The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 1872.

Dunstan Times, Issue 515, 1 March 1872, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 1872.

Beneath the Hale of '.I j i •{ vrl am. v i i;s r the pex is Humi'lEii than the sworo ■•-

Time was when the miners who cam flocking to Otago, sprj idiug throughout the wastes and wdds of the interior, in solitudes of plain and mountain, where civilized in in had scarce la fore e’er trodden, were looked upon by those who, ho’ding the co miry as their - wn, had rarely ventured bexond I lie thresliohl of their dominions, with mingled feelings of d ead. dislike, and half-superstitious reverence. Tiny were the beings by whose wondrous sagacity and skid gold—precious gold ; —was to lie unearthed from tuisus- j pected hiding-places : but who, by ; force of superior numbers, might haply prove usurpers, and hold the destinies of the young colony in their own keeping. So too the i trader, coming from distant shores, and following in the wake of the adventurous miner, ministering to his npcessit es, and sharing in his gains or beuing rlie brunt of his misfortunes, was looked upon as an interloper by those who elainie 1, by right of precede 01,o 1 , Otago as their own peculiar | heritage. Not for long, however, did this feeling survive the hurst of prosperity that, floodei 1 al Otago, cm- | sequent upon the successful opening up of her gold-fields. Trade exnamling i i all directions, money flea ting in abundance, and fortunes rapidly accruing, conquered all antipathies or misgivings, and formed a bond o'- • common union between friends and strangers. Then, as the usual speculative mania incident to the sudden accession of riches I egan to assert itself, and mining inn stineiits became the chief topic of thought an' l conversation. the judgment and practical knowledge of Victoria*! miners, and even of businessmen, was taken into account, and relied on as the directing power in the initiation ef scores o! promising schemes, having, each and all, for their object the unearthing of sti 1 mote gold, with resit ting heavy .tividends, and the major.ty of early ventures were prosperous, in so far that the successes counterbalanced tl e losses incidental to all mining schemes, wherein, as is the case on all new goldfields, incomplete appliances, insufficient capital, lick of precise local knowledge, or a hundred other unexpected events arose to prevent the successful Ksue of the hest-giouuded pi ins. There was no doubt i xpressed as to the permanent richness of the Otago Gold-fields no misgiving -troubled the minds of speculators—as to die immediate advantages that would resale to themselves directly, and to the general community iudi rectly. from their investments in sluicing, quartz, and river claims; and, for a time, mining affiirs prospered amazingly. Men believed they had reason for the faith that was in them, and looked upon casu 1 future with philosophical n siguation. Hope deferred made not the heart sick : hut v ithev Urged iifu on to more desperate

ventures. Partial successes were but the harbingers of ultimate fortune. But, as is, ~and over will be, tl e case iu ~l gold - iisld history, the first fitful . gleams of pro>perit,y were not of long filtration. A reaction set in,all vhp.moro severe, because the first’throbbing energy ofspeculatb>ll was so full of vigor. Now holds und distant pastures ottered attraction to erratic golds:; hers, avid Otago more than once, was in danger of being deseited as speedily as she hid first been visited,* by tho e who hid d me so nincli to develop her store of mineral treasures. Those to whom the reins of power ha I been intrust I, dal no thing tc induce the miner to become aught but a sojourner iu the land ; hi. feeble attemp's to I uild Up -a homo and abiding place were treated wMi contumely, and however much of tho genetal community were willing to ex tend the. hand of fe'lowship, 'll >se who ruled the destines of Otago, treated ! i> . ° him as an ishmaeiite, whoso presence was tolerated —raihor than encouraged What won !er, then, that depres-iim sit in, that milling ventures, trade and commerce languislvd, and the cry of dull lime-was hoard from end to end of the Province, or ilia' the pro lent still remains unsolved how to again creare that confidence iu mining spec illations that shall lead on to the systematic development and utilizition of the vast mineral weahh King at. our very doors. No one doibts the fact that New Zialam) is endowed with abundant mineial. wed hj; no one gainsays the statement t.liat a judicious investment ofcapital iu mining must u tinwely ivaliz* sa'isftc'.orv returns, if not speedy fortunes; and yet from all mining ventures, tin public, as a rule, hold warily alo .f. Quartz claims have vet some sort of special attrac*harness to many individuals, but their si -collations therein remind the onlooker of (lie fit*ill splashes of timil urchins on tbe brink of some enticing stream, rather than I the fear'ess stroke of the swimmer 1 trns'ing in his own strength. There is a f lint h-arte loess, a s'irt of peddling proclivity, tint checks an 1 hj im]iers all legitimate speculation, although the known rich spots o*' t-'io province bought t> light, for ihe most part by mere hap hazird operations, liear but an inlinit.si ual proportion to (he unknown. 0;‘ tlni Tmt we need not travel far for evidence The Duustau district, one; the most prosperous gold field in all Otago, imw bare'y supports a sparsely scattered population. Mining operations are limit'd, speculation has nearlv died out, trade and agriculture a'o (align shing, and yet tho gold is stli hero in ahun la eg awiiiiig on y systematic research and sclent! io appliances, to yield a. humlre f»M t :c anmuiit reali-ed in the pahoi-st days of th“ Dun tan rushes No in one, Ini' i. all parts nf the distr.ct nny lie fnmd wid- spread tores of virgi , land, tint will nltinutely yjeid rich r •:liens t-. t!i ■ skill*; 1 g . d minor Th ■ Bendigo nis, ir, may be a-nmol, omy failed became tbe too sanguine proprietors, binlkcl iu tiieir aiiticipitioiis of sue-dy giius, halo I at the very threshold of their held of labor The Carrie- Huffs, and the water supply ihereto, will mik" one more item in the long list ot lli>f. l liille 1 intentions, it pluck, auu e usrgy, a 1 1 It termination to succeed, d> not inspire the owners of l> ah muscle and money, to work with now ivcring hope and never weiryu; piue.ic'. The partial, and lienee, futile attempts to strike deep loads of gold on tinDuustan Flat arc but standing m niiuitoes of the filiacv of intermittent speculation. The one import ml question is, how best to create,or rather reawaken, a ile.- ire for legitim ite invest meet of capital and labot in well directetl mining enterprises; and, like many other questions of vitu import- ! since, the solu ion is left to the people of tho gold-fields thenne'ves. The haul y vaunted offer of tho Assembly to expend -£:lbO,bOO for water supply will not avail much Tli ■ proif tra l help is so hemmed ab nt witli a' -stnl re-trictions, that it is not l.kely many sane men will troniiie them e n-s to send in applications fir aid. And; meanwhile, a goodly slice of the vot" is being frittered away in total/ useless expenses. Nor dot s !hen semi any real desire on the part ■ f the (fenera! Government to amend the ngn Vitimis oftbe loan scheme to suit tb" practical ideas ot miners Absorbed in (he new farghd idea of settling hatches o'raw Scandinavians on the Grown hinds of the pet province of Wellington, the Gohlliclds of the colony are forgotten,' and our Provincial magnates, verifying

the tt uth of tlie maxim that‘‘imitation is the siucerest firm rf flattery, 1 ’ are upeing in their own petty way, the vagaries of their superiors.