The Dunstan Times FRIDAY 25th JANUARY, 1867.

Dunstan Times, Issue 248, 25 January 1867, Page 2

The Dunstan Times

FRIDAY 25th JANUARY, 1867.

rfenaath the rule of men entirely just, tl pen is mightier than the sword!"

NoTJ that we are on the eve of a Genera 1 Election for the Provin •ial Council, it behoves us to take some thought of who shall be our representatives. None have Bgnified their intentions of comui;.' 'still that is no reason why some ould not be done towards making on. We don't mean an Individ-

afcnselection that would be premature, but holding in our minds-eye a Hat of eligible persons, will materially assist us in making the final choice. There is but very little loubt but that the majority of us havi nade up our minds to make Otago on tomes —our interests are therefore irienti al with it. and having in our hands ti ircction of its destinies, the best u. should be made of the situation. The Goldfields' constituenees eombin can at all times claim a majority inthehou> , ml iiold in their hands not only their owi lestinies, but the destinies of the Pruviin i ewise This great political power 1); litherto been absolutely wasted—men i•vliose hands we have placed tlie very bet >i tools, have failed to make proper use ( them, and instead of building up a sup< i structure which should have prove ■qual to the occasion, they have wc liHK' rji7>ii"liT \is~ii)' l o rnv 1 '- ''". " " uuiiey that has been vott-d •■<. iiupi aents has been grudgingly doled oir., i; ■ lit: crumbs from Pivea (aide, suid all prcbajility if we do not taie the m

Unexpended*. Onr futurS must be men possessing not only abilftyf •fenfrposition, tnen"#hx)s3*vlewst'opon; gene ial (subjects-will entitletbemt'o be listened to, we don't want "clap trap" but sterdepth of thought, forthe.time has now arrived that 'some attention should.be bestowed upon subjects of domestic legislation. It is not to be supposed that those of our population who are engaged delving for the yellow metal are ambitious of being gold-diggers for the remainder of them- lives, 'x>r that they aspire'to jiothing ~else as . an'eraploynient for their children ; we rather think that I y most men, mining" is' engaged in as a temporary expedient, merely as a means to acquire a certain end. Mr Miebie, in his recept lecture on the "retrospects and prospects" of Victoria, gives an illustration ■svhick is quite applicable in our case, dealing with the subject of Gold-Mining, he observes—." '■ very ounce that is exported leaves the country by so much less for ever, just as if such ounce had never existed. It has been exchanged for so much.brandy and slops, 'i he digger has lived'his troubled and feverish life for the comfort of the Chamber of Commerce, the nglish morchant, and the : nglish manufacturer. When the gold is gone the digger must go too, or turn to something else if he t:an find anything else-to turn to. For his so-called wealth is simply fugitive, and a gold country worked out is, unless other interest have sprung up during the operation, worse off than a country which never had gold within its soi. For gold is neither a manufacture, nor is it an annually recurring product, like the harvest, the wool-clip, or the vintage; and as, therefore, it cannot be denied that, sooner or later, our goLMelds must be like a tale that is told, it is a matter of public concern to offer the utmost facilities for the miner to transfer himself to the farm, the factory, and the workshop." The settlement of the people upon the lands is one of the first objects to which members representing mining interests should devote themselves. Ihe New Goldfields' Act gives great facilities for settlement, but we do not sec that our re-

preservatives in the Provincial ouncil have done anything towards carrying out its provisions beyond recommending that the limit to one person be 200 acres ; with that of course we agree, being perfectly assured that less will not pay to cultivate, for reasons that mechanical appliances must supersede labor both on account of its deamess and scarcity, and as the land itself does not contain sufficient substance in it to stand cropping many times, the

keeping "of stock is indispensible to success The protracted and vexatious delays in making surveys, and in issuing leases is keeping things back considerably, and wc have no hesitation in saying, that had these two important matters been attended to, hundreds who are now on the West .Coast would have been comfortably settled in "tago. In Victoria, an agriciltured lease can be obtained within about a month of its being applied for, but in tago the same cannot be obtained under one or to years. The 500 acre blocks that were to be taken out of the squatters' runs and set apart for settlement have not been laid oil' yet, and if someihing is not done very shortly, another reason will pass without a singie acre more being broken up in this district • while what is worse, intending settlers will have left for else where. -If we are to be prosperous we must have a population that will not be here to-day and gone trr ■liorrow ; we cannot exist always with foodit famine prices, butchers' meat and breadstuffs, also vegetable-diet, for the proper preservation of health must be obtained at cheaper rates, or progress is out of the luestion. There are numberless underitkings which would be embarked in, were not the costs of preserving an existence so outaigeously dear. It is highly necessary that the goldfields should be now selfsupporting—they contain within themselves the elements of prosperity in tin hape of both supply and demand ; and hat] ve but wise legislators, wealth would Tadually accumulate. v '''c don't wish our eaders to infer that we mean wealth in '•e shape of 'the coin < f the realm, foi hat is merely its representative; real vealth is possessing the ability of producon - the turning to profitable account of

iat which was hitherto lying wasting and mused. In choosing representatives, care mst be taken to si'ect men who, besides assessing a stock of good common intelliencc siiou'd also hold an individual nterest in common with those they reprefiit, it is a guarantee of honesty, or at ast that, even should the; seek to make »lf interest *' eir •> ■ in- ~y object) they i: ..,, . o .. :i .. r i u*in« somebody c. e dour, vvniii uten win. uiidtilalu <i duties of a legislator, merely ror tlie rpose of obtaining some office of emolu-

-'■■ ■ ?£ If. ment, we want represen heart and soul will be in their work, atfd who possess sufficient "self-reliance to say nof <<6|af f m * -what totayf-ril%ersevqre toithWendi- j-i /.

directions a*'to \V- }ss?s&:. fP™? were J;he onlV Wat an election wasgning on *or] a seat "which had been tritatfTVrlfc 'l&mtai&Ja compliance with a resolution [pansed at * public meet, iMg-thatmeetiri*!'approving generally of Mr evnoW's co'ndnct '-in the th"e resoluMCn applyiSg SHUT the members for the province, with a view to unanimity on leaf) Jing during future sessions, --• | v -'"- «• -- * - (*' . The result ofttiie voting'on Saturday feas posted at the I Milton Hall about ha'f Wstfbur o'clock;ijind theretwenty and thirtfv persons assembled t<> li&Ahe official-. (l|sclarattan at. six g|cl<Rk. M r John Gilles, fcme Returning Officer, declared Mr William Hunter, Reynolds to have been duly eljected by a majorized! 281 votes ; the fig«* s for- the respective booths being: - ,t*U '--. *£&£s! Reynolds. Giant. Milton Ha11..>..,,5gg£.-- 0 & ' North School ... 38 10 Totes'.::... 333 52 I Mr Reynosjs,rJturned thanks, said con sidering the/total number of votes polled, was fully satisfied with his majority, as showing t'ui appreciation of his services > but he ctfuld not but.regret. that a greater number of electors- had -not-voted. H e had declined to incur expence for cabhire or in any other way-; and he hoped that that course' would be the rule in, future, / Tf gentlemen.were content,' fojrthe sake of honor and glory, to suffer the inconvenience of attending.to the interests cf? the citizens, they certainly ought not to fes expected to put themselves to expense In connection with the e'ection. V r Grant thanked the electors who had rscorlsd fieir votes in his favor, and also ""those who had voted on the other sid f , < A »ote of thanks to the Returning Officer concluded the proceeding.