Lyell Times. SATURDAY, MAY 1, 1886.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume VI, Issue 271, 1 May 1886, Page 2

Lyell Times. SATURDAY, MAY 1, 1886.

During Mr O'Conor's visit to Lyell this week \vp were informed that the Buller River P»ridgp plans are exacted in Wellington from Grevmouth in i few days for approval, and that no time would he lost in dealing with them when they arrive. The telegram containing this information wan dated Wellington. April '22 nd, and signed Edward Richardson. There is every probability that tender will short! vhe railed for this work. M» O'Conor also nr'e't the matter of subsidy to the Manuka Flat Company, and rereived a favourable reply. At the half-yearly meeting of the shareholders in the United Aloine Co'np»nv. held vesterdav. Messrs Sixton. Fodd'-r----sen. Fennell, Butler, and Graham won re-eleeted directors, and Messrs Camnbell and MToy appointed auditors for tho ensuing six months. The directors will hold their regular monthly meeting to-dav, when tenders for the l-twcv portion of water-nce, clearing tailing site. and supply of mining timber for two years wdl be dealt with. No. ft level has n<»w been extended 180 feet for north block, leaving ten feet yet to he driven to complete the distance to the snrvev point where the ldock is supposed to be found. The usual amount of work has been done in the mine and battery. Tho cleaning-tip at the battery will take place on Wednesday. On Tuesday evening last information reached Lvell that the men working in the Tyr Connell struck two feet of stone in the spur, the manager bavins decided since last report to carry the drive on, and made tl e discover}' in one Ret of six feet. The stone prospects equal to anything yet discovered in the mine, and the indications at present tend to prove that the stone will make as it poes down, and it is highly probable that it will yet form into a well-defined reef. At the halfyearly meeting held on Thursday, Messrs Fennell, Smith. Yonng, Edge, and Carroll were re-elected directors and Mr John Camptall appointed auditor for the entrain# six months. The Rev. Mr Innes-.fones will conduct services to-morrow morning and evening, at St. Matthew's Church. The evening service will be held at 7 o'clock instead of 7.80 as heretofore.

A meeting of the subscribers to the Lyell Hospital fnnd was held in Mr Fennell's Hail, on Satin day evening lust, fot the purpose ot taking into consideration the best means of using the money now in hand, viz.: £l4O. Mr John Feonell was voted to the chair, and after giving a long and exhaustive account of the negotiations entered into up to the present time, called upon the secretary, Mr James Peck, who also fully entered into the matter. The secretary read all the correspondence between the Committee and the Government and the Westport District Board, all of which pointed to the opposition existing to the establishment of an Hospital at Lyell, and concluded by moving 11 That the money now in hand be devoted to the purchase of the Alhambra Hotel for Hospital purposes;" seconded by Mr Atkin. Mr P. Byrnes moved an amendment u That the money subscribed be returned." The amendment was carried by a mnjority of thirteen. Mr Inglis moved a further amendment " That the consideration of disposal of funds remain in abeyance; until after the next meeting of the District Hospital Board," and pointed out the manner in which the last meeting ol that body was conducted, and gave it as his opinion that at the next meeting a fuller attendance of members would be secured, and the subject would, in all probability, receive more favourable consideration. This amendment wa< seconded by Mr Ullmer, and carried. It was clearly shown to subscribers that, should these final no gotiations fail, the money subscribed would be returned, or otherwise dealt with as a future meeting would decide. A vote of thanks to the chair terminated the business.

The Lyell reservoir is now approaching completion, and is expected to be out of hand in about a week. Mr Thompson, County Overseer, inspected the work on Wednesday, and expresses himself generally satisfied with the munner in which it has been carried out.

Mr Thompson, Buller County Ovorscer, during his visit to Lyell this week, informed us that a number of local works

will shortly be put in hand, the advertisements calling tenders lor which will appear next Saturday. One of the principal works will be the extension of the Eight-mile road two miles in two sections of one mile each. This exten-

tion will bring the road close to Mount Lvell, one of the grandest and most picturesque spots on the West Coast, commanding a view of the country for miles in every direction. Tenders for repairs and maintenance of the Nelson main roal to eight-mile creek, will also be called, and for all other roads and tracks in the Lyell Riding. We are requested by the secretary of the local Hospital Committee to acknowledge the sum of 10/- subscribed by Mr Alfred Meager, Alpine Hill. This amount was omitted from Mr Jobn llitchie's list.

Sittings of the Resident Magistrate's ind Warden's Court.-- will be held at Lyell, >n Wednesday, the 12th of May.

We learn from the Motucka Herald that the {government have decided to end an engineer|'o report -on the Tadnore Valley route for the West Coast Hailwa',\

The half-yearly meeting of shareholders in the United Italy, was held on Thursday, when Messrs Smith, Hopkins, Mangos, Lowick and Edge wore re-elected directors and Mr John Campbell was appointed auditor.

Mails f»r the United Kingdom and Continent of Europe, per dinct mail service, wdl close at the Post Office Lyell, to-day (May Ist) at 1 o'clock p.m. Correspondence mii-t l»e specially addressed 44 per Direct Mail Service."

During the earlv part of the week newsreached Lyell that the Larnach had found a reef. Up to the present time there has been nothing found to snbstaniate that report. The operations now •arried on are undoubtedly in likolv •ountry, and the driving being soft greater oro rress can be made. During the Saturday shift a narao'v layer of non gold-boar-ng wh'te stone was met, which gave rise f o tlie supposition that a reef was found. The meeting with this, and other indicjij ions, tend strongly to prove that they are : n the vicinity of a block of stone. At a meeting of householders, held at Fern Flat, last Tuesday, the following jentleinen were elected to form the school •ommittee for the ensuing year:—Messrs Villiam Hunter. Thomas Kerr, Alfred John lleid. John Russell, George Whale. George Epps. At the meeting held subsequently, Mr William Hunter was elected chairman and treasurer.

Splendid reports continue to come in from the Nile claim, Mokihinui. Some stone, brought from the main an«l other leaders in the claim this week, were crashed yesterday, and give extraordinary results. One piece, weighing five ounces and a-qimrter, yielded six grains of gold ; and anwther, of throe and a-linlf ounces, gave a return of five grain*. We are assured that the atone treated was not picked, hut taken casually from the heap stacked. The amount of stone now to grass is between 30 and 40 tons. The road is now within 3 miles of the claim, and when completed tho Company will put machinery on the ground, which, at the present time, is a matter of irapossibility. The following business concerning this district was transacted at the last meeting of the Inangahua County Council: — Cr. Lynch referred to the matter of the Murchison road. Letter from C. Downie, claiming payment of travelling expenses for attending Licencing meeting, Hampden ; the matter had been referred to the County Selicitor fur his opinion as to whether the Council could legally pay the amount claimed by Downie for travelling expenses. The Chairman read the County Solicitor's opinion on the point which was that •* travelling expenses" meant simply the amount actually expended on ft journey in such as cab or coach fares, or horse-hire, the exact expenditn e upon each to be set out in the voucher, the fsw allowing no charge to be made by the in- - dividual for his own time or loss of tuna.' The Chairman said that in the face of such an opinion the claim could not Ik) recoguised. Cr. Lynch referred to the approaches to the Matakituka bridge, and asked when the work was likely to be undertaken ; the Chairman said the Minister of Public works had written saying that instructions had been given to have the survey commenced ; Cr. Lynch moved that the Minister be again written to on the subject, as the winter was coming on and the bridge was required. Cr. Lynch said that the hauling line of the chain over the Mangles river was broken and a new one required. He J. Cullen's claim for planking, liesolved after discussion that Cr. Lynch go over the bridges with the Engineer to examine the planking and report. The Chairman moved that the resolution granting a subsidy of i-20, to Mr Rowe be rescinded. Seconded by Cr. Craig and carried. From W. Hannah, complaining of the state of the Buller road round the white cliffs and near the Junction bridge.; the Engineer reported that he had given the necessary instructions to the contractor.

The Inangahua Times of April 28th, says :—The dividends declared during the current month run already into very rcspectacle figures, as the following particulars will show:

United Alpine, 1/-, 82.000 shares £I,OOO Welcome, 2/-, 15,000 " £*1.500 Keep-it-Dark, 1/-, 20.000 " ill ,030 Venus, fid, 24.000 " £'(XX) Inglewood Bd, 24,0J0 " £'3oo

Total £SOOO This is irrespective of the dividends declared by the Hopeful and Jnst-in-Time tributors, which together amount to a considerable sum. The Fiery Cross Company is now crushing, and the Just-in-Time and Reform will follow suit in the course of a little time, so that we may expect that the figures for May wdl show a still further increase in the profit being obtained from our mining undertakings. The Great Republic Company cleaned op on Friday, 23rd ult., and the cake of gold was brought to town on Saturday. Its weight is 2340zs lOdwts. The exact quantity of stone reduced has not yet been communicated to the directors. The return, however, is a payable one. The half-yearly meeting of this Company takes place on the 12th proximo, and it is expected that the meeting will not at least be apathetic. Holders of Republic scrip are disinclined to sell at prices offering. The Westport Times says :—Reefing men are talking of a low level prospecting tunnel at Mokihinui, and a practical proposal in that direction is likely to be made. We would suggest that the chances of obtaining a Government subsidy for an important work of this character is a fitting subject to discuss with the Hon Mr Larnach during his present visit.

The following is the quantity and value of gold entered for export from the Colony for the quarter ended March 81: O'/s. Value. Auckland 9,834 39,040 Marlborough ... 2 8 Nelson 952 3 804 West Coast 20.021 104 085 Otago 22,755 91.291 Totals 59.014 238.228 Corresponding quarter, 1885, 03,9170z5; value, .£'255,215. The New Zealand Times says that it Mr W. L. Kens can induce 15.000 people owning jointly a million sterling, to come out to New Zetland and settle permanently on the land, he will undoubtedly be a public benefactor, lie aims at effecting this for one district alone, and as merely a part o his main enterprise. It is said at Wellington that several shi.tings and changes of Resident Magistrates and Goldfiekls Wardens are at hand.— Thames Star.

The New Nealand horse, Nelson, having recently swept the turf of tin* Colony, bids well to continue hi* triumphs on the turf of Australia, having run away with one of the swell event* of the Australian Jockey Club's meeting at Sydney, yesterday, beating Mulua, Tempo, Sheet Anchor, and three others of the pink of the racing stud of the sister colonies. We extract the following from the Nelson Colonist, of April 27th :—The good news respecting the Chatnpion Copper Company, which we published yesterday, is, we are glad to say, fully confirmed, the smelter now being in full operation. One visitor to the mine informs us that up to yesterday several tons of copper had run freely. The scene on the spot is a very lively one, aud at niglitime the reflection from the molten metal lights up the surrounding district, and, if seen from a distance, has the appearauce of a large lire. In twenty-four hours thirty-five tons of ore was passed through the smelter, so that it will, doubtless, be possible to smelt about 260 tons a-week, and, consequently, with only moderately rich ore a considerable quantity of copper may be shipped. Before the smelting can be carried on continuously, however, more roasting stalls will have to be erected, for it is found that the ore requires a good deal of roasting before it is fit to go into the smelter, anil this process takes time. By the erection of more stalls the supply can be kept up, and, doubtless, the necessary work will be at once authorised. The permanent establishment of the copper mining industry in the district is of such great importance to the place that we can only hope that operations will continue to proceed as swimmingly as they are going on at present. A strikiug instance of the depreciation in the value of laud in England is afforded by the salt: of the Minting Park estate, Lincolnshire, which comprises 640 acres, and which had a mortgage upon it of £15,000. The mortgagees worked it at a heavy loss for some time, and have finally sold the estate for £3OOO.