TOKOMAIRIRO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 259, 18 October 1862, Page 4

TOKOMAIRIRO.

October 14th, 1862.; The Woolshed police, on Sunday evening last, made a foray on several of the unlicensed grogsellers on that field. In four places they ssizad small quantities of spirits which were exposed ior sale, and on Monday the proprietors of these places appeared, before the Resident Magistrate to

answer the informations laid under the Licensing Ordinance, 1861 (Provincial), charging them with exposing spirituous liquors for sale. Convictions were- -obtained in each case, and fines varying from L 5 to L-20 were inflicted. Most of the of&nders had been repeatedly cautioned by.the police,- but without effect. This little a.'Ei-ir, however, will probably, to a certain extent, rern-jdy ibis evil, which has been carried on to a very great exteut in this neighborhood lately. On the same day, there was also a rase of threatening the police while in the execution of their duty. While making the seizures, the prisoner had followed the police about using threatening language to them. He was fine ILL The Resident;. Magistrate from Tokomairiro attends at the Woplshud Court-house every Monday for the despatch of civil and criminal business. Mining disputes are determine Ibv the Commissioner at Waitahuna, who occisionally visits the Woolshed. A gold receiving -office is much wantod, as also sums one authorised to issue Miner's Rights, the distance to the Camp at V. aitahuna being upwards of eleven miles. Tlie number of miners on the Woolshed has considerably increased within the last week or two and those at work there appear very well contented I tie diggings will, I think, extend down on to the iokomamro plain ere lon-. I was yesterday shown a very handsome specimen of gold (some .ounces), whicli had been obtained at Adam's Flat. It was about the same size as most of the Woolshed gold, but instead of being like it, scaly and water-worn, ibis was like very fine gunpowder, and looked as if lately separated from the reef, as there was a good deal of quartz mixed with it, and attached to most of the particles. --Amongst the. other, products of the Woolshed may be ranked that of precious sioues. I have seen samples of the following: -topaz, ruby, jacinth, and garnets. Of course these were only small fragments, but quite large enough to be identifiable, and, when shown to a competent jeweller, lie pronounced them to be what 1 have stated. Xesterday I r was shown some larger specimen* of the same, some of which were quite large enough to be used in rings, &c/ There was also a very handsome turquoise amongst themthey were obtained in a claim known, I beiieW as the Road Claim. , They sink down with the' gold, aud are separated from it in parining-off. The roads through.the plain are now in excellent condition and a large number of man are employed' upon them to place them in a state fitted to withstand the wet weather, and to avoid their again getting into the dreadful condition tUeywereiaashorttimeago, The road M the Woolshed isdiowever iv a very, dangerous condition. A short distance beyond the Cameron •Arms a very deep creek crosses the road, and over this there w a skeleton of a bridge. Tueo the term skeleton advisedly, as I know of- no other that would so aptly describe the bridge iti question Ibis skeleton was erected somo months ago and is now left unfinished, forming a kind of horse trap for thosa who.. endeavour to ride over it. Sufficiently secure .to tempt the unwary rider to cross it, and yet so daugerous as to make him wish he was back again before "he irets Ins horse across it. Jt is true that it is possible to avoid it, but to do so you have to make a circuit of about half a mile, and to ford the lokomairiro Itiver twice—no very pleasant or safe operation when' there happens -to be a flood. Ten pounds (£10) would, I believe, make the bridge perfectly safe aud passable, arid as it is on the main and direct road to thedjggiiiKs where a lar^e population is, settled, no time ought to be lost in completing it. U?- .. c^ An adjourned case of Williams v-Feinian came on for hearing at the.Oourt here last week. The plaintiff was SMre&r/te^Tokomairiro wees ana the defendant a resident in the district, who

had signed' the''subscription" list of the races for the sum of two pounds, which he afterwards refused to pay. No attempt was made to, deny the signature or that the defendant had signed the list as a promise of the amount. The only defence was that he had changed, his mind and cIH not wish to pay. He did not appear personalty, but was represented by his wife. Judgment was given for the amount claimed with costs. The outstanding liabilities of the stewards of the races amount to about L7O, while the assets are nil or nearly so. The secretary has, vainly and frequently endeavoured to get a meeting ot the stewards to square the accounts up, but never more than one or two could be got together*. The races appear to have been sadly mismanaged as regards monetary matters.