ABSTRACTS FROM PAPERS LAID BEFORE THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OF 1874

Dunstan Times, Issue 632, 29 May 1874, Page 3

ABSTRACTS FROM PAPERS LAID BEFORE THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OF 1874

The follow ing figures we take from Mr. Warden Simpson's rie;jo'.'t of the Dunstan District fur the year ending' the 31st of March, L‘574: Approximate population, 51,000, of whom there tiro European rdiieis, 1.200 ; Chinese, 500 : amount of gold obtained, 48.273 ounces ; number of quartz re-fs at work. 13 ; value of machinery on same, 10,502/. ; number of gold-mining leases, 12; acreage of same, 113 acres' estimated value of. plant on alluvial mines, 4,000/. ; number of Water-races, 200, with an estimated mileage of GOO miles, and a value of CO,OOO/; estimated number of dams, 4-0 ; estimated value of same, 2,500/.; number of agricultural leases, - 103, with an acreage of 13,502 acres ; revenue from miners’ rights, business licerses, &c., 2,137/. Is. 31. ; fro# gold-mining and ag’.i cultural leases, 1,7*31/. Is In general remarks, Mr. Simpson says : “ The population during the year has considerably dimiui-ho l, mfing, 1 think to the great demand for labor in the coastal towns and 'snore settled neighborhoods, caused. X presume, by the public and other works carrion on at present. The return of gold, however, cannot he said to have diminished in proportion to the population, and that can 1 e account, - d to. by the fact that the i ,:y,ihle mines arc gradually falling into the hands of companies, who diminish the labor as much as possible. . . . As a ride, the alluvial mines continue to yield a good steady wages ; but on the Nevis and Wakaia, some claims have' increased their yield from 01. to 30/., 43/., and 5 01. a week, and sometimes more. In tho course of another twelve months, 1 look to a considers’ io advance in this branch of mining, particularly in tbo Bannockburn and War K n-i Kcri districts, as in that time the Garrick and Bannockburn Water-race Company tv Hi have their water in, as also will ilastis and party. ihe V. jsi Kcri Kori ground has now'been proved very pay ably Auriferous, Lindsay and party having at last complete'! their races. ” Among the blocks, comprising in all an area of 30,009 acres, proposed to be thrown open dining the coming year on the deferred payment system, is one on (ilassf .rd’a run, of 2.53 d acres ; but, 'according to tho report of"Mr M‘Sorrow, the .Chief fh’v'-eyor, the land has not yet been Selected. Jiifc Honor the Superintendent, in a message to the Provincial Council, suhn.utod for consideration the expediency of enabling the Government to proceed with the construction of Cue following light lines of railway, and proposed that appliofion ba wide bo the General Government for authority to raise a loan, not to exceed 500,11;!!)/., for the construction of the same ; and that an aria of acres <,' b'mt lie set aside as special security for repayment - .. t’.dlowiiig the names of the Jims is their length and estimated cost. Line. Miles. Amount’ V.'.-iip-dii to Tapauui ... 15i£32,000 0 0 Mi.iu Trunk in Ka’tau--1 ' at.v and Extension to I Coal i - ’oiat.... ... 1(1 27 750 0 0 Main Line to Outran! ... 4 12,000 0 0 T'ahnorsttme to V/aibemo 10 25,000 0 0 Extension of Orcpuki to IVa:an ... ... 14 . 30,000 0 0 Toliinuairiroll - ani‘h lL.ii c 5 14,000 0 0 Lawrence’to Toviot ... 40 123,000 0 0 Lxlc-n-ioii of Oc.ditau ultlo co tbo Night-cap c’oal-iield ... ~ 15 40,000 0 0 IV mi Main Line through ■•toward Cush ... 10 20,000 0 0 l'hc following Lines are contracted for: Lines. Miles. Amount. Awamoko, North Otago Loan ... ... 21}£23,000 0 0 Green Island... ... 2} 5.800 0 0 I Oropuki 7} 28,327 0 0 Otautan ' ... ... 17} 37,104 0 0 f W..wsreka .. ... 15 45,000 19 0 Oiautau to Makarewa... 13 .32,08;) 1 0 According ?to a return laid on the table of the Provincial Conned, furnished Ini' . id. Pearson, Esq., Commissioner of I Crown Lands, the total amount of revenue received in the Southland Laud Office for the year ending the 31st of March, 1C74, was as follows : Territoiial revenue for F.c district of Southland proper, 110,073/. B's. ; revenue collected in the Invercargill Laud District, 73,452/. 17a. lid. ; amount o’ Clown Grant fees, 471/. 13s. 7d., making a total of 183,01*3'. 10s. 6d. The cost of co.ioc.tmg was 030'., or 1} I. in the pound. 4- -30 acres of laud were granted during the past year under the deferred payment sy.tcm. a nun the report or. the Ro.idsaud Works Department we glean the following par--1 Calais Contracts entered into for the yew ending the 31st of March, 1874 <l-unwell to Clyde. E. M'Nulty, 2001. 145.; L. M ‘Deritt. 434/. 15s. 3d. ; T. f'Tiimrny, 4TI’. 103. ; Barker and Co., 137/. 10s. : making a total of 1.325/. 9s. Cromwell to Queenstown, three contracts, 1,227/. Ids. ; •Moxandra to tho Teviot, four contracts, 1,1 LU ; Tnapeta to Toviot, 1,812/. 3s. 4d. -dr T . Fergus, District P.oad Engineer, in his yearly report, referring to the various ■ roads, says:— Dunstan to Cromwell. -There is still much required, however, to put the road in a passable condition, as, with the exceptina of some small contracts, nothing has hoeu done since its original formation. There are many parts of the road sonarrow that it is ’inpossihle for two conveyances to pass each ' thor; the result of which has been several accidents. There arc also a number of places which will require a coaling of gravel, as in winter they become so cut up as to render the road almost impassable. Cromwell to Queenstown. — lam sorry to inform you that this road is in a .very ''ad state, cspcciaTy that portion between ! Cromwell and Edwards’s Kerry, as, with

' C c'tcep'inu of one contract for gravelling 126 chains bet worm tlie Gentle Annie and Edwixls’*, nothing in the way of improvement 1) is been accomplished, on account of want of funds. Several very extensive sli, shave taken place, two of which Lad the effect of stopping communication between Cromwell and Queenstown for a time, and thcie is still a very bad place between Cromwell and the Hearing Meg, which requires constant attention, as, after any rainfall, it s’ips considerably. The slip extends for a quarter of a mile up the hill, and along the road for a distance of ten chains. One new r bridge has hesu erected over Hayes’ Creek, and the under planking o. tae Gentle Annie Bridge has been renewed. It is highly necessary that the planking of the Roaring Meg Bridge should be "renewed, and that the Gentle Annie Bridge should receive an upper coat of planking.

Teviot to Alexandra.—Duiing the past year a great boon has been conferred on travellers on this road by constructing a new approach to the ferry at Alexandra several contracts are at present in hand for constructing a further portion of two miles and a half in the vicinity of Alexandra, which will not only materially shorten the ’’pad, hut will give much easier gradients. Ihc recent floods have dime much injury in a number of places, which require attention , arid as this is becoming a favorite route for waggoners and travellers to and from Dunedin, it is requisite, in order to keep it passable, that several very bad places should bn pitched and gravelled. O’Brien’s Hill, I’.ittpr’s Gully, and Teviot F.at are places calling for special notice.

Mannherikia River- to Dunstan. A deviation has been made at Tiger-hill of about tony chains, which is the only improvement of any consequence effected during the year. It is highly desirable that about mien; lie of road, near Mr Worth’s place, should be pitched and gravelled, as hj is so bad in winter that waggons are often delayed for days. Two new bridges will be required here —one, a foot-bridge over the Mauuherikia River at Blacks, as, _in the event of ram, the river rises so rapidly that communication is often- suspended ; the other over Clutto Creek, at M ‘Donald’s, as the ford is very had and the bed of the stream is constantly shifting.