GREY VALLEY DIGGINGS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1238, 18 July 1872, Page 2

G R EY VALLEY DIGGINGS.

[PROM OTTR'6WK COKRESBOKnEHf.] ' .; : Nelsoh Creek, July:l6i Great hopes are now entertained by the inhabitants of "this ! district that the large ; water-face from Lake Hpchstetter will' at length be constructed, > From i time 'to time the making of the race was a work which was so often about .being commenced without any actual beginning, being made that people were-, getting sceptical, of the -likelihood of its ever becoming an accomplished ,fact. A pre^v liminary survey was made at great expense, and,the practicability of= the scheme being demonstrated, f.it^was a wbnder either the Provincial Government , or| a private company did npt undertake the completion of "the work. ' It offers! a splendid investment, without the slightest risk, for the vast extent of proved valuable auriferous country the water* wbuld painmand is a sufficient guarantee against the remotest chance of failure. The Sup&y ihtendent, in his speech at the prorogation of the; Provincial Council, referred !to negotiations;' pending with.the. General Government, through which it. was probable the race would be commenced without further delay, and it is to be hoped this ia not one of the many promises made by the Nelson Government which are never intended to be fulfilled. . The in r habitants have been; deceived so -often that they have just grounds for doubting the sincerity of the, assurances of the Nelson Government with respect to this part of the Province. If4he Government really had the interest of these gpld ftelds. at . heart, .they would haVe : borrowed money years ago to make this water-race/ and: especially when the .Biiryey was finished, 1 and when all doubts. |is To'; the existence- of insuperabW engineering difficulties were .removed^ ;tjbey • should have proceeded with its construction. " Not only this> but other reproductive w.orks iii the Valley should .have been undertaken, if the Government? desired & retain the mining population and provide remunerative employment for it. : It is not an extravagant estimate to = make when it is i asserted: that if the Hochstetter water race was at asufljcient elevation to' command' the Nelson and' Callaghan Creek districts between four and five thousand men : cbuld be profitably employed for years. Similar results would be obtained; if sufficient water could bo brought to command the No Town and -Naporeon districts. Seeing this ia the case, the Njehion Govern^ merit is tp blame in not displaying more energy in attempting to deyelop the resources of the magnj6cent public estate it has so long and so shamefully mismanaged. In a few years hence, when the gold fields are under a more liberal and progressive form of government, the results will be • such that people will wonder why or how the present state of affairs was permitted to exist for such a length of time. It has been covertly insinuated by certain parties in thg ; lJois'on Creek district that the pro*ject*of bringing water from the Lake Hochstetter to Nelson Creek has been systematically; "damned, with faint praise" in these reports. This is not a fact; on the contrary,, the writer was ; among the

fi^st" who recognised the splendid opporluni^jthis race presented for public or :pr t ivate enterprise. More than fonryean agprf in April, 1868— the writer laid a plan lornts constmction before a number of the leading miners and business men of Try-again Terrace, and although the proposition was considered visionary at the time r and treated as «uchf^iMt^hia^been the race' would be completed Before this and Nelson Creek would be a very different to whatitis^owr^^Keirth^Provincial Secretary, at 'his last visit to these gold fields, made a distinct promise that tne work would be proceeded with at once, it was hej^e remarked that the promise was rashly made, because before the Government race "^cbttid be gone on with, existing rights .would have to be^reapected 'and equitably disposed; of. '■ Tbatf there are existing rights, th& following] ex|iract from the records of the, Warclen's Office, then at Camptown, will show : — " March 28th, 1870.— Special grant to Bernard ,Magee r and Company-Height, men ; for a ' face commencing at a .point in the left hand branch of Nelson Creek, about six miles above the old township, arid terminating at Try Again Terrace: Length of race, (9) nine mUes ; quantity ofrwater, (40) forty Goyernment.sluice heads.", The tributary mentioned in the above grant is the main outlet of the lake, and if the party have complied . with ; the. conditions of .their grant, they: are entitled^'to the greater portion of the water likely 'to be in the creek, especially during the summer season, for 40 Government sluice' heads of water is not by any lneana a mere dribble. Mr Woolley, in his report aftet 'h^completod the i survey,' shwed htfwjtiby the construction of certain engineering works, the quantity of water in, the Lake' could be materially increased ; .ahidjt iii said that the creek, when it leaves the Lake, is much greater in volume on the surface than it is some miles lower down, or nearer the point of commencement of Magee's race. The difference in the size of the creek at. the outlet from the Lake further down is accounted for ,byth* disappearance of the water through the shingle of .which the. bed ofTtS^creek is composed; For .all this, if ; Magee and party have a right to insist on 40 heads of water coming down the creek bed tb'&em, it will form a material obstacle to the usefulness of the Government ditchv> r "At the same' time, while existing private- rights should, in the interest of every rhan in the community, be jealously guarded, it is necessary for the publicgood that the conditions uuder^hich3jthese rights were held should be strictly 'fulfilled. The value of the labor alone; done by Magee's party, at L 4 per week per man, will be ?abbut L 3500, and they are certainly entitled to consideration. . Nevertheless, the condir .tipn under whiph they,' ifold their, special right is clearly laid down in the : clause ia the regulations, under -which it; is grafted. Under sectionlO, clause'll of the Regulations, the number of sluice-heads allowed for any face shall, in ordinary caws, b§ one head for each person \ Proyidedxthat in races hot exceeding one .mile in length, it .shall; not be lawful for Vthe-.^Warden to grant any water-right, exceedjng four sluice-heads, unless there shall appear tp him to be extraordinary.difficulties in the constfuctipn of the race, and that incases exceeding one; mile in length, , where a large outlay is required, anyr.Jargefenumber of sluice-heads may be :allowed^ due regard being had to the amount of ■'• water in the source from which the race heads, and to the probable requirements' of the persons in the neighborhood thereof ; and provided also that there shall be engaged in making beneficial use of the water at least one person for every sluice-lheod," The letter part of the above ph»usp|s th§ condition under which Magee and C^Donnel's party hold t^eir .right, but thu w not the place to enquire whether they comply with it" or otherwise." 1 ' r- 1