MAEREWHENUA.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 175, 12 July 1872, Page 6

MAEREWHENUA.

' (Frbiii'ourown'CoiTeAioncieut.) "','".' . ..^V lte ; m J< ! a ' letter we, have"had winder here in earnest, and .so far as the eye can pierce into iihe Province of Canterbury one continuous white mantlo of'sn'ow'irieets tli'e view. "Indeed, From }vhafcT am able to gather,' there has not been, so genera] a fall of'snov? for - many'years past; t The frost, ioi\ sonicnight's, was intense/ blit tliou^o"

still frosty the nights-"are-'now much more mild.-' The present'water : sup~ply being from small tributaries, thceffect of .the frost upon it has been v.ery great, as strongly as though it were in the grip of a vice. - /Mr. M;]£enzie has'now finished his contract with, the Mosquito Company —.seven and ■ tb.ree-ouar ; ter milesmaking the race-as it-at present stands twenty-one miles-in length; 'ltis tb be' regretted that it "'has been found impossible to reach'the main source of supply. .The snow and frost -being so severe, and the- level so-high, make the work very.tedious and unsatisfactory, at" this ( season of the" year. The further prosecution of the w'ork"has,,therefoi;eV very, properly been suspended until .the spring.: Under present circumstances, the shareholders of the' Compan y sangui.ne about being able to bring in ; three and /four' Government heads,; ,bu-t they _. .may- [in my opinion,' think themselves fortunate if -they suc- ' ceed in getting --half "that quantity, "for, until the race gets staunched' ,and p'udd]ecj; there is sure, to' consi- . derable amount of leakage.. The. com,- . pany are- at -present completing some short- pieces of fluming"/ a rid I-hope when next I write to be able to,inform you of the water'being on the Aground. • , The,timber for the .new. store about ■ which I spoke. iu-myV.last letter, -has arrived on the grouiiU : ;" 'and there is also ■ some, talk of' Mr.' Craig, storekeeper here, being abqut ~to.erect 'a new. ; store.and "conducting it.on a.larger .scale. Such a thing- is much 'wanted, and would'be. gladly welcomed, as by AJs'means' the'price of the : necessaries ' of.life T/ould wpuld be much reduced. JR-umor has it that our ('members, both for the Assembly and r the Provincial Council.; are about- to pay "this part of the country a. visit, with, the view of ascertaining the real requirements'of the district. . Mr. Steward takes great interest in the Wafer Supply question, and'is'-anxious to ascertain' what. modifications can.be piade , in the Act to improve the supply "on the Groldfields,- :ukl at this-.place more particularly. l It is to be regretted that Mr ' Reward did. not use. bis "influence with the Minister for" Wo'rka.to visit . this;pars of.the..counti-y"w.hen.he was. lately.in Otago.. Had. he done -so," I feel certain that he would have seen sufficient to have warranted him in.recommencing the ' Government to take steps to bring water on to this 'Goldfield at once.' Itwouldseem,however' th at in tKe' matter 4 o'l' the' Water" Sup ply the Otago' Gojdfields v are to be utterly - ignored". .It was"'at"pne time rumored , .th.it Mr;,;Under-secretaryoHaughton was to visit our G-oldfields.-1 preSume, however; ttat r the"Grovernment, in their "wisdom, thought that .that 'gentleman's time, would be better spent", in : the North-, ,by truckling to and stopping the mouths of Opposition members', by attending 'to the/wants' of their districts,' whether real, or imaginary! "There is. another" matter -which is - causing. a g ooC l_ s ea \ 0 f ta lk here, .that isfesale of the'MaerewhenuaY A\va- . lfc'plvp/' and' Kakanui Hundreds/'' In these Hundreds there aria 25,000 acres, . the upset, price -being.-10s!. per,acre! The general feeling is "that a large proportions of-the land is" gold-bearing, and-should riot behold.' It seems like the"ald'fable'of killing the'goose which'* .laid the.golden eggs; .and .for the sake * of a temporary: lew-thousand pounds', depriving miners, of their legitimate mode of employment' arid tjie Government" of.' a 'revenue -which .could not have.iailed to. have .endured.for■.many • years -.to come.- • . if'seems rather tosavor of a job'that the-Government, "if determined [to /pell" .these.' Hundreds, sho'ald have .'given so. short a and that, the, sale should ■ take pla'ce so' soon, after -the . prorogation of theCouncil.. -It would be well were the (Government wise enough "to. call for a! report as ; to,' the .aviriferous. or non-l .auriferous character of the ground ad-, rvertised.for sale,-and withdraw such portion or portions as might- be' repeated tot be gold-bearing. " I can' assure you'that the .'people, here regard' the, whole affair, from first, to. last, with; no" small, amount of suspicion. .