THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, MARCH 28, 1881.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 28 March 1881, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. MONDAY, MARCH 28, 1881.

Mr forel], 8.M., reached herd on Friday last, and on the following morning opened Court with one of the longest lists of cases set down for years past. Besides a more than ordinarily heavy calendar of cases in the Magistrate's and Warden's Courts, there was a sitting of the Licensing Court, and in addition to this several hundred applications to be dealt with in the Assessment Court. Ate report of the Magistrate's and Warden's Court cases will be found in another column, but we are compelled to hold over our report of the Assessment pourt. The Grey Argus is jubilant over the fact of young Stenboase (a compositor on that paper) winning the Reefton handicap, and remarks that it is the second occasion on which the honor has fallen to their staff. Bui our contemporary must bear in mind that Keefton handicappers have always given the foreign pressmen good starts. Anyway, the fact remains that the Augua is correct, and this only goes to prove the folly o/ these so-called * Grand Handicaps.' We have m Heefton perhaps as good all round runner* •• con b« found in any Coast community, but it so happen*. that not one of them are ever permitted to have a ghost of a show in the race, simply because something is known of their performances. And this must always be the case as long as managers of, foot races here endeavor to make handioaps for competitors whom they know nothing whatever about. It is beyond doubt that in the last event the money was from the moment the handicap was made a dead gift to Stenbouse. But the same folly will no doubt be repeated. Some £20 or £30 of public money will be offered in one lump, and e7ery man who has ever run a race in his life will again be carefully handicapped out of the event, while a big premium will be held out to some thirid or fourth rate bagmin to carry off the stakes. .We do not by this 'wish to convey anything derogatory to the last win* ncr, who undoubtedly ranks in the first flight of West Coast pedestrians, and this is just where the shoe pinches. The handicappers should have known al\ this before hand, and it seems to us that until some means is found of getting fairly at a knowledge of all the competitors alike, our annual ' Grand Handicap ' can neyer be anything but a mockery. At the opening of tbe Magistrate's Court on Friday his Worship alluded to a paragraph which appeared in our columns atthe close of the previous sitting, wherein it was stated that the Bench ' galloped ' through the caees in order to get away toWestpDrt that night to hold an inquest there. We never for a moment intended by the use of the. word 'galloped ' to imply that the business of the Court was prejudicially hastened. We merely sought to illustrate the difficult ties which Mr Be veil has to overcome in order to keep his official engagements! We have nq cause of complaint agaiast Mr Retell but do strongly condemn the system which places tu'm in such an unpleasant position, by imposing upon him duties such as no one magistrate could perform with satisfaction either to himself or the public. 'Tenders are elsewhere invited by the Government; for the construction of bridges on (be Westport-Reefton road. A Home paper states that an unseemly exhibition was witnessed at tbe Brigbtside churchyard, Sheffield, on the 31st; ult. The .child of a congregationalist named Fenn was about to be buried, but the procession was met at the gate by the sexton, who demanded fees to the amount of 7s» Payment was refuser! on the ground that they were excessive whereupon the gate was closed upon the party. The father of the child and two friends, however, obtained admission, and one of them procured a spade and began to reopen the grave, which the sexton had filled up ; but as fast as the earth was thrown out it was returned. Eventually' the coEn was taken home again. On Saturday morning the father returned to the churchyard with some men, who in the presence of hundreds of persons, resopehed a grave ib which a child had been buried. The sexton arid his son tried to prevent the men carrying out their wor*, but the crowd put tbe se'jton and his son into the grave. They wero rescued, but wero held buck by tho crowd while the ceremony was proceeded with, a Con -

grcgationalwt minister conducting the service. Afterwards & collection was made to . provide for Fenn's expenses. The Wanganui Chronicle cays :— We observe by our exchange that Mr Florence McCarthy has left Wellington for his new sphere of labour, the editorship of the Grey River Argus, a paper which ever sinoe its first Bomber has been ably and faithfully conducted in the interests of the public, and which will certainly not degenerate under the literary guidance of Mr McCarthy. This gentleman hag from his youth been connected with the colonial Press, and has al • ways done his work with ability. He was at one time cub-editor of the Wellington Independent, and afterwards became tbe manager and then one of the proprietors of the Press' Agency. On the retirement of Mr H. Anderson from th« Wellington Chronicle, Mr McCarthy took his plaoe as editor, but even his ability and energy could not retrieve the fortunes; of » paper whidh was doomed long before he had anything to do with it. After the decease of the Chronicle Mr MoCarthy did good service as short-band reporter to the West Coast Commission, and retained his appointment until the reports were through the Press. We should have mentioned that at one time he sat in tbe reporters' gallery of the House of Representatives as one of the Haneai-d staff, and had the reputation of .being amongst the best. We are welhassured that the people of Greymouth and the surrounding districts will be satisfied, with tbe new odi*or's literary work, and that his many amiable qualities will brins him a houl; of friends.