MISCELLANEOUS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2097, 3 May 1894, Page 17

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Auckland Commissioner of Crown Lands states that while in the Uriwera country, the Premier's party crossed several quartz reefs, most of the quartz being hungry-looking. One piece, however, showed gold. Several layers of wash and likely-looking stuff were also passed. The following items are from the Dunstan Times:— Dr Ward has applied for a dredging claim at Clyde. The claim i3to be worked by steam dredge, and the ground taken up extends from half a mile below the bridge to half a mile above. —The "Coolgardie" fever has not yet abated in the county, and from various parts we hear of the departure of numbers of our young men to the land of gold and dirt — particularly dirt. — The Molyneux Hydraulic Company have appointed Mr John H. Stewart manager, and have started to work again. It is to be hoped that the company will be more successful in the near future than it has been in the past. The company has a capital supply of water, which shows every prospect of continuing during the season. —Our Alexandra correspondents says : — " Messrs Sirnnionds and party's dredge still lies at the bottom of the Molyneux, but all the lifting gear has been put round her. They intend to attempt to pull her out to-morrow. The river is unfortunately rather high, owing to the late i.ains, and this is not very favourable for the attempt." — Our Bannockburn correspondent writes as under: — "Mining matters are o.uiet ; water is plentiful, and coming down in price, as I hear that one of our water squatters has offered water at 4s per head. Tbia is the price the miners went out on strike for, and were out for some months ; but the squatters would not give way, and the miners had to cave in and paythe43 6"tl. Now, after the best part of the season has been lo»t, water is being offered to the miners at their own price. There must be something rotten in the State of Denmark." The miners in Naseby and district have, we (Mount Ida Chronicle) understand, been notified that in future all payments for sales of water from the Government race must be paid for one month in advance. The manager (Mr Murray) has received instructions from Wellington to the above effect. The Lake County Press says :— "Mr A. Sorenson (who for two or three weeks had been sluicing at the mouth of the Stoney creek, Shotover ) met with a strange loss. He had partially cleaned up the box, putting the gold in a tin, which he then placed under a rock. The night of the heavy rain a slip came down from the hillside, damming up the creek for a time, but presently the pent-up water 3 burst through, carrying away the gold and the box, and making a loss to an industrious miner of about £10." The Taieri Advocate makes the following^ suggestion in connection with the Waipori silting dispute :— " Seeing that a few weeks must elapse before the experts can report on the Waipori lake dredging scheme, it is very plain that during that time the men who are usually employed on the dredges will be kept hanging about in a state of enforced idleness. They have wives and children dependent upon them, and, in the face of the hard winter that is evidently setting in so early, hardship is staring them in the face. Would it not be possible to arrange that the dredging operations might be allowed to proceed during the few weeks that must elapse before the experts fiend in their reports? Two or three weeks' dredging cannot make any appreciable difference to the farmers, whereas two or three weeks' wages make a vast difference to the unfortunate men who have been suddenly thrown out of work. It would be a humane and charitable act to suspend all hostilities temporarily, and we should be glad to hear of some arrangement of the kind having been arrived at between the dredge proprietors and Mr M'lndoe, who holds the key to the position. We know full well that Mr M'lndoe has no ill-feeling against the miners ; on the contrary, he is anxious that the miners may work unmolested if he can obtain protection from the serious injury that he is now suffering. We think that a conference with Mr M'lndoe might result in the dredges being allowed to go on with their work for a short time pending the report of the experts, Mr M'lndoe being duly guaranteed against any prejudice of his present legal position. '