DUNSTAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 851, 21 March 1868, Page 3

DUNSTAN.

(from ottr owk cobrkspofdent.)

Clyde, 16th March.

Within the last fortnight death has deprived us of one of our most valuable and residents, in the person of Mr Edmund Wellington Jones, of Alexandra. Mr Jones was .amongst the 'first party of miners that settled at the Manuherikia Junction, and having had great experience in mining matters in respect to sluicing claims and waterraces, conceived the idea of cutting a race from the Fraser 1 River to a point on the Molyneux, near Frenchman's Beach. This ■enterprise turned out a profitable one, and by dint of steady application and good management, Mr Jones became the proprietor of a very large proportion of all the water-races in the Manuherikia some of which brought, in a very handsome rental, the Frenchman's Party at Frenchman's Beach alone paying LlO per week for water during the winter season, while their claim was workable. In addition to his property in waterraces, Mr Jones had embarked in farming, and was superintending the operations at his farm on the west bank of the Molyneux, when overtaken with sudden death, from disease of the heart. In the promoting of new enterprises, Mr. Jones was always amongst the foremost, and like most of those people who had followed the fortunes of gold mining for a number of years was always hopeful, and had that peculiar knack of overcoming difficulties by dint of down ri^lit hard work and perseverance, that I may say is possessed by none, save those who have spent a large portion of their lives in searching after the precious metal.

The meeting of the Mining Conference is looked forward to as to remove many of the difficulties under which mining interests labor. In respect to the size and position of sluicing claims an alteration is badly needed. It is deemed desirable that these claims should he held on the frontage system, taken from the river or creek, into which the tail race empties, to the hill at the back, irrespective of distance. The expenses of opening a sluicing claim are enormous. There is not only the labor connect;d with the bringing of water on to the gronnd ; but there ia the getting rid of the debris, after the earth has been pulverised bythewaterandthegold extracted. This can only be done by a tail race, and in numbers of oases, especially on the banks of precipitous rivers, it is a very expensive and tedious operation. As a rule, the rocks are deeply indented back from the river, and it is in these hollows that the gold is found. It therefore becomes necessary to preserve something approach'ng to a level between the bottom of the paddock, or excavation from which the gold is being taken, and the point of exit for the debris into the river ; and, to secure this, deep rock cuttings require to be made, which oftentimes cost hundreds of pounds to complete. Now. unless a claim has a pretty large area, it is not worth opening, as the yield would be all eaten up by preliminary expenses. This also causes much litigation : for instance, a miner who is a bit of a schemer — and there are a number of that fraternity on the Goldfields — takes tip a ' ack claim, and keeps it registered in the Warden's office, till such time as the party holding the frontage, and who lias also constructed the tail-race, has •worked out, when our scheming friend of course takes possession of the tail-race, and virtually appropriates property which lias cost a large sum of money. Sometimes the grievance does not end here, and he may be very particular about damages. It is easily to be understood that a party working a frontage cannot take all his ground out without breaking into that of his neighbor ; it being impossible to strip down ground of any height as straight as a wall, consequently arises a case for supposed loss of gold, and in nine cases out of ten, the plaintiff obtains a verdict in his favor.

In the regulations relating to water races there is room for improvement. There should be an extra allowance -of water to allow for waste when the races are of great length. The loss of water in a race twenty or thirty miles in length is very great; and now that five shillings per head per annum is charged for rent, it is consequently very hard to pay for what a person does not get. In fact, the five shillings per annum for every head of water is looked upon as an imposition. The mining community are taxed heavily for everything, it being impossible to move in any matter without having to pay money to the Government.

On Tuesday last, two Chinese, Ah Hang and Ah Taw, "were charged before the Resident Magistrate, H. W. Robinson, Esq. with stealing washdirt, the property of a miner holding a claim on the banks of the Molyneux. The gold said to be contained in the washdirt the prosecutor valued at 10s. The owner--ship of the property not being suf-

ficiently established, the prisoners were discharged. The. Molyneux ia now falling verj^ steadily, and most of the .claims that have been idle for so many months past are now in full work. Frenchman's Beach is putting on quite a Jively appearance. The various Dredging Companies have started to work, and a very few weeks will witness great prosperity in the neighborhood of the river.

The Town ' Council at Alexandra are busy forming the roadway and pathways of Tarbet street, and, judging from appearances, the work promises to be done in a roost efficient manner.

On Saturday evening last, Mr T. L. Shepherd, M.P.C. for Goldfields, addressed a numerously attended meeting of miners, at Ryan's Bridge Hotel, Alexandra. A vote of confidence in Mr Shepherd was unanimously passed.