LATE MINING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1917, 13 November 1890, Page 18

LATE MINING.

NOTES FEOM WAKATIPU. (From Oub Owh Correspondent.)

ARROW, November 10.— Mining has been greatly interfered with by the protracted wefe weather. Although there has not been a case of very severe loss the continued soaking the ground has undergone has done some harm to most races, which of course means repairs and delays. Against this there is the compensating circumstance of plenty of water, whioh will now keep up pretty well till Christmas.

In dredging there ia nothing new to report. The Wakatipu Company is about to be reorganised. In the meantime all hands are paid off owing to a break in the machinery.

Some of the other dredges are stopped for want of coal, and from none are there any detailed acoounts of their doings.

Shareholders would do well when statements of returns are made to them to inquire whether they represent all the time consumed to obtain the given amount of gold, for as a rule the time lost by breakages and other. itoppages is generally deducted from the time really spent and for which the company has to pay wages. The news from the Premier mine holds good, the atone is represented as both improving in quality and in quantity. Messrs M'Leay and Gibson had rather an unpleasant experience last week in the way of a callraoe robbery. The party is mining at Bracken's Qully and living at some little distanoe from the claim. At the time the discovery was made tracks could be plainly seen leading in a direction whioh gives a clue, to the perpetrators, but only a clue, for .i snowstorm coming on immediately afterwards affaoed the marks, so that they could not be traced any further. The thieves for the time have escaped, hut vigilance has not been relaxed and something may yet turn up to lead to their discovery. Messrs M'Leay and Gibson cannot say what the amount stolen may be, but about 10ft of the top end of the race has been taken up, which naturally comprised ' he best of the race.

Mr W. Cutten, dredgemaster of the Wakatipu • Iredge, was knocked overboard on Friday laat by a chain and had a cold swim for it. He managed to reaoh the shore little the worse for bis bath ; but these acoideuti are fast becoming monotonous, md the dredging hands will soon become uaed to them. NBNTHORN NOTES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Mist, rain, hail, sleet, snow, wind, and vice versa— uuch are the Nenthom climatic samples at present. Phe samples of mining ore are about on a par with i.he weather. The creeks are overflowing with abundance of water, but Nenthom, true to its system of mismanagement, hours not the pleasant sound of •i battery anywhere, nor i» likely to hear euoh for many months to come. Mining is almost at a standstill. The Eureka still manages to keep alive, and no more. The contract for driving 100 ft at tho Ijo t torn of main shaft is finished, and another contract for a further distance of 100 ft has been let.. Fhe successful tenderers were again M'Connell and party. The price in 13s per foot, and If tho ground keeps as it is at pr< sent they hope to make it pay j if not, it is their own fault, ao they knew what tliu ground was like in driving tho last 100 ft. Bonanza.— -I hear this mine is turning out fully up ro expectations. Tenders are called for driving an udlt from tho battery to out tho reef '1 hn dlntanao is about 100 ft, I believe. In the course of miothflr week I hopo to be abjo to report tho production of a. •cry large cake Indeed. Aft tho manner of (Jim ml no cemarUH, tlift \!,t)\A l« t.horo, and Iliey cannot. ti< lp It. V ploaaatil cxp'n fence Lhii -inoro );!<mimiit, t.lmn in most; other olHtmn In NisnUiom. Surprise — Thin mints, during Mia latd wimU, imn Ijepn l«t on Lrlliu'i) Hid ler/nn I) ing Ilitili ilin 'rlbulorii Imv<- I') (frlvn t,h« i-xlhMiik (uiiiiol it turllmr .llstmicn of about 100 ft,, and urt,«r Mini, t.ln y liuvh the mine for a tot ti of cix rnoriMiit to niluo alio/Ki from I hi- tenriß further stale that If thoy ahould got over 'Aw. per ton, tho company Is enMtled to n nor oenlnua | -a very unnecctßftry clause, I should think. Tlila ! mine would pay very woll on tribute if crushing •arrangement s wore forthcoming, but at they are not [ umata loss toneo how mvii can keep going, unlou they have a good de.il of toady money, and this is a commodity which NenMiom scouts as otlmlnal nt the present time. I hear rumours that the Oicqdub shareholders are to endeavour to get rid ot the overdraft owing r.o the Bank of New Zealand on the ploa that tho directors borrowed the monny without tho consent of the shareholders. lam not versed enough In the Intricacies of the law to know if this plea ii of any avail, but chould hope it is not. as the bank haa .suffered enough already on the field. I think it would have been more in peeping if the shareholders had stopped the needless expenditure of Inoapablo directors' waite than to get rid of a debt whjoh Is justly owing, and certainly ought to be paid. If things have turned out badly, why should the bank, whioh derived no beneats, be called upon to bear the losaes w hloh are over to be expected In mining ?