GREY VALLEY GOLD-FIELDS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1772, 10 April 1874, Page 2

GREY VALLEY GOLD-FIELDS.

[from our own correspondent.] MINING. The most important item of news in connection with mining received in the Grey Valley for the last eight years is the announcement that tenders had at length been accepted for making the greater portion of the Nelson Creek and Lake Hochstetter Water-race. A rumor had been spread that it was not likely the lowest tenderers would take up the work, but a telegram was received at Ahaura, from Wellington on baturday afternoon that the tenders had all been taken up. The message, wtyich was from a reliable authority, was' as follows :— " AJI the sections ot trie Hpchstetter Water-rape, except the dam, have been let. The contracts are now in course of signature." This completes the second part of the performance in connection with this important work. The first act, the detailed survey of the race, passed off satisfactorily, and let us trust the completion of the aqueduct; will come in due time and according to expectations ' Another.fact has transpired during the last week showing that the great things expected from the water in this race are not without good foundation, and that the value of the ground at great elevations alone; its course is not altogether over-rated. The prospecting claim at Owen's Look-out, which is situated more than one hundred

feet above the proposed line of the big race, has changed hands. Some ' of the lucky former shareholders are going to Australia, and have disposed of their interests. It is given on good authority that the quantity of gold taken out of the claim up to this time has very nearly reached to the value of L2OOO, and this from one run which if squared would not exceed the area of one man's claim. Who knows how many such patches may be laid bare when the ground in this locality comes to be operated upon with a really efficient supply of water 1 THE FLOOD. The old proverb about the ill wind that blows nobody good applies in the case of the heavy rainfall of the beginning of this week. Such of the races as stood the extra pressure during the height of the storm have now an abundant supply of water, and in like manner the dams are all full, besides being well scoured out of mud and rubbish. But as there is seldom the blessing of an unmixed good, so in this case a considerable amount of damage has been done to mining property. The most important is the bursting of the main embankment of the reservoir of the Eclipse Company at Half-Ounce, and the los 3of the. large body of water stored in it. Fortunately the accident did not take place suddenly, or at an unseasonable time, or the upper town at Half-Ounce would have been destroyed. The dam showed signs of giving way all day, and finally caved about five o'clock in the afternoon, so that preparations for an emergency were made beforehand. From Noble's Creek came reports of falling fluming and breaking away of races, while at Callaghan and Nelson Creeks considerable damage is visible. At the former place the flumes of Williams and party were thrown down, entailing a serious loss upon the party. There are also complaints coming; from No Town, where the works of the Chinese miners at the lower end of the creek have been again demolished. The tramways near the town are partially destroyed. Whitnell's lower dam, on Stewart's Hill, burot, and is a complete wreck. The tracks to Abe's and Paddy's Gullies are destroyed, and the loss to miners in Abe's especially is extensive and serious. It will take in some parts of the No Town distriot weeks to repair the total damage caused by the storm. THE KOAD BOARD. ' The election of members to fill the vacancies at the Board, caused by the.retirement by rotation of three of the members, passed off very tamely. The importance of these elections and the results likely to accrue from them are very much underrated by the majority of the" inhabitants. It is not because the Board has been hitherto powerless, through want of funds, to effect any great amount of good, that this will always be the condition of affairs. The. Boards will gradually be invested with fresh and important powers, and eventually will supersede the Provincial Council in its functions with" respect to dealing with local revenue and expenditure, or at all events the necessity of" sending members to the Proviucial Council to fight fqr a share of local expenditure, which is the only real purpose for whiph they go tljere now, will be obr viated. Jt will depend upon the manner of initiating the Road Board system, and giving it a thorough trial, whether it will he advisable to continue those Boards at all, or on the other hand make- them really of use by giving #iem largely increased powers. It is therefore necessary that the electors should not display that in. difference in the choice of members which has recently been shown. But the British public is proverbially impervious to attack' on every point, except when a raid- is made upon its pocket, and very probably when a rate is struck by the new Board, and this portion of the British public is called upon to "fork out," nolens volens, it will wake up to the stern reality of the situation. It will be a "prod" straight home when the aforesaid portion of the British lion is roused from his slumbers contribute largely to a revenue which can only be spent as the members of the Road Board shall direct in the case of locally raised taxes, or as the Superintendent shall choose, if his Honor -should ever phoose to choqse at all ;n the matter; in the oase of P-roviucia.lly voted subsidies, The necessity of having good praotioai meu on the Board will then become apparent, and that the Board is now fortunately constituted of such men is more the effect of good luck than good management, for as far as the general body of tho3e who will shortly, much J to their astonishment, become heavy direct taxpayers, interested themselves in the election, the selection might as well have beefl made by lottery. There will be more interest taken' in fqtur<3 elections, but there will be grievous wailing and gnashing of teeth over the '? parting" in the meantime. . * : THE LATE EtECXIQNS. Complaints are made, as is usually the cas,e after every election, that during the recent electiqri there was a want of sufii-; cient polling aPPpmrnodation in j;he outlying districts. Whoever is responsible for the omission on the present occasion is doubly to blame, for after the loud and frequent complaints made after previous elections, it could not be through a. want of knowledge of the requirements in such cases. Of what use is it that a few public spirited individuals should interest themselves in augmenting the electoral roll by every legitimate means, if those on whom the j'rivilege of the franchise iB conferred' are practically debarred from exercising it ? It is no answer to the demand for an increase in the number of polling-booths to say that the miners of such-and-such a district are indifferent, and if polling accommodation were provided they would not exercise their votes. It is time enough to make a charge of this jcind [when it has been found that facilities were placed in the way of the miners of any particular district, and that they neglected tp ; avail themselves of the privilege of voting. But this pharge of mr difference is utterly groundless, as the establishment of polling-places at Moonlight and Noble's Creeks has shown. We again repeat that the whole of the electors in the extensive and important districts of the Little Grey aud Antonio's Flat were virtually and actually disfranchised, aud prevented hy the neglect tp proclaim a polling-place somewhere in the from voting at the recent, election for the Provincial Council. It is unreasonable, to expect. that men who are not directly interested will travel from twenty to thirty miles to vote at an election, the reault .of which does not immediately concern thorn. Tho proclamation Of

p llling • booths at Bannou's store at the Blackwater Creek, and at Johnstone's,/.store at Antonio's Flat, or at equally centrally situated points, was an actual necessity of the situation, if the expressed intention to place the power of exercising the franchise on as wide a basis as' possible "be the ' sincere"**wißh^<jf ! *tln)se who talk so much about the subject. These are not the only places where'additional polling. places_w.ill.be.iequiredj n future, and were required^ betdrerOTtthe omission to have booths established in the districts mentioned waff so glaring that- 'it is impossible to pass it over in silence. And while on this subject it may be as well to repeat the asßertionthat, notwithstanding tho estimate of certain very rambling reporters to the contrary, it is. a fact that before an elector from any part of the Little Grey diggings could- record his vote at the late election he would have to travel, altogether quite twenty miles, .unless he forded the Grey River at the risk of his life in even ordinary weather, and ,it io also a fact that an elector from any of the most populous centres of the Little Grey would have 'to travel more than thirty miles and pay ferry charges and other expenses besides before he rould record his vote" 'at the nearest .polling* place, and return tp his home with safety. V ' . ' ";