LATE MINING.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 22

LATE MINING.

A correspondent signing himself " Pleasant Creek ".writes to the Bruce Herald expressing regret that the prospects of the Canada reef are once more under a, cloud. The very fact (he says) that men working the tailings have got gold, and .that ,the recent assay in Dunedin showed a yield of close on 7oz to the torij should be taken as incontestible evidence that the battery and appliances were not what they should be. It has ■ been conclusively shown that the gold is there. : Even if it only went loz to the ton them would be fortunes in it. What I suggest is that some effort be made to get new machinery, with all the latest improvements, and adapted for intercepting, the finest gold. The advice of an expert, and an estimate of the cost could easily be obtained. A thousand pounds or so ought to , be sufficient for the machinery, and I believe that sum could be raised in Milton alone if it were, properly gone about. The 'possibility of several ounces to the ton would, I amiftbnvinced, induce investment to an amount sufficient to properly develop the claim to a dividemi-paying-point. . A company has been formed, and machinery is in the course of construction, which will shortly be in position to work the claim on Cemetery Hill on the west side of the Waikaia river at preseufc worked by tunnelling by Messrs .Mitchell and Son. There is a little gold through a great depth ofwasbdirt, but the uncertainty of water supply has, hitherto been the principal drawback. This is to. be overcome by the application of powerful pumping machinery to raise water from the river. There is ample room for the tailing^ and the frequent freshes in the river 'will prove of ' great benefit by preventing any block by their accumulation. Messrs Mitchell have worked this claim for* sime months past, with varied success, occasionally pn the bottom obtaining fair patches. • There is an extensive area of ground to be operated on, and should the machinery about to be introf duced prove effective, there is work in this I claim to find remunerative labour for many years I to come. — Mataura Ensign. ; The Roxburgh correspondent of the Taapeka Times says :— ■** There is nothing fresh in mining matters. The river having reached its winter level affords an opportunity to those who have river bank claims to push ahead. The Hercules Sluicing Company have alargenumber of hands now employed, .-.and expect in. the course of another month or six weeks to have everything in readiness for starting sluicing operations in earnest. ;Jt*is whispered that the public will shortly^ have an opportunity of investing ,theit money in a really bona \fide mining epeo in this diatrict/jl/ . / ' i

{, 7 unjd mmi>~Z ' THe ordinary meeting of the Laud Board vmh * at the tftferd's office', Government tfuttdlnes, onw2 nesday, there being present- Messrs & P. Mam?" (chief commissioner), Duncan, 'and Olark. ' Nasbby. — The' town clerk/ Nasebyvbavhur annie that section's 147 and 148, Naseby township ]£* eerved from sal« and vested in the Borough (wS for the purpose'of forming a n*w road, forward plan showing the direction of the' new road thron* the seeMon.— lt wa6 resolved that if survey were £ warded the", board would have the same recotdS and In the meantime, would withheld tho land W Lower Hawba.— A letter was received from Jo, M'Kerrow a»king whether he could obtain pern? sion to purchase the portion of section 23, bloody Lower Bawea, in a ,line with section 27, coatainJ 1 about 15 acres.- Declined -r-J. S. Barclay, havfe* become paralysed and having, no ptoipect of iJJf able to pay the arrears of rent due toy him on*? tion 1, block V, Lower Hawea, wrote asking U he should act —Consideration deferred. * Dkfaultsbs.— The following .village • hometUi settlers having fallen Into arrears with their mm and not having replied to notices to pay ud oi board wat asked to deal with them s- J, 8. Lumlfa J. Palmer. Edwin Stallard, Edwin Smith, «nd H s 1 M'Call, Glenomaru ; P. Brennnn, Clarendon • g'» Joyce and P.,Gor«h, Dunedin and Bast Tateri •'[' T. Brown, Lower Hawea ; and J. Hamilton, Mom Hyde.—Hef erred to the chief commissioner. , ' Glenkenich.— James Sheed applied,. to purely or lease a piece of land containing 28 acres adjoinX ! section 13, block IX, Glenkenich, as it would iW be used for the.road forwhich it had been reserved Beferred to the county conncil to say whether It L nefessary still to reserve the land. Mr GK Tiirnbull wrote stating that he was oofo unable to pay interest due , on 72; block J? 'Glenkenich district, and asked that his section S reduced to tho original upset price, SOs per acre,™ that interest be taken from moneys paid. Ii thS could not ■be done he asked" that his license k cancelled.— Applicant to be informed that the bow cannot comply with his request, and the furth* consideration of the matter was deferred. Kaitakgata.— An application was received !m John M'lntosh fora grazing right over sectioni? 12, and 13, block I, Kaitangata, the application t* ing recommended by Inspector' Fullertou.-.]k olined. ", •.•"«■ Waihoia.— John Mackay applied for a lease at £| per annum of the Greenwich square reserve, W»I. hola.— Declined. • Applications —The following applications fa rural land on deferred payment were approved •-. William' M'Kay, jun,, section 8, block XV, Grew*, vale ; Q-. A. Hodgson, section 60, block I, Otep^po^ The application of John Shine- to complete the pm. chase of deferred payment section 7, block I, Kurro* was also approved. , ' * Waitahuna.— The Mercantile Loan and'AgancT Company, on behalf of Mr Livingstone, leasee ol small grazing run 46, requested leave for lessee to reside on his property, Waitahuna district.— P» mission granted. , Tiqbr Hill.— The application qfc George Aston holder of section 9, block. IX, Tiger Hill, to capita. lise, was approved. , Wabbpa.— A report from Ranger Hughan, on tha application of R Christie, to have the unsurveyed land adjoining section 22, block X, Warepa, sur. veyed and opened, stated that the land was vert unsuitable for settlement, and recommended that no action be taken. -Ranger Hughan 's suggestion wu agreed to. " Ranger Hughan reported that the\'owner of section I 22, block X, Warepa, had no objections to J. All|. .son's application t» have a road through the sco tion. - Report received and noted. Banger Hughan reported on the application to have, the bush reserve in block I, Warepa, opened for application, reeominen-'ing that the land beanrveynl into secfcioßs of from SO to 50 acres (one section, with the best of the bush remaining! for the use of th« settlers;, and that it bo. opened under the Villago Settlement system on deferred payment at £2 pet acre.— Chief surveyor requested to arrange for tut. ,vey as suggested. Mount Hyde.— Mr W. D. Smith applied on behalf of Thomas Matheson for leave to surrender sections 32 and 33, block XV, Mount Hyde, taken np on perpetual lease.— Surrender to' be accepted on payment of arrears. ■ •' Td-atbka Wbst.— The District Land ' Officer, in returning application by Corneliui O'Gorman to purchase seven acres of the raining reserve aa" jolnini section 61, blook VI, Tuapeka West, recommends! that the portion of the reserve west of section 58 to 'section 61. might be sold without inconvenience (0 the miners'.— The disfcrlofc land officer to be requested to state whether occupation 'licenses might nob be granted over .portion of reserve referred to, tha board not being in favour of selling this land unleii it wae surveyed and notified.