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Inangahua Times, Volume III, Issue 90, 16 March 1877, Page 2

The local share market ha^ been very brisk, during the past week* the ohief stooka ope* rated upon being Weloome and Hopefal scrip, the former hating changed hands at 20a, The splendid appearance of the reef in the winze of the Weloeme mine has been the principal topic of converjatioQ during the last few days, and a large nutnber of persons interested in the company have lately visited Boatman's in consequence. In the early part of the week Juetiiu I ime shures had re* ce.ied considerably iv price, but from newt which came to hand in the middle of the : week, quotations have greatly improved.

It is announced el«ewhere that Mr and Mrs Cotterell (Miss Isabella Carandini) will giye a final concert in Dawson's Hall on Saturday evening next. As there will be an entire change of programme on the occasion, we are sure that all those whoHve been present at these concerts before will gladly avail themselves of the opportunity of another visit, while to those who have as yet been denied the opportunity of attending, we can only say that they have a treat in store, and should not fail to attend on Saturday evening. Judge Weston was quite surprised to hear i during the hearing of a recent case in the I District Court here, that miners were paid an « all round" rate of wages, and there is no doubt the system is a bad one. There doee not appear to be any sufficient reason why the principle which is applied to all the pursuit? of life— of rewarding skill (in this case experience) over "Scotch navigation" should be departed from in the case of underground toilers. In most of the reefing districts of the colony the distinction between experienced miners and "raw recruits" is carefully observed and duly reoognised by an increased rate of pay to the former, the obvious comet quence of which is that the best class of workers is attraoted to those localities. That not a few mining accidents are traceable im- ' mediately to the slummed work of inexperiI enoed hands admits of little doubt, and this I remark applies more particularly to contract 'jvork, in whioh the pohoy generally is "• suffio.ent for the day is the evil thereof." The Greymouth races will be held on to* morrow and Monday, and are likely to be visited by a large number of Beeftonites. Beyond the faot that inadequate publicity has been given to a programme of foot races, nothing is known of the proceedings of the Aeefton Sports Conmittee, Half the success of githerings of this kind consists in their being kept constantly before the public, and the course pursued by the Committee has shut them out from this, and the result seems to bd that little or no interst is felt in the matter, and the success is not likely to be overwhelming. In the District Court Mr M'Lean, liquidator in the matter of the wind ing«up of the Golden Treasure Company, applied for an order settling the list of contributories in the above company. ' r he rate of contribution asked by the liquidator was 3d per share, and the order was made for that amount. In another column we publish some remarks made by his Honor Judge Weston when granting the order dissolving the liquidation of the United Monte Ohristo Company, Lyell. Sha-eholders iv mining companies would do well to "mark and inwardly digest" the farts there recorded, for they vividly illustrate the perils and coats o winding -up orders. | To-morrow being the anniversary of St. Patrick's Day, the members of the Reef ton Branch of the Hibernian Society are re* quested to meet at the lodge«room at 9 a tn. The members of the order will march in procession in the morning, headed by the town band, to Mr M'lnerny's grounds, at the south side of the river, where an hour or so will be devoted to football and other field amusements. The members will then return n time to be present at the sports in Smith's paddock. On Monday evening the Society's annual commemorative ball and supper will be held in Dawson's Hall, and from the number of invitations issued and the preparatorn made, the gathering promises to be very largely attended. The long- talked of children's pic«nic will take place on Tuesday next. We were yesterday shown a bunch of ripe grapes grown in the garden of Mr Disney, on the Buller road. The fruit had arrived at wonderful perfection, and in appeanince, bulk, and flavor, quite equalled the imported article The Italian Gully Company were to recommence crushing operations early this morn* ing, and as there ia a good supply of stone on hand the stampers will be run for a fortnight or three weeks. Coal from Mr M'lneroey's mine is, now being delivered in town, and its quality is spoken of in the highest terms by consumers. We aye informed that the stone naw being sent down by the Inkermaa Company looks very well, and specimens can be readi'y picked from it. The crushing will probably be finished in about four weeks, by which time, the whole of the 100Q tons will have been put through. The battery is now orushing at the rate of 140 tons per week. A gentleman in town who baa oarved a uame for himself by carving for bis friends during hia leisure time a number of highly ornamental walking sticks, has ju<t com* pfeted tbeoarvingof a number of these artioles, whioh will he vaflled at Campbell's Hotel o i Saturday evening next, and. the entire proceeds handed to the hospital. The handles of the sticks are most elaborately and artistU cally whittled, and represent a variety of faces »nd figures, all of the moat unique desigu. The collection js well worthy of inspection. A reoent issue of the Weatport Times aays ; —In these days of lightning despatch the craving for speedy, news makes it imperative on newspaper proprietors, who have any circulation at all for their journals, to keep their readers posted up in. the latest items, nft matter what the expense. It ia therefore a novelty to find there ia at least one conductor of a journal who oan olaim the felicity of having no oause for hurry, and who calmly announces that when he oan alight upon a supplement printer who will supply him with the world* news of ta-day, oom« piled to the latest hour of the mail leaving Australia, he will grasp at the opportunity ! In the Otago Daily, Times of Monday last there appeared the fallowing letter addressed By a Mr Bedmayne, from California, to Mr ' Macandrew :-'* Trenfcvalei Alamanda County, California, Deeembe* 26. 1876.— James Mac endrew Esq. My dear sir,— l do myself the hopor to address you on a subject th it you may take some interest in, seeing that your, ( strenuous exertiotw on behalf of tho pioneer

settlers of (Hugo have beeu unsuccessful. In anticipation of the present politic »1 troubles it was requested by a number of persons before leaving Otago to look out for a suitable fjjace tftMnora to, for which purpose I have during 1 the last tw<j years been on the look out, and visited various part* of Califomi. without finding all the essential* for * •ucessful settlement. At last, I beKeve 1 have met with a section of country that possesses more advantages than my most sanguine imagination could have expects I namely, in Lower California and at preset) under the Mexican Government. Mr Georg )uncan and myself have already puroha* •everal thousand acres each and are negotiat ing for two or three thousand more at a few p-nce per acr- on conditions of settlement under the Mexican laws of 1875, which giv. ' unusually liberal inducements to immigrant*, which are too numerous to mention in a bn*' letter. Amongst others I may state that 640 acres or a square mile are given to each family, and to be free from taxes and import and export duties during the first ten years. The climate, nature of the soil, mineral and other resources, are probably unsurpassed in the world. It has hitherto been a terra incognita, exceptas a grazing place for some wild herds of cattle and sheep." Visitors to the Kumara now are invariably astonished at the progress made in the township in so short a time. There is a township there in reality, and by no means a small one. The place, a correspondent informs a northern contemporary, presents a striking and picturesque appearance. The town is V shaped, and contains some well built and even handsome buildings, which are necessarily confined to limited space ; sad scattered round, as it were, in different spots, are tents, inhabited by miners and others. Through the centre of the town a long road extends into the " country," and along thi» road at different parts are clusters of tents, or little mining camps j but the town is literally surrounded by bush, and it seems therefore to be in a deep valley. As the traveller and visitor approaches it, it may be described as one of the most interesting'sites that can be possibly imagined.