DUNSTAN.

Evening Star, Issue 3493, 4 May 1874, Page 2

DUNSTAN.

.The following is Mr Warden. Simpson’s •yearly report ,c ' ! m. i ' ’ '. QUARTZ .BEEFS. ' . ..j' ' are five quartz reefs; m : the. Bendigo district, where the operations are of the usual nature in such workings—sinking and driving at depths varying from 50' to 250 feet.' , Fortunately none of the ground requiriss inabhinery to overcome the water, and very few props are used, perhaps too few, as may be found when more quartz is taken out at the deep 'levels. Too much care cannot be taken to support ground by'flllingup, and the use of props and caps. Miners often get too'foolhardy in their confidence of the firmness 1 of the ground, particularly in places like the Garrick and Bendigo, where timber becomes‘a-large item in the expense, and dispense with support, endangering their own lives and the lives of the workmen. Often the danger is seen’by the workmen, but, fearful of their services being dispensed with if they make any remark,, 'they remain< silent. 1 uis is a matter that requires regulating by some sort of official inspection. During the month .of March there have been three applications for .gold-mining leasesfor gr und 6n the Cromwell reef, Bendigo, adjoining the Reliance Company’s, taken up by the wages men that wqrked in the' Behanpe—a tangible proof of'their belief in the’ probable . xjontinuthe lode.' The second, for ground on the Upper Nevis, where some of the claims have be.n yielding large returns this summer, but only after' considerable capital bad been spent in developing. # GENERAL REMARKS. During the year the population in the Dun'Bdistrict has considerably diminished, owing chiefly to the great demand for labor in the coastal towns and more settled neighborhoods, caused, I presume, by the public and other works carried gn at present. This diminution in population ha? caused a corresponding dulness ; in mines. If is to{ be hoped that the flood of labor that is being brought to this country may b? set in ip part ~ to fie up-, country districts, Otherwise a-U further development oF the mines mpst be and even the existing works be curtailed. The return of gold cannot be i said to have diminished in proportion to the population, and that nap. be accounted for by the fact that the payable mines pre gradually , falling into the hands of companies, who diminish the labor as much as possible, the shareholders pocketing the surplus , so caused. I he individual miner is becoming a mere wages man. During the year, two attempts were made to show proprietors that they were dependent solely on the wages men in the locality by strjking work. The companies stopped work, an d ,thp men, thinking they could force them to go on or give up the ground to them, opposed an application to jtfie Warden for protection, ! but time was given to asgertain the real state of the labor market, and in tne ipeaptiirie matters were .adjusted. These attempts, which were the ; first I ever experienced on the mities, showed ■ to my mind how dictatorial either’party '(whether capital pr, Jphorj if jn tfie ascendant would be, and forced me the conclusion that : the vexed question of remunerating" labor must ■' be more directly dependent on the immediate results caused by that labor. THE REEFS. 1 ’ ' : - There have not been any fresh discoveries, but some of the old .ones have been largely developed during the.year, and in several instances with wonderful .results,, as instance the Cromwell Corppapy, the yields from which might have beep set dpyp this time last year as nil, is now giyipg eigpt ounces-to the ton, and has the positive’ existence m the mine of stone, independent of what may be befow, of a value of from 1/20,050 to L 30,00(). 'The'profits divided by the company for the last ten months may be set down at from ,88.000 to LIO.OOO] This company is inthehande of three individuals. The Elizabeth Company’s reef, op the Garrick range, may be put down as one that has beep successfully developed during the year. Ims company, after a long period spent in prospecting, iiavg, within the last few months, come on very good stone, which, from all appearances, is likely to bold out. This stone is running in quite the opposite direction from what was expected. The Caledonia# reef may also be placed among the successful dining the year. The above cases have given an impetus to the other reefs, which, let us hope, wul pro.ye ,equally successful. .The only new reefing companies started' during 'the year are the Reliance and Energetic, botn on the Crom , well reef. The former has found the reef at aii depth of 120 ft, certainly thin, but the proprie- r tors are encouraged by the close resemblance it; ; bears to the Cromwell Company’s at a similar I depth. ALLUVIAL WORKINGS. No new discoveries can be said to have been made during JJie year. As a rule the alluvial workings continue to yield a good steady wage, put m the Me vis and VVgkaia some claims have increased their yield from D 5 a week to L3O, L4O, #nd LSO a-week, and sometimes more. In the courijo of another twelve months X look to a considerable s(Jyance in this branch of mining, j particularly in the Bannockburn and Waikiri-' am districts, as iu that fame the Carrick and . Bannockburn Water-race Companies will have thf-ip in, as also will tlastie, and Co, The Waikiri-kiri ground has now been proved very payably auriferous Lindsay and Co. having at J last completed their races. The races com-1 mandipg this ground will have a double advau-' tage, for after the water is qsecl on the terraces [

it wil! be available for the hanks of the river Molyneux, Dunstan Flat, which banks, if worked after the systematic manner of those on the 1 evict Flats,iWiUnrove equally remunerative. , i ■■■ ■,'., RIVER DREDGING. ; ; ' With the exception of one or two on the Teviot district, none of. the dredges are at work present, or have been.for some months, and only really successful one is a paddle one at Miller s Flat, worked by the owners. The Pneumitic Company, which has recently been refloated as a public company, intend resuming work at once. The Alexandra Steam Dredge company are apparently at a standstill. I hear that a large company is about to be started at the Teviot to dredge by steam-power. , SETTLEMENT. This district, the greater portion of which is unfit for agriculture, can never make any great strides in that direction. Teviot and Blacks are the only places where any large area of ground fit for cultivation exists, and certainly m the former settlement must be said to have advanced considerably within the last twelve months. Every section fit for cultivation available has been eagerly pounced on. At Blacks some additional land has been leased this season by chiefly old settlers. In this district four deferred payment blocks, under the Wa*te Land Act, have bean thrown open during the year, viz., Teviot, blocks 3 and 5; Blacks, Tiger Hill, block 5; Hawea, block 2. Block 3, Teviot, contains about 1,400 acres, of which about 850 have been taken up, the balance being rather indifferent land. Block 4, Teviot: no land has been taken up in this block. I presume the reason to be that it is rather hilly and broken, with,a good many rooks distributed through it, making cultivation very difficult,- even if 'the .soil be good,- and that is only medium. Block 5) Tiger Hill, contains 2,500 acres; of this about 400 acres have been actually taken, .up, and 600 acres more under applications not yet dealt with. Block 2, Hawea : no land has been applied for m this block, which is good land, but a little short of water. The only reason I can give for its not being applied, for is, its great distance from any market. That the deft rred payments system is . in-favor with the Ble is evidenced’ by the, fact that all. the ers of agricultural leases under the Goldfields Act who could do so .have applied to have *h eJr leases exchanged, for leases under the Otago Waste Lands Act, whereby they get the advantage of the deferred payment. Indepeudent of the settlement on the blocks since the new Waste Lands Act came into force, there has bpen a good deal of settlement in a scattered way throughout the district by miners and with the consent of the runholders, squatted and cultivated small patches when convenient to their works or for other reasons. In some cases these persons have paid as high, as L 3 an acre to acquire the freehold, iiic runholder s consent was required by the Board in all these cases, and as.a rule it has invariably been given. Some 200 acres have been taken up ip this way.