The Cromwell Argus AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1869.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 2, 10 November 1869, Page 3

The Cromwell Argus AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1869.

dj/pili fyU ibi apes.- - How (rue this is -and Ijow necessary it is that in these timeal i&i Should remember the fact! There is alnur? ‘jdant proof of the existence of the /mJilp jihdir.e must bestir ourselves to attracting p&p&4. The recent discoveries of ritfefe auiifeTdus quartz reefs hereabouts is a ping di*l important event in the history- of this Province ; and it will be the faulfjbf ihe people if it is not Immediately turped. to advantage. Our contemporary, iW Ota'jo Daily Times, in his issue of the Bth. inst., has taken a most common-sense vies# the matter—a view which will, we commend itself to our readers, to the publuf at largo, and more particularly to those men of, capital to whom it more directly

Refers. , : Our contemporary states the truth Vv-hcn he says that “The business menl-of ‘f Dunedin appear to us to' have been ain|||iMy wanting in discrimination in the .‘Kudif Ferenec they have shewn lo all j?rofor the development of the gsM |ifietd&c They have, as it would f;failed to see, how much their own b&si*l' ness i|nd success is dependent upon tLat f;of the mining population of the Province. ‘f Theylhavo complained of dull times, but 4 'they have folded their hands, and tlfeir 4 usual Response to an invitation to assist ‘f in developing the resources of the P«5‘f'yince has been a shrug of the shoulfl'#s v . “ an adm&qHc\qwdUy in b^‘

trin^,~l§o^v^t~^presS^rTTy _ oui- con tomporary.Tias often struck our miiul with great force. We have heard men, possessed of capital and bruins, talking and grumbling loudly about stagnation in trade ; about there being no outlet for capital—no iuveslnioit ; about the resources of the country being undeveloped ; and so on—never thinking (strange as it may appear) that their own dilatoviness—their own want of

pluck—their own short-sighted caution—is more than one-half of the cause of the stagnation in trade, and the want of sources for investment, of which they so loudly complain. W T e urge this fact : that the majority of the monied men in this Province, at all events, are men wanting energy of character; and in many cases this is attributable to their utter ignorance. Ignorant men have come to tho Colony, and by thrift, good-fortune, or some other means, have almost suddenly become the possessors of wealth—that is to say, of sums of money which they never dreamed a few years ago of being masters of. Having got it, they‘fear to lose it. Much would they like to multiply and increase it (for the majority of such men arc misers in every sense of the

word). The language of the heart in theft ! cases is— I * 1 Fain would I climb, but that I fear to fall. ” And this fear leads them to hoard what they have, instead of endeavouring by investment to increase it as well as benefit, >the, pqntniunity; Just . this spirit—-thii? : ne;*y6us.-fear of' loss—has for M , voml years past; -Kept Otagcfjh its present depressed state,;' Granted -'that there arc Htubngst'ou'f capitalists rnin’iy courageous;'" plucky, manly speculators—men who take a liberal view of things, and who will,i upon reasonable security, venture capital; but our readers, upon very small reflection, will recognise the truthfulness of the picture we have drawn of the very large proportion of monied men in Otago. The ! discoveries to which we have alluded of | highly auriferous quartz in this district can i only ho turned to substantial advantage Iby the investment of capital; and it rcI mains to be seen whether those who have | at their command the sinews of war have also the pluck, as well as the intelligence, and common sense, to use those sinews, it remains very largely with them whether these splendid discoveries shall be turned immediately to account or not. Without capital this development is only a matter | of time : the determined man will, by toil ; and privation, overcome the absence of ca- ; pital—he will, indeed, by his sheer hard ’ work, create capital ; but it is dreary work, i and we trust that some, at all events, of j those who have money will take without j loss of time a reasonably liberal view of I this matter, and place capital at disposal j

for the development of the resources of this district. That a considerable influx of population may shortly be expected is | indisputable ; we doubt not that we shall j before long have round us a bevy of bees | seeking the honey winch has been proved j to exist; and we mention this fact because j we think that the Government has a duty \ to perforin here, and which probably only j requires mentioning to receive attention. I In Cromwell some Government represeu- i tative ought to be stationed—we mean ! some official as a receiver of revenue and j .so on. Long distances have to be travelled | in order to do business; unless, indeed, ■ the delay is incurred consequent upon the ; comparatively few and far between visits | of the Warden. ’ That that gentleman j comes as often as he can reasonably be ex- ' pected to, we admit—-indeed, we have heard no complaints on that score; but : one and all are of opinion that a receiver ; il|k evemie s ‘ l ould he permanently located . and we hope that the. Government ■ ■ Hjyconsider the matter, and that without ■ i delay.