MINING NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 971, 6 September 1871, Page 2

MINING NEWS.

GREY VALLEY DIGGINGS.

Ahaura, September 6. The extraordinary political activity displayed throughout the entire Grey Valley district: during the last week or two has surprised even those who originated and are taking a prominent part in; the move--1 ment to obtain a better system of Govern- ' ment. Still there is scarcely ; any ground for surprise, because anyone who has noticed the gross neglect and mismanage--1 ment of these; gold fields iby the Nelson Government for the last four or five years, 1 must have been prepared for this outburst of indignation, and the great wonder ' ia that the discontent and dissatisfaction 1 of the people did not find expression long 1 ago. There are several reasons to accqunt for the delay in the initiation .of. a popular movement such as the present. The policy of the Nelson Government always . has been to admit the " -reason 'and justice" of any and every demand made of it by the residents of the gold fields, and to make specious promises to remove all cause of complaint; and in some instances to actually so far accede to the prayer of a petition or memorial as to direct the request contained in it to be at once granted. ' | For example : If a petition was sent up. asking' that some means might be provided for crossing a deep and dangerous, creek, in which, perhaps, one or tvyo men had j been drowned, the memorialists would receive an answer in due circumlocutory time, .expressing .the deep regret of the Government at the loss of the two human ■ beings, in the Dpvil's Grip Creek, and that instructions would be given to have the .grievance remedied. Instructions would 'at length come, via the Engineer's De- • partment, to construct a* safe crossing to obviate the dangers of the "Devil's Grip," and, after dive inspection, the "Rbadlnspector" would report that he had discovered a suitable site, arid that tenders had been called. for and accepted; for the erection of a safe means of crossing the creek, and that the work had boen performed satisfactorily. All this meant that a tree had been felled over the crossing,^ and that the top branches had been re-" moved, and that a hand-rail had been fixed, all at the cost of a L5-note or there- ; abouts. Ori a" complaint being made to the member :of the Government who visited the gold fields that the district had not received its fair share of the public ex! penditure, this log and hand-rail were metaphorically thrown in the teeth of the copiplainants, and asked if they, were aware what -the •' fbotrbridge and'"approaches" at the DeviPs Grip crisi; ? They would then be informed that after the Ex- ; ecntiye had decided,. at a special meeting, that it was nut advisable any. more people should be lost in the Devil's Grip ;• instructions had been forwarded to, the En- • giiieer^s Department {*» prepareLplanstanoV specifications for ejecting a bridge " there-' across." Tenders Miad been consequently called, after careful selection of the site, for^ the performance of the work. The s officers of the Engineer's Department had vis|ted, reported, and exercised constant supervision over the work during its pro? gress, and at lepgth the bridge was cpmplejed. The cOst, which included the expenses of the constant . supervision, > was* certainly very great, but the. Government

did not- begrudge it, seeing that a great public requirement had been fulfilled. The deputation, overwhelmed with shame at the extent of their own ignorance, thanked the great man for his courtesy and urbanity, and withdrew. That was one way the Government had of getting out of a scrape, but the most^gifeiptual means >* : ihey adopted was the placing of large sums of money on the Estimates for the performance of public works of admitted necessity, and nevpr. expending the votes.' Remonstrance was useless. Letters, memorials, and deputations innumerable have been tried without effect, and who can wonder that extreme means have been resorted to. The Nelson Go* vernment has- forfeited the .respect and confidence of the people in this part of the country, and although a large section of the population, especially in the agricultural districts, are what may be described as essentially conservative : they are willing to go the length of a dismemberment of the Province in preference to submit any longer to be " bamboozled" (that was the word publicly and officially used in Nelson to describe the political success of the Superintendent's late visit to the gold fields) by the Provincial Government. The petition to the Assembly, praying that the General Government may assume the control of ths public expenditure on these gold fields, has received nearly 1000 attested signatures, and it is hoped and expected that the people of Greymonth, who are so vitally interested in the success and welfare of the gold fields population, will make a decided effort to support the object the petitioners have' iii; view. Although Greymouth is not part of the Neldffe Province, and it may btrargtted that the electors there have no political connection with the residents of the Nelson South- West Gold Fields, there are several clauses in the memorial which as electors of the Grey VaUey Pistrict they have a legitimate right tb support.