GREY VALLEY GOLD FIELDS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1462, 10 April 1873, Page 2

GREY VALLEY GOLD FIELDS.

; OntinMih. own correspondent.) MINING. Slight and temporary as is the supply of water resulting from the recent rains, a ..perceptible alteration for the better, is already noticeable in the raining districts. That (.appearance of, (listless., languid, linger-and-die laziness ' and ' idleness, so -Pmy-aleiife^dnring the , last-menth^r^wo. no longer exists, for,. everyone who has work to do isas :; biVsy' i ls a nailer, making the most of the present opportunity, and pulling up for lost tiffin That pulling up will, howevjßr^p^bVJß||f^tedious operation. The loss of |timjß|fiwJcasXoned by the want of water is a total loss to the hydraulic and ground aluicersj for' they^haitef not, been able to pile washdirt 'as/the tunnel workers have. Theirs- was faji entire land utter' 1 waste of time,- while ; the in'jviry to themselves in consequence; of compulsory idleness was. also a loss to.th^i.cpuntry, and should act as a warning depending altogether upon" the'.acclcleritß of the weather for the proseeutuni fcuccessf ully of work on the l goldfields.' " K will fake a few months yet to retrieve Uhe evil effects of the recent drought ~ ' Tle'Orfirell Creek rush is still, the chief i .attraction. The population, is increasingjv'and .fresh tunnels are being started every day. A prospecting area, ,200.x 1200,, feet- was granted conditionally,; to .Parker. ,and Wilson, last week, at a.place abput?a ! .mile eastward and south of -the prospector's claim at Orwell. The parties have to report themselves at»the 'Warden's office on 25th ' April, to state : What : - progress; -they are making.' Should they' suisdeed T/ in striking payable gold in that direction, there will be a prbßaßility'Of^'fne o !^^ running a rgreatf) length; 5 (The Mining Surveyor, was, busy iall the week laying off ,&. base line /and parallels ,pn, the_ne w/lead, a very necessary work^JcoE/i^iijapnears some confusion has already arisen about the boundaries^ for want ofi reliable > data to gtiide the claimholders.] ''3 70 : The survey. ; of x the; INelson> Greekfand Lake Hochstetter Water-race will bs com- : pleted, ... it is ; said, this ..week, : and;,lefc us fervently hope no unnecessarryride^y) will take place in beginning the .ac|ua]£|o§rK>. of race-cutting. There is not anyreijjsonjv able excuse fqrc^uttipg.off the commode- X ment of tjbfi^<)r.k^<;fbr Mr Lord has finished his£sarvey; inidetail, so that the working plans may be said to, be xeadv at 'bribe. " ■ " ; "' '" " ; '''■''■" '■'' ' ;;rr I MINING CONFERENCE AT RBEFTON. When the, Conference -which is sitting, or about to sit, at, Reef ton, iortherevisibii and amendment of the feold Fields Regulations, has completed its ; duties, the report, will be^submitted i» f the Wardens for consideration. As the miners of this . district will not ..perhaps ,haye, an^ opportunity of hblding any intercourse wife the members of the Conference "during their ; deUb'erations, 1 the;J.Wardeu invites c6m..hiunicatiprik.frprn. persons who may have suggestions to make as to airy necessary alterations- in the 'Regulations as i f they apply to the (Valley. ; This isr an opportunity of -which thos6 jV affe.cte6T'by the injuribus operation ib£ any 1 ; " of ! 'the ruled : should avail 'themselves. ,r The Warden, in ■ thus inviiin^ ! !an 'eiplresHion of opinion from the'iflineMron ! thia subject, does riot 1 desifetd 'interfere "wfth or anticipate the conclusions the members of the Conference may come to, but as the Wardens will form a Board to finally revise the revisibn of 'fife Cbhf ere'nce', fcny hint or information given the member? of the Board may be 'used ! fb the advantage .of the districts the several members will represent: Information as'to' the ; working of the inevitable Clause 8, Section" I0j !? in the several; parts -of :the/,Grey; galley is particularly requested. This clause directs that a of vatfer Shall at aJI times t he allowed tto r run in the, beds of creeks; ■ u if . required," 1 ' jSpgg^stibnlfor the amendment of this*' regulation, so* as to gender it .'more workable, " wjII be of value. ,Ifc; ; is generally, admitted that it would be dangerous to abolish this rule,; I because, ■■ ;by- • doing) <soj> > an ; opening migtit, be made' for i'inroads of monopoly, but.itjs/alsp, apparent that it require? amendment, for,' as it is administered'at presenf,it is an. effectual bar. to the progress, of ; the class of on which the miners in the Grey Valley now '■ depends* i dt m:.-i" >;o^;ij >/;[ ."M:-i\ ?.; ■;•» •:4iTWftt«fc>Ti';u/t ; ! Persons resident ia the Grey Valley who have sent in blaims! : tp be placed upon the electoral; 'roll that thtS^ making the cMmMbel^st, as a matter of^K course, confer the right ip yo;te. The^claims will be" subjected to' -ja^str^t' scruVnjMby the ß^yhing|officerj,aE|cf the'scrujiiny will, this'yearjVbe more exact tlian;, it usually is. It is therefore necessary that, if possible, those who have-made claims should be present . to , uphold them in the; Ilevision Cburt. The; Registration C,pmmit^ee; in . this djstricthave reliabte ijufbrmatipn^tiiat all. the. means at the command ,p|;,,4be Nelson Government will be made user of to prevent any increase in the number of namesontheielectoral roll; /The Government and its agents or tools, as the case may be, oppose and 1 contest' 1 e>ery claim,' and every available influence will b^bXiOughttQ bear to, effect the object in-? tended, namely, the enfranchisement- of the people. TJiiSjis^nQ idle thrjegt, for the unpardonable indifference of the class which.is most, directly 7 cqncerned[iiprsugmentiug, the roll is f avorable'to the designs of the Nelson Government.^ And it must be remembered that 1 in matters of this kind 'the most unscrupulous meansfcj^resorted to when the end -to be' gained is political power and influence? •'%& Had an instance; of the barefacieci; an'^l' w»ndalous'abuse '6f official ••'authbriiy'du'inbg the election* a 'few years ago which resnlte'd in the return of Mr W. N. Frank--4yi^as-»«-ni!ember^orH3ie~€{Ttf y' Valley. On tha,t; occasion ;ijfc was onenly aaßeited that the successful candidate qwgv^ig election to the active canvass made for him, "by command^ 1 '"^ by his official inferiors, ,And,jt,was J^markedj^atby a singular coinbide'nee wlier/evef an elector likely to record. jhisijVpte in favor of Mr Frankly n approached the polling-booth a .passage yvas opened fqr him, and hejiad easy access to the interior of the building, while, ' on the - conttary, ; thbse' electors who : :i did not ; hoid>. ' c correct opinions,* i.e., ; who were npt ; likely f to vote the right wayphad-rin-aomerinstanewto effect an entr^ into the po^linfif booth j>y getting down 1 the chimney or thrbug^^ie Avindows in order! j^q, jgjye^lheir votes to the non-official candidate. These circumstances have no£ *n^dit»esibeftring qppn thepresent quesjiipn; ,ftf f (tegistration, but they show to what disreputable dodged people In authority l\vill weort when they can do so with impunity. Thanks to the exertions* pf

vidnals, every legitimate means will be taken to checkmate : the moves of the agents of the Government should any attempt be made, to interfere with the free registration of those qualified to become electors. One of the most effectual modes of preventing this interference will be by compelling every Government official, as far as possible, to perform the work for which he is paid, and seeing that the policy of non-intervention be strictly, observed by those who receive the money of the people for performing services which are accurately defined.