The Dunstan Times FRIDAY, 3rd AUGUST, 1866

Dunstan Times, Issue 223, 3 August 1866, Page 2

The Dunstan Times

FRIDAY, 3rd AUGUST, 1866

1 bout:ith the rule of men entirely just, tie pen is mightier than the sword!”

We are constantly-in the receipt of letters from correspondents .respecting the placing of the management of the goldfields into the hands of the General Government. The desirability of such a proceeding has often times occurred to us, especially since the ; di scovery of gold on the West-Coast. When mining for gold was almost exclusively confined to Otago, the interference of the General Government in the management of the goldfields was with the exception of one instancenevermooted. Now, however, that gold has been found distributed over so large a portion of the South Island, and miners are constantly travelling about from province to province, the want of some more universal and comprehensive system of management is urgently needed, A miner's-right only having force in the province in which it is issued, is a great tax upon the energies of the enterprising gold-seeker who finds it to his interest to follow up the rushes as they occur. Now, supposing a miner wishing tn try Hokitika, he has to pay a pound to the Canterbury Government ior leave to ! mine for gold notwithstanding he may but a few clays previously have paid a similar sum to Ako Otago Government ftf? alike privilege ; fiudiiJg that Hokitika does not earne up to his expectations he desires to try the Grey, and there he is called upon by the Nelson Government for the payment of another pound, notwithstanding that the distance betw< en the two places is insignificantly small, in the short space of one month; a miner may be at all these three places and never have travelled anything like the distance the would have clone in going from one Victorian goldfield to another. The half-crown an ounce duty on the gold ho obtains is a heavy tax in itself, without his being compelled to pay three-pounds per annum for leave to find it. No miner begrudges.'' to contribute his quota towards the expenses of preserving law and order ; but he has a right to grumble when he pays a long price for a thing he does not actually receive. With respect to the Provincial Governments, he finds that he is only taxed to preserve a meddling interference into his affairs by no means desirable, and perceives that instead of his mouey being spent to procure securityto lifcand property he is contributing towards the keeping up of an army of busybodies who so hamper his everyday movements that he scarcely knows which way to turn, and turn which way he will he is met by some official or another whose only apparent duty is to collect further impositions. The system of provincial govern- ' ments tends to the keeping oi : two many officials —fully as many officers being employed by each province as would nnder a more general and comprehensive course of management be sufficient for the whole of the coluny. The miner, as a natural consequence, finds ■' himself an object of so much solicitude and pitcrnal care, that he almost ceases to be self-reliant, and from his actions being so tram-

melled by red tape restrictions-and formalities,he is conafaurJy break' ing through the meshes of the Jaw., and finds v tfjiM a large percentage of his time h> be devoted to the redressing of unlooked for real or imaginary grievances. He likewise finds that so many facilities exist foi litigation, that if he does .not take advantage of his neighbour his, neighbour seeks to .take an advantage of .him, while in numbers of in'siahces dispute* actually arise solely from the fac of their being so readily redressed. Were the goldfields' under the control of the General Government and a responsible officer at the head of the goldfields department its organisation would be not only more effective but less expensive, the creating of new officials, by each provincial government would be avoided, and a Warden's services, through-loss of population, not being required in one particular place would be available at another. The money thus saved could be devoted to the opening up of roads which would do more than anything else towards cheapening the cost of living—transporting material easily and inexpensively from one place to another, and in the end add to the number of the population, as works would be then undertaken which, at the present high rates of living, could not be attempted The management of the g'»klfieds once in the hands of the General Government and Mining Boards established inthe principal mining districts the rules and regulations in force would be of a definato character and specially adapted to the peculiarities of each particu'ar class of workings. That apple of discord, the discretionary .powers vested in the Wardens, would be among the things -that were —the wardens being in the position of enforcing obedience to the laws instead of absolutely makers of them. The deputing to persons discretionary powers as f"jWrJßjw! in force a .code of rules, virtually \ nullifies the rules themselves, and j ; deprives the holders of mining properties of that security of tenure which they should undoubtedly possess, without which any expenditure of capital or its representative labor is a hazardous speculatien. The payment of *i stipend to members of mining-hoards it is urged would increase the expenses of the management of the goldfields, but it cannot bo expected that gentlemen will give theit time to such duties for nothing—they don't seek to be paid for j actual work performed, but regard their remuneration as a set-off against expenses incurred in attending the meetings of the Board. Mad we mining-boards the services of many of the goldfields' officials could be dispensed with, as the rules and regulations to be followed' by the miners, besides being clearly defined, would be also applicable, aud there would arise but small necessity for litigation, so that in the end,. the boards would not only prove a saving to the j country, but what is more—satisfactory to the miners in g neral. There is nothing more certain than; that an entire reorganisation of the.! goldfields department is highly I necessary, and we will not be far! wrong in saying that that department falls far short of possessing the confidence of the residents on the goldfields. The municipal elections which passed off on Wednesday last, must prove satisfactory to every libera -minded elector of Clyde. The defeated candidates may possibly feel some sight touches of disappointment at being rejected by the electors, but none of them can conscientiously state, that less eligible men than themselves have been returned. Ail the chosen Councillors, with one exception, are old servants of the public in the district, and have served actively and con. sistently on the improvement, School, and Hospital Committees; and are, therefore, well acquainted with all the steps that have been taken in furtherance' of the district's interest. They made the best of

the power attached to their functions, ; and on.that Score : are."justly entitled ;to the gratitude of the Dunatan; public and .even pfmany ? residing in, other localities),, who have found a medical home id the District Hospital. As members of the illown Council their powers wil be greatly augmented, and consequent y much more will be expected of them prop irtiouatdy, in everything touching the welfare of tae district generally. If experience ill dealing with public affairs be of any 'value as a guide for future-action, they possess it to i very considerable degree, and auywrong steps which may be taken by them, wii be solely attributable to negligence in not comparing] thej effect of past acdoas with the effect of those contemplated. The members of the new Council would do well to bear in miud,'that instinctive stubbornness and en ightened firmness, are not kindred- properties of the mind ami that, as a general rule, the food bf'tho one is ignorance, and that which aliments the other is conviction produced by information as to what is right. Assertion.-;, arc the strongholds in which a man of a stubborn disposition takes his stand, and rarely indeed can he be induced to appear cm an argumentative plain to give an enlightened disputant an opportunity of convincing him of his errors. Men of this stamp, are at all times thorns in the side ol public deliberative bodies, and produce more painful annoyance by their obstructive) less than can possibly be conceived, except by those who have suffered the inliiction. Wc do not for a moment anticipate that y ignorant stubborness will be exercised by any of the newly elected Councillors whilst deliberating in the Council Chambei, but it is within the pale of possibility, that some of them may prove unreasonably opinionative; and, therefore, we respectfully advise them to avoid scrupulously " self-sufficiency," if they are desirous of working harmoniously together. Nothing can possibly be more contemptible in a public man than to be immoderately ductile in his opinions on matters of public concern. Men of this disposition have under countless circumstances sacrificed principle to obsequiousness, an thereby brought lasting discredit .\ ;) ,\\ ! themselves, and created irnjperable injuries to these wl' conn' led in them. Such men are m'iu undesirable as public custodians <>f a community's interest, and therefore, , in advising avoidance of " self-sufficiency' I we do not for a moment advise ready comi pliiince to the will an I opinion of another, Without being thordugh'y convinced that such an opinion is worthy of steadfast jsu port. However despicable ■'instinctive stubbornness" may be in the eye of a progressive mind," "enlightened firmness,' must at all times be an object of the highest admiration to it. A man who oscillates in his ideas whenever a breeze of (windy argument i-s brought to bear upon him, can never hope to gain the respect of others, whether he be a member of a Town Council or a General Government of a country; and, therefore, it is to be hoped, that it will never be said of any member of our new Counci that "he has no opinion of his own." Every member expressing and urging an opinion should i>e ready to give substantial reasons for the faith that may be in him, and if so prepared, he must ever clai u the respect lof his fellow Councillors, whether that j opinion be adopted as the ground of action by the Council or not. The first matrimonial quarrel too often has proved the the progenitor of a generation of others, in 'the same [family, and it would be an evident proof of wis lorn on the part of every member of the Council not tc introduce unmeaning bickerings, into the I . i municipal board. Persona aversions onei are ever apt to interfere witl ■ the general business of an elective body I and by respecting each other, the member! lof our] new Council will all tin better serve the general interest of tin ; district. We do not perceive at presen l any conflicting elements whatever in th< Council from the .Mayor downwards, an< unless we are greatly deceived, the boar* will prove a most efficient one, and the elec tors will have no cause to regret p acin their confidence in the members electee 1 The Councillors are all men possessed c ' sound common sense and passable edues '" tion, and iri one instance classic initia may be seen'attached to the name—consi quently nothing stands in the way to mak the board a credit to Clyde, and one th; will prove to the Government that tl ' municipal immuniti s bestowed on the di. trict have not been misplaced.