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Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1061, 15 March 1882, Page 2

To day is the last day for lodging objections against the County Assessment Bolls. Mr James Stevenson will sell geese, turkeys, and fruit, at his mart, at 3 p.m. today. A meeting of the shareholders of the New Zealand Company will be held at Mr Bowman's office, at 8 o'clock this evening, for the purpose of electing directors and auditors, and adopting rules for the company. At the Licensing Committee meeting on Monday last, Sergeant Neville stated that some of the larrikin element had developed itself on the previous night, that shutters had been removed and other wanton mischief done, with no other apparent object than to harrass and annoy the quiet portion of the community. It is to be hoped that some of these exuberant young gentlemen may be trapped; should such happily be the case they will find scant mercy but much, justice at the Ju^nds of Mr Revell on his next visit. On Mgnday last Sergeant Neville very properly complained to the Licensing Committee as to the impossibility of himself and one other constable being able to properly protect the public of the district, and we are glad to find that the Committee thoroughly agreed with him. The extent of the district that which two guardians of the peace are supposed to watch over is as follows :— From Eeefton to Blackwater, 36 miles \ from Reefton to Maruia, 45 miles ; from Reefton to Big Grey, 20 miles. Throughout this whole vast district townships are dotted, but police they have none. The consequence is that crime, through hardly likely to be less in the Inangahua than in any other district, is seldom detected, and pome of the smaller mining centres may be perfect Pandemoniums without the least let or hindrance. It is to hoped that the Licensing Committee will follow up their expression of opinion on this subject by a vigorous remonstrance to the Government, and a request that the Reefton police army, of two, may be aupplemented by at least, as many again. We may add that the population is estimated at very little under 3,000

On Monday last Susan Plaskett was again brought up for being found drunk on Saturday last. Sergeant N e ville stated that the accused had boon up repeatedly for the Bame offence, oh the last occasion within a month. Mr P, Brennan occupied the Bench, but before he could give his decision the prisoner appealed for mercy in the most piteous accents, and it was with some trouble that the Magistrate gave his decision that she should pay twenty-one shillings or be imprisoned for seven, days. The prisoner thanked his worship most fervently for his leniency and her husband subsequently paid the fine. The latter asked whether it was the duty of the police to say who supplied his wife with drink, but elicited no reply. Sergeant Neville said it was actually a publican who drew the attention of the police to her state. Nothing further came of it. The next English and European mail via San Francisco will close at the Reefton Office on Wednesday, the 22nd day of March, at 7 a.m. The appointment of Mr D. O. Preshaw to the Chairmanship of the Licensing Committee hatf given the utmost satisfaction to all interested. Though a staunch Good Templar, he is not an intol ei»nt one, ,jand wpltnot be found going , eraser oijcp^ |ratep, whatever his' personprediction for the pure element may be. We congratulate the Committee on their choice, as it gives every hope of business being conducted with- harmony and good feeling. It will prove however, probably the only election of the kind in the colony where a Good Templar Chairman has been chosen by his colleagues, who are, without exception, non-abstainers. The first mail under the altered postal contract on the Beefton- Westport line arrived last nighty and left again this morning. The arrangement is at prevent only temporary, however, but upon the return of Mr Job Lines, who is now in Nelson purchasing additional coaching plant, the service will be definately fixed. Until then the mail will leave Westport for Beefton on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) returning on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, connecting at Christy's Junction with the overland coach to Nelson. Mr George Croll, Government Inspector of Machinery, has just completed his inspection of the steam crushing plant of the district, and reports all in excellent order. He leaves for Brunnerton to-day where he has some lately erected coal machinery, to inspect.. * A very ridiculous impression has got abroad to the effect that the newly elected Licensing Committee are in some way or other subject to the domination or authority of the County Council. Anything much mote absurd could not be imagined. Thfe Cdtnmittee is a properly constituted and wholly independent body, responsible to no one but the Governor, and there is no appeal whatever against their decisions, excepting in the form, •of petitions to Parliament for redress, ifc case of wrong being done or loss unjustly inflicted. The licensing Committee at their meeting on Monday, amongst other things, directed the Inspector to strictly carry out the 166 th clause of the Act, with reference to sales of liquor to youths. It runs as iollows: — "Any licensed person who allows to be supplied in his licensed premises by purchase or otherwise to be consumed on the premises any description whatever of spirits, or of wine, ale, beer, or porter, to any person apparently under the age of sixteen years, of either sex, not being resident oh the premises or a bonafifo guest, lodger, or traveller, shallf as well as the peraon-who 'actually gives or supplies the spirits, wine, ale, beer, or porter, be liable to, pay a penalty not exceeding ten pounds for every such offence." It will thus be seen that liquors of the above description cannot be even given to young persons, and further that the barmaid or barman supplying the prohibited fluids is liable to the same penalty as the proprietor of the house. We remind our readers that an amateur concert will be given to-morrow. (Thursday) evening, in the Oddfellow's Hall, in aid of the funds of the Beefton Athenaeum. A most attractive programme, appearing in another column has been prepared, and the Reefton Bellringers will make their first appearance. Several young ladies kindly give their services, and there is no doubt that the entertainment will be a most enjoyable one. Altogether there can be little doubt that the hall will -be crowded. Mr Daniel David, brickmaker, has taken the necessary steps to have his industry represented at the Christchurch Exhibition. He has forwarded to the County Council several samples of locally made bricks, which he is sanguine will bear comparison with any bricks manufactured in the Colony. He is also forwarding several samples of haematite, both in the raw and manufactured state, Messrs Walier and Rhodes,* painters, haying undertaken to prepare a small quantity of haematite paint from the raw material. An accident of a rather serious nature (says the Lyell Times of Saturday last) happened on Nelson road, about 1£ miies from, Lyell, on Thursday . night. Two men while driving a two-horse 'dray laden with their effects along the road after dark, fell over the sideling, a distance of seven or eight feet. The men escaped serious hurt, but one of the horses, it is feared, has received mortal injury. The sfiafts of the dray had to be cut in order to extricate the horses. Luckily the accident happened where it did, as quite near are places where a fall over the bank would mean a drop of several hundred feet into the Buller river. The following is taken form the Illustrated Exhibitor:— A curious fact connected with the exhibition of 1851 is that of the money received at the doors £275,000 was in silver and £71,000 in gold

The weight of the silver coin so taken (at the rate of 281 b per £1000) would be thirty-five tons, and its bulk, 900 cubic feet, the rapid flow 6f the coin into the hands of the money takers prevented an examination of each piece as it waa received, and £90 of bad silver was taken, but only one pieoe of bad gold, and that was a half-sovereign. The half-crown was the most usual bad coin, but a much more noticeable fact is that nearly all the bad money was taken on the half-crown and five-shilling daysi The cash . was received by eighteen money takers on the very heavy days, and four extra ones being em. ployed during the busiest hours. From them it was gathered by three or four money porters, who carried it to four collectors charged with the task of counting it. From them it went to two tellers, who verified the sums and handed it to the final custody of the chief financial officer (Mr Carpenter), who locked each day's amount in his peculiar iron chest in the building till next morning, when, in boxes each holding £600, it was borne off in a hackney cab in charge of a Bank of England clerk and a Bank porter. The money was received in all forms, ranging between farthings and ten-pound notes. Contrary to the notices exhibited, change was given. Occasionally foreigners gave Napoleons, and these coins being mis taken for sovereigns, they received 19s out and liberty of admission into the bargain. The moneys of America, Hamburg, Germany, and France were often tendered and taken. The total number of visitors from the Ist May to the 11th October was 6,063,986. Mothers should know that at the inquest held at Onehunga, on the body of the infant who recently died there from an overof chlorodyne, the mother of the deceased said the dose she gave him was three drops in ateaspoonful of water, and she believed only half the quantify was taken, as her hand was unsteady. The medical evidence taken showed that chlorodyne contains muriate of morphia, chloroform, prussic acid and Indian honey. A man named John Strutt was fatally injured at the Twelve-mile Creek (North Beach), Greymouth, last week. The Argus reports that deceased was one of a party who had a contract for making a piece of road over the Ten-mile Bluff, and the accident occurred in connection with the work in this way : the party had fired a shot that loosened and broke up a large mass of rock on the edge of the cliff. Deceased took a crowbar to dislodge some of the lumps. In doing so he took up a rather dangerous position on top of a large fragment, and commenced prizing the stones near him. His mates pointed out the danger, but the poor fellow either disregarded the caution or did not hear it, and kept working away, till it fell without any warning, taking Aim with it down the face of the bluff. When picked up at bottom he was unconscious, and frightfully cut and bruised.