WARDEN'S COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 288, 4 December 1895, Page 7

WARDEN'S COURT.

(from odr own correspondent.)

Paekoa, December 3.

A case of Borne importance and in which considerable interest was taken, came before the Warden ab to-day's sitting. This was an application by Nathaniel Dunlop for a creek claim at Karangahake on the Waibawhota River, and was objected to by tho New Zealand Crown Minos Company. Mr Moss appeared for the applicant, and Mr Miller for the objector. The question was whether a river claim could be granted when the river ran through a special claim or licensed holding belonging to some other person. Mr Miller acting for the Crown Company stated thab they did nob claim any right to the water, but they did claim a right to all gold found on the bed of the stream and under tho water generally. He quoted section 142 of thß mining regulations which states that a river claim can only be granted whan the river exceeds 100 ft in width, and aleo section 77, which gives the ownars of all claims an indefeasible right to all gold on such claims.

Mr Moes replied ab length to the arguments raised, and made the very besb of his case, hut the Warden finally decided that he had no jurisdiction in the mabter, and, therefore, refused the application. Several other cases similar to above were adjourned till the 17th insr.

The case of the objection of the Waverloy Company to the granting of a license to the Woodstock Company to cub timber on the Waverley. claim was further adjourned for a fortnight.

A special claim of 100 acre? ab Rotokohu, Karangahake, was granted to P. J. Hutchinson. This is rough, broken bush land, on which hitherto only desultory prospecting has been done. Gold-carrying boulders are found in large quantities on the surface, and ib is confidently asserted that the raef from which these came is running through the Germanic property. A syndicate has been formed in Auckland with the objecb of properly and systematically trying the ground, and a sum of £1,000 is to be expended in fchi3 work.

Again, as ab last Court, a large number of applications came forward, some for absolute protection, and others for partial protection, that is, permission to work with a fewer number of men than is required by law. In some cases sound reasons were given for these applications, but in other cases, the reasons were in strange contradiction to the hitherto accoptad statements of the nature and value of these claims. However, all such applications were granted.

The Golconda application was adjourned till next Court day, on an affidavit made by Mr McVeagh, solicitor, acting for Messrs R. C. Greenwood, W. Hollis, jr., Hugh Bntlor, and E. M. Corbebt, who objected bo the granting of the claim in the name of Clement Augustas Comes, tho applicant, on the grounds thab Comes was only an agent for the above four, and had used his position to the detriment of the interests of those for whom he was acting, and they wished to institute a suit to declare Comes' position as agent or trustee, and if succeesful to amend the plan.