MINERS' ADDRESS TO SUPERINTENDENT.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 207, 14 February 1873, Page 3

MINERS' ADDRESS TO SUPERINTENDENT.

We have -been requested to .■ publish.; a copy of -the following' Address" Recently■ presented to-hisr Honor tlie SuperintenThis Address, submitted fdr yoiir Honor's gracious _ acceptance by the Otago Miners' Association, embodies -many important, subjects that have come under the discussion ."of; the. ,Miners' Con.feren.ee.at Tuapeka; and. to, which the Executive i>f' the i: Ot%oMiners'' Association take the liberty to append sug-! gestions which, in a cofirse of practical-expe-1 rience, have forced themselves upon their observation:— ' ; 1. Wo beg to call your Honor's attention to tlif.' way in wlii; h the Waste Land Board has of late boon d.aling with the lauds of the Crown. We view witn. alarm (he alienation of largo, tracts ofcountry hy. private indi/iduals, whose only apparent aim is to bring within th ir grasp the.largost possible amount of agricultural ahd' aiirifero land; • The evils resulting from such a preceding are too obvious i to require - any,; further-, comment: With legard to the sale of .prored auri erous land for mining purposes, s we I beg to remark that ample and sufficient.proyisioh is made;,in the Goldfiehis Act,. 18(56, [by.- .vesting in the Governor the povy;er~to grant areas of any extent. We beg to suggest, that all land oll'ijred for sale,,whether previously held by lease or occupation,; be, advertised fi ini t th,c;<}ocal £paper of the district in which it is situated. We especially refer to the: sale' -of 10,000/ acres at Tapanui, the Maerewhenuaiblock, aid other valuable'lands, and we trust that your.Honor will use your utmost endeavors to prevent in tho future arepitition of such wholesale alien Jation of land. | w % 2. We have'observed that-in a lav ge percentage of Warden's Court cases the primarv cause of dispute could-be traced to a ■ w.int of sufficient publicity in application. We beg, -therefore; to suggest that tho 1 Government provide a notice board, to- be "reeled ina place 1 which the residents of a locality may paint out. That Wardens have p6wer to order applicants for any undertaking of magnitu le to obtain the written consent of neighboring parties. In support of the above, we beg to mention the miners on tipper Shot over,:Miceto\yn, and Cardrona,. have erected; '" notice boiifrds at their own expense. 3. In many parts of Otago, miners .are far removed from depdts of supplies, which .fact, together with .fcbo. physical nature; of,the country, renders it absolutely necessary that they keep'a horse to pack their supplies as, they m*y "be required.,, ? In several instances fsuch horses depasture ..on neigh boring , rum-,iand are im* pounded by the runliolders, by . which action the owners of tho horses are put to a considerable; rloss. ,of time; .as well as money,;^audL,we; would therefore .beg that your Honor's Government, will try to devise some means by which such hardships may be averted, and to make it legal for any miner to depasture at least one horse on any run. We beg to pornt out the especial provision made - Bill, -1872 r New "South Wales, and uhich" "is to the following effect Part J, section li.—When any Goldfield shall have been, proclaimed upon any Crown lands then under lease or lice, so for'pastoral purposes the' Governor may -sus'pend such-lease or licenseiSO -far as may be neces.-.ary for the accommodation of the h. rsos cattle and sheep required for tho subsistence and con venience,of.any (persons holding miner's rights, licenses, or leasej and for Iho supply of water and otherwise for cffeci ually working the said Gol'ifield and shall thereupon return remit to the lessee or licensee such portion ■of the rent ■of such - land? l as 'may -be 1 reasonable and just. . . to point out a few subjects in the. Rules and Regulations of 1872.which require immediate attention:— (a).,-In the interpretation' clause, the word '' tiii race " bears three : different, definiti'ns, viz., tailracelor discharge of tailings, tailrace for draiuage, and for gold saving purposes. In the application forms no distinction is observed as .fo.:' which of theao a tailrace is-required. These forms simply contain the dently desirable that as the Kules and Regulations are altered, application forms and certilicatea snould be worked in accordance with them ; • or a fruitful source ols litigation is opened at,once.. ... (b). It would alsD be desirable that the Warden make out a memo, .on the back of certificates of the statements in application form, on the strength of which such certificate' is grantad. . 5. We beg under your Honoris notice ,the ad\4Rß.ge that., would, ensueto the country it contracts for public works were advertised in local papers. To advertise contracts in tha Gazette' only:is to a extent useless;; for.that medium, of information does,, uot circulate amongst miners and others who. would be willing to tender for work to be done. Only speculators' and large contractors revert to the. ' Government G izet tu'. .It would also, be advisable, if-tiic Government carried out the policy of part land and. part cash payments (as in fciie Brogden contracts) in smull coni ra(:ts. It . wou d give people who aro.dosirous of s-'tiling oii tiie sod a capital opportunity, and' i-huo secure " the best und most rehaolo woi kuien—• for we hold that the formation of-a.'road could rot be iu tetter hands than in. ilioec or. men who will eventually use it, tiiomseivesi

G- VV"o arc pleased to observe that the Goveramcrifc of tiie Colon j holds out evi-ry in-

ducemenfc to the introduction of new industries. Encouraged :; thereby,we would suggest Urat bonuses be offered fcrthebest mining machinery! Off all descriptions, {especially for raising w"ater to the greatest, Height from such rivers as the Molyneux, Kawarau, &c. ; for the.most simple .and inexpensive, draining machinery " applicable for : mii:ing operations. That the int.roJiicl.ion of novel machinery for above, purpose, as well a? of expensive rock drills, be subsidise 1 by the Government at a pot- ceatage on t.heir original cost. Mining in New Zealand is'6nteri'ig aiieAv phnse, aiid until confidence—which has been s : aken by late failures—is restorad, its further development will be retarded, if otdy from the fact, of capital being,held back for a lime. ; Any assistance,,..therefore, the, Government can give should be; liberally, afforded : and if a few instances of success have once called the attention of speculators to the large fields,for combined capital and labor that esist in Otago, a somewhat similar result will follow "as' we now witness in New South- Wiiles:-'-" - -

k 7. We beg t.o suggest that tlie Professors of i the Duuediri University make periodical tours I through the Goldfislds. to make themselves ! acquainted ;; with tlie physical and geological I features of each . district j and that these gentlemen during such toiii* deliver lectures founded on the omctical\experience 1 collected by them in each respective locality, as well as on the general principles of geology-, chemistry and mathematics—r-the admission to such -lectures to be free of charge.,' so as'to -make them universally useful. We believe that the benefit resulting frorn such a course'wbuld'be well worth the cost it will en tail upon; the country. The miners generally will be most happy to render any assistance in their pjwer to tho gentlemen visiting their districts upon such a mission. 8. We respectfully beg to express" a want of confidence in the new Waste''Lin'd'E'oard. The Waste'.Lands- Aci,', Oct.,. 1872; "nvhioh came into fo.rce in the beginning of the current. year, deals with mining to such an extent that the administration of it requires men who a practical knowledge' of the Goldfields, and 'we feel assured that "the liberal provisions of the above Act will be nullified if administered by men who have no sympathy for the mining interest. We therefore would recommend the 'appointment of at lea3t oue Goldfields representative to sit as member of the Waste Land Board.

9. The low price given for gold by the banks has been a standing' grievance of the miners, which to remedy we beg to sug Jest, the establishment ofan .Assay Office,;not merely for scientific experiment but on a la g-.} scale, so as to make iL available for Commercial purposes.