THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLYFRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1882.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1044, 3 February 1882, Page 2

THE Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY-FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1882.

A good deal has been said from time to time in disparagement of the character of the land on the West Coast, but the Hon. Mr Rolleston, when at Reefton the other day stated that he had travelled pretty well over the whole of New Zealand, and he had found people settled on very much worse land on the other side of the range, and that much of the land he had seen on his way down from Foxhill to Reefton was superior to the land in Central Otago and other parts of the colony. Speaking of the description of the land at Maruia — Bull's Flat— Mr Rolleston said that though it was rather elevated he had no doubt it would be found well adapted for cultivation, but the land in the neighbourhood of Hampden and the Upper Buller he extolled as up to the highest requirements for husbandry. The chief purpose of Mr Rolleston's visit to the West Coast was to gain information as to the best means of opening up the country for settlement and exploration. This we have from the hon. gentleman himself, and in view of the favourable opinion he has formed we may safely look forward to the coming session of Parliament for the announcement of some general scheme of road or track making in the interior. We gather that some rather vexed litigation is likely to arise out of the recent fever heat in the mining share market. Several instances have arisen of persons being " caught on the hop " in a rising market, by others more vigilant or better informed, and this has led to reluctance or refusal on the part of sellers so concerned to complete the bargains thus hurriedly entered into. However, it is a good sign that the bones are considered worthy of contention. We learn that it is not the intention of the Government to make any alteration whatever in the fee hitherto charged for the survey of mining leases. Under the regulations a minimum sum of £10 has to be deposited with the application for cost of survey, and should the area, owing to its irregular form cost more for survey, the extra amount has to be paid by the holder. Thus a square, or rectangular area costs less for survey than one of triangular or polyagonal form. The Government Gazette of the 20th ult., contains the boundaries of the Licensing Districts. The following are the boundaries of the districts within this County, omitting Hampden, which is also a separate district : — Boatman's .-Bounded towards the north-west and north-east by Buller County ; towards the east by Hampden Licensing District to Mount Victoria ; thence towards the west along the watershed of the Wharau and Wai- , talm rivers, and the watershed of the Wai tali ua and Boatman's Creek to the Inangahua rivere ; thence by a line due west to the summit of the watershed of Inanpaua and Little Grey rivers, thence by said watershed over Mount Gore to Grey County ; thence towards the southwest, south and west by Grey County to Buller County, and towards north-west by said Buller Comity. — Reefton — Bounded towards the north, east and north-east by Boatman's Licensing District to a point north-east of the confluence of Deadtnan's Crepk with the lriiLii'4'ihiifi river : thence south- westerly to Mie Tuiingahwi river ; thuncc by Dead-

man's Creek to its source ; thence by the summit of the watershed of the Inangahua river and the Blackmail's river to Mount Haast ; towards the south by Grey j County, and towards the west by Boat- I man's Licensing District. — Murray— Bounded towards the east by Boatman's Licensing District ; towards the southeast by Hampden Licensing District ; and towards the south, west, and north-west by Reefton Licensing District. The following (writes our Ahaura correspondent) is the judgment given in the matter of the allegations re contracts contained in the first petition lodged against the election of William Claughsey, for Nrlson Creek :— " That the election of William Claughsey is void, and George M'Beath, the candidate next highest on the poll, not being already declared to be duly elected, and whose election is not void, shall be declared to be duly elected. Costs against Claughsey, £6 165." Messrs Perkins and Warner conducted the case for the petitioners, and Mr Guinness for defendant. In all probability the matter will come before the Court again before the seat can be secured. Seeing that there is so much fighting for it, the office must be a remunerative one ; whether by political corruption or otherwise, is known to those behind the scenes, and their sup-, porters. A compensation case, for £400 damage alleged to have been done to the Convent School and grounds at Ahaura, against the Public Works Department, is being heard. The Court sat until past 10 o'clock on Wednesday. Messrs Giles, Kerr, and Kennedy are the Assessors. The general cleaning up of the Just-in-Time crushing was finished yesterday afternoon, and the gold was brought to town in the evening. 211 tons were treated, producing G27vjoz. of amalgam, which gave 2070z of retorted gold, when to this is added 5 to 6oz. from blanketings the yield will be fully equal to loz. per ton. The proceeds of the crushing will almost free the company from liabilities. Under the provisions of the new Licensing Act five persons in each Licensing District are to be elected annually by the ratepayers of the district, in the manner provided by "The Regulation of Local Elections Act." The elections to be conducted in the same manner as the election of members of Boroughs, County Councils, and Road Boards, subject to the condition that each ratepayer shall have but one vote. Mr Revell, R.M., is the Returning Officer for the Inangahua Districts, and Mr H. Lucas has been appointed Clerk of the Licensing Bench. The proclamation fixing the date of the first elections will be issued shortly. The Rev. Mr West, Presbyterian minister, is announced to preach at Black's Point, on Sunday next, at 11 o'clock, and in the- Oddfellows Hall," Reefton, at 7 p.m. . The Comedy and Burlesque Company have fully maintained their hold upon public favor during the week, and were greeted with a good house again lajt^nignt. To-night will be present %erl§rliifcEi& torical drama " Cramond Brig," and as an after-piece will be given a Xmas and New Year Pantomime, which will prove a rare novelty to local playgoers. To-mor-row afternoon has a treat in store for the rising generation, in the shape of a special performance of the pantomime. The company will appear at Young's Hall, Totara Flat, on Monday evening next ; at Nelson Creek, on Tuesday and Wednesday, and at Brunnerton on Thursday. Private advices from Hokitika per last night's mail convey the intelligence that new ground has been opened near Kennedy's, on the road to Lake Kanierl. Good quartz specimens have been found in the alluvial, denoting the existence of raefs in the vicinity. Some twenty men have gone up to give the place a fair trial, and more will follow on receipt of favourable news. The New Zealand Times, in a recent article under the heading of "Wellington Local Industries," states that Messrs Gear and Co exported last year upwards of 1000 tons of tallow, and 5000 tons of preserved meats : over 80,000 sheep and 34,000 bullocks being slaughtered during the year. In Otago the victory of the Opposition at the general election was striking. In the whole list of twenty three members there are hardly four who can be depended upon to behave throughout a Parliamentary struggle as thorough going partisians of the Ministry. Elsewhere the Opposition did not fare so well as in O^ago. But this is, nevertheless, in the new Parliament a large party of which will not, if reason be shown, have any connection whatever with the Government. The majority of those who have declared themselves are with the Opposition without doubt as the list of members now stands. — Exchange. The Grey Argus says: — There is another "boom" in the sharemarket at Reefton, and, as is usual ci such occasions, the work at the Telegraph Office has been abnormal. As is invariably the case during such periods of excitement, whoever does well or otherwise, the brokers and the Telegraph Department never fail to collect their toll. The way in which some scrip has risen in the market lately is a matter for special wonderment. A telegram from Dublin to the San Francisco Chi'onicle, dated 17th November, gives the following particulars regarding the explosion on the steamer Solway (not Severn). It was not cansed by dynamite, but by the bursting of a barrel of naptha oil, which ran .along the deck and ca-ight fire at the stove in the steerage. Five soldiers and one passenger were enveloped in the flames and burned to .ashes. Five other persons left the stc inner in a small boat, and have not been seen or heard of since. The disj aster occurred at six o'clock yesterday

morning, 20 miles off the coast, and all day long the steamer lay at the mercy of the waves in a terrible storm. The crew and remaining passengers fought' the I flames, which continued to rise in the steerage. Between 5 and 6 o'clock yesterday afternoon a pilot boat, attracted by signals of distress, put off from shore. The pilot went on board, and the vessel was steered for Kingston harbour. A ship fell in with the steamer about the same time, and remained till she reached the harbour. The new Police Manual has the following references to the liquor trade in connection with the force : — Regulation 167 states that an inspector is not himself to frequent public-houses, in fact he will best consider his own character and respectability by never even entering them, except compelled by necessary duty. According to regulation 229 a constable must not contract the habit of drinking at public places, of amusement or in public-houses, nor must he frequent such places, except on necessary duty. And regulation 222 states that the members of the force must exert themselves to suppress illegal Sunday or other trading by licensed publicans and others, and officers in charge are required to see ; that this duty is strictly jand impartially performed by the police in their respective/ districts. Professor Sylvanus Thompson delivered a lecture before the Society of Arts recently, in which he indicated the advantage that might ultimately be gained from the storage of electricity. All that is needed for its use in most departments of life is a cheap motive power, not derived from coal, and this may be obtained from the tides. They would be useless as motors for many purposes, but an intermittent force can store up electric energy. He believed there were places in England where tidal force could be cheaply utilised particularly the gorge of the Avon. "A tenth part of the tidal energy in the channel of the Severn would light every city, and turn every loom, spindle, and axle in Great Britain." These may be dreams, but Sir W. Armstrong, it is said lights his house by the energy of a little water-fall in his garden's ; and out of such dreams will emerge some day a practical proposal. Who will be Bridgewater this time, and spend a fortune, relying solely upon the accuracy of scientific calculation. He might live in history as a benefactor to the human race, or transmit to his descendants wealth beyond the dreams of avarice. Mr Menelaus, general manager of the Great Dowlais Iron Works, in Wales, receives the largest salary paid in commercial life. He was receiving 10,000 dollars, when, trade being slack, a reduction was suggested to him, and he at once resigned. Unable to do without him, the firm offered to restore his old salary, but as he had works of his own, he declared it did not pay him to give up so much time, nor did he pay any heed to the overtures made, till the sum of fifty thousand dollars a year, paid quarterly ya&anropoßed, which figure he now reWriting on the Milburr. Creek scandal, the Sydney Mail says:— "The outcome of the Royal Commission is that, out of the total award of £17,198, there has been traced £3660 to the hands of Mr Baker, £2871 to Mr Russell, £2266 to Mr Waddell, £2263 to Mr Mathieson, £416 directly to Mr Bennett, L 1538 to the Thorns if they care to take it, and L 4183 to all other persons and for all other purposes. In other words, the trustees, solicitor, and legal manager swallowed up L 13,015 of the award in dividends and other payments." The question upon whom should the duty of fire protection fall is thus answered by the Insurance and Banker's Record. When fire insurance became reduced to practice in the seventeenth century, or perhaps earlier in some of the States of Northern Europe, the question her* propounded arose almost of necessity. The answer must indeed be always the same — protection against fire is a Municipal or State duty, and has from the earliest times been so regarded. The fire insurance offices certainly have an interest in preventing fires, and where the Municipality or State fails in its duty of taking proper protective measures, it may become the interest of the officers to step in and secure the provision of more effective means. The effect of their so doing must be this — that the charge thereby occasioned is thrown, not equally over the population, as it ought to be, but simply upon those insured. This cannot be right. It is not to be gainsaid that it is as much the duty of the State to protect the lives and property of its subjects from loss and destruction from fire, as against robbery or wanton destruction in any form. The Otago Daily Times of Monday says : — A man named James Hagan was tried upon a charge of burglary and convicted at the Supreme Court. The prisoner, against whom previous convictions are registered, set up a very contradictory and impudent defence. He was evidently attempting to imitate the notorious Butler. He abused the police and the committing magistrate, told witnesses they had made statements they had not made, and must have wearied his Honor as well as the jury by his tedious, useless and apparently purposeless crossexamination of witnesses, together with his irregular and silly comments. It was only due to the fact that the Judge before whom he was tried is most patient and indulgent that he escaped rebuke. His appeal to the jury wn,3 singular. Ho protested his innocence, and warned them that no moral reform waa to be wrought by punishment : and after commenting upon the evidence in a rambling manner, told the jmy he was surprised at his own eloquence. Whether the jury were surprised or nut they were not influenced in j is favor by his "eloquence," and a sen-

. tence of three years' imprisonment followed on their verdict. The New York Herald's Berlin special says : — A diplomatist who has just arrived from St. Petersburg gives me a verj gloomy description of the situation in ' Russia. Affairs are growing more and more critical daily. Riots are feared ir consequence of the increasing dearness oi provisions. The Nihilists are distributing circulars charging the Czar with being the cause of all the trouble, and declaring thai he is sending all the gold of Russia to Denmark. The truth is that a small part of the sixty millions of roubles found in the Imperial cellars after the assassination of Alexander 11. was forwarded to Denmark at the time of the recent royal marriage. High Russian officials are advising the landlords to leave the country for the city if they do not wish to be assassinated. Great excitement prevails at Gatschina.