Gold field Intelligence.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 59, 17 February 1868, Page 44

Gold field Intelligence.

-THE, THAMES 'GOLD-FIELDS,

(From the special- correspondent of the Evening f ‘ v . •- News.) - - :

Shortland, February 10. On Saturday last - the adjourned meeting of the committee appointed to draw up a code of mining rules and regulations was held in front of the. Court-house, Mr Commissioner Mackay in the chair. There was a large number of diggers present, and after a few preliminary observations’had'.been made; the chairman proceeded to read the rules, one hundred and-one 1 in number. The reading occupied some 'considerable time, and was not concluded without considerable interruption and" discussion, on the part of the assembled- miners. It is impossible to give any summary of the rules here, but I may say that, on the whole, they appeared to give considerable satisfaction. After they were read, it was proposed that they should be printed and brought into operation ; but objection was at once made to this, and considerable dis cussion arose, but ultimately Mr Rowe proposed an amendment to the effect that the meeting be. adjourned for a fortnight, and that in the. meantime four or five copies be posted in various 'parts of the township and on the flut9. and “one or two of the.ranges ; also that any of the miners should be at, liberty to make any sugges tions or additions in writing, to be left at Mr Mackay’s house, and brought before the public on the next meeting. The amendment was put and carried with acclamation ; so that the meeting stands adjourned till next Saturday week.'/ A discussion then.took place as to.the formalion of A Mining Board for the Thames district. It was moved and osrried that a committee be formed to draw up a petition to forward to the 1 Superintendent,.for the formation of a Board, and the names of six, gentlemen were proposed,- and’ placed upon the committee. The business of the meeting being so far over, Mr James Boyd, on the part of the miners, asked the Commissioner whether he could give them any information -as to the throwing open of the Upper Thames. Mr'Mackay sVid he should be very happy t 0 give them any information in-his power. He had new’great pleasure in informing them that he had succeeded, after great difficulty, in getting some. 10 or 12 miles of ground thrown open further south. The boundary lines would be cut on Monday, next, after which the miners would be .allowed to go at once with pick and shovel „nd try their luck. (Cheers.) One of the 1 miners'present usked if Ohinimuri would be thrown open, and wished to know how Mr'Mackay was getting on in his 1 endeavours to'throw open .this much-coveted ground. The Commissioner replied that he was Sorry to sav that Te Hira was as fir off opening his land as ever; but it all lay with the miners themselves.. As a general rule,-tlieir conductorl this, goldfield had been most orderly, but there were one or two instances whicu had come under his notice, which had beeu very strongly disapproved of by the natives For instance, the burial ground a< lapu Creek bad been invaded, and fires had. been made over the hones of some two hundred warriors who were calmly sleeping beneath.- • This-kind of ; thing - was notright, and would'do .more to keep'the land closed tip than anything else that he knew of. How. would the miners like to have the graves of their friend# and relations lying in the Auckland-. Cemetery .treated in such a manner? Then 1 , again, instances had coma .before his notice where persons holding minera’ rights Tor this district hid gone on to- -the-land; off other natives who received nothing whatever from the Government, and cut ; : down tim ber r of which they (the natives)-had.ppm plained to him. It was therefore necessary that every miner should ab-tain from this kind of thing; or, they, might depend: upon- it,: they would have considerable difficulty in getting any other land thrown open.

The meeting being- now concluded, three hearty cheers; were given for - Mr Mackay by the miners, who then, dispersed. \

There’were'a 1 great fiumber of people in town on that, day; and the appearance of Pollen-street in the evening was something akin to the people in Qiieeristreet on her palmiest Saturday evenings; Mr Clifford, the old Auckland favorite, made his first appearance at the theatre in the evening, -and was received with thunders of applause:- : There was a >crowded house, as an entirely- new change of performance had-beeq.. promised. *: •I- have, no time here jto .give you a detailed'account of .the .performance, but ;willj simply content myself,with' saying, that it was remarkably good. The characters were 'well sustained, and-th.e.t:ui usic'was-admirable; .-'.The manager of the company deserves the. best thanks of the population here for placing such an entertainment before them. / ' :•

- The All Nations Claim - sent up__2so ounces bit Saturday /from seventeen .tons of'-stono. They, expect to send lipiSOD of goljper ujonth.; They arb> very lucky if they-can bej sure of crushing so much, aiid are. to'be-envied-by other plaim-' holders 'whoTiave plenty of quartz but. no chance ;of getting it crushed for many a’ -long-month to come. -- The best thing many can do, is to follow the exP* J'he Banbury Cross. claimholderß; w^?^- a,re aboUit ta:ppt machine on the „vXeeiij ;auc(,have; already .sent in, an applicqtibn;fqr. a race... £ he niews, continneA enconraging.- .The old claims 'are'-yieldmg'weh; h'hd^|^Q^-v»y f i V a*id , a re,paying• weU—-eighteen: