ANNUALMEETING of the MOUNT IDA MINERS' ASSOCIATION.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 260, 28 February 1874, Page 3

ANNUALMEETING of the MOUNT IDA MINERS' ASSOCIATION.

This meeting was called, by advertisement, for Saturday evening last, at 8 p.m., at the Oddfellows' Hall, Empire Hotel. At the hour named very few had assembled, and it was feared that the meeting would, fall through. The services of a bellman were, however, enlisted, and shortly before nine a sufficient muster of members was beaten up to enable a start to be made. Mr. Jackson took the chair. He explained that'the business before the meeting was to receive the report and resignation of the Committee, and to elect a Delegate 'to attend the Conference to meet at Clyde on March 2nd. He would call upon the Secretary to read the report: — REPORT. This Association was brought into existence through the instrumentality of Mr. J. P. Armstrong, late member for the district; at a public meetings called by him on the 22nd February last; and your Committee at once notified the formation of the same to the President of the, Otago Miners' Arrowtown, and their intention to send , a Delegate to the next Conference, arranged to be held at Clyde; also, their willingness to co-operate with the, Arrowtown' Executive in carrying out _the objects of the "Otago Miners' Association."

Your Committee immediately opened up communication with the following soliciting their co-operation and sujpport:— Hamilton, Sowburn, Hyde, Macraes, Serpentine, Kyeburn, St. Bathans, and Maerewhenua. Since, then similar Associations have 'been formed at St. Bathans and Maerewhenua, with the same objects. ' - The . first matter of importance which engaged the attention of your. Committee was to ascertain the depth of the Sludge Channel, which they found would be too shallow to work a large area of ground on the flats in the neighborhood of the town. Your Committee, in consequence, appointed a deputation, in April last, to wait upon Mr. Bastings, Ooldfields Secretary, and Mr. Simpson, engineer, to whom they pointed out the insufficient depth of the channel. Mr. Bastings, in reply to the deputation, said " That, after mature consideration, he thought it would be advisable for the Miners' Association to take proper steps to obtain exact information as to the depth of ground in the neighborhood of the channel, and report the facts to him through their Secretary, when the matter would be immediately taken into consideration." Your Committee accordingly, without delay, arranged with a party to prospect the ground along the channel as requested, commencing at the two miles peg, and working upwards. Seven holes were sunk and bottomed at an average depth of' eleven feet six inches, all of which contained good payable prospects. These facts were embodied in a report and forwarded to the Government in April last, and also published in the ' Mount Ida Chronicle' the same week. Since then nothing further has been heard officially in the matter, although there is every probability of the channel being made the required depth from the point indicated. "i our Committee's attention was next called to an application, by John Cogan and party, for a claim of three acres in JRoach's Gully. This application was successfully opposed in the \Varden's Court, in the name of the Association, on the following grounds: "That Roach's Gully is now, and has been the main outlet for the discharge of tailings; and that a large extent of ground in the neighborhood has yet to be worked. And, further, the granting of this application would create a monopoly, and be the cause of harassment and litigation." Your Committee, in August last, at the request of the Corporation, took charge of the. Government boring rods, for the purpose of testing the existence or otherwise of deep leads in the neighborhood. Your Committee went to considerable trouble- and some expense in putting .the machine in working order, but they regret to state that, after ten days' trial, the apparatus was found lament'ably defective and totally unfitted for the work, which was in consequence abandoned for the present. Your Committee are compelled to express surprise and regret at the sale, the other day, of back sections to Messrs. Stephens and Law, situate on the bank of the Sludge Channel, and which is considered the best ground unworked in the town. These sections were advertised for sale in June last, but, on the representation of your Association, were withdrawn on the ground that the sale would be prejudicial to mining industry. Your Committee consider this sale now most unaccountable, and will require further explanation.

Your Committee, in conclusion, cannot allow this opportunity to pass ■without expressing their regret at the apathy exhibited ,by the miners generally in support of this Association, as will appear from .the following statement of accounts-There are at present 166 members enrolled, fifty-four of wfiotn reside at Hamilton and the Sowbiirn; out of that number only thirty-nine have paid the

annual, subscription fee of 2s. 6d. The total receipts for the year amount only to £l4 3s. 6d., from which has been expended £l4 2s. Liabilities, £2 7s. 6d. unpaid accounts. Your Committee therefore venture to hope that greater interest may be excited amongst the miners in this neighborhood, in order that the new Committee maybe encouraged and supported in their labors—to enable them to carry out efficiently the duties devolving upon them—believing, as your Committee do, that these Associations are destined to exercise important influence upon future legislation which may affect materially the interest and wellf are of the miners. H. B. M'lntosh, ' . • Chairman.

Naseby, 21st Feb., 1874. The Secretary further. stated he had received the resignation of, the Chairman, Mr. H. 33. M'lntosh, who was now living at a distance, and was consequently unable to attend.

It was proposed by Mr. Roberts, and seconded by Mr. R.' Webbeb—That the report, as read, be adopted. The motion was put, and declared carried.

Mr. Roberts, referring to the report, said: May I ask' in what way the fees were called for ? For liis own part, this was the first intimation lie had received.

Mr. Jackson said that he thought the Committee were more to blame than the members, as no proper system had been adopted. -He was quite sure everyone that was asked would'pay his 2s. 6d. The Chairman then suggested that the meeting should proceed to elect a Delegate. , , Mr. A. Simpson-said he thought that other business should first be proceeded with, as a fuller' meeting might assemble later in the evening. It was explained that this election of a Delegate was a liability of the retiring Committee's, which should be cleared oil' before they retired. ; A member here came in and addressed the chair. He said : It was all very well. He had paid for his card, and wanted his whack for it. He didn't know nothing. What had been done ? He'd like to see the whole thing published out. The Chairman told the newcomer if he had been in time he .would have heard the report read. [A non-official statement was made across the room to our reporter, that this gentleman had been in the sun. Whatever that may mean bur reporter knows not. He says that the speaker spoke out in a manly, stentorian voice, and careful notes vrere at once taken in the hope that something valuable was forthcoming ; but it never rose, in the frequent interruptions that he was the cause of, above the statement " that he didn't know nothing."] Mr. Wade then proposed Mr. C. F. Roberts as a suitable person to go to Clyde as the Mount Ida Delegate. Mr. Kealy seconded the nomination. -

A number of other gentlemen were nominated, but tliey all refused to act if appointed.

The motion was then put and carried by a large majority of Totes. • ■The Committee then resigned, arid Mr. Kealy was called to the chair. ; Tliejfollowing Committeemen were nominated and elected : —Messrs. Jackson, Roberts, Clarke, Woodliill, Moore, Shannon, Webber, Cooperj and Wade. Mr. A. G. B. Mitchell proposed a vote of thanks to the retiring Committee, seconded by Mr. Roberts, and carried. Mr. de Lautotjb, proposed a vote ot thanks to the Secretary,, who/he understood had been the soul of the Committee —keeping- tkem together through the year. '

The motion was duly seconded and carried—Mr. Kealy stating that Mr. Clarke had indeed been the soul of:the Committee,- as had been said by the mover.

Mr* John Ceeighton j kindly offered to place any information as to the plans arid depths of the present line of Channel at the services of the meeting or the Committer.

The Committee then agreed to meet on Thursday night, to meet Mr. Creighton, and examine the details of the work.