Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. Cromwell: Tuesday, December 23, 1873.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 215, 23 December 1873, Page 4

Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. Cromwell: Tuesday, December 23, 1873.

From our various exchanges, we now perceive that the reduction in the price of gold has been a universal one throughout the Province. From the silence.'of most of our contemporaries, we had almost begun to think that the reduction onlyaffected the Cromwell district. We are glad to sec that the reduction is general, as it may have the effect of making the miners follow the example set by the banking corporations, and adopt some method of breaking down the monopoly which hitherto has practically existed, with an interval now and again, in the gold-buying business. Now is the time, as one of our correspondents says, for the Miners’ Associations to come to the front; now is the time to provo whether they can really work unitedly, and whether they can organize the great body of miners to act in one common cause. They have hitherto, on the whole, been very successful to a certain extent, in influencing the direction of mining affairs in their own particular districts; and they have very successfully gathered representatives together from all parts of the Province to attend Conferences which have had a wholesome effect upon mining legis’atior. To a certain degree, however, they followed the lead of one dominant Association, and it is only within the last twelve months that District Mining Associations can fairlv be said to have had a well-defined existence. Will the Associations fairly meet the assault which has been made upon the mining interest in such an unmistakeable way by the hankers, or will they yield to it, and allow themselves to drift with the current of circumstances'? Tho bankers, by their late action, say as plainly as possible that they will buy the article which the miner has to sell at any price

they please ; the miner himself is to have no voice in the matter, nor is he to have a word to say as to when the price will bo raised or reduced. No explanation will he vouchsafed him as to the reasons for malej ing the alterations, and he will he treated i as simply a machine from whom the | greatest amount of obtainable profit is to j he extracted. The Associations have 1 hoard this lately, if not in actual words, iin more potential actions: what answer ihave they to give to it ? This season of i the year is the most inconvenient one for I members of Mining Associations to he j brought together to discuss such matters, j as their individual attention is either re- ' ■ quired at their claims, or they are dispersj ing or dispersed for their hard-earned ! !annual holiday; but we trust that some i definite and united action will he arrived at before the close of another month. One or two proposals for a combination on the part of the miners have been put 1 tor ward already for Mm mii si deration of

the various Associations; bub. as these have not yet had time to be considered throughout the Province, we do not think it advisable to discuss the propriety or practicability of them; Other proposals will doubtless be made and duly discussed. Of one thing we are' certain, and we cannot too often insist upon it: whatever proposal is assented to by the majority, let it be faithfully adhered to, and it will ulti mately be successful in breaking down the combination of the banks in the matter of gold-buying. It may not appear to some to be the shortest method of reaching the desired consummation, but it is better to go the long road to one’s destination than to sit down by the wayside and not travel at all. For the very reason, however, that we have mentioned, —namely, the necessity of united action, —we would in the strongest terms deprecate any such action as that proposed and adopted by the public meeting of the miners at the Bannockburn last week. The first proposition made and carried we can do no other than cordially recommend to the earnest attention of all in this district who are interested (and who are not 1) in the prosperity and advancement of the mining interest. Time after time, by private individuals, and by public bodies, the establishment of a Government assay office in Dunedin has been advocated, and there can be no doubt it would help in a great measure to secure to the miner the exact thing which is wanted, —the standard value of the gold which he produces. It was right to add as a rider to the proposition that a petition should be drawn up and presented to the Govern-

Mont, praying that the miners should be assisted by them in reaching this desirable end. When it becomes apparent that it ■would be a good thing to establish and encourage a sugar refinery, a paper mill, a ’whale-fishery, or a woollen cloth manufactory, the Government without any hesitation steps irt and offers a bonus of one, two, or even ten thousand pounds to induce people to embark in these businesses. What more reasonable, then, than that thevshould assist in simply protecting an industry like goldmining, which, let woolgrowers talk as they like, has been the industry which first gave New Zealand the real start in the race of nations? Reasonable, we said; nay. it has reached the point when it is imperative on the part of the Government, to step in and that justice is done. All the miners in the Province can see the propriety of united action in regard to the first proposition.' With the second one, however, we cannot at alb'agree. It is evidently based upon the proposal brought forward at the Cromwell Miners’Association by Mr ConCLOUGH, to the effect that all the miners in the Province combine to sell their gold to one particular hank. The intention beyond a doubt is to support the meaning of Mr Colclough’s resolution. Why, then, not wait until the resolution had a chance of being discussed, and either accepted or rejected by the miners of the Province, —till a special time had been appointed by the united Associations for deciding the matter if they should think it worthy to be entertained at all ? Why, indeed, not wait till it would ba seen whether some Association or other would not bring forward some even better plan than that proposed by Mr Colclough ? The miners at the Bannockburn have been too hasty in this matter. Their action may be interpreted as a desire to lead all the Associations; —an interpretation which might be the thin edge of the wedge which would eventually lead to discord. By all means, if they choose, let it stand as an expression of their opinion as to which bank should be supported in the case of one bank being chosen by the united miners in the Province ; but let it by no means bo put forward as the ultimatum of one particular district. This is the light in which it is viewed at present by the miners in districts outside of our own, and in other portions of our own district. When the united Associations consider the question of some common action being taken against the combination of the hanks, it may be, if they favourably entertain the suggestion of the Grom-

well Miners’ Association, that the majority will be found to be in favour of supporting a bank that is at present practically in the position of a thirdsnian, —namely, the National Bank, which, we may mention, was buying gold until lately at the rate of £3 Ids, 3d. per ounce. If unanimity of feeling is not encouraged amongst the miners on this special question, the result will assuredly be, that the monopoly of which we all at present complain will bo made stronger than over ; and the districts will simply be divided between the various banks, as was done when the Alexandra district was resigned to the special benefit of the Bank of New Zealand, and the Clyde, district for that of I

Contractors are reminded that tenders for the various sections of the Cardrona track must be iu on Monday first, 2i)th inst. Mr M'Nnltv’s hotel, furniture, waggons, horses, &c., will be disposed of by Messrs Earncs and Stanbrook to-morrow, at the Roaring Meg.

Our Bannockburn friends particularly are reminded of the concert and ball which takes place at Halliday’s to-morrow evening. The proceeds are for the benefit of the school children, we understand. The miners at Chines are determined not to be ruined by <! Chinese cheap labour,” at any rate, as may be seen by the telegrams published in our sixth page. All the papers we have seen commend them for the stand they took in the matter. The native disturbance on the West Coast of the North Island, reported iu our telegraphic news last week, is now discovered, according to some of our exchanges, to have been only an annual event which takes place about some trumpery piece of land. The killed and wounded are summed up as “ nil.” A Reefton telegram of December 18th says ;—“ A public crushing company has been formed, with a capital of £IO,OOO, in 20,000 shares ; 30,000 applied for in twenty-four hours. Splendid stone has been struck in the Golden Ledge ; shares advanced 100 per cent, iu two hours. Claims have greatly advanced in value since the formation of the crushing company.” Last week’s Gazette announces that the following lands have been thrown open for occupation under the deferred payment system : 6000 acres at Waipahee ; 2635 acres at Glenkenich ; 5000 acres at Waikaka and Chaton ; 1500 acres at Lower ffawea (run 236) ; 2500 acres at Highlay ; and 2532 acres at Teviot.— The Hawea land will be open for occupation cn the 17th February 1874. The postmaster of German Bay, Akaroa, has (says the Lyttlelon Times) for the public convenience, a letter-box placed along the public road. A vagrant swarm of bees, one day last week, thought the box would suit their convenience, and without consulting either postmaster or public took up their abode within. The astonishment of the postmaster, and the trouble of dislodging what were not Her Majesty’s mails, can be better imagined than described. Margaret Ann Wilson, alias Mitchell, alias Stoy, was arrested at Invercargill, on the 13th inst., on a charge of having committed bigamy at Cromwell in .Tune, of last year. Sergeant Fleming, in giving evidence before Mr M'Culloch, R.M., said : “ At first she denied being the person in question, but she soon admitted the charge, and said she would like the case to be heard at Invercargill, so as to put the person cha?-ging her to all possible expense. Her second husband, Charles Stay, a German, was with the prisoner when I arrested her. Prisoner told me that she was married to Stoy, and also that she hud her marriage certificate with her.” She was remanded to Cromwell, and yesterday she was brought up here before James Corse, Esq., J.P., and remanded to Clyde for 48 hours.

We heard last week with much pleasure that Mr M'Corraick had been successful in getting across one of the girders of the bridge above the Nevis ferry. The work was attended with great difficulty and danger, as there was' a succession of violent gales during the last fortnight, and operations were ranch retarded in consequence. It was fortunate that extra precautions had been taken to carry the girder safely over ; for some of the slings upon which tin weight, came gave way, and it was only the reserve slings which saved the work from being destroyed, and probably the loss of one or two lives. Mr M'Oormick, we believe, means to build the other two girders from the one which is now across, an 1 do away with the trouble and expense of carrying them across. Messrs Turnbull and Hastings visited the works on their road to Queenstown from Cromwell, and expressed great satisfaction at the progress of the works, and the manner in which they been done.

In consequence of the near approach of Christmas the town and i s surroundings have presented an unusually animated appearance for the last few daysS Many parties have already made their Christmas washings-np, and a sensible increase in the currency of the realm has been felt by all parties in consequence. The annual meeting of the Cromwell Jockey Club, which takes place on Friday and Saturday, has also had its share in causing a little bustle. The most of the horses about to take part in the forthcoming meeting are now in the various stables and loose-boxes most frequented bypatrons of the turf, and are daily watched and lovingly admired, and rice verm, by enthusiastic horsey people. On no day of the r,resent week will some excitement be lacking. To-day is and to-morrow will be busy, for these arc, for practical business purposes in a. gold-fields town, the closing days of the year 1873 : the results of the washings-up have to he disposed of, and the year’s accounts squared up. After that, conics Christmas ; and after that the great carnival—the annual race-meotiug.

The remark made by Mr Bastings while in Cromwell recently, that it would be a good thing if the Provincial Councillors con'd all be sent round the country to visit places and sec things for themselves, deserves a slight notice. All up-country members of the Council will canfirm’the statement, we think, that the great difficulty which meets them in their advocacy of purely country interests is the ignorance which generally prevails in the Council as to what the “country” and its inhabitants really are like. Not knowing the country, and not knowing the people who inhabit it, how shall they be able to provide for their requirements ? It was not at all a had notion on the part of some of the country members last year to hold a sitting of the Council say at Queenstown, or soma other “ country” place. The members would of necessity learn much to their geographical advantage, —at any rate the shape and nature of the country for which they legislate and provide. If the sitting could further bo arranged, ns it was last time, to take place in the middle of winter, the members would return bone (if they were fortunate enough) sadder and wiser men. They would never have the face to again vote the miserably inadequate sums they sometimes do for un-coimtrv roads.