WARDEN'S REPORT.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 286, 24 July 1873, Page 6

WARDEN'S REPORT.

Mr Warden Stratford, under date Arrow, July 10, reports as follows :—: — There has been no perceptible change in the population of the district since my last report, though there have been several important removals from one part of she district to the other, from old workings to untried ground, and consequently more prospecting has been done. The principal change of this kind has been a small rush of miners— about twenty Europeans and seventy or eighty Chinese — to the Motatapu. The advantages of timber for driving, as well as for firewood during the winter months, encourages the hope (more especially as stores have been erected, and it is found that goods can be packed from Arrowtown at moderate charges) that this locality, which has been twice before abandoned in former years, chiefly owing to the high price and the difficulty of conveying provisions, will now become a settled mining locality with its pre- I sent population of at least 100 men. There are eight distinct mining settlements in the district, concerning each of which I will report separately. At Arrowtown, a limited company has been lately formed, for the purpose of trying the deep ground at the confluence of the Arrow River and Bush Creek, immediately beneath the town. The undertaking is one of great importance, and in the success of which the business people of the place have a large interest. The sinking will be probably about forty feet, and the machinery required for draining the ground it is estimated will cost (L 1,000) one thousand pounds. I believe that the promoters are fully justified in circulating their prospectus inviting purchasers for shares, as the prospects by individual miners in the same place have been remarkably good, affording from off a false bottom as much as Lsto L 6 per week per man. Two great obstacles, however, have hitherto caused the abandonment of the ground— namely, inability to keep the water down, and want of capital to purchase machinery for that purpose. Circumstances in connection with this enterprise were never more favorable than they are now ; and the impetus given by the action taken on the part of Mearrs Roskrudge, Healey, and Davis, the directors of this company, has caused other companies to follow their example, and mark off ground below them. On the banks of the Kawarau River, between Morven and Nevis Ferries, the miners have not been progressing so favorably, owing to the scarcity^of water. The Cambrian Race Company has suffered more than others, owing to several severe land slips, that have damaged their head race, causing delays in the fine weather at the very time they required most water to test their new ground. This has proved a hardship to them, as their capital has been invested in constructing their race fourteen (14) miles in length, and they will have to wait until next spring before they can hope to obtain a full discharge of water, owing to the high altitude of the source of their race. At Whitechapel Flat, on account of seribua damage done to head races by the recent flood and the present unfavorable weather for sluicing, some of the parties are engaged I in tunnelling, in order to test the ground at the head of the flat at the feot of the Crown Terrace, and unless these parties are successful the locality will not yield much until the return of finer weather. In Bracken's Gully, a snug isolated basin, about four miles from Arrowtown, there are about twenty-five miners who have permanent employment and a continual supply of water, winter and summer. To this almost inaccessible place they have had hitherto to pack their provisions by a steep, dangerous, sideling track. I believe before long they will be enabled to connect the Gully with the Arrow Valley track, which will be a great advantage to them, and should reduce the price of provisions. The yields of gold from this place, although not high, are steady and payable. On the Arrow River, between the town and the h ight-mile, there are about sixty miners employed — some tunnelling, but the majority sluicing and river-bed -working. There have been no new finds during the present quarter on tne river banks or beds. Quite recently a very heavy flood has injured, more or less, all the workings on the river banks ; expensive wing-dams have been washed away, tail-races filled up, sbaftß swamped, and new beaches formed in many places where the flow of the current formerly swept the tailings by. The first section of the new Government track has been much injured by the floods — some parts of it entirely washed away. Some of the claims have been almost entirely covered by gigantic land-slips, and the wre( ks, which have fallen heavily upon the beach workers and sluicers, will hava to remain in disrepair until the frosts have disappeared. Macetown has lost some of its population, owing to the Motatapu rush. Packing has been carried on between these two places, and partly owing to the country being opened up in this way, miners have set into work along the line of track a few miles above Macetown. At Cardrona the floods of last month caused most disastrous effects. The creek for a short time became a mountain torrent, and swept away every artificial embankment before it. It has been diverted in many places, but the work of last season in this respect has almost been entirely thrown away by the creek regaining its original position during the flood. This misfortune, combined with a long-pending dispute between the miners and an agriculturalist— the former desiring to follow up a lead of gold that runs under the leased area of the latter, who has not yet made a settlement with them as to the terms of relinquishment of his rights — has proved to be a great drawback to the Cardrona, caused almost an entire cessation of mining, and has consequently retarded progress in business pursuits. For these reasons alone the population has suffered more during tbe last three months by adversity than it has for years past, and cannot hope to regain its position as a prosperous mining settlement, until the miners become entitled to carry on operations on the lead of gold now locked up. The farmers of the district are prospering considerably. The climate and land could not be surpassed for wheat growing. The latter appears to remain in heart for four or five years without rest. There are two fine water-power flour-mills situated about a mile fromArrowtownandamileapart. From these mills there has been sent away during the autumn a great quantity of flour to the several Goldfields towns between this place and Naseby. Oatmeal of a fair sample is being sold in the district from these mills. The farmers are improving their lands and houses. A large number of leases have keen exchanged under the Otago Waste Lands Act, and a great deal of land purchased. The complaint made by the yeomanry ia scarcity of labor, high wages, want of grass for cattle, difficulty in procuring manure for lands, poor markets, high cartage, long credit, and the unsoundness of the timber in the district for fencing. With all these disadvantages, a majority of theso men have

steadily increased in wealth every year. Stone houses are being erected in place of wooden ones ; acres of forest trseß are being planted, with gorse and quickset hedges ripening into Btrength sufficient to replace the cumbersome posts and rails. T have not heard of a single instance of insolvency among the farmers, who, to their credit be t said, have done much by dint of perseverance and industry in establishing for themiselves and their children hereafter comfortable homesteads. The farming district between the watershed on the Arrow and Shotover rivers is, for the loveliness of its scentry and geniality of its climate, and strength of its soil, with its creeks and lake, one of the most inviting places for settlement, in Otago. The combined interests of mining and farming will contribute a permanent revenue to the Government, be a good field for labor, the value of its land will incrfase, and when the fever for gold has completely abated, there will be room for a much larger population. Throughout the Gnldfields T have not seen better signs of prosperity, settlement, and advancement, nor more grumbling than in this district. Arrowtown in appearance has greatly improved daring the present year. New stono stores have been built. The public library has been enlarged with a hall to contain about 200 persons, a platform for lectures, and two reading rooms. The second Church (Presbyterian) has just been built. It is a handsome stone building that will contain about 150 persons. Almost every resident in Arrowton has his freehold section. Some of the freeholders are busily employed erecting houses thereon. I attribute the advancement of the place a great deal to the lanes of communication recently made by the Government between Arrowtown and the outlying diggings, and the success of the farmers to the ready sales of their really fine crops. The main trunk road near Arrowtown, as well as that leading out to Arthur's Point, is in a shocking state, owing to the delay in forming the roads, the useless labor of surfacemen, and the want of side drainage.