HOKITIKA.

Bruce Herald, Volume III, Issue 73, 31 August 1865, Page 9

HOKITIKA.

The cost of meat at present is beyond all heaiing, though we might remark that: the extra money goes into the pockets of the eastern '- squatters, who drive their "cattle overland. . : .. ; It is' the duty of the Govern men t . at once to put an end to this,,by permitting the\ port of , . .Hokitika to -be , opened jto.^cattle. fr.om other ;•- ipor-ts, for. they -may rfeeL assured .that, by doing so they only consult the best -interests of (the best portion, of the prcvince,~ and that without pjiephniip (£^expense to themselves. A simple

proclamation in the ' Gazette/:- would .effect all •that is desired, and if need be a barrier beyond .which imported cattle could not be driven 'might' be set upv We- do' not care what conIditions of that kind are imposed, all we know is thatwe^do hot believe in paying is &d per lb. for. m?at .^hen the .same,: wjth existing restrictions removed, can. be: obtained at 6d to 8d less. '••:■.:■ ; \ ... ... '■* A gentleman recently returned from the Totara rush.gives anything but an inviting account of the difficulties that attend those vvlio voyage thither.' After travelling about fourteen miles along the beach, the Totara has to to-be waded. ( or swam, as the case may be ; and after following its bed for some distance, the travellers emerge oii tban execrable track, in some parts of. which the horses sink, literally, up to their haunches in mud, and their riders haye £6." squat monkey wise t'o 'prevent their legs 3 dragging through the mire; -After some little distance' the track runs in such a fashian, that our informant stated he could not actually ■see his way for bushand scrhb, \vhilst supple jacks and bush lawyers are hanging and twining in all directions: : About a mile from the diggings a sort of earthen wall rises up in such a manner as to suggest the impossibility" of any thing but a good climbing it. Somehow or other the packers manage to get their horses up; however, with half loads, 'though every now and then a horse comes down by the run. The gentleman referred to, and a "companion, declined the ascent on horseback, and climbed up on foot. . They proceeded to the diggings, but.found the little gold was offered for sale, although the claimholder appeared to be tolerably ;well satisfied. Storekeeping there, we ■hear, is carried on in the most primitive state. A most extraordinary scarcity of clergy ;oi all denominations exists in Hokitika, there being we believe not onesingle reverend gentleman permanently resident here, on the Kanieri, or either of the other goldfields. As a rule this want is not generally found, and the community would gladly welcome any whom the call of duty brought to such a large field for exertion. There are, say some 14,000 people and that they should be almost who'll v deprived of the administrations of religion speaks badly for the zeal of ministers. — * West Coast Herald/ '" "" There is- no> surer sign of the prosperity of ,a community, or the rapid advancement of a young" City, than the daily progress of her mariufatures. We observe with satisfaction that Hokitika can now boast of breweries inferior to none in New Zealand. A few days since we visited the establishment of M'Carthy and Co., and saw with surprise the excellent arrangements for carrying on the trade ; and we may mention that the ale and porter produced on the premises, have been pronounced by competent judges to be equal,'lf not superior, to any manufactured in the colony. A correspondent, writing from the south diggings, states : — The rush to this place is hourly increasing, diggers are arriving in crowds— most of the disappointed ones returning from the Grey find their ,way to this place, and I firmly believe that ' there's room enough for all.' The diggings are extending in all directions, and gold has been discovered in payable quantities in many new gullies during the last few days. The workings here ar^ riot confined to the gullies — Very many of the terraces are now proved to be auriferous, and that to no small extent. M'Donnagh and party obtained splendid prospects on a ttrrace where the depth of sinking is about nine feet, with about four feet of washdirt, from which prospects were' washed varying from half a pennyweight to two pennyweights tothe dish. 7 ' ' ' ' : ■* ' ■: ■ ' ; : The ground occupied by Hayes and party is paying exceedingly well ,• there are about four.feet. of washdirt, which it is said will average a pennyweight to the dish. Wise, and party's claim, in Jones's gully, continues to yield handsomely, as much as half Vn' ounce to the dish having been repeatedly washed by these men. Other parties are doing -equally well, and but for the want of space I could enumerate seores of similar instances. The general opinion of the miners seems to be that there ;is a vast extent of pay-! able ground in this district, and from what I have seen of' the -place. I believe that there! is payable work for many thousands of men. Every one seems" cheerful and satisfied with the piaceu '. v'\-..-.-'-l v _,'.." . ; ;. ; ; ;\^ ' '■I The party of men at present working the coal mine of the Grey are said to be earning between two and threepounds a day per man The seam of coal crops out of the river bank, about seven mile's from 'the Grey mouth, ah'd is of most excellent ;quali.ty, far saperior to the Sydney article.. The workings do not extend any distance at present; the' seaitn being abo'ut sixteen feetthiclj.):' The-: formation of a g^. pan'yvfo'r .the'. more ; efficient., working of the. mine iSj,w ; e believe,. partly arranged ; and when capital. and; labor arejwn^ I do hot doubt but 'that .', the' .'under tdking will be a most decided .succesS.^"^ depot for tihe coal has, been established at V short distance from'tbeinbtfth-orthe Grey, so that shipping will be enabled to take in return cargoes, ahd for this r easonj a greater \ . number . of steamers will idoub.tless^pay , ; a. visit ; tpr that port -■■_ i *