LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 241, 12 September 1872, Page 7

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Pressure of advertisements necessitates our holding over a quantity of interesting matter.

We haye received the following telegram from Mr. T. L. Shephered, M.H.R. <— **The GoldSelde BiH, on its second reading, was referred to the Goldfields Committee, composed of all the goidflelds members, with whom rests the responsibilty of approving the bill. They unanimously rejected it, and referred it back to the Government. The mining interests are well looked after. Shepherd treats the mendacious statements made by Heath, at the Waitahuna meeting, with contempt."

On Friday last, Mr. Matthew Hay offered the Lawrence coal-pit, brickyard, with plant, and a number of bricks for sale. The coal-pit and brickyard were bought in at £1400, and the bricks were disposed of at £3 to £3 10s. per thousand.

The Blue Spur Private Quadrille Club intend winding up the season with a ball and supper, to take place at the Blue Spur Assembly Room, on Thursday next, the 19th inst.

We are informed that the bridge across the Pomahaka at Rintol's crossing will be completed this week ; and that Mr Sinaill, the Government Engineer, inspected the work last Friday, and expressed himself as thoroughly satisfied with it.

Lawrence was treated to a sensation on Monday last, in the shape of a reduction in the price of the 41b, loaf of bread from lOd. to 6d-Patcr-famUiaf co^d scarcely believe his eyes when he read the posters announcing the fact, and certain parties imagined the millenium had arrived. . To Mr. J. M. Clarke, Ross Place, belongs the credit of reducing the price of the staff of- life. The reduction he has made amounts to about 40 per cent. ; and if he can maintain the price at 6d., he will deserve patronage, gratitude, and, above all, prompt settlement of his accounts. Mr. Harris has followed suit,

A gentleman writing from Melbourne, furnishes us with the following : The Roper River goldfields are now the theme of conversation among the restless portion of the Victorian mining population, and if the reports current as to the discovery of rich, and extensive goldfields in the Northern Territory be confirmed by authentic news, a heavy rush will t»ko plnee. Already the Condor has sailed with 130 miners on board. The Bengal will leave in a few days with another batch, and the Omeo is laid on to leave for the Roper early in September. Private letters are said to have been received describing the sinking as shallow, and the ground as wonderfully rich ; the writers getting from 100 to 200 ounces of gold from the bottom of their Bhaf ts. Of course, the private letters may have been concocted for sinister purposes, but they serve to fan the excitement *nd create a restless and uneasy feeling. The surplus population of Sandhurst and Ballarat, are eager to try fresh fields. A short time ago advertisements appeared in the Ballarat papers, inviting applications from miners willing to go to Queensland, to work the copper mines. 300 men were wanted at ten shillings per day. In a few days 1500 applications were received, and 50 men were selected and sent. JThe remainder will be forwarded at intervals. This reveals the unsatisfactory state of the labor market, and explains the longing to test fresh fields of adventure. Deep sinking is attracting much attention, and many old miners believe that the quartz reefs will be found payable thousands of feet below the deepest level yet attained here. The New North duties company have payable quartz, at 950 feet, and for draiuage purposes they have a shaft over 1020 feet in depth. The Crown Cross r eef at Pleasant Creek have struck a rich reef at a depth of 850 feet. The Magdala company's shaft at the same place is down 970 feet has cost|£22,ooo, and they have not yet struck a reef or obtained one pennyweight of gold. Permanent and continuous quartz reefs are very rare. What are called reefs are often detached and irregular bodies of stone, and. sometimes the best defined reefs take jumps to the east and to the west, or contract and run out when followed vertically, Sinking has then to be resumed in Bearch of new makes of stone at deeper levels.

AN inquest was held on Friday, the 6th inst. ' at Clark's Masonic Hotel, Lawrence, on the body of Ah Quay, one of the Chinamen lost on the Lammerlaw during the recent snow storm. From the evidence of Chinese witnesses.it appeared that deceased in company with Choon Looey went out to prospect on th.c Lammerlaw, on the 10th August. During the night it came on to snow heavily, and the two men were never afterwards seen alive. Ah Quay's body was found by a Chinaman, cm the 3rd September, near the Burnt Creek. Constable Boyd stated that having heard that two. Chinamen were missing on the 19th August, he went out to look for them, but his search prqved fruitless. On the 3rd, he received information th>t a body had been found,' went out to where it was, and brought it in. Dr. Stewart said the cause of death was. suffocation, caused by the. position the body was lying in. Thejnry returned a verdict in tocordanca with tbt medical .testimony. Deeeued arrived in ( ib» L ooloay in September,

A BbaUMONTTIE sends us the following : — It may interest your readers to know that the school bo long ago talked of, and so verj much wanted in this district, was started here last week. The chapel, whioh h&» been lined by the .committee of the school, is, pro' Jem., used aa a achoolhouse, and does first-rate, being very warm and oomfortable. The number of scholars attending is at present 20, and more are expeoted, as there is a pretty fairish muster of the rising generation yet waddling about in baby petticoats, promising a goodly number of sohool attendants for some years to oome. The schoolmaster, Mr. Mollwo, has lately commenoed a course of lectures on Russia (his native country), consisting of 5 lectures, the second of which was last night. The subject was ** Russia from 1830 up to the Crimean War." These lectures seem to draw very well, as the debt for lining the church baa been cleared by three of them. The lecturer having been connected with the political movements in his native country in 1849, is up to the mark in the full sense of the word, and gives a good quantity of anecdotal lore. The starting of a night school is also talked about, and as Mr, M. seems not to want in energy, it is to be hoped his plans may be realised.

Messrs. M'Qoeen's men commenced work at the Gabriels Gully Co.'s claim last week. A portion of the timber for the battery, and the whole of the timber for the shed, has yet to be delivered. Aa soon as this arrives, more men will be employed, and the work pushed forward vigorously, The Company expect to commence crushing within a month or five weeks. Stoping is now going in on the faces of the rise, immediately under where the first quartz for trial crushing was taken. Gold is at times visible in the fctone and very good prospects obtainable.

The British mails via San Francisco will close at Lawrence about the 25th September ; via Suez about the 28th September,

The training of horses for the Dunstan Spring Meet, which is to take place on the 20th and 21st inst., is being actively proceeded with, and it is anticipated that there will be a good field of competition and close contests.

A bazaar and ball, in aid of the Dunßtan District Hospital, is to be held at Alexandra. The ball is to take place on Friday, the 20th inst. ; and the bazaar the following day. From the well-known liberality and energy of tha Alexandra people when a worthy object is to assisted, we confidently {predict that the funds of the Dunstan Hospital will he largely augmented by the " events,"

A meeting of the shareholders of the Beaumont and Tuapeka Water Race Co. was held on the evening of the 4th inst. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. A letter from the Warden, requesting further particulars in the shape of plans and specifications, was directed to procure the required information from Mr. Adams. The financial statement, submitted by the Secretary, was adopted. It was resolved that each shareholder be furnished with his account, the amount to be paid on or before the 2nd pros. Oil the motion of Mr. Monagliau, aecandad by Mr. Harris, it was decided to issue scrip to the amount of 2000 shares ; that the present shareholders retain 2000 shares ; and that 2000 shares be reserved for distribution among the Company, Mr. Hayes was appointed broker for the Company, and was authorised to draft a prospectus to be submitted to the directors, and to engage a Dunedin agent on behalf of the Company. Messrs. Grieve, Monaghan, and Harris were appointed provisional directors of the Company. At a meeting of the provisional directors, held the same evening, Mr. Graham was engaged to survey the race in sections of from 1 to 4 miles.

On Monday'evening, the 2nd inst., a meeting of delegates from the Amalgamated Co., Roberts <fc Co., and the Gabriels Gully Co., was held at the Blue Spur, to determine the conditions of amalgamation for driving the main tunnel from Walsh's Gully to prospect for the Gabriels Quartz Reef. At a subsequent meeting, held at the Assembly Booms on "Wednesday evening following, most of the members from these claims were present, and signed the agreement to co-operate. Messrs. Squires, Cormack, and Kendal wese appointed a managing committee ; and a sum sufficient to carry on the work for some time was paid into the Treasurer's hand. Alljthe three companies share equally in the approaches and first 300 ft. Roberts & Co. and the Gabriels Gully Co., construct the second 300 ft., and the Gabriels Gully Co. pledge themselves to continue the same for the remaining 700 feet, or until it strikes the reef. The tunnel will be oft. 6in. high, and 4ft. wide ; {furnished with tramway and tracks, and ventilated. A machine site common to the three companies has also been applied for. The construction of the tailrace was commenced on the 2nd inst., and the work will be vigor, ously proceeded with. "We congratulate the companies on the successful arrangement of difficul" ties and accomplishment of union, and we trust that it may be but the first step in this direction, and that the spirit which seems to have animal ted all parties concerned in this enterprise will become more common among us. Independent of the influences of the amalgamation as a precedent, the construction of this tunnel will in a very short time enable the various companies to prove, at comparatively small expense, whether an extension of the quartz reef exists in their claims, and the depth at which the reef will be struck, will most thoroughly test its character and richness. The tunnel will allow the reef to be worked in a depth of over 25Q feet below where it is now found, at the fence of Clark's paddock. With the large body of stone they hare before them at their present level, the Gabriels Gully Co., might reasonably have ploaded delay in entering on this work for some months at leaat, and it •peaks well for their confidence in the claim that they so readily commit themselves to the large weekly expenditure that the construction of the tunnel will entail apott'them.j

In the "Daily Times" of Monday, the 9th hut,, it is itftted that quartz was crushed at the Government battery', Dunedin, from a claim at the Devils Creek. The Devils Creek alluded to is not the stream bearing that euphonious designation at the Lammerlaw..

Chables' troupe of Japanese performed at the Commercial Assembly Booms, on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. The audiences were good, and the many wonderful and novel feats elicited frequent bursts of applause.

The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, Beaumont, has been taken by Mr. Archibald M'Donald, who, we have no doubt, will conduct it in a manner satisfactory to all who may patronise him.

The last finishing of the O.P.Q. Company, Waipori, resulted in a yield of 58 ounces of gold for the fortnight. Good stone has been struck, and it is confidently anticipated that theyield of the next crushing will be exceedingly good.

All the claims at the Teviot are in full work, the low state of the river facilitating mining operations.

Cromwell appears to be progressing. To "meet the times," Mr. Jagger is erecting a brewery for the benefit of the thirsty of that district. The building is to be of stone, and all the latest appliances for the manufacture of the beverage are to be introduced. It is very favorably situated both for water and cooling, in a gully a short distance on the Clyde side of Cromwell. Mr. Petrie, of Clyde, is the bnilder, and is performing the work in his usual satisfactory manner.

Clayton and party have commenced prospecting in Gilbert Clarkes paddock. They are sinking on the reef at a short distance from the fence.

A number of Chinamen have set into work on the south branch of the Tokomairiro Kiver.

The Table Hill Company commenced crushing on Thursday last, stone from the old Oxford Reef,