THE GARRICK RANGE MINERS’ ASSOCIATION.

Dunstan Times, Issue 674, 19 March 1875, Page 3

THE GARRICK RANGE MINERS’ ASSOCIATION.

(to the editor or the duxstah times.) Sir. —l have no doubt but you believe in freedom of thought and freedom of expression. I therefore claim a few inches of your valuable columns to express my opinion" on the writings of your Cromwell Cm respondent’regarding the actions of the Bannockhnrn and 'Garrick Range Miners’ Association, and itsßreside.nt(Mrßuchan.) 1 freely admit tho right of “ your own ” to criticize the actions of public men, and if he had contented himself with doing that, and telling the truth, you should not have been troubled with any letter from me on the subject. But, ns the letter of “ your owu ” is calculated to mislead the public, and damage the Association as a body, and its President as an individual, by false and unwarranted statements, I will show ymir readers that “ your own ” is very ignorant of tho subject on which ho writes with such confidence. 1 will heMn with his letter that appeared in your issue of the 2fith ultimo, in which he says that at the public meeting held at the Bannockburn, Mi M'Keldar gained a signal victory. Such a statement is calculated to make your readers believe that Mr M'Kcllar is popular on tho Bannockburn, and that the action of the Association in passing a vote

of censure has been condemned by then public. Now for tho naked truth. According to “ your own ” there were ISO people at tho mooting, and I think ho is pretty near tho mark. Tho meeting was called to take into consideration tho conduct of Mr M'Kcllar, who had made a groat many excuses for not addressing his constituents on the Bannockburn, ns he never could find time, but strange to say, he found time that very night the meeting was hold, ami although he was not invited, ho attended. It appears up to that time the Bannockburn was only a secondary consideration, as it is well known that he (Mr M'Kellar) found time to attend concerts, soirees, phrenological lectures, dramatic performances, &c, I only mention this to show that his excuse of want of time was what he called Mr Pyke’s tore throat, viz. nockburn meeting, a vote of confidence in Mr M’Kellar was carried by a majority of four—twouty-oiie voting for the confidence motion, and seventeen for tho amendment, altogether thirty-eight hands were held up, about one fourth of those present, two thirds abstaining from voting. If that is a signal success I will leave your readers to judge. Some of those who spoke the severest against Mr M'Kellar did not vote at all. Now as to the statements regarding tho election of President of the Minors’ Associotion, “ your own ” says, Mr Buchan polled seventeen votes, which is a glariim falsehood, and the ignorance of “ your own ” is only laughed at by those who were at tho election meeting. Evidently the impression “ your own ” wants to make is that, the seventeen who voted for Mr Buchan’s amendment arc tho party who elected him to be President of the Assooi. ation. By the action, says “ your own ” of the Miners’ Association, claims are being taken up in large blocks. Now, Sir, 1 do mot think there has booh a large claim applied for in the Bannockburn and C'an'ck Range that has not been objected toby the Association. But that, is an awful statement he makes, when he says that 1,000 miners are monopolizing 2,000 acres of ground. It is really an awful tiling fora miner tn have two acres ? Fearful monopoly ! I don’t know Xv’kat is to become of tho squatters after that. The same authority says, Mr Buchan holds in contempt all scribes, anil calls the local papers “rags." I certainly did not hear Mr Buchan say anythingnf the kind ; however, if he did so, it shows that he is not afraid to speak his mind. lam afraid to encroach further on your space, so 1 will conclude by drawing attention to the last paragraph of the letter of mis-statements written by i your correspondent, which is to tho effect that the alluvial deposits in this distiici arc speedily being wrought out, and that the quartz reels and water-races are now in tho hands of capitalists. Having done a largo amount of prospecting in this district lam therefore in a position to give an opinion on the subject, which, together with that of others, is that, not one thousandth part of the payable ground is worked out, and what has been, and is being worke 1, is by a very slow- process—principally by tunnelling. I wonder what “your own” calls capitalists? There are fifteen quartz claims being worked this side of the Kawaran. and with the exception of a few scrip that have been sold in tho Elizabeth, Star of the East,, and Heart of Oak, they aro still in the bands of working minors. The Caledonian is the I only one, almost, wholly owned by ] cople | outside of the district, and as to the w at orI mces being in the hands of capitalists, all I I can say is, if ho had wanted to let your ! readers know how little he really did know about this district, ho could not have taken a better plan, as there are about a dozen water-races, and with the exception of two they are all in tho hands of working miners. My excuse for taking any notice of your Cmmwell Correspondent is that, all your readers may'not'know him as well as I do, it they did so, it would have saved me the trouble of writing this letter. For the future no notice of his writings will be taken by mo.—l am, &c., Bannockburn Miner, Bannockburn, March 12, 1875.