MINING.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2473, 17 May 1888, Page 2

MINING.

The Broken Hills.—We have been favoured with a perusal of a private letter written by a young man employed on the Pinnacle Tribute, S. M. Co., at the BroUen Hills, to a friend in Hamilton, from which we take the following extracts :—" The town (Silverton) swarms with hotels of different kinds, some are fine two, and three storey brick buildings, while others are gin shops. The population of the town is about 12,000, but there are so many mines in the vicinity employing a large number of men, who do all their business and shopping in the town that you may call the business population 20,000. There are establishments of every description, and they seem to do a good trade, but the rents in the main streets are very high, as much as 30s for one room about twelve feet square. The machinery is of various kinds, but all is used for treating the silver ore; ours is the biggest plant on the Barrier, and is called concentrating machinery. The only artisans who are in great demand are carpenters, bricklayers aud blacksmiths. Carpenters regularly employed get 12s 6d per day, but jobbing make 15s per day; the others get 12s a day. This place ia one of the most unhealthy in Australia. There were 50 deaths from typhoid fever last week. I have just recovered from blood-poisoning, being laid up in bed a fortnight with festering sores all over my feet and legs, and nearly mad with pain. ,. We have also been furnished with a copy of the Silver Age, oue of the three daily papers published at Silverton and Broken Hill. From the appearance of its pages, it would seem that business ia brisk there. There is a well-written leading article on the apathy of the South Australian Government and people of Adelaide in not pushing forward railway communication with the mining districts, the people of which naturally prefer to send their trade and rich mineral produoe to a large city, whence they can also draw their large supplies. But it seems that Port Pirie, which lies at the head of the gulf, and is 90 miles nearer than Adelaide, is drawing the business aud shipping trade of the minea. Several of the large companies are forwarding their ores to Port Pirie, and that plaqe seems destined to become a very important port, In the manager's weekly report of the Broken Hill Proprietary Company, the week's run of ore treated totalled tons, yielding 237 tons of bullion, containing 67,947 oz. of silver.