0HINEMURI. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 128, 14 November 1885, Page 9

OHINEMURI. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

MR BALLANOE AT PAEROA. Paeuoa, Friday. On Tuesday last this district was favored with h visit from the Hon. J. Batlanoe, who passed through here on his way to the Thames. He stopped for a few minutes at the Criterion Hotel, where he was interviewed by a deputation consisting ( f Messrs M G. Power, 0. Jb\ Mitchell, W. G. Niebolls, A. Cassrels, F. Uo«;k, and T. Logan, who waited upon Mr Ballance for fc.ie purpose of ascertaining Ins views with regard to the Paeroa Township reserve. The <!eputation represented tiiat the term of lease under which AJessrs Jackland and Russell, of Auckland, held the land comprising tins township would expire in anothei five years, and the sub- lessees, of whom several had already expended large sums of money on the improrement of thetr holdings, had no guarantee that anything in the shape of an extension of their respective leases would be granted to them. It short the residents of the township were placed in a very undesirable position, and were somewhat doubtful as to the best steps i to be taken under the circumstances The very fact of this township boinGf leasehold witli but a very q iort term to j run, was the great, deterring element to the progress of the place, and the depu tion were desirous of learning from Mr Ballance whether Government might be induced to remove the restrictions which prohibited the sale of the township, and thereby give the residents a chance to obtain freeholds. To all the statements, of which the the foregoing is a synopsis, Mr Ballance replied that the township was a native reserve, and that Government could not entertain any proposals to ivirove the restrictions, and place the' freehold at the disposal of the residents. He thought, hriwever, that, if proper ivprest?ntatioii3 wore made to Government, the sub-lessees would be enabled to secuie an extension of their respective leases upon reasonable terms, an.l meantime he would taUe such steps as would he necessary to prevent the speculative element stepping m between the native owners and the occupier?. After a short discussion on sundry other matters of no particular importance, the deputation expressed their thanks foi the hearing granted them, and Mr Ballance proceeded on his journey.

WAIHI. In the early part of the present week I took a trip to Waihi and inspected several of the principal mines there. j The first one visited was the Rosemont, I in which active operations are now in progress. The stopes north and south of the rise are looking- well) the reef here averaging close upon 2ft in thickness, and the bulk of the stone presents uninistakeable evidences of being rich in the precious metalsv This mine is under the management of Mr P. E. Hansen, who is one of the principal shareholders, and who. has now. got three men em ployed in classing and bagging the or« which is being conveyed to ( the East Coast, as quickly as several , teams' of horses can. accomplish the work. .' The ore is being very care/ully solec^ed, and is bagged, in three different samples Nos. 2 and 3 samples are, new beinjj sent to the coast, and the first shjpmenl of sixty tons will be transported to Thames iji one of? §to;ie ; Bros.' sailiu^ vessels in the coUl'sc of a Week Of ten

- days. Meantime "Not v l, \\'h!A is . " sample 6V the Y. (nicest ston^, will "U 1 kopt nt the 'Jain • pointing result <> -tain m\"l\j iniluthe oVner two sampW, ami. 111 1 iging Pt*o,ni appearances, hot.h should , yield han home returns. Whilsi I«» »king over the different quartz paddocks in which them is now a largo" ttiHuage of s uelting ore stored, I noticed severu. good sized boulders m vnnoh metallic silver "was plainly visible to the naked eye. Although there is not much gold showing in the stone, fau* mortal 1 prospects of that meti\l are <3asily obtainable, aud chlorides as well as sulphides of 9ilver, the lust mentioned form predominating, are pretty freely distributed throughout a large proportion of the same. In the Nil fttspmndum the northern continuation of the Rosement reef is not yet to hand, an I the sharehoi !e,rs have now started to drive westwards in which direction they believe the lode will readily be found. The next claim on the same line of reef going north, is known as the Bilverton, respecting the title to which an appeal case-— Corves v M- o'iitliie" -was heard before Judge Gillies not long .since, and decided in favour of the respondent, 'Inhere is a large and \ve"ll.lefin ul cross lode running thfou^li tkis ground, and some font* ydars ft<?o a party of prospectors drove a level a distance of 300 ft intersecting the reef at. i depth of 30ft hcncittli th>» surface. At ;uis point it measured frouj, wall to >sail, fully 17ft in fhtYlcnoss, an I though fherp. wii? no gold visible in the stone it gave fair prospects of that metal w >e.n suhjected to tne morfnr process. At ( tat time the prn«p.>L'tors knew little and (hought less about silver, save an.l except wheii !o presented itself to them as the current coin of the realm, and aftor driving another tunnel an i loir ?al wge amouut of surface prospecting, tliey relinquished their title ami departed. As the reef lm Yen ;iro v ' 111 1 hy r<A\ i^lo assay to contain uoin g»jki iin.t silver in re*-uun-rit.ve quantities, I expect th.it the work which wn-« aMr ted this week will in a very sl»"rt time be amended witii fa\ourabie results. There, is nothing of importance to chronicle Irom the Martha mine, where things generally are running smoothly in tae old groove. I am sorry that I cannot say as much for the battery where ten head of stampers have been hung up for some time past, owing to a falling off in the. water snprly ; but I expect the late rain would enable tlie manager to start the full force and keep it going continuously for some time to come. There is plenty of crushing dirt awaiting treatment, and as it is all of average quality the next clean up should be a remunerative one. In the Yellow Jack and Albion claims prospecting is proceeding, and botli claims are in good positions.

OWHAUOA. Since my last letter nothing of importance has transpire I at Owharoa, wiiere ihe Smile uf Fortune battery is running one shift on crushing dirt from the Smile and Evelyn mines, ami both parcels are said to be shaping for remunerative returns. Maiden and party, proprietors of the Hidden Treasure mine, have opened out and started driving, having fair prospects of gold, and they expect a decided improvement to take place as the work advances upon it.

KARANGAHAKE. t The finishing touches are now. , -being put to the Woodstock Water- race and tramway, both of which reflect great credit Mr J. Mi HualeW, wlio supervised the work of construction. At the mines work is going on much as usual without any material change to note. The rise upon the hanging-wall lode above the low Wei in the Kenilworth mine is still bring pushed upwards^ and the lode maintains a uniform thickness of three feet. From this point there is now a large tonnage of quartz to hand, and this is b'ing classed and bagged as quickly as possible. Ten tons of oe 'save been bagged and despatched from tue Scotia mine to the smelting works, Thames, and should t ! iis parcel prove to be romiinerativt', there are 4(J tons of similar stuff read/ for tiansmission. I Iv the Ivanhoe mine the stopes are yielding fairly, ami the battery is still employed one shift in the reduction of the crushing dirt, which is shaping for a goo : return. The manager informs me that samples of dirt taken from, the " slide" and assayed,' at Auckland, have yielded payable percentages of silver wit 1 which are associated traces of gold. This-" slide," Which is composed of soft cay, is fully 80ft in thickness, and should it prove to contain silver in remunerative quanties, there is an inexhaustible supply of it ready for breaking out. • During the pnst week the reef upon which the winze is being sunk beneath the low level in the CroWn mine has im proved in size ami quality, and stone showing gold freely was broken, out this week. In the face of the low level the ivef is now about 2ft 6in in width, and the stone appears to be of fair average quality* 8 toping south Id still m progress and the lode averaging twelve inches iv thickness, shows gold frequently, and strong indications of silver are not wanting. There is a large tonnage o£ore bagged in this 'district awaiting* transmission to the New-Zealand- Smelting 'Company's works, Thames,* but-owing to the -late heavy rains the roddd* ar j in jiim'd estate for all, kinds of Wheeled traffic, iahd pending a fe\y 3dayB 3 day8 , fine ' Weather, ; the carters have stispMtfcfd o^efaftMsV I

' K'Jlly and part^ wlio/areitributingf in the ( WaUekauri inine, ha^d

\ good sisso i parcel of crashing 1 dli-fc f >r the bafctoi'yj! nntWrom which 'they «•»■ * <vi. ;t gooT ivtunt T •« t .,u* y ..:vi also s.'lecto 1 from the i'e. If m th mi 1 U'i butU .fiictiun ft two t.mi .sa.nple of oiii which they i.itend forwiir .ing to tiu Ttatm -s for treatment by the sueltins^ process, untl it if- yis'lils paytibly fhoro 'd plonl/ -it' (li • - 1 .mo il'i 1 ' i a to !•«> li ul. Bai^u and party \\iio ovva the adjuiuing claim on the western side of t'i ' VVaifcekauri mine have a pretty laf^e parux\\ <>f ore ou han<l oblaintnl fi'o w tho quai'tfc boulders, wiiioh are stie.Vn all ovei? the surface of their ground, and this will be sent to Thames for smelting purposes us suou as possible.

THE COUNTY ELEOTtON. The election on Wednesday last passed off very quietly, the result us regards Paeroa being posted shortly after 6 o'clock, and by half-past u even all the returns hud been received at Ptierou. The fallowing Oouucillors have been elected ! — Messrs Butler, Cock, Oorbett, N'icliolLs, Moore, llumphroya, Walsh and Strange.

PAEKOA HIDING. Butler, Hu-li » 33 Nioholls, William Grey ... 33 Qock, Frederick ,» k ... '21 Oiissrulis, Anlief ,i. ... 22 R 'b.^OM, J.. iioj) McGitup^ej... 16 A ! «y, Henry ... ... ... 14 Wick, Henry Christum ... 14 Phillips, John jr, 13 Thurp, Alfred Jntlwa ... 12 ! KAIUNGAKAICK RIDING. Walsh, JarnfH Henry ... 35 Humphreys, rin>jna.s Maco . » 23 Comes, C. A 18 McLoghry, Archibald ... 11 Hosio, J.unea .», ... ... 4 WAITEKAUUI HIDING. Cor l )ett, Edwuid x\l«nn ' ... 24 JMoore, John H.'iiry 22 Kalph, John (iuest 10 WAITOA HIDING. Straugo, i<'ieileriok ... ... tl Moni^, Willmm !') lin.oi.nal 1 The fifst uieotitiy; of the newly-ulootud Couuuil will ho held in i'.ioiua Public Hall at noon on Tuesday next. W«» n\' n infoiaiod Air U. A k (Jortv-s has deteruiined to endeuv(»ur t • unseat Mr Humphreys, on tlie grounds that lie w.ia not a duly quali iied candidate in auooidauce ,\vilh the new Act, undor which the elections wera heltl