Notes from Recfton. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2004, 21 July 1892, Page 19

Notes from Recfton. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Reefton, July 16. . Stock Exchange report :— The battery retuins of amalgam total ll!)0oz this week, representing the Alpine, Globe, I'ark, Progress, No. 2 Dark, and Cumberland, while the Welcome had 8-loz of the retorted gold from a small crushing jnst concluded. The returns are all fairly good, that of Progress being quite up to the excellent average the mine has maintained. Mining news is of about the Usual order, and nothing of extra importance has been reported so far. In the share market theie has been just a slightly better tone, and innuiry forborne of the more leading linos has been more frequent in consequence of the local demand for several lower-priced stocks. Big River hold their usual firm position, and to-day's figure is a slight advance on that of last week. Cumberland have not been much dealt in, and a few Exchanges were quitted at quotations. Eureka are in notice at a low figure. Some Leads sold at Is (id, and Globes could have been place i in parrels at 12s— a slight advance only, an 1 holders aie backward. Homeward Bound and Heicules are also in evidence again, business being done in both at small prices. No. 2 Dark keep about their usual price*, and buslno-slimite.l iust now. Progress arc firm shares just now, and buyer.-.' prices fail to find sellers. I his is one of the lines which seem to be on the improve. Russell, Success, and Drake have each had a small turn of business, and Alpines, which have had an easier tendency, sold down to 20s. Some Wealths have been sold at low rates if anything. The most noticeable feature of the week has been aii increase in the number of lined asked for, only a little moro buoyancy in the market being wanted to make business brisk. July 17. The following are the battery returns for the past week :— Alpine, 481oz amalgam from -100 tons; Cumberland, 950z from 100 tons; Globe, 1270 ii from 180 tons ; Keep-it- Hark, 71oz from 05 tons ; No. 2 Dark, 9703 from 02 tons ; Progress, 3160z from 210 tons ; Welcome, So-i-i 15dwt retorted gold (clean up). Notes from Wakal inn. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Akrow, July 16.— This being the hibernating season, thore is very little transpiring in the local mining world. Indeed, during the lecent sitting of the Warden's Court hero the majority of applications were for protection for greater oi 1 shoitor periods. A mongst them, however, were a number asking for fresh mining privileges at Criftel Face, where things seem to be movingon slowly, though nothing of any great importance is to be recorded so far. 1 1 would appear that the promotion of mining companies is beginning to become more and more difficult ju other colonies as well as in our own, prospectuses of a new mining vcn£uie in Queensland, and circular inviting people to mvust, having been received m this district— a f;tct not at all flattering to our knowledge and innocence of or trust in such matters. CONFEDERVTEI) UOL1) MIXERS' ASSOCIATION OF OTAGO. WAIPOIU BRANCH, The following is the annual report of the committee of this branch :—: — For the year ending this month (July 1802) we havf to lepoit that there have been held four regular quarterly meetings and two special meetings. The correspondence with the Otago Land Board on_ the subject of having a mining reserve granted in the Waipori Bush, which was commenced during the previous year, has, we are happy to state, resulted in a grant of 100 acres of the bush as a reserve for mining timber. This reserve has been marked out, and the Crown lands ranger has assured us that any improper interference with it will be prevented. In July last year a proposal was mooted in a tentative

form to the House of Representatives to reimpose the gold duty, which, it will be recollected, was abolished under pressure brought to bear on members of the House by the united action of the miners' associations. This proposal, we were informed by Mr Valentine, M.H.R., was never seriously considered. If it should be brought forward again, we respectfully advise the new committee to take prompt measures for opposing it. A petition was forwarded to the Governor of this colony in January last in favour of making Mr Vincent Pyke a member of the Legislative Council. Mr Pyke has been so long connected with the Otago goldfields that we thought it suitable to support similar action in other places by making known our desire to see him put in a position honoiiiable to himself and creditable to the good feeling with which so many miners regard him. After a considerable amount of correspondence with the Ministers for Mines and Justice, supported by tho Central Association and Mr 11. S. Valentine, M.H.R. (whose courtesy in this and other matteis we wish to a< knowledge), we are now in a position to state that we have gained the following advantages for the local miners : (1) Miner's lights can be obtained at the Waipori lost Office; (2) Applications for claims, water rights, Ac., can also be made at the Waipori Post Office, and the postmaster will shortly be authorised to sign applications as a warden's clerk, which will put the local miners in a much better position for the speedy and inexpensive transaction of that kind of business. (3) The waidcn has been in -tructed to hold a court at Waipori once a quarter when cases are in dispute involving the attendance of and taking evidence from witnesses. The local miners are therefore now in a position to do nearly all their mining business— which formerly had to be done in Lawrence at the Warden's Court— here at Waipori. This state of affairs has given us much satisfaction. It was not arrived at without a considerable amount of careful thought and discussion and a lengthy correspondence, and we venture to hope that the result will prove as satisfactory to all the local miners as it does to us. We have also supported our Central Association in various matters concerning the welfare of gold miners throughout the colony, notably in the attempts to obtain a proper adjustinentof the laws affecting < coupation licenses and the full value for gold. These matters ar« still in course of piogress. In conclusion, we luve to ask for continued support of our branch association. It is the only public body in the district especially charged with the care of the mining interests ; and it remains with the miners of the district either to let it, and tke strength it possesses as representing a united body of men, die out, or to give it their assistant, watch that it does its duty to them, and keep it alive. Signed on behalf of committee, William Caudwell, Chairman. Waipori, July !).