THE MINISTER OF MINES AT KUMARA.

Kumara Times, Issue 1656, 19 January 1882, Page 2

THE MINISTER OF MINES AT KUMARA.

The Hon. William llollestoh, Minister of Mines, Minister of Lands and Immigration, and Minister of Native Affairs, accompanied by H. A. Stratford, Esq., Warden, and Mr Gerhard Mueller (Chief Surveyor of the Westland District), left Grey mouth for Knmara, via Paroa and Marsden, at 1.30 p.m. yesterday ; and on their arrival at the Teremakan bridge, which connects the counties of Westland and the Grey, they were met by Mr R. J. Seddon, M.H.R., Mr P. Dungan (the County Chairman), Mr J. O'Hagan (Mayor of Kumara)] Mr James Wylde (Town Clerk), Mr M'Lean Watt jack (M.C.C.) of Hokitika, and Mr W. B. Robinson (Hon. S. c. Knmara Reception Committee). The party then came on to Kuniara, nniving here a little after six o'clock! The Hon. Mr Rolleston and party alighted at Mr Spindeler's Crown Hotel, Kumara, where apartments are taken during their stay here. Messrs O. Wakefield (Und. r-Secreiary tor Mines), and F. A. Martin (Resident Engineei) came hither by tram at about the same hour. Shortly after half-past seven in the evening, the Hon. Mr Rolleston signified (hut he was prepared to receive deputations; and then the membeis of the Reception Committee appointed for the purpose proceeded to an upstairs room at the Crown Hotel, led by Mr R. J. Seddon, M.H.R., who introduced the deputation, naming them individually, as follows : Messis P. Dungan (County Oh .irman). J. O'Hagan (Mayor of Knmara), J. Wylde (Town Clerk). A. C. Campbell, W. Barnett, S. S. Pollock, Jas. Home, O. VV. Anderson, D. Hannan, A. Crebar, W. B. Robinson. R. Toms, and four or five miners whose names we did not learn. The following gentlemen were also present: H. A. Stn,tford, Esq., Gerhaul Mueller, Esq., o.'Wakefield, Esq., F. A. Martin, E.*q., J. Gow, E*q. The Town Clerk then read the following address : To the Hon. William Rolleston*, Minister for Mines and Lands. Sir—lt was with great pleasure that the inhabitants of this- town hoard that you intended to pay them a visit, and make yourself, by personal observation, ac-' quainted with the surrounding district and

its requirements; and we beg now to offer you a most hearty welcome. At the time of your last visit to the West Coast the site of the town of Kumara and the surrounding goldlield was covered with a dense trackless bush ; and we think that the present appearance of the town will impress upon you the importance of gold-mining as an agent in settling country, which, without this industry, would probably remain for generations to come an uninhabited wilderness. We also hope that during your visit you will see enough to assure you that the miners are not such a nomadic race as they are sometimes reputed to be. We shall be able to show you that there are over 500 children attending the schools in the town (the total number of children being about double that number) whose parents are naturally anxious to find openings for establishing them in the country where they have been born and are being bred. We shall be able to shew you that wherever the administration of the land laws have allowed it, the mining population have set to work to make permanent homes ; and as a proof that they do not look upon their residence here as a temporary one, we can point out parties of miners who have for the last three or four years been employed in preparing to work ground, which as yet has yielded them nothing, but which with a supply of water, is calculated to maintain them and their families in comfort for many years to come. As the main object of your visit is no doubt to ascertain in wliat way the Government can best assist in developing the resources of the country, we beg to lay before yon the following list of urgent requirements : WATER-SUPPLY FOR THE GOLDFIELD. With the exception of one source of supply viz. the Oknku Water-race, the Government may be said to have secured a monopoly of all the water available for working this field, and thereby rendered the miners entirely dependent on them for the means of carrying on their avocations. We should not under ordinary circumstances have complained of this, as we would rather as a rule see these rights in the hands of the Government than in those of private parties, but the matter assumes a different aspect when the Government by their monopoly prevent the miners from bringing in a full supply of water themselves, and yet refuse or neglect to do so for them. The field has for years been in urgent want of a large supply of water, and yet all that the Government has supplied has been about 30 heads, and this liable to continual stoppages. In July last, the inhabitants petitioned Parliament for an increased water-supply and sent a deputy to Wellington to support the petition, and also to impress upon Government the urgent necessity of this work. Whereupon the Government placed on the Estimates a sum of money for water-supply in the Middle Island, and included in this amount was a sum for construction of a second dam in the Kapitea Creek. We would therefore strongly urge the construction without delay of this work as being the speediest jm'd most effective way of providing an increased water-supply. When the ease with which a large supply could be obtained and the larger revenue it would give is considered, it is difficult to understand why the delay we complain of should have taken place. As this question will no doubt be fully brought under your notice by the miners when you visit the various claims, we will not further e'nlarge upon it, except to point out that the fact of hundreds of miners being kept out of work by want of water acts most injuriously upon the town, and by a natural sequence tends to raise the cost of living at a time when the people are least able to bear it. THE SLUDGE-CHANNEL. It is now neai-ly four years since the Government undertook to form a main sludge-channel to allow of the claims being worked by ground-sluicing; but the work has been carried on in such a dilatory manner that it is not yet completed, and numbers of men who were induced to expend a large amount of time and money in opening up ground to be worked into the channel, and, having completed the necessary works, been for more than a year kept idle and obliged to live on their previous savings, or to trust to support from the storekeepers and others. This is felt to be a great hardship, as there would have been no difficulty in openiu" the channel long since, and the Govern" ment might have been receiving a considerable revenue from it. ROAD TO THE BEACH. This is a work much wanted on the following grounds :—l. All the timber available for mining purposes is nearly exhausted. A road to the Beach in continuation of Seddon street would open up about five miles of splendid bush, the timber from which could be cheaply carted to the claims. Without a large and cheap supply of timber, mining cannot be carried on profitably. 2. The road would open up a fine tract of country part of which is a Borough Reserve of 500 acres, all timbered, which might be made available for settlement, and thus tend to retain a population in the district. We trust that these facts will induce the Government to make provision for carrying out this most necessary work. BRIDGES. The only land communication between this district and the East Coast is by means of the Christchurch road, and this'is subject to continual interruption for the svant of bridges over the Taipo and Wainihinihi rivers. In addition to this the numbers of lives lost by drowning in the Taipo River is something frightful to think of, and we trust you will see the necessity of having bridges built at once.

THE TAIPO REEFS. The large deposits of gold found in a direct line between the Taipo ranges and the coast indicate that these hills must contain valuable auriferous quartz reefs, and this has been proved to be the case by prospectors, who have been at work there for some time past. We would urge the Government to facilitate the prospecting of these hills by supplying a diamond drill. KUMARA. Having pointed out the chief requirements of the district we Will now allude to the town, and we are happy to be able to say that we do not consider it necessary to ask on behalf of the burgesses for any expenditure from the Government. Our local institutions have worked wellj and the Borough Council has been able out of their ordinary revenue to form the streets, carry out the necessary drainage, lighting, and other works, and out of & wilderness to form a flourishing township. RACECOURSE. But we have one grievance which we would respectfully ask you to use your powers as Minister for Lands to do away with. Two years ago the Borough Council applied to the Land Board for a reserve for a racecourse. The ground applied for is valueless for any other purpose and is within the Borough, but the Land Board, without giving any reason, has declined to comply with this reasonable request. Funds were freely subscribed here for the formation of the course and had the reserve been granted, we should now have been in possession of a racecourse and pleasure ground, where the miners could have obtained that relaxation from the arduous avocation tb which they are so justly entitled. CONCLUSION. In conclusion we would express a hope that you will not consider we have made heavy claims upon you ; our chief want, i.e. water-suppiy, being one which will be immediately reproductive to the Government ; and we trust a-nd doubt not that your visit will result in strengthening those feelings of respect and loyalty towards the Government which have always characterised the members of this community. We have the honor to be, Sir, (On behalf of the inhabitants of Kumara) Your obedient servants, J. O'Hagan, Mayor ; James Wylde, Town Clerk \ W. B. Robinson, Hon. Sec. Kumara Reception Committee. Mr Eolleston said : Gentlemen Allow me to acknowledge your kind reception. I am .sorry to think that I should not have uot been, here before. I h .ve been Minister of Mines only one year, and pressure of other business lias deterred nie coming before. Your words express truly the change in the c luntry since I visited this part ; there was uot a house on this spot, and no sign of iife. I am strongly impressed with the fact that the mining population of this colony are becoming » settled race of men, and niny be as prosperous as any other clas*. Everywhere there are signs of the mining industry going hand in hand with other progressive woiks. I do not think that yon will expect me to not lee at once all that is contained in this letter ) suffice it to say that I shall do my best to promote the interests of this district. Mr Seddon said that perhaps Mr Rolleston would like to discuss with the committee. The Government Very kindly promised last session to construct No. 2 dam, but lie was sorry to say that the dam at present in use was not even yet in an efficient state of repair. The miners are idle for the want of waer. While the construction of the upper dam is going on, the miners could be using the old dam, if it were repaiied. The road to the sea beach was a very desirable work; to get to the beach we had either to travel 17 miles one way or 14 the other. The proposed road would open up timbered laud, which would be of great service for mining. Of the Taipo bridge he would say nothing, but that it was a very necessary work. With regard to a diamond drill, it was the opinion of the miners that if one could be obtained for the Taipo reefs, we should have a second Reefton heie. It wa3 doubtless these reefs which supplied this field with gold. In the matter of the racecourse any help would'be beneficial to all concerned. They had applied to the Waste Lauds B mrd, who had refused. If Mr Rolleston as Minister f'>r Lands would confer with the Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands for Westland (Dr. Giles), this request might be conceded. Above nil he would urge the immediate construction of the sludge-channel and the upper dam. Mr Dungan would take the liberty of pointing out that at present there "was, only water sufficient for six or seven claims. Now there were 65 or 6G registered claims ready to take water when it could he obtained. There were a number of claims cut into the sludge-channel. One claim alone uses 30 heads of water, and that is all the Government dam at present provides. Miners are here waiting to transform this goldh'eld into the greatest and best sluicing country in New Zealand. Not alone in Kumara was this acaicity of water felt; when water is scarce here,

it is also scarce at Waimea. It was most important that the second dan) should he constructed and completed without delay. He need not point, out that without that the gold Held must languish, and the. miner* will go away. The Town Clerk said he could corroborate what the County Chairman had said.. One company alone ,had offered to take from Government 30 heads pt water. A number of claims were idle through not being able 1 to get served!. The Government were at one tinie receiving £2OO a month for wafer, and ten times that amount could be taken on the completion of the sludge-channel, if the Water were available. M t r W. , Barnett instance jl a.claiiri iii which fie himself was a shareholder that the men were siriiply waiting for the completion of the shidge-chaiiriel and an unlimited supply of water. At present they were idle'. Mr D. Hannan pointed out that the local engineer Had not sufficient authority t'd complete small works: The money for such works was doled out in sucli small amounts and there was so much recttapeism to go througli at Wellington that months of time was lost. Mr Rolleston Stated that fie would take that that point was made clear in future; and that anything fair iu maintenance should, be effected. . Mi ; Dungan said tiie reparation of the dam had beeii in hand for twelve months. It f was the opinion of tile miners that ddrible the number.of men might have been put on, and that tnat arid the sludge-channel could have been completed nionths ago: Mr Seddpn that orders hail been given for stopping the blocking of the sludge-channel. .Mr, RolleStdn consulted with j(tr Martin, the Resident Engineer; on fctfe subject, and then stated that he found no orders had been given for stopping the work at the sludge-channel j it merely appeared that instructions were wanting to proceed vVifcti it. , The£ were aware probably that the Government had not now the same borrowing powers as formerly. The tirst p'djnt for him to determirie would be whether there is a balance of rrloney appropriated sufficient to enable him to carry out the works .desired after he had formed practical judgment ou tHe matter. Mr Hannah" rem'arked b'u , sinesj people who were assisting the miners, were also very urn h concerned in these matters; and deputations were often i coming to the Warden asking liiro to" grant protection to clainis; If thjese woi ks were not carried out the goldfield | must collapse. .Mr Wylde .begged to thank ,Mr Rollenton for the patient atteutton he | had given them. The dej)Utation then withdrew. ! Three other deputations—visS., Borough Council, Miners Rec-ption Coiri-*" mittee, and a sea-beach prospecting party successively waited oh ttiv Minister of Mines, last evening, after the Kumara Reception Committee, reports of which will appear to-morrow. This morning at seven o'clock, Mr Rolleston, accompanied by Mr Gerhard Mueller, walked half way down the Tramway for the purpose of seeing the nature of the country along which the proposed road to the beach would .be likely to pass through. After breakfast he visited the Kumara Recreation Ground arid site of proposed Racecourse, the Catholic and State" Schools; rffid then mot a large body of miners who had turned out to meet him at the town boundary. He then proceeded to the Long-titnnel claim, where the opera-' dons of sluicing were in full swing. He next visited a Dnnedin Plat clairrt and then went on to thesladge-channel. There will be a banquet to-night to' .Mr Rolleston and suite; and fo-morroHv the Minister of Miues will leave for; Ross.