OTAGO MINERS’ ASSOCIATION.

Dunstan Times, Issue 624, 3 April 1874, Page 2

OTAGO MINERS’ ASSOCIATION.

Mr Charles F. Roberts, President of the Otago Mining (Miners’) Association, hands ns thu following Memorial, topics are lying at our office for signature also, is a subscription list to the Maru Wenua river pollution case. To his Excellency the Governor of Xgir Zealand in Council: The petition of the undersigned miners, Humbly sheweth : - 1. That your Petitioners arc miners', and pursuing their occupation as such under the autlunity of Miners’ Eights, iu the Province of Otago. 2. That the Goldmining industry hat grown up m advance of Legislation. 3. That, though representations by your Petitioners of such deficiencies have from time to time been made, all remedial Legislation has been deferred. 4. '1 hat your Petitioners have very generally foimcd themselves into Mining Associations, from which- through a Conference of elected delegates—suggestions may he arrived at suitable to the protection and development of the different Cold-fields interests. Suggestions thus arrived at have been submitted upon several occasions to your Government, which it was (and still is) supposed would form a broad basis upon which, with the aid of your advisers, s j \ tisfactory legislation may he shortly arrived at. 5. That, though your Petitioners havs so acted at considerable cost to themselves of both time and money, and your Governments have frequently intimated their | willingness to accept and be guided by such recommendations, yet your Government have ne lectcd to fake any definite action based upon such admitted piacti.al authority. 6. —That the Otago Goldmining Commission of IS7I recommended that provision should be made for the compulsory Mtablis foment of one Mining Board for the whole Province ; and the Petitioner l : through your Delegates assembled in Conference on two occasions (1872 and 1374) coincided in that recommendation. 7. —That provision for the establishment of a Mining Board already exists under the Goldfields Act, ISGG, clause 56. S.—That your. Petitioners believe that the establishment of a Mining Board for the Province of Otago—enabling the turners to frame their own regulations and , bye laws—would tend to facilitate and simplify all mining business, and put » stop to much needless litigation. 9. That for the above reasons, your Petitioners humbly pray that you, under the 3 powers conferred by the above mentioned j Act, will be phased to proclaim a Mining | Board for the Province of Otago, nnd is™* 1 such instructions as may be necessary f°. r I the election of members for such Board. And ymir petitioners will ever pi ay. 1

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT, •tIYDE. i , Xhmslay, April 2., * (Before W. L. Simpson Esq.. R.M., anti B. Naylor, Esq , J.P.) ,J. Mellor v. J. Hill.—This wasi ah action to recover the sum of 7A 3s . the palance <'ue on a Bill of Exchange endorsed py .the defendant. IMendrnt did not appearPlaintiff having deposed that the Bill pad ikku duly presented for payment, end returned, no effects. Judgment was given for amount claimed and costs. Plaintiff applied for a warrant of distress saying that defendant had sold out the whole of his property and intended leaving the district. The warrant was granted, J. Mellor v. W. C. Holmes,—Claim, 1 41 7s. 4d,. goods sold and delivered. Defendant did not appear, dndgment for amount and posts. Miles M'Nolly, v. Jas. Hill. Claim 40 1. 5a,. for money lent and wag's at the rate of 30s. per week, from June to October 1873. Plaintiff deposed that during the contracting of the amount due for wages, the defendant and he held conjointly a twelfth share in the Blue Mountain water race and cairns, and it was arranged that, he (plaintiff) should represent the bill share, and to receive 30s per week for repres*ntin « the share. Since then the race and claims hare been formed into a Company under the Limited Liability Ant, and arc being walked by a Manager: The d-fen Unt- ga - c imp an I. 0. U. for ihe aois vnt, hut I have lost it. My reason for siopma-siw row, la because defendant In a.»H out ; V- who’a o his interests an ijs about leaving the district'. Juii f m(m for v ■•rut claim"; and coats. . Distress warrant- was ••prv’od bn and granted. WARDEN’S CCURT. CLYDE The Corpora* O' »\ Clyde (per Richard Poole, Town Cierk; a: p!i ;. for lew. to alter the course of the wa'cr-r ice known as the Wai Pun* Race, t>r gohl-mining purposes. Mr. J. D.Feoa id appeared in support of the objections lo loot by him, viz.:—L That the Corporation have no powr to speculate in gold-mining, not having a charter for that purpose; 2. That not. being a mining company under the Mining Companies’ Limited Liabity Act, the Corporation has no power to make applications under the Cold-fields Act. The Warden said, with respect to the first objection, he thought the only parties to object would be the ratepayers, and may he the Corporation felt sateas against them, as the present application was made to carry out what the ratepayers had agreed to. As to the power of the Corporation to make the application under the G ill-fields Act, dealt with in the second objection, the Warden was inclined to believe that, by VTtue of the miner’s right held by the Co-poration, they had the power, and he was compelled to recognise the-miner’s right hold by them. As to whether tie* Corporation is a person within tue meaning of the Act, entitled to hold a miner’s right, he would not now venture to **y. He would take time to consi cr the point raised, and would intimate to either 1 party wheu the case would be further .lea!’. ' with.