MINING LEASES.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1252, 3 August 1872, Page 2

MINING LEASES.

[to the editor.]

Sir— As one who has been living in. the Grey Valley for some years,, ,I ; write to say that it is inconsistent with the itruth that the' true sentiments of the mining community . have been expressed at the late meetings held at the Ahaura and elsewhere. There has been so much said at the different "monsters" about the' leasing question, that I need scarcely remark who said most. ; Sometime since there was a meeting held at Reefton for the purpose of memorialising his Excellency the Governor to withdraw from Mr Curtis the power of dealing with applicants for quartz-mining leaseß. ; . Amongst those assembled there was ona gentleman who was particularly, loud in his remarks as to ; the inefficienc] of the Superintendent to deal with such matters, and no doubt your readers will also remember that this same gentleman was equally as loud in the opposite direction about three years since in referring to what he then called " The Moonlight Landed Proprietors, or Quartzmining Company (Unlimited)." But " circumstance's alter cases." The^arty referred^ to has^ at the present time, a hankering after the scrip business, but at ■that time he was a humble miner: like niyself. I think, in justice to the Super- ! intendent, whatever may be his fault in the Eoads Department, there cannot be any fault found with, his putting a stopto monopoly. s ' : ' ' The memorial in question no doubt doubt had a -Rreat many signatures attachei to it, ! but there are several reasons ,:f or, such being the case.. One of them is that the ; Superintendent, generally speaking, is unpopular in this district, the cause of; which is his previous want of attention to the roads of the Grey Valley, but I must Bay he gained this unpopularity to himself previous to incurring the wrath of those "gentlemen speculators" whom we never would have heard of had it not been for the action, taken by his Honor with regard to those leases. Certainly the leaders of this so called indignation meeting have, in/ the framing of their memorial, taken the advantage of shewing to His Excellency the Governor the abuses they are subject to, leases included, through the mal-administration of the Superintendent. This was done with a view to obtain signatures, which otherwise they would never have got, the greater portion of which, I venture to say, are not in the 'possession of a miner's right, and are principally numbers of an "association," so woll describad in a late , issue of your paper. Had those leases all granted, the next thing we would

have heard of would in all probability be an emigration scheme for the purpose of procuring Cornish miners to won these extended areas at a cheap rate, aa the old pioneers of the Grey Valley were only fit for fossicking now. I cannot omit stating that J admire^ the 'very straightforward stand taken by the members for. -the Grey Valley at the late sitting of the Provincial Council, and also that I endorse every action taken by .them, with the 'single n . exception the leasing debate. I think that if either of these gentlemen were to notify their intention of holding a meeting at any of the townships of the surrounding diggings they would find there " the bona fide miners strongly opposed to leasing the country to a few " Bummers'' who are ever, Jwady to propose something at one' of those that would be likely to benefit themselves, not thinking for a moment about the interest of the miner who supports them. I would -have written to you some time since, but thinking .that this leasing question would hare been dealt with by some of my brother chips more competent than I am, I refrained from doing so until the present. . f - , < t \ '. "' ■■•'■ ' "'■ " lam, &c., ;^ ;:.,,,... A MINBB. August 2.