THE Thames Advertiser. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1876.

Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2437, 6 October 1876, Page 2

THE Thames Advertiser. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1876.

Whether the returns obtained yester- j day from the Waitekauri mines have or have not afforded general satisfaction is a question which after all is of little moment. It is evident that when people are largely interested, as many here are in the prosperity of our new goldfields, they will s aUow their Irishes to become fathers to thoughts, and after a'l it* is perhaps a matter of wpnder that the mark has been so closely toe'd. At all events the returns are before us, and it remains to be seen whether they are satisfactory or otherwise. Taking the first and most important, we have ' the Waitekauri Company, with its return of 9240zs as the result of the month's crashing. A. yield of l,oooozs was generally expected, and a still heavier return was anticipated by the more sanguine shareholders, and there is consequently some disappointment felt. In the absence of accurate information as to the amount of stuff treated at the mill since its start, the cost of conveyance to the machine, and the cost of extraction from the mine, we cannot of course ! furnish details of the profits which accrue from the crushing, but relying upon the statements of those who are supposed to be best informed on the subject, we may state that the average of 'the yield leaves a handsome profit. This we may readily believe, for 110 mining company has ever started under more promising auspices, With a mine thorougly opened up, a wellappomted battery worked by the cheapest of all motive powers—water—a good tramway connection between both, and efficient and economical management, we'can readily comprehend the fact of the present yield leaving a large margin of profit. We can therefore congratulate the compafty on the success which has hitherto attended their enterprise, and trust that further good fortune may crown their efforts. Their enterprise has tended hugely towards the development of what will no doubt prove to be an important gold-producing district, and they are, therefore, entitled to the utmost credit and all the enjoyment which they may derive from the success of their spirited undertaking. 'The yield from the Welcome Company's crushing, although it averages better than an ounce to the ton, has also to some extent proved a disappointment, on account of the expectations which were raised by sanguine shareholders. Looked at calmly, however, the return is an excellent one, being an average of over an ounce of gold to the ton of | stone treated; and although the expenses connected with carriage and crushing are necessarily heavy on account of want of road or tramway communication,. it pays. well. Of course, as present measures > and engagements regarding those items are only temporary and experimental, it may reasonably be expected that no time will be lost in improving the method of transit from the mine to the battery either by the construction of' a tramway or' a road.- And with' regard to the third crushing—that for the Toung New Zealand—which consisted of a trial parcel, it was, we may state, forwarded to the Waitekauri mill under extraordinary difficulties, and was merely a test, of the quality of the stuff available from the claim, and the result—lo6 ounces gold from 24 tons of stone—is, it is needless to say, a splendid one. On the whole, l we think the result of the first escort, from the Waitekauri district is a satisfactory evidence of the auriferous character of that field, and proves beyond dispute that the gold belt of the peninsula extends beyond the limits of the older district, and opens up a field for legitimate mining speculation which capitalists can confidently avail themselves of.

The legality of tlie Abolition of theProvinces of."New Zealond is one which is now occupying a good deal of time, if not attention, in tlie House, and Sir George Grey, "as usual, is to be found at the head and front advocating this "grave constitutional question." The latest dovice to save the provinces is a rumour thafy .the Government had received legal advice from the law officers of the Grown in London to the effect that the Abolition of the provinces by a vote of the General Assembly was ultra vires j that it was, in fact, null, void, and unconstitututional, and therefore could have no effect. The statement of the Premier that 110 such advice had been received, and his explanation of the scrutiny which colonial Acts had to undergo when sent before those dread functionaries, the law advisers of England,

does not seem to have weighed with the Opposition. The legal talent of the Assembly took sides. On the one liand we liave Messrs Stoufy Bees, and Sheehan declaiming against the illegality of the whole of the proceedings regarding Abolition, and on the other side we have Mr Whitaker stating his deliberate opinion, after mature consideration, that the Abolition Act was not ultra vires. It is a pity that at this'late stage of the session the Abolition question should have cropped up. Most people, including lion, members, had taken it for granted that the provinces, as such, • were' virtually dead, and. that all that remained was to grant them, and their institutions a decent burial, but this new attempt to galvanise the. defunct body can have no other effect than to distract the attention of members from the important measures which they have to cany out. We say, under those circumstances, it is unfortunate that this question should have again cropped up at this late stage, for its only effect will be to further retard the progress of this already prolonged session. Its most ardent admirers cannot surely entertain the-most remote idea of resuscitating that effete Provincialism which is now done away with. It would be much more satisfactory, and would tend more directly ■; to the advancement and prosperity of the country, if members would addiess themselves sedulously to the necessary ! | business of the session instead of devoting talents and energies .to a useless struggle such as that upon which they have entered. The question at issue. regarding the legality of the Abolition Act is by no means new. It was fought out strenuously in the last session of Parliament, but it appears that the defeat then sustained by the provincial party has not, been sufficient to prevent them from renewing the attack when they thought they had discovered a vulnerable . point.- in the armour of their opponents. And this marked discovery arose out of the formal wording of the ■ reply of the Premier to the message of the Superintendent of Otago to the Governor, in . which it was stated that it was open to Mr Macandrew by course of law to prove that the advice- upon which he relied was sounder than that of the law officers of the Crown in London' and New Zealand; It was' urged that in this. phraseology an attempt was made to deceive the piiblic, and Mr J Eees went further and pronounced it an equivocation. The discussion, however, as usual, terminated without result, and we trust we have heard the last of it. ' '