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Dunstan Times, Issue 631, 22 May 1874, Page 2

Telt graphic communication is now open with Switzer’s. Ou Friday last, the sitting of the. Provincial Council lasted for an hour and a half only. We regret to learn that Mr B. Hal leustein, M.P.C. for Queenstown, is so indisposed as to be unable to attend his duties in the Provincial Council. Mr G. F. C. Blown, M.P.C. for War- • tahuna, it is thought, will not be able to i attend to his duties in the Council during | the present Session. We arc informed that the “Salamander’ | Steam Dredge, now lying just below Clyde j has been lot on tribute to a party of woilciugni’iieis. We wish them every success. j According to the Tuapaka Times, up- . wards of ten thousand acres of land have been applied fur during the mouth in the Tuapeka district. It further says, if the whole of Mr. Smith’s run, at Tuapeka West, were thrown open under the Agricultural Lease system, it would not com- ; pr.so one acre more than is necessary for i pr sent re piireuients. Thomas Queleh Honeywell, who, it will ■ he remembered, was sentenced at the hut i sitting of the Criminal Court to six mourns’ | imprisonment for alleged malpractices in a | case of child-birth at the Teviot, has been | discharged, by order of his Excellency the | Governor, Accompanying the petition praying for his discharge were statements | from Urs. Hockeu, Holme, 'and Bakewe’ , ' controverting the evidence given by meat I cal experts at the trial. I The population is to bo increased with j a vengeance according to late telegrams re- [ ceived from the Agent General. In April , no less than 4,31U emigrants left England, 1 and in Jure 0,000 are to bo despatched to these shores. We can only look upon 1 his j as over-doing the thing, more especially, when it is taken into consideration that | the whole of these poor people will arrive I in the middle of winter. Wo p : ty those whoso lot will fall in Otago lu our last week’s issue, in the notice of the cricket match between the boys of the Alexandra and Clyde Schools, we omitted to mention that the Clyde boys wore conveyed to Alexandra by Cobh and Co.’s coach, which was kindly placed at the’’- disposal (free) by the proprietor. We regret the omission, and hope the firm w' I accept of this explanrtion. We desire to give credit where it is due, and we thhik Messrs Chap’.hi and Co. deserve every C.Vif to* their lihcra’ -y. In the Provincial Council, Mr Fish tabled a motion which Mr Eeid looked upon as tantamount to a Vote of Want of Confidence: “That a Select Couinrtlee he appointed to inquire info the present financial condition of the Province and all matters connected with the Tie. smy department, with power to call for persons and papers, and report. Committee to consist of the Speaker (with his consent), the Hon Mr Menzics, Messrs DoLatour, Oliver, and the mover.” At the last sitting of the Waste Lands Board, the business of local interest transacted was as follows:—Plans for pre-emp-tive right of Mr Henry Campbell, Section 3, Block HI, Lower Wanaka was approved. —The Superintendent referred to the Board the letter of Messrs Thomson and Irving, relative to the sale of the lease of section 117, Block 11, Leanirg Bock, a coal mining lease, which they had applied for. The Board resolved to adhere to its former resolution.—The Provincial Solicitor forwarded his opinion -on the application of Mr William Fraser for a pre-emp-tivn right of 80 acres under the IS.'B Hei galaiions on run .TJoli, The opinion | showed that applicant had no right to j what he asked, and that the Board had no power to li it.

In reply-, to Mr.de. Latour’a question ; “ Whether tho attention of the Government had been draw a to cei tain action at law having been taken to interfere with the pursuance of the orderly working, under the Gold-fields Act of 13CC and Hegulatious framed thereunder, of certain gold mines above the Maerewhonua Iliver; and whether the Government intends to take any steps to defend the miners in the enjoyment of lights maintained according to the provisions of tho above Act and .Regulations, by license fees duly paid to the Provincial revenue for such undisturbed enjoyment?” the Provincial Secretary said that the Government were endeavoring to bring about a satisfactory and expressive settlement of the question.. They were anxious to get both parties to agree that a case should be stated, to be drawn up and approved by tho solicitors ou both sides, and forwarded for the decision of the Appeal Court, now sitting at Wellington. He was of opinion that tho Government should bear the expense.

The following maybe of interest to many of cur readers:—“ There is considerable misapprehension existing on the goldfields as to the necessity of men working in mining claims having miners’ rights. It is'widely supposed that if the employer be in the possession of a right, the workman in an ordinary claim, or in a mining leasehold, need not have a miner s right. In a case tried at the last sitting of the Wavden's Court at Ar.mra, a man s ed the owner of a share in a leasehold for wages. whPe working in the mine; but when the appeared, it was found that ho did not hold a miner's right, and the Court ruled that he had uo locus standi, and moreover that tho p' am tiff and defendant had rendered themselves liable to a-pouaPy, for if the hired man had no right, it was the duty o' the employer to see that he was provided with one. His Worship related a curious case he had to deal with at Cobdnn some time before, where a man sued for 90f. for wages, but he was non-suited through not having a minor's right, although it was shown that ho had actually given his employer 1 1, to take out a i ight for him, bin the employer had neglected to do so. Lessees of mining leaseholds need u t p- ssc -s miners' rights, hui their representatives must, for no one can mine on land under the jurisdiction of tho Gold-fields A.ct without being the legal possessor of a ininer’t right. It was incidentally mentioned that the holding of a share in a mining leasehold does not entitle a person to vote at elections, although a person can claim to placed on the electoral roll through being a leaseholder.”

Mr. Turnbull, Provincial Treasurer, speaking to tiie'iVaot of (Jonli Icnce motion, said t.l at lie Mas not willing to bo dtatge.l into tins <.li.sous.sion, and li.nl it not 1 fo bis late colleague, Man Friday Mr Pish, and others, he would not have spoken. Alusiou bad been mule to the manner in which his late co league, Mr Bastings, had left the Executive, and it had been in: sin iatedth.it he had been treated bad) . 't he honorable nieu.ber then read a doeu went explaining the matter of the land at T.vpaaui. and said that hj • w.as not so much 10 blame in the matter as had been stated, lie demurred to the extent his late e<- - league wmt to in over-riding the votes of the Council. Be would allude to one—the transferring, of the vote of I.tJOO/. for the roa.l to Teviot to the road from Tuipoka to Lawrence, lie opposed them at the time, and the Superintendent stated that he had withheld his consent for some time, ami until he found that the money hail actually been pa d. He threatened to re. ho, b.t afterwards did not In the statement to be height down, it would be seen that there was an additional liability of 3,500/. on this road, and that IO.OOOL hail be- n spout w .ere only 5,000/. had been voted. He hail frequently sent vouchers to see by whom this expenditure had been authorised, and ho sometimes found that it was authorised by the Secretary of Works, with utt oven having conic before the Executive. Then there was the question of the illegal making of appointments, and and ho decided to retire from the Government. It had been said that lie was the real former of the p.esent Government, but this was not true. The Superintendent first consulted Hr. Webster, who then scut for the member for the Taieri.

In the Provincial Council, Mr. Reeves, member for. Dunedin, moved: “That, in the opinion of this Council, it is desirable that the services of an experienced Min'ng Engineer or Inspector bo secured for the Province.” Mr. M'Kellar, in supporting the motion, said lie could corroborate the statements made by the honorable menibe" (Mr Hooves) as to the loss sustained in working mines in this country. For every one thousand ounces of gold obtained in tills Colony ho was confident two thousand were lost. He might mention many instances to prove this statement. Out of the best known companies in the Province was the Cromwell Company. The stone from that claim yielded six ounces to the ton, bat he was sure that if the tailings from that Company’s battery were treated by delicate tests they would yield at the rate of twelve ounces to the ton. Mr Reid was surprised to hear that the gold-fields residents, who were represented as being of such superior intellect, should have for years allowed two-thirds of their gold to be wasted, simply for tbc purpose of saving tbe little extra expense that would bo incurred in obtaining the services of a mining engineer.—We are equally surprised a? Mr Peid at the statement made by the member for Cromwell, and without impugning Mr Keilar’s word, we think that were the tailinis to very rich Messrs Logan, Gcodger, Baird, on I Company would long ere tins I have had s one exlra delicate machinery wherewith to extract the precious me -d. Twelve ounces to the ton would pay for I very expensive machinery, we are inclencd jto th : nk, v 'thoui the as_ij-iuer of a min--1 ing en- ’■ cor.

The ball at Tinker's Gully on Wedntaday night last in aid of the funds of the Dry bread School wo are informed was an unqualified success in every ijoiut. We have not heard the amount netted, but wo hoax' on that head it was more than satisfactoiy, being beyond all expcctationsThe large room of Messrs J. and G. Mellor, was elaborately decorated, and when the ball opened, the Clyde Brass Baud occupying a prominent position, the sight was imposing, ecUpqing anything before seen in the locality. Messrs. Oobb ami Go's coach which took the band over, returned on Thursday morning about eleven o’clock. The Pne. : Diedgo. the property of the Otago Preumatic Gold Mining Com pany (Eogistered), we are sorry to say, after the no inconsiderable sum that Las been spent on her in. making h.r (so to speak) seaworthy, has had to be abandoned Tor a bad job, the current wheels with which she is fitted not being powerful enough to work the air pump with sufficient speed to charge the pneumatic cylinder with air. This is to be regretted, as the river is showing evidences of falling to a very low level this winter, and bringthe bed within easy reach. Mr Coventry, under whose superintendence the current wheels and the other improvements were made, and under whose management the dredge was, has laid her up in ordinary, and proceeded to Dunedin to consult the shareholders, with a view of obtaining a steam-engine as an auxilary power to the wheels. We are informed that whin the hedge was in mid current the wheels had power and to spare, as was proved by test; but tli o xvantof power is experienced when Die vessel is in shore, and where the current as a rule is sluggish. In several places "ho cylinders were lowered and gold obtained, an>l had the power been sufficient to get into shallower ground there it scarcely a doubt but that sufficient of the precious mstal would have beau secured to make her a success. We Lope to hear of .dr. Coventry's mission being successful, A contempnr. ry says:— •’ Wo have been favored with a copy of a Bruce Herald ■‘.xtra, which for sensational effect surpasses anything of the sort within the circumscribed sphere of our knowledge. Tin extra runneth thus:—‘The Peal Maekay 1’ ‘ 'oal Quarry!’, ‘No monopoly!’ ‘Attempted Tyianny !’ ‘Coals Deduced !’ &c.’ This extraordinary document is signed 1 Joseph Maekay,’ and purports to have been issued on Tuesday morning—very early, we should suppose. Evidently Mi Joseph Maekay is suffering from coals on the brain. His Honor the Supcrintendei t one time since recommended that a Lunatie Asylum should lie establish (1 at Mibon. <Vu could not understand it at the time. Wo no now. His Honor knew Mr Joseph Maekay. We did not, [Since writing tlu above we have learned that the Superb - tendont has sent down a sp- cial me-sage to the Council, su-oiigly urging the necessity of providing for a Lunatic Asylum at Mil t n. It is pleasing to see that hit Honor is equal to the emergency.]” In reply to this piece of pleasantry, the Bruce Herald devotes a leading article, which close* with the following bit of advice to the Guardian: ■‘Lot decent people alone when liny do make mistakes ; for if it conn-sto a question of ignorance or journalistic honesty, you can be shown up as perb ot professors of the >-tic and as quite ignorant of the OliiCi'.'