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Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2102, 23 July 1875, Page 2

; Wq aro glad to find that tho Provincial Govern meht hare taten steps to niter eoiao of tho Regulations relative to agricultural Ica.cs at Ohinoniuri,'' His Worship tho Mayor com* municated with the Superintendent in We'lingtoil on tho subject, and ye terday the Warden a telegram from Sir Gcorgo Grey, askibg'himtO GCe'Mr Tole, and jointly a.dviso .what alterations Jneccs.ary in the Regulations. The Superiutendoat very properly points out that the good available land is at present limited, and that some must bo kept for a largo mining population, Ho further iulimates that that when the. Homestead Act can be brought into force larger farming areas can be given, All that we urge upon the authorities is to alter the Regulations' eo tliat settlement' may be encourajed. Thero are numbers of men who would eettle upon the hilly country included in the Ohineinuri Qoldfield if they could obtain sufficient land to earn a subsistence by its cultivation, but they cannot do this on a fifty aero section. We.presume that tho Amendment to the Goldlieids Act of 18G6 was rendered necessary through the experience of other goldfieldi, whero it was fouad that the area originally granted did not induce miners to become permanent settlers,

We publish in another column a portion of the correspondence relative to tho loan negotiation in England, and we must fay that the disclosures made aro of a very surprising nature. The eta' length of the telegram prevents us from publishing the whole of it to-day. \Vo think, however, Ibat'-the Press Association nrght summarise these quarrels, and reduce them considerably.

The 'Alert' will not make her usual trip to Okiiicmuri this morning, as alio proceeds on a trip to tho Piako under special charter; •'

A curious phase of tho Mining Districts Act of 1873 was brought up iu tho Warden's Court yesterday. Under this Act tho Warden has no power to forfeit any shares in. a claim on the ground of non-working, but is allowed to cut the quantity of ground unrepresented out of any claim; : This at first appoira to amount to tho same thing, but a little consideration will show that it is net so. The case before tho Court yesterday was an instance ia point.' A claim registered listen men's ground was regularly worked by seven of' the. shareholders, and evidence was given to tshow that the other three never worked their interests at all. According : to the provisions of the Act then tho Warden is ! to cut out three men's ground from this claim, but the,question arises what ground does bo cut out. .If 'ho reduces the area to seven men's ground by cutting off tho unrepresented ground and giving it lo the plaintiff; tho thrco defaulting shareholders afe still shareholders in what remains. Tho other shareholders have no means of ridding themselves of - tho incubus, except by abandoning the claim altogether and taking it up afresh. Of course it could have have been arrauged between the parties themselves, but it is quite evident that, under the present conttruction of tho Act, a dead-lock arises which eannot be dealt with in the Wardon's Court, and as it is one,of those points' which is ' liable to ' cropup 1 at any moment, it will bo necessary that sorao : amendment should, bo introduced during tho present session of the Assembly to meet such; cases. 1 !

A telegram, from Hokianga .says"Tho 'Monejnick'left Auckland on tho 20th, of June, and made Hokianga bar 48 hours after. A heavy sea was on. and she could not cross. A N.W. gale drove her south of Cape Bgmont.; There she met a S.W. gale, and was driven to the, Three Kings, She, then experienced a' succession of gales from N, to S.W, Three times she had providential escapes from being', driven''oil a leojshoro,; Made. Hokiangaibar, again yesterday morning, aiid signalled shCtt of water, Me was compelled to use stores under Custom's seal. She arrived at her anchorage this morning all well.''

Tho Auckland correspondent o£ tho Wcl-: liogton Times gives the following little story, ; which shows how circumstances alter eases.' A resident of the Thames expected a caao of goods out by the ship ■' Duncdin.' He requested a certain Custom-house agent to pay the necessary entries for quitting the case. 1 Yoti will have to pay come duty; what shall I put down as the value ?' said the agent, ' Oh, it is not worth £5., altogether,' replied tho gentleman: 1 Tho only thing of value in It is an old silk dreßS, worth about. £2.' A few days passed. The case is missing, and as tho sbip is not going to remain long' tho agent is requested to send in his claim. He telegraphs to the Thames, ' What amount shall I claim for,' Case missing.' Back cornea an answer sharp, 'Claim £50. Proceed atone. Further particulars by letter.' But the point of the joke is to come. The claim was no sooner sent in than the case turns up at tho back of a wharf store, and now: Ihe fortunate owner has to overcome tho scruples' of the Custom-houso officers to receiving duty on tbo £5 former value. ,