MAEREWHENUA.

Evening Star, Issue 4109, 28 April 1876, Page 2

MAEREWHENUA.

The Committee on the Maerewhenua qnev* tion report as follows :

The present position of the dispute be* tween the freeholders and the miners prove fatal, or the source of a heavy annua; imposition to the weaker party. Your com, mittee would recommend that a petition bf drawn up, setting forth the nature of the dil. Acuities, and praying that the Governmen i 1 take upon themselves the responsibility o? settling the dispute in question, as it wa< under a belief in the good faith of the Legit, lature that miners invested such large sum ? of money upon the Goldfields. The Gold r

fields Act passed last session has stultified former actions of a more liberal nature ; it places mining at the mercy of the freeholder, while it fails to recognise mining property at all, and therefore provides no recompensation, although by a sudden proclamation mining plant would be at once rendered valueless.

Your committee would advise that the Central Association be requested to convene a conference of delegates in Dunedin or Wellington, before Parliament meets; such conference would be in a position to obtain legal advice, and to decide—in case of the Government refusing to legalise or to affirm the legalisation of nver pollution for mining purposes—upon the advisability of a final decision being obtained from the Privy Council.

Among other matters of local interest that have been considered during the year, your Committee have to report that facilities for agricultural settlement should in their opinion be offered in the district, in order that agricultural and mining pursuits may go hand in hand. If the incoming Committee were consulted as to locality, boundaries, &c., there could be no danger to mining in opening 5,000 acres in one or more blocks under deferred payments or on the agricultural lease system. Probably agricultural lease blocks would for some time be most suitable for Maerewhenua.