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Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 115, 12 May 1871, Page 4

The Wirden made his usual visit to \raerewlienua on the 2nd inst. There was a very heavy Court, and a large number of people in attendance. The Court gat till nine o'clock in the evening, when it became necessary to adjourn till the following day, when the remainder of the business w.is got through. The machinery at the OtekaiU reef, M>»erewhenua, is now fairly at work, but owing to short supply o*' quicksilver, only one battery is at present employed. There have been some slips in the race, but these, we believe, are now repaired. The supply of water from the Otekaike is almost unlimited, and when the race is properly seasoned there is no reason to apprehend a deficiency of power. The large water wheel appears to work ,very smoothly and well. Men are actively engaged, night and day, in getting out stone from the reef, l'he stone seems to be soft and ensily crushed. It is not, we believe, intended to have a wash-ing-up until a sufficient quantity has been put through to make the test of the quality of the stone a fair one.

At the Warden's Court, St. Bathans, on Tuesday last, before H. YV. Robinson, Esq., Warden, the case of Ah Young and others y. Watson and another was heard. Damages, £ls, for breacli of agreement. The complaint was that the defendants had bargained with the plaintiffs that they (the Chinese* should enlarge defendants' race, receiving in lieu of money certain quantities of water day and night. It appeared that the defendants had sold their race to one John O'L)ea, who, it wa» alleged, had refused to let the Chinamen have the water they were entitled to. The case was very complicated, but the Warden decided that the Chinese had not proved that they had ever completed their portion of the bargain, so as to be entitled to demand the water. It seemed t!iat, by a mutual arrangement, they had been allowed to have night water bv the defendants, although they had not thoroughly performed their p-irt of the contract. Complaint dismissed.—The following grants were then made : »V. Clueas, residence area ; Jas. Purcell, protection ; J. 8. Foote, residence area ; D. O. Gardiner, protection ; R. Johnstone, extended claim ; Tieruan and another, protection.

Os May the 2nd, at the Warden's Court, M-ierewhenua, before H. YV. Robinson, Ksq., Warden, the following cases were disposed of: —M'Kenzie and others v. O'Donnell and others : Tiiia was a complaint that the defendants had failed to flume over certain watercourses, and had intercepted the water of the same from plaintiffs. Damages claimed, £2O. The h earing of this case occupied the Court for a long time, the evidence being lengthy and rather contradictory. The complaint was dismissed. — Dover and another v. Vl'Cann and others : For dissolution of partnership. This case also occupied a long time, but the evidence was not of public interest Ju.igment was given for the dissolution, the property of the partnership to remain with the defendants, who were ordered to pay plaintiffs outgiving them £4 ) each for their shares, but. making certain reductions for debts and lo»t time.—J. Fulton v. Benlomond Company ( Hegistered : Claim for £32 18s. 5d., being balance of account upon a certain contract relating to mining. Service of the summons at the registered office of the Company in Oamaru wa» duly proved. John Evaiu, manager of the Company appeared, but said he had no instructions and no defence to offer. Judgment for the amount claimed and costs.—-The following grants were made: Clark and otheri, water race, tail race, and dam ; W. G. Reee, side streams to water race already granted ; Evans and others, water race and extended claim ; Sinellie and others, tail race and extended claim ; John Pringle, water race.—The followi lg were withdrawn : Sni«.lieand other>, tail race and extended claim; Evans and others, water race ; Botting and another, dam. —A large number of transfers and other business were also disposed of—the Court sitting ag tin on the following day. A SPECIAL meeting of the School Committee was held in the schoolroom on Monday evening last. Present—Messrs. Inder (chair), Bremner, Dixon, Wilson, Hay, Horswell, and Ross (secretary). The meeting was held for the purpose of conferring with the schoolmaster (Mr. Petchell) on school matters, and making arrangements for the cleaning of the school, and the purchasing of suitable prize# for the children. After some other businest of an unimportant character was transacted, the meeting was adjourned till next Monday evening at seven o'clock.

The usual monthly meeting of the Naseby Fire Brigade was held in Costello'a Mount Id% Hotel, on Monday evening last. Present:— Capt. Inder (chair), Lieut. Bremner, Cogan, Grace, Morrison, Costello, Kirby, Wilson, Millar, Eccles, Tootell, M'Namara, and Rodgers. The minutes of last monthly meeting were confirmed. A statement of the financial condition of the Brigade was read, which wa» considered satisfactory and adopted. X number of accounts were receired and passed for payment. Late telegraohic advices, via Wanganui, May 7th, state that the fortnightly dividend of the Caledonian Compmy was £LI, making £2 )i), 00 pai l in thirteen weeks, with £13,000 carried to the reserve fund, and SUOO ounce* lowards the next dividend. The tailings have been sold at £6 per ton, realising £1,7u0. Tho

Price of shares is steady at £lO5 ex div. The Golden Crown Company have struck a fresh reef. The share market is excited, prices fluctuating hourly with contradictory reports. We are glad to report that the man Walsh, who lately sustained a fracture of both legs from a fall of eartli in his claim m the Main Gully, and who has Mnce been lying at Collett's Ancient Briton Hotel, is progressing favorably. We are also able to Btate, upon the authority of Dr. M'Cambridge, who has visited the patient, that Thomas Gregson, the victim of earthfall at the Sowburn, is also going on in a most satisfactory manner. We are glad to notice that surface men are employed on the road between this place and Eden Creek. This is as it should be, as the winter is now rapidly approaching, and it is a well acknowledged adage that "a stitch in time saves nine." An app ication by Cleary and party for alteration of a race in Main Gully, so as to connect two tail races was made to the Warden and objected to by all the owners of claims on Surface Hill, on the ground that the granting of such alteratio would, bv connecting the two rights, confer a monopoly of the entire portion of the Main Gully to Cleary and Co., and virtually put a stop to the workings on Surface Hill. The Warden said it appeared to him that the alteration proposed—namely, to remove a portion of the race to the westward and cut through sound ground—would be rather an advantage than otherwise to persons working on Surface Hill. It was not, apparently, denied that the applicants had rights, and that by an alteration these rights would be made no stronger. With regard to the connection of the one rignt with the other, there was no doubt this was the real cause of objection, and he could see that the objectors were afraid ot strengthening the posi' ion of Cleary and Co, by this means; but he did not altogether feel justified in retusing the grant on this account, nor did he see that their position would be seriously improved, as was suggested. He would take till Thursday to consider his decision. On May 11th the Warden gave his decision, granting the extension with the proviso that the tail race as allowed should not be considered a ground sluice for saving gold. We are informed that a petition for the repeal of certain clauses in the Hundreds Regulations Act has been forwarded to a gentleman in this town for signature. The petition is at present lying ft the store of Mr. L. W. Busch, The advertised meetings for the purpose ot carrying out the election of a Progress Committee have, from various causes, fallen through, and matters therefore still remain in statu quo ante. A public meeting having the same object in view is to take place this evening, at the Empire Hotel, when we hope that the importance of the occasion will bring together a large gathering. A JOif-T-STOCK company is, we understand, about to be formed to bring up a slu.lge channel from" somewhere near the Plough Inn to Roach's Gully. No prospectus has, so far as we have heard, yet been published. Application will, however, be made to the Government to ascertain the terms and conditions upon which the necessary powers will be granted to a company. A work such as that at present contemplated cannot, if properly carried out, fail to confer the greatest possible benefit upon the district, opening, as a sufficient channel would do, an area of known auriferous ground to the enterprise of the miner sufficiently extensive to. entitle it to the designation of a new Goldfield. We trust to hear that the spirited projectors of this great work will receive due consideration and attention at the hands of the Government. The Mining Conference ia appointed to meet on the 15th May, in the Provincial Council Library. Messrs. Mouat, Bradshaw, and Shepherd have been nominated by the Government, and the following elections have taken place: Mount Ida C. "\ Roberts Clyde, James Marshall Roxburgh John Kinaston Lawrence James Ritchie Queenstown ... William Henderson We have not yet learned the result of the elections at Switzers and Orepuki. At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, before H. W. Robinson, Esq , R.M., the following cases were disposed of:—Carter v. Buchanan; This was an action to recover the sum of £l7 18s 6d, alledged to be due to plaintiff for work done at the station of the defendant, at the ot Mr. Harkness, the brother-in-law to the defendant. Nonsuited, with 10s. costs. —Police v. D. O'Brien alias Thomas Ryan : This was an information that the defendant had, on the 25tn ult., stolen from the hut of one W. Hewitt at Kyeburn Diggings a purse containing one English sovereign and one £1 not 3 and 10s. in silver. The Magistrate not being satisfied as to the identic fication of the coin, discharged the accused Same v. Same: This was a similar charge of stealing from the hnt of W. Henry, at the Kyeburn Diggings, on the 25th ult., a purse containing one £1 note and 10s. in silver. Case withdrawn, and accused discharged.—Pickerell v. Carter: CHim, £5 9s. for goods sold and delivered. The service of the summons being on Sunday the case was struck out.—Rundle ▼. Colledge : This was an action to recover the •um of £B, alleged to have been unfairly won from defendant by gambling. The Court ruled that both parties having been guilty of an illegal act a civil action would not lie. Case dismissed. —Botting v. Tait: Claim for £22, balance of account. Judgment by default. The first real indication of the advent of winter took place on Thursday last, when there was a light fall of snow —the melting of which adde .l slightly to the water supply, though it is •till very short. The have since been fair and bright.