THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1870.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 55, 18 February 1870, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1870.

It will be seen 'from the report of a public meeting of' miners, held on Saturday last an account of which appears in another column, that u reply has been received from his Honor the Superintendent, in answer to the petition of the'miners and others, praying for a suspension of the forfeiture or abandonment clause of the (ipldiields Regulations, pending the settlement of the present unhappy dispute between the water race companies and the miners. His Honor has so f far complied with the prayer of the petitioners as to grant, protection to " all claims within a r idius of three miles from the Court House" "until the 9th. of next month, and in doing so expresses a hope (in which we most sincerely and cordially join) that, during £he interval, a "satisfactory adjustment of the present difficulty will have taken place. We- hardly think that the action of his Honor in the matter is one likely to promote the object he has in view,; while it may, we tear,- lead to even further complications. We are of opinion his Honor should either have granted protection for such a term as would have enabled the m iners to have sought employment, for a time,

elsewhere, or he . should not have granted it at all. The coarse pursued by his Honor is one of those temporary shil y-shally half measures which nave r fail to be unsatisfactory to either pa rty. The-time for which protection to claims has been granted is far too short to enable the miner, desirous of doing so, to seek employment 'elsewhere,and hence we may .fear it may happen that tlisy will continue to hang on here, in the hope that the water companies will come to their terms, until the period of protection shall have slipped away, and the'n find the relative position between themselves and the companies in precisely ' the same case as before. His Honor, having decided to exercise the large power vested in him to suspend the abandonment clause of the Regulations, should have done so boldly and decidedly, and Irave granted something which would have been a real boon, rather than such a shadow of a boon, to the miner as is the pi'esent half measure Had two, or even th ree, months been granted, opportunity would have been afforded the miuers of trying their future temporarily elsewhere, or seeking employment in the harvest field at a distance from their wo rkirigs. The time now granted is not sufficiently extended for such purposes, as the greater part of it would be expended in arriving at, and returning from the agricultural districts of the Province ; and we can, therefore, only look upon the concessions made to-the prayer of the miners as being rather apparent than real, while a very important authority has been exercised which should onlyhave been used to promote some really practical good result. We are quite willing to believe that his ■ Honor was desirous of befriending the miners, who have been placed in an unfortunate position by the too v hasty granting of rights which the GoveiTiment now find they should have retained in their own hands. His Honor, in acting as .he has done, has done either too little or too much. He has taken upon himself the responsibility of suspending the opera-tion-of a very important clause in the G oldficlds Regulations ; but he has, by suspending it for too limited a period, failed to render such suspension -of any real or practical advantage to the mining community. There is . certainly one point worthy of consideration, and that is that during a m e nth th ere, should be

ample time for the miners and. companies, to meet and confer with each other, and come, it is to be hoped, fair and equitable understanding. We sincerely trust that the - time may be so employed, and that long before the expiration of the period for which protection has been granted all the present differences will Jiavc been amicably and satisfactorily adjusted. We have felt from the first that this was a case to be settled by mutual forbearance and by mutual concessions, and the further, the matter has tjeen carried the more clearly do we see that our opinion was, the correct one, and that by those means only even now can the present breach be healed. We say then, in the best and most friendly spirit to both parties -—be moderate, be reasonable, and adjust your differences without delay. A little "concession, wifli perhaps, a little sacrifice of pride on both.sides, and the thing is done ; but while you are disputing the district is languishing, and precious time is beini; thrown away, while untold gold which should be- in circulation remains buried in the bowels of the earth. .

His Honor the. Superintendent suggests that,failing a satisfactory arrangement between miners and companies before the expiration of the period of protection resort should be had to arbitration. For our part, we think it would be far wiser were that course to be adopted at once rather than wait till the period of protection shall have expired. Every day lost is of the utmost importance, alike to the miner, the water companies, the residents, merchants, storekeepers, and others. We hope at once to see another and immediate effort made at an amicable arrangement, and we feel certain that, if gone into with an honest and earnest desire to succeed, the effort cannot fail, to be successful.