The Evening Star FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1870.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2357, 21 October 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1870.

A QUARTER, of a year ago we drew attention to the periodical reports of the Goldfields Wardens. The time has come round again for their reports, and the same question naturally recurs— What is the use of them % Are they merely reminders of the existence of such Wardens—intended to shew to the public that they do something for their salaries 1 If such were the object, it would be better to enumerate the various cases that came before them for decision, the time they occupied in investigation, and the number of miles they travel in a week, a month, or a year. They would be very able to

shew that their offices were not sine- < cures, and that on the equitable administration of the Goldfields Regulations and of the law in their magisterial capacities depend the good order, and to some extent the prosperity, of the inhabitants of the goldfields. The use of one of these reports depends very much upon ourselves. It may afford information to those who take a passing interest in the matter, or it may be passed over as dry reading by those who do not. It is very rarely indeed that reports appear to be considered indications of what may be done, as well as details of what has been done. But if they do not suggest the’ means of correcting what is wrong, or of prosecuting what is possible, it is because we will not learn the lessons that lie beneath their official verbiage. We yesterday published the report of the Warden at Mount Benger. Those who are gold-seeking in this district appear to be doing well. “ The results of some of the washings- “ up this season have been such as to “ prove that there are yet rich trea- “ sures to reward the toil and perse- “ verance of the miner.” These are general terms —merely suggestive —but it would not do for a man in an official position position to commit himself to stronger language ; for if he were too enthusiastic, individuals might be tempted to leave other occupations who were unfitted for gold-mining, and failing, might cast unmerited blame upon the Warden. Let us see therefore what facts he adduces in support of the statement:—“ About two “months since, a party of Chinese “ discovered a rich deposit in the ter- “ race on the west bank of the river, “ about a mile above Roxburgh. This “ terrace has been yielding from £1 to “ £3 per day per man to forty or fifty “ miners, mostlv Chinese,” That is fact number one. Then comes fact number two : —“ There has been a “large influx of Chinese, who have “ gone over the lulls and taken up “ good claims on the Pomahaka and “ surrounding districts. Next to the facts is the Warden’s estimate of the result of Chinese industry I esti- « mate that from 150 to 200 Chinese “ are now working in these localities, “ and doubtless the yield of gold for “ the next quarter will be favorably “ affected by this increase of popula- « tion.” Now what lessons should we learn from these? The first is, that we have been blind to the value of the treasure that lay ungathered in our soil, while the people of a nation thousands of miles away were so much alive to its existence that they had faith enough to expend capital and labor to obtain it. The second suggestion is, whether there is ground yet unoccupied that can be profitably worked, Mr Warden Bort.on says on this point “ There are hundreds and << even thousands of acres on either “ bank of the Clutha, which I am eonfident would amply remunerate any “ parties able and willing to give them “ a sufficient trial."” This is not news. In the year 1865, when the falling off in the yield of gold began seriously to affect Provincial prosperity., the mining surveyors of the day furnished very able and ■exhaustive reports of their various districts. In regard to this Mount Benger district, its rusliness was pointed out, and not only was that district mentioned, but many others that might have been profitably worked. From an examination of those reports, coupled with the confirmations of them by Dr. Hector, which have occasionally made their appearance, there is every reason to believe that instead of thousands of acres, there are thousands of square miles of auriferous ground lying unworked, that only require to be systematically turned over to yield a rich return. Turning again for a moment to the fact of the “ terrace yielding from £1 to £3 a day to the Chinese : we do not grudge them their earnings. Where men exhibit energy, skill, and foresight, they deserve to reap the reward of their welldirected toil. No matter what their country or their creed, they have obeyed the law that they must work to live, and no man has a right to complain when they succeed. But we had much rather have our own countrymen amongst us—men who are akin to us in thought, and feeling, and religion —men who have common ideas with us, who can settle and make their homes here. It would be better for all classes were this the case. Better the Chinese than nobody : but better English, Scotch, Irish, or German, than Chinese. Now all the time the fifty or sixty Chinese were earning from one to three pounds a day each, we had crowds in Dunedin clamoring for work, and listening to trashy abuse daily in the Octagon. We pointed out the way to remedy the evil at the time, and we got no thanks from the Government. We again press the subject upon their attention and upon that of the public. It is time that the labor question was thoroughly investigated, and rational ideas formed in regard to it by all classes. When we were exporting fifty thousand ounces of gold monthly,

everybody prospered. We do not believe there is any good reason why we may not reach that point again. If we are told that the men who unearthed that amount of treasure have left us, and therefore it is not produced monthly now, we acknowledge the truth of the observation, and ask why effective means have not been adopted to? supply their places by more permanent workers 1 This is one of the problems ■ to be solved.