THE Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 271, 9 June 1888, Page 2

THE Aroha AND Ohinemuri News AND UPPER THAMES ADVOCATE.

1 Tin* abo\e all —to thino own self be true, And it must follow aB the ni(, r hl. thr (lav Thou canst not then be fulse to any iran. — Shakmsi'kaki:.

SATURDAY, JUNK 0, 1888.

When it wns announced Hint Mr IT. W. Norfhcroft ]\n<\ been appointed Warden for the Ilanraki Mining District, we expjvs«ed the opinion that he wonlil prove the rigH man in the right place, anil subsequent events have fully tended io confiim tlinb opinion. Few men in his position, with such a vast amout of ioutme a oik and lesponsibilify resting upon them, would have in the shoi t time that has elapsed eince his appointment, have so thoroughly made themselves acquainted with, not only the wants and requirements oF the different parts of the district under their control, but also by personal inspection of the natural featmes of the country, position and amount of work done in the various mines, etc. One charncteiisfic in particular our new Warden has evinced which in our opinion is a matter for great satisfaction, and that is his ignoring of red tape ; and the disposition he has shown to legislate from a common sense point of view rather ♦ hnn by rierid adherence to the strict reading of rules find regulations. This fentnre was prominently brought out very recently in the manly and determined manner in which be went out of his way to expose the base and dating attempt at swindling in connection with mines »i Muiototo. The Warden during the tdiort time since his appointment to this dish ict has been over nuwly every portion of the gold field. On Monday last in the f.ioe of very wet and severe weather, he personally vifited several Hpecial claims implied for (situated in exceedingly um^li country) both at Te Aloha and

Waiorouyomai ; nn<l (In 1 result of that \isil lias been wo consider most, sat isf.tetory Mini of ureat importance to thih district., as shown by his granting nt the silting of the Warden's Court at Te, Arolui the following day the application* for special claims made by Messrs McLiver and Gavin (Day Dawn, Waioronjromai). und .5 as. Don (Golden Crown, To Aiohn), subject to the nppioviil of the lion Minister of Mines). The War leu also, in reply to Mr Cotter, solicitor for the applicants, said that if it was in his power to do so ho would irrant the application fo»* the Ahuneda Special Claim at Wiiiorongoniai. We say we consider the result of the Warden's' vMt of inspection on Monday last, us evince,'! by thi« disposition to grant -pecial claims, where eleaily proved (here are good grounds for so doing, as a matter of groat satisfaction to the residents in this district; for at the sitting of the Court held a fortnight previous, and before the Warden had visited the claims applied for, lie undouhtedly evinced a disposition not to giant special claims. The inevitable result of refusing to do so would be to discourage prospecting and turn capital away from this goidfield. It has been amply demonstrated capitalists will not, unless under very cveptioual circumstances indeed, put money into small areas, because these Miiall areas admit of so little scope for prospecting, and if they did prospect and make a discovery, immediately they would iiud themselves pegged in on all •sides by those who bad bent quietly looking on, watching the progress of event«, and waiting for a chance of diopping in for unearned increment, or hoping to be bought out. The Te Aioha goidfield was opened under the fi\e acre licensed holding system, and so worked for some years, and practically abandoned :\s unpayable. For years past nearly the whole goidfield bus lain open and unoccupied, neither a means of providing labour, nor a source of revenue to eithei County or Government But a welcome change has come o'er the scene within the past few months. This has not been occasioned by any very rich di^ct.very, but ly a capitalist cominc: along who invested largely himself, and has been the means of directing the attention of other capitalists to this goldfield ; with the result that thousands of pount* \\ ill be expended in thoroughly pro>pecting the giound, erecting expenMve machinery capable of treating ore hitherto practically worthless owing to ! the lack of proper scientific means for its ! tKMtment. This district differs greatly fiom Mmototo, which is comparatively 'an un'iicd field, and therefoie the Warden has grounds for restricting I the b'xza of the holdings there until the lodes have been thoroughly and practically tested. Now that a disposition is being shown to freely : nvest capital, and erect machinery of the most modern and improved pattern on our gold field, it would be nothing I sboit of ft calamity were such a course adopted as would result in causing capitalists to forsake us : And what benefit would tin woikinar man and miner derive by the Waukn refusing to large areas? Purely none, but the. -very reverse. 'Ibis goldfield is not a poor man's field, and is neter likely to be. Without the capitalist it must and would simply lie tu glinted. We know aery had been male by a few, and representations made te> Government at Wellington that the country was being locked up, etc., etc. But the mutter has not been fairly repiesenteil. There aie many thoui>aiu!s of acres of auriferous and nigentiferoUh land on this goidfield still open to the tiue prospector, and to i any man to go and peg it off if he wishes to do so, and we are decidedly of opinion that those who have tried to raise a false ciy of the. goldfiold being locked up. are just those who, weie it all once more thrown open, would be the very last to go and prospect it, aiul who ore simply jealous of others. It is not the miners { in the true sense, of the word ) who are complaining. The owners of the Alameda Special Claim have expressed their willingness to expend Lsooin prospecting the ground applied for ; the shareholders in the D.iy Dawn and Golden Crown are, we understand, each prepared to do likewise. To us it would appearlittlcshort of madness to seek to throw any obstacles in the way of the expenditure of this money. The Warden is a keen, shrewd, practical man, and will, without a doubt attach such conditions before granting any special claims, as will necessitate the expenditure oF a reasonable amount of money within a certain time ; after which, if the shaieholdcrs are not prepared to piopvily work the ground it would be again" thrown open to the public. The Warden must be fully aware of the great difficulties that exist in connection with opening up new country (we refer now more particularly to the Tui) and the providing of plants suitable for treating refractory ores ; and that to be otherwise than lenient with those who have taken up the ground would simply mean it 3 being abandoned. We consider this a most important era in the history of our goldfiold, and its future success and developement will greatly depend upon the action of the Warden, and we sincerely hope that he will assist and piotect in eveiy possibly way all who show a disposition to expend money and do bona fide work in prospecting and opening up the country. At the present time over one hundred and thirty hands aro being employed by the Te Aroho H. and G. M. Co. alone, at Waiorongouiai. Mining exports are expected in the district within the I

next, few dnv, and jrci orally t.lto outlook tor l!iis poiiioii of ( h<» i;old(ield is most oneournning-, as everything that money !\nd scionce can do to solve tho rlifficult problem of Miow host to success frTly trenfc onr re factory ores' is likely to ho done by those who now have 6he lnatUu'iii hand.

Wheat sowing on tho Lockerbie estate, Morrinsville, is now in full swing. The Count}' Council Chambers about to bo creeled at Paeroa will contain accom mrdation as follows: Foreman of Work's room, 15 feet by 14 foot ; Chairman's room. 15 foot bv 11 foot ; Clerk's room, 10 foci by 15' foot ; Council room, 30 feet by 15 feet; lavatory, etc. There will be a double buck chimney ; also a verandah on <!u' fivnt. Contract price for completion, £148 10s, is very low. .£l2OO appears on the Estiimtoß for the Thames and ltecfton Schools of MinosTlio salary of the To Aroha postmaster for 1888 will be £1(55, as against £169 for 1887. The report of the Assistant SurveyorGonoral, (Mr Percy Smith), Messrs Wilson (Mining Inspector), McLaren and Cheal respecting tno Ohinomuri ngiicultural lenses bus been laid beforo the Houso. The application of 11. Alley of Ilikutaia for a publican's license came beforo (lie licensing bench on Wednesday last, and was refused. Mi Lush, solicitor for the applicant said ho should appeal against this decision on technical grounds. The application of Sophia Mackny for a licenso was also refused. The estimates show large reductions generally in the salaries of Government officials. The Magistrate and Warden at Thames has been i educed fiom £530 to £400 ; the Mining Inspector, Thames, has been reduced £100, viz., to £250' The vote of .£2700, for eight girls High schools is struck out, Auckland losing £1000. The total expenditure on account of tho North Island Trunk Knilwny Loan up to the end of the last financial year amounted to ,£553,904, of which £75J904 compiiscs liabilities yet unsatisfied, The heads of expenditure are as follows; — Construction £380,831 ; surveys £15,821 ; purchase of native land, £98,788 ; rofidb and budges, £38.703 ; Wnngnnui river improvement, £2,989 : departmental expenses, £7,772. Tho Minister of Public Works in reply to a question fiom Mr W. Kelly, M.IUL, this week stated in the Ilou^e that he was prepared to grant <i subsidy of pound for pound for the construction of a blidge at W-sihi. Tho carrvimr out of this work is a matter of pic.it importance to the whole of Ohinemmi, especially with the prospect of a large influx of foieign capital for the development of tho mines in that poition of tho district, and it is hoped the Ohinemuri County Council will arrange to t.ike advantage of this offer of Government to share h/ilt the expense of the much needed new blidge. The Bank of New Zealand authorities are making several altetations in tho manager of their estitcs in Waikato. Mr Nicholas I. Hunt, who for some years past hnsboen the manager of the Gorton estate, lmw boon promoted to the managership of Mntatnntn, and loaves shoitly to take over tho duties of his new position. Mr. Hunt'sdcpartmvfromC.imbritlgc will be the cause of ireneinl regret, as he is deservedly popular all round. His promotion to the managership of so lanre an estate as Matamatn is, however, a tiibuto to his ability: Mr. Hunt will be succeeded at Goiton bv Mr. S. Soddon, jun., late of Waitoa.— Waikato News. Wo understand Mr G. 11, A. Purchas, Mining Engineer and Surveyor purposes once more taking 1 up his residence at Te A^olm. Mr Purchas was one of the early ni rivals at Te Aroha, and is well acquainted with tho gold field and district generally, having surveyed a large number of "the claims taken up on the opening of the field. He was also Engineer to Piako County Council for some years, and up to the linio of his leaving for Auckland At the Thames sitting of the Warden's Court on Thursday last tho adjourned application of Mr J. 11. Walsh for a licensed holding sit Msirototo came on for hearing. The Warden refused to at present grant a licenso for tho grouna, but gave the applicant permission to tcet the ground for a time, and if be found nothing satisfactory he could throw it up ng;iin. This Mr. Walsh agreed to, and the application was adjourned for hearing for one month. The annual meeting of the Te Aroha Licensing Commissioners will bo hold at noon to day, when applications for three new licenses for] Waiorongomai will be dealt with. Tho applications are as follows : Patrick Quinlan, for Wcrahiko Hotel, (building now occupied by Mr D. E. Clerk as a general store and dwelling) ; Martin Murphy for Premier Hotel, (formerly occupied by Mr S. Smardon) ; John Mare for Commercial Hotel, (formerly occupied by Mr John Lloyd). Mr W. Hethrington, who has established quite a lcputation for the excellent value ho offers as a coal merchant, has now, added a new branch to his business, viz., th.vt of vendor of glazed and other draining pipes, etc. We direct the special attention of contractors and others to Mr HethringtonN prico liht for pipes, ns advertised in our columns, by which it will be seen thoso requiring such can now obtain them from him at about twenty-five per cent below the prico hitherto charged for theso goods ut To Aroha. Mr Alex. Parkes, metallugistand mining expert, accompanied by Air Chambers is expected at Te Aroha either to day or on i Tuesday next, to select a sito for tho erection of a plant for the treatment of ore by tho method known as Parkes, Gold Saving Process. Tho engine, fani, etc., I required will arrive within the next few days, and tho work in connection with the erection of the plant will be started with the least possible delay. The shareholder-* in tho Woodstock mine, had the first offer to have a plant such as that now referred to, erected ut Kar.mgtihake, but refused the tornw submitted, although, consideiimr the difficulty of transporting fuel and fluxes to Karangahiiko wo certainly are of opinion the oiFer was a very reasonable one. Mr P.trkes was gioatly pleased with Mic Tui lode*, and the extent and value of the mioeril deposits of this district generally. The icsnlt of: the treatment of qusirlz by this now process will be watched with yieat interest. iWr Paikes, when recently at To Aroha, expiebsed himself as throughly convinced his process wuu'd admirably suit the dLs'tiiot.

At ilio nvelin.* of the TJmmos Harbour Boiird on Tuesday Ijvhl, in addition to the resolution reported in our issue of Wednesday, it was further resolved that a schedule showing the income received from that portion of the harbour now cut oft by tlio curtailment of the limits, which during the yenr ending March 3lst last viz., to £02 2s 4d pilotage, £Yd 4s 6d from Edwin Edwards, Btignnll £44 9s 7d, Blair and Gillespie £74 8s 6d, total £224 4s lid, bo telegraphed to tl^ member for Thames, also the amount expended upon wharves outside present limits ; and that the Govornment be asked for a reason for the exceptional treatment of this Board. Messrs Carpenter, Smith, and the chairman were appointed a committee of observation. The traction engine to be used in thrashing the wheat crop on the Lockerbie estate reached Morrinsville on Sunday last. Considerable difficulty was experienced in getting it to its destination, owing to its weight and the state of portions of the road, and it was about a fortnight in being got over, that is, a start was made from Taranhere on May 20th for Morrinsvillo, owing to the heavy rainfall the engine got 'stuck' this side of Tauwhare, and had to be left there until the roads dried up considerably before the rest of the journey could be completed. However, threshing was commenced on Tuesday last, and is now in full 6wintf, a large staff of men being employed in connection therewith, and, judging by the manner the waggons are < kept going delivering the grain at the railway station the yield is apparently good. We believe the price paid the contractor for thrashing is twopence halfpenny per bushel. A London correspondent of the New Zealand Times remarks that lately a meeting was held at Manchester on the State colonisation question, at which almost every colony except New Zealand was mentioned. Lord Brassey, who from his recent colonial tour, was looked upon as ' the " authority, suggested that emigrants should goto Canada, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and the United States, but to my intense disgust not one of the speakers had a word to say about New Zealand. It was simply ignored as if it had never existed. The result is that our colony is put altogether in the shade. Outsiders would imnginu from that meeting, " Oh, New Zealand is no good, or else someone would have suggested it as a decent place to emigrate^ to." The correspondent continues :— " I hope to goodness your new Government will take some steps to make the colony better known at homo. Why can't they put some Yankee ' go ' into the matter and let people here know exactly what you have got and what you want in the shape of extui population, As Dion Boucicault truly said, ' New Zealand is a splendid show but badly worked.' "