The Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. Cromwell: Tuesday, March 24, 1874.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 228, 24 March 1874, Page 4

The Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. Cromwell: Tuesday, March 24, 1874.

The meeting advertised by the Cromwell Miners' Association for 'Saturday evening fell through on account of. the. small attendance. There were, as a matter of fact, only four or five who put in an appearance.. If more interest is not taken in Miners' Association matters by miners generally than has hitherto been done by tliem in the Cromwell district for the last twelve .months, we think it would be as well to drop at once the effort to maintain an Association.- A few have used every effort to keep the .body alive, but the great majority of the niiners appear to look on at their efforts with perfect indifference. Wo have within the past Few weeks endeavoured, to a certain extent, to throw a veil over the poverty with which the Cromwell Association is troiibled, in the hope that an amendment would take place; but when we find that out of the whole district north of the Kawaran only some thirty members can be raised, and that only four or five of them think it worth their while to come and hear their delegate to the Miners' < "onferenoe, it is high time to do something either in the way of reviving the Association, or of putting an end to its existence. As it stands at present, it is only a snare and a delusion. We regret that we inadvertently misledthe public as to the day on which the Court was ; to be held' last week. . Our information was reiceived from a. source which is usually a most correct one. The previous Court-day, the WarI den intimated his intention of holding Court on J Wednesday, but We were afterwards told that it j would be on Thursday. • :' The .Star of the East Company will clean up some time during the present week.' The columns of the Argus have never since its first establishment contained such . a numerous and melancholy list of deaths as that which stands in to-day's issue. For obvious reasons, the announcement of the calamity which his befallen Mr family will strike forcibly.upon the feelings of every man and woman in the district. The double funeral has been appointed to take place on Wednesday forenoon, at 11 o'clock,, when we trust to the Bvnipathy of the people in the neighbourhood for ■the bereaved pavtuU;e>iuced by »'large'»saemI blago. '-,'.'" '?.'</ * ..... •

The Hospital met on Wednesday evening, according to the resolution carried at'tnVpuhlic meeting held on the previous Saturday. There were present; Messrs Daw-) ' ! Kini4 o, <chair)j* Goodgar, Arhdfc, TayjoW .Scptt, i JnKrisohV and Ma¥sh-. After the minutes of 'the, ;.'.'previous meeting ; had" pbnh>hjedY< tit was resrtWAd that' Mr 1 CI-/F. jfohn'sori 'bo ■ rei. quested to act a» secretary till the next meeting. , Mr James Dawkins was then iippbiiitSd : hon. ,; | treasurer, and he Was directed to open an account ~. Jn.tw pf South'Wales in the name of ')the iCqmm^tee-t,,iP!} r th« motion,of MriMarsh, '"MconiJed" by Mr Scott, the jiecretary was, i instructed to write to Messrs woodier, Dawkiris,' and Jolly, requesting them, while in Dunedin. i to wait upon the members of the Executive, and BiCfcettti promise of the usual Hospital subsidy.

The secretary was then authorised to get all the needful books for carrying on the business of the Committee. The meetings of the Committee were then appointed to be held fortnightly, after which the meeting,was closed, with the usual thanks to,the chair. ;t j \ ,„• )u\\nwih\ oh I<A road-Bweeping machine *f the most ■: [approved" KnglisH make is now on its 'way to, Dunedin for the use of the City Corporation. of the first day's and 1 sports, Mr G. Laffranchi ejive a ball supper,.to which all and'sundry were in- i i 'vited. 0 The proceedings commenced about eight 'and were kept iip till aboqt' four 1 l iiext ! ii mornings' About one hundred people must have; , uparticipated in the good things prbvfded by tyie w Worthy host. The number mentioned, however,:jby|no me4nß represents the number who achi,,!Ally,Attended the ball, as many were so eager to J, .'join in the,: fun, going on, that; they did-not sit '"down to supper, at all. The greatest harmony. .'preyaifed during oai) 80$ have to acknowledge the receipt of a -tdnmdlebf printed Government papers. We hive. , also to eteknowledge; the receipt of the lUuUrdled Ntyo .anything above the usual standard, and are very i interesting. . ;- .. : •■-, ■> >. v , tw.oii' ! -i^;The Cromwell Quartz Mining Company 1 washed r up a parcel of stone last week, amount- ' ing to about' sixty tons,-which gave the handsome result of ;.39S buncos; Or about six and a half ounces,.to.'the; ton. The company would not .have washed up so soon if the water had not beeiuso scarce. Since washing up, they have pnt through about fifty tons more. The men in the empio/of .the company lately sent a roundr(»bih to the shareholders, asking for.a ieduction I • .in their houna of labour. Thev want, we are!

informed, a reduction of two hours-a day off • their present hours of labour,; We cannot say ' '•) whit the result will he, but we Are told that a i i general, strike is'likely to ensue. Ff such is the! ; intention of the miners, we trust they will first j vttse. every other means of arranging the matter j i -7-The,Reliance '.'ompanv put on flint additional hand on their shaft to facilitate their operations. They are sinking upim the reef at present, Imt 'it U thin, and goim; down with a very great , .underlay. .The underlay cvuses the sinking to he very';:ankward and very slow,—From the 'buckhow, there is nothing to report, except that there is plenty of hard work. Our latest accounts ..give no encouragement of hearing the reef. The Athemeum Committee met oh. Friday evening to complete the agreement with the successful tenderer for the Athenaeum building, and tYwlo other business. The site of the . building was definitely fixed' to be twelve feet from Mr Dagg's boundary, and eighteen feet - from the line of Sligo-street. It was also re- . solved to erect a retaining and fence wall on the line Between sections 1 and 38, —Mr Dagg hiving intimated his willingness to co-operate with the 'Committee in so doing. Only one design fora seal was. submitted to. the meeting, so it was .agreed to postpone the!'consideration of the 'matter till next meeting. >Ye beg to call the attention of publicans and those interested in obtaining licenses to. the advertisement in another column setting forth the names of the yariousapplicants.and of the day of .hearing the various applications.. :!We regret to hear that' the Rev. Mr Witheyis still lying dangerously ill at the KawarauGorge.. : ~; iiT As an instance'of the liberal feeling which is evoked .in a mining' township on the occurrence of any calamity, We rnav instance a'caßc which occurred only last week at Oar■drona. [, A house belonging to a Mr Callaghan was burnt down, and almost all the effects' be-

longing to him. On the accident becoming known, a few of the miners on the creek started a subscription list, which in the course of an hour or two realised the handsome Sura of nearly sixty pounds. 1 The instinct of the betting men in Dunedin appears to have been remarkably accurate with regard to the Dunedin Cup running. Four days before the race, the three highest favourites were— Lurline, 3 to 2; Templeton, 5 to 2 ; Atlas, 3to 1. The order of the betting, it need be said, forecast the places of the horses. '•i A- ;3®s&.i of fishermen, on Wednesday last,, while engaged in their usual avocation at , Ba .V« succeeded in capturing a tish about a foot long and three inches in width. Thinkmg it a salmon, one of the party brought it to Dunedin, and took it to the Government offices. Several gentlemen who saw it also thought it was a salmon, Captain Hutton was .sent for, and dispelled all conjecture in the matter bv pronouncing it to be a sea or salmon trout. ' It is suppose*! to be one of those which were liberated in the Shar; River some time ago, and to hart found its way round to the place where it was captured. . Orders were given to send it to tlu Museum for the purpose of being stuffed.lii its "Home Letter," the Sonthm Mercnrif say* the miner "will further possess tho advantage (by virtue of his miner's right which will cast him £1 per annum) of occupying an acre of land for cultivation, and of runnim three head of cattle—cows or horses—on the ad jacent commonage, free of charge." The acre I holding power is Qorrect; but whence does hj( derive the right of running the three head o cattle ? and where, oh where ! arc the acljtweni commonagea ?

to inquire into the janil management -of -better'anft T machmes wad <ih .minihflr- : ttt<i''<(ttaetS) mining 1 operations 1 thrbuMbtft, Now Zealand. ;• n TliePalmeraton ancl areih'a'flk; They wanted a lkwyer' in the 4)8-, tricfc and got one;' The result is that one party to a suit always secures the services of the legal : gentleman; and the other party is compelled io do without professional advice, or go to the expense of imposing;, it from Dunedin. So now they want a second lawyer. We have some ad. vice to give them which would save them money in the end. Ifc.is.thjs ■:''" Pay your present .lawyer to emigrate,;and settle your cases with*' out any."— (fuardfan. . ..,,.;,/.,,; a . ,-,,, o-wi ) ;J, ; rl) RW ' '■■.'. ■.' IE , ;.;: ,; ' J .' : /