ALEXANDRA.

Dunstan Times, Issue 280, 6 September 1867, Page 2

ALEXANDRA.

MEETING OF MINERS. , A numerously attended and influential meeting of miners, though of a rather ilosultary eha- • ractor, was held on Saturday evening last, attho ' Criterion Hotel, Alexandra, for the purpose of : taking into consideration matters of importance to the mining interests of the district. ' Mr. J. Coleman occupied the chair. ! The Chairman said that the business to he ' brought before the meeting was entirely con- ' nected with the district in which they lived. ' The land question was one which concerned ! them all. The squatterc were offering the land ' to occupiers upon terms, but their conditions t could not be complied with. They had long been dissatisfied with the grievously defective ' system of the goldfiolda management, and must if possible obtain a bettor. It was impossible to have our interests properly looked after while the present jealousy existed between the two Governments. No subject can be entertained but Provincialism or General Governmcntism creeps uppermost. To such an extent was this carried that ho even found our goldficlds member, Mr. Vogcl, saying that, if the Province got ( the delegated powers, they would have tho op- , portunity of rewarding men who supported the Provincial Goveanmcnt. Ho (the Chairman) supposed by this that Mr. Vogcl intended to • remove all the officers up here aud send us fresh ones from lJunedin. , Mr. Edwin Jones said, before bringing anything definite before the mooting he would put a proposition in the form of a question, which, ' if not accepted by the meeting, tho objects in ' view would fall to the ground. ( Mr. Ellison thought something definite should be arrived at by a proposition after the usual , form. This view was coincided in by the meeting. Mr. Jones proposed, That this meeting is not ' satisfied with the management of goldficlds in this district. ( Mr. Iverson, in seconding the motion, said that ho merely did so to ascertain the opinions of the miners. He had a great deal to complain of himself, but could get no redress. ,1' Mr. Mumford complained that the actual con veners of the meeting had not made themselves , known. Those who got up the meeting should bring forward something more definite. Mr. Eivcrs said that no one knew for what object tho meeting was called. Mr. Edwin Jones replied that he (Mr. Rivers) , had no patience to wait and hear. Tho Chairman said tho conveners of the meeting had no party object in view. They wanted to form a committee to look after the goldfields ' affairs. To procure good government was their object. Mr. Edwin Jones said that he had read a notice in the "Dunstan Times" to the effect that Messrs. Campbell and Low, of Manuhcrikia, wonld offer no obstacles to persons taking up land on their run. He would ask, what do the squatters want the diggers to become ? Tenants or commoners. The squatters wanted all the country. They were even now running their sheep down to the very edges of the rivers, and a digger cannot keep a horse or a goat. Mr. Iverson said that the Goldfields' Act required altering. The discretional power allowed to the wardens was ridiculous. The Act says, we can have Mining Biards ; but of what use are mining boards without provision being made for the payment of the members of such boards. No miner could afford to lose his time in attend, ing them. The regulations relating to the oe- i cupation of claims wore bad : no one could take

a claim without a charge being made by the Government for survey. He thought that any miiier must be very thick-headed who could not mark out a claim himself. The resolution wa3 carried, only two hands being held up in the negative. Mr. James Sandison proposed, That this meesing appoint a committee to lake into consideration the best means of providing for the good government of this district, and to become the medium of communication with the Government for the furtherance of this object, such committee to consist of nine members. Mr. Sandison said we could never get on with two Governments. Mr. Macandrew had been re. turned by the a'most unanimous voice of the province, and he should have the same powers conferred upon him as were conferred upon his predecessor. No one could accept the delegated powers other than the Superintendent of the Province: the Goneral Government could not appoint a nominee. He believed much good would result from the appointment of this committee. The exclusive occupation of the lands by the squatters was most pernicious, and if wo did not look out they would have it all in their own hands. Ho (the speaker) was dissatisfied with the decisions of the Warden, but would not go into the subject now. Mr. John Lewis seconded the proposition, and it was unanimously carried. Mr. Ellison said that a petition had been forwarded to the General Government, praying that the whole valley of the Molyncux might be declared into hundreds. The miners had made up their minds not to occupy the lands upon terms from the suqatters. If we cannot hold it in our own right, let us take ourselves off to America, Canada, or elsewhere. He (tho speaker) had a mate who, eighteen months ago, deposited money for an agricultural lease, and the money and his application laid twelve months in the Warden's office before going to town The agricultural lease system was very badly managed. Tie, however, hoped for a change, and they must look to Mr. Macandrew for an improvement of affairs. The land must be held by the people, and any ono who wishes to live in the district must come to no compromise with the squatters. Mr. Anderson, the owner of a r run at the Teviot Flat, had posted up a notice that he is willing to arrange with persons desirous of occupying land on his run. Now everyone knew Mr. Anderson's hostility to the diggers, and he would only make this concession through pressure. Mr. Anderson charges the diggers 245. a head per annum for running their cattle, and will not allow any one person to keep more than four. We did not come sixteen thousand miles to be paupers, if wo want to be sueh let us return to Critain. The election of members to form the committee followed, and Messrs. Edwin Junes, Thomas Brown, J. Ivcrson, W. Watson, James O'Kane, W. Forrrst, It Finlay, R. M. Stewart, and George Eatcliff were duly elected. Proposed by Iverson, seconded by Mr. Webb, and carried, That one of the first and principal duties of the Committee be the establishment of a Mining Board in this district. Mr. Edwin Jones, in reply to some remarks respecting the indefinitoness of the objects sought by the meeting, or rather by its conveners, said it was not sought to impugn the conduct of anyone officer of the Government, or to bring into question the working of any single department. They wanted a general re form in the management of the afl'airj of the goldficlds. A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings.