THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, JULY 15, 1870.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 75, 15 July 1870, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, JULY 15, 1870.

We sometime since gave expression to the-pleasure .we felt at the prospect of the.appoin!me.nb of a Commission to enquire into, and report upon, the tailings grievance,, whit-h has so . h>ng. agitated this,;eomuiuuity-. In'alluding however,, to , the 'subject,!, we stated clearly and unreservedly our belief that the good or evil likely to result from such Commission would, depend mainly, if not absolutely, upon the selection of the gentleman who might be appointed by the Governments perfo m the import ant duties of Coran<ssi;pner. It has, within the last few. driys," officially notified by rhe Mi.n.trs v Co.nmittee that Mr\ Vincent.Pvke, "Warden at the Dimstan, has been appointed to visit, this district with the view of investigating and reporting upon the subject. . * ■■ , _-. .■ :

Adinittiric:, as we do', toe gre.at talent and vast 'ability of M>. Pyke, we'nevertheless feel it our duly—in our public capacity as journalists-—having to a ccrfain'extent tbe interests pf the district entrusted to our watch fulness and. committed : tp..our keeping,—-to .declare that, in our opinion, a more,, unfitted person than Mr. Vincent .Pyke could not .have, been selected, to. discharge the duties to which that gentleman has been appointed.. We say this in no spirit of hostility'tp Mr. Pyke, tor we, presume that little, if any, opiion was left to that gentleman in .the matter"'; and; we feel further that a. man of Mr. Pyke's intelligence and experience cannot fail ■fcp perceive, the. false and anomalous, position in which he has been thusunwU-.: lingly placed. 'We say unwillingly, for it must be evident to' all that the ho'nor has been unsought, and Mr. Pyke has been, by a decree against which he has no appeal, compelled to leave his home at an inclement * season of the7year to discharge ' a duty from which ho possible good can result. Mr. Pyke must, we are sure, feel the imposed office heavily and acutely...;. We-canno', however, but feel that in making the appointment they have done the. Government have unwittingly disclosed the fact that : 'the interest which they have professed to take in the tailings question is mere: sham, absolute bunkum. Had the Government really desired to have the question properly Ventilated they would have taken special care that the duty of investigation i should be entrusted to no one who could pfossibly be supposed to have any feeling in the matter, or who "could be. iii any way suspected of having arrived at : any Now, there musti beinahy hefe : who are aware of the"facts"connected with the granting of the tail-race of'the second

Dead -Level. These.-perhaps may hot •fee: cpgiliskat of t'-.at the; condition whieh at present deprives t-i • miners of tie .priyit ge . of- running ■their-tailings into that race was ;fend- rsed upon, the certificate, by Mr." V. Pyke,.at that-time Secretary to the Goldfir'lds Department, against-the expressed Opinion,' sounder judgment, and firm protest of Mr, Warden Charles Broads wbo only issued the-i certificate upon compulsion, and under direct''instructions from the Government. Mr. Warden Broad was, as we all know, a .gentle mail of. Undoubted, ability-and uuusu.il fo ethought, possessing, athorough knowledge of the; .locality, and eminently qualified to judge of the difficulties, grievances,- and litigation wajch the'grantihg of |he application would involve—ajudgment which' subsequent events have, abundantly proved to be:. correct. We say. that ..for the granting of the; tail race of the second Dea4. Level;.with its objectionable cojaditiohj'Mr/ Vincent Pyke was in a great measure, if not entirely, respbn=sible.---; We say• further,--that t!je granting of <th.e tail race in question,' with Mr. Pyke's injudicious endorsement, has done more :tba.n.. anything else to impede the. ..free discharge of tailings •into : .the -fytain Gully, apd has. thus .pro.4uc.ed',tbfe presfmttgrievanrey and caused 'the-tangled skoiu which that gentleman is now called' 'UBon tb : unravel.' -"hp=

certificate, as proposed- ttf bo gr.an.ted \ by- iVW Wat'dtii-Bt^ad'Cdutd^havej)rc)- | dueed no ill effect, but would on fhe j contrary have assisted rather than have ] interferedAvith t!ie* : .discharge of tailings 'as we'll then as now 'afuHiefeafter, there being" as a lready- stated a disr Mi net stipulation- that the free discharge ol'tailin^s'bj'pVrsons 1 working -in vieiu.ity was in no wayto'fie interfered with. .Thus were t!ie..interests of the ■ miners'pi'oteeieil, so far as it lay-in the{ power of-the Warden tp. protect them; "'.When, however, the matter "was sub:?ethe notL-e of Vineeui:- Pyke, the Secretary for the Goldfields, a•- memornrndiim was endorsed upon the certificate in. bis own handwriting, which will/V?e think, speak, for •it.seltV .a'ld -whirh-.Bho.uUL at once proclaim that gentleman, front the fact of his hav ing a 1 ready e: p essed. a strong and biassed opinion upon the Aubjeet; lq' be ,-totaJly unfitted to deal* with the'question into which'it will be U3 duty to enquire in "such a manner"' -md in.such a,spirit as to-.command.the v*onddem*e of the mining community, and make them accept his decision-.as satisfactory or conclusive.

'" Tlie" following are,' as nearly* a& w£ were able to ca.trh tbein, from hearing thetn read "in the Court-oh-""Monday lasis, correct reports-'-if not in words, at least in substance —of the memoranda of Mr. Warden Broad ahd" : M'r. Vincent Pyke respectively, and will, we feel sure, in the inirids of all'unprejudiced and unbiassed persons, bear us out:in.the remarks, which \ve..ha r ve i /el > t it our duty to make upon the subject of the forthcoming tailings grievance investigation : —Mr. Warden Broad's endorsement : " This tail race is granted " subject tothe'condition that persons "•■working in'the Main trully shall be ''- allowed to run tailings-and- tail water •' into the. race.''-—Mi\"\ r m:\ent.Tvke> endorsement: "The above condition's, "to apply only to persons who dt prs- - sent occupy land 611 either- side of |-'the'Main Gully;' :.;, , J,;. " :