ST. BATHANS.

Cromwell Argus, Volume 1, Issue 52, 9 November 1870, Page 6

ST. BATHANS.

—o—(From our own. Correspondent.) October 31, IS7O. Ist, fine; 2nd, rain ; 3rd, strong gale ; 4th, snowing—cold ; sth to 7th, very fine; Bth, violent gale; 9th and 10th, fine; 11th and 12th, very cold—heavy fall of snow; 13th to 16th, fine—very warm; 17th, heavy rain; 18th to 20th, fine; 21st and 22nd, bleak—severe gale ; 23rd to 25th, very fine; 26th, gloomy; 27th, rain ; 28th to 30th, very fine.

How little has been said about the union of Otago and Southland ! The Press is silent; public speakers are ditto ; and no one seems to rejoice or lament over the increased dominion of Otago. I cannot allow such an event to pass in silence, and I congratulate Southland on being released from the fear of bailiffs, and Otago on her increased responsibilities. We have a railway now in Otago—more quickly completed than the Port Chalmers works will be, I suspect. I have heard an anecdote, which is Avorth repeating, of the Winton Railway, as an illustration of the speed of its engines. It appears that the enginedriver was instructed to pick up passengers ou the road (just as an omnibus in the city does) and among those who most often stopped the train for a ride, was an old woman who once a week went to the town to sell butter and eggs. On one occasion the engine-driver stopped near the old woman's house, and asked her if she was going to mount the train for a ride into town. The old lady replied that she was much obliged, but she was already late, and could not wait for the train: she would just run on, and come back by it in the evening.

We have been visited by the Hiltons this month, and also by tho Collins troupe twice. I need not remark about Mrs Hilton's singing, for 1 observe in the papers that " The Murmur of the Shell " has been sung at Cromwell and elsewhere. Father Royer gave a lecture in aid of the school funds on the 12th. The subject was Selfimprovement, and the amount realised was, I think, about _£3 or £i.

A surveyor has lately laid off into sections a block of 2500 acres near Beck's, at Lauder Burn, so that Tom's prophecy, which appeared in the Cromwell Arous of the 26th inst., in regard to the formation and permanent settlement of a township a; that locality.

In mining matters, I have but little to report. In fact, I would rather reserve all my information on that point until Christmas, for a good many will be cleaning up tail-races about that time, and we may be better able to judge how the claims will turnout after the washing-up. The last Push Company, of whom I spoke in my last letter, have now brought up their main channel to the rear of Mr James Taylor's (now of Cromwell) timber yard, and they are looking with a wistful eye across the main street, in the direction of the Vulcan Hotel. Indeed, I believe it has been dis covered that the western side of St. Bathans basin has yet to be worked; and if so, for the gold runs right under the township, this place is only in its infancy. Tom is sending you a criticism oil Petitions, but I trust I am not held responsible for all he says, for wo often differ in our opinions about many things.

TOM ON PETITIONS. It is scarcely necessary to go behind the scenes to discover how the machinery of Government is worked in New Zealand; for the motive power is exposed to the public gaze, and, more than this, often guided by tho public influence. It would therefore be a misnomer to call the Governor's or the various Superintendents' advisers " Privy Councils" (a la mode Imperial). They are more properly named Executives, for they execute the people's wishes ; and being charitably inclined, 1 would say to tho best of their ability. But my present criticism is not on the personnel of the Government, but rather on one of the means whereby they ascertain the requirements of the people. The principal sources of information are the Press, petitions direct, and the advocacy of members in Parliament ; after which come undue private influence, family ties, business connections, confidential communications, and Government observation. Out of these almost inexhaustible subjects for discussion, I have chosen one with which I am perhaps most familiar ; for it is to the muchdespised digger these elaborate memorials are brought for signature, too often by that selfish class—the victuallers ; who, with great flourish of trumpets, expatiate upon tho many virtues and excellent qualities of tho mining class whenever the former desire to gain from the Government a boon especially to the advantago of the victualler class, and, perfectly regardless of the interests of the miner, gain by insincerity the end required, through the endorsement on the bill of a worthy name : I refer to Miner. And the miners (easy-going, arrant fools) commit their autographs to those documents on the back

of a shovel, without ever reading the headings of the petitions (few excepted), in the same manner as they would give away a pipe of tobacco—quite indifferent to the cause they have advocated, though it may he against themselves, and simply signing to oblige anybody who may ask them. Speaking so much about a class or classes may appear a digression from the main point, viz., petitions. But I maintain it has a bearing for I am writing with an object—l trust a good one—and I must go to the root of the matter. To condense as much as possible my criticism on the evil, I would simply suggest that a large number of petitions from the Goldfields of New Zealand are formed—firstly, by the pressure of too many of one trade living on one another ; secondly, to force trade on borrowed capital and false appearances, often with the goods covering a volcano of bankruptcy ; and thirdly, by the childish jealousy of petty townships, fanned into a flame by aspiring citizens, who act and speak as if a kingdom were at stake. I quite believe in petitions as a means of drawing the attention of the Government to the public wants ; but it is the abuse made of such means of appealing for help from the public purse that I protest against, rendering, as it does, a powerful and useful machinery quite untrustworthy. The signatures are bona jide, indeed ; but too often without the sympathy, or even the knowledge of the contents, by two-thirds of the subscribers. Am 1 speaking advisedly, when I attribute a large majority of petitions to the selfishness of a few, who are, ill Colonial parlance, obliged to drive a trade to exist? Am I exaggerating wheu I state that eight hotels can be counted in a town containing a population of about 200 people ? and if I am not, may I not point to those eight hotels, and say that it is impossible that these places can be supported by legitimate trade. Their very appearance gives an unhealthy tone to the place ; and the traveller must suspect that he is looked upon as fair prey to the fortunate shark who catches him. It may be that I am drawing my picture in too strong colours, but my fault must be extenuated when I plead that so many of my class have so constantly and generously supported the victuallers, too often to the utter ruin of the former. There are few on the Goldfields of Vi :toria and New Zealand who have not witnessed '' poor old iloleskins," after a few days' bout of hard drinking, at a cost of from £5 to £SO, in perhaps one public house, kicked out—positively kicked out of doors to lie in the gutter, until their senses return, or a policeman guides them into the camp. And when petitions savour of anything like support to a class that requires weeding out, it is high time that every signature on the face of each petition be taxed, that it may be ascertained how many of them are signed by j persons really interested, and whether their interests are worthy of consideration and support. There is no doubt that the Government is often pressed into a corner, and feels itself bound almost to yield to the prayers of these monster petitions, even against its own judgment ; but by setting enquiry on foot before granting such requests, it would be sometimes discovored that perhaps two-thirds of the signatures may be struck out as belonging to men living quite away from the scene —totally uninterested, and indifferent as to the result—and, of course, the petition would lose its weight, and justly be treated with suspicion when this is brought to light. Again, it must be clearly seen that often the public meddle with matters that do not in any way concern them, and which they are not in a position to judge about; and, consequently, by taking an active part in such matters, they display the cloven hoof. Let us suppose, for instance, the inhabitants of the Nevis petition the Government that a Supreme Court and stone gaol be built at the Nevis, and in their petition it is set forth that, having at heart the public good, they feel themselves bound to point out to the Government the urgent necessity of having a Supreme Court, Gnol, Quarter Sessions, Puisne Judge, and Advocate immediately instituted at Nevis ; stating, as a reason, that that lonely spot is the centre of Otago (near the truth), having roads concentrating from every point of the compass. First, from Dunedvi by four different directions, viz.,— via Waikouaiti, via Rock and Pillar, via Tuapeka, and via, Pyramids ; from Southland—via the Dome Pass and the Backbone of the Umbrellas, a road well marked by snow-poles ; . from Queenstown and Wakatip by that fast mail steamer, the Antrim, via Kingston—and from thence by Glenquoich, through Nokomai and Upper Nevis ; from Arrow and Cardrona, via Edwards' Ferry and the Nevis Bluff diggers track, or the Devil's Staircase; and from "VVanaka, Morven Hills, Bcndigo, and Cromwell, via Adams' Gully, and Potter's, No. 2. This elaborate description of the geography of the country —the numerous roads radiating from so desirable a centre—would be snuff thrown into the eyes of the Government, while the Treasury chest is rifled of its contents—but not a word about the almost inaccessibility of the place itself ; and still more, will bo concealed the real motive, that a prop of huge dimensions is immediately required to prevent the fall of humpty dumpty. Perhaps this is a far-fetched case. At any rate, tho unhappy Judge, I am sure, would think so (as well as his Advocate) if it i were to eventuate, and he found himself some future 2lst of June ascending Cairnmuir to hold i a court. But, really, some petitions are almost as ridiculous as such a one as I have pourtrayed ;

at least—l \vill qualify my remarks by adding —taken from a digger's view of the subject. Surely it cannot matter to the people where the Court is held, or prisoners confined, as long all their travelling expenses are paid when they are called upon as witnesses at trials ; and surely, also, the Judges are the best qualified to advise the Government where to appoint sittings for the trial of criminal and civil cases. An opinion from dear old Wilson Gray (I must speak endearingly of him as an old constituent of his in Victoria), would be worth all the petitions that could be forwarded in a year, for his remarks would be well weighed, free from prejudice or party influence, and directed to best serve the interests of the public. Everybody to his own calling, is my motto. Let tradesmen and commmercial men petition about tariff and taxes ; miners, on water-race questions and mining privileges ; runholders, on assessment on stock ; and all classes on the subjects of support to charitabla institutions, roads, bridges, and lands ; but on government, let the Executive decide unfettered, and on the administration of the law, the Judges be the only petitioners. My object in writing on petitions—or, rather, on the abuse creeping in—is to advocate their purity, so that confidence may be placed in them as sure indications of the feelings of the subscribers, aud not suspicion that they are spurious. The appeal for help from the public chest from particular quarters, must, naturally, arouse the jealousy of other communities who desire to share in the benefits accruing from the expenditure of public money ; and if the petition is granted, and it is found afterwards, when too late, that the public interests at large wore not represented by the action, the Government brings censure upon itself, and closes its ears to, perhaps, legitimate memorials that are presented hereafter. Strict integrity in such matters is as highly necessary to preserve a healthy state of affairs, as the same virtue in Judges and Magistrates.