HALF-OUNCE

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1968, 26 November 1874, Page 2

HALF-OUNCE

A correspondent, at Half-Ounce, sends the following items of news from these place and the district. I greatly fear my friends at Mabilletown, must have misunderstood the Provincial Secretary, or else that very matter of fact personage must have been chaffing them when they imagined he promised to have twenty thousand pounds worth of road making done in the Grey Valley. If such an expenditure should take place during the life-time of the present generation, we may expect to see white blackbirds. Our co-respondent says : —

The principal event of the past week has been the flying visit of the Provincial Secretary and the G'>M-nelds Secretary to this almost unapproachable region— so far as good tracks to it are concerned. From expressions made use of by Mr O'Conor to some of the inhabitants of Mabille Town, there must indeed be a gnod time coming for the whole of the Grey Valley. He stated that there would shortly be L 20.000 to spend on roads, and that the highways and byeways in the Valley would be made fit to travel on, and that his experience of the roads that had been constructed by the Road Board plainly showed him that something required to be done to them to render them passable. 1 think Mr O'Conor's opinion of the roads made by the Board ought to be taken as a compliment, for it is a perfect wonder how the Board managed to to make roads of any description with the amount of money at their disposal. A good deal of hard cash is required to make roads fit for man and beasts, and especially Provincial magnates, to travel On, so that the Ahaura Road Board deserves credit for having; managed somehow or other to do a little to roads and tracks, with a sum of money next to nothing in amount. It is to be hoped that Mr O'Couor's statement about the L 20,000 is correct, and that he did not conneupto Half-Ounce to air his eloquence and do a little of the soft-soaping; business, an operation at performing which he has few equals and no superiors. But it will not Buit now-a-days, for it is his^h time that some of the revenue collected in the disbtJcc was spent in it. It has long been a failing of the Nelson Government to give fair words instead of money when it was asked for most needful purposes. If the so.called system of retrenchment that the Nelson Government is carrying out does not produce good roads and tracks shortly, the separation question ought to be revived again, to try and effect some change for the better, for it could not be for the worse.

Mr O'Conor's retrenchment policy in regard to the removal of the Warden is commencing to bear fruit already. The Ward en 'o Court, which was to have been held in Granville on th« 23rd had to be postponed, I suppose through the inclemency of the weather, or some other cause which ought to be explained satisfactorily, as it is a great loss of time and money to the miners when they come a distance of several miles to attend a Warden's Court and find the Warden absent. When Mr O'Oonor addressed the electors of Half-Ounce, when he was a candidate

for the Superintendent, lie told them that • he would make the Wardens dance attend- • ance on the miaers, and not have the miners dancingattendanceonthe Wardens. It is beyond the bounds of possibility that a Warden should be ableto attend properly to the numerous duties which he will have to perform in the Grey. Valley and elsewhere, and the miners are commencing to enjoy the blessings and advantages of the new order of things. BRANDY JACK'S CREEK. Mining affairs have somewhat improved — the fine weather being favorable for the advantageous working of the different claims aud leaseholds. The Union Company's leasehold at Brandy Jacks has gave splendid returns lately — LlO a' man per week being not uncommon yield. The company taken up more ground, as they are still tracing the gold down the creek. The washdirt appears to get richer the farther down the lead is followed towards the Totara swamp. hatter's creek, which is the adjoining creek to Brandy Jack's, will shortly get a thorough prospecting, as a party is being made up for that purpose. Hatter's is a' very large creek, with a good supply of water in it for mining purposes. The upper portion of it was worked seven years ago, but it now only supports a solitary hatter, who is ground fluicing. The existence of a run of deep auriferous ground, similar to the Half-Ounce and Brandy Jack leads, has been known to a good few miners in the district, but the inacessible nature of the place and the hardship to be incurred in carrying tucker over the ranges, have prevented Hatter's Creek from being prospected long ago. I almost venture to assert that the present prospecting venture will meet with success, and be the means of opening up a new field for enterprise during the ensuing summer. THE WELSON EXECUTIVE. Messrs O'Conor and Shapter visited No Town, Nelson Creek, and Ahanra, on Thursday and Friday last week, and held meetings or were interviewed at each place. The principal business done at Ahaura had reference to the maintenance of the main road, and the position of the ROAJ? BOARD with respect to that thoroughfare. The arrangement come to is very satisfactory, for it will leave the Board free to perform its proper functions, by relieving our local Executive of the responsibility of providing funds for a purpose altogether foreign to its legitimate duties. It is to be hoped the members of the Board will now devote energetic attention to the numerous local wants requiring a remedy. The Board must recollect that tbe summer is passing away and the time is flying when branch road and track making could be done cheaper and more efficiently than, in the rainy season aud short days. There is no excuse now for not raising money by means of local taxation for strictly local purposes, and no time should be lost in doing so. The Board, at its last meeting, came to the conclusion to make an asessment and strike a rate, but a most extraordinary plan of paying the assessors or valuators is proposed. The" resolution proposing the rate directed that payment of valuators should be made by a percentage on the money collected. This is a most unusual and unbusinesslike suggestion, and would tend to endless confusions, and, also, be the most expensive means of having the work done. In all corporate towns, when the valuator is not paid a fixed salary, his remuneration is regulated by the gross amount of the rates as settled by the Revision or Appeal Court before which disputes, arising from the valuation, are brought. To pay the assessor a percentage on the gross amount of the valuation, made before revision, would be unfair to the ratepayers, and to require the assessor to wait for payment until the rates were collected, would make the assessment a expensive operation for the assessor under such circumstances und cause him to demand a hi^h price for his services. If there be any obstacle in the way of the Board striking a rate this year, more money should be raised, if possible, on the security of - the rate, so that work could go on and not have valuable time wasted. After the business of the Board wa3 concluded, a deputatiou of miners waited on the Gold-fields Secretary, and brought several matters under his uotice; the most important of which was the necessity of convening a

MINIKG CONFERENCE

to revise the Gold-fields Regulations. The necessity of curtailing, or altogether abolishing, the discretionary powers of Wards was forcibly pointed out to Mr Shapter, and it was stated, as an argument against conferring so much authority on any individual, that no higher court possessed so much jurisdiction virtually as the Warden did in his Court. The celebrated clause 8, section 10, of the Regulations about the head of water that must run in creeks, which ordinarily never contain half a sluice-head, was discussed, and the necessity generally of a thorough revision of the Rules was impressed upon the Gold Fields Representative. Mr Shapter seemed to take a liberal and intelligent view of the matters discussed, aud promised to bring the subject of the Conference before the Government at the next Executive meeting, but he would not take the responsibility of saying that the Government would defray the expenses of the delegates from the different mining centres. There is- no doubt some alteration is necessary, more particularly in the directioa of enabling miners to more readily and inexpensively get possession of good-sized blocks of ground, when a guarantee is given that it is intended for beneficial use. The scale of fees and charges is oxorbitant aud oppressive, and altogether the Rules are not suited to the present circumstances of the gold-fields, so that the if the minars deputation will lead to the convening of a conference that will result in a more liberal and suitable set of Regulations being promulgated, it will have done some good. The subject of making a reserve for

COMMONAGE purposes was also mentioned. It was pointed out to Mr O'Conorthat when his predecessor visited Ahaura in March this year, the matter was brought under his notice. Mr Greenfield admitted the necessity of making a provision for free grass while the land A'as to had, and said he would see to it at once. Mr O'Conor said that the matter had never been dealt with at Nelson, notwithstanding the assurance of the late Warden that "it was all right. " The Provincial Seore-

tary promised to lay the subject before th^ Waste Lands Board. In connection with this subject, it may be stated that the extensive

CATTLE SALES

now held so frequently at Ahaura, should indicate the necessity of fostering the interest which will eventually become a most important one. Good commonage accommodation for the resting and recruiting of stock after the toils and dangers of the overland journey will go a Jong way to make the Grey Valley the centre of the cattle trade, and as the land is valueless for any other purpose it should be withdrawn from private selection at once.

• The sales on Monday were largely attended by purchasers. Messrs Girdwood, Lahman, and Co. sold, at the Carlton yards, for Mr W. S. Campbell and other owners, some seventy beasts at an average of about Lll per head, and Mr Reeves quitted a number of cattle and sheep, at the Newmarket yards, for various owners, at prices ranging from 45s to 503 per hundred for beef, stores at from L 4 L 6 ss, and sheep at 15s and to 16a. Both yards were cleared, aiid another hundred head, especially of stores, could have been easily disposed of.