MUTING GOSSIP.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3975, 24 September 1881, Page 2

MUTING GOSSIP.

WHISPEES AND RUMOURS.

[Contributed by an habitue of " The Corner."]

Oh, Gold ! thou bright and glittering Gold! ' So hard to get ami so hard to hold! Many a city, in many a land, Hath .sprung to life through thy magic wand!

" The Corner !" That mystic appella- -• tion of a spot on the Thames has its : counterpart iv ail other places of any site * or importance, where men do -meet and congregate to dabble in scrip, shares, or mining transactions requiring exchange of names and cash to lawfully complete the transfer of said shares, scrip or other property. " How's things looking at the Corner ? " is a question you will often hear asked, and the answer may perchance . . come thus—" Pretty lively !" or " Nothing doing; dull as ditch water." And when it is "pretty lively," you may depend something extra is on the board, and the knowing ones are consequently on the gui vive —either to sell or bt sold, as. the case may be. But the habitues' of " The Corner " are sometimes isld themselves, and only awake up to find that, they'd' been doing a " Rip- ran -Winkle "■ —-and it is astonishing to find how lirely they suddenly become, and warily advance from day to day on stock they hare discovered " there's mouey in." (For the information of the uninitiated, I may say that the expression ''..There's money ' in 'em " means that they are worth looking after —if you're in a speculative moodr—. and clearing out when you can do so at a fair profit—that is what I mean by "looking after.") But it is only the really 'cute Corner man who knows how to look after the main chance, and the casual dabbler is often left with his stock on hand, to lament over his nnlucky stars, wondering to himself how he got possessed of such 'trash, and wishing he had never seen " The Corner.",ljWell, as 1 said, the " knowing ones "this time hare been at sea in regard to some up-country " specs," for their present activity in trying to effect transactions with- holders is something marvellous, and portends a bright future for those now favorite mines at Waihi, Owharoa, and Waitekauri. Since the Prospectors at Waihi has been forced to remain in statu quo, pending the removal of the injunction thereon, the Youug Colonial, (adjoining), has taken up the running, and with a Very good show, too, of keeping it up. Its promoter shares have now reachedthe sum of £100 each. The Waihi Co.'s battery, for which I see the tenders have ■been accepted, will prove what the reefs arc worth. I think this will become a - large mining centre, and the new battery -" is only the forerunner of many such, at the size of the reefs there will necessitate the erection of a battery'for every lease. By-the-bye, I wonder what the Dulcibel shareholders (four of them, I believe) are | going to do P They have driven orer 500 feet in drives, &c, along and through the - reef, which I heard one of the owners say was 37 feet wide. One thing I am certain of: that they are satisfied with their fine prospects. They have had offers of a battery also; I hear. '-.-"'

From the Waitekauri "The.Corner'expects Jo hear of some grand things betore long. I heard a man say that " he- < heard so-and-so say ho was open to bet, &c,vfcc. that there will be.over 10,(X)0 ouuees of gold come down from thai piace before Christmas." So be it, say I —and from present whisperings and eon-' fidential talks that district is being looked after. The only fear I've got. in the „. matter is, thit too. many good .things will" be thrown on the market, without an ,: adequate demand, and the' re action will/ '" be diastrous to some of them/ . ... „-«•' ,-*

From Owharoa I hear of a steady go? - aheadness in that favored locality. The Smile of Fortune has come Jo the fore again on the sharebrokers' daily list,, after a silent snooze of over 2\ years. Oats and party have proved the mine to be worth something, and their tribute being about to expire in a fortnight, the company will have a meeting on the 4th proximo to decide on the future working of the mine*

In our own immediate locality—l mean the Thames—things are looking a little , brighter, and I think I see the silver lining showing for better times. The test' proof is to be found in the upward ten. dency of some of our moat favourite stocks—the Alburnia, the New North Devon, and notably the New Golden Crown. In the latter mine its shares hare not been held so high for a long time past. The Caledonians hare receded somewhat after the spurt they had last week; but it was always a sensitive ' mine, and any day may send them up " smart. Old Golden Calfs are calves yet, and consequently the market has not been " bulled " by the them, although they are worth holding at their late quoted value. At the Hape Creek mine, I hear whisperings of a good return; shortly. Ihope so, and that the new management will prove that the mine, was worth the candle in the recent litigation and squab* ling. However, all's well that ends well, and now that the two " stonewallers " (to use a parliamentary phrase) have sold out, we may be left to imagine tb*t the remainder constitute a happy family.

What about those big English''com*' paniea—the Fame, and the other—l think; the Southern Cross ? An interested party \ whispered to me that his claim was signed over to the Fame, and if that company' had it to work on their big reef wholesale, they would be able to give regular dividends—at any rate a good interest on money invested. I hope so, as it will entice English capital in the right direc- ,- tion. I see the Queen of Beauty local company is going to propose to follow suit. Now there's no mistake about that, and it is admitted on all sides, that here is a brilliant thing to go before the London market, and which we hare no doubt, would be readily taken up.

I shall now close my budget of " Whispers and Kumours," and I hope that my next to you will not be a whit less cheerful.

POHiIB D'Ofi.