TOKOMAIRIRO. NOTES BY A MINING REPORTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 86, 24 February 1862, Page 2

TOKOMAIRIRO. NOTES BY A MINING REPORTER.

February 20, 180?. My communication of last week evidently has uot come to hand, or olsp it must have been overlooked However, nothing of "much consequence lias transpired here lately. Our population has increased to the extent of fifty or sixty within the last fortnight, and about a mile* of the river is now taken up, and working with varied success. No large finds have been got, but as a general rule wages or a good living is being obtnintd by all persevering persons. Such parties as have besrun to turn the river, have a prospect of along job before them, and I think with the incidental drawback?, such as may be expected from floods, now that the rainy season seems to be ap'l preaching, the winter will have passed by and yet no great falling off in our numbers will have taken place when spring comes round again. We are getting into aseltlcd community very rapidly. We have n post-offlcfi—the name, of the place "Glenore" (Woolshcd difrginirs). Mr. Crosgrove is the postmaster. It is a great convenience to the diggers I located hereabouts, a? it saves them a journey to the Tokoinniriro.townsliip, 7 miles distant. The Warden also visits us onceawcC'kjto adjudicate on any niiiihigdisputu that may arise, but, it appears* it is more an act of courtesy on hfs pavt than a necessity duty,for it seems we am not under his jurisdiction, nor is tha "Woolshed Di<»frinsß" within the boundary of the proclaimed gold-fields in this Province. That we should be without the pale of the gold-fields for so long a time, without any provision being beinp made for legalising our occupation of the Crown lands,, held by virtue of miner's rights, docs not speak weil for the paternal care of the Otagonian Government. It cannot be said that our numbers were too few, or the extent of ground workinc- and prospected too limited, to justify the Government in bringing- this neighborhood wirhin the dimensions of the " Tuapeka gold-field." The country round about has been worked for the 1-J9t four months; our population has been augmenting during that period ; the various works of no small magnitude undertaken on' the river ; the machinery erected, rude though it be, all bear testimony to our j auriferous capabilities; and with a knowledge ot all these facts, still no steps has been taken to place us ou a footing with miners in other places. '■ W nitahuna" is f oinir down rapidly, unless some good rush ! breaks out there very soon, it will be amongst the j places that have b?en. We are yet in our pristine ivigour, with every probability of a lengthened exiistonce; it is therefore high time that we were 'nt once recognised as part of the gold-fields ot the Province. We cannot have local legislation by means of a mining board of our own until our position i:i that respect is established, and a necessity obtains which | will eventually become more imperative for reguIlatins our own mining" matters, as numberless disipntci will doubtlessly arise ere long, owing; to races, ! water rights, dams,' Sec, all unpleasant adjuncts of I river working. We can muster in excess of ]00 'miners, whose ricrlits arc more than three months' iold, all men of considerable practical mining experience, and all would willingly petition for local legislation if we iiad a locus standi. 'Forms of registration for the compilation of tna electral roll have been received by the postmaster here, and any miner holding a right may qualify himself as an elector. The forms are distributed graituitouslv. and when filled in must be sent to the elecjtral registrar for the " Tokomairiro" district. l\ mention this so that it uiav come under the notice of j miners, but, 1 am sorry to say that the number of forms sent is very scant. —only about a- dozen ior a population of 200 ami upwards, most of whom too, are leg:dlv in a position to qualify. I hope that this will . he soon remedied, and that no obstacle, either through carelessness, chicanery, or otherwise, will_ be thrown . in the way of men desirous of securing their franchise. The miners lira one of the buttresses of the colony— their prosperity is prosperity for till. Let them then have every opportunity afforded of exercising their judgment as to the legislator and the legislation suited for the common weal) and they will evince by their action that they have not been relied on in vain. ' The hist few'showery days have not improved the roads, and not much progress has been made towards 1 their formation —some three mouth:- back a surveyor laid out a road through these diggings, the government pegs indicating its bearings were driven m, and 'as he then left, it. so it is now. In a couple 'of months more it will be to lute to do anything to it and we shall doubtless have to, '"fork out" to some tune for such articles of food as we may require. ]■ think that thei ' government oucht to send a- prospecting party or twoj in this place to"thoroughly test the hills and creeks! circumjacent, I believe success would crown the uii-j dertaking as there arc a, great many parties scattered in even/direction most of whom are getting gold, little or'much, and if the <; Bonifaces" of our digsings laugh and get fat as most certainly they domoney is not altogether unknown on the " Woolshevl." A couple of parties, say four men to each, would test in three months n large, tract of country. About 7 miles from here, in a north-easterly line there is a fine belt of timber, some fine gullies and streamlets and I am informed by old diggers on whose statement T can rely, that every likelihood of " good gold" being found to use their own phrase, is pretty certain. .If the government would furnish such parties with with tools and provisions I believe persons would be found willing to prospect, the expense to the country would not be of much moment and the good that might be achieved would be perhaps of incalculable advantage—amongst the timber too, were gold found ; . a population could bid defiance to the winter and perhaps some hundreds remain that now dread to encounter tho severity of the winter season. The ventilation of this subject by yourself would probably bring about the desired result and the miners would be further indebted to you for the interest you have always manifested for their welfare.