The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1955, 10 April 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 1875.

"We adverted yesterday to some of the causes, which, in our opinion, tended to . bring mining into disrepute and so retard its progress throughout the district. There is no question but the system of dummying has much to answer for, but there are other causes equally pernicious in retarding the progress of the field through their influence on individual mines. One of these we consider to be the system of letting mines on tribute. Not that,we would be understood as condemning the tribute system generally, but we fancy that some mines are given over to tri* buters which should not be, but rather that the shareholders should display more spirited enterprise and insist upon, the development of their property by means of calls rightly levied and duly enforced. The Caledonian, for instance, has recently been advertised as open to tribute. That is, certain portions of the mine. Now to old shareholders this coarseisinexplicable. There are those in thiv community who believe that the Caledonian has within its boundaries more of the treasure which formerly made it famous. It m»y be a matter for regret that a large reserve fund wasjnot created during th« dividend paying era, but as that was neglected, it remains for shareholders to indicate what they may consider a legitimate means of thoroughly testing the quality of their ground. They are in most instances dubious of tributes. The Caledonian mine has been opened up at vast expense, and many shareholders say it is not fair that any body of outsiders shculd be permitted to avail themselves of the work done by the company to make a pile for themselves. It is not an uncommon thing to hear that there are " plants " in the upper workings of the Caledonian, known to men who formerly worked in the mine, worth hundreds of pounds. It stands to reason, therefore, that it would not be fair to open to competition such inducements. The reports may be true — they may be false; but if a tribute party entered the mine and found easy gold, it might be charged against them that they knew where to put their hands on a good tking. We know that those who hide can easily find, and if finds should be made in the Caledonian mine by tributers after a short spell of work, we should not care to be amongst the tributers, especially if we had been numbered amongst t!ie workmen j in the mine at some period anterior to the adoption of the tribute system; We believe the feeling amongst the Thames shareholders to be in favor of a vigorous system of working in this mine by means of the uncalled capital on the new issue of shares. Let there be no tributes, but a thorough and complete trial of the ground under the direction of the experienced manager. If the capital should be absorbed in the work without any satisfactory results being? obtained, then let the assets of th« company be realised even tn the last stick and stone they possess. If these assets are found to be insufficient to develope new finds of gold, then the last resource of impecunious .companies is open, namely to "reform company" and start afresh with an unpaid capital. This, we belive, would be more ' acceptable to shareholders in the Caledonian than letting the mine on tribute, which simply means a prolonged existence without any of the vitality which should accompany mining ventures. It remains with the shareholders to say whether the company shall continue to carry on alone, or hand over their property to adventurers.

The Grahams town and Shortland contingents of the B^rougVi Eire Brigades held meetings at their respective sheds last evening, ai tending in uniform. Neither party engaged in practice, ow ng to the scarcity of water.

The precociousnefs of the ir.fant Yankee, who betrayed a political tandency whi c yet in hig era le, bat* been very nearly approached by some of our Thames youngsters. In the KM. Court this morning, a little fellow of some nine fumirers whs cltartre'i with throwing a stone at a 'bus employed by a candidate on the lute election ri*y, and breaking the window them/. The unail culprit, it appeared, was one of o her little boys who were fired with party spirit, find who gave exprefsinn to their prejudices by crying " Hurrah for Davies! " and dispatching the missile at the opposition vehicle, to the great danger of the ind> pendent franchwern inside. The liild boy brought up this morning was very respectably dres-ed, and having a preit>, mild face, looked rery un ikely to be the leader <f suoh awful political strife. His father, howerer, had to pay for the misdemeanor.

We arc. In'receipt of New Zealnnd Gazette No. 19, published on the Ist April, and Auckland Provincial Government Cbzelto publiabed on April Bth. V

The sum of £50 has been received by the Mayor of Thames as a. contribution from the Insurance OfnVes to the funds of the Grahnnistown and Shortlaud fire brigades.

Ma Tam^S MacKAT, ooach - builder, ha* removed from, lite old premis ■ to l>rger <nes, in doing which ho has displayed an enterprising spirit that deserves to ba rewarded. Mr Macfcay has taken a large shop in Brown f treet, formerly occupied by Mr Bout, upholsterer. Attached to the builing is a large pi'«ce of ground, which has been secured for building and repairing purposes. Considerable alterations have been mode to suit the business, but the inerfHse in work, Mr Afackay being the only established coachbuilder on the Thames, rendered it absolutely neressary that he should have more commodious premises.

In accordance with an advertisement signed by tho Mayor, a tweeting was held in the Hall of the Mechanics' In^itute last evening to consider means for raisin? a fund ia aid of John Windsor, who lost his arm through nn accident on the Bright Smile tramway, and who has a wife and family needing support; the attendance was moderate. His Worship explained the object of the mieing, after wh.ch soir>e discussion took placo as to the best means to b« adopted. A committee was formed to collect subscriptions, and it; was decided to have li-ts printed, when they will be distributed amongst the.comtni tee men. A vo'e of thaolcs to the convener concluded the business of the meeting. ,„

In the Auckland Echo of tho 7th instant nppeart-d a' paragraph to the effect that »he Crown Prince had got. 2001bs. ef specimen's out of the winzrs, and that the chamb'rs would be finished this week and reidyfor active operations. It, so happens that there is no mine in operation under the name of the Crown Prince, and if the Crown Princess was weant, the statement is untrue. Nosueh find was made in the Crown Princess on tho 7th or any other day lately, and no Qruhamstown correspondent could posaibly have furnished the paragrnph in question, unless tome interested shareholder constituted himself correspondent for the nonce.

" Petbb the Pedlar" in the New Zealand Mail tells th« following rather good anecdote of the reverend gentleman who on both the pali form and the pulpit has recently occuped so much attention. Like other good husband?, the Rev Charles Clark occasionally sends a thought homewards whoa,he- is " far awa, M although there is as yet no rlecbic wire to carry such a thought from Wellington to Melbourne. In walking meditatingly along Willis s'reefc or Lambton quay — it h immaterial which—-his eye war attracted by some handsome muffs, «i)d he purchased one for transmission by a home-bound steamer, as a remembrance at home. I** the course of conversation over the busi- ess, and due performance of the reverend g^n'leman's nhare, financially, in the transaction, the, Kdy behind tha counter — not more curious than any other of Eve's daughters would have been — discovered, the real i'entity of the gentleman sh» was serving. " And saeve lecture on puir Oliver Goldsmith, dae ye ? " " Oh, yes, on Frid iy," said the revpfeid gentleman. '* An' ye gie us »he!ife and heeeto^y of B>z ? " " Oh, yes, on Saturday." " An* ye prf-ac'i to th^ congregHti'in m Sunday?" "Oh, ▼«■»/' responded the lecturer. "Ah then," paid Jenny (as she pus the minister's m»ney in the till), "we'll patronise ye then." « When there's only a collection," said the reverend gjr-tleman to himself.

Thk writer of "Soci*lMes" in the Australasian Sketcher tells the following curious gtory :—" Two or three almshom-s for the reception of indigent Jews ware'built in a certain ci'y, and a fund provided th»t would give £1 per w«»ek each, in addition to the free quartern, to the objects of cha'ity. For a long time ni one could be got to live in them. A personal canr»s was made by the promoter* of the charity on 'their poorer brethren, * but none of the ruoaen people could be found mean enough to accept, the terms. ' Say £2' at l»»t a feeble old marine store dealer sai«, ' and I'll go ia. 1 Hi* r>ffer was thankfully cloved on, and the conductors, in their annual report, c ngratulatad the subscribers on the progress the good cause was *n king. Bui e^en for £2 tboy couldn't get a tenint to go next door. Determined to make the thing a success, the benevolent president bribed an aged pedlar aid his wife with the offer of an extra ;6L out of his private pocket to became partakers of the charity. The rage of the original pauper when he heard ot the transaction surpa-aes beliff. 'Is a downright swindle,' he cried to'he committee on their next visit;. done out of a pound a week, and I won't stand it. look hera 5 if I don"' get the same wnges as the other cove, I'll go out on strike.'"