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Inangahua Times, Volume II, 10 September 1880, Page 2

The Surveyor- Genera! in hia preface to the Wardens'- 'Annual "Reports upon the GolclnVlds of I lie Colony, dwells with some apparant emphasis upon the fiict that the gold yield from the Thames for the pnst year was jomc filing like 5C 000 7, while Eeefton fo<tl>e R-me period did not io«:il more th--n 18 000>z, and arguing from thesr fij,Mim» he expresses the opinion that the Thames is very much t.h<* most imporfanf qnafz mining; nV!d in tl M . Colon, We merely desire to point i-ut thn f - one pwallow don^ nor. ma Ice » ! summer. The pas! year haa b< en tin: most unproductive R^eflon luih y e f . seen. The only mine doing 'Anything like cons'aut crushiu2 was the Iveep-it-D.irk; by a mere coincident nenr'y every o*ber company in the'- -field was enji-'ged .in opening, at -lovver levels and consequently did 11' tie op no 'crushing. It can there f ore he no <est of Mie relative importance of the two places that the Tbames produced the'greaif-r yield las'" year. "We venture to 80* that Mr M'KfMTOw will have reison to form (i v ry diffter^nf conc ! us : 'm bv:'l'e«);i'^ of h^- ties' ''epoel. iifv wi'lus'aiid'■U'X '!\p i:!'Mi(- X'v-:- <if [•{) .II ' ' : '' i I> I ) a '''-:■ T'l illl-'S, ■'■'V i ''•''■ i-'T..-'' 1 V *l\ :»■-?■!■ ■ '

fixed for the 18th instant. The programme i< a very attractive one, and embraces many 1 oveltips. Pacticeswill be held in Dawso>i's Hall on Monday. Wednosday, and Friday ercinjs next. Ton iflT, the winnnr of the Metropolitan, in Tout's sweep, 13 hold by a lU> Forcroft. of Greymouth ; gecoiul hor«f! i^ held by a resident of Hidf Ounce, and the third by Mr Jiimps K rr, of G-eymonlh. The jßonh-.icfors liavn phn-torl to reduce the orvnde on the BlueV-' Point rnnd. The work W.lB a very ncc^stiry one, nnd wi!l be a greut boon to {•;in i )Pt'i> on Ihe rond. The County Engineer has been ont mnTcing «n estiliM-il'fin of the e^unti'v between the Elae.kwafcer and ihc Bior River, at the junction of the proposed trnck from Reefton. Mr Sardner will rep rt upon the matter to tbe next meeting of tbe Council. The old cement bntteiy in Muvny Creek if* ffi'st dissolving from view, and nno'h.M---fl r iorl ov two will jsrob;ibly wipe out the last v;>«ii«e9 cf thnt O"ce promising entepnV. The Lite flood Monk nwny the wafer-wheel nnd pnrt. of the engir.e-shefi, and rlie remain, rlcr is lenjiing BTmpatlieti?nlly over (lie ereelc ns if anxious to follow m\t. The slump I*™1 *™ and boxns., tlioush irrepimbly covrorled by espomre. aro intact, .just ns they stopped benting eomo ei^'bt years aac. Tenders nve elsewhere invited hv the Post-mnster-Weneral for the perrortnance of nv.il enrviees conncnting widi Ree<"ton no thwartls. The tenders v ill c'o'e on (he 30ih instant. SomeT?crf'on ciipitul will find its wny to Melbourne durin?tbo Extiibition, as Beveral of the forlunnte Welcome aivl Alpit'e hoMers leave hera on the 18th instant en route for Vietorii. The resulir monthly meeting of the Innngnhua County Council will be ln>M on Wedresrlay ii'-xt. A considerable change become, o'er the spn-it of the dream s-inee members la-t met- They were then in thfl.Je'ul dumps over the prospect of the withdi*i»w»il o r tbe -uhsiilv's, and the position wacerta;nly not a very felic'tous one. With the acquisition of tbe unexpected income tbe Council should now be in p. position to proceed with some of tbe most necessary woi-L-p, nnd foremost, in tins category may be classed (he Bi.r B>er (rack. The Caraiifli.ii.« bad a "oocl house on the occasion of (I eir fureweU'concert at Holufibi, and ■Mv'Sherwin in tlie course of a valedetory address acknowledged the generous reception the company h'd met with ut Ihe b:>nd* of the Weat Coast people, and spoke of ibe probability of returning ia about two .years time. • " Mary the Maid " frightened a man out of bis wit? »t Greymouth the other doy, by claiiuing him a9 her loi!g-lo*t husband, but the niiin"; didn't see it. and as be hid no strawberry miivk on his arm by which he could be ideniified, he got. off. Two young men arrived at Eehuca a fortnight ago from Temor rush, New South Wales, who. it is seated, had each cleared £500 whilst there in a few weeks. The report on the surveys of New ZenLirid shows that up to. June 30, 41 50,646 acres liad been triangulutid un^ler sett'ement survey, and 925,838 acres had been surveyed info 6728 sections. Native surveys eompra* bended 106,303 (ictvs. in 46 bl<'cl\°, for the investigation of N.ilive titlu before the L-.md Court, and 030,449 -acres, -surveyed- in 93 block*, of land under purchase from the Natives and by quartz mining leases, cement, speeiil and sluicing claims. Mr Herbert Reeves, son of (he famous tenor Sims Beeves, has trade n successful dohut in London. Ju this connection tbe London " Figaro " bus the following : — "'But the influence of tlm father is so distine'ly tivce;ible in the stylo of the son th-it it is difficult to believe lie ever h-v.l any other professor. -We have in Mr Herbert H^eves the Bani,e pnr'ty of phrasing which has ever characterised Sims Reeves, the same keen ear for correct intor-.alion, tbe same fuultle-s system of emission, and the same lovely quality of voice whisi'., in years gone by, rendered Sims Reeves nn Enj'ish artist distia^uislied even among the Ita!i:ms." The Rel.'ct Commi fee j-pnoiu'ed to report upon the paynont of £300 to M>- Silie^wrijibt and thvoii'ih bun to IVTr Bees, meet a<»:iin this morni g fo onsirler t li<-ir re^or 1 -, which is n? follow? : — 1. That « p-iymenf of £300 was in->de fi-'im the Tr-n-ury on the nu hority of the Kx'-cutive G-overnme^t to Mr Skvwright to retain counsel lo inq-iire int > the promises, &«., to the Natives of tbe We<st Coast in rcgird to land, in view of 'h" api>oint» ment of a ' Rf-yal Coir.missi.'ii at a future time. 2. That Mr Piees was t 1 c Jiarrister so retained, being a member of (he House o 1 Representatives at the time. 3. Thit ihe money vas paid wiihont a vote, though Parliament was in session af the time o 1 pdvm-nt. 4. Thiit pi-e.esure wis brouiiht upon '■ r Hone Nabe to pay the mo-ev, with <.'r--ar hiis'e, nnd against hi-; own j'ldirment. 5. That no'hin^ o' any practiu >1 v iluu had. b.-en dne 'or tbe nmney po pn ; d and that no public pm-pese itn.-l b-->en -=erv d hy i's payment. The committ--.- :i c force I to the c n-c'll-ion that th-- mo^ey i 1 qu--iiou hid be "> piul in 11 most irn pillar in.inii--'v ; th t ;.>r Is.- Hoii'o to vote ■'fw'!i l 'lMf?M i ' l i« i ii"a a clanget-ous precedent., uml t Lit Vn- 7 1 ' b 'Clion of the Public: Revenues Act, IS7S. gives full power '0 tlie cceeufire to ileal witli the circumstunceg of this c -:se, should fl'ev anree with the concliT-ious at which the Committee bad arrived." On the^e resolutions being put.Mr Balljnc^ moved sn amen Iment that from th|9 late period of the session, and the fact that tbe printer] evidence and resolutions have only recently been in the possession of the members, the final decision cannot fairly be »nivcd at in the present 'ipMon ; that aecardingly (lie evidence and "n.inutes only be reported to the ITouse, nnd .th:it the liefer .be furl her cn^M-ml r.ext ; c ,, s; j on f.r th- fiiu-.l report. 'J'bis was ncg:i--■IVOiI. V T- r- fefenceto the d'.'fi"iencv <S ?n :1 e •.■!-.!ivmi^t7* 1 a-i.-cni't--. \v!-ic'i iv : .s l.iou r ' ;.('.r tin' hW'fl, I '-'*^ "' r inn '"'' '"> !l "" ' ■ ; ' '" j er f.i- I'ltbH.-'V." ,-!;» it Is f 'UMS .- fl-T lie." „qi;i-.v, :]..a! ili^s uJai-'juMg s! all-went- wj-

probably rc.*olve vsefinpo a simple difference in the Public Works department. It was in the latter that the deßoiorev was al'eged to exist, and it is said that the whole affair will tu'-n out to be founded mainly on variations in the market price of iron. For instance, rails imported by the Public Works department i>'. one year would be put down at certain value, but by the time they were transferred to the r;iilw*v department, the price mi^ht have enormously increased, as was the faot a yeir or two, ajjo. and as the mils were charged at the market value it might appear to anyone -not. expert in auditing accounts that the same vails had heen put down at d'fforent values for some improper reason. I do mt say that this ii the actual explanation of the allfiTpd discrepnvcf, but f-om what I have been able to learn, it. seems likely that such will prove ti be the ense. The illutj ination of the Muse urn readingroom by the cler-trio light is a success without reference to economy. No attempt has bpen miide to cm pare the relative expense of L'as and electricity, for the simple reason that the room was never lit by gas and never will b>, the diiDper from fi.e being the deterrent 'eison. The electric light has been preferred, not bee ius3 it is either the he«t or cheapest (.llhough it may possibly be both), but beci'U- 3 ! 1 it is supposed to be the safes'. Of cour-e the engines by which the elecuicitv i3 pro luoi d are a long wav from the building, so that although there should be a oonfl ignition (ho library w\]\ be safe. It is no v proposed to l'>ht the SheHoni.in Theatre and the Kadcliffe Library, Oxford, in the same way, and tho practice is likely to become gpne.ral. The danger from gas is not po much irO'n the possibility of the contract of inflammable mater with the lights, as from tho escape of gas from accidents to the pipes and in tei's. The danger might be mitigaced by precautionary arrangements, but what is wanted ie a!>solute security. It is just possi'ub, however, that some weak point in the electric lijjhr, such as the heating of the conducting wires, may yet j-huke the übsoluif confidence which is now reposed in it. In the course of his address at, the Kumara banquet Mr Seddon said : — '• There were a number of old members in the House with great experience, which tl;ey presuaied on, inasmuch us if a young member did :ioi cuin•ide with their views ih v said '• We luve been hs ni;my years in the llouse a? you have months," and then they qujet'y put you down They tried it on with him (the speaker) but you know they could not put me down — [Laughtei]. Notwithstanding all these little dili'erences, he believed there was not a man in the House who would not be gkd to see him back next session. The West Coast, be considered, the healthiest and soundest part of the colony, as, during his late travels lie had seen men olicring them-" celves for 10s a week and their board, liiid he felt eatklied that no one couid be found to do that on the. "oast, and they should be proud of their district as compared to others, Ke hoped yet to be able to congMtul-ifce them on the West Coast receivirg juniee from Government. The Pre?s, he was aware often giive him some hard knocks, but lately those was a gentleman in Chri.*tchurcu. the editor of the Echo, who bad told his readers that if M'-Seddon camo down to Chrietohurfih (hey would guarantee h?m a seat for thit city. At the pesent, how -ver, he intended representing thU district, ar.d he trusted that, he should always do it in a m inner that would ensure him the hearty reception he had received that evening. — [ loplause.]