MINING NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 11455, 24 January 1901, Page 4

MINING NEWS.

WEST COAST NOTES,

[From Our Owk Correspondent.]

The township of Ross, situated some twenty miles to the south of Hokitika, is a splendid health resort, and the ride by coach from the latter place is one of the prettiest that can be imagined. The first stopping place is at Kaniari, where the river is crossed on (apparently) a very old bridge, a little below which is the Hokitika River’s dredge, very near completion. There is no doubt about the gold being there, but it remains with the -dredge, if suitable, to get it. After travelling another mile the Rimu is reached, where sluicing is carried on with very good results. In fact, this is considered the richest part of the Coast, and it only wants capital, to bring in a large water race, to gave phenomenal returns. The next stopping is the Halfway House (Browne’s), and about two miles below is Lake YJahinapua, where the experiment is tried by building a dry dredge. This will first lift off the sand before getting to the wash. The dredge will be working in about three or four weeks, and the result is anxiously looked forward to. About six miles beyond Browne's is the Totara River, from wliich great results arc expected. The only dredge working this river is the Totara, a private concern. It is situated about one mile and a-half above the bridge. The owners keep the returns a profound secret, and if the proverb “ No news is good news ” be correct then this dredge must be getting plenty of gold. At all events, the man in the street thinks so. All the ground from this dredge to the sea is pegged off, waiting results, but no companies have been floated yet. The general opinion in Ross is that the Totara River will give very good returns when the dredges are properly working. After leaving the Totara, Ross Flat is reached. Although the whole of the vacant ground in Ross has been pegged out for eighteen months, the folk are only just starting to build one or two dredges, and it is eminently desirable that the prospecting of the. ground should bo thoroughly done before building, as ground was pegged out during the boom where it would be impossible to put a. dredge. On Dunolley’s Creek they are just starting to build the pontoons —the timber being already on the ground—for the Ross Day Dawn’s dredge. This claim should pay fair dividends. At the foot of the Mont D’Or Company's tailings is the Ross Flab Dredging Company, where prospecting is going on by boring and sinking shafts. the results so far have not been disclosed. About a mile lower down is the Prince of Wales Company’s ground. The timber is being cut for the pontoons of this dredge, and when completed it will be the largest dredge in New Zealand. The future prospects of this company should be good, as thousands of ounces have been taken out of -the ground by sluicing. The latter, however, had to be stopped, as they could not get any deeper on account of the water. Two miles below is the Mikonui River, from which great results are expected.

In the iHawera. Police Court yesterday, in a case in which a person was charged with using obscene language, the magistrate said that by the Indictable Offences Summary Jurisdiction Act of last session a novel point arose. Section 6 provides that when a person is charged with an offence for which he is liable on summary conviction to be imprisoned for a term exceeding three months be may claim on appearing before the court to be tried by jury. After discussing the matter, the Bench adjourned the case for a week, when proceedings will be commenced de novo, accused not having been asked, under subsection 2 of section 7, whether he desired to be tried by jury. >