MINING ITEMS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1725, 13 February 1874, Page 4

MINING ITEMS.

The Moonlight correspondent of the Wakatip Mail, Otago, states that a claim, Bituated in the Upper Moonlight, and owned by Messrs Calder, Brigden, Duncan, and Gardiner, has been paying good dividends, and pieces of gold have been obtained weighing from half an ounce to upwards of six ounces. The gold in this claim is all course, and is much honeycombed. The claim is situated a little below the junction of the right and left hand branches of the Moonlight, and is intersected by two quartz reefs. There are also three other claims doing well at present— the Bed, White, and Blue, Nil Desperandum, and Royal Arch. Our correspondent, writing from Cardrona, Otago, says : — " The prosperous state of the country, and the high wages offered by the squatters and contractors, have had the effect of luring away many of the European miners from the Cardrona lately, and the opening up of the West Coast Gold-fields to Chinamen has had the effect of diminishing the number of them on this creek. The escort returns j keep about the same, and lead one to believe that those that remain must be doing much better than they were. The sluicing companies at Branch Creek completed washing-up some time ago, and the return is highly satisfactory. The water has been plentiful this season, and is better at the present time than it was last year in November. The sluicers in the head of the Lugate and in the Roaring Meg are expecting good washings-up in the course of a month or two. The Cardrona Valley Extended Company is now fairly afloat in the market. There can be no question but that the speculation must be well worthy of a trial." At Auckland a case is being heard in the Supreme Court (Graham v. Thomas) which involves the right deal of leased property and .miners 1 rights property on the Thames Gold-fields. The Herald- of January 31 gives the following particulars: —" Mr Robert Graham leased a certain piece of land from the Maoris as far back as 1868. The Thames gold-field was opened in the latter half of the year 1867. The land in question is close up to the range, and fronts what is now known as Bella street. It is now stated that before Mr Graham obtained his lease there was a claim, known as the Queen of Sheba ; and Mr Preece was examined, to show that he and others were interested in it. But that claim ceased to exist by thatname, and the Queen of Beauty— afterwards the Queen of Beauty No. 2 (amalgamated)— arose in its place. The present defendants date their claim from 1871. It is here the pinch of the difference begins to be felt. Mr Graham .had caused the lots to be surveyed in 1868, and directed them to be 're-pegged 'in 1872. This 're-pegging* was the re-assertion of a right. The defendants claim to hold under miners' rights, because, according to them, the land is within the gold-fields, and they rest their ownership upon recognised dealings with the land under the goldfields regulations. The 're-pegging' is followed by the erection of a fence by the plaintiff, which is pulled down by the defendants. The fence is again erected by the plaintiff, and again pulled down by the defendants." The Tuhua Gold-field is again attracting attention in Auckland. Some two years since the Government of that Province despatched two experienced miners on a prospecting tour to the Tuhua district. Owing to the lateness of the season, the wet weather put a stop to their proceeding, and they had to return. Since then nothing has been done, but the Souther.i Cross states that " another effort is to be made to fully discover the hidden riches of that vast tract of table land in the Tuhua district. Mr Barry, who is prepared to make another exploration is quite sanguine of success, and when it is stated that the Provincial Government are willing to pay his actual expenses while in the interior, it shows that Mr Barry's professions do not belie his actions. At present the Provincial Government are waiting for an answer from the Native Minister upon the subject. He has been written to, and as soon as he advises Mr Williamson that Mr Barry may go, a start will be made. It may, therefore, be anticipated that in the course of a week or two Mr Barry, and a reliable companion, will be on their way to bring to light some of the hidden mineral wealth in the centre of the territory over which Tawhiao seeks to exercise his sway. Let a rich gold-field be discovered there, and the influx of European population that would speedily set in would for ever settle the so-called 'native difficulty.'" According to the Queenstown correspondent of the Mount Ida Chronicle, the miners in the Lake district are talking of refusing to use the paper of the banks, unless gold is raised to something like its nominal value ; and that the Miners' Centra] Executive intend to suggest that' course of action to local associations. After so long a period of comparative inaction, the Arrow United Gold Miniug Company have commenced operations on the flat. The Observer reports that the shaft has been sunk to a depth of about 15ft below the natural surface, which, with the logging gives a depth of about 22ft. A portion of the machinery has arrived from Dunedin, so that the work may now be expected to go on uninterruptedly. The Bannockburn Miners' Association suggests that the different associations in the Province unite, and form a Jointstock Bank under the Limited Liability Act, for the purpose of gold buying, and the usual banking business. This plan, it is thought, would raise the price of gold to L 4. The Wakatip paper reports that there is very little news of any importance from the gold-fieids since the commencement of the year. The miners have generally resumed work, and several parties, encouraged by the hopes of a dry autumn season, have set in to their river claims. The worth and value of the claims, except at such places as Arthur's Point and the Big Beach, where heavy and costly protective works have been carried out, depend purely upon the. state of the river. The Chinese are still migrating from the district. The Cornish and Nugget Quartz Mining Company, Upper Shotover, Otago, are landing a quantity of new machinery for crashing purposes. This company should do something by-and-bye. They have any amount of stone to crush, and plenty of water-power to drive their machinery with. In my opinion, the turbine%heel is,the ; cauße of much trouble, and might advantageously be replaced by a first-class overshot. . :.;..■. -,:\ ■.:; ■:■■■:■ ■■■.■ ■//.