BANNOCKBURN & GARRICK RANGE MINERS’ ASSOCIATION.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 227, 17 March 1874, Page 6

BANNOCKBURN & GARRICK RANGE MINERS’ ASSOCIATION.

A special meeting of the Committee of the above Association was held on Wednesday evening last at the usual time and place. Business: revision and amendment of rules. Members'present Messrs Moore (president), Smiddy (vice-president), Hazlett (treasurer), Berry, (secretary), Humphries, E. Chiltop, Stewart, and Qrombie. The minutes of last meeting were road and confirmed. Before the 'principal business of the evetting was entertained, a small- account for stationery, and an account for advertising (£2, 18s), were passed for payment; but not until a warm discussion Respecting the manner of payment of one of the items in the latter' had taken place: some members maintaining that the account in question should be defrayed by the conveners of a certain meeting, said to have been called in an irregular way, instead of by the- Association generally. Eventually, the account was passed in its integrity ; whereupon Mr Crombie tendered his resignation, and incontinently retired. It was resolved ; “That the non-payment of any levy passed, at a general meeting shall debar the member in default from having a vote until such levy be paid.” , On the motions of different members, the following rules were subjected to the hereinuuder specified intersections and emendations : The cost of membership, stated in Bale 3, and altered from two shillings and sixpence to five shillings. Alteration not to take effect until the 17th of January, 18/u. , Rule 5 was struck out, Rule 17 being inserted in its place; the word “annually” being added between the words “elected” and “by ballot.” -• :•< The words “ or at his own discretion,” to be used as a termination to Rule 9. As a new rule, it was passed,—“ That all matters of the Association be null and void unless carried out in accordance with foregoing rules and’regulations.” , ' ;T 'f A proposition to the effect “that Mr Crombie’s resignation bo accepted,” was carried. . ,/ 7, .... ><'■

There was, a fair attendance of members at the general mooting, held pu the Saturday following, and after the, usual preliminaries had been-gone through, the rules, as amended by the Committee, were adopted, after being modified in a slight degree;??; •m: i A .In the event of the absence of the secretary at any time,, the president was authorised to act in his stead until? the first Committee meeting... ■ ; A resolution was'also passed,—“ That no rule, or regulation be altered, unless at a general meeting.” * Mr Behrens was elected a member of- Committee;.in the place of Mr Grombie, resigned. The hour was a late one before Mr Buchan was enabled to. address the meeting. He said ho came before thein that evening to explain what had been done, at the Conference at Clyde ; but would have preferred waiting until more detailed accounts had appeared in the newspapers. As a. reporter from the Bruce Herald was in attendance at Clyde, a full report of the proceedings will doubtless appear in that journal. The Southern. Mercury's columns would also contain a copy of minutes of the Conference. He thought they must be all aware that an outline of the matters conferred upon had already been given in the Cromwell Argus ; so with its assistance as a “ sliding scale,” he would endeavour to convince those present of the great necessity of reform in the laws miners are at present existing under. He also hoped to bo able to show the urgent need which exists tor unity and co-operation amongst miners. The fact must be patent to all that great efforts, are being made by the squatters to crush the mining industry. Had squatters their wishes carried out, there would not be a single gold’miner in the Province of Otago. They had accumulated so much wealth lately, through the rise in the price of wool,, as to be in a position to purchase from the Government the land they now held under lease. He was of opinion that freehold property is a very desirable acquisition in a Province where you can scarcely sink a hole without obtaining gold No efforts,'he thought,, then, would be spared by the squatters to root the. miners out of the country, seeing that as long, as the miner has a firm. footing, in the country, and a voice in the legislature, their chance of acquiring large tracts of auriferous ground is very small. Mr Buchan said it seemed to him that, the illiberal laws and oppressive taxes had already driven numbers of persons, who depended on the auriferous lands for support, out of the country. The squatters, he thought, would experience but little difficulty in purchasing as many thousand acres of land as they wanted, ami at their own prices, did they but succeed in their wish—that of expelling the miners. Then they would say, “ Here, mine as much as you please ; but you must give us a percentage on all the gold you take out of our land.” That would lie a fine state of things, he-thought, for the miner; amounting just to this, —that the miner whilst making a living for himself, would be raising a fortune for the land-owner. In referring to the discovery of gold in Sutherland, Scotland, Mr Buchan stated that lie happened'to bo living within a hundred miles of the golden ground, and noticed particularly the way in which the miners were treated by the Duke of Sutherland. No miner was allowed to work on the Caledonian Strath unless under.the following exactions •. •Ho must pay so much ton every foot of ground ho worked.; a per*

centago on the gold obtained ; and so much every month for the privilege of being al lowed to mine. In short, so oppressive was taxation on gold miners in Scotland, that the only persons benefited were the land-owners. Cases have already occurred in this Province where largo sums of inonoy have had to be paid by miners desirous of working on freehold property, and unless minors make a stand, they will probably soon .find the squatters endowed with the same power as the Duke of Sutherland in Scotland., Mr Buchan spoke at considerable length on the various subjects discussed at the Mining Conference, and stated his reasons for voting for and opposing the different matters brought under consideration during the sitting. He was accorded a hearty vote of thanks, after which the meeting dispersed. ■