OHINEMURI. Mackaytown, Thursday.

Waikato Times, Volume VIII, Issue 437, 6 March 1875, Page 2

OHINEMURI. Mackaytown, Thursday.

Last night a large number of men returned from the ranges. All spoke in strong terms about the issue of miners' rights before the proclamation was read. Howard has registered his claim, and has put the time a% three minutes past ten o'clock, which was befone Captain Fraser had done reading the proclamation. Several men have pegged out at Waitekatiri, but we have no information from them yet. I have spoken to many of those who pegged out here, and they are sanguine of payable gold, but nothing very rich has been found. The prospectors' reserve has been pegged out several times, and opinions are held that the reserve is not good at law. At all events five men's ground will have to be given up, as the Gazette notice only reserves ten men's ground instead of fifteen. Patrick O'jSTeill and party pegged off five men's ground yesterday, and this morning several others pegged off the entire reserve. William Baker, alias Billarat Bill, was yesterday brought before Captain Fraser, charged with stealing biscuits, beer, and preserved beef, from Hohcpa, and sentenced to six months' imprisonment. In all, 860 miners' rights have been issued. William Buckland, son of Mr W. Buckland, of Auckland, had a nasty accident in the ijA^\resterday. He was cutting pegs for a claim, when the axe slipped and cut his leg. He was brought to Dr Forbes tent and attended to. The survey of Mackaytown is still in a great mess and there is much grumbling about it. His Worship the Mayor of Thames jumped a portion of the Government reserve, but Mr Mackay pulled the notice up. The claims are all protected till Monday. Several men are leaving for the Thames to make arrangements for a tew weeks' prospecting. Mr Mackay informed me this morning that he had sent in his resignation, because the Government did not go on with public works. He set a small road party to work this morning, A few bridges are wanted very badly. The Logans declare that their reef has not yet been found, and went out to sho\V i£ to persons sent out by Captain Fraser this mb^nii^j. | Others know their ground, but have not yet Aown the true reef. The first escort from Ohinemuri will leave this afternoon. Mr Bullen takes the miners' rights money, nothing else. The " Advertiser's" correspondent gives the following particulars of the issue of miner's rights :—: — " The announcements were received with cheers, but these were scarcely completed ere a stampede for the compartments of the Warden's office set in, and each endeavoured to outvie the other iv an affort to gain priority of place in front of the several clerks issuing rights, according to the numbers of the tickets held by applicants. The strong barricade in front of the building was enough to stand the severest test of this first and principal attack. There was intense excitemeut all round, and the utmost, eagerness was evinced by the claramous throng, now intent upon outstripping each other in the race for priority of occupation. The scene would have perplexed a photographer, for out of some hnndreds aasembled only those who had gone to the township on a mere visit or other business were calm at this time. It requires the talent of a Hegarth to depict their countenances or picture the scene. They were each so Mtent upon reaching forward to grasp the coveted rights as they were handed out, that little notice was tafcen of the crushing and scrambling- over the shoulders of one another, at the imminent risk of the limbs of many, and especially those nearest the barricades. Under the circemstances they may be said to have been very orderly and peaceable. There was no attempt to bar the approaches to the compartments, to the predjudice of certain sections of applicants, as had been stated would be attempted ; and there was very little need for the presence of the greater number of the Armed Constabulary, tdio had taken up their quarters in the vicinity in anticipation of active duty. Among the first to- get away with their rights were Messrs P. Austin, A Austfri, A, Porter S. Youn ,J. Leydon, and several naiives. The scene for somg half hour during which no less than 800 miner's rights were issued, was one of indescribable hurry and confusion. The tall and the short the lean and the stalwart, were huddled together in one compact mass, each endeavouring to steal a march over his companion in procuring the miner's right or rights represented" by Xis*.ticket. Inside, the officers were Warden Ssaser \nd Eepistrar Allom, with several policemen, witnessing the proceedings, while some eight assistant's issued the miners rights An attempt was made by one miner to enter by the back way in order to procure a number of minei'3 rights. The person in question stationed himself at the back entrance, and watched his opportunity to enter. He was instantly observed by Captain Frazer and the police, who speedily ejected him. His excuse for entering was that a certain official whom he named was in possession of his miners' rights, and he had ouly entered in that way according to instructions. Whether this was so or not, he wa3 rightly served by the Warden, who ordered that he should be compelled to wait until the crush was over before recovering the rights for which he applied. The collection of horseflesh wW v astonishing, Animals of every description, from cnorough-breds, three-quarter breds, and no breed at |U, were represented, in every possible nook ara corner. Some of them were hidden in the fern and ti-tree scrub &> 1 many a man who went to rest on the previous night confidently believing that he had securely tethered the steed which was to assist him to a pile claim next morning, found himself minus the steed when he awoke. The search was intensely ludicrous to those who knew the tricks played upon others. It is quite certain that some of them slept alongside their horse 3 in order to secure them. A considerable bonus was given in some cases for a strong fleet animal, and the strain upon some of them was very great. More than one horse, after the race, fellfdown, and refused to eat or to rise, from exhaustion caused by the rush to be first on oertain ground. The miners had them hidden in every conceivable place in order to prevent accidents,- and the T^ice to get mounted was in some casea very fatiguing. In others, relays awaited the approach of the horse or man, and the paco was very swift between these stations. The helter-skelter across the c^eek, which was unavoidable, was perhaps the most; and was watched with great interest by numbers who stationed themselves on the rise of the hill for that purpose. In some places men seen swimming across, miners' rights in hand, to gain the opposite bank in advance of others. Others would attempt to run over the slippery boulders and through a strong stream, whilst others, again, would run and swim alternately, according to the depth of water at the place they elected to cross. Many were the duckings in the stream through stumbling over a slippery boulder, which would persistently block the crossing. Some swam horses across in another spot, and retained their seats until they approached a perpendicular hill, where they took to shank's pony. A number of men were armed in anticipation of resistance to their progress, and one of them foolishly and ostentatiously carried a six-shooter openly in his hand, as if to eh.-illpnjp a ll comers. VVhotlior it wo*, tlia weu,j3ua, that UightpaeA oU^ers, off,, ©*ths-

frantic appearance of the man, we cannot say, bat the party in question is said to have been the first on his ground, and the first to return to the Warden s office. Another correspondent Writes :—After a brief stay at the Paeroa, I marched on to Mackaytown, whose tents were before me, shining white against the dark green fern. Beyond Mr C. F. Mitchells place, the Ohinemuri stream has to be crossed twice. At the first there is a flat-bottomed dingy, with which a man of colour turns an honest penny by putting people over for' a charge of 3d. At the second crossiag, a young fellow turns another honest penny by "pikauing" people over for 6d. The first man I saw toiling along the dusty road, with a swag, was his Worship the Mayor of Thames. His arrival at Ohinemuri was an event. Mr Da vies is a quiet unobtrusive gentleman, but his appearance at Ohinemuri seemed to be taken as symbolical. The Ohinemuri-ites (that's rather an awkward word, unfortunately), had seen cargo after cargo arrive, until they began to'wonder if anybody at all was left in Grahamstown or Shortland. But when the Mayor came they felt that it was almost too much. At last I got up to Mackaytown, and Jhere there waaahusy scene. Cashel has a score, and Me Cloughen, and Jack Leydon, and other familiar faces, and I found Mr James Rae surerintending the erection of a building in what is at present the main street. The sound of the hammer is all around. Everybody is dirty. Large spaces of the fern have been burned off, and so the ground is covered with a line black dust, which begrimes everybody within a few minutes of their arrival. All the men you talk to are lawyerisino-, Mr. Thomas Bairi being the mildest specimen. That will give an idea if anything will. £re the 1866 rights good or bad, is a great question; the niceties oi the rules and regulations are fully discussed.

Wellington, Thursday. A commencement has been nude with the new Government buildings. The block is to cover a space 310 ft long by 130 ft. The north wing is to be ready by November next, and the whole building in 1876. f y The Malay, barque, rWWobart Town, arrived to-day, with passengei-s. Yhe \easles are on board. The Post says :— '< We MjievVthe resignation of Sir George Arney, the Chief Vustice of the colony is already in the hands of the Government, and that the Commission appointing Mr James Prendergast as Chief Justice has received the Governor's signature. The commissions of Mr T. B. Gillies and Mr Joshua Strange Williams as Puisne Judges of the -Supreme Court, have also been signed, and notifications of those appointments may be expected to appears in the New Zealand Gazette. Referring to Mr Vogel's silence, the " Lyttelton Times,' remarks :—"This silence in England is considered to imply that he has been unable to negotiate loans as favourably as the former loans were floated. This, together with many other indications, forcasts a change in the political atmosphere." It proceeds :—" People are getting surfeited with the political romance. They wish to settle down quietly to agricultural pastoral, and mining pursuits. The Immigration and Public Works policy is quite enough for our statement for the next few years, without a South Sea Bubble or herculean task of Constitution mongering." A statement appears in the " Globe " from a reliable correspondent, whom, however, the " Globee" does not vouch for, that Moi^' tracks have been discovered at Oxford, in the bTIeV 40 miles from Christchurch. On the 2nd Marc? three people are alleged to have seen the foot-prints, each measuring six inches. The distance between each foot-print was from seven to nine feet. The\a rties followed the tracts for half a mile,

Dunedin, Thursday. A correspondent of the Oiago Daily Times says, the reason'of the Press Agency being such a failure is, on account of the salaries paid to its agents being so low. ° ° The same journal tenders an apology to Father Loleman, who had commenced an action against the newspaper for libel, contained in a letter from a correspondent whose name the Times refused to give up, and says :—« We now express our regret for having inserted that letter. We have been informed that the strictures «ire untrue and unjust, and that m all Father Coleman does he is actuated by a desire to promote the best interests of his people, and that his Church has no more faithful and zealous a servant. Therefore, we repeat our expression of regret, and tender an apology for ha vinogiven pain to Father Coleman." & The Guardian issues a warning to^iny miners who may think of going to Ohinemuri.\