NOTES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1611, 16 July 1887, Page 4

NOTES.

The sheep-shearers throughout Australia and New Zealand having banded themselves together, after the manner of ihose who follow other trades and callings — as for example the seamen, carpenters and joiners, printers, lumpers, and others — have formed a Union for their mutual protection, with the object of keeping up the price of shearing to what they deem a fair rate. And if the price so fixed be really a fair one m relation to the price of wool, no one can blame the shearers for applying m their own case* the doctrine that " Union is Strength," and carrying out that principle of self-preservation which is the first law of Nat.ure. We do not now propose to discuss the question as to whether the rate per hundred sheep fixed by the Shearers' Union is a fair one, our present object being merely to gbnce for a moment at the countermove ot the sheep farmers m one district of the colony, viz., m the district ot the Amuri where they are banded together m an Association which has just passed certain very uncompromising resolutions. One of these binds the members of the Association not to employ any member of the Shearers' Union either at shearing time or at any other period of the year ; while under another, a deputation has been appointed to wait upon the agent of a certain line of vessels with a view to bringing Kaffir shearers over from South Africa. Thus, it seems that the Amuri sheep farmers propose to boycott the shearers of the colony, and to bring over a set of semi-savages to take their places m the shearing sheds. Now, if this is a right and proper thing for the Amuri sheep farmers to do, it would clearly be equally right and proper for agricultural farmers, and for manufacturers, tradesmen, and contractors to import cheap Chinese and Japanese labor to supplant the ordinary laborer and artisan. But New Zealand, if that policy were pursued, would speedily become subject to all the evils which have attended the Mongolian influx into California, and which are generically grouped under the expressive term '• the yellow agony," and instead of being a country m which industry and thrift are the high road to comfort and competence, will become a country m which a few wealthy persons will dominate over a host of serfs. The Legislature has wisely prevented our being overrun by Chinese by imposing a poll-tax of £10 per head, and it will be necessary now to extend that measure and impose a like poll-tax upon Kaffirs and other colored semisavages whose presence among us m large numbers would be infinitely worse than a wholesale invasion of Celestials.

Now that economy is the watchword of the hour, he that can show how savings can be legitimately effected may at least divide the honors with the proverbial " two blades of grass " benefactor. And one of those entitled to credit for sensible suggestions m this direction is Mr Caleb Whitefoord, the Resident Magistrate for the Kaiapoi district. A man was recently charged before him at Rangiora with horse stealing, and admiited the offence. He, the offender, had, of conrse, to be committed for tria.', but the Magistrate expressed his regret that it was also necessary to bind over alljthe witnesses to appear, suggesting that the law should be amended, so that on an admission m the lower Court by the prisoner of his guilt, it should be only necessary to forward the depositions to the higher Court, and not to trouble the witnesses to attend. In an article upon this suggestion the "Tiraaru Herald" points out that "a considerable saving would thus be effected m the admistration of justice, as under the present system every witness for the Crown is paid his expenses from the public purse. The cost of the Crown Prosecutor would also be saved, because it would not be necessary to frame an indictment or to appear to prosecute. All that would be required would be for the Magistrate to commit the prisoner to griol till the first sittings of the higher Court, and to send the depositions to the Registrar with a properly attested memorandum by the magistrate that the prisoner had pleaded guilty. The latter would also have to sign the document. The Judge would read the depositions, so as to obtain a knowledge of the gravity of the case, and would then proceed to entence the prisoner. . . . . . We d© not understand Mr Whitefoord to mean that a person charged m the lower Court with an indictable offence should be asked at the outset whether he pleads Guilty or Not Guilty, but that the proceedings should be conducted exactly as they are at present as regards the taking of the deposition*, and that, when that part of the business is concluded, the prisoner should be allowed to plead. If he pleaded Not Guilty it would be for the magistrate to say whether there was sufficient evidence to commit; if, on the other hand, the plea was Guilty, the course would be as we have already indicated, and as suggested by Mr Whitefoord." The ." Herald" very properly points out, as regards the form of plea, that " No loose admission would be sufficient. It would be necessary that the position should be fully explained to the prisoner, and that he should be made to understand what would follow on a plea of Guilty," ; but adds, "we are satisfied that with proper precautions the alteration of the law suggested by Mr Whitefoord might be advantageously made." With that view we entirely concur, and also m the opinion that not only would a considerable saving be effected m the course of a year m the cost of the administration of justice, but that the change suggested would save a large amount of inconvenience and expense to persons who otherwise must attend the criminal sessions of the Supreme Court m the capacity of witfiesses.

Anything like a break m the cloud of depression which has so long overshadowed the colony, and the promise of the returning sunshine of prosperity, is heartily welcome, and it really begins to look as though this were coming m the shape of a revival of goldmining. Those who remember what an effect the discovery of gold m Gabriel's Gully had m the early days of Otago will recognise what an immense fillip would be given to everything throughout the colouy if only some similar discovery

could now be made ; and it is therefore [ exceedingly cheering to note that both on the West Coast and m Otago there are premises of a great revival of the goldmining industry. News from the Swiss Republic mine at Cedar Creek, near Ross, speaks of an. extraordinarily rich patch being struck, and this m 'a reef more than 3ft thick ; and from Otago comes neivs of magnificent successes on some of the ShotoverTerraces, which, according to the " Otago Daily Times," promise to "rival the mining discoveries of former days." Writing of the claims of Messrs Davis Brothers and Mr R. Johnson, situated m that locality, the journal named says that these "terraces, which for many years past have been considered as worked out and worthless of being counted as legitimate assets m the industiial bal ance sheet of the district, show that with well-directed enterprise and judiciously expended capital such • worthless' ground may be made to yield returns which completely beggar those of the e-rly days of the first rush, and for permanence do not even bear comparison with them. Although both parties maintain a discreet sibnee as to their actual gettings, they do not by any means hide the fact that they are ' very well satisfied indeed.' Shortly after commencing work at the face of 'their first paddock Messrs Davis Brothers were offered £10,000 for then venture, which they refused unhesitatingly. The first preliminary washingsup proved that the refusal was a wise one. Besides obtaining highly payable yields they also proved the existence of a large quantity of fine gold hitherto quite unsuspected, and which they saved by the, judicious adoption of j blanket strakes and ripples. This fine gold amounted m iiself to mote than enough to pay high interest on the outlay and clear all the working expenses. So satisfied are Messrs Davis Brothers with their prospects that they do not intend to w?sh up before next winter, when, with an average good water supply, they modestly expect to lift about icwt of gold, independent of the blanketings. Mr Robert Johnson, who includes m his leases the ground of Grace and party, a name famous for one of the greatest mining cases m New Zealand, m which the party had to pay damages for encroachment, seems to have got on to a similarly rich run of gold, and is credited with having obtained iooooz of gold during last summer's work. These brilliant successess were, of course, not obtained without much outlay of labor and capital, and the employment of an equal amount of practical knowledge and sound judgment However, the immediate result was that the terraces which abound m the Shotover Valley were once more rushed. The ground is covered with pegs and decorated with 'notices' m every direction, and the local papers are flooded with applications for licensed holdings." The article from which the foregoing is extracted goes on to tell of other mining revivals m the Otago district, but we have already given sufficient to show that there is a really encouraging prospect of light ahead, and a promise of an early return of better days.