *>nr own part we see the gravest difficulties ahead of the Committee, and as the position has been mainly brought about by the refusal or fail* ure of the Committee to economise the cost of management, when it was quite possible to do so, there can be little sympathy for the members in their awkward prodicament. It is related of a, Hospital Committee which got into difficulties under similar circumstances, that they forwarded a telegram to Ihe Gov* ernment representing that scarlet fever was raging in their district, and that tradesmen hud refused further credit. This very highly colored and not over truthful message, had the desired effect, and drew a substantial remittance from the then Government. This way of raising the wind would, however, hardly " wash " at the present juncture. We must commend the Greymouth mail contractors for their promptness in forward* ing the Eeefton mail through yesterday. The coach arrived at 3 p.m., and left again this morning. In the Warden' 3 Court on Thursday last it was shown by two replications made by separ» ate parties, that alluvial mining is Ust taking the form of a settled ndiistry in tLe Inangahua. One party of miners applied for registration of a water race from Bourke's to Raglan's Gully, which would take twelve month's to construct, and necessitate a deal of tunnelling. When undertakings of this kind are initiated and carried out by private enterprise, it may be taken for granted that ground is well worth Ihe working. Such a race would no doubt be made to command an extensive area of country, aud may therefore be classed as a permanently reproductive work. In the other case registration was applied for for a tunnel to cost nearly £1,000.

to drain a large swamp, the bed of which had been proved to be auriferous. Both works are in the Boatman's district. Wo learn that the worics in progress nt the Oriental mine, Devil's Creek, show the newly found reef to be of -a highly tmuouragiag character. The hands are still driving filong: the course of the stone, without any indication of a fault or break. Eddy and part?, contractors for driving 80 feet of the Welcome low level tunnel, will complete their contract by the end of the present week. It will be seen that the directors invite tenders to-day for the driving of the remaining 150 ft. Good progress is being made with the erection of the battery, and about four tons of the plant has already been delivered on the gruund, and with any' thing like workable weather considerable headway will be made during the next few weeks, as the heaviest of the work has been pret'y well got under. The correspondent of the Christchurch Press says :— I am told that it has been ascertained that Mr Maoandrew paid a bonus of £500 to Mr Conyers last year out of the Railway vote without the slightest authority and there are many speculations as to how the item came to be passed on audit when some other illegal payments, such as the £300 to Mr Eees, were so pioaiptly "sat upon." The Hon. N. Edwards, M.L.C., died at Nelson, on Thursday morning, aged 58. The Post in its report of the discussion in Committeon the Licensing Bill says : — Mr Stevens wanted to see provision made for a license for New Zealand wines, and "thin brought foi'th the maiden speech of the first Parliamentary Jones, who came out in the light of an authority upon wine. He dis— cribed New Zealand wine as a compound of " human perspiration and saccharine matter," and said that,while he d'd not buy wine, he would not refuse a sample or decline to express an opinion on it if sent to him in his capacity of a newspaper man. Ifit was not alcoholic, New Zealand wine was at least " all colic," said Mr Jone? ; and the Committe faintly smiled and reported progress. A painful sensation was caused in Hastings, England, recently, by a statement that some of the occupants of a boarding school in a fashionable suburb were shockingly treated. It appears that the Health Officer, acting upon the complaints ofparfies proceeded to Mount Pleasant Terrace, and in a school kept there found two boarders apparently suffering from starvation. One girl, aged 14, was in a fearful state, and was removed to Hastings Workhouse. She weighed but 351bs. and on being washed it was found necessary to remove all her toes, they being rotten. There were eight boarders, some supposed to be illegitimate, The polios vestigating the matter. At the last meeting of the Benevolent Society at Wellington, one of the gentlemen present credited Nelsonjwith another oddity. He Baid that town had a benevolent society with ample funds, but no poor to spend them on. Anotber gentleman remarked that if the Nelson Society was in any difficulty as to what should be done with the accumulated funds, it would only be necessary to let the Wellington society draw on them for a short time, and they would soon find their burden greatly diminished. There is surely not another town in the Colony which can boast of such a happy state of things — New Zealand Times. The latest sensation is the alleged dis— oovery of gold at Viti Levu by a New Zealand miner, Kirem. It appears that Kirsn was engaged in building a stone church at Bau for the Weeleyan Mission, and a number of Fijians were assisting in procuring material. Amongst the stones which were obtained from the yavu, or foundation of an old house at Lasakua, Kriem detected a specimen of auriferious quartz about eeven pound in weight and containing probably ten pennyweights of the precious metal. Having crushed the stone, and satisfied himself that gold was visible all through, he brought it to Levuka, It is supposed that the stone formed part of the ballast of a vessel which discharged many years ago, and the chance of ita being of purely Fijian origin is more than doubtful. However, to set the question at rest the Government appointed Mr George Moore, an experienced mining surveyor and the discoverer Kriem to proceed to the scene of the presumed discovery and sabj°ct it and the surrounding neighbourhood to a thorough and systematic search. His Excellency the G-overnor has received a despatch from Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, late Secretary of state for the Colonies, covering a letter from F. D. Hooker, Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, announcing an intended visit to the colony of Miss Mariunna North, of whom Sir F. D, Hooker speaks in most complimentary terms, especially as being a very accomplished artiste, who comes out to New Zealand, Australia, the Cape, and Mauritius mainly with the view of making at her own cost paintings of remarkable trees and places for presentation to the Eoyal Gardens at Kew, where they will be placed in a gallery now in course of erection, towards which Miss North has contributed a munificent, sum. # Both SirM/Hipks-Beaeb and Sir F. D. Hooker bespeak the assistance of the Government in affording Miss North all facilities and aid in her undertaking. The letter points out that this affords an unique opportunity of securing faithful views of the New Zealand forests and their constituent trees, which are rapidly disappearing, and which in respect of their pristine condition will soon be matter of history only. It is asked that the Government botanist may be permitted to accompany Miss North as a guide on her artistic expedition. The New Zealand pines, especially the cone-bearing trees of the extreme North, are specially alluded to as an object of particular botanic inteiest. Misa North is expected at an early date. As much interest i 3 felt regarding the Representation Bill about to be introduced by the Government, wo (Post) may mention that it is not probable the b.^ljl^ill be before the House for another week or so,, as some of

its provisions are still under the careful consideration of the Cabinet The redistribution of representation is to be based mainly on population some .concession, however, being made to country districts, the boundaries of the new diitricts being, so far as possible, conterminous with those of existing country road board, or other districts. Each district <o return only one member, there will be a slight increase in the total numerical strength of the House.