GREY VALLEY GOLD-FIELDS,

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1909, 18 September 1874, Page 2

GREY VALLEY GOLD-FIELDS,

[from our own correspondent.] nelson creek. j Matters up here since my last have not been of an important character, plenty of public meetings certainly ; more of them 1 believe are held here than any other creek in the world. Whether the advent of the [ Hochstetter race contracting party has I caused this Ido not presume to determine, as the meetings are indiscriminate, and called on the slightest provocation, and on every conceivable subject. At one time the miners of Nelson Creek were indifferent and full of carelessness, now they appear to have wakened up with a vengeance ; nothing new starts but a monster public meeting is called by means of the most curious hieroglyphical notices, to discuss its meiits and put it and everything else down, no matter what it is, but the results are generally barren after all tho uproar is over. One of the latest meetings was called for the purpose of forming a Miner's Vigilance Protection, &c, Committee. It seems the miners are, in this particular locality, like unprotected females, and like those of that amiable class of beings they do not seem to make any provision for the payment of their protectors, and as Vigilance Committees can't live on air, the matter will soon collapse. As regards the leasing question, it is still on the brain, and gradually getting up to the boiling pitch. Whether the teapot sucks under the storm, or that the unanimous decision arrived at by the " Vigilants" end in the upsetting of the Nelson Provincial Government or the ! General Government for not acceding to their desultory and ramblingly expressed wishes as moved at their meetings, it is hard to say. Hatter's township is slowly verging to a higher state of self importance, if I may presume for supposing so on its latest additions in the building line.. The newest built hotel seems to be a step in the right direction in this respect. The business community in this interesting township seem to have hit upon rather a novel plan at needless projecting their houses as far as possible into the air — "castles in the air" literally. I cannot see what this may mean, uuless it be to provide a resting place for unruly Celestials as they drop from the gods to the shades below, when exigency may demand their expulsion : these drops are sudden sometimes. As regards* the Lake Hochstetter Waterrace, the cutting seems to be getting along satisfactory since my last visit, the branch raco at Owen's Look-out being all but comdleted, but I was much disappointed m my expecti»ns of seeing some ef the gigantic flaming in progress, but it appears in statu qiio at present, relative, it is said, to some detour that will break the first plan of .operations at Owen's Look-out. " Oue insignificant ravine about three miles from the lake is flumed, and one or two spans at Gorgy Creek is all I

could see as done at the fluming since the.... start. Some of the tunnel contracts are coming to an end, and altogether I should think, connecting the patches, something up to five miles of the race may be cut. There appears to be a scarcity of labor in this locality, a good many clearing pot. for Westport, drawn there, it is said, by the higher rate of wages to be made oh the Government contracts, and also ' by the :, superior advantages of. cheap living and constant work. HALF-OUNCE. A correspondent at Half-ounce sends the following : — Mining affairs in this district are not altogether just so brisk as is usually the case— a good many of the payable claimholders being at present doing a deal of preliminary work, such as putting in new , main tunnels to carry on the working of" their claims to advantage in the future, making new paddocks, &c. : The members of the Eclipse Company-' are pushing the cutting of the main -face ahead, and they will soon be in ground where they expect better returns for their > labor than they have had lately, i ;;.-' ' The Just-in-Time shareholders .are;get-;ri ting on with their main drives and ■ blocking out at the same time; When they "■* are working on the proper run of goldihe returns are very fair, though a.lot of poor ground has to be worked to make certain '„ of taking out the whole of the lead. ' „;,." i In the social and domestic life of Half r ' Ounce there has been some considerable , stir lately. Various causes , are assigned ; , : for it, but the strict enforcement of (i the ■>,- Licensing Ordinance has most to do with the matter. Neither billiards nor cards'; are allowed to be played on Sundaynow in the different;t6wnships on the Creek, and this arbitrary mode of- putting in force the law, causes the Bonifaces to grumble exceedingly, a3 Sunday was the day when:'* i they gathered in the hay and other : ,sppil~: from the visitors from the outlying 1 gwl-ii lies and elsewhere. Like every other~ thing they will get used to it, and stick to the old commandment — "Six days shaltthou labor," &c. • ~ ; ;<^'- The last, though not the least cause of :;J commotion, is the threatened emigration of several of the best-looking of the fair sex from the Upper Township, to fresKT! fields and pastures new. This prospective^ bereavement causes the young sparks and"" the old buffers to put on an extra spurt to fry and prevent such a calamity occurring to themselves and the district, as a reduction of the population in this direction. Tea and dinner parties have, as a consequence, been all the rage, in order to give all an opportunity to plead their cause and effect a capture if they can. '