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New Zealand Mail, Issue 1247, 23 January 1896, Page 17

The Northern Miner has a fine contempt for New Zealand gold-mining manoeuvres. Says our Charters Towers contemporary with a hundred-stamper sneer : —“ They have had their mining boom in Auckland, and some excellent pasture land has appropriately been taken up—it was required for the British lambs. There i-5 nofalse sentiment about tbe peggersout of the country, one actually took up the cemetery. This, of oourse, is not remarkable—the Charters Towers Cemetery has been included in leases several times, and now forms part of a new one—but the startling feature is that he planted his corner peg right in his angel mother’s grave. They can take up licensed holdings of 30 acres and special claims of 100 acres. In a few months in the Auckland district ISO holdings of 30 acres, and 208 special claims of 100 acres have been taken up. In all 33,000 acres have been pegged, on which no work is being done, and to man that ground would require 11,000 miners. It is estimated it would take over £3,000,000 to develop this property.”

Two Chinese belonging to the crew of the China Navigation Company’s steamer Whampoa on the last voyage to China from Sydney attempted to scuttle Thav--' vessel. From an account of the trial it appears that the carpenter and boatswain cut a water pipe leading from the ballast tank to the hold, and 3ft of water had accumulated in the hold before the discovery of the crime was made. Captain Goodall, of the TV hampoa, supposed the deed to be possibly connected with a charge of suspected robbery made the previous voyage, wherein suspicion had rested upon one or both of the present accused men. The robbery was of .£SOO in gold during a voyage from Australia to China. The two men were found guilty of attempting to sink the steamer by scuttling, and were each sentenced to receive 200 blows with the bamboo, a year’s imprisonment* and deportation.