Canterbury Jockey Club Annual Meeting.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 104, 30 May 1885, Page 6

Canterbury Jockey Club Annual Meeting.

At the annual meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club on Thursday, May 25, the Treasurer, Mr G. G. Stead, in his report, stated that notwithstanding the large amount spent this year in improvement, and the great increase in stakes, the financial position of the club was satisfactory. £9,624 16b had been paid in stakes during the past season, against £7,610 3s and £6,676 8s in the two preceding years. The total receipts were £11,123 12s 6d, excluding £500 for insurance on the stand burnt down, against £11,2433s 6d for 1884. The assets of the club were estimated at £9,364, and exceeded the liabilities by £89 10s. The committee were instructed to revise the rules for consideration by a special meeting. This was done, the mover (Mr Stead) stated, with a view to endeavour to prevent the black mailing on the drawers of sweeps, to provide more stringent rules for the control of jockeys, and in connection with the naming of horses.

into, beyond Mr Laruach statins? tba* he sho.ilti recommend that the connection • be made ; the work was a necessary one and Fergusons Company appeared to have spent a lot of money on it. 5. Could something be done to proTide lectures and. instruction to the miners in this district, such as Professor Black had been giving in the South and ou the West Coast Uoldfields ? Mr f jarnacii stated he was -arranging a plan whereuy suca instruction would be given 0, W«>ui(J Government offer a reward of £500 r<ir a new and improved, method of saving gold ? Mr Larnach replied the suggestion was a very fair one, and he hail been purposing to make a move in some such direction himself. After the deputation had thanked Mr Larnach and withdrew, the whole party came on to Te Atoha, which was reached alnjut half past four. A halt was made at the gate of the Hot Spring* Domain, and Mr Lam rich, under the guidance of the chairman of the Board, j made a thorough inspection of the grounds, the various bath houses, springs, and drinking fountains, etc., in which lie appeared greatly interested, «nd wound up by testing their refreshing P'o -flies by having a goul bath before <i\tiu t, most of the party doing likewise. I ,» the evening the following deputati.).is were received ;—; —

Hot Springs Domain Board. Messrs Geo Wilson (chiirman), C. Ahier (sue), and T. Gavin, members of the Board, comprised the deputation, and were introlueed by Mr J. 13. Whyte, who, in so doing, told Mr Lartiich that Mr Wilsou wad aware that the raifcters he was auait to btiusj under his notice were n( tin his (Mr Lurnach's) department, but as he was on the spot it was thought hisjMy desirable to lay them before him, hoping he would kindly represent to Mr Balance their requirements. Mr Wilson ably represented to Mr Larnach the present position of the Board, what had been done, and the further improvements they wished to effect, and in the course of his remarks said : The Board got charge of the Domain in November 18d4. The mineral waters were now well-known to be highly beneficial, and there could not be the slightest doubt Te ?Aroha was destined to be a great resort for those in search of health. Since the Board had come into office about 1200 strangers had visited the place. They had, through lack of funds, much difficulty in providing ' the required accommodation hitherto, and next season the present facilities for bathing would be altogether insufficient. They desired that Government would see their way to further assist the Board, so as to enable them to provide greatly- increased accommodation, and lay off an I plant the grtmnds. fMr Wilson here read Mr J. A. Pond's {Colonial Analyst) very valuable report, ■which will be found at length in another column], and s.iid a number of invalids ■of the class referred to by Mr Pond bad been here and received great benefit. The Bi»ard would recommend that £1000 hi placed at their disposal, in order to carry ont further improvements of a pressing character, and stated that it was the desire of th« Board to erect enlarged reservoir accommodation f#>r the storing of hot vrater for conveyance to the private baths • They wished to -erect a building such as would be specially suitable for those invalids who might be unable to leave the bath house directly after bathing : Another spring In the middle of the grounds it would be desirable to turn to account ; The flat near the entrance gates ought be neatly laid off, tennis courts formed, and planting, both for shelter and effect, required to be done. Mr Wilson concluded by stating that it was quite out of thn power of the Domain Board to carry •out these improvements, and thus make the bath a as useful and attractive as possible unless Government assisted them to do so. The freehold of the land being Grown property, they could not even raise a loan. Mr Luruach, in reply, said : He had been all round the grounds and baths felt, greatly interests in them, an i fully b>Htived a great future was in store for tae.n, not in this district only, hut with reference to the whole colony. Ho would pro nise to do his best to induce the Minister in whose department it lay, to place £1000 on thn Rstun.it'S for the Domain B >anl's disposal. He believe! the springs to he exceedingly valuable, ami thought it would be desirable to luve a careful search made mi either side of the D main grounds, as other springs might be existing there, and if they fell into othor hands the efforts of the Board would in a measure be thwarted. He considered there ought to be a reserve made on either side with a view of having same ad den to the Domain later on, if found desirable to do so; and promised to make enquiries on his return to Wellington with this object in view. Having thanked the Minister for lih kind attention and promise to do anything in his power to forward their interests, the deputation withdrew.

REBIDBNTB OF Tfi AItOHA Goi.Dminino District. This deputation, over thirty in number, wereijitroluced l»y Mr J. B. Wiiyte. Mr James Mills acting as their spokesman, Mr Mills said : Some time ajro n mooting of the inhabitants of Te Aroba, Waioniniconiiii, and Qjuirtzville ha-l been called (convened by piiMic adv#tis"in.3iit in the Ardha Nfcws) in orler that a dentation miyfht be arran7ed who would l.iy bi'l'ore you so ne requirem "its of the district. The pr«'BiMi» deputation was the result. Mv Hilla

• then brought un ler Mr Larnach:) notict i the following mutters : — 1. Nec«p»»ity of a connection being made i between the county tramway and th« np\v battery by a solf ai-ting £rade Estimated cost about £IdOO. Several applications ha-l been made to the PiaUo County Council to perform the work, but they appeared to be in too impecunious a state to do so. Mr Larnach remarked he had alrqady been deputatiouiseu with respect to this [flatter, when at Waiorongomai earlier m the day. He considered the work a very neceastiry one, and hid already promised to find out if a subsidy of £2 to £1 were available, and if it were, he would try and have the money advanced. Mr Mills said : They were afraid if it got into the hands of the County Council, it might be a very long time ere the connection was made, and would suggest that Mr Ferguson (who was haying* the battery erected ) should have the money and hold the tramway when completed until the County Council were in a position to take it over. With regar Ito Fergusons battery, he felt satisfied it would save a very much larger percentage of the gold than was now being saved, but even if it failed in this, it would undoubtedly be the means of breaking down the monopoly that now existed, and the charges for treating quartz would be reduced. The aveiage return from all the mines per ton since the opening of the field, was close on an ounce, and surely this ought to pay well, but owing to excessive battery charges it did not, and the result was that a great many of the mines had ceased working for the present, rather than continue paying prohibitive rates. As un instance of excessive charges he would mention the Colonist Gold Mining Company. Work in the mine had recently | heen suspende I. From December 6th, ; UBB, to Docember 20th, 1884, 4862$ tons of quartz were treated at Firth and Clarkes battery, for a yield of 3069o«8. retorted gold ; the amount paid to the Battery Company for treatment amounting £2984 18s 2d. This from one mine alone 1 The tailings from the above crushings were not treated, and would average about 121wts per ton, and had passed into the possession of the Battery Company in payment of monies 'due. Another mine, the May Queen, | had crushed various small parcels from Augnst 1884 to May 1885, amounting to 57 trucks (1J tons each) the yield from which amounted to 1490z5. ldwt. retorted gold { 16 trucks of the quarts had been taken out as it came from a I five foot reef Notwithstanding the above satisfactory results th* company did not care to do much whilst crushing charges were bo high. 2. Necessity for the introduction of diamond drills into this district. Mr Larnach replied as to the deputation at Waiorongomai that he could not recommend their use. They were very expensive to work, requiring a manager at £300 or £400 a year, and there was a great risk of losing the stone. Government were now making enquiries with respect to other and raore economical drills. 3. Lectures by Professor Black much needed in the district. Mr Larnach, in reply to this request, said he had anticipated their wishes, and was arranging a plan, wherebj he hoped to have lectures given in the district. He was also having a very valuable report of his trip through the West Coast printed. 4. Formation of prospecting tracks within the Pinko County to the extent of over eight, miles estimated cost £710. It was a great hindrance to the mining industry and the prosperity of the field, the lack of tracks, such as they desired should be made. Mr Larnach said ; He quite sympathised jrith them in regard to this matter ; in fact he would go further, and say he thought without proper prospecting tracks it was useless t» expect much work to be done, espocially where trees were prevalent. New m-asures would be introduced this session, and h<s promised taat from whatever funds miy be available this district should have its share. 5. Widening and improving Katikati Track. This track, Mr Mills remarked, starts some two miles above Waiorongomai, and could be easily made iftio a good track for whoel traffic, the grade being excellent. When the railway to Te Aroha township was completed, if >ras expected in the course of a very few months, the shortest and best route for both passengers and mails for Taujunga would be via Te Aroha and this track. Mr Larnach replied the matter referred to was not in his department, but he would be happy to bring it under the notice of the Minister of Lands, under whose notice it oaghfc ateo be brought -by their member. 6. Approach to Railway and Traffic Bridge. Mr Mills showed the necessity for even a temporary approach being made for wheel traffic, eic., etc., and stated the general circumstances of the case. Mr Larnach promised to see if any arrangement could be come to with the contractor,, or anything else done in the uia.ter, Mr Mills also referred to the public meeting which had been called with the object of taking Bteps to have Te Aroha, I Waiorongomai, and Quartzvillo formed into a borough, and at which it was ! thought desirable that a Government enquiry should be made with regard to : the construction of the tramway, which appeared to have cost au enormous sum of money. Evi lenee could be alduceii that much blundering had occurred in carrying out tue work The party who had l>ef» outrusteJ with it was tue pre-

I sent battery mnni^ei, and it was I general opinion hit the tramway con d have been cniratriicte-i at farlos* cost. Mr Larnnoh sail In* did not tliinu any pood wr.ul I bo done by raking up i'.tf matter at this date, even though blunders hud been made, the work was done ami the fchitu? past and j?ono. Tiie deputation thanked Mr Lnrnsio);' for. the patient hearing he h.id "given them, and the sympathy shown with respcjct to their 'tnrrt.s, and then withdrew.

SpKCIAL, SfeITTLBNfKVT. The \aat deputation (introiuced by Mr J, B. Whyte) wa« composed of the following : Mo.s-»rs B.iskett, Robertson, and Monta^ne, mil ha I refnreivjy to some sixty persons who hud recently enrolled themselves for tin* purpose of establishing a special settlement nn ler Mr Bullnuce's sdu'iiii'. Tue purlh'tiliirs relating 1 to the settlement having alren ly appeared, we ne.eil onl) a>l>l tit.it it \v:is the desirf of the Weputition fiiat a more satisfactory reply mubt be timu they hrtl yet received ; in fuct no reply whatever had Ueen received to their last letter bearing 1 dale May Ist. Mr Larnnch promised to have the matter looked into. The deputation thanked the Minister, and withdrew.