The Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1303, 28 September 1883, Page 2

The Inangahua Times, PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY.

FRIDAY^ SEPTEMBER 28, 1883. Negotiations for the purchase of the race-course ground from Mr'F. Smith, are still being carried on by, the stewards of the Reefton Jockey Club. At a meeting held last week, a letter in reply was read from Mr Smith, offering to accept the sum of £1,200 for the property as it stands. The offer was discussed at s6me 1 length, but £1000 being the limit fixed upon by the club, Messrs Shepherd and Dick' were deputed to confer with Mr Smith, with a view of an arrangement upon this .basis. Another meeting of the stewards to further consider the matter will be held during the we&k. The club have secured 100 acres of land fora racecourse at the junction of the Boatman's track and Buller road, bub as it is rather heavily timbered the cost of clearing and fencing would toe likely to be large. There ought, however, to be no difficulty in bringing the negotiations for the purchase of Smith's property to a close. The difference in' the price offered and 'that 1 demanded is not great in relation to such a transaction, and both sides would probably be acting wisely by yielding something. The present course will require re-fencing at an early date, a work of some expense. On the other hand, to prepare a course on the Buller road section would be a serious undertaking and it. would, take two or three years to get : the ground. into good running order. '" U(i '' The long-threatening step has at length been taken, and a petition has been tiled for the compulsory "liquidation of the affairs of the Lankey's Creek Cement Company. The petitioning creditors are Messrs. Forsyth and/Masters, and the petition was lodged on .Monday last. Dunedin people do not seem to understand what , liquidation. ,in to mining companies, - • meahsi j ■ ; (We shall probably now see how' they 'figiiratively "stand fire.;' 1 '";;.; '".; V';. ' r ■',■■'' !' '!^\ We understand that Mr R.. W; Raiihby has been placed in charge of i£hpjbattei*y, and will superintend., flya approaching crushing of the Fiery Cross Extended Company. Preparations for starting the stampers are now l befib£ maclW'.a.nd the crushing will, probably Ue.commenced early ni the, incoming week. : ;1 . ' •. A meeting of West Coast shareholders in the Inker man Quartz Mining. Company will b^ hejd atDawson's Hotel, §\ik evening, for the purpose of nominating two members to .serve on the Dunedin Board of 1 irectors. We are glad to be in a position to say that the Globe aerial tramway has at length been got into thoroughly effective working. The erection of the extra trestle has had the desired effect, for upon the completion of the work yesterday morning the wire was set going, and, to the gratification of all present, worked splendidly, the loaded trucks arriving at the battery at the rate of one a minute, which satisfies the fullest requirements. The success of the undertaking is a subject of great congratulation, as it cannot be denied" that a strong feeling of suspicion was spreading that the concern was unworkable, and would consequently have to be replaced by a permanent way. All doubt on this head is, however, now set completely at rest, as the tramway was working continually during the greater part of yesterday, and realised every requirement. In connection with this we may mention that the directors communicated with the contractors, Kincaid and McQueen, of Dunedin, early in the week, expressing annoyance at the delay in completing the tramway, and desiring the 'ullest assurance of the practicability of the undertaking The contractors replied that there was no doubt in the world as to its practicability, and that they (the contractors) would make it a complete success no matter what the cost might be. This assurance has been amply realised, and it is a matter of very great satisfaction to all parties concerned. There is about 300 tons of stone in the upper pad dock, and the transport of this to the battery will proceed at the rate of five or six tonß per hour, so that it will not take long to convey it to the machine house. Mr Seddon, M.H.R, evidently stands

well with an important section of his constituents—the miners of Kumara, for on hiß return the other day from his legislative duties he was warmly welcomed, and presented with a congratulatory address Mr Seddon has had much to contend against as a public representative. His boundless volubility has exposed him io many attacks and much derision, and this perhapstoo of tenin forgetf ulness of the fact that loquacity, after all, is only one remove from- eloquence^ His warfare with the conventionalities regarding the use pi the letter ,"h " has moreover furnished a perennial source of attack by hostile humorists, and, what is perhaps worse still, not infrequently weakened the effect upon his hearers of otherwise some of the best speeches delivered in the House. In spite of all this, however, Mr Seddon has won his way to the front, and, it cannot be denied, has proved an able and useful representative of his constituency. The following is the purport of the address presented to Mr Seddou on his arrival at Kumara: — "To R. J. Seddon, Ksq.. M.H.R. for Kuamara. — Dear Sir, — We, a deputation appointed by the Miners Association on behalf of the miners of Kumara, offer you a most hearty welcome back amongst us, and at the- same time tender our very sincere thanks for the great ability and zeal you have displayed in our welfare, and that of the Colony generally, during the late session of Parliament. We especially i wish to thank yon for your untiring efforts to get the gold duty tax removed, and, though regretting you were unsuccessful, we have no doubt your indomitable energy and a thoroughly organised effort of the "miners throughout the Colony, will enable you to succeed when Parliament again assembles. Again thanking you, we wish you health and prosperity, and that you may long represent us in Parliament. — Fred. Marshall on behalf of the Miners Association of Kumara." As we have already announced, the plant of the Lankey's Creek Cement Company was taken possession of under destraint on Saturday last. Since then one or more other judgments have been recorded against the company, and in the ordinary course of things the property would be sold under distress. In view of the urgency of the situation the local directors made a further appeal to the delinquent shareholders in Dunedin, .suiting that unless their overdue calls were at once paid and the judgments satisfied, the machinery would be sold fey action To this a reply was received, recommending that the company should go into liquidation rather than allow the plant to be sacrificed. Had the recommendation been in favor of ." voluntary liquidation," it would have been comprehensible and even prudent advice, but. when it is understood that the coinpilsory winding up process will cost between £30) and £4< iO over and above the present liabilities of the company, how any solvent shareholder or body of shareholders could .elect to take such a step passes all understanding. However, the die has been cast, and we doubt not the Dunedin shareholders will learn to repent their action. Au article in the ' Lyttelton Times ' on the commercial depression which prevails in that portion of the colony concludes as follows : — " Why will people shut their eyes to the fact that if the public funds were fairly distributed, Canterbury would be a fair proportion of a million and ahalf richer at this moment than she is ? Why will they shut their eyes to the , fact that if "New Zealand were properly governed, hundreds of thousands of pounds, which have been wasted under the existing costly and unnatural system of Centralism, might have been saved? xlsentee landlords are admittedly a curse to any country. An absentee Government is just as bad. This Province is now standing to the N orth Island in the same relation which Ireland has occupied towards Great Britain. The same remedies are wanted in both cases. Canterbury wants Home Rule, Fortunately, we do not stand aione. Otago shares our troubles. [ Otugo and Canterbury ought to combine to agitate for a reasonable share of selfgovernment." The Kumara Times says :— " After" fully a fortnight of fine weather rain set in last Friday evening, which was very acceptable to most miners in this district, who now carry on their operations in winning gold by grouud sluicing. Although the rain ceased yesterday for a while, Mr Paul, the Government inbpector of works at the loopline new dam, reported that sufficient, he thought, had fallen to till the new dam by 32 o'clock last nijjht. It is expected this work will be finished in about a fortnight ; some of the laborers were discharged on Friday last, in view of its early completioa. Heavy rain set in again to-day, so that it is hoped good washings will soon result to the miners generally. Giddens and party washed up last week for lllozs., for seven weeks' work. Ward and pariy were not so fortunate in their washing, which yielded 63ozs. But Reynolds and party, for, we understand, three months' work, acquired 161 b. weight of gold, or 1920z5. F. Thorn, of Thorn aud party, Larrikins, sellout last week for L 150." The Westport Times says : — " We learn by private telegram from i. yell that Rosanna Boyle, a well-known woman,' was found dead in a tent on the loth instant,, and was buried on the followiug day. The Kumara Times says :— " We have received copies of the Melbourne' Herald 4th and Bth September, which contain some startling disclosures by the " Herald Detective " in connection with certain ■well-advertised aweepa on the Melbourne Cup. This investigation, it appears, was organised by the Herald proprietory in June last, who instructed the "detective"

as follows: — "Keep your eye on the sweep promoters who are advertising .consultations on the Melbourne , Cup. Devote your whole time and attention to mastering their modus operandi. and noting their movements; ;>* Exp'^e the. /'fr'shy/^ ones and leave. the others aloneV Spare n<v expense j be sure of your facts, and hit out straight against the swindlers."^.After.three months' 'fossicking!, arounct the writer says:--" I have now the honour of a [personal acquaintance, individually, with' fourteen of these gen tlemen, their habits, tastes, and idiosyncrasies." Our space' does not permit us to-day, but to-morrow we shall lay before our readers, and particularly the speculative ones, the " Herald Detective's " iii-st chapter on the. ", Swindling,. Sweeps and the Sweeps whW js'windle." Meantime we give the names of three of the Melbourne Cup Consultations which the writer has already exposed, and in which we would caution the public not to invest their money ; these are-No. 1, " Orient," No. 2, " Australasia," No. 3, " Great Bonanza." A fourth was to be exposed in the BemJd of the I.lth instU. . ;•/'"; The Transvaal goldu'elds (says the European Mail of a recent date) continue to occupy considerable attention here. We, as a colonial journal, heartily desire and look forward to their development, but we quite concur in what the Times and several South African papers say regarding the caution which should be displayed by English investors concerning the mining companies about to be floated in London All |who have lived in South A frica are aware that gold does exist in the Transvaal, and that if the fields are to be worked profitably • it rau3t be by English capital and labor. The great fear is that numerous petty companies will be Btarted by unscrupulous adventurers to work barren or exhausted ground, and bo hinder, if they do not altogether prevent, the development of the legitimate fields. In the current number of the "Squire," a "magazine for country gen tlemen, 'f we note that Mrs Carey Hobson has an article on the subject of the goldlields Having lived many years in Souih frica srie is enabled to speak with' some authority on the subject. She writes to show that tlie goldfields are no new discovery of to-day, and to impress upon all who go out \o the fields, and particularly upon the organisers aud officers of the various.com--punies, the necessity of profiting by past experience and guarding against a, sudden exhaustion (not of gold, she does not fear that), but of the more prosaic though the more needful supply of something'wherewith the anticipated rush of gold-diggers may sustain exhausted nature. It is her opinion' that the Transvaal gold mines will rival, if they do not surpass, those iv California and Australia.