MINING REPORT.

Kumara Times, Issue 2779, 18 August 1885, Page 2

MINING REPORT.

[By our Special Mining Reporter.] Again we have found ourselves face to face with our greatest drawback—short water supply. All the water that could be supplied to the channel last week was three hours. I wonder does it ever occur to the responsible officers of the Government that they are losing .sheafs while they are gathering straws? The loss of one week's water to those using Government water represents far more in hard cash than would raise No. 2 dam to what would be equal to two weeks' water-supply ; and the loss of three weeks' revenue to the Government would more than meet the necessary outlay. It is not as if the Government were at a standstill when the miners are; their expenses go on the same. Such a pennywise and pound-foolish policy on the part of a private company would be laughed at, and they would soon find themselves in the Bankruptcy Court, but in this case, as the Government caunot well go bankrupt, their dawdling policy will soon put the majority of the diggers in that position. Cabinet Ministers complain that Government expenditure on the goldfields is not reproductive. For my part, I have never seen the slightest attempt to make it so. They allow themselves to be cajolled into doing so much, and there they slick till they are poked up with a long pole, and ihen they move on a little further ; then, at a time

when a vote is of some consequence, the pole is again applied, and they move on further, bat stop still in the mud instead of going on till they have got a substantial and profitable footing. It is to be regretted that the Miners Association did not continue to have the confidence of the community, as it was a convenient means of representing the most pressing requirements of the place. Grievances only make a bond of unity while the grievance lasts, and as soon as it is gone the unity goes with it. What the Miners Association wanted was an accident and sick fund, or something that would give its members some monetary advantage besides its more public duties of seeing to the requirements of the place. I really think there would be great advantage to the district in having a committee of a few men to look after this question of water supply. On former occasions such, committees acted faithfully and well, in spite of the few constitutional grumblers who are always loud in disapproving, but never seem to be able to do anything themselves. In a late report I stated that the new channel would be little good without an increased water-supply; and the Minister for Mines in reporting to the House on his recent tour through the gold fields of the colony refers in a general way to this subject, but to us it is so important that it should be particularly pressed home. It is said of Bishop Moorhouse that on one occasion when asked to have piayers for rain, he told the people to build dams and make the best use of the rain they got. If pressed on this matter, our Premier would not likely fall in with praying for rain, so he might turn his attention to dam building. And so the member for Gladstone, Mr Sutter, has found a mare's nest and promises the House something further soon ? I suppose he will be going to show them the eggs. This week's work has been started under better auspices than the last, and it is to be hoped that it will not clear up till the dams are full ; and if they should overflow, it will rpresent so much moury wrcckhvssly going to wasie. Oa account of liio scarcity of water the usual washings up have been de-

layed. I hear that Meade and party had 140 ozs., which was better than they could have expected for the time. It is only ground such as this that cat. stand the excessive drawbacks that the majority of the claims are subjected to.