TOWN NEWS.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume II, Issue 54, 13 January 1868, Page 3

TOWN NEWS.

(from our own correspondent.) Wellington, December 8,18 fi ß. In answer to your request I now beg to send ■you the news of the past week, so far as it has •come under my knowledge to the present time; any later news that may come to hand I will add to my letter before the coach starts. Business continues as dull as usual, but it is to be hoped that there will be a speedy improvement. The subject at present most considered and anxiously looked after in Wellington is the hope of a payable gold field. Mr Grove has been continuing his prospectings at Makara, and this gentlemen who has had great experience in gold-digging is carrying on his work in the most systematic manner, and carefully avoiding giving any false notions of the richness of the ground, The enterprising proprietor of the Evening Post has sent a Special Eeporter to the gold field to describe the appearance of the ground and his report which was read with much interest in town gives an excellent account of the proceedings at the Makara Gold Field. I quote from him “ The distance from the main road at Shelter's farm through the ranges, to where

Groves party are :at work, is five miles, over a tolerably passable track for men on foot, but quite beyond the powers of horses. On arriving at the ground we met Mr Grove, who welcomed us very cordially, and after we had rested and indulged in the luxury of a smoke, accompanied us round the ground and pointed out the amount of work his party had done. Considering the comparatively short time they have been in the neighborhood, it surprised us to see the extent of their labors. A tail race, upward of 60 yards long, varying in depth from Ift to 6ft, had been cut into the ground they are about working. This, alone, as you may imagine, was no easy task, but beyond that there is a head dam to convey the water from the creek clear of the ground they intend prospecting. Mr Grove who really appeared glad to see us, and desirous of giving me every information, told me that he had bottomed one portion of the ground he had Opened, but finding the rock dipping it was his intention to open out the creek to a width of about thirty feot, so that he might reach the deep ground. The amount of labor necessary to do this is very great, and it will be at least a fortnight before anything decisive can be known. The sample of gold which I saw is of a superior quality, and coarse—entirely different from the fine and scaly specimens hitherto procured. There are several parties scattered about the district, but none are working in the same sj-stematical manner as Mr Grove, whose long experience in mining matters gives him considerable advantages. lam convinced that if there is gold in payable quantities—and that is not yet known—it will be discovered by him'. The creek now being worked is similar to many I have seen on the West Coast, the wash being very heavy, much water-worn, and with every appearance of gold bearing. The country all round, in fact from the Mrkara stream, looks likely, and, in my opinion, as good as the spot where the immediate works are being carried on. I mentioned my opinion to Mr Grove, and find he agrees with it, but appears so loth to give any impressions, or to lead the public on a wild goose-chase, that the less said the better till he brings in his next report to the Superintendent. There is, however, no doubt in my mind that should payable gold be struck where the party is now working, the field will extend over a krge area of country.”

The Volunteering spirit is strong as ever in Wellington, and besides our four companies now of cavalry, artillery, rifles, and cadets, it is proposed to raise a fifth, viz., a Highland company, in all the glories of kilts with the national hand of pipers at their head. I believe this corps will yet be raised. The only hope is that we shall see all the companies stick together for years to come, and not hear of them disbanding after the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh. It will not speak highly of our intentions as volunteers, if the various corps are merely playing at soldiers to form part of a royal pageant. It would also be a great injustice to the Government,, who have gone'to a great expense and have stretched a point in at once allowing each volunteer the capitation allowance so as to facilitate the immediate procuring of the uniform when they had power to withhold it until the termination of the first year's service. The Artillery Company commenced their shell practice on Saturday last at Kaiwarra. The first gun was fired by His Honor Justice Johnston. The firing was excellent thanks, to the able tuition of their drill sergeant, The Rifle Volunteers have also made good shooting in their practices. A very strange case has been tried in the Resident Magistrate’s Court lately. It is on an information of Mr Joseph Browne against one Charles Augustus Rogers for perjury, which arose out of o late action in the Supreme Court (Morton v Browne) in which the plaintiff recovered £250 principally through the evidence of defendant. I will forbear from commenting on this case as the prisoner has been sent for trial to the Supreme Court; but if the evidence be true it discovers one of the grossests cases of commercial immorality, and one in which unfortunately a great number are involved.

I am glad to see that we have now more rapid communication between this town and your important district as the telegraph line has been opened to Feathcrston, I hope soon to see it extended to Greytown; and I notice that tenders have been called by advertisement for the erection of an office there. You will then be in as good a position as Wellington for the receipt of the earliest news from the Southern Island. A meeting of the Provision Committee of of the Wairarapa Railway was held at Osgood’s last Monday, but I am sorry to say that the attendance was not so good as I should have wished. The chair was taken by J. C. Crawford, Esq, R.M„ and after he had opened the meeting with some appropriate remarks Mr Smith said—(l quote from Tuesday’s “ Independent”) : In laying the report before them, not a stone bad been left unturned in order to render it as complete as possible without an actual survey. All that had beeu done and said about the matter in hand since 1863, had been taken Into consideration, and a digest of such, would be laid before them in the report from official reports and documents, as well as a statement of traffic upon the present road, amount of tolls, and an account of exports and imports. The estimated cost had been compiled from practical data, according to the prices of materials and labor at the jrresent date. The whole truth of Capt. Smith's proposed line had been ascertained, and a statement would be laid before them, as would be set forth in the report.

The report which was lengthy and elaborate, was then read by Mr C. O’Neill, C.E., and at its conclusion Mr C. 11. Carter, after thanking Messrs O’Neil and Smith for the care they had taken in drawing up the report, and commenting on the desirability of a railway as proposed, suggested the desirability of adjourning the mooting to Friday, when he hoped there would be a larger attendance. Before the meeting separated—

Mr Canny said as it was very probable that he should not be able to attend on Friday he should not like it to appear this was an undertaking in which he did not take the deepest interest; for he felt that nothing would tend more to the prosperity of the province of Wellington, and ultimately to that of the colony, than the establishment of railway communication. He believed, however, that it would be much better to form a railway in preference to a tramway ; because, with Mr Carter, he felt certain they would have to go out of the colony for capital, and English capitalists would be far more ready to advance their money upon a railway than a tramway. He did not roly much upon the figures of the estimated traffic that had just been road out to them ; but a railway created traffic of its own, and it would, moreover, pay us to give 7 per cent for the money even' for the sake of having £200,000 or £300,000 laid out amongst us. But the natural increase of traffic would, he believed, make the railway pay a dividend that would astonish many people.. They must, however, be cautious in the first, steps they took, because the ultimate success of such an undertaking as this mainly depended upon its feeing established upon a stable foundation, and they should be careful to lay sore and reliable data before English capitalists. Fuller statistics must be obtained, and a proper survey of the country made before they went into the money market. Mr Bunny then alluded to a letter from Mr 11. M. Marchant, on the subject of the railway

which lately appeared in the “ Independent.” He thought the offer made in that letter ought to be carefully considered by the Provisional Committee ; for if it were made in good 'faith, it would do away with one of their great difficulties—the money difficulty. Mr Merchant's offer was’,fairly beforethe public, andhe thought a sub-committee should be appointed to consider that and all the proposals on this subject that might be made.

Thursday,' 6 a.m. I have very little more to add. The Railway Committee hold another meeting this evening, where I hope to see many of your Wairarapa settlers. The leport of Messrs O’Neil and Smith appears in this morning’s “ Independent,” but you will find it too elaborate to condense and too long to reprint. It occupies over five columns of the “Independent.”

Browne, to whom I have already alluded in the perjury case as prosecutor of Rogers, is to come up himself before the Resident Magistrate to day, charged by Morton with the same offence (perjury.) The Asterope has sailed for London with a full cargo and few passengers. The Falcon (man-of-war) baa arrived in Wellington.