MISCELLANEOUS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1853, 27 May 1887, Page 13

MISCELLANEOUS.

Our Wakatipu correspondent writes :— ln regard to the late monster nugget found here which was reported as weighing 61b 6oz or 78oz, it appears that there was a serious mistake, for the weight should have been stated at 6oz 6dwt, which still is a nugget worth finding. The Dunstan Times states that several of the sluicing claims on the west bank of the Molyneux have lately washed up, and- with most satisfactory results, as high as £& per week for two men being averaged for the time of running.

Mr Rivers, of Alexandra, calls attention in the local paper to the fact that if the duty proposed to be imposed on boots and shoes should be assented to, the price of gumboots will be increased five shillings. The miners have left Criffel for the winter season.

The Mount Ida Chronicle says that the latest news from Serpentine is that the Golden Gully Company's tunnel is still following the course of the two walls met with some time since, from the rubble between which an occasional prospect of coarse gold can be washed. The total distance excavated is now about 200 ft. The Progress Company, Rough Ridge, have suspended operations in order " to allow the present liabilities to be largely reduced and the shares better distributed." At the meeting at which this resolution was carried Mr R. Inder mentioned it was currently reported that when operations in the monkey shaft were suspended there was no golden stone left either north, south, east, or west in the shaft or drives. Had the report any foundation in fact ? Mr R H. Browne replied that Mr Ellis, the late mine manager, when leaving Naseby, on being asked whether or not any golden stone was left under foot, and whether it could be got out by deepening the shaft another 100 ft, had emphatically replied that although he had taken out all he could get to the level of the bottom of tho winze on the west side, all that was necessary to procure a large supply of the same stone which had yielded 34dwt to the ton was to deepen the shaft, which course he strongly recommended. Mr Browne said that when he himself was down in the winze on the Homeward Bound reef, just before the men left it, at the lowest level reached the reef under foot was about 2ft wide and showing gold freely, the stone, in his opinion, being of such good quality as to yield over 2oz to the ton. The stone showing on the eastern end was of peorer quality, but the reef was quite 3ft wide, and a small quantity of stone taken therefrom for a trial crushing had yielded 16dwt to the ton— a very payable result. A large quantity of this stone could be obtained without further sinking —probably 400 or 500 tons, judging from the distance driven in the upper levels. He had no hesitation in giving an emphatic denial to the report mentioned by Mr Inder. A proposal to increase the calls from 3d to Is per share was negatived. As showing the probable work to be undertaken when funds are available, we make the following extract from the directors' report to the shareholders :— " It is proposed, so soon as the company's finances will admit, to deepen the main shaft 100 ft, and get out a crushingfrom that level. An outlay of £400 or £500 wiU be necessary to do this in an effective manner— that is, to put on pumping and winding gear and to let a contract for deepening the shaft to* the extent mentioned."

The Teetulpa gold purchased by the English and Scottish Bank alone up to April 25 wa* 10,9780z, for which £42,265 was paidT The calls made on the Charters Towers field during March amounted to £17,685, while the dividends only reached £8100. The local cor, respondent of the Queenslander writes t-_t -_ " During the 12 months 69 companies have been formed, and added to the call-paying list for the three months now past £43,563 16s 2d and £28,527 10s was paid in dividends, leaving as a debit balance £15,036 6s 2d. Much o f this may be put down to the broken season, which has interfered with the working of claims in which it was hoped that the dead work would before this have been ended. In addition to this cause we have the English companies, for which we get no regular returns. In proof of thl ? ™ ma & raent , i(m that the Da y Dawn Block SwiJJP 1 ?•"? decl * red lat ety a dividend of £23,000, which considerably more than covers the whole three months' deficiency, and another dividend is supposed to have been, or is about to, be, declared by th.c same company in London "