BENDIGO.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 141, 23 July 1872, Page 6

BENDIGO.

(From our own Correspondent.) July IG, 1872. Learned men have lately informed ns that the moon has no effect ou the weather. But it is nevertheless a noticeable coincidence, that alterations do generally take place at the time of the lunar changes. Be that m it may, last Monday being St. Swithiu's Day, I. bearing in mind i\\Q old tradition of the pluvial inconveniences which occurred to pievent the interment of his savutship, boldly predicted rain a week beforehand ; and, sure enough, it eventuated yesterday. Whether St. Swithin or Luna had anything to do with it, "this deponent sayeth not"; but, unluckily for the statement of the savans, the moon did change on that date. A thaw followed the rain, and has released a great many unfortunates from the bonds of idleness. Really, what with (by weather in summer, and frosty ditto in winter, the miner's earn-

ings in Otago arc sadly curtailed, —bringing wages to a minimum pitch, low enough to satisfy the most rabid advocate of reduction. And this reminds me that it is rumoured some of our parvenu capitalists propose to bring about a reduction in the wages of working miners here : crescil amor nummi. The working of Mr Vogel's immigration scheme supplies them with an opportunity for talking grandiloquently of the laws of supply and demaud ; so that wholesale immigration to New Zealand is likely to have the effect I have always anticipated, viz., to lower wages without increasing the demand for labour. Well, it is to be hoped :< tucker" will come down also, or the deluded " new chums'' had better have remained at home.

The directors of the Colclough Co. have not apparently accepted any of the tenders for the tunnel. "Tobe or not to be ; that is the question" which will decide the fate of this Company ; as. unless this necessary work is done, they may lay aside all hopes of ever being blessed with dividends. The manager has been prevented by the frost from completing his crushing ; but, as he has again got the mill started, will finish in a day or two.

The Aurora tributers have had to suspend operations from the same cause, but are again crushing. Tlie result will be known tin's week. I sincerely hope the yield this timo may prove satisfactory ; as future speculation in our reel's is in a great measure dependent on the success of this venture.

The Cromwell Company have resumed crushing, with a good supply of water. A painful accident occurred a few days ago to one of their men, named John Simmons. He was getting out a block of stone with a crowbar, when another large piece rolled down, driving the bar forward. The bar caught him under the lower jaw, inflicting an ugly wound; and causing him almost to sever his tongue with his teeth ; it is a wonder the jaw-bone was not broken. Such occurrences ought to prove to the miners the necessity for a Miners' Accident Fund, —an institution whose value has already been recognised at the Thames, on the Victorian Bendigo, and oilier places. A small weekly contribution would not he felt by members, and, in the aggregate, would probably be the means of rendering many a poor fellow's hours of pain easier-.

The Rise and Shine Co. had a washing up in the same ground mentioned by me as be-

ing supposed to have been " touched" by the Chinese. The yield completely proved the fact of the tail-race having been pillaged in the former instance. I mention this, as it has been hinted that it was a case of " much ado about nothing." I would suggest the laying down of small torpedoes in unprotected tail-races, for the benefit of the "heathen." They could be easily fixed at night and removed in the morning, with due precautions against accidents ; of course ; as it would be rather unpleasant for the engineer "to be hoist with his own petard." Mr Goodall purchased the building known as the "church" at Wakefield, and removed it bodily with horses to the site of his hue premises. It is to form part of the new hotel ; so that spirituous, instead of spiritual, comforts will in future be dispensed therefrom. "From the sublime to the ridiculous," &c, holds good in this instance. Wool is down, —so is not mutton. As the rise in the price of one affected that of the other, by the common law of things so ought the reduction ; but I am afraid our purveyors will not be sufficiently consistent to view it in that light. They may probably tell us that the extra price is needed for the sheep, to make up for the loss on his coat: squatters' logic, but very hard on the cousumers. I wonder some speculative genius has not ere now endeavoured to utilise the immense quantities of flax growing on the banks and flats of the Clutha from the Lovvburu upwards. Many lnradreds of tons could be collected easily. There is a magnificent growth, the bushes being in most places upwards of seven feet high. There are also many acres of "raupo," which might pay to export down' country. It makes, as an Hibernian friend told me the other day, "an illigant bud. quite aquttto feathers." I don't think apnu \ was intended ; —possibly only another instance of the latent humour popularly accredited to the natives of the Emerald Isle.