THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1873.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 201, 3 January 1873, Page 6

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1873.

A leading article published in the ' Daily Times ' draws attention to what thejwpter styles the .utter lrreconciliabiiity of the conflict between the agriculturist and the miner. We venfut-e to differ with the conclusions arrived at in that article. The conflict is not, as stated, one between the two interests signified— the one that works to obtain the interest on capita! that, for the sake of argument, may be supposed not readily to deteriorate in value; the other that realises the capital at once by destroying; the land. The disorder of which these agitations that latterly are coming to the surface, in the form of deputations, special commissions, newspaper, correspondence, <&e., are t'e symptoms, is a thorough roote! auti pathy on the part of the (ioldfieids residents, of whatever interest, to the actiou taken by the Provincial Qt iVernment with regard t.> land saJes, and the consequent alienation of blocks of laud from the Crown. The system at present carried out at the Waste Lanis Board seems to be, to give all encouragement to applicants for large blocks of laud ; the rule being (if any rule is observed at all): the larger applied for, the with theMwMf Imountof pubcity. The of public based all successf&t settlement, being totally perbaps, in quar-ter-acre town||eel-u£ii. The result of this system Urge blocks of auriferous and country ioto enclosed between which Inp§?ani^& i ß6Sexist ing under ths prese v uU leases r g»cmg, that possibly one sheep s nay- to the acre, ivo ae?v?s jbciiii* required to the shbfjg. " Wd positively assert that, as between \hs the agricultural lessee, V?»ere is'a'a> conflict whatever. mlml present day is no fW, /al*ho.ugh, i|n\ a few instances, the elemersi of-> Yankee bounce and pieal of She nomadic digger—someUmep'even s[*s is allowed to veil ?ood sense of individuals;. He everything that tends to x'Sen-pen J-tfM-necessaries of life helps hiisi toff ma I^ ground remunerative that muafc o&&r» i .--■■• - - ■ v' r **" J s V". *■' k *

wise be left aloue ; besides which, he has a decided eye to the luxuries of life—the fruit and the wine. He knows that in his individual locality there are sections of laud (say 50 at-r» blocks) that would not, froio't leir position, if cultivated, interfere witi mining purposes—suitable, at a nonii nal rent, to give a practical man, f > ~ few years, an opportunity to rai*esu and luxuries at a sm > ! profit. The agricultural Icasehohl r knows that his only market is * vnearest available GoidoVU, and t at anything he can raise that cannot Se

absorbed by such field is utterly v-tax-less—in short, t'v.it his interest can Uv no possible means be antagonistic or i'\w counter to that of the miners |\> 'vise an assertion on M.r rYrriul'* " Leaning Kock " application, and the agitation on the consent thereto by the Wasta Lands Buard, that these two important classes are on the verge of a feud that fan only be settled by the weaker going t» the wall, is jumping to ;i conclusion with a vengeance. Our contemporary, possibly with notions of an agriculturists status conceived by a ride through the farms in the Taieri or Clutha districts, seems to overlook the fact that the agricultural leaseholder is entirely dependent on the success of the gold, mines in his iinmediate mi 'hbo hood. The ' Witness," in some rather severe remarks passed on the o'M.-e.- !- in-rs of the late Mining Conference, falls i .to the same blunder, apparently regarding the m:in who pays ano'iiin;! rent for land as entitled to compensation for the value of such land, .-*. • <!d it prove to he auriferous, as if u> m id a freehold in his own right. The m r,\v ner in which the Conference proposed to deal with agricultural areas „ r n:ited on land that proved payable, or likely to be so, stru -k ti« as fair. They proposed that the Gold fields Bill *'»<..ild eon hi in a clause giving a miner a pros-

pfli'Hnij ri.f'>t to <_'o on any r 1 Ws-hold, provide 1 that a d<-y<>s"t he first pair!, sufSc'ent to cov.r all proposed surface damage. If the prospector elected to work thf» 1 he would then have to pay a 'u'l f«»r a'lira :>rove , m* , - > M't's on it. V v.. r-> eommendatiori distin ?fcly states r ■< it, the assessed.value of damage to crops be deducted from the deposit.. What can be; fain*r-?. Who'wonH ;k<* a leaseholder of a house th«* va' <»■:" such house if it: was destroyed or accident ; or what court of law w »uld award th? value to him (the tvmn ) it' it was destroyed by neglect or intent, as in the of railway con*tHi««t-i«m

The agricultural lessee a,;»i>lic-» for His block kno vin<r what eo?itm_ren 'i'-s miv arise —knowing that the mining interest is paramount —and consequently He d >es not consider himself ill-used if His private plans are frustrated by the mining necessity, even under th** present unsatisfactory *t tte of the law. Tf his relation* »v*»re snore clearly defined, as the Conference recommends, with the further addition, (which their report also \m\M •.**),-of ia enforced publicity of appHeati >n *-<) buy, similar to the system n>w in force with regard to application to lease, the conflict supposed hy our contemporary to beirremsdiable would cease to ex at.

It is not t> be concealed that siles of small sections of land have been made in different localities, with the consent, if not the direet recommendation, of the district Warden for the time being, which have proved prejudicial to mining parties. These sales have generally taken place solely because the miners, who aPVjfa ar<* capable of ju Igiug the conse'ji «nt pffVN, h ve b. en too apathetic or wintinj in "ion sufficient to enable them to mwe objections, direct and forcibly at the r ht time.

Every miner in the di*tri.'* c;.uH have a powerful voice m the matters affecting his calling, if he felt it to be —as it is—his duty to urge upon all his brother miners, as on himself, the duty of forming a District Association. Nat that this body n*»ed bo a or an expensive one, troubled with endless meetings and subscription*, but that it should appoint two o!fi *er«, a tChairman, and a Secretary, to watch ,;all public matters, effecfi:nV or- ) hp effect gold mining, who would ba aol© to gather, at a. very short: notice, thet