TOKOMAIRIRO.

Otago Witness, Issue 569, 24 October 1862, Page 8

TOKOMAIRIRO.

October 14th, 18f>2. The WoulMicd police, on Sunday evening last, ina>ic a foray on several of tlie unlicensed urogs^llcrs on that field. In four pl.ici.-s they s< i/A-.d small q.iautitijs of spirits which were expose 1 lor sal;-, aii'l on Monday the propiietois ot the*e places appiared before the Resident illustrate to answer the infoiinutions laid under the Licensing Ordinance, 18(51 (Provincial), charging them witn exposing spirifious liquors for sale. Convictions were obtained ii each case, and fines varyi.ig from L 5 to L2O were inflicted. Mo«t of the offenders had been lepeatodly cautioned by the police, but without effect. This little affair, however, will probably, to a certain cxi cut, remedy ilns evil, which has been carried o.i tj a very great extent in this neighborhood lately.

On the same day, there was also a case of threatening the police while in the execution of their duty. While makinir the seizin es, the prisoner had followed the police about using threatening language to them. Ho was fined Ll.

The Resident Mi^iitratu from Tultoinairiro attends at the Woolshed Coiii't-liouse every Monday for the dcfpatch of civil and crhunal business Mining di^j'utes are deterniino 1 In" tiie Com:nissio:iei at Wuitahuna, who occasionally Aisits the Woohiied. A gold receiving office i-. much wanted, as also some one authorised tv ia^ue Miner's Rights, the distance to the Camp at V/aifcihunu being upwards of eleven miles. Tlie number ot miners on the Woolshed has considerably increased within the last we k or two, an I those at work there appear very we!l contented. Tiie diggings will, I think, extend down on to the Tokomaiiiro plain ere long. I was jestenhiy shown a very handsome specimen of gold (some ounces), which hid been obtained at Adam's. Flat. It was about the same size as must of the Woolshed gold, nut instead ot being like it, scaly and water-worn, : ills 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 attache I to most of the panicles.

Amongst the other products ot thu Wuolahed, may be ranked that of precious t-tones. I have seen samp'cs ot the iolhnving: — to]m, ruby, jacinth, and garnets. Of course the^t 1 .vcre only small fragnu'iii"), but quite large enough to Iv identifiable, ami. when shown to a competent jeweller, lie pronounced them to be whit I have stated. Yesterday I was shown some larger specimens of the samv, some of which were quite hu\>e enough to be used in ri.igs, Sen-. Tnerc \\a>> also a very handsome timuunse amongst them; they were obtai.ied i.i a ciaim known, I believe, as the Road Claim. They sin'c down with the gold, and arc separate I from it in pani)i;,g-o!F.

The roads, througii the plain are now in excellent condition and a large number of men are employed uiioii tuem to place them m a state filled to withstand the wet weather, and to avoid their again getting into the die.ulful condition they were in a short time ago, The road to tiie Woolfahed is however in a very dangerous condition. A short distance beyond th^ Cameron Anns a very deep creek crosses the road, and over this there is a skeleton of a bridge. I use the teiin skekton advisedly, as J know of no othertli.it would s.> aptly describe the bridge in question. ThU Mieleton wa<? creeled some months auo, and is now left unfinished, forming ji kin-1 of horse trap for those who endeavour to ride ostr it. Sufficiently secure to tempt the un wary rider to ckjss it, and yet so dangerous as to in ike him wish lie was back again before he gets his hoi&e aero>s it. It is true that it is possible U avoid it, but to do so you have to make a circuit of about half a mile, and to ford the Tokomairiio River twice — no very pleasant or safe operation when there happens to be a flood. Ten pounds (£10) would, I belkve, make the bridge peiti.'ctly safe and passable, and as it .8 on the main tunl direct road to the diggings, where a iar^c population is settled, no time ought to be lo^t in completing it.

An itdjou'iiud ca^c or Williams v Fennan carae on for heaiitig ut the Court here last week. The pliiiutiif was secretary to the Toknnmiriro race>, and the defendant a resident in the district, w!io had signed ttie subsciiptiou list uf the races for the sum of two pounds, which he afterwards refiiacd to pay. No altcini t was made to deny tin: 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 di 1 not wish to pay. He did not appear personally, but was represented by bis wile. Judgment wis given ibr the amount claimed with costs. The outstanding liabilities of tlie stewards of the races amount to about L7O, while thu assets are nil or .nearly so. The secretary lias vainly and frequently eiuhavinnvd to got a meeting ot the stowjirds to square the accounts up, but never more than one or twocould be got together. The races appear to have been sadly mismanaged as regards monohity matters.