SHAG VALLEY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 285, 17 July 1873, Page 5

SHAG VALLEY.

(From our oivn Correspondent. ) Fearing that you might think " your own " here defunct, and that yon may thereby be intending to invest in a suit o_ mourning, ha 3 induced me to search n\; my writing materials, and inform yo'. that I am still in the Lmd of the lmij_ r, and so save you the above unjiece^s <r expense and trouble. The reason of * so long abstaining from figuring in v-'U columns is a very Birn pie one, fix.. :<• ; want of news. I could not write ro -, : when I had nothing to write about, >.. J. indeed I am not in a much bettor r>->s ;v ' -_ at present, only that I dread thec<>-.< . quenceg I mention in the begimiin' my letter The most of the companies here ha*- > suspended operations for the prt-sent, sjveral causes combined having compeli'l them to do so — the chief one being tinutter impossibility of obtaining coa) re" crushing purposes, the road to the p- r at Shag Point being impassable. I \-r*~ they cannot obtain coal even at Pah.rrrston. I wonder if our provincial meru>s-'v intends to wake up, and endeavor t«» ;.e. such a state of things remedied, for r.i present it is a disgrace to the Gov>-r.;-ment, and our member in particular, f< i he must long since have be^n aware o. these things, and should ere this h&v.< ende.ivored to have got 8 passable r<>a>; made. But then, I forget that he id \ staunch adherent of the Reid and 01 - structionisfc party, aid that will, I ;<impose, account for his lack of energy in ths matter. But stay, I must not drift mi, politics, for I think we have had more t\eut enough of that same lately, and fur <hku^ time to come. The Perseverance Co hftv o stopped work altogether for the w-t.nt .»? coal and bad state of the roads, aid .'1 v, I believe, pending the result of v>-i» arrangements as to amalgamating with n.& Shag Valley Freehold Co., the Porv-v.-r-ance Co. having made overtures ?*» tho S. V. Co. I stated in one of my pr *v>>!> . letters that such a proceeding woi'ld i-k.vo most advantageous to both parties, f • n m. present both companies are too sin:-.!!, thereby making the cnlls (when necawv to do so) come rather heavy on the f-^v parties concerned, whereas should the;" amalgamate, they would then makn « strong company, and thus thor'-ajcLii^ prospect the reef, which ha 3 not y fV t h".«.;; done. There would also be aem»;-}o-able aaving in the current expeii-vs. viz., management, coal, labor, &c. B.>vi (.•<*;}■- panies, I am sorry to say, have bee.* i.> ! law with each other (I prcdick'.l s'io^ would be the case). A case wan rs-el before the Warden, at Macraes, on tho 26th ult.— the S. V. Co. suing tha Perseverance Co. for running tailings in tho | S. V. Co.'s dam, which is situated bel^w the machine of the Perseverance Co. Damages were laid at £100, but the c<*s> was dismissed, it having come out in evidence that the Perseverance Co. had a prior right to the gully for a tail race. Still, I think the Warden made a very grave mistake in granting the natural channel of a main gully to them (or any other party J for a tail race, thereby closing the only outlet in the vicinity of the reef for the discharge of tailings, &c, or the storage of water, especially when there was ample room for any party to havt constructed a tail race without interferinj; with the water running down said gnlly and without proving an obstruction- 1«> jmi*. other party that might r°ouire the u-.- ■ t the gully. lam informed +hut the Perseverance Co. inttmd suing the S. V. 00. for damages in constructing their da' * across the gully, or in other words (*>.' through the Warden's error), across th»-i ' tail race. For my own part I look ~«ji« •„ these proceedings as partly intenti<>'i.«\ the object being to hurry on the qu> -sim of amalgamation. The Shag V.ill vT. >. are now working very short handed, t\uy being compelled to stop crushing, <w r«v- / [ are uot able to get up coal, and una Wete t ; obtain horses and drays to cart the qu.ir z to the machine, although they w -re p-iy-ing 233. per day of eight hours f >r feu i horse 3 and dray, teams o£ all kinds U< •-•- being fully employed. Tho coinj>» T .y cannot even obtain coal, and yet w- ■ ■ paying 30s. per ton cartage, which add <••! to the price paid at the pit, 145., mak--> it rather expensive. They had tw> \avlock teams employed until last we u k, >h.o were then forced to knock off, it almost impossible to get the empty 'I" . down to the pit. The company w.prepared to engage any number of te v.i - at the above price, but could nuto^t:%" the two. I think even this small it?m <? news a small point in favor of the pro-eii-. progressive policy of the Snperiutt>nder> hand Executive, when nearly all tho tea .••'. are engaged on the railway and other pp.' - lie works. Now, then, lam drifting ir: o politics again. The Shamrock Co. ar-> also compelled to suspend operation. s, waiting-till the Sh;ig Valley Co. obtain a. stock of coal. They are intending to --J. a crushing of about 100 tons at that company's (S.V.F.) battery. Cooyer ar>f. party are showing the most activity ->f any party at present on the reef, causr-d by their working with water pow.-r They have had two small washings v lately, the result being an averse of Inr per ton. Th n y are now engaged t stone for another crushing, i hear tr » several parties are doing well at the all " vial workiugs on the Shag River ; i . ■ Chinese are also now on good gold : but J the river workers must now expect fivquenfc interruptions at this time of the year from the floods. Th=? weather on the whole so far, has not been severe, although T6 have Lid Borne rather

sharp fiosts on several occasious, but no snow of any account ; yet I seethe neighboring range of mountains (the Kakanuis) "are completely covered with it. However, we have had a large quantity of rain. The annual ploughing match, of the Shag Valley Association took place on the Meadow Bank property on Friday, the 4th instant — the same day, I observe, as the Tuapeka oue. The several turnout of teams and the work done, were really first-rate. I very much question if your affair could at all equal it ; in fact, although not being a sporting character, still I am prepared to lay you a small wager that such was not the case. Mind, if you feol disposed to accept, it must be a very small one indeed — say a ginger- bread cake. The weather was rather unfavorable (it being a cold raw day) for the attendance of the fair sex (some halfdozen only being present) who usually favor these meetings with their presence, and thus contribute in a great measure in attracting the other, or stei'iier sex. "Your own" must plead guilty to the soft impeachment, and admit that the tope of interviewing those dear creatures acted as a powerful inducement to him in attending on Friday last ; but lam sorry to say he was woefully disappointed, all through the clerk of the weather. Still, I can, I fancy, console myself with the idea that others as well as myself were placed in the same fix. The farmers are now fully employed in ploughing up their ground, and are very jubilant at the recent rise in the price of grain. P.S.— If I should, through a dearth of news, not write again for some time, pray do liot consider me defunct, and go to the expense of purchasing black' crape.