THE Mount Ida Chronicle

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 242, 24 October 1873, Page 3

THE Mount Ida Chronicle

FEIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1873. We have now a little more accurate information as to the fresh trouble at Maerewhenua than-was at our disposal last week. It appears that the high prices wool has been fetching in Europe have (empted Messrs. Borton and M'Master, cominendably enough, to go to considerable expense in perfecting their apparatus for sheep washing. Hitherto they have always been able to ■use water from the Maerewhenua: This year, in consequence of the completion of several of the races from permanent sources, the river is too dirty for sheep-washing purposes. Being naturally vexed at this,; and also being unwilling to lose .the difference between the value, of the. wool well washed and only shorn in the grease —perhaps, on their large flocks, a difference of £I,OO0 —they have consulted the lawyers, and been advised to give the miners notice that they must entirely cease work for six weeks. Just now there is a plentiful supply of water; in six T .veeks time it will be a fortunate season if there is anything at all approaching to a full supply. - Consequently, + o leave off working at the present time would be from over £2O to £3O per man —amounting in the aggregate to a very large sum. The law of river pollution in New Zealand is on a singularly unfortunate footing. There is, indeed, no special legislation on the matter; so the English law —a law framed more particularly to. protect old feudal rights—is made to fit. all the varying requirements of a new country. There can, we believe, bd very little doubt that every miner in the Province is abreaker of the law as far as river pollution goes. It is no more legal to throw tailings into.the Molyneux, Mataura, or Taieri than into the Maerewhenua ; at the same time, it is no more illegal. Consequently, no court of lavr could punish a few at Maerewhenua for doing what all other miners are doing, only are too powerful to be interfered with.

One other point.of view occurs to us from which to look at this special case. That is : It is quite as illegal for Messrs. Borton aud M'Master to pollute the niain river with tobacco, sulphur, &c, as for the miner to discolor the upper branches; probably snore so, a3 in the one case really poisonous matter is introduced. Practically, however, any question as to the legality or otherwise of pollution for mining purposes has-always arranged itself. The settlers, who, every rational man will readily acknowledge, are injuriously affected by the damage done to river?, accept that damage, knowing that it is inevitable —knowing that it is a drawback, but only one not to bo computed for a tnorneut with the verv great benefits the gold workings have generally brought, not to them only as individuals, but to the Province as a whole. What shall we say of the Colony - the receiver of stolen goods—the direct participator in good things illegally obtained, to the extent of £870,000 in the shape of export duty—if she, through her law courts, should condemn" the act after taking her share of the proceeds ? Clearly it is impossible. .We do not expect Messrs. Borton and M'Master to agree with us in our opinion, thinking, as we do, that they have been singularly ill advised in the course they have seen fit to pursue —a course that, persevered in, can only lead to a special Act. called " i.he Pollution of Rivers Indemnification Act." No other stet) would be possible. Perhaps we have the less sympathy with the sheep farmers in this case from our knowledge that, with a very littlfc forethought and a trifling expenditure \>f money, i I hanks to the natural features of the country, they'CQuld have obtained a permanent supply of cle»ar water from the northei'n branches of the river.

I Eeo2l iimo to time, during the late i Be.-'iiion, v/e noted • tb'e progress of Mr ! 13rm]shfr,Y's Mining on Private Pro- .; \rMy Biil. . This Bill, altered consider- . üblj froiu its first" iippearance, is now

before us—at least, we are not aware of any other measure of the same purport—and is called "An Act for'the'" " Resumption of Land for the Pur- " poses of Mining for Gold or Silver." Our contemporary, the Otago ' Gruar- ' dian,' says, truly enough, that "the " material enactment is ao follows" (quoting clause 2) : All lands alienated from the Crown, whether by way of absolute sale or lease, or for any lesser interest, after the date of the passing of this Act, shall be liable to be resumed fqr mining purposes (except lands alienated expressly for mining purposes) by her Majesty, on paying full compensation to tie licensee or owner in fee simple thereof, for the value other than auriferous or argentiferous of the lands and improvements so resumed ; such value, in case of disagreement, to be ascertained by arbitration, upon terms and conditions hereinafter provided. But we are afraid be is astray in looking upon the further sections as only a provision of machinery. On the contrary, clause 4 nullifies all the good contained in clause 2. It says : —" JS r o " application shall be entertained for " any land used as a garden, orchard, " vineyard, nursery, plantation, or or- " namental pleasure ground. . . ." What ground is there that is freehold that could not be brought under oneof the above headings ? How many trees would constitute an orchard, of that far more -vague creation, a plea* sure garden. A great principle has, however been asserted —the right of separation between the surface rights above and the mineral rights below—and for tins much we are thankful to Mr. Bradshaw. The Bill is not to have any retrospective action, nor do we expect any practical result from it. One theoretical good will, however, be obtained—that'is, that all buyers of land in future will know - that they cannot, obtain in perpetuity, for 10s.' an acre,, ground that could be made io -give l up. £SOO or £6OO, or possibly as many thousands. We shall give the details of the .measure in a future issue.

The English, mail close.? at the Naseby . post office on Monday the 27th hist., at the usual boor. . Wjb observe that' an office for effecting business under the Government scheme of Life - Assurance has beeir opened at Hamilton. . Four acres of ground held under Mining Lease by the Scandinavian Co., St. Buthans, have been surrendered,-and are now" declared open" for occupation by-holders of miners' rights. In the catalogue of exhibits at -the Vienna Exhibition, we notice a sample of gold from " Noseby, Mount Ida, tire-produce of a sluicing claim at the foot of Mount Ida, on northern side of Maniototo Plains, about 1400. feet above sea level." s _ By an order in Council, issued lately, tele* graphic charges are somewhat modified.. For private messages the charges will be as before—ls. for the first ten words —but afterthat, Id. a word. We wonder whether thiswill lead to the diffusion of coppers in upcountiy districts. Tendkes are called for the Middle Island steam service, that was granted owing to the. persistency of Mr. Macandrew in the Assembly. It is intended to place the most unfrequented ports within regular steam communication; The following places are mentioned as porta of call: Oamaru, Timaru, Milford Sound, MarLin's Bay, Preservation Inlet, Port William, and Half-Moon Bay in Stewart's Island. The first steamer for the San Francisco service is under orders from China, to take the mail from Sydney. Pressure is being brought to bear on England by the New South Wales Government to annex Fiji. The Kevd. Dr. Stuart, at a public meeting held in Dunedin lately, to agitate the immediate erection of a fourth school for Dunedin, said :—" He was glad to recall to notice the fact that, from the very commencement of settlement in this province, the schoolmaster had kept pj,eo with the progres3 and increase of population. This was a most gratifying circumstance, and it seemed to him that the education of the .people of this country waa destined, to have a very bright career. (Applause.) While lately travelling through the country districts he had noticed that the school buildings were considered to be the principle institutions. On M'Rae's Flat he noticed a very fine stone.building, well lighted , and possessing every requisite and dedicated to the cause of education. At Naeeby he had likewise found there was a very excellent school, capable of holding 100 children', who were there instructed in the three " As" as in other branches of education. As far as he could see the country had shot far ahead of the town in the provision of elementary education for the young." Public work 3 in Napier have bfen stopped for a couple of months, owing to there bt-'ino no labor available in-the Province. A shipment of 250 - Scandinavians ia expected, bat