WHITECHAPEL FLAT.

Lake County Press, Issue 52, 31 May 1872, Page 2

WHITECHAPEL FLAT.

(From a Correspondent.)

B fne touching upon the. prJaP'pi industry <>f the place—mining—l *ij| allude to certain features of public ill terebt peculiar to the pluce. Sum e very extensive reservoirs of water belonging to the race owuers are to be found on the Flat. Those dams have) become the favorite resort of .numerous wild ducks, gulls, &c, and as the residents number few sportsmen among them, the birds are not much disturbed. Moreover, an application has been made to the authorities at Whitecbapel to afford refuge to a number of perse, cuted geese, driven from the Arrow b» recent litigation—said geese having been the subject of an action for trespass. In consequence, it is possible that a Board of Wardens will be ap. pointed at Whitechapel to allot the various sheet" of water in an equitable manner between the ducks and geese. In the coming winter we anticipate some good opportunities for skating on these dams, and next summer we hope to make a small fortune out of bathin» machines.

Mining prospects have improved since my last. As the workings are carried buck further into the flat richei veins of washdirt have been struck. The rates from the Arrow Hiver an progressing rapidly, and next summei will most likely find the Flat a ol active industry. The successive dis coveries of highly payable wash madi here during the last two years affords) proof of the resources which the dis trict possesses, and shows the necessiti for some well-organised system of prospecting being at once adopted if tin Arrow district is to continue to progress Unless this is done at once, the distric cannot be expected to compete success fully in the 1 ace for population with thi many uttiactive fields of labor not opening to the immigiani and nin« True,the Arrow Rtver and the Cardroa promise to yield good returns for svi tematic mining for many years to cook but the over rapidly increasing Chines population will absorb vast areas I ground in these localities. YVe had lately some of our best miners leayj for distant fields - nor is this sup.isin. in the face of the accounts which read us from time to time ; as from tb Cape of Good Hope late advices Mat that diamonds to the amount of od and a half millions sterling were la< year exported. From North Australi the overland telegraph pariy report tb existence of a gold country said to 1

as rich as Victoria itself. The auriferm resources of the North Islam), and tl large returns tioni some of the quar reef's in New South Wales are common! inj; daily increasing attention. lai

indebted to a writer in a late issued the Bruce Herald for a valuable M gestion in reference to a system A prospecting which would he very appW cable to this district—especially vrba it is r< memhered that we have rw pecting machinery here which does noj

exist in the district of the writer oft Herald. I allude to the boring ro sent up here by the Government sun years hack, and which are now lyii idle. The suggestion s this—To sj

a company, say of 100 shareholj

and make ca 1> on each of say 2s 6 weekly. Bj the funds thus raised \ boring rods might be kept in n-guL work—as doubt ess the G.»verum| would allow them to b« made availahl for such a purpose. The discover! which would most likely result won

give a great impetus to the mink interest ii< re. Oi course the parti finding the funds should l>e secured[l

special grant i'r.»m the G vernweut certain privileges in reference i» ai discoveries to compensate tn«ra I their outlay- The subject is wort calling a public meeting about, and should like to see such a meeting | at once, for the purpose of starting Piospecting Company. It is foriui* that a party is at the Arrow who b been working boring rods for the Pfl vfncial Government tor many years | who is well known to Mr *Bewes, ; l

Read Rngineer. This party could got to report, on the state of the n

and inform u< a> to the probable cos] the operations noiii, ai plated. I Before closing this. It-tti r. I have word to »uy in reference 10 the Gran

in Aid ol Water Supply. The sb» holders in one of the largest races the district made an application proper form about two months since! a sum of money, but nothing wl.atet has lien heard oi the matter. Soil verv clear that should any mismkrtl made by the Government in nritniii tiling the Act it w.i: uot hj the rtf oi any huirj in dealing with applications f„ j U ct. it seems th«' patty might as wtll l, c waning f>« judgtticut in a Chancery suit asrs}* nig a subsidy under the l'ublic W* Act of New Zealand.