GOLD-MINING LEASES IN THE GREY VALLEY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1908, 17 September 1874, Page 2

GOLD-MINING LEASES IN THE GREY VALLEY.

[to the bditok.] .Sir— l crave a little of the space of your valuable paper for a few remarks of mine concerning the granting of large areas ot ground to parties of miners for gold-mining purposes. Though the miners of a portion of the Valley have pronounced, strongly . against leasing of auriferous ground, it must not be supposed that the residents of other raining districts r hold the same opinion. I ana of opinion thnt the general area of the ground that is left in most districts of the Grey Valley is far too poor for to pay when held in ordinary claims, for the days have passed away when the possessers of capital consisting of a 501 b bag of flour and a side of bacon could almost with certainty get a payable claim before that capital " was alljcalled tip." At : the present time it is a difficult matter for the miners to get ground sufficiently payable to work, without making a considerable outlay of time and money. The description of ground that is left now for the miner to operate. upon, consists either of old worked ground which requires a large quantity of it to be washed before anything like wages', can he made, or ground where it requires long and expensive tunnels or tail-races: to test and work the claims. There is, also, ground so : situated that tunnels cannot be made available to work it, so that expensive, pumping and lifting machinery has to be erected in many cases on a mere chance of getting any return for the expenditure incurred. Ordinary claims I am sure does not meet the requirements of the above descriptions of gold-mining ;■ even extended -. claims fall short of beihga large enough area, so. that miners would be reimbursed, for their outlay of time and money before the claim? were worked put. . One acre per manin^old ground, ;and half an acre per. man in ground where tunnelling hiacli to be resorted to to prove it, would, 1 ,1; think, be) a- reasonable area -of ground to,be held under lease. -.•■••■. : ; m A large percentage of the miners of the Grey Valley s will ; bear me out in the

assertion I make, that in a great many cases as regards the working out|of claims, particularly tunnelling claims— when all the expenses incurred in connection with getting them in working order are paid off, and the shareholders are just commencing to personally make a little money, tha claim is worked out, and they find they have only been working'folrvthe storekeepers for, most likely, six or twelve months. I consider if claims we're large ehoughj some of the r miners would have a likelihood . of. saving money, and not be little better than serfs to the storekeepers, as numbers "of the miners of the present day are. There is also another light in which to view the matter. In the district of HalfGunce there are a great many claims of from one up to ten acres in extent that gives profitable employment' to a good number of men, Now if the inducement of a large area of ground had' not bee» held out to the parties of miners who occupy this ground, ' it would- -bellying idle, and of no benefit- at : all' to the community at large, ? It is a wellrknown^fact that miners will work for a smaller amount of money per: week than the- usual rate, of wages when they see. a long spell of- work ahead of them. ' .. ; .., fri^ Mr Editor, r I. : - think,., with .the. jgre'at majority of. the miners Ithat the. iviews-you take in your paper on the leasing question are in strict conformity with the ibest means of ensuring the ] progress of the mining industry of theGrejr Valley. (As your object is to advocate [measurejs vyhich will tend to settle the niinin^g population down to steady 'emplpymfent,.; we" agree with you, foi withb.ut'rd6ni)t ' one steaay settled miner is more conducive to" the mining prosperity of the Grey.VaUeyjfchan three or four of the classrwho are ready at a moments notice to bundle ' up their swags and take their departure — generally for parts unknown— fin -many cases 'leaving a mark behind then?,, which' has- to;be rubbed-out-by the steady and industrious miner in having to |pay a higher- priced or all articles of daily consumption. -&. I am, &c. , ' ; : '• - ! ' % ' Old Pick and Shovel. : Half-Ounce, Sept. l4J-1874. -.Mil