NELSON GOLD FIELDS MINING RULES. [to the editor.]

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1369, 18 December 1872, Page 2

NELSON GOLD FIELDS MINING RULES. [to the editor.]

Sir— As "Our own Correspondent?' and "Fair Play" have in the person of Mr Lash another advocate in favor of some alteration being made in clause 8, Section X, of the Mining Rules v of the Nelson South- West Gold Fields, you will probably allow me once more to make a few remarks on this subject, as they, in their letters, would give your readers to understand this clause, through its unworkable qualities, is universally ignored by the majority of the miners, whom ." Our own Correspondent" represents as being now engaged on high terrace workings. „;.,-... In order to show those gentlemen are wrongly informed, and that they are premature in their advocacy of some alteration being made in this clause, I will merely state that some two years ago, when the census was taken, the popula-^ tion of Half-Ounce and Duffer's together was 600 ; supposing out of this number 300 were engaged in mining, from this we deduct the 25 connected with the six races, we have 275 men using the water in or near the creek, against the 25 using it on the terraces, and at present we have 90 using it near the creeks against 15 on the terraces. It would hardly be fair for the figures of this portion of the district being taken as a sample of other localities where the proportion of the men engaged in the two classes of mining would be more equalised, but were it put to the test, I have not the least doubt it would be found the majority of the miners are working on the lower levels simply because there is not sufficient water in their respective localities to give employment to the majority on the higher levels. This being the case it is hardly reasonable to suppose this clause can be so universally ignored, and that the time has come for "a rule capable of being interpreted and applied in quite an opposite direction." Mr Lash says he cannot see why one interest on the gold fields should receive more protection and favor than another, and in sppaking of parties constructing races says the clause has been utterly disregarded solely in jihe hope that it would not be enforced ag tinst them. Vain hope 1 Why, if it be law and is required, should it not be enforced against them V Is it because the labor of the half-dozen men who have registered the water of a creek and cut a mile or two of race, is more productive than the labor of 200 or 300 men who have sunk shafts, erected machinery, put in tunnels and laid down tramways to. the creek. No, it is because t]ie wa^er. can be more profitably used in or n§4r %c crgek, ' in gjving employment to the, many instea4 of allpwing it tq be monopolised by the few that $4s favor, if any, is shown j and the reading of this clause is and should be enforoed. Again, Mr Lash says he don't believe in monopoly in any sha^e, and to prevent it he would have- a clause to the effect that if water was wanted for general purposes in the creek, then the owner should, be compelled to let a head floyr down, and for so doing receive compensation from the parties wanting it. There certainly is but {little, mqnotjoly in the man who qnly requires compensatiqn from the miners during the few years they are : working |n or near the creek, and in turning hia eyes, to ejthpr yange havjp the consolatipn of knowing hjs right tjeing the only available water in the locality, secures, ' to himself and his heirs all the sluicing ground hjs rape corpmands. As this gentleman wquld jiava a monopoly compensation clause ''in addition to some alteration in the ono in question, I would suggest to him and those gentlemen co-operating with him. on this subject the advisability of the appointment in each mining centre of two men. of different opinions on this subject to canvass together their portion of the district, and by this means learn if the majority of the miners are in favor of I any alteration being made in this clause j if so, then they have" their remedy in clause 18, Section XVII, which provides for the suspension of and substitution of another in the stead of any, inapplicable clause. Although.l will here express my willingness to cauvass with either of those gentlemen my portion of the district, I do not think the time will come for any material alteration being made in this clause until either the low ground ia worked out, or, in addition to the present races, which generally head one-third of the way down small low-lying creeks and consequently command but a small portion of low country, and giving employment only to the few fortunate holders of water-rights, we have water in abnn dance available to all flowing along the tops of the hills and ranges. Then the miners who are at present interested in and greatly dependent for a livelihood on the head of water provided them by this clause would only be too glad to leave the now poorly remunerative and laborious work in the low ground to contribute their numbers to help to thickly populate our hills with what would then be a thriving industrious people, doing good both for themselves and the country; and consequently there would no longer be any reason for objecting to tjje wiping out either in part or in full of Clause 8 Section K. of the Mining Rules. ' .'.'■ * I am, $c., " : Saul. B. Hafeorp, Miner. Half-Ounce, Dec. 14, 1872. [There are several sentences in the foregoing letter which are exceedingly obscure, but which might not be improved by any t emendations of purs. "V^e .therefore print them apcordjng to po,py, hoping they may be ppmprehended more easily by readers who have heads of water," . which we do not pretend to possess.*]

A j Canary and Poultry Society has been ' ] formed in Dunedin. ■■. . ; .-.■ r . 1 i