The Dunstan Times FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1872.

Dunstan Times, Issue 556, 13 December 1872, Page 2

The Dunstan Times

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1872.

Beneath the Rule of Men entirely jest the pen is siittiiTiEß than the sword.

If wo accept the opening speech of Air Miller, tlm ChuiviDH.ii of the Mining Conference ns expressing the views o', 'he • eonvnnnily, wo xa.i; take it ns evid nce ti nt the miners of "fa :o have at last become j,live to heir im ortniice as a branch of our ia iuatri i! s. ad have by

co-o]jei-iiti"ii amongst themselves determined upon the work ot mlresaing . many outstanding arievances.and procuring such reform or modification in the Guldfirds’- Act ra Will place the miner upon an equitable footing with t oilier industries, and relieve him from the position of some uncouth arrival, whose special destiny is to worker lie taxed for other'. Mr. Mi.ler, we I tive no don I it. thoroughly understands his position as Chairman of t he Co< - . erence, and no more suitable person Could have been found. From wha we know of that gentleman he is a thoroughly practical miner and understand.-, his business. It is frills fe tie , imagination that convened the id a - of a Mining Conference, as well as VI itiers’ Associa'ion for the Cold-fields 1 Mr. Miller was the moving spirit in forming the Arrow Association, while . hislal orshavealieadyheeiiunreunttii g in advancing the interests of. his contemporary workers. The movemen’ initiated by Mr. Miller has been most successful, and his election to the Chairmanship of the Conference was a well-deserved honor Mr. Miller, in his opening address, not only ad vocates the cause of the miners, but also that of other persons interes’ed in mining pa-suits In the present sute of the proceedings, it is impossible to say with what, matters the Conference will deal; or, rather, with what they will not deal. A general and cartful consideration of matters pertaining to gold mining will, without doubt, be made during the Session, resulting in some very | important recommendations to the Government The Go.''-fields’ Act will of course c uno in for some severe , scrutiny, result.ug in some valuable suggestions for amendments. The j question of Miners’ Rights ap ears to be, definitely settled by a recommendation that they should be available j all over the Colony, and lie in force from one to five years. The morion by our t'ep reselltative, M r. A lexauder, to the effrct that Business Licenses be reduced to two pound ten shillings per annum, was carried. The present tax five pounds per annum is a large sum. more especial yas it is paid bythe smaller class of traders only, the largew holesale dealers 'living in the towns upon purchased property, evading payment of the license alto-geth-r. Mr. W. D. Morrison, the Tuapeka representative, touches a sensitive chord when he refers to the clauses of the Gold-holds Act relating i to Surveyors. Mr. Morrison very justly stigmatises thesystem as levying “ black mail” upon the miners, the foes charged being enormous, as much as : four guineas for a visit to tie Blip* i Spur. Undei this head, there is very 1 great and general cause for complaint all over the Province, The business , of a surveyor on the Gold-fields , having become, by A ct of Parliament, i a legalised monopoly, the fees charged | 1 being out of all proportion to the 1 value of the work done Mr. Morrh son also objected to the “discretionary power of the Wardens,” The clauses . of the Act refering to water races < were next considered, and a long de- 1 bate ensued on the question of per- 1 mitting two heads of water to flow j down a ere k for general purposes It ( was decided that Section 10 of the i Act be struck out, and the following * be substituted : “That no license ( “granted-for the diversion of water “ from any watercourse shall be deemed | “ to confer a title to the last two heads, j “in case the same is required for 1 “ domestic purposes ; but, if once ‘■granted, it shall not be withdrawn ' . . . I “ for mining or manufacturing pur- ( “poses.” A motion by Mr Alex- , ander was carried : That, iu the i opinion of the Conference, the sys- 1 tern'of Mining Leases be abolished, substituting extended claims in- ' proportion to the amount of capital ' and the number of men employed. Agricultural Leases necessitated much discussion, but the result was nothing 1 more than a recommendation that, before converting leaseholds into free holds, the same should be advertised ■ in the local papers, also, that on a re- ; quisitkm from a majority of the inhabitants, land in any district open for agricultural purposes bo declared a ; mining reserve, and that no agricultural land found to be auriferous be sold. Mr. Alexander drew attrition to the . necessity that existed, fur s-im u more p'-ifi ct and general m ana of organ ;z i- ] Bon among the miners, a d suggested,! ! the formation of-nn institution to be : c idled the Otago Miners’ Association, with a central Conimi'tee to watch 1 over the interests ’ of the miners, re ! comme'nd'no tlmtthe sittings of the , Commi'.t-.e should uot be t eruiaucut. i

- at any one place, but that the C"m- ----> mittee should itinerate as ciicuin- ■ atanceamight require. Mr Alexander’s i idea was warmly supported by the * Chuirmnnandaniajority ofthememlers i prase, it. The subject has been left over i for consi lew ion, but we have no i doubt that something practicable wil result, as the existence of so many • distinct associations, recognising no head, must eventually result in confusion. A motion that the duty on gold be abolished was earned unanimously. I hat the meeting of the Conference will bring about some useful reforms >n the Gold-fields’ Act, there can be no doubt The Government evidently attach importance to the doi igs of the Conference, the Premier Mr Waterhouse, having telegraphed to the effect that the Government will b g ad to receive -my suggestions for the new G old-fit liu* Bill.

A few nights since some .'astard'y fellow en'ered a garden in the close vicinity of the Clyde Camp, and wantonly pul!“d uji some ha’f-dozen of the largest cabbages then growing, as also some fi m healthy fruit bushes, >-t Is evident that the object of the scoundrel was not robbery, as tinwhole of the property so maliciously destroyed was left on the ground. We are requested to draw attention to the sale by auction, at. Cromwell, of rich agricultural land in the Hiwea Block, by Mr, Fache, on Thursday, the first day of the C o nwdl races. The heavy rains that have fallen in the neighborhood of the Lakes Wakatip, Wanaka. a id Hawea daring the past week or so, have ha 1 the effect of I raising the Molyneux to an unusually high i level. Conseqn ntly all woi kings on the beaches and banks have been completely stopped, as have also the dredges. It is ■ propheoie 1 by many old residents that there will be a monster flood during the summer. I We would therefore recommend all who I have property within reach of a big flood I to he on the alert I ' We are given to understand that the j Banks have for the past week, and will continue to give sixpence an ounce more than formerly for all cold purchased by I them, in anticipation of the reduction ofhhe field Export Duty, which comes into force j on the Ist of January next. j A we'l knowu character in New Zealand and Australia named Corfitz Cronquist, who is Avail known to the police and gaol official ß in the colonies, and was the first ! prisoner a rested in the Fiji Islands, has been tried and convicted in Western Australia, and sentenced to seven years’penal servitude, the crime as usual, “ obtaining money under false pretences.” ! The Tuapcka Jockey Club Annual Races are fixed for the 20 hj and 21st of February. The amount to be divided in stakes is 420/. The Tuapeka Jockey Club Handicap is set down for one hu died sovereigns and the Lawrence Handicap for eighty. We are given 10 understa id that, during the past week, a share in the Heart of Odk Claim Garrick Range, changed hands for the sum of 1,100/. .The dividends declared up to the present time amount to about 900/. per sliare. j By advertisement in another column it will be seen that Messrs. Cobb and Co-, | with their characteristic go-a headism (to use a Yankee phrase) have offered the up. country public an opportunity of enjoying the excitement consequent upon the visit of his Excellency .Sir George Bowen to Dunedin, the opening of the Port Chalmeis and Dunedin Railway, the Caledonian gathering, /to,,at the very reduced fare of 4'. Ids. for the return ticket. This- will exhibit a considerable saving on the ordi ,ary rate of travelling, and will doubtless contribute to swell the number of passengers b) the above old established line. We have heard in we than one from the north o’Tweed talk of taking advantage of the reduction, in the hope of meeting old friends, an 1 also enjoying the festiviiics anticipated on the occasion of the visit of his Excellency to Dunedin. Mr. Thomas Hazlett has been gazetted Postmaster at Quartzville, and Mr. Alfred Short to occupy a corresponding position at Carricktown. The reduction of duty on the export of gold will come into operation on the Ist proximo. As the last escort has left from this district prior to that date, it would only be justice to theminer that the Banks should increase the price of gold in a like ratio to the reduction of duty. A nugget weighing twenty-seven ounces was recently picked out of the read metal on a street at Ballaiat. On Monday next, the 16th instant, Mr. J. C. Chappie will offer to public compctit on the well-known dredge, the Alabama. The machinery and vessel will be put up in different lots.—See advertisement. The recent floggings in the Dunedin Gaol appear, fiom the accounts published, to have been most mildly administered. “Not a strand of the ‘ cat ’ was stained with blood.” Yet this punishment, such ns it was, was inflicted on two of the most hardened criminals in the Colony, to whom blood-shed was a mere nothing. There has been a most excellent supply of fruit and vegetables in the Clyde District lately, the fruits being not only early, I nt remarkable for size and flavor, while peas, asparagus, cauliflower, carlypok..tors, ..till ether vegetables are not only of firs—rr/c qualify, out abundant. A Prelimi ary announcement appears in another cn nnm notifying that Caledonian and athletic sports will take place on Boxin'g day on the Clyde R-creation Ground,, and that the programme is to app.arin our next issue. •• ’ !

The Pneumatia Dredging Company are industriously progressing with their preliminary work, and we may hope, in a few weeks, to see the system of obtaining gold from the bed of the river thoroughly tested. The promoters are very Bangui e of success, and have moreover evinced their confidence by the energetic manner in which they are carrying on the work. We sincerely hope their efforts will bo crowned with success. The following horses have been entered for the Cromwell Races, and for the events aa under.—Grand Stand Handicap : Burgundy, Tambourine, Hatreo, Malice, Lyndon, Flora, Atlas, Brunette,‘Kate Kearni-y, Boomerang, Golden Clou 1. Flying Handicap : Pasquinade, Dragon, Malice, Hatred Lyndon, Flora, Atlas, Brunette, Kate Kearney. Handicap Hurdle Race : Ma>d of the Mill, Tambourine and Sir Tatton. the Melbouraeyl rgus, in referring to the “ Marriage with a deceased Wife’s Sister Bill,” says:— Wo have already on severa occasions discussed this question, both rom a religious and a social point of view, and it certainly is not cur intention at present to go over thegroun I again. Suffice it to say that some of the foremost statesmen, many of the most emin. ut and 1 ariud divines, and the great mass of intelligin people throughout the world, have prouounced in favor of the abolition of the egal restraints which in some oouutri.s still continue to prevent marriage with tb sister of a deceased wife. Their consciences are not offended, neither are their natural instincts in any way shocked by the p,o-. posal. An invention is now under consideration by the Home postal and telegraph authoiities, by which the handwriting of person.telegraphing a message will be transmitted by the telegraph. The Bill abolishing Imprisonment for debt is not law, it having been rejected by the Upper House. A late cablegram from ling 1 a--cl conv ys the intelligence that the honor of Knighthood has been c nfetred on the Honora le Francis Dillon Bell, Speaker of the House of Representative*. We understand that the whole of the ground at the late ru-h in the Rook and Pd'ar Ranges is taken up, and that many, after a short stay, have returned to them old quarters. The fortunate ones who were on the ground early ttand a good chance of making a fair rise, as the cold is of a e> a -e character and exists in no small qnanli'i s. From 2/. to 3 i per day is reported as t e average earninus. A fancy fair, allied with dramatic performances and “wizard” exhibitions, is • proposed to be held shortly by the Canterbury Musical So itty. Min 1 mills to raise water for irrigation purposes are coming into use on St. John’s River, in Florida. The example is worthy of imitation in the di ging districts of New Zealand. We are .given to understand that the Post Master General has granted the petition of the residents of Drybread and dis- , trict, praying for an alteration of the mail 1 days from| Hues lay to Saturday, consequent-' ly all letters arriving in Black’s per Friday’s mail will reach-Drybread on Saturday evening. I We have received information from JMr. I R. W. Nuttall, (Jo-Pateutee of the SubMarine Boat, that all necessary deeds for the transfer of the patent right to the Company are prepared, and that immediately on execution, the construction of the boat will be commenced.