CORRESPONDENCE.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 239, 3 October 1873, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

"Practical Miner," writes to us in answer to ''Novice." He says that "he wishes to dispel from the minds of miners here, at Tuapeka, and Mount Ida, the idea that the ,words 'novices' and . 'monopoly' were' meant by him to hang together." He says further:—".l only aimed at one or two, who, T trust, will not imagine for a moment that I withdraw, the accusation of undue advantages being possessed by them in acreage, and' especially in tail races —registered, not by the yard, but by the mile—and, to mend the matter; the cry is still for. mo.re. The .quantity of ground.kept locked'is much more considerable than what is in the actual poi-

session, ot those parties, and any miner of spirit will -much -sooner pay tribute existing Government of the- country: than- to> parties who have gained their mean advantages surreptitiously. X have the" aiKlaoitiy' to say that any Warden granting a succession of gullies as tail-races, to the exclusion of all but one or two, exceeds: justice—is not within its pale. Whichever way the law dictates, it ought to be explicit, and do away with all discretionary power." The rest of his letter is too abusive and, indeed, disgusting, for insertion in our columns.

■" Thiggin Thu " writes to us, complaining of what he calls a new mode of conversionby tract distribution. We quite agree with him that tracts often defeat their own purpose by the far-fetched morals deduced from very milk-warm, namby-pamby stories. We fail to see that any good can come by holding up to ridicule the efforts of men, however mis-'taken---efforts which can do no possible harm to ordinary charitable persons, and cannot I make worse the uncharitable—for we decline ito recognise degrees of evil, in the highest Court of all. Consequently, we think it best not to insert, "Thiggin Thu's" communication.

(To the Editor of the Mount Ida Chronicle.) Sir, —ln your last, issue of the ' Chronicle.,' is a notification of an unusual character that has caused you so much trouble to look the matter up, to offer to your readers the result of your enquiries. I must say that you have gone on the wrong track for correct information. If you had come on my track, I would, have given you information on the subject that would. have satisfied your readers—many of them knowing your allegationsagainst me to be false in the extreme. You say I went to a considerable expense in opening a piece of ground on Surprise Hill, Wlthen applied to the Government for a special claim. Now, sir, you are wrong thei*e: In the first place, I went to. no expense beyond prospecting the ground before 1 applied'for a special claim; and had I thought my application would have been refused, I am too old a miner to risk the money that I have expended on the claim. You say I made out a good case. I agree with you there; and I defy you or anyone else to say that it was my intention to take advantage of the clause. I am too well known here for you to try to to stuff the result of your enquiriesinto people's heads that know better. I cannot see what would/be the. use, to anyone, of having; a large claim to look at. If it was not you would never, get rich looking on. You say enquiries satisfied you that, from the day the grant was made (two years since), nothing has been done by me to carry out the cond£ tions of my contract. I must say you are on the wrong track again. I fulfilled any conditions that have been imposed on me; and if you would take jv. walk down to the ground and see for yourself, I would show you where I have spent . .over £SOO on the claim and works connected therewith—and then you might be convinced that you were on the wrong track" for information"for your readers. You say you don't attempt to guess what my propositions were, but you jump at the conclusion that, for a period of over two years this ground has never been worked. I say you have got on the wrong track again. You say a number of miners were desirous of working this ground—but you should have" said three—and applied to the Warden to investigate and report thereupon. The' enquiry took place in my absence; so, I must tell you, Mr. Editor, I am quite in the dark as to any allegations that have been made against me. You say again, from the day of the grant—two years since—no pick, shovel, or fork had been introduced into this special claim. I say, Bunkum! I could not. afford to pay fifteen men ten shilling's a day Avithout they made their picks and shovels ring again.

Your opinion is that the action taken by the Government is a right one; but I differ with you there, for there is no use in haiiging a man and trying him afterwards. I should/ according to British law, have got a hearing' which X had not the pleasure of. To think of my claim being in full work, and to be dispossessed! I call it hard lines! _ Now,. Mr. Editor, I will give you all the information on. the subject that I have picked up, concerning" the cancellation of my grant: —The Provincial Solicitor's oijinion is that, at the time the grant was made, there were no conditions imposed on me, and- therefore the grant was illegal; and it was not on account of more work not having been done on the claim' that my grant was cancelled. You will bear in mind that, for the last two there has been a great scarcity of water here) especially to work a claim like mine. • Only look back a few months since and you -would see, in.every issue of the 'Chronicle,' Will it ever rain ?

JSTow, Mr. Editor, I am satisfied on the subject.

Well, old fellow, you went in lemons against me, and I think it is now time for you to give the-Government a start about the delay of the Head Race.. Let the water come' on quick. It don't matter who sells it either the present squatters or the Government.' If there are to be two years like the last two, for want of water, I am afraid the Hogburn will have few people to read your valuable paper.—l am, &c., An drew M'Ginnell Brown. Naseby, Sept. 30, 1873. •

[We can assure our correspondent it waS more from a desire to guard against the abuse of a good system than any personal conside* rations that, led us to,take , advantage of his case as ; a text on which .to hang a warning. We are glad to give him the fullest opportunity to put himself right with the public, if as he thinks, misrepresented him in any Way. 7—E D. M. 1. C.] .