MEETING OF MINERS AT NO TOWN.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1758, 24 March 1874, Page 2

MEETING OF MINERS AT NO TOWN.

On Saturday evening, the 21st instant, a great meeting of miners was held in the large room of Haisty's Hotel, No Town. Close on 200 miners were present, and on the motion of Mr Stanhope, seconded by Mr Garven, Dr Robb was called to the chair.

The Chairman opened the business of the meeting by stating that during the late visit to No Town of the Provincial Secretary and others of the Executive he had taken the opportunity of pointing out to these gentlemen the ■very excessive fees charged in the Warden's Office on the various documents required by minera in the working of their claims ; and that the Provincial Solicitor (Mr Pitt) had sng gested that a memorial embodying these grievances should bu got up and transmitted to the Superintendent of the Province. He (the Chairman) had therefore convened the present meeting that the subject might be fully considered and immediate action taken to have the grievances complained of remedied. He then moved the first resolution, viz. -.—"That in the opinion of this meeting, and having in consideration the present depressed condition of the Nelson South-West Gold-fields, consaquent on the too long delayed proper water supply for the various "districts, a memorial be prepared and sent to his Honor the Superintendent of Nelson, requesting that, with a view to alleviating the present inequitable and oppressive charges for the registration, &c, of the various rights required to bo held in alluvial mining, an uniform charge of one shilling be in future made for every such registration or other document issuable from a Warden's Office."

In moving the resolution, Dr Robb stated there could be no doubt whatever that the present deplorable condition of our gold-fields was almost entirely clue to the utter apathy displayed towards them by both the General and Provincial Governments, and that unless some great movement was now inaugurated by the miners themselves they (the miners), after spending the ruddiest] portion of their lives in this uphill work, would be forced to leave the Colony as best they could. Indeed, numbers had already left in disgust, and were still leaving. He also mentioned that the members of the Executive he had conversed with had stated to himself and others that were the reduction in the charges for documents in the Warden's office granted as prayed for, there would be great difficulty in making up the void in the Provincial revenue thus caused ; but he (Dr Robb) would respectfully suggest that the enormous acreage rented annually to runholders in the Province be raised from 5d to 6d per acre, and that the very large acreage held by Crown land leaseholders ba also increased from 3d, as at present, to 4d per acre, and thus that these increases ou tenants, who could not by any possibility feel their burdens, would be more than sufficient to meet the void in the revenue, and thereby take off the shoulders of the harnessed miner a tax which has always been too heavy, and in these poor time 3 of mining peculiarly oppressive.

The resolution was seconded by Mr Maguire, put to the meeting, and carried by acclamation.

The second resolution — "That a Committee to consist of the following gentlemen, viz , Messrs Maguire, A. Scott, Livingstone,' Garven, D. Marchall, Murday, and the Chairman, with power to add to their number, and four to be a quorum, be appointed to prepare said memorial, and to communicate with and appoint sub-committees in the mining districts of Red Jack's, Nelson Creek, Half-Ounce, Moonlight, NapoJeon Hill," &c, was moved by Mr Stanhope, seconded by Mr Breslane, and carried unanimously.

The third resolution, viz., "That to defray expenses connected with the said memorial a small subscription -list be opened, and a treasurer and sub-trea-surers be appointed in the various districts," was proposed by Mr John Livingstone and seconded by MrGARVEN", was also carried. Mr William Murday moved a vote of thanks to the Chairman fd"r the prompt manner in which he had brought the matter under the notioe of the mining districts, and for his conduct in the chair° which was duly acknowledged, and the meeting separated. At the close of the above meeting it was noticed that Mr B. Maguire, who had just returned from Ahaura, where he had been nominated for tho vaoant sent in the Council, was in the room, and Mr

Stanhope called upon him to address the electors present. Mr Maguire, who was well received, stated that he would not then address them, but that during the ensuing week he would be happy to do so. The Chairman stated there were four Richmonds iv the field, and he trusted the electors of the Valley would therefore be able to send to th 3 Council a gentleman of energy and ability, as one of that sort seemed to be sadly wanted.