LAKE COUNTY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 978, 14 January 1881, Page 2

LAKE COUNTY.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) The holidays have been and gone, afrd, for the most part, the peoplo have settled down to their ordinary occupations again. Tho races at Frankton, which take place on the 6th ami 7th inst., will doubtless attract a considerable number. After them, no more holidays, hut a return to the steady business sad pursuits of every day life again. Upon the whole wo have hud a pretty merry time of it this Christmas and New Year. There have been no violent excitements, but one agreeable round of pleasurable enjoymentand I do Unt know of any case where people have inisbecavod themselves, not ever so much ns one drunk and disorderly has been run in by the properly constituted guardians of the peace The most notieahle event since ray lad has been tho opening of tho new suspension bridge, across the Kawarau River at the Arrow Bluffs. The bridge is a really handsome structure, and even if it is tho bfd ( rent work undertaken by onr County Council, it'does them infinite credit. The days of punts are now Lanpily at an end, so far as the main lines of road are con- ■ corned. Still, for this we are mostly indebted to the worthy member for Dunstau District and likewise your County (’hairman in the person of Mr Vincent Pyke. for undoubtedly had it not been for bis exertions and the examples set by him in the meritorious work of making the punts at the various river crossings free in your county unril bridges could be cubstiluled, Lake County would have still been in the mire. Such a hold undertaking wou d nex«r have entered the heads of any of onr county members. We have succeeded in areltmat zmg the Trout and Perch in the Wakari" District, and if we could only add the Pike we should be almost peifeet in onr piscatorial achievements ; and if all onr fish could only swim together, Lake and Vincent Connrieu would be made happy. It is the opinion of a large section of the community that an amalgamation of Lake and Vincent Counties would prove a verv great public advantage. The opening of the bridge for traffic was made the occasion of a public demonstration, ths County Council having produced a "rand spread and invited a'l coiners, even from the highways and byewaya to come and partake of their hospitality. Somo few found fault, as a matter of course, but it is hard to sav whether it was an offVnee of commissi m or omission. It appeals that the Council, desirious of inviting persons from a distance, as well as for the Purpose of gathering together such as they' knew would assist at the opening by taking a part in the proceedin.s, issued some 50 invitation tickets As i In-re are more than 60 people in the county, of course everybody did not get one, consequently soni“ set no their banks because lick ts were issued, wbi'e otben did exactly the same lecnse they did not obtain one. However, it matters nothing, as upon the eventful day everyone was welcome, amt out of the ■D'C present quite one-half of them found places at the table, while the others found nlentv to eat ami drink at a specially nrovided stall outside the booth. The disaffected in the end did not amount to more than a dozen, and the fact of their eating th"ir own fowls and drinking their own champagne qnDtly by themselves did not in the least disturb the harmony of the p-nceerlings. It appears that a newfan- Dd aristocracy has lately been instituted at the A*row, a’-d that, a sea cii has been ordered at the Heralds College in London, for a suitable coat of arms, a d as soon as the design arrives I shall be moat hanpy to send you a copy. Mrs T', IT. Daniel, the wife of tbeC mnty Chairman, performed the baptismal rite, 1 and named the wood and iro-i infant the j “Kawarau Bridge,” and declare I it open ! for traffice, when Mr J. Jopp’s heavi’y j laden six-horse waggon passed over. The I Oueenstown Band played some lively and I appropriate airs to a oeneral march over, when th" crowd of sight seers returned to the refreshment booth on the south bank of the river, and both the hungry and the thirsty • il ample justice to the many mod things so liberally provieed. . Mr A. ■ Kichardt, of Queenstown was the pn.vi- | dnre. and did the thing, in his usual stylo of doing things, well The cost of Mr M'Cormack’s contract, with extras, is £17.8<10 ; Messrs M ‘Kenzie’s. £1632, the Government giving a special Brant of £lO 000, the balance being made up by’he county. The c -mmiiuica tion between Queenstown, Cromwell, and Cyde is now unintenipted, and it is to be hoped will long remain so. Of Mr M'Corraack’s ex.r ions in bridge building too much canm-t be said, ami the momim“nts to bis skil 1 ami enterprise on the Kawarau "River, it is to hoped, will continue over very many years to come to be eg useful to (he public as tiny will bear him in remembrance. Mr M’Cormack was one of Ihree who built the I a n-ehburn Bridge as a private, speculation ; next he built the Victoria Bridge on his own account, mid remaino I sole owner until it was bought by tho Government ; and thirdly he has constructed the Kawarau Bridge for Lake County, and had it not been for his exertions, both by agitation and offers to co"Btruct it upon very favor ab’e con-Mtions, it is very questionable that we should have got beyon 1 the old punt system for very mry years to come. The bazaar and hall at Anowrnwn in aid of the local Hospital funds passed off very successfully, ami realiz-d about LISO. The bazirr was continued over three days, but as there was no other eXoCement on save that provided at the various whiskev mills, there was nothing left—for the hachcdors especially—but to submit to be huffed up by the fascinating feminine Kelly gang, which demanded your cash or your life in the event of refusals, for they had determined upon killing you by worrying to death. The County Council met. at Queenstown on Monday last. The old question of payment of members was brought up again and was duly carried. So once more many members will be drawing pay for what they do not earn, ns well as being remunerated for holding positions which they would gladly pay to bold, instead of being paid for so doing. It is a fine bole and corner society, the Lake County Council. I thi-k that instead of the County paying raembeis travelling expenses at the rate of two shillings per mile ;■ for the most part, their scats at the Board should he a means of revenue. I fully he’ieve that wire the scats put up to auction- they would fetch long prices—Just fancy a representative supplying all the stores and material used by the County workmen in bis particular riding as well as possessing the proscrip five ri ,ht to dictate as to what particular wo.kmen shall find employment. The high road'to a job on the County Works is to owe a storekeeper member a good long bill, and 1 employment is sure until it is squared. I do not know whether such a rotten state of affairs prevails in Vincent County, but such is tbo condition of things hero. j . In mining matters there has not Iveen any 'movement since my last, excepting the movement of tbo cakes of gold from the Homeward Bound and Gladstone mines to tie Bank at Arrowtov n. The coke from

tho Homeward Bound was 2870zs 9,1 wt* the result of eight weeks crushing with ten heads, but there has boon a deal of lost tun" through breakages of tho water-race occasioned by tire severe flooods Tha Gladstone cake was 3130z from live weeks and five days’ crushing at seven days to the week, but only with a five head battefy. Phi's return is’ voVy satisfactory giving a result of over one ounce' to tlio ton and is the second cake this season. A number of directors and shareholders in tho vanons mines have visited Mao'otown this Unstmas Mondays. As a rule they all appear to be very well satisfied at their prospects. Some, of course, expect much larger returns, and blame the managers, but I think myself all has been done that cou d be done, and the only managers that could make things every way satisfactory would be those who could put gold into the quartz. Such managers would doubtless receive high salaries, and without any grumbling. r