PROTECTED ROADS.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 653, 26 March 1870, Page 4

PROTECTED ROADS.

<> (To the Editor of the Grey River Argus.) Sih— The vexed question of tracks cuine before our Warden a_'«iin last Tuesday, in the casu Mackley v, M'taughlan, when his Worship waived the addresses of U)p ]t^gal luaiinnries on cither side and declared his intention of personally mr spuctin o ' tho locality before he decided the case. 1^ it pusjibkj that. Mr Whifefoord intends to inu-oduge a better style of administering justice in this part oi the world ? Jt would almost seem so ! In this particulir case ho certainly saved the time «>f the court, and a much more isquitable decision than those fortnerlv arrived at by the Ahaura, byngh is likely to bo obtained by visiting the disputed right. But whether it is. wise on Mr Whitefoovd'a part to break through the web of )i)ismana<remt;i)t a.nd cironm locution spun by his predecessors remains to be seen. 11 What will Mrs Grundy say V Will our Maternal Government be pleased with tiie innovation 1 (I i^re'er the term maternal to the.conventiouel phrase as. niore applicable to our Nelson j'uiers, : sonveying as it does t'.ie idea of a deeper and holj£r tj.e, at the same time identifying^itself somewhat with «ged females, ) . Since, shortly after the very fi>st rush to this ooast the jolicy of our Nels<m rulers has. bppn to rotard the development of the district by every means in their power,. In proof whereof I >yill as briefly a? possible relate one or two instances of my personal esjierience, The two great wants of the (irey Valley since it has. been a gold Held have been and still are the want of prospectors and the want of tracks, I have endeavored as much as I was able to relieve those wants, and thus I fared in Qonsequenpe^ Four years, ago niymat^s and myself were prospecting on the north side of the Grey River. ;: We had a pretty lu\rd time of it, and jngt as we had Qhanged our last £o vote we found payable prospects in Caledonian Creek aud its tribu taries. We waited on Mr Lightband at -the Twelve* mile, and reportod out- discovery, asking, at the' same time, for an extended claim. We had to wait two days until Ml' KynJieraley arrived from Cobden, He granted us double claims, aud charged U3 10s for protection, at the same time asking if \vo wero preps red to protect ourselves Against any consequents that might arise from the rush, The crowd arrived, and not finding as much gold as they ex : pected, worked out the most easily wrought portions of our claim before our eyes, compelling \vs meanwhile to carry fire-arms constantly to prevent personal maltreatment. The possession of a aouple of revolvers alone saved ua from the fate of tlie Duffer's Gully prospector, who, after opening one of the best creeks on tho Grey, was shaved, cropped, and Kicked out of it, with his Government protection in his pocket. After working out that portion of our claim that tlie " ryughs "kindly left us, I, for one, gave prospecting best, and embraced packing as a profession. Two j T cara : since 1 purchaie I a business on the tittle Grey, aud with it the protection for, a track which had been cut by the parties who had sold out to me. The. protection lapsed, and I did riot renew it, as I had no intention of charging any tolls. J. F. Johnsfcone and myself used the tr.tck, repairing the same alternately until the Christmas of 1868, when Johnstone, taking advantage of my absence, and during the ten days specially proclaimed as holidays by . Government, came to the Ahaura and effected a new protection } q, n d gave notice, of ; his intention to charge the exorbitant toll of five shillings each. horse. I protested against this injustice as soon as the holidays were over in. vain, T was told that my objections were too late, but that Johnstone was not to interfert* with the-, track then in existence. In tho following March he came to the Ahaura, $iid he : had cut a .tvack., and although he did not produce a voucher for money expended, nor make oath that the track did not interfere with an existing right, ;ho obtained his protection and certificate. Ten months later, Mi* Johnstone presented me with a bill for packing on my own track for I+L3. I refused to pay, was summoned, and although I clearly proved that Johnstone had never cut a new track, and that the track at present wju almost impassable, Johnstons obtained a . vardict '■ for the amount claimed,, .with L 8 12s 6d costs. This included L 2 2a allowed by the Bench for Mr Davis' professional services, who had beeri retained against me : by JbhnBtone. Meanwhile Mr .Johnstone holJs the exclusive right of 'supplying the miners of the - whole of. Antonio's Flat aud Maori Gully districts with provisions, at any price he Jikes to. fix. holds the right of farming and pasturage over four or five hundred, acres of clear land because he ha 3 Government protection for a track he never cot through threo^quarters of a mile of buih. Wlioe ; this. cheerful state of things continues, we' oan scarcely wonder &t the stagnation that iprevaillin; ea,oh and fc.very bnuich , of industry ;in • the. Grey Valley. .My team is idle' arid for s,ale. I cannot' compete with the rrien "who hold letters of mavqne to plunder their oppdaing traders.} : and them w. tuft a- jfreo. .track in the Qrey Valley pasaabte. at present. Until the. laws relating to prospectors are altered somewhat, I don't oarc about looking for a now golcLfield.. -My only plan is t^o sell out and leave— leave a coast where I kmny fiiiles. <if yivjund containing payable gold 5 a" valley containing ' hundreds of streams that have. nevac been dist)li<bed by the ring of the Kiinev's pick j a diatriot that promises aud will yet be ono of the most prosperous in New Zealand.. I njust leave' this (as hundreds have clonci before me, and are still doing), because the out* «k iris of tho gold .fields.. that wero easy.oi ttccess have been worked out, and our ma-, teinial rulers are doing all they can to prevent any other portion from being opened. . . ■ ' •. I am, &c, -U. M, M, Ahaura, March 18, 1870. <^_^^^' ; . ■ .