MINING REPORT.

Kumara Times, Issue 924, 16 September 1879, Page 2

MINING REPORT.

[Fkom our Spkuial Mining Reporter.] It is very seldom that miners can be got to interest themselves as much in. anything as they did in the late election ; and with all the amount of interest displayed, few constituencies can boast of the same amount of order arid decorum during the whole affair. A few people seem to think it a pity that the Miners' deputation that waited on Mr Gisborne should have? expressed any opinion that might retard the starting of the sludge-channel. In my opinion it would have been a greater pity if seven men, chosen from a large meeting and happening to have the opinion that the sludge-channel would. be deficient in any way—l say it would have been a greater pity if they had not the manhood to say so. I riont happen to be of the same opinion as those men that formed the deputation, but I can respect the houesty of purpose that prompted their action. It is now so far satisfactory that there is no insurmountable difficulty in the public mind; but for all that I would like to see the contract let-. Applicants for extra privileges and objectors thereto have been loud in their complaints, both in print and out of it, and there is no doubt both sides have something to complain of. It is a great source of annoyance and loss to the mining communites generally, that the Government has so handicaps! our Wardens that it is nex'r. to an. impossibility f<>r them to visit claims in dispute m-other mining matters that often cannot be justly settled without the personal inspection of the Warden. Our projected sludge-channel will be (A

little use to the cunmunitv ;it if the most liberal intei-pn-iation is not yivcn to the law relating to tlic siz • of claims siiid other privileges. The ])i'e.seut size of claims, aitliouidi by sonic considered to he larg", «i;l be fill-id in many eases, barely big enough to cover t'ie e.Nipensx of opening up. With p: rliaps. the most practical Warden in New Zetland, it only requires Ibat he should have the opportunity to visit the district to yrappie with the whole question. A correspondent infoi'ins yoii of the general activity in mining m.liters that prevails at T>irrikiiis ; hilt nobody tli ,1; 1 havi : spoken, to knows about the lead that In* writes of. 'l'heiv wen]>revious'y little pat. lies got about a j-.ieat | art of the but the princ pal cause of it i.eiuir taken up now. is that miners liud that they can make •smaller prospects pay tiiaii liiev thought they could at i)je time the irioMiKi was first rushed, and this is caused cliieily through the »eneral use of single timber instead of double.