WASTE LAND BOARD.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 238, 2 June 1874, Page 6

WASTE LAND BOARD.

At the weekly meeting of tljp above) Board liGld in Dunediu on the 28th instant, the following items of business wor£ transacted : AUCTIONEER FOR'KHB D DISTRICT. : Mr Thomas Stanbrook wroto withdrawing, from his engagement as auctioneer l for the Dunstan district. Mr Stanbrooh's resignation was accepted, and it was resolved that tenders be called from persons desirous of taking the office. 'vi, r >,-;r;1 hj|T P.EMKUOKE, LAKE W-ATJAKA.' '.'. } The District Land Officer reported on the petition of Mr Theodore ltusaell to purchase a piece of laud occupied by him, iu Pembroke. ] fc was resolved to recommend the Government to survey the township, and allocate holdings, when the Board would de#l with this audother eases. -••■••'■-.., <■ ■ .<. • NEWCASTiE —APPLICATION" FOE GROUND. The District Land' Officer reported On the application of Mr Henry Norman to purchase a piece of land occupied by him in this township. - ''.""•' ' -' '■•' It was resolved to defer any action in this case, the District Land Officer not liking to recommend the sale of land too close to the' Kawoa River, and it also might be auriferous. PROPOSED iIPKH-jOTJiiliVq ESTABLISHMENT ON Tii a wpsx CO4.ST. .Messrs J. Harding and 00. applied relative to their application for concessions for starting a fish-curing establishment on the West Coast. They desired to occupy not le3s than 500 acres at Duck Cove, Resolution Island. ' The application was adjourned, in order that the applicants might appear before the Board in person, and make whatever planations they required i ...

Gold at Navigator Islands. (San Francisco JS T eivs Letter. J On Mod (Lay last we received under a special enclosure a copy of the Pall Mall Gazette, which contains the following announcement, which is of great importance to this coast :-h "Gold at Samoa.—Earl Granville has communicated to the Geological Society an extract from a dispatch from Mr Williams, her Majesty's Consul at Samoa. Mr Williams states:—'The afternoon before I;left (Samoa). samples of gold in quartz were,put into my' hands, found bv three Englishmen in a valley about three miles from the port of Apia, but, not having visited the spot, I cannot vouch for the discovery, though I have every reason to believe that the gold is there. I have had 'the samples assayed, and the yield is at the rate of SOOOoz to the ton.' " Since the receipt of that statement, telegraphic coinmirnica.'ion hjis been had with Loudon, and a Director of a leading Bank telegraphs,,-m cypher, as follows :- "Williams's report is voluminous, fiha'more than confirms the paragraph from ■'be Poll Mall.GweUe. Distinct reefs found. Ownership of land said to be disputed. Ship of war being sent from Sydney.' A rush imminent." Upon the absolute''truth of this news, our renders may certainly rely. It will be noticed that it is first; given in the Poll Mall Gazette, a journal known throughout the civilised wor'd as reliable.. Then it emanates from ITer Britannic Majesty's Consul at Samoa, or\ a? "the group is commonly known hero, the " Navigator Islands," who appears to hn.ve taken the responsibility of leaving hi? post to telegrapli the news to the Foreign Minister, Earl Granville. It will be observed that he guards himself with the caution usual in English official intercourse; but he states broadly the fact that ho " saw the samples assayed, and that, they yielded at the rate of SOOOpz to the ton." It will be noticed,'too, thai it 'wna only "an extract" of Mr Williams's despatch that Earl Granville, for the purpose of publication' through an official channel, had sent to,the Geological Society. It is evident, from the telegram, that distinct reefs had been found. MrWil-. liatus would telegraph cautiously, having.be-. fore his eyes 'lie dread evils of an unsuccessful inroad of miners. In that case he wouldassuredly loose his official head, and even, hang- Earl Granville under the censure of the House of Lords. A. diggers' rush is of. course inevitable from the Australian side, if, not from this. The Samoan group of islands, now evidently destined to attract that attention which they ought long ago to have received for more substantial reasons than even' the discovery of gold, arc situated in about l'i cleg. S. latitude, and are in the direct line which the Australian steamers traverse, and are usually sighted by them. No doubt those vessels"will now stop at Port Apia going and coming, and the new Eldorado will be reached easily enough. "Nothing will be wanting except a tent and tools. "Never in

I the history of gold-digging has the precious I metal been found in such a paradise. The climate averages the year round from 70 to 80 delves, and in, highly praised by the Euronean3 residing there. The trade -winds I that blow constantly keep the atmosphere I fresh and vigorous. Missionaries have been \ there over thirty years, and in addition to [the British. Consul there is a United States J Consular Agent there, Mr J. M. Coe, brother to the gentleman of the same name who -was recently a member of our Board of Education o? San Francisco. Tiie natives have comI pletely submitted themselves to the teachings ; of the missionaries, and are docile and always ! gljid to welcome fie arrival of Europeans. If j njiartz-crushing is really to become an active industry, a countrv with more abundant water power it is difficult to imagine. The products of the group consist of oranges, bananas, bread fruit, guavas, sugar-cane, pineapples, Sea Island cotton, coffee, <fcc. The standard works referring to these islands are I ihosu written by Mr Williams and the Rev. Dr

i" ' rt -■ \" • • ■ •--.. Turner, and no doubt are easily procurable for'purposes'of reference. Upolo, the chief island of the group, lias mountains rising to about ■ 2000 ft; Savaii and 'Tutuila are particularly mountainous. It,will be remembered that it''was in connection with these islands .that a company was originated in this city by a notorious find recently bankrupt firm.' Fortunately, this discovery has remained, in, abeyance until that rotten concern has been got rid of in bankruptcy, else there would no doubt havo been all sorts of claims to titles'set up. There is no" fear of that now. There is a clear road for : all-comers, for the natives will'accept the smallest possible, compensation for their lands. The British consul will doubtless, as he always has done, act in harmony with his American confrere, and the presence of a British man-of-war will enforce their edicts. This will serve well enough to keep the peace until proper laws can be framed. Having regard to the present happy condition of the native race, it is to be hoped that the importation of spirits will be made a penal offence. Whatever may come of this gold production—and we thoroughly rely upon the source from .which the information comes —it is certain these lovely islands. present other <■ substantial attractions. Cotton or sugar-growing 'there is highly profitable. The unhappyauspices under which these islands some'three years ago came before the public of San Francisco, has perhaps done much to repel the interest they would otherwise have attracted. 1 We have now supplied about all the information we have on this subject. The daily Press, with their wonderful telegraph arrangements, may affect to pooh-pooh our information. Well, that's all right ; it may please them and it won't hurt us. But when they get through pooh-poohing, if they will obtain the Pall Mall Gazette, which has already reached this city, they will find the paragraph for themselves. If they will then telegraph the editor for his authority, they will undoubtedly find that he has an unquestionable one to give. '

The Petition against Warden Simpson. (Evining Star "Roxburgh Correspondent.) Our-grand excitement, our all-engrossing topic, is Mr Warden Simpson. That gentleman since his. appointment as visiting magistrate has been wicked enough-to decide all cases on their merits, without . consulting those distinguished citizens whose interests should bo the special care of any official visiting Mount Bengers Worse, still, he has not divided his custom with due impartiality among the various h&tels, and has thus excited the enmity of all the pubs', whom he, does not patronise. Hence public meetings and general indignation:' Mr Simp?on may consider himself conclusively sat upon, although I presume he will have to retain his seat on the bench until some Colonial' Frankenstein manufactures a Mount Benger Magistrate to order. Impartial justice don't do for us : like the Tipperarv men in 'Punch,' we want a-judge who will "lane a little."

Among the numerous'charges so absurdly brought about by the'miserable little! clique who have made.Mount Bengef a laughingstock' and reproach, against-an upright and able public servant, is>» petition supposed to, emanate from a man named Rignev." This precious: effusion is published in ■ the local paper, and I think it is grossly libellous, andknow it to be grossly untrue. It is only an act of justice to make, public the real facts of the case, which are both simple and straightforward.' Woodhonse, a man with capital, bought a half interest in an extended claim at the Horse.Shoe Bond, the other half being held equally by Stevenson, and Rigney, men with no capital. At the time of the purchase the weekly earnings were something like six or seven shillings, but Mr Woodheuse introduced new machinery, and raised the average to from forty to fifty shillings per week. -After laving out a considerable amount of money, he found- his operations clogged by the obstructivencss and want of enterprise of his mates, while the amount of wages he had to pay. to representatives of his two shares made him a.contirijial loser. He accordingly offered to sell at a price that woiild about pay,him, and was met by a similar offer from men who were known to owe everything to liis capital.- The result was an appeal to the Warden, and the dissolution common justice demanded was granted, after a careful and impartial consideration of the case; I was present in the Court during a considerable part of the proceedings, and can bear witness to Mr Simpson's impartiality and candour under great provocation. Constant attempts were made to occupy the time of the Court by the introduction of matters foreign to the case, and to waste the limited time at the Warden's disposal by private squabbl-os, and of course these attempts were very properly suppressed. As an instance of how evidence in support of the petition has been got up, I may state that T received a letter from Hie petitioner deliberately asking me to manufacture a report of the proceedings. 1 have preserved that letter, and if the Government are fools enough to waste the public money by granting an enquiry, it will be duly forthcoming.