THE MOUNT IDA DISTRICT.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 175, 12 July 1872, Page 3

THE MOUNT IDA DISTRICT.

The following, is-a copy of a circular and petition addressed,to member of the House of Representatives and the Legislative Council:— Mount Ida, July 3rd; IS7-2. 1 The Mount Ida Trade Association, Miners, Residents, and others, in thus addressing ;you, would respectfully request your attention to the following facts, and at the same time ask your, support -and assistance in furthering the prayer, and in carrying out the wishes contained in the accompanying petition. - The. Mount Ida "District, of which Kaseby is the centre, is entirely a goldproducing Distinct, and from its altitude, (2000 feet)-above the sea level, suffers materially and. most injuriously from, a scarcity of water, in. consequence of'the supply being, as at present, obtained from other than permanent sources. Three rivers take their rise in, and flow through, "the District—namely, theTaieri, Kyeburn, 'and Manuherikia —but only the two latter are capable of being diverted to assist in -. the development of mining, by supplying -the necessary element both for sluicing and for. flushing purposes. The entire District is of a particularly auriferous clferacter, and. of large exfen t, especially that portion of it which skirts the mountains froni Mount Kyeburn on the northeast to Mount St. Bath ins on the south- - west-. The richness of the ground worked, by the miners-can best.be explained by. quoting, the price at present being paid by them for the use of water: One headthat is, a stream-one inch deep and sixteen inches in width—costs .£2 per week for eight hours'- use per day; the charge for same amount of water twelve months .ago being £2 10s. From the above it will ■ be observed that .a miner . employing a . --number of men, and using say eight heads " of water, lias to pay weekly to the water companies £l6. If a-plentiful and permanent supplyof water were introduced, we have no hesitation instating that the papulation of Mount Ida would be quad-1 rupled in a slicrfc time ; nay. more, the j increase .to tlie revenue from the special | . Goldfields and ordinary taxation would, in a few years, more than recoup the Govern- ' •ment for any expenditure incurred in introducing an increased.Water Supply. The prayer of the petition, therefore, , " is that, with your assistance, tlie Assem- " bly will see fit to vote a certain sum towards the construction of an -efficient Sludge Channel at jSTaseby. and theintro- i duction of flushing water from the Kyeburn; also, the construction of a~raee from .'the Manuherikia River for the purpose of..supplying the District with an increased, cheap, and permanent supply of water. With water, say at £1 per head, the District would then, b.e capable of ■ maintaining a.population of. several-thou-sands,<and the revenue, from the certainly - reproductive nature of the works, would be alike considerably increased. • The construction of these works would open up and make available for mining hundreds'of thousands of acres of known .auriferous country': would create a field for the remunerative employment of the ' surplus, labor, of the towns, and cause the District of Mount Jda to become one of the largest and most prosperous gold-prd-•dncing- fields in the Colony. The importance of the District as a Goldfield, and the richness of its aurifer- . ous deposits, can best be ascertained by comparing the ' following return of the >yielcl. of gold during the last two years, with the population:—' Retuen showing the quantity of Gold received at the Gold Office, Dunedin (per escort), from the undermentioned Fields for the two years ended 31st March, 1872:Goldfields: , ozs. ' Mount Ida District ..:'... ... 57,103 Queenstowh.. 47.786 Tuapeka ' ... ' ... 45416 . Cromwell ... * ... : :..* ... ... 37,563 Arrow...' ....'..'-... .". ...' 26.573 ..Switzers ." ... ... ... 18,433 Clyde: ■'.;. '..,. ... 15,412 Mount Benger 9937 The Revenue derived from the Mount Ida Goldfield during the last three years from Miners' Rights,' -Business ' Licenses, - Water Races, &c, &c, compared with the other Goldfields of Otago, is taken from ' a return to an order of the House of Re- j preseritatives last session ?(less depasturing .licenses and leases, r?nts and royalties, which ought not, strictly speaking, to be ihcluded,ih Goldfields Revenue) is as under : : Mount Ida' ... • , £6306 Qaeenstown ... ... •; 2281 Cromwell- - '...' ... , ... 2771 : Tuapeka ..........;. ... . 5646* : Arrowtown- ... ... • ../ .;.• ... 210S Clyde; ..'. ... ... ... ..:• ... 1702 " - During the three years which the above return includes, Mount Ida has yielded 84,928 ounce's of gold, or £318,580 sterling, tlie duty on which .amounts..to £10,6i6, •which, added to the above (£5,308) gives

aiotal special revenue f.v:at-he district of £46,922. . " .'■..'".•-■ 5 " ; L;iyge as this sum .undoubtedly is various circumstances have occurred during the last three years which liavc had a telling effect'on the yield of-gold in this district: pearly two years ago the-miners of JNjiseby struck work, and refused to purchase water for mining purposes from the water companies unless the" price per head was reduced from £2 10s. to £2. Mining operations were entirely sus.pended for nearly three months, and during-the most favorable period of the year for sluicing, before the water" companies conceded the reduction aslced > for. Lately the district has suffered from a J ong continued drought, of nearly six -months' duration, when, from the want of water, all mining works were again suspended. These causes have had a most injurious effect in the yield of the precious metal, especially the lalv'er, which was very severely felt in this elevated region, on account of the absence of a supply of water J from permanent sources. j The Trade Association, in thus solicit- | ing your influence and support in the , carding out of works which will prove so \ beneficial to tlie District, and of so repro- , ductivc a character, would most respectfully draw your attention to the following return, showing the amount expended by the Government ou the.Ofcago Goldfields, and to again ask your assistance and support in tlie speedy construction of these necessary works, and in the development of one of tlie larg-st and richest gold-pro-ducing districts in the Colony :'— Mount Ida ' ■. ...£7.202 Qiieeristown ... .-.. 23.473 Mount Be'nger ... ... - 6,914 Tuapeka ■ 20,509' Switzers ... ..• ... 4JBO Clyck* ' .„ ./. ... 19.536. Your petitioners would also respectfully' draw your attention to the comparatively small amount expended by the Govern", ment on this fluid in proportion to its production of the precious metal, and would urge that a spirit of justice and fai-vplay should animate Hon. Members, in this S respect, wh.cn deaiiug with the question, by assisting the prayer of the petition. In conclusion, if reproductive works are desired by the Government, for the expenditure of the Loan, they would do well to turn their attention to an- increased and cheap Water Supply for this Goldfield, and the construction of a Sludge Channel. That the result of such an enterprise would be a success, at whatever cost, nobody who knows "the District will for a moment' doubt. 'The entire country between ISaseby and the Taieri River has been prospected and proved to bepayably auriferous, and should the construction of' these necessary and reproductive works be proceeded with, the result will be a large accession to our population. and a corresponding increase to the revenue.

rcor-,-.] TO THE HONORABLE THE ME?4BF.U3 OF THE HOUSE OF

• REPRESENTATIVES: The Petition op tfie Members .of the . Mount Ida Trade . Association, Miners, and Otuess Resident in tub district : Humbly Showeth: • That a very large area of ground in the District has been prospected, and has been proved to be payably auriferous : 'That the great wants of the District have been and still are a hunger and cheaper Supply of Water, and the construction of a Sludge Channel—the one to dsvelopa to an almost unlimited extent Sluicing operations, the latter to provide for the fuller and better discharge of tailings. That both Works arc known to be-cap-able of construction—the former by the bringing in of a large and permanent Supply of Water from the Manuherikia River, the latter by the formation of a Sludge Channel, which will carry the tailings towards or into the Taieri River. That the works suggested must necessarily be of a most reproductive character, and works which are entitled to be con-structed-out of Loan, seeing that thereby ample room will be made for increased population, further impetus given to goldmining, and a large addition made to the revenue of the Colony, as well special as ordinary. In addressing, therefore, your Honorable House upon the' foregoing matters, your petitioners would take the liberty of calling your attention to' a circular (a copy of which has been addressed to each of its members), in the firm hope that the importance of the questions therein referred to will receive at your hands the attention and consideration to which they are justly entitled. Your Petitioners therefore pray that the premises may be taken into your Honorable House's favorable consideration, and trust you will sanction the placing upon the Estimates of a sum sufficient to cause the works to which your petitioners have alluded to be commenced without. delay, and to be. continuously prosecuted until completion. Aud'your Petitioners will ever pray.'

The following tabk> s'nnvs.the* yield of gold in'the province. ofj.Otago for the half-year ending June 30th last, and for the corresponding, -quarter of 1871:—. • --JSfct: 1872. Sb. Bathans Mount'Ma C & 2 '..'•. 10540 0 '9796 12 P.-ilinerston ). ' g.... ,~251 0 : '429,17 Q ieonslo wn .... • ... 12259 15 13927 - 2 Arrow 645.3 10 10451 6 Dunstan .... ..-. ... 4693 0.. 4129 IS Blacks" ...... ..'..,.■.." 4399 14 . - .4150 0 Cromwell : ... 9495" 17 12770. 0 ATatmhcvikia,. . ..;. ... 4260 0 3351 S Tuapcta ... ....' ... 8747 LI . 14273,14 Swilzers .... Wiiipovi \,... 1231 3 . 1678 7 Waitahuna ... ~..1892 3 2492 13 Wooished 1089. 8..., 2497. 1 Teviot • ?:.'■'.:: ;.'.. 2487"0~ "'" SOol 'l Total ... 72,463 1 90,465 1