THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1870.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 53, 4 February 1870, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1870.

This da.y commences the second year of the existence of the Mottxt Ida Cheowicle as a public journal. We enter, however, upon this period with mingled feelings of satisfaction, of hope and of fear; of satisfaction at the large measure of support which, has been accorded us since our advent here--of hope that that support may be continued, if not augmented—and of fear lest the unhappy difference which at present is paralysing every interest in the district may prejudicially affect our future career. Neither can we, unless, the present quarrel be brought to a speedy and satisfactory issue, reason-. I ably expect any other result. The united interest of the whole community is necessarily the interest by which we expect to succeed, and that interest cannot be in the smallest degree prejudicially affected " without ourselves being prejudicially affected also. The present dispute is the more to ;5 be regretted as the •district 'of Motbt Ida had just succeeded in asserting her proper position, and ;n obtaining for herself a recognition and reputation among the otter gold : producing districts of the Province -iwhich she had. long and attempted to acquire. formerly her efforts to bring her"|rieyanceß under the notice of the Grovernmeht • were almost ineffectual our columns have supplied the. means' of making her wants known, ,and qaoisjng her H grievances, or at least some of them, to Be redressed. Though something, howeyer, has been ' done, much still remains to. be accomplished, and . our columns.,sball still;remain; open as heretofore for the discussion of all. sub: jects'caleu^ -and our feeble pen shall still be wielded to , assert its rights, and--procure, if possible, theirs attainment. ;;k~.

Whether or not the promises made in our firstiißue have been fulfilled, we, would have : bthers than ourselves to. determine, and whether'the advantages which a local press might reasonably have been expected to confer have met the expectation of the public, is a question upon which the public themselves in judgment must sit upon us. Eor our own part we feel justified in declaring that we have pursued an honest and independent course t— swayed neither by the smiles of our personal friends, nor influenced by the frowns of pur personal enemies. When we took up our residence at Naseby we took the _ district &s it were as our bride, and have, to the best of our ability, manfully and fearlessly supported her cause, advocated her interest, and "fought her battles. : If the amount of success which has attended our efforts has been less than we hoped and antk ipated, let not the failure be laid at our door. "Manpro-, poses, but God disposes " is an old and true aa* age, and one peculiarly applicable to this district, and our endeavors to promote its welfare; but we hold that had not the present unhappy state of affairs occurred,' the district was in a fair way of securing gradually, but surely, all the material concessions of which she stands so much in need. Already have we the : advantage of direct communication by coach to and from Duhediii and Dunstan, with a greatlv improved ro-adYrom the Kyeburn to* Eden Creek ; and We had fondly hoped that a few short months would have seen telegraphic communication extended to this pl&ce ; while the questions of the sludge water storage, agricultural lease areas, and commonage, would necessarily have engaged the attention of the Council at its forthcoming session. " A house divided against itself cannot stand,". and until, therefore, we see Tl/he present dispute accommodated, we fail to entertain any hope of "the' further advancement ; : of the district either io wealth or proV

perity. A much. longer' continuance of the present state of affairs "esnv in our opinion, result only in retrogression, if not in absolute riiiri. ■Though the eireumsta;nces under which we commence the second year of our existence are not very favorable, still we will live in hope, and, while thanking the residents of tlie district .for the support hitherto accorded, sincerely and honestly assure them of our intention to continue the same independent course of action which has, we flatter ourselves, hitherto met their approbation, and secured us so large a measure of their countenance and support.- • • -

The strike of the miners still'continues to hold as fimrly and determinedly as ever,' nor does there at present appear any prospect of a speedy and satisfactory arrangement between the miners and the water companies. The only alteration in aspect which the question has assumed since our last issue consists in the getting up of a monster petition to his Honor the Superintendent praying him to exercise the power vested in him by see. 3 of reg xxi. of the late Goldfields Rules and Regulations relative to the abandonment of claims. To this petition no less than 300 signatures were, we have been given to understand, in an incredibly short space of time, appended. The names comprised-not only the entire mining papulation, but the whole, of the business men of the town, with, we believe, but three exceptions. A deputation waited upon Mr. Warden Robinson on Friday last to present the petition for transmission to his Honor the Superintendent: By the same day's, mail the r potition was despatchedt© headquarters. So matters: at present - stand. What action his Honor may be advised by his Executive Council to take in a case so completely exceptional as the present is a matter too difficult to hazard even a, conjecture. No doubt before retu i-n----ing a reply his; Honor will have bestowed careful consideration upon the matter, and will have justified himself by the best legal advice at'command. . To-morrow's mail will in.all probability bring, us hi* Honoris views an 4 inten_ i-tiohs ,; with regardto the prayer contained in the petition.- In. - the meantime both parties are resting on their oars until the .decision. of his Honor shall.arrive. .;• We sincere ; trust his Honors reply may contain a practical 'solution of the. .difficulty, which, while benefitting all interests shall .inflict injury of injustice; upon none..