REEFTON AND THE LYELL.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1068, 2 May 1873, Page 2

REEFTON AND THE LYELL.

(from otjb, owsr coihiespowdent ) Reefton, April 26. Having just returned from one of my periodical visits to the various diggings between this and the Lyell, I send you a few mining and other items which I trust will not prove uninteresting to your readers. In the Lyell township several new buildings have lately been erected, and the main street is beginning to assume proportions more in accordance with its name than formerly existed. There is a fair share of business being done, but great complaints exist regarding the scarcity of ready money. There is no doubt tbat this will become a large town at some future period, but not within the next two or three years, and in the meantime there is great danger of its suffering from the same cause as Eeefton—overtrading. The two great wants of the place are money and machinery, or if you prefer it, capital and crushing power. There is at present only eight head of stampers to crush for all the claims. It is true tbat in a couple of months or so the Little Wonder machine will be up, which will supplement this number by an additional five. But what is the use of thirteen head of stampers to crush for some score of claims, many of which are at present getting out golden stone? Many of these have large quantities of stone in their paddocks, so that by the time mentioned there will probably be in the aggregate some 500 tons awaiting crushing. Taking five tons as the average that each head will crush per week we shall then have a crushing power of sixty-five tons a week to get rid of all

this accumulated wealth, and to crush ! for all tho claims on gold, whose number by that time will certainly be increased. To think that either the reefs or the town eau 'go ahead' under these circumstances is preposterous. No! More machinery is required, and this will necessitate the introduction of outside capital, without which both the reefs and the town must stagnate. Already great apathy is beginning to manifest itself in the matter of getting out stone. The miners think it next to useless to push on their workings, when they will have to wait weary months for a crushing. I wonder the Alpine Company do not increase their crushing power, They have water power for four times the quantity of stampers they are now employing. The Excelsior, Alpine, and some of the more recently opened claims are still getting out good stone. The Little "Wonder men are chiefly employed on the machine site, and the tramway from the Eight Mile to their battery was being surveyed at the time of my visit, and the pack-track from Zala-town to the Eight Mile is proceeding satisfactorily. There are several alluvial parties on the banks of the Buller who are earning fair wages; and one or two parties on the Upper Buller are making from £G to £8 per week a man.

A little excitement was caused at Larry's last week by No. 2 south striking the reef. They had intersected a goldbearing leader some ten days before, and on the Tuesday morning the main reef was struck. It is about two feet thick, with good rough gold right through the heart of the etone similar to that in the prospectors' claim.

At Boatman's great energy has been displayed by the Fiery Cross and Just in Time claims combined, in constructing the road for the conveyance of their machinery to its site. They are now occupied in bringing in a race. The Fiery Cross stone is very rich and improves as it goes deeper. The alluvial diggings in the neighboring gullies have been in a languishing state for some time, owing to the scarcity of water. The mining conference held their first sitting on Thursday last. They have been most zealous and painstaking in the discharge of their duties, their sittings each day having been protracted far on into the night. They have been chiefly occupied with the consideration of " ordinary quartz claims," and the rules and regulations they have drawn up will be submitted to the Wardens at their meeting on Monday. Their object has been to assimilate and equalize the rights and privileges of ordinary quartz claims, and those of holders of goldmining leases, which I think will prove a step in the right direction. Reefton is suffering severely from the general depression, and it must be some time before it can' recover j although the capital return of Anderson's Company's recent crushing—nearly l£oz to the ton —will no doubt exercise some influence in this respect. Scrip is at discount and no mistake! 925 in the North British, next to the Golden Fleece, Shiels's line, were sold by auction this afternoon at a farthing each. Band of Hope realised two pence, and some Invincibles, next to Anderson's, were withdrawn at eighteenpence, the auctioneer stating that he had been offered a much better price privately. As showing the altered state of things now, from what obtained twelve months ago, I may mention that a quantity, of potatoes were sent down this afternoon to Greymouth.