CORRESPONDENCE.

Cromwell Argus, Volume 2, Issue 87, 11 July 1871, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE.

[We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.]

THE BANNOCKBURN “ HIBERNIAN.” To the Editor of the Cromwell Argus. Sur-r, —I was hopin’ I shod hev had another matin’ to report to yez before this, as the Dilligate we Bannockburn boys sint down to Dunadin was mighty pertikler in tollin’ us that he ixpiited to have to rinder an account to his constituents, as ha was plazed to call us ; but as he has not yet shown up fur that purpose, I’m afther axin’ yez for a pace av’ room in yer paper, jist to tell yez why his Dilligateship (in me humble opinion) don’t quite like to come forward and square wid us. Afther the furst matin’, which ye’ll remiraber I sint a report av, we had another, but I didn’t think that worth reportin’ at all—lasteways not at a penny a line—as all the spakers shouted too much for annybody to renumber all they said. The Chairman was fur talcin’ all the rules serriatum (that’s Latin fur “ one down tother come an,” ye’ll understand) ; so somebody comminced about the Government grant an’ the wather from Coal Crake. Now wather, av coorse, will find its level (although the boys about here prefer Mr Hhmissy’s spirit level when they want to lie on their back an’ study the cintre av gravity), and somehow it found its level on this partikler occasion in Shepherd’s Crake an the 12 th section av the Goldfields Riggulations ; —av coorse, havin’ once found its level, there it stopped, an’ there no was gittin’ it away at all, at all. Somethin’ was said by somebody about doin’ away wid that rule, or givin’ compilation to race-holders in case av its bein’ iuforced, an’ Mr Dilligate said he would not attimpt to interfare wid the rule as it stands, but would like to see some provision made for the race-holders, so that in future, if a grant was given, the Governmiut should compinsate them if they took it away agin. You may be shure, Misthur Idditur, the Crake workers didn’t want to lose the two sluice-heads they are intitled to under the prisint riggulations, so they only promised the gintleman their votes on thim terms, that section 12 should not be interfared wid. Well, as we agreed wid him on most other points (hardly aunythin’ else was mintioned, though), an’ ho shouted like a brick, we give him our votes an’ sint him down to riprisint us in Dunadin ; an’ shure an’ ye sowld a good many ixthra copies ov the Argus afther he wint, for we were all ankshis to git the news av what he was doin’ down there ; but divil a bit did ye tell us that the Commission had ricomminded , that that same 12th section should be abolished, until yer last week’s issue, whin ye gev a report, av the matin’ av crake workers at Alexandra, an’ that jist accounts for the milk in the coeoa- ' nut. Whin I an’ me mates read that report, we felt all over as if somebody had trod on the tails : of our coats ; an’ sez I, “ Boys, we’ve bin sowld, ' an’ we’ll jist put a challenge in the Argus for } Mr Dilligate to mate us, an’ square that account < wid us.” So, if yez ’ll jist publish this, we’ll be i mightily obliged to yez. ' Ye see, Misther Idditur, it’s all very well fur , the wather squatters to want to monopolise the whole av the wather av the country, but it sames ) to me that Dame Nature (blessins an the owld lady !) has placed the w ather in the crakes for the use of anuy miners who may find it worth their while to work them ; an’ its out av all | raison to attimpt to divart sich wather from its natural coorse, ixcipt to be sure, whore there’s • more than is required for workin’ the crakes. r Why not take all the wather from the Molyneux ■ or the Kawarru ? an’, be-the-bye, if a few inter- ) prisin’ capitalists would take in hand to bring a race into Cromwell from the Clutha, how much 7 ground might be thrown open, wid wather to i work it, in the neighbourhood of the Lindis ! g Afther all, the race-holders are but a small miB nority av the mining population, an’, as I've .. read somewhere, “ the good av the few must alQ ways be subsarvient to that av the manny,” so the Governmint wud do well to considthur that, whin the Dilligates’ Riccommindations are put an the table.

Ye may think, sur, that I’m spakin’ at random, but as I tuk some throuble a short time since to ascertain the fcelin’ av a large number av miners an this point, I may jiso state me belief that nine-tenths av the miners av Otago wud oppose sich a measure as the abolition av a rule which was the first rule made on the Californian diggings, and one av the first in A'ictoria—a rule, I may say, that has always bin found to work well, an’ niver yet required to be althered. Take my word for it, if wo would see Otago advance, it is bad policy to attimpt to close all the crakes bekase a few capitalists wish to incrase their capital at the ixplnse av the poor digger, who may not have the manes to bring in a race, an’ is satisfied to work the bed av anny crake that will pay annything like wages. Hopin’ soon to mate Mr Dilligate, an’ with kind regards, I remain, Yours to command, Pat Murphy. Shepherd’s Crake, July 3, 1871.