PUBLIC MEETING.

Dunstan Times, Issue 557, 20 December 1872, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING.

A public meeting was held in the Pul)lic Library, Clyde, on Mi nday evtning lash James Hazlett, Esq., who occupied the Chair, said, he did not affect ign ■ ranee of •he,cause of the meeting, bat as the couv"iie's could better expla ; n. the ol j.ct, he would leave that task for them—lie regreted the Mayor was not piqsent to preside, as by occupying the Chair, he was to an extent preclu le 1 from takjn' so active a part in the meeting as he desired, he would however at a future stage of tho mce i-;g endeavour to give an expression of his opinion. Mr. Joseph ITastie rose and said, his attention Laving hitndiawn to the report of the pi oci firings of tie meeting of the Waste Lands Loaid . n the 1 Ith mstai t, at which meeting n number of Sections of land in the Wai Keri Keii Va’lcy had been sold 1 to Mr. Mr. J, 1). Ferand, and aft er con- I I suiting with some gende'neu rela'ive to the ; sale, he, in his capacity of Chairman of : the Duustaa Miners' Association, telegraphed to tho Chief Commissioner of . Waste Lands, to Mr. T. L. Shepherd, M. P. C., and to Mr. Bastin s, Secretary for the Gobi-fields, the injustice to the district by thesalf, and askin; that the sale he revoked, the leplies received being to the effect that the sa'e could not, j be revoked, and that a further application had I can made to purchase other adjoining sections, he had convened the meeting in the hope of obtainin'.' an expression of i.ublie opinion He sai l it musk he rcmcmtiered that during the late S ssioi of the Proj vian'a! Council, a Petition signed by two , hundred and fifty residents in the district, ' Ptating that none of the land in the Leau--1 ing Rock Survey District unoccupied should be leased for agricultural purposes, and I that no 1 mds lease 1 should be sold, as the j entire area was auriferous, h.-.d been pre- ! sente 1 to that body, and by them referred | to the Gold-liehls’ Committee, who recom- | m n ed that the prayer of the petition should ho granted In the fare of lhat Petit!, n and lie i email cndatioiyjf the Ooid fields Committ.e, tie Govirnmcnt without notice had disposed of land ; in the intense of the district, aye, i„ tVir own interest, decisive and sharp aed.n I should betaken to lay such arguments before the Governin' at as v i 1 cause' them to annul their previ .us action in reference to the sa’e. He did not say the identical land sold is auriferous, hut it is the key to a large an a that is so, as is proved by the evidence taken before Commissions ap- I pointed 1 1 ascertain ths value of the area j in question. No further proof of the value of the ground cm he offered than the ex- ’ po idva work, in c curse of construction by the miners to work the ground, he is concerned m a head water race that is being brought in, the which wiil cost ovci^Q,ooo/. when completed; another race is'being brought in ihat will c*st 2,000/,, and every availab c di op of water in the locality is being div.rted on to ihe block. Mr. Alexander said, as he was not working on the block he did not Lei so great an interest as many' others. As Secretary to the Miners’ Association, he bad taken an active paat in the petition referred to by nr. Ilaa’ie, Firm the silence of the Government, he bad rested conteiPed’y under the impr ssion that the lecommcuda'iim of the (>Oid-fieldsCommittee would be noted upon. It appeared he had been laboring under a deiusi n. Ho would prop .so. That this meeting consider that, by the sale of certain sec-io.is of land in the W ai Keri Keri Valley ’ L aning Rock District to Mr. Fcnuul, the j Goveinra i.t liavo entirely ignored the expressed Wish, a of the pa..pie in tho district and broken faith with them, inasmuch ns at the last meeting of the Provincial Council a pedti n, signed by nearly three hundred residents, desiring lhat all based lauds in the Wai Keri Keri or Leaning Rock District should he wi held from sale, j was presented and nforrol to tho Select j Committ. e on Gold-fields, which Commutes j recommended the prayers of the pedtinners i to be granted, and that the Cover; m-nt hja l ing mw sold certain sections, which Mere tue key to the whole auriferous block, without any notice'whatever to those residents, or giving them any chance of objecting, have acted contrary to the interests of the country, and are only ruling d. spo'a, independent of the voice of the people, and that the Waste Laud* P, ,ard, by tho secrecy i f its actions, until it is too late, is only an open door for land sh irks or ad- | venturers, whose business it is to secure themselves at the c untr, 's expense. Mr. M'Lcod sail, if the sale was not raucePed, endless I’tigation must ensue, and would result in drive g the miners away fnm the distiict in disgust. Every day is proving that the area is remarkably rich, j For the last thiee weeks, a party of three men, who are fossicking without any regular system, have netted 70/. The ground sold is tho only cutlet for tailings, ami no st. ne must be left unturned to throw it open for the use of the miners. Mr. Lindsay spokeag'inst tho sale of the sections, averring lhat mining on the block could not hi carried m with any satisfactory result? unless there was an cutlet for the shiicers’ tfiil water. Mr. Williamson said the action of the Government iu completing this sale without consulting the wishes of the people of the district, was sufficient to incite them to action,, ami he thouplpt such a stand shduid be taken as would show the Government they were determined at any hazard, to protect themselves, their lights and privileges. Mr. Patterson characterised the ra’e of the land as a swin lie on the part of the Government, as, from tie evidence befo-e ■them O'.i editing Ihe 1 10-.K, an-' the cones•p n "esie from - ’.c'V ■a.cu.s, they sue , eognitant of its value. Tie fk<u r ht the I time had arrived for ihe min is, if the Government refuse (hem their just ri.lrts, ! to rise en and dem- n I them. Mr. II .stio said he hope I th it miking

It is intimate 1 that tho Court Star Ounst n intend giviug an imitation Ball on the 24th. of January next. Two rather severe eirthquako shocks have lat ly been expe.-ieacjJ ii Quesaitown. A little hoy who accidentally fell into Lake Wakatipu, was save 1 by the courage of a j ouug Woman, Ellon O, Donnell, who jumped i i andrescuel the little fellow. Tho Dunedin J ckey Club have issued the progra ums for tlielr Annul Masting in March ; the am unt to he inn f.r will bo upwar Is of 11,0 'O/. iuo'udiug two Handle ips for 250/. and 2JO/, respectively. Travellers on the read between Clyde an 1 Queenstown, compldn bitterly of the alata of the roads. It is desoiibcd as being one coii.inuous dust heap, aid to the iiufortuna es who travel in conveyances, the journey is anything but a pleasant one. It is notified in another column lhat a Ball wnl .tike jkie in the Library hall, Alexandra, on the night of the Alexandra, races, January 1, in aid of the school building funds, we understand that the Clyde Brass Band give their services on the occasion. The Daily Tlm:s mi lera tank that it is definitely ana -ged for tho attendance at the forthcoming Masonic Ball of his Excellency the Governor, but lhat despi e the desire of sonic members of the Corn mi tee, the majority would not make any further cxcepii us as to the an mis.-ion of other persons not membeis of the fraternity. What might have been a serious accident, happened to a miner, named Patrick Fox, reading at'f?ai dy Point, by the bursting of a fowling pi co ho was iu the act of uischargug. Provident ally the pieces of he shatiercd barrel to- k an upward dime i n. Save a few acratchos ami a shock to the neivous s\sum, wo rue happy to say there wcie no other bad results.