MINING.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1251, 19 February 1886, Page 3

MINING.

The late welcome rain has so replenished the streams and water races that the miners have again in nearly every part of the district resumed work after an enforced idleness since about Christmas time. The steam dredge, also (he current wheel W one, are sticking closely to work, both parV ties are very reticent as to the result of their labours, but if rumor is correct they are bbth doing ' remarkably well. Both dredges are still working in the neighbourhood of Alexandra, and from the fact that for the past eight or ten years, at the least, one or more dredges have been continuously dredging on the same part of the river, is evidence of its great nohnesv Such, indeed, is the faith in the richness of the bed of the Molyneux—more especially iu the neighbourhood of Alexandra—that a company of four of the residents of that town have determined on building another dredge wherewith to recover some o' the hidden L riches lying at their doors. We have ever * held to the opinion that the bed and beaches of the Molyneux is an undeveloped field, and we heartily wish tha spirited proprietors of the new venture every success. As a field ftr the profitable investment of capital we know of none better than the beaches and banks on the East bank of the river just above Alexandra, and wa hope soon to see a start made to woik them. Along the banks of the river some six or eight parties still find profitable employment, their supply of water is from the Fraser River. Very favorable reports are ■current as to the doings of the various parties at work on the spurs at the back of Clyde, falling into the Wai Keri Keri Valley. Water has been scarce with them for a while back, but with the renewed" supply they should be able to make up for lost time. The only claim at work on the Old Man Range is that of White’s Company, who, up to a week or so back, have been adding to their good-sized heap of quartz. The estimated quantity of golden stone now to grass is some 600 tons. The past few weeks all hands have been engaged making a dam for storing water for the crushing and otherwise preparing for crushing. Everything is now ready for that operation, and if we are correctly informed, the stampers are busily engaged in reducing the quartz." Messrs Kincaid and McQueen completed their contract for the erection of the battery on Saturday laet, and but for the unavoidable delay caused by the non-arrival of the quicksilver, a start would have beeu made on Monday. However, if as before stated, we are correctly informed, the battery was aet in motion on Wednesday, and it was found to work admirably. For the past week or so the minds of some of the shareholders in this company have -been somewhat disturbed on the question of management, whether the following paragraph taken from the last issue of the * Cromwell Argus’ will add to their comfort or not wo cannot say. We can neither add to or detract from what our contemporary says on the subject, we therefore give the paragraph in full:—“ We hear that the White’s Reef 00. (Old Man Range) have engaged the services of Mr W. Menzies as battery manager. The company will commence to crush next week, and have about 600 tons of stone to grass, which is expected to yiald well. As the battery is only a fiveshead one, it will take some months, even under the most favorable conditions, to put the stuff through. We should think shareholders ®tve good reason to question the wisdom of engaging a battery-manager ata high salary to superintend the working of a five-stam-per machine. But this is the way in which most mining ventures in Otago are crippled —big and expensive staffs, who must bepaid, against problematical returns. What with mine managers, battery managers, legal managers, underground and overhead managers, it is little wonder that many otherwise promising speculations have been “managed” out of existence, and that not a few are now rapidly undergoing that process." .