WESTPORT WARDEN'S COURT.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 851, 17 August 1871, Page 2

WESTPORT WARDEN'S COURT.

Tuesday, August 15. (Before J. Giles, Esq., Warden.) GOLD MINING LEASES.

Thomas Ashton applied for a goldmining lease of ground situate at Giles Terrace.

Mr Pitt appeared for the applicant. William Ree and others had lodged an objection to the application, stating that the ground was payable if worked in the ordinary manner, and bad been proved so prior to the application being made. Ree's first ground of objection was that the lease, if granted, would give the applicant the command of the entire terrace, and out parties from any back ground that might bo found to be payable. The Warden stated that the.objection was invalid, inasmuch as the regulations provided for tunnels being put through any lease to reach the ground referred to.

Ree then stated that the applicant held in addition an ordinary block claim.

The Warden overruled the objection, stating that any applicant for a lease might be the holder of fifty ordinary sized claims without the fact prejudicing the applicant's right to the grant of a mining lease.

Ree further stated that the applicant was already a shareholder in a ten-acre lease.

The Warden : If that is the case, it is very likely that the Superintendent would withhold his sanction to the lease, he having an objection to any applicant holding or being interested in more leases than one.

The objectors then called the follow ing evidence:— George Weston: I am a miner working at Giles Terrace. I know Ashton's block claim. I work in the adjoining party. It is about two years and three months since we struck the run of gold which we are now working. The lead ran out suddenly, and we struck it about three months ago. It might run out again as suddenly as before. The ground lying between the main terrace, and the smaller terrace is not payable It would not pay to work in ordinary claims, and certainly not to put in a tunnel, fetch in water, and erect a washing site. A large portion of the ground within the area now applied for has been worked by different parties and abandoned.

By the objector: Brown and party, Peter Ewen, also Davidson, worked the ground and left it. We have averaged £1 per day during the last three months. We hold an extended claim. The lead from which we are getting gold is on the higher terrace. There is little or no gold on the flat for which the applicants are trying to obtain a lease.

By Mr :Pitt: Ashton and party already hold a water right. If they had to rent water or bring in a race the ground applied for would not pay them.

The Warden remarked that the evidence called by the objectors supported the application. William Kee: It is the only evidence I can produce to show that the ground is really what is termed highly payable ground. Thomas Ashton: I am one of the applicants for the gold mining lease now under consideration. I know the ground, and have been working there for fifteen months. The ground has been repeatedly tried, and abandoned in consequence of its being too poor. I am in hopes of making it pay, having a supply of water, and by putting in a self-feeding machine ; but it is only a speculation. We hold the only water supply on the terrace. If we were to pay rent for water, or go to the expense of bringing in water, the ground would not be sufficiently rich to remunerate us.

By the Warden: I hold no other lease, nor am I a shareholder in any other lease.

By the objector: If there is any gold at all, it should be in the centre of the lease. Tunnels have been put in to the centre and the ground worked. I recollect conversing with Alexander. Patrick, and his asking me to show the pegs of the lease. I told him we had got payable ground in our block claim. We have crossed the lead twico in our tunnel. Ido not recollect saying that we had ground in the lease which would pay £3 to £4* weekly. I know where a cabbage garden is situated on the lease. I did not say that the ground there would pay £3 or £4> weekly. I said that the blue wash might pay a little. I heard of Weston getting* gold on the high terrace, but nothing payable on the flat. I marked out the block claim, which we now hold, about nine or ten weeks ago. The block claim runs, end on, to Weston's ground. It is more northerly than the lease now applied for. I took up the block claim because I heard that Weston was getting gold. Weston said that the ground was payable on the high terrace but not on the flat.

The Warden stated that the surveyor had reported favourably of the application, and, from the evidence he had heard, he was of opinion that the ground was such as might properly be taken up under a gold mining lease. He should, therefore, support the application.