The Evening Star TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1872.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2775, 9 January 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1872.

The extract we gave from the report of the Goldfields Commissioners of New South Wales points to arrangements for economically working claims that, however consistent with common sense, are practically ignored. Nothing, in fact, is more difficult than to convince men they are going a wrong way to work. Every farmer considers his own system the . most profitable, although in pursuing it he exhausts the land : every craftsman considers he has a perfect right to go to work after his own fashion, although it may require twice the expenditure of labor that is absolutely needed : and, in the .same way, every digger, miner, or quartz reefer claims the light to “ put

« groundthat can be « efficiently by one, or to sink “ a shaft' although there are already “ five” to \vot'k a reef for which “ one “ would have been ample.” But the Commissioners look upon the matter in a national, not a personal light. They assume that goldfields, at least on the waste lands of the Crown are national property, and that consequently the country has a right to expect in. return for permission to work them, there shall be no waste of labor, that, more profitably employed, would conduce to the development of national wealth. This is a somewhat different view from that entertained by a majority of our miners, who seem to think that having devoted themselves to the pursuits of unearthing gold, all governmental arrangements must bend to their notions of right and wrong; that in fact they are the persons to dictate the terras on which ground shall be worked, and claims be abandoned or transferred. governments have tacitly acknowledged this by referring gold legislation to them, and accepting suggestions under the idea that every* man knows his own business the best. In matters of justice amongst themselves, no doubt reference to their experience is a wise step. There is not much danger of men engaged in a common employment, allowing any one of their class to obtain privileges not to be enjoyed by the rest. It is only when their interests as a class are placed in antagonism to the rest of the population, that there is likely to be combination. We see this in the case of the farmers and squatters in their fight about the land, and the endeavors of the first to obtain special protection for their own form of industry at the expence of all the rest of the people. But Government having conceded so much to the miners or diggers—fertile N.S.W. Commissioners draw a very proper distinction between them —has a right to very narrowly scrutinise the result of the bargain ; and what has it been in Otago ? Vast areas of ground containing gold, partially worked and abandoned goldfields that for two years have been practically at a stand-still ; and in lieu of a well to do population of Europeans with families, enjoying eomforc, the proceeds of well-directed and successful labor, there are some thousands of unmarried men, both European and Chinese, ready to leave at any moment, should the vision of a new goldfield be flouted before their imaginations. The Government here, as elsewhere, seems to imagine that having entrusted the goldfields population with making their own regulations, they have fulfilled their duty when officers arc appointed to carry them out, and all they have to do is to see that these selfsuggested restrictions are obeyed. We grant their duty would have ended here, had there been none other than the miners interested in the working of this national estate : but this is not the case. The New South Wales Commissioners say, “If a claim be, in the 11 first place inefficiently worked, this “ alternative evil follows of necessity : “ either the same ground must be ‘i worked twice over, and thus you have “ a wasteful expenditure of labor, —ox-, “ there remains an absolute loss of “ material wealth, inasmuch as much “ auriferous deposit which might pro- “ fitably have been extracted remains “in the ground.” The efficient and economic working of our goldfields is, in fact, of Provincial and national importance. This is not a mere political or party question : it is one that should specially engage the attention of any Government, no matter by whom administered. Efficient working can only be secured by efficient and instructed workmen. At the risk of incurring digging enmity, we venture to put prominently forward the New South Wales distinction between digger and nxiuer—any man may be a digger, bjjt a “ miner ” means a man who knows what is needed to make the utmost of his labor. Diggers have come, diggers have gone, and diggers remain; i although many fortunately have become miners. The duty of the Government is to train up miners for properly wox-king the goldfields: the means are in their hands ; what is required is but to use them.