VISIT OF HIS HONOR THE SUPERINTENDENT TO MAORI POINT, UPPER SHOTOVER.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume II, Issue 81, 6 February 1864, Page 3

VISIT OF HIS HONOR THE SUPERINTENDENT TO MAORI POINT, UPPER SHOTOVER.

(from otib own correspondent.) A meeting was held at Bracken's Camp Hotel, Maori Point, on Friday evening, 21st January, by the residents and miners of Maori Point, to take into consideration the advisability of inviting his Honor the Superintendent to the district. Chas. Williamson, Esq., R.M. and warden, was in the chair, It was proposed by Mr. W. H. Peryman, seconded by Mr. R. Millen, and carried—- " That an address be drawn up inviting his Honor to visit this district: and that such invitation be at once sent to Queenstown to meet him." The invitation was subsequently drawn up and numerously signed, and forwarded through Mr. Williamson. To this invitation his Honor replied that it was his intention to visit Maori Point. On receipt of that reply a meeting at the same place was held, on the 28th January, when it was unanimously agreed that a committee be formed to arrange as to the best manner of receiving and presenting an address to him on his arrival The following gentlemen were appointed a committee; — Messrs. Herman, Brown, C. Stranhan, M'Cleary, J. M'Caughey, W. H. Peryman, J. Brown, Saml. Nelson, R. Millen, G. C. Anderson, Geo. Brew, Luke Stewart, Owen Doolan, Spence (Skipper's), P. Burke, David Wilson, Christopher Bracken, J. Allen (Pleasant Creek) James Stewart, Montgomery, Christian Roth (Skipper's) Mr. J. Brown acted as hon. secretary. On Saturday, the 30th January, on his Honor's arrival on the east terrace at Maori Point, accompanied by St. John Branigan, Esq., Commissioner of Police, escorted by a trooper, he was met by the members of the committee and others, and the following address was presented by Mr. Williamson on behalf of the Committee:—

To his Honor John Hyde Harris, Esq., Superintendent of the Province of Otago.

Sir, —We, the members of the committee appointed at a public meeting by the residents of Maori Point, &c, Upper Shotover district, to welcome your Honor to the district, do so on behalf of the miners, storekeepers and the residents in the district, and have great pleasure and satisfaction in giving you a hearty welcome on our own and their behalf, and trust that in the legislation for the wants of the country that such an important interest as the mining interest of this province will not be neglected: that measures will be brought forward when the Provincial Council next meets for the better representation of the miniug interest, and for the better development of the mining resources of the country by the formation of roads from the main sources of communication to the outlying districts, thereby enabling the miners to extract the wealth from the earth and beds of the rivers at a less cost, making it more remunerative to the individual miner, thereby inducing him to remain in the country and develope its resources, which at present are merely in their infancy. We regret the recent flood, so disastrous to individual enterprise, has altered the appearance of the river workings, thereby depriving you of being able to judge of the immense amount of labor and capital employed in the works thereof, whereby you would have seen the hardships miners have to undergo in increasing the wealth of the province. Therefore we trust that the important matter of the formation and construction of roads and bridges will receive the serious consideration such subjects demand from the members of your Executive, who, we trust, will bring such subjects before the members of the Council on the first occasion of their assembling together. We desire also to bring under your notice the serious inconvenience of not having a gold re ceiver here, so as to enable miners to deposit gold for transmission to Dunedin. Also, the urgent necessity of an increased staff of police being stationed here, as well as the construction of a place of security for prisoners : and also that the miners and others of this district feel that the manner in which they have been treated by the withdrawal of Mr Warden Williamson has been of considerable inconvenience, and a matter which has seriously affected the interests of all classes here; and, that in the event of his being again removed, some one as competent be sent in his place.

| We appreciate the courtesy shewn to the re* | guisitionists who signed the petition to your j Honor, requesting you to pay this district a visit, by your notifying to us through the warden of j the district your anxious wish that we should I confer with you concerning its requirements. | We are sorry that your stay is so limited, and sincerely regret that the weather has been so in* 1 clement for your visit. We have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servants, William H. Pertman, Chairman* James Brown, Hon. Secretary. The Committee then accompanied his Honor to the west side of the river, passing over the bridge lately erected by Mr Thackeray* and proceeded to Bracken's Camp Hotel* I where a luncheon awaited their arrival; after I which his Honor, with the Committee pro* j ceeded to view the different works on the ! Point, and expressed his admiration at the ! United Co's and Perseverance Co's races* j The east side of the river was also visited by ! his Honor, when he again returned. On the ! following day he returned to Queenstown. j Before leaving he presented the Committee i with the following reply, and was again acj companied by them over the bridge. i To the Committee, Maori Point. Gentlemen,—lt gives me much pleasure to i have this opportunity of thanking you for the kind invitation you gave me to Maori Point, and also for the hearty reception of me on my arrival here. My visit to this and the other mining districts would not have been so long delayed had my inclination alone been consulted, but a general supervision of the combined interests of the whsle province has hitherto claimed my undivided attention. Your fair and just claims to participate in the ; expenditure of the Provincial revenue will not ! be overlooked by the Government, especially to j its application in providing you with better ; means of communication with more settled dis* ; tricts, Dy the construction of such roads as the extremely difficult character of the country will i permit of. By these means the necessaries of | life may be placed within reach of the mining i population, at a diminished cost, thereby render- | iug their laborious and hazardous occupation j more remunerative. The claims of the miners to an increased re* presentation in the Provincial Legislature shall I also receive the careful consideration of the Government. | I join my regrets to your own on the subject j of the recent floods, and the losses and temporary j obstructions caused to your community by such ! natural accidents. At the same time I cordially ! join you in recognising the existence of the immense mineral resources of this particular district, and possess the utmost faith in their ultimate 1 development. This result can, however, be accomplished only by unremitting individual per--1 severance and determination, but your efforts in | this direction will always command sympathy, and I trust the substantial assistance of the GoI vernment. The inconvenieLje arising from the absence of a gold receiver for the district, an efficient place : for securing prisoners, and an augmentation of your police force shall be laid before the Government without delay, in order that steps may be taken to supply the existing deficiencies in these | particulars. The temporary withdrawal of your warden from this district was under existing circumstances unavoidable. The course which the Go- ; vernment were then compelled to take is not however, again likely to bee >me necessary, but '. should his permanent removal to another dis- | trict occur, it will be the duty of the Govern* i ment to provide an efficient successor simul* | taneously with suoh removal. I beg again to thank you on my own behalf j and that of the Government, for the reception accorded to me on this my first visit, and while ' ] reciprocating your expressions of regret that my stay amongst you has been unavoidably of short duration, I venture to hope that my other duties will permit (if our lives are spared) to renew our brief and slight acquaintance at no very distant date. In the mean time I ask you to accept my best wishes for your prosperity, and an assurance of the desire of the Government to promote it. J. Hyde Harris, Superintendent. Maori Point, Shotover, Jan. 30th, 1864.