THE Thames Advertiser. Favour to none; fear of none; justice to all. TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 1897. NEW GUINFA.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XXIX, Issue 8692, 23 March 1897, Page 2

THE Thames Advertiser. Favour to none; fear of none; justice to all. TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 1897. NEW GUINFA.

Occasional word from New Guinea as to the auriferous nature of that country has, we.dare say, made somo of our population rather anxious to hear more of its prospects as a goldfield, moreover, aa minors are ko given to we (metaphorically) the greenness of distant fields, it behows us as purveyors of inftini'iiltoti to put bpforo our readers as plain ai.d as' unvarnished, but as strictly accurate, an account as is possible to obtain with regard to the country. Taking Sir William Macgrogor as our authority we find that he says already part of the auriferous country and apparently one of the richest spots therein, known as Woodlark Island, is overmanned and it is hardly possible tlinfc the population now.working there will remain long, the returns not being alluring enough. With regard to Mount Scratchiey and the Menibare districts, both well spoken of in the Australian press, it cannot be said there is anything really Irnownlto justify art incursion of the hardy pioneer of a field who amidst tho glamor of the stories old will' risk a gre.it deal to take a " first hand in the game." At present it seems there ore four parties at work in these districts mentioned. (<() About n dozen men oik the Upper Uambare, apparently ar work ohiefly in the Mclaughlin Creek,. Mio, it is understood, aro getting but littf? gold, (b) Ten or eleven men in the Mtini Valley, but up to the present therjs is no information as to payable gold in the Musn or Moni Valley, which, however, it is said, is a country worth examining, (c) A small party of five or six men and ten horses have gono inland from Port V'oresby, in* tending to reach the Upper Mamlara if they can, but so far there is no news from them, (d) A party of three men are said to have followed up the path recently cut across the main rnngo from tho Mambaro to the Vanapa, and to have reached the top of Mount Scratchiey. Nothing further has been heard of them. All lh»so men have been warned against going inland at this season of tho year, but they disregard all advico in such things. Sir W. Macgregor utters a most emphatic warning as to the stamp of men who should go prospecting in tho country. For old and sickly men in any season it is, he poincs out, no place, while young and healthy men have to takegreat chances of surviving Ihe malarial fevers. For one who has no means at his disposal prospecting is practically impossible, aa for tho necessary outfit a sum of from £50 to £100 is wanted, to be chiefly expended in provisions, carriers and nifdicines, The magistrates will not ongage native curriers lo men that cannot guarantee the wages ot tho carrier* j and the Uoverninrnt cannot furnish carriers to prospectors- , . Thus it is manifest there arc two or three obstacles in the way of Ihe field beinjj well tested just now, and it is also manifest that a New Zealand' miner, even if he has youth and. strength on his side, is better in his own country than in Papua.

Ah dice's ttooV, destroyed by fire on Sunday morning, was insured for £350 in tho Ncrih German office, ' We learn thit Mr Kdward Oorbett, aged >0, son of Mr E, M. Oorbott, tho woilknown mining engineer at Waitekauri, died early yesterday worniiig at Waifcokauri of typhoid fever. Three other members of the family are hid up with the :amo diatasj. Much sympathy is felt UpCountry.for tho family. A man named John Giles has been nrresled in Coromandel charged with having deI jcrted his wife at Winton. Alfred Pearson [ has also been arrested on information charging him with having stolen a gold wlitcli, 110 property of Alfred Bartlctt, of Auckland. Both men will bo charged before tin local J.P.'s and remanded to Aucklmd. Tho tomporanco candidates for tho Ohineimu'i Licensing Committed district of Ohineinuri aro:—Horatio Nolson Bagnall , , mill owner, 'lurua; John Nicholls, farmer, Ptii'iri; Matthias Whitehead, boot impoitor, Thames; Andrew Whito, missionary, Waihi. These gontlemon's policy if olected irill be 10 o'clock licenses, and assisting tho polico in the oxecution of thoir onerous duties. Tho Wairongomai correspondent of the Te Aroha "N'jws " says •—The firnt dividend of six pounds | cr share in tho Cadman Special Claim was paid during the present week, and fmtuimtc ho'dcrs of sliiins in this property arc satisfied to wait until the six months' option hps exp'red. Thoy feel confident that tho property.,,will gi>c satisfaction, and that the biihnce of the money will bo paid in iho specified time.

At (ho Auckland Supremo Court yesterday thu owe Jus, Mc(.'rca Uiigliuin v Kobt. Comer, a claim for transfer of 2.'t,'50 shares 'and a counter claim between tho same parties, Comer v. Ikighum, v/iie called on and adjourned until tho June sittings on tho application of Mr Cooper, who appeared for defendant.—Jlr Cooper Enid that n very materia! witness for tho defence waa absent from the lolony,—Mr Cumpboll, for iMr Brifilinm. s , id that ho was p eparcd for the cam) to go to trial, but ho would offer no objection to Mr Cooper's request.

At. a meeting of tho Te Aroha Hand Contest Committee a statement in connection witli the 29th January contest was submitted wl'ich sliowfd tha'i after paying all expense?, there remained a credit balance of jjlfi 3s (id, available for division among the winning bands as pri'/es. 'I be local band having generously agreed to wait till such time as the committee had sufficient funds to piiy them, and also expressed the opinion that the visiting bands should net the preferenco, the commitleo deoided to award the money at their disposal, as follows:—To the Wnilii Brass Band which won the first prize £10, and £5 to the Coromandd Town Band, which won second prize. This is exactly half of tho sum to which these bands are entitled, so that it will be seen that if the committee persevcro in their efforts to pay the prizo money in full, their labours are by no means over, There remains a liability of £20.

At St. George's Church on Sunday,night the Rev. Dr. O'Cnllaglian preaching 1 from the text " Yea they sacrificed their sons urn] their daughters unto devils," made sonio very interesting remarks which becitifio of their comprehensiveness and their truth have 'been much remarked upon. In effect the rov. doctor said that parents in New Zealand today sacrificed their children as much ns did those of old, but instead of" unto ilie idols of Canaan," the sacrifice whs to id'eness, slotlifulness, vanity, and kindred evils. He instanced cases where parents who, through persever-. mice and industry, had themselves won a competence: allowed their offspring logrow up inlo manhood's estate in , , luxury—without a thought for Iho morrow, without a trade or profession, and.in fact wasting thoir best diiys. Their daughters also seemed to l'v '■ alone for dnss, and to outdo their neighbour in tin's respect seem to bs those girls' sole aim. Dr. O'Callaghan widened considerably on the subject, and lie crtninly give his hearers plenty oi solid food for reflection.

The male inmates of the Old Men's Homo at Tararu have not , always been amennblo to discipline, and in fact there have been times when some of them have given considerable trouble, notwithstanding tho fact that thoy agreod on entering to conform to suoh rules as had been drawn up to ensuro tho good working of tho institntion. In tho past generally the inmates have absolutely refused to do any out-door work, but to show that many of thorn aro capable of doing a little the Mayor mentioned at tho Charitable Aid Board mooting last evening that one old nmn clioson from the lot in tho Home to do cortiiiii work about tho hospital grounds had been promised a small incentive- and had over finco carried out his job exceedingly well, tho grounds presenting tho iippearanco of being cared for by a master hand. This, it is.said, is in direct contrast to tho grounds at tho Homo, wlici'o no gardnn work of' any sort is carried out by tho inmates. Probably, however, this stato of things will bo remedied in the futur.:. Dr. Williams is to "certify as to the stale of he'nlth of the intnulfis, and if they are fit for work thoy are to do it, Mcmlci'sof tho Charitable 'id Itoaid will for the future prolxibly regularly Visit the Home durinir the month and report at tho incetinge, by which means it is Imped a thoroughly sa'isfactory report wi 1 bo available for the guidance of tho Board.