THE Cromwell Argus. WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1870.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 26, 11 May 1870, Page 4

THE Cromwell Argus . WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1870.

We have received a copy of tlie requisition which is now being circulated for signature in the gold-fields towns, calling upon Messrs Vogel and O'Neill to resign ; but having unfortunately mislaid the document, we are unable to present it to our readers. Though agreeing in the main with the requisition, we hardly agree with the way it is drawn up* The issues are not plainly enough laid before the electors. Surely a man is not disqualified by merely residing •pro. tern, for a time at Auckland. The inquisition hinges chiefly upon this point. It is, therefore, equally applicable to Messrs Haughton, Bradshaw, and Main (the latter gentleman we may do an injustice to). It establishes, in our opinion at least, that members should not hold office unless they are residents in the district they represent. At the same time it is very desirable they should be so, and, all things equal, the vote should be given in favor of the local resident. But that is a very narrow issue. The question really is whether Messrs Vogel and O'Neill possess the confidence of the electors at the present time—that is, at the meeting of the ensuing Assembly. Now, this opens an important question. Miners and others must not be guided by mere newspaper reports—our own amongst the category. They must select the best man that can in their opinion represent them. They must further, as this petition calls upon them, decide whether Messrs Vogel and O'Neill are the best men to represent them. This always from the petition point of view. We believe the petition drawn up as it is, and yet not stating the issues in the case in point, will nevertheless receive general signature. It could hardly be otherwise. Yet we would have liked the requisition to say that Messrs Vogel and O'Neil have " utterly forfeited the confidence of their constituents by their total want of recognition between the purely gold-fields interests of Otago and their personal interests with Auckland." Such at least is our opinion. The miners like a definite issue, and as representing a mining community, we are bound to give expression to it. The requisition now signing beats too much about the bush—at least so we think ; but nevertheless we advise the miners and others to sign it.

Are we or are we not as a community going to take ony steps to secure a recognition of oar pnblic interests during the

present session ot the JPrOvihcial Ooul i We make thia remark thus pertinents 9,'H the liope of beiDg able to prod up son Ig| M our leading men to bestir thomselves in *| f matter. As journalists, though we T| j g ment upon publio apathy in the \ distrttttilli would be indecorous on our part toM Ww any action in getting up a public raeel I t] but we urge upon our fellow-citizeii«H M) necessity of doing so at it is unpleasant to some of oui -ea^iaß-■'■# make contrasts. Wo know on this oixsffi/ t) it will be so to some of our municipiii l <S[ "'siS cillora If we contrast the proceedinjH , B the Municipal Councils of Queenstowra v, published in the Wahatip Mail) and Om :-sffl well, wo almost hear a Councillorsafi lj in our ear, " Pish 1 what is Queenstfl a that we should learn matters from thoß "-tts and so on. Now, we must in due humffl „. differ from this laiser /aire kind of all ?" ment. Let our Cromwell readers especHJ J?8 read, first, the report of the QucensuH 'd Municipality.—too long for us everia -■ •'jg summarise; secondly, how they are we§ &M ing the Government and Mr HauglS "\t|| (their member) —and we venture to ■- £|S a useful lesson can be learnt Why, tfi . .J are asking for an expenditure of ■£ 10,11 *• this year in the district, and'what are! asking for? j '■•■ *! of ■ t . .. • "its seventeen miles on this side of the dividj ,i saddle. There are about 40 men at work on J p| track, and they are energetically pushing on wi «| it. About twenty miles of the track have yei ffl be formed before Lake Kakapo is reached. | em track will be finished as far as the dividl jg saddle in about a month or six weeks. 9 c& snow at present is pretty low down on the rani en having reached the top of the lower falls; bun it is not very thick, the saddle can still be cross! ,£ although with some little difficulty. Fox (1 cr prospector) was at the road party's camp if Hb Friday evening. He had been about forty-J .?t miles up the valley of the Dart, but did § mention having found any payable gold in t| •"■ direction. He intended to proceed to the vail . of the Hollyford, to prospect the country in t| direction, on the following day. Our informaf ! states that several men have recently crossed t| Th dividing range, some on a prospecting t.hir, a| sei others (shepherds) with the view of seeing! fog, there is any accessible grazing country to S te< obtained. . f ini Our Queenstown readers will be pleases ai * to learn that the track from Arthur's Point I P" Moke Creek was started on Monday last, a pari w€ of fifteen men having commenced operation al ?. This has been a much-needed work, and its conj *- pletion will be hailed with great satisfaction, j . Our Bendigo correspondent, writing of the 9th instant, sends us the following : jj t Aurora Company have appropriated one set B p}(. stampers for crushing for the public, and tjj rq. second set of stamp heads, used for crushing fjf f u} themselves, will therefore meet with no htoß saj ruption while the trial crushings for the' suit Ne rounding claims are being proceeded witte du The stone from Broadfoot and Kelly's claim 1 vo.i now going through the mill, but I will not W tie able to let you know the result in time for tha ! issue. The company (who have lately put on 1 dn day and a night shift in their claim) are sanguinat cei from the prospects already obtained, as to thm lot result of the washing-up. Twenty tons of m ex] cellent stone from the prospectors' claim of he Stewart Kichinond's line of reef have been oarte| ter to the battery for a trial crushing.' The draj Jle road from Sam. Williams's claim is almost cow of pletod, and twelve tons of quartz are to t» kir carted for a trial crushing as soon as possible! He From tho Victoria Lease claim a large quantity & r of quartz has been grassed, and additional haul he have b»en employed opening up the reef, an| for raising stone, so as to be ready for a trial crush! ing when opportunity offers. § wit Sjanc The fortnightly meeting of the Munici-I , pal Council was hold on Monday evening, thy Q f Mayor and Crs. Burres and Dagg bciug prcsentjj^. The business transacted was very slight. Mini utes of preceding meeting read and confirmed, \] lf: Outward correspondence read and approved [{ n Letter from the Queenstown Corporation n u read, askiug tho Cromwell Council to co-operati Col in trying to get subsidy continued for the en| ne] suing three years. The letter was received, anS> e j the meeting was then adjourned till Thursdayjjfye] the 12th instant. / Stat The sluicing claims at the BannockburnMei in Adams's Cully, Smith's <_'■: 11 y, and ripeclaraF 11 ' Gully, visited by our reporter during tho weekjjry aro in full operation. Theie is abundance oB water, owing to tho moist weather lately e *P?jP' riencod, and shareholders appear to be making good wages, several parties netting far morajL Tho Chinese arc not wanting in perseveranow", here as elsewhere. Those of them working aoT tho foot of Adams's Oullyare paddocking on (j run of about twelve feet wide, with stripping.§., about six feet, and wash from two to four f ee 'Mr The party opposito to Richards' hotel, ou thfljl ' flat, where thero is not so much water, are alsjj paddocking. The stripping here is about seveaH feet, and only the wash is put through the 3 l u * c jK, From tho neat and comfortablo cottages wilßi gardens, and the agreeable, cheerful deportmanjß i of the miners in this settled down I.'Kalitwß coupled with the information received, it woulfjj. seem that the Baimockburn diatriot i 3 c _5 uo ßr • the worso for tho wear and toar of the last =oVß[ li . years, and that thoro are yet many years of P l, °4tj i perifcy before it* §

From the Gentle Annia creek we learn < that Oatrteron and party, who have boon ongagod in the construction of a tail-raco for the past eighteen months, have completed the work, anil ore now busily-at work sluicing tho face which (i their water commands. The party have an extended claim of four acres, and wo understand their prospects' are very good. Such an expenditure of capital and labour as the substantial tailfib frace they have constructed involved deserves to *"'*"lneet with a good return. We are informed that the Chinese population in the neighbourhood of the Gentle Annie is largely on the increase. The opening of the Shotover Bridge has been postponed till Tuesday, 24th of May. The oemmittee of management had postponed it until the 14th May, but owing to the great dissatisfaction expressed by the Queenstown people at the day selected, it was decided to further postpone it till her Majesty's birthday, the 24th Inst. We remind our readers of the Foresters' Ball, which takes place at Richards' Bannockburn Hotel on Friday evening next. We understand there is every prospect of the affair being a great success. We understand that Mr B. R. Baird has received official intimation of his appointment as Clerk to the Bench at Cromwell. The monthly letter from our St. Bathan's correspondent will be found on our third page. Judge Gray's Court sits next Monday at Clyde, when an important insolvency oase, of considerable interest (re Sowdrby), will be heard. Heavy falls of snow have taken place in the Lake district, but the weather is reported to be soft rather than frosty. A. very important measure is before the I Provincial Council, in the shape of a Road Bill, I proposing to give very extensive municipal power | to districts outside of municipal towns. In i truth the measure is what may be termed a local self-government one, and the framers of it are | determined, if possible,—so far as Otago is con- [ cerned—to outbid the Assembly. If they will e endow these local boards with a portion of the f land revenue, and go to the Assembly to sanction ! such endowment, the system would shew more f stability. However, we must be content to | creep at first, and hope the Council will act j liberally in the matter, and not fear the creation J of rival powers.