WARDEN'S REPORT.

Evening Star, Issue 3101, 27 January 1873, Page 2

WARDEN'S REPORT.

Mr Warden Boyton (Levied) reports as follows for the quarter ended December 30 : Mining matters have been very quiet. The long-continued drought has considerably reduced the supply of water in the races, and unless we have an early and abundant fall of rain, mining must shortly be brought almost to a standstill. The harvest prospects are good, considering the season. 1 anticipate an average yield both of oats and wheat throughout the district. Farmers are beginning to complain loudly of the disadvantages under which they labor in having to send their wheat to be ground at Tuapeka, although there is now an ample supply of wheat grown in this district to warrant the erection of a mill. Several persons have been round looking for a favorable site, and i anticipate having the pleasure, ere long, of reporting the erection of this great desideratum,' The coming winter will probably be a very busy ope the Teviot, as most of the olaimholdevs are intending starting to work on the deep ground, and should the river fall to its ordinary level, there will doubtless oe a busy season "on the beaches. The European population is a little on the increase, and the Chinese are congregated thickly on some parts of the Pomahaka, but, as they are simply birds of passage, they cannot be considered as a permanent addition to the population. From the usual statistical tables appended to the report, we learn that the European mining population of the district is composed of 558 Europeans and 221 Chinese, who are possessed of 779 mines. The machinery employed in alluvial mining comprises 85 sluices, 17 hydraulic hoses, 20 pumps, and 1,017 sluice-boxes, of the value of L24,400j besides which there are 21 water-races, valued at LIS,OOO ; 104 tailraces, valued at L 2,915 ; 80 dams, valued at L 3,380; and 8 ground-sluices, valued at L4OO. There are 40 i square miles of ground actually worked up n.