NOTES FROM NELSON.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume VI, Issue 260, 13 February 1886, Page 2

NOTES FROM NELSON.

(from our own correspondent.) A sort of fatality seems to attach itself to any mining venture emanating from Nelson. From the first discovery of minerals in the province, which event dates back nearly as far in the past as the settlement of the colony, attempts have been made both by private individuals and companies to develop our mineral resources, and in every case the result has been disastrous failure. Gold, silver, copper, coal, iron, marble, plumbago, have all had money expended on the attempt to work them profitably ; in some cases success has apparently been within measurable reach, but in the end the capital of the shareholders has vanished, and their hopes with it. It is not given to mortals to command success, but if ever any community deserved it certainly Nelson has. For notwithstanding the sneers at our city of being a sleepy hollow, it has, in proportion tolls means and population, fir outshone any other province in the colony in persistent endeavors to unearth and utilise its mineral treasures. The causes of failure have been various. Sometimes the speculations, more especially in the crold mining direction, have been of a wild cat nature, and the promoters have pocketed their illgotten gains and gone away rejoicing. Sometimes the management has been expensive and inefficient, in others the metal soughtfor has been non-existent, and in others accidents, want of sufficient capital and other causes, have led to abandonment of the enterprise or failure. Such being the case all eyes are now turned to the last and fondest hope of Nelson miuing speculators—the copper mines.

This venture, which is now approaching the crucial test, lias for the past year or two absorbed a large percentage of the savings and earnings of Nelson people, is looked upon by some sanguine people as a certain success, by others as another as certain dismal failure. Smelting operations are to commence this month, but in works of that nature a week or two's smelting will not be much guide as to the permanent value of the mine. It will be necessary to test that by trials of the various grades of ore which are to be found in the mine, and months may elapse before the directors discover what stone is worth bringing to grass, and what will be best left alone. The nature o the geological formation is not such that any dependence can be placed on the continuance of a good lode, or on its sudden disappearance. The mineral belt is serpentine formation, and as its name indicates, of a very tortuous and uncertain character. Huge deposits of native copper may be discovered at any moment, and it may be that nothing but valueless rock will be driven on, as was the case in the neighboring Dun Mountain mine; but that is one of the chances the shareholders have to face.

At the annual meeting of the shareholders last week, the directors did not seem at all anxious to take either the public or the subscribers into their confidence. They went so far as to inform the parers that they could do without the presence of the reporters. Now, in some cases, it is desirable that when the directors of a public company are about to cany out some gigantic operation requiring secrecy, artfulness, or discretion, (such as was the case in the purchase of the Suez Canal shares by Disraeli) then it is necessary to play dark for a time ; but, for the Champion Company's directors to endeavor to hide the light of their year's doings under a bushel was a grave error of judgment; they did not burke enquiry, or prevent their actions and balance sheet from being published; what they did was to arouse suspicion and discontent among the shareholders; and want of confidence is a very undesirable feeling to propagate in public companies. No doubt they did their best to further the interests of the concern, and they evidently assessed their services and talents to being worthy of recognition, for they set down a sum of .£'2oo as fees for what they had done ; this being so, surely the shareholders were entitled to be taken into their confidence. The payment of tk honorarium " to directors previous to a dividend being declared, has always been a bone of contention in ••oinpanies. and in this case, as there had been a good deal of questionable manure-

ruent, the directors might have acted in a generous spirit mid liave allowel the question oi tecs to have stood over till the result of the first three months smelting operations h td proved the value of the property.

Next to the question of the quantity and quility of the ore, is that of the the {nice. Fifteen or twenty years ago copper was worth about £ll2 per ton in the Home markets. Now it is worth .£4O. Then the Burra mines in South Australia, the ore of which rendered 03 percent, of metal, paid immense profits t>) the owners. For some years past they have ceased work; and only lately, in response to the cry of the unemployed and depression in that colony, the proprietors offered to start the mines on thu half-wage system, but it would not do, and the attempt was abandoned. The reasons of the fall in price are mainly the lessened demand for copper in consequence of iron ships taking the place of wooden ones, and the discovery of immense beds of native copper at Lake Superior where it can be virtually quartied out; the proprietors of these mines being ready to supply an unlimited quantity, but preferring to only feed the market as required to prevent a further fall in value. Thus then the Champion Company have to face the probability of a stiil further fall, and the certainty of having to work out a questionable quantity of ore of a declared value of from 12 to 25 per cent, of metal. Tho prospect is not a cheering one, and 1 sincerely trust that there is a brighter prospect before the company than is at present apparent. Neisou is certainly in want of something to give it a start out of its present dulness, and the successful working of these mines would be a veritable God-send.

It is really refreshing to know that when everybody else is complaining of dull times and depression, there is one man left among us who refuses to believe anything else than that we are progressing, and that property is ever increasm* in value. That man is the assessor under the Property Tax. lie alone, smglehanded, and {-ingle-minded, insists that since the last valuation, taken three years ago, property has risen, and sets up his ipse dixit against refractory freeholders who decline to he comforted by the infliction of extra taxation in its most objectionable form; that is direct cash out of pocket twice a year, according to a man's means, or rather the assessor's valuations of his belongings. Not only are his opinions on values singular, but his maimer of performing his duties still more so. The instructions issued from head -quarters contained the following clause :— •* When leaving forms of statement an assessor should endeavor to see the owner or occupier of a property, and it is desirable that he should confer witii the owner o; real property as to its value &c." Whether the gentleman who undertook the work understood his duties and considered a conference in each case too much trouble, or whether he was of opinion that the chief of the department was pok'ng fun, or whether h<> thought owners of property were a lot of 1 lots who knew nothing about their own affairs, or whatever other notions on the suhject he may have had I know not. I have not heard of anyone he conferred with, but I have heard dozens of infuriated taxpayers using a kind of language your type wouldn't spell, on account of the assessor making them out to be disgustingly rich, whilst they consider themselves quite the reverse. Anyhow ft special steamer had to be put on to convey the objections to Wellington, and the board of reviewers will have a gay old time when they sit. I have an idea that this is one of Vogel's dodges to prove his prophecy of two years ago, that the colony would advance by leaps and bounds if they would put him in office. When a civil servant of high standing departs this life there is usually a good deal of practical sympathy shown 03' the paternal Government; sometimes it takes the shape of a year's salary, given to his widow and family, sometimes a pension, sometimes a lump sum a; gratuity. But it makes a heap of difference if a humble laborer in the Government pay dies after long service; in this case the rigid economy we hear so much of at election times is religiously put in force. As a case in poiut the late Mr Wm. Hugh, one of the pioneers of the Province, had acted for between 80 and 40 years as Native Interpreter. His salary originally was .£BO per annum. In a fit of economy it was reduced some year ago to half that sum. Some months back this poor old .colonist, full of years and infirmities, passed away leaving but little of this world's goods to console his widow ami family. The Nelson section of the Native department is comparatively wealthy, and one would naturally expect that a cheque for at least the current quarter's salary would have been forwarded. But it was not to be. The Controller-General, the Auditor-General, the Public Trust Department, and the xN T ative Department interchanged about four thousand pages of foolscap on the subject, and used up £240 worth of telegrams, and then discovered the date on which he died and passed a cheque for payment for 29 days 2 hours salary. This is what Vogel calls "a just appreciation of old and faithful officers in the service." W r e are apparently on the eve of a general election, and M.H.R.'s all over the colony are in a state of nervous anxiety as to their return. I think there will be a few changes in this district. The Mutual Admiration Society of Nelson, of which the city member is President, and a couple of new blood (J.P.'s) Vic? Dittoes, are very busy feeling tbe pulses of the free and independent electors : but if their success is to be guaged by their countenances the preliminary < anvass h.;s not had very cheerful results so far.