CLYDE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2205, 4 June 1896, Page 25

CLYDE.

Junk I.— The frosts are still with us. A little rain would be a welcome visitant, as the -mining industry is about getting short of the necessary supply of water. An Otago Central Poo Bah - Constable Gleesut), of Ophir, is certainly a man of many offices. He is clerk of the S.M. and Wardens Courts, receiver of gold revenue and mining regisSrar, inspector of slaughteryards, and registrar of logs. And all those offices have been thrown upon him within the past month. Truly "a bobby's life is not a happy one," and in the interests of self-preservation Constable Gleeson might very well get rid of his (excuse the bull). Unhappy mortal that he must be under this load of official responsibility, it may be only fitting on my part to tender him my sympathy, of which te may be assured henceforth. Accident.— The ten-year-old son of Mr A. J. Fountain met with a nasty accident recently, and from which he very fortunately escaped with a few bruiees. It appears the ■iittle fellow was playing tvith his younger brothers and sisters on the edge of a precipitous wall of overlooking the Molyneux River near his parents' residence. In gome niauner or other th?. youngster lost his footing *»url fell over the precipice and ou to a shelving piece of rock 40ft below, where he lay unconscious $ill rescued by hia father. The young fellow was removed to the hospital, where his injuries were attended to, and he has since returned home but '- little the worse of his mishap. The fortunate part of the accident is the fact of the boy falling upon the shelving rock, as otherwise he must have fa'len • into the river, whence he could not have been rescued by any means available at the time. Contractors Wanted —At the last meetiog of the Vincent County Council tenders were expected to have bsea sent in for various works throughout the county, The estimated cost of such works amounted in the aggregate to a sum of £3Q>> pi more, and yet only two individuals thought it worth while tendering for a portion of the works. Can it be that our contractors are so profitably employed just now that they cannot End it convenient to take on a little extra iemuaerativo work ? A Si'Gi.Kvnox.— Would it not be a wwoei o e ?tep if the c\e i -rs of Tuapeka made an effort to seuuie represents, ioa by some capable person reoideut \rfthin the electoral instead of contenting them161ve3 as at present with absentee representation? Housei-olders in the various centres throughout the electorate might appoint delegates, who in turn could meet in conference at some appointed centre to discuss the question of selecting pome cipable gentleman, to represent us. The per- I. ii then chosen at 'the conference should *fct • . .he support of the people on polling day, j»Hii ;/.»! should have done for ever with the political tibsentee, the bane of our goldfields eleetoiates. It would be ridiculous to say we bj*9 aot soveral

thoroughly capable men within our electorate who would be willing to contest the seat if their candidature only met with the general approval of the electors ; and I am confident if some auoh -scheme as the foregoing were entered upon by a »w of our more influential fellow eleotora it would eamirfe ub batter in the future. Party feeling would have to be set aside at tha conference, and a man selected soluly upon his abilities to fill the position of parliamentary representative. A Slight Error. — Your special commissioner's article on mining in last week's Witness mentions that the Gartleys, of Springvale, " lease their water from the now defunct* Alexandra Hydriulio Sluicing Company." This is not correct in any sense. The Hartleys own their water supply, which is admittedly the best supply in Central Otago ; nor is' the Alexandra Hyamulic Sluicing Company defunct, in the sense conveyed by your special commissioner's remarks. This company is very much in existence indeed, but at present its property is being developed by tributere, who appear to be doing fairly well now. From further remark? made in the same article I am oonfldeat your special commissioner's sojourn in this district was hurried, and in bo wise calculated to convey a true idea of the position of the mining industry hare, for he never once refers to the extensive sluicing operations being carried out on Earnscleugh Flat, near Alexandra, where some 40 miners are constantly employed in sluicing, and where many of the claims are worked with never lets than 12 heads of water all thiough the year.