KYEBURN.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 123, 7 July 1871, Page 3

KYEBURN.

(From our o-vrn Correspondent.)

The Messrs. accompanied by H. W. Robinson, Esq., R M., and Mr Barron, the mining surveyor, visited the coal pits on Wednesday, the 28th June: The object of this visit was to decide whether the runholder ought to give his consent to the granting of a lease to Brown, Collingwood, and Co. (The name of this firm has been altered to William Brown and Co., owing to Mr. Collingwood having retired from tho concern.) After inspecting the boundaries of the application, which adjoins the lease held by Messrs. Macready Bros., the gentlemen above alluded to inspected the tunnels put in by Bfawri and Co. The middle level tunnel was the first entered, and is only deserving of notice in so far that it had to be Left for several months to allow the ground to drain. The entrance is cut through soft sandstone, and when the coal' was reached it was found to be of such a loose nature that it was impossible to drive through it without timber. Suitable timber was not to be obtained on the spot, and consequently | the tunnel had to be left. A low level j tunnel' Was then put in, which thoroughly drained the ground, and the middle level again opened out and the drive properly timbered. Good coal had just been struck when the runholders visited the ground. After inspecting the low level, which is driven nearly four hundred feet into the hill, with a tramway laid down for about three hundred feet, the inspecting party expressed themselves as highly satisfied with Brown and Co.'s work, and they unanimously agreed that a lease ought to be granted to them tTLjeJ runholders then informed Mr. Brown that their sanction to the lease would be given without any further delay, and that had they been thoroughly acquainted with the circumstances of the case at an earlier date, there would never have been any difficulty about the matter. In justice to the runholder, I may mention that it was a matter not easy to decide by any man not being a professional or a practical miner, as these coal seams more resemble quartz reefs than anything else. It had been represented to the runholders that the granting of Brown's application would materially interfere with the working of Maeready's lease ; and those gentlemen certainly took the best step they could do to ascertain the truth of this statement, by securing the assistance of the Warden and mining surveyor, who, of course, understood that line of business thoroughly The petition to have a school established here has been numerously signed, and clearly shows that it is high time that something was done towards educating the rising generation in this locality. The number of children under four years are 17 ; over four and under fourteen, 24 ; the number of children who would attend school, 24. This shows the number of children on these diggings to be 41.

I perceive that the motion of Dr. Webster, for cutting a bridle track through the Maerewhenua Pass has been carried. It is to be hoped that the inhabitants of both Naseby and Kyeburn will unite with the people on th.! Waitaki side, and see that this resolution is not shelved.

Some dissatisfaction has lately been expressed in your columns at the conduct of our representatives. I myself fail to see \vhere they are wanting ; in fact, I consider that they are doing remarkably well, and for the short time that they hav«j been sitting, they have tabled a good many motions in favor of their constituents. If they cannot always carry the day that is certainly not their fault. "Give the devil his due " is an old saying, and if the public of Mount Ida will act up to that saying, they will find that they are as well represented as most other electoral districts.

All here vvbo are acquainted with Mr, Stratford were delighted to hear that he would shortly get the appointment of Warden ; and many very uncomplimentary speeches have I heard with reference-to the Government who performed such a dirty action If Mr. Stratford, has lost grace with the Government, he has gained it in public opinion, and. between the two there is a very wide gulf.