The Dunstan Times FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1873.

Dunstan Times, Issue 564, 7 February 1873, Page 2

The Dunstan Times

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1873.

Beneath the Euloof Men entirely just the rux is mightier than the sword.

'The visit of his 1 Honor the Superintendent and the Secretary for Goldfields to the-mining districts, for the express purpose of investigating personally, and on the spot, grievances or matters relative to the business of gold-mining, is somewhat a novel idea ; yet at the same time it is a good one, and, if not too expensive, the Province will have no need to begrudge the'outlay. So far as this Provincial visit has gone, a good deal of business has been got through, which no amount of correspondence would have'got through half so satisfactorily. Gold-fields disputes are, as a rule, best’ settled - by personal inspection and investigation, and much nrnre may be accomplished hr this way than by any other means, Wc will not charge his Honor or Mr. Bastings with airing their eloquence at the expense of the -Province for mere personal or political vaotives. Their journey shows quite a different feature, and, so far as it •has gone, there has been nothing hat pure business transacted. To understand things not of every day occur!-* mice, and which by most people must bo regarded as a novelty {and this largely applies to gold-mining) (Lore is nothing like a personal • invest! garfioa, and wc can only view rho - i it

of liis Honor and Iris principal ndviser as likely to ba productive of much good, and nave a great deal of trouble for tire future. We hope that iu the matter of roads, some really practical good will be the result. Ills Honor will, of course, have seen nothing but dust ; still lie will have no difficulty iu coining to the conclusion that, upon the approach of winter, tins objectionable commodity will bo quickly converted into mud. As a rule, the »G old-fields’ roads can very easily be kept iu repair, provided the proper course wore taken; and we are dccidculy of opinion that, if let out in sections to contractors, instead of the work being performed by day labor, mirth more would bo accomplished arulut a 1 ss cost than s Uro case at present. We do not expect that our roads can l;c properly formed and metalled all in a himy, but a great deal can be clone towards keeping the water off them, and were more attention paid to drainage, wo? should not have to complain of the miles of quagmires which almost annihilate traffic and prostrate trade during the winter months. The want of bridges on the main lines of road where rivers intervene will have doubtless engaged the attention of oar visitors : and, although they may not have been called upon to pay the heavy tolls demanded by the ferry-owners, they W ill find no .difficulty in concluding that the general public are very seriously mulcted, while, at the same time, these ferries form a considerable obstruction to traffic and commerce, making travelling not only expensive but inconvenient. Were the Goldfields and their inhabitants better understood by the Provincial authorities we feel assured that many difficulties under which they now labor might be easily obviated, while >cme of the lavish expenditure which now goes to beautify Dunedin would stand some chance of being deviated in this direction, and much bickering and ill-feeling consequently removed.