UPPER WAIKATA.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 330, 14 February 1874, Page 3

UPPER WAIKATA.

(From our oion Correspondent.) February 9th. We are baily in want of a mail to, this place. We are 18 miles from tbe nearest post office and sometimes are 5 or 6 weeks before we get our papers and other correspondence. As I have before stated in your columns, we have to depend on chance travellers, or the packers who are very irregular, through which uncertainty we lose a great number of our papers and letters. Many places of less importance than this have a •weekly mail. This place is increasing in importance and numbers daily. If we had a regular mail here, say once a week in the Bummer time and fortnightly in winter, which coidd be brought from the Teviot at a very reasouable cost, in addition to supplying a want we very much feel it would also benefit a great number of miners' working a few miles distant in tho surrounding diggings who could come here, when tb6y could not go to the Teviot or Switzers on account of the weather, besides saving them the long journey, with its expense. Whoever had the carrying of the mails here could pass over the ranges on foot any time in the winter, as the snow is generally frozen sufficiently to carry a man or he could call into requisition snow shoes. In mining matters I may mention that the Anglo-Swiss has this season already taken up two paddocks, without mentioning the number of ounces. I may state that this claim fully maintains its reputation as an extraordinary rich one. All other claims are hard at work opening up and there are several applications before the Warden for new claims. In fact the whole of the river, with the exception of gorges is being rapidly taken up.