MINING NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1920, 1 October 1874, Page 2

MINING NEWS.

GREY VALLEY GOLD-FIELDS. [from otjr correspondents.] AHAURA. September 30. : GENERAL. The storm which appears to have been felt more or less severely all over the Colony did not miss this place, and as a matter of course formed a topic of conversation while it lasted. The river was exceptionally low even at its highest level this time, considering the quantity or rain that fell, and this is the more unaccountable for a good deal of snow water was in the flood. The water broke through into the bye-wash alongside the grounds of St. Mary's Convent Schools, and continued running down the old road to the Landing for some forty-eight hours. The damage done directly by the flood was not very great, but the great loss and inconvenience resulting from the total cessation of traffic and outdoor work of all kinds will be something very great. The farmers will be the greatest sufferers, for it is feared the late wet season will make the harvest very poor indeed. The grass looks freshly invigorated, and he is a fortunate man who will be prepared to take advantage of the fine season likely to follow for graziers, although it should be ruinous to crop-growers. It is almost time some alteration took place, so that beef would -become more plentiful. There are no cattle in the district now, but the supply will be ample enough before many months. There are great numbers of store cattle running in the Grey Valley, and the fine grass likely to be available this spring will soon get them into condition for market. There was no feed all winter, owing to the heavy frosts and rains prevailing, and these were sufficient to keep down the local supply, while the state of the tracks and rivers prevented the possibility of meeting the demand by bringing fat cattle froni the usual sources over the ranges. This is the real cause of the scarcity of meat, and hot that Vogel's immigrants have devoured all the lean as well as the fat kine. The immigtants we have seen in tKese parts, up' to this, mostly' affect provender of which the basis is oatmeal, although it (the oatmeal) maybe partially disguised by cunning devices and mysteries imparted by the cookery books, but the quantity of beef consumed by the " nominateders," as the nominated immi-

grants are described by themselves, is not enormous, or, at all events, not sufficiently large to cause the present famine. The farewell banquet to be given to Mr Whitefoord is expected to be a grand affair. Applications to the committee for tickets are pouring in from all directions, even from Reef ton requests have been made to forward cards of admission. As I remarked in a former letter, this event will not only be made the means of paying, a graceful compliment to Mr Whitefoord, but it will be made the occasion of making a strong protest against the action of the Government, in so grossly insulting the whole ot the community, by abolishing the office of Warden in the Grey Valley, which is simply what the removal of Mr Whitefoord means. .The conduct of Mr Curtis in this matter is beginning to be looked upon in as bad a light as that of the prime author of the whole trouble, for it is plainly said that he whom we used to delight in describing as our "Pocket Hercules in politics," has turned tail most ignominiously, and played the political poltroon most ungratefully as far as the Grey Valley is concerned, for it was the Grey Valley that made him Superintendent of Nelson. THE ABOLITION OF THE WARDENSHIP. The most general topic of conversation for the past week has been the loss our district will suffer now that Mr Whitefoord's Wardenship may be considered, 'in the absence of contradictory intelligence, to have expired. Wonderful to relate, unanimity exists with reference; to the able and honest manner in which the judge's duties have been administered by that gentleman, all agree in paying a high tribute to his painstaking, impartial, and thoroughly conscientious official action during his four or five years residence in our midst. lam sure that he deservedly ha 3 the kind wishes of all, more particularly so in consideration of the circumstances causing his removal, arising as they do^ from paltry vindictiveness ou ; the part of one of the Nelson Executive, and not for his demerits, or the more presingnecessity of retrenchment, has he been de-' spoiled of his position. The healthy: know not the value of good health until sickness overtakes them, neither will the Government fully realise the worth of a faithful and capable servant until by his absence many an evil will creep into the State, and foul disease, engendered by : spleen, become the : normal political condition, of the people. Such a thorough abnegation of our rights cannot fail to foster the growth of discontent, a plant which rapidly attains maturity, developing simultaneously the means of redress, which, I think, will take the form of a prayer to the General Government from this part of the country to assist in the abolition of the Nelson Province, then the suicidal policy of our petty tyrannical Executive will be made painfully apparent to its authors. JROADS AND TRACKS. When will the need to complain of the fearful state of the roads cease ? Continually casting reproaches on the Local Revenues Board, when actually the Provincial Government deserve the, opprobrium is, to use a vulgar aphorism, " throwing 1 water on a drowning ratj" yet one cannot refrain from stating plain facts when the grievance becomes positively unbearable. The Saddle track at best, is far too narrow, and is now almost impassable for vehicles ; heavily-ladeii waggons sink axle deep, and though the teams strength would be ample to meet the resisting power— mud— on flat ground, it cannot on such a confined, circuitous road master the difficulty without oftentimes means unloading— a matterof serious importance when the cargo is composed of pieces of machinery, of perhaps a couple of tons. Bearing in mind the little money the Reefton Board has to expend on the main line, we could i overlook a few bad places on thelevel surface, did they only keep in good repair the most dangerous portions, where there is no play-room for the skilful whip to exercise his manoeuvring abilities. , ; MOONLIGHT CREEK. An application for an agricultural lease of 200 acres has been made to the Warden for land situated in close proximity to existing gold-workinga and in a run of country that has long been known to contain gold, though at present unworked. . My remarks refer to that section at the foot of Roaring Meg Creek, applied for by M'Gill and Co. It is only about, twb miles lower down Moonlight than the 8.8. Creek, where fair wages are now being made by a few; parties, and the run of gold at present being worked is supposed to continue in the terraces,' though the creeks have so intersected the ground that the tracing of it has been and will be found rather tedious. All prospectors that Lave devoted any time to that portion ot the Moonlight district have, without exception, obtained samples of coarse gold, but not in payable quantities, and the natural conclusion is that eventually' when the population settle further down stream, already showing signs of a ten- : dency in that direction, that the terraces will be better tried, and prove to contain large deposits of the precious metal. Therefore, I think that an agricultural lease trespassing so closely on the miners property should be refused. It would not be right to sacrifice the mining to the : agricultural interest, and any right to occupy land where a fair chance of a goldfield exists ought to be ' stoutly fought against, if only as a precedent that might be used in the future to the serious loss; of the mining community. A few days ago a very handsome specimen was found above the Moonlight Gorge containing 16oz of gold. I have often spoken of the frequent proofs met with tending to prove that Moonlight must have rich reefs in the locality, and this late find only strengthens my former conviction. Had it been deposited on the slate reef, or in the stratum of gravel usually called washdirb, I should not have ; taken it 3 evidence as speakingso loudly in support of my first belief, but when we consider that it was discovered in a surface formation 25ft above the rock, and in company with huge masses of detached; rock, showing no watermarks, one cannot help surmising that the surface has been a late deposit, and at n6 remote period was a portion of the mountain bounding either side of the creek. THE LITTLE GREY. MOSSY CREEK. The population of Mossy is daily receiving large additions of Chinese. Nota week passes without a gang of Celestials marching, 1 single-" file,' ■» en roctte for the ' above-named creek, through the Ahaura. !

One can easily imagine the astonishment of the European storekeeper now thai John has commenced business on his own; account. I think our storekeepers have failed to realise the value of their custom, else why not encourage them to deal more generally with their Christian brother. NOBLE'S CREEK>,« n - n As a field for sluicing operations, Noble's' is decidedly on- the wane* as : f ar regards the amount of ground available on the low terraces. The ' different sluicing parties .are principally, forking /ground that was not considered payable some;few yeara ago. There is ; an ; unlimitedaniount of country that would '-pay 'we'll, still left on the spurs and high terraces, if Itandall Creek, or some other creek from that direction could be brought to bear them, but although the population to a man is waiting anxiously to: seethelong. talked of Napoleon Hill Water-race commenced, from general appearances they are likely to wait. , The Government appears to have hung ; tjie Napoleon Hill^ water schemo l up- in some sate place to dry, which fWjill end by the sluicing industry of the districtbeing dryed up. ,• •,.-. ...■:-.; , : : ; : - ■•■-• WAIPtrNA : TBRBAOE.- '■ ' ; '■' .-i^ I On the Waipuna Terrace, Mori and r party and ; ,Haig and. party are, still work? , ing. They are followingtli© maiii Noble's' lead-, which. crossed- the Waipuna, .' Cregk at the r Noble's j unction, and it, . is evidently heading; for ■MackleyfsiiKains. A large area of the terrace; has been sluiced, but the want of sufficient:fall compelled the . claimholdera ■•; -to desist 'from; iground sluicing, and work' it by means df tunnels. The lead, ia not what may be termed rich, though it will pay small .wages with plenty of ground to work if the fall can be got to drain it. _ ; , , BROy^NE's TERRACE., . :.'." i At Browne's Terrace a few parties are istill making fair wagesr Jessbp's party have got a payable prospect ' in,' ;a run of ideep ground; which 'appears :to be a ibranch of the main; lead. ')^;They • tlxibk it iis a different run from /that ..which is ■worked, and as it is heading in a direction where the ground hitherto is untried, if i such should. ; turn ; out to be the case iJessop and party have ." struck ile " ; again, for the claim that they worked was one of the best on the terrace. ■ ■ •■ ;: ■ '"'•■'• ' : -■-'■■''';> ; . r At one lower end of , the old lead, "Wil- : liams and patty have it all, to themselves^ as the. Leasehold party gave up some time ago. Williams' ground will '■■ pay only small wages, but I have no donbt the; time" will come when the lower end of ; Browne's Terrace will be /turned .to good account. This will take place when the miners have not to pay exorbitant prices for everything they eat. They will then, , and then only, be enabled to work poor ground profitably. J Kennedy and party, who. have ; been prospecting for some months back, have succeeded in finding ground that will pay them well for sluicing, and as they possess a head-race, with a good supply of water, their prospecting will result to their advantage financially. /