MISCELLANEOUS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1949, 2 July 1891, Page 15

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Auckland Herald, referring to the meeting of those interested in sending in a protest against tha measure contemplating the wholesale forfeiture of licensed holdings, says:— "We hope, that it will not be without effect. The mining industry is of very great importance to the prosperity of Auckland, and we cannot quietly submit to its being crippled and hampered by needless and vexatious restrictions, which, apart from electioneering tactics, are wholly indefensible. The characteristics of mining operations in this part of the colony are that they solely relate to work on quartz reefs, which of necessity demands the employment of capital for their proper development. That being the ease, security of tenure is an absolute requirement. Theseoonstantthreatsof forfeiture mnd re-entry can have only one result, the withdrawal of capital, which is indispensable to the proper opening np of our mines. We have no sympathy whatever} with claims held for purely speculative purposes, but of these the wardens should be the proper judges as they should be of every claim under their jurisdiction.^ The mines department, exoept for statistical purposes should exercise as little controlling influence as possible. At the present time rninißg operations in this district are being carried on under great disadvantages. Tfae'great majority of mines are being worked with call money, there being scarcely a single mine whioh is paying a dividend. That being the case we think the Government would be acting wisely by showing a'little more consideration." The Kapanga syndicate in Sydney are making a oall of £20 per share to raise funds to put a tunnel in their mine in the Auckland district.

The-LlvJngstone correspondent of tbe Mount Ida Ohrontole writes :—" There it at the present time barely sufficient water coming In from all sources to supply tbe daily wants of our households. I think 1 bave never known tbe races to be bo dry. The severe gale we experienced on the Bth Inst. blew most of the snow off the hills, the result being that race* an completely blocked with mow, for, s»y, IS

or 18 miles. This hai since been frozen, to wben we are to have water in for work again is more than any Solomon of the present day can tell. A Danedin syndicate has purchased the properties of the Wareatea and Falrdown Gold Mining Companies, and intend to form a new company, to be called the Boohfort Sluicing Company (Limited). The teorettry of the Wakatipu Dredging Company on the 35th received from Mr W. H. Cutten, the company's dredge-master, a telegram to the following effects— "Thirty-eight ounces of amalgam for five days' dredging last week." A telegram from Fuhipuhi says that shares In the prospectors' claim fell to Is 6d, but have since recovered somewhat. At the Quartz-reef Point rush (writes a correspondent of the Cromwell Argus) several shafts have bottomed near the oreelr, but the prospects so far are not encouraging;. Two shafts are now going down on the terrace intervening between the prospeotors and the Old Bxcelsior seam— namely, Chapman and Bwart, and Werner and Varooe. The former are now down nearly 60ft, bat no bottom, and the latter party are among a lot of rooks, continually bias ting, so headway is slow. These two holes are supposed to tell the tale. The prospeotors are on good payable wash. The secretary of the Dunedin Gold Dredging Oompany (Limited) reoelved the following telegram from the dredgemaster on Saturday :—" Dredging five days for 30oz gold." The manager of the Roxburgh Amalgamated Oompany wires Mr Leary. the seoretary, that he washed up No. 1 elevator on Friday, and obtained 420z 13dwt of gold as the result of 6$ days' work. No. a elevator has been at work (tripping. The Upper Walpori Alluvial Gold Dredging Oompany obtained 30oz 6dwt of gold for 4 days 22 hours' dredging last week. Mr John Mouafc on Monday received a telegram from Mr Jabez Barton, seoretary of the Hercules Company, stating that the washing np amounted to 290z 12dwt of gold, valued at £114 Is 3d, for 30 hours' runnlDg. Slu'oing has been stopped owing to the severe frost. Mr Thomas Oallender h« reoeived a telegram advlting 1360z amalgam for the week's work of the Sew Hoy Big Beach Gold Mining Company. This represents about 85oz retorted gold. The Fair Maid Gold Miniog Company, Wesbport, obtained 770z of amalgam from 49 hours' sluicing last week. The amalgamated Walpori Deep Lead Gold Mining Oompany obtained 31oz 18dwt gold. No bottom yet. A Nelson telegram states that the Johnston United Mining Company received from Oollingwood last night 3700z retorted gold. A dividend of at least 6d is expected. The sixth annual meeting of the Mount Morgan Oompany will be held at Bookbamptou on July 2. The directors' report is brief, and merely notices an Inoreaie in the expenditure, which amounted to £129,000, Including £19,000 dividend tax. The managing director in his report says that 74,000 tons of stone was treated daring the year, and the yield of gold was aOI.OOOoz, or an average of 3oz 13dwt to the ton. He then gives a detailed accauut of the workings, explains the falling off Ib the output of gold, and says that for some time, unless a patch of rich sinter quartz or ironstone is struok, he cannot promise the shareholders a dividend of more than 6d per month.