The Lake Wakatip Mail. Queenstown, Saturday, June 11, 1864.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 117, 11 June 1864, Page 4

The Lake Wakatip Mail. Queenstown, Saturday, June 11, 1864.

For some time we have had continually pressed upon cur notice the difficulty of carrying out any scheme, be it simple or otherwise, which has to pass through the mining depart- j ment. On all hands the same complaint is found to exist of obstruction and difficulties being thrown in the way. It is some time since we referred to the subject, and we hoped enough had been said to have produced a ; change. If any of the local bodies or even private parties have any communication with the other departments of the Government an answer is speedily obtained —the request granted or refused at once, or something like a definite promise made. But the moment you come into contact with the Goldfields department, doubts, difficulties, obstructions, and arrogance meet you as if almost a natural consequence. We have accused the depart- j ment of red tapism and a species of despot- j ism to the Goldfields officers; we have charged it with favoritism; we have stated it to be an incumbrance and dead weight upon the goldfields—retarding their progress and marring every attempt made to promote their advancement. Intrigues that cast a stigma and reproach upon our Provincial system of government must be hatched somewhere. We think we could give* some information that might be novel and unexpected by the public, but would reflect no honor upon those concerned. The real and true history of the late struggle of some of the goldfields' members, aided by a portion of the House, to give the goldfields a responsible ; mining minister, has yet to be written. The Mining Department we truly believe is being made an engine of political oppression by that section of our politicians who desire none of the goldfields, and pray for their rapid extinction. On no other ground can we account for the policy pursued by this " model department " —a policy of delay and procrastination of a profession of good intentions with a hidden enmity. The sooner this department undergoes a reform, the better it will be for the credit of Ministers and the progress of the goldfields. Utterly regardless of human life and suffering, it has delayed to the last moment works urgently demanded and acknowledged, and some moreover that have been sanctioned. Favored political districts have long been furnished with them. We believe at the Dunstan no delay took place 5 but then that could have nothing to do with the action the hon. member for the Dunstan pursued in the great debate about creating a responsible mining minister. The tenders, we are informed, for erecting cairns on the Crown Range have been sent back, because they are 125 (!) per cent higher than those in

other districts. Obstructions to the formation of «a company for working the quartzreef at the Arrow have been made—on the grounds, we are informed, that the £4,000 proposed to be invested in carrying out the scheme should be in cash. To obtain a lease is a great difficulty. This department is so quick sighted that informalities are ferreted out in a moment, and interpretations placed upon words remote from the intentions of the applicants. We refer for a confirmation of these remarks to a report of the meeting of the Arrow Reef Association that appears in another column, and for the truth of our remarks that a collusion with certain active members of the Council does exist, who have opposed the measures demanded by the goldfields—we challenge a denial. Without divulging names we will prove our assertions. Surely we cannot be accused of making unnecessary and vague charges. We have one more remark to make on the subject of the obstructions offered to the introduction and investment of capital on the Wakatip goldfield. A paragraph in Mr Pyke's annual report is as fol- " lows: —The system hitherto pursued has been " to disconntenance all speculative associations, " whilst affording every possible encourage- " ment to parties of associated miners, for " whose benefit alone the system has been de- " vised." We say this is all rank nonsense. Several parties of associated miners have been driven away on account of the obstacles and delays thrown in their way. The very uature of the country is a sufficient safeguard against the speculative mining companies we have in another colony seen a well-known name associated with. The miners wantaye, crave the introduction of capital, machinery and water, and are not grateful for the hindrances offered by this man of sound experience in this respect. They will guard their own interests here. We could mention a good deal more of blundering, but as that is not exactly the right word we will use two others—obstructive stupidity. The subject is distasteful. It is the unpleasant duty of the journalist to have to approach —even for a short period—such subjects; they leave a sensation equal to the effects of having swallowed a nauseous dose of some villainous compound.