The Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1883.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1311, 17 October 1883, Page 2

The Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI- WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1883.

The tender of Mr Wm Dunn, builder, has been accepted by the Government for certain alterations and repairs to the public buildings, Reefton. Mr W. N. Blair, Chief Engineer, with Mr C. Y. O'Connor, and Mr Martin, Resident Engineer, are making an official tour of the West, Coast, inspecting public . works They were at ' Westport yester- ■ day, and are expected to reach Reefton to-night, and will proceed hence to Greymouth. ; We notice that Mr "ector Sntherland, who acted as agent in Greymouth for the sale of tickets in "Orient's" Melbourne Cup sweep, has, in the face of the disclosures made regarding the shady character of the sweep, decided to return the ticket-money to all Greymouth subscribers. We understand that Mr P Twohill, who acted as "Orient's " agent in Reefton, has decided to do likewise A sale of forfeited shares was held at Mr Wise's office on Saturday last, when shares in the South Hopeful, Low T evel Tunnel, and Balaklava were offered. With regard to the latter we were in error in stating on Monday that they .realised more than was due upon them. This remark merely applied to shares in the two former companies. The Balaklava shares had to be passed through the auctioneer's hands to complete the form of forfeiture, and to fix the indebtedness upon the former holders. s a matter of fact there was no bid at all for the shares. Elsewhere in our columns we publish a report of Mr Redmond's lecture in tho Oddfellows' Hall on Saturday night last. The concluding portion will appear in our following issue. The conference of delegates from the Grey and Inangahua County Councils, held at Ahaura yesterday, to consider the question of the abolition of tolls on the Grey -Reefton road, decided to abolish the existing tolls at the expiration of the period for which, the gates at Ahaura and the Twelve-Mile have been let. Both contracts have yet some months to run, but at the expiration of the contracts the road will be free to the pn'-Kc from end j to end. It is a subject for congratulation that this obstinate difficulty has at last | found a friendly solution, and the local body have certainly earnt the thanks of a long-suffering public for their action in the taatter. Tolls, like protected roa'K and protected fords, are a remnant of the barbarous past, and we hope the time is not far distant when, until bridges' are erected, the punts- on the WestportReefton road /will be subsidised by the General Government, so as to render them also free to public traffic. It seems that the Government are bent upon having their pound of flesh in the matter of gold-mining lease rents. Per-

emptory notices have, we believe, been served upon all leaseholders in the Inangahua, demanding the immediate payment of all " outstanding accounts " due to the Lands Department, otherwise wholesale eviction is to follow. The Government will make no reduction in the rental, and the command is clear and emphatic-Pay, or "out you go." We do not think the policy is a good one. It will no doubt lead to the immediate abandonment of a large area of ground, which is certainly not likely to be reoccupied as long as the depression continues. Probably when the day of revival again comes round it will be once more taken up, but in the interval it will be unproductive to the Treasury, whereas, by extending some leniency to lessees just now the leases will remain in occupation, and in the new "Good time coming" the holders will be only too glad to pay up all arrears in order to make their title good. A meeting of the ratepayers will be held in the County Council Chambers this evening, for the purpose of considering the subject of town water supply The meeting is called for 8 p.m. At a late meeting of Dunedin shareholders in the Lankey's Creek Cement Company, Mr H. Bastings said he had attended thiß meeting because he thought it was incumbent on him to be present to return thanks to the committee for the indefatigable manner in which they had acted for the interests of the shareholders. He thought the report from Mr Trayes was a very intelligent one. The reason why he had not attended any of the other meetings was that he had made up his mind— and had advised everyone else with whom he was acquainted— to let the West Coast develop itself. (Hear, hear.) Aa far as they had been bitten let them pay their money and look pleasant, and never shirk any fair responsibility. But anything more monstrous than the Lankey's Creek proceeding had never taken place on the face of the earth in connection with mining speculation. To think of any body of men calling themselves business men entering into the expenditure of £5 '00 or £60H0 without first testing the ground to see if it were capable of repaying the outlay ! He never knew of a more recklesa undertaking. He had his own opinion of those people. They did not care whether there was any gold in a claim so long as they could kill tho goose here in Dunedin that laid the golden eggs. They had spent thousands and thousands of pounds which the people on the West Coast had dragged out of their pockets, sending salted telegrams around the town to bleed men right and left, which they had done most effectually. Nearly a quarter of a million of money had been spent in that way during tbe past 18 months. That was the reason .why many men in this town were now very hard up. Men had actually mortgaged their properties and done everything they could to raise a few pounds to go into these golden dreams, deluded by what were nothing more or less than false representations. Money had been spent in a reckless and extravagant manner for the beneßt of a few. He hoped this would be a caution to men who, like himself, had put their hands into their pockets to help to develop the resources of this country, They wished to get gain for themselves; but still they were actuated by publio spirit in endeavouring to develop the resources of the country; and they had riot been treated fairly by the community on the West Coast As a rule they had not had fair reports ; the money had not been spent in the manner it should have been ; whenever they acquired information it was of the most meagre kind. •He.had always found that the information turned out to be incorrect, and if he paid any money on the information obtained, he had been a Bteady loser by it.— (Hear, hear.) They should look at something closer to them at the Macetown reefs, for instance. They had many far better claims at home ; and in the case of the West Coast it was only distance that lent enchantment to the view. If there was a mine in the moon, some men would get shares into the market, and find gullible people to take them up. There was only one thing to do in this matter, that was to pay up their calls, and wind up the affair, and see that the men who had gone to trouble and expense in this matter were not out of pocket. Mr Spedding thought they should give an expression of opinion that the directors should expend another £60 in testing the cement. The meeting closed without coming to any decision.' A man who was cutting turf on Munjoy hill, Portland, Mo., recently turned up with his spade a mental bar which, except for a glistening point where the spade struck it, looked like iron, The suspicious gleam caught his eye and induced him to carry the bar to an assayer, who pronounced it fine gold, and estimated its value at 5640d01. The discoverer conjectures that the ignot was buried in the early days of the colony, either by some official to prevent its cap. fcure or by some freebooter who had helped to plunder a Spanish treasure ship. Robust and blooming health in Hop Bitters, and no family can afford to be without them. Read.