THE Mount Ida Chronicle SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1874.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 270, 9 May 1874, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1874.

The. opening address of his Honor the Superintendent presents, as usual, much matter for reflection. The clauses telegraphed last week, referringto thesele of auriferous land for mining purposes, claim our first'consideration. _ The great desirability of not destroying for .ever the surface value of land mined upon is, we consider, Tery much overrated. So far as we are aware, the portions of .country at present destroyed, and in the act of being destroyed, by sluicing are principally situated in localities where the land is not of the greatest value. The' areas being worked, for instance, in our own district, are—with, perhaps, the excep-' tion of Hyde, and that is hardly an exception—situated a good way up the mountain ranges surrounding the area of open country that will, with communications, prove valuable for surface purposes. If gold is contained to any' extent in the,greafc upland .plains of the interior, it is'supp'osed to take the form of deep leads/as, indeed, has been proved in' the Ida Valley at Blacks No.. 8. The value, then, of the country actually destroyed is not very great. At the present it is all' generally classed as pastoral land—two acres keeping one sheep: The land froin Naseby, Hamilton, St. Bathans, and Serpentine certainly improves as r;slopes downwards in the courses of the rivers and streams,, but the auriferous ground is, as stated, of secondary value for agricultural purposes. Then, again, what is the proportion of the land destroyed _.ta. the land not destroyed ? It is so small as to be scarcely discernible if mapped out dri ; a proportionate.ecale. After all, it is not the freehold of the land mined that is affected, but the freehold of the land between the mines a~d the navigable rivers on the sea coast. The mere fact of the occupier of ten acres holding it by purchase instead of by lease would, not enable him to discharge the debris' from his claim upon or through other Crown lands or freeholds in the hands of others. Supposing that such a system could be devised that would'be practicably workable, it would be a boon to the holders of.large claims, for at present they pay a yearly rent equal to and even in excess of the fee simple of the land, they occupy —so, on that ground, unless a special price was charged, the pecuniary saving would be considerable. But, on the other ground as seated by his Honor as the main reason of such a change—that of the improvement, or, rather conservation of the surface—we are not' hopeful that much good would accrue : As a rule, it would be far cheaper to purchase agricultural land in more suitable localities, at the nominal price charged, than to go to an immense amount of labor to remove and restore the surface soil of the ground proposed to be mined. I

We are indebted to the Superintendent for throwing"out a feeler of the kind, evidencing that he, for one, is prepared to g/'apple with a question of extreme difficulty,--if" a definite first principle can be arrived at. Our own view has expressed before ; and we confess, although we do not set special value upon it, yet-that we have

neither discovered' nor heard of anybetter—and that is: Free selection, on modified principles, on all Crown lands —with a condition that all lands so alienated, required for actual goldmining, shall be liable to be unconditionally resumed. Selectors in" a mining district have perfect knowledge as to auriferous localities, and the most that would be entailed upon them would be a'preliminary prospect. If this were done, and the necessary reservations on all rivers, streams, and main outlets provided—as they should have been many years ago—we should hear little more of the special legislation needed for an asserted special industry.

It is singularly unfortunate that the Provincial Executive should have resigned at a time wheu the country is more than usually satisfied with'the administration during the recess. So widely has this feeling of satisfaction extended, that we believe the bitter opponents of last session were prepared to let the v. ork of the present proceed with expedition, with only the advantageous inlerpolations of a useful opposition. Unfortunately this is not -to be. On the first day the Provincial Secretary announced the resignation of his Executive. The pleas put forward" "are not very satisfactory. The first s the pressure of the private business of the head of the Government; the second, the impression of the majority of the members of the Executive that the. offices of Goldfields Secretary and Secretary for Public Works should not be in the same hand; and thirdly, differences of opinion among the members themselves. -The-plain digest of these reasons is clearly enough that the Goldfields Secretary, having been left to do the work, together with his Honor the Superintendent, as best he could, and having, in spite of the ab--sence of his colleagues, done that work to the entire satisfaction of. the country,is an object of dislike'"to the drones. He has too much power—the Goldfields have had an undue share of attention—Duuedin is neglected for a' waning interest. These are the feelings which, prompted the rumored disagreement we heard something of a few months ago, and which have brought about the untimely resignation now.' It will be no easy matter for a new Government to.be formed that will satisfy the' Council sufficiently to lead to a speedy completion of the business. The majority'the. Government obtained last session was given solely on account of their administrative power. That power appears, as has been abundantly proved by the success—in spite of the urgent private business, of the Provincial Secretary, the Secretary for Lauds, . and the unofficial member, Mr. Sband--to have been bound up in the Secretary for Works, who has attended daily, when not away on public business, at the Government offices. With that element of administrative power removed or clipped of its efficiency, the support of a majority cannot be.by any means counted upon. - It-is very evident that the leading idea.of a great manypoli-. ticians is that the mining interest only, requires to bo snubbed and disregarded to very speedily die of inanition. The folly of such an idea it is not easy for those .who have never been twenty miles from Duuedin to conceive ; it«is, however, abundantly manifest to the country itself, and will be more so when at last the milch cow that has so. long supplied' milk- to the sea-coast towns, with little or no-return, refuses to-do so any longer, at the same time throwing the" burden of an increased population upon the straightened funds and locked-up lands of the coast districts. Given a liberal policy, there is such buoyancy in the Goldh'elds that they can support and,permanently, settle double the, population 'that has hi-, thcrto'.hcen thrown upon them. Batplay the niggard to them, their prosperity can be destroyed ; but other industries must bear the burden of sustaining their settled population—for, happily, a gold-miner is no longer a nomad, but a settled Colonist of "New Zealand. ...

Dr. Webster has taken the best part of a week to do nothing but announce his inability to form a Government. Should Mr. Reid, who, on the doctor's failure, was sent for, be successful in getting together a good working Government, representing all shades of the House, it will be a matter of congratulation ; but we fear that the lion and the lamb are not fated iu our time to lie down together.

In the Superintendent's address it is stated that 258,849 acres have been sold during the past year to 404 persons, which gives an average of 640 acres apiece nearly. The St. Bathans art-union drawing, in aid of the harmonium and building funds of the Church of England, will take place iii the school-room at that place, on Friday evening next, 15th inst. °

The Municipal Council of Naseby has framed and adopted a petition, praying, the' Government to authorise the survey of a line of railway from Palmerston to Clyde, via the Maniototo Plain.

It is rumored (says the 'Guardian') that the General Government is preparing a general Licensing Act, retaining the more important provisions of the present statute, and eliminating its absurdities.

It was decided at the usual fortnightly meeting of the brethren of the Loyal Naseby Lodge to celebrate thtir sixth anniversary by a banquet, to be held in the Lodge room on Monday, May 25th (Queen's Birthday), ■[■,.. We were this week shown, by Mr.Bo'bt. Glenn, four largo turnips, grown in Kearney's paddock, weighing in all forty-seven pounds. This is another instance of the productiveness of the soil in the neighborhood. A monster petition has been forwarded' from Naseby to Mr. de Lautour, M.P.C., for ' presentation to the Provincial Council, praying that the Government will neither alien- ' ate nor s,ell any lands in this district until the survey of aline of-railway from Palinerston to Clyde is made.

The attention of our readers is requested

to the important sale by auction, by Messrs. Inder and George, of valuable mining shares and property at the Maerewhenua, including the quartz-crushing machinery of the Otekaike Company. The advertisement will be found in another column.

It is,very desirable that the petition for a Mining Board should be forwarded to the Council.

Mr. V. Pyre, M.H.R., is to be the assistant editor of the '.Guardian,', and uncontrolled editor of the '.\!ercury.' -

The fire-bell rang out an alarm on Thursday evening last. The fire was confined to the chimney of the Empire Hotel, and was soon extinguished. The Cyphrenes, with the British mails on board, left Auckland for the southern Provinces on Sunday morning last. The mails for the Mount Ida district may be expected on Tuesday next. The meeting of subscribers to the Athenaeum, called for Thursday evening last, lapsed through a quorum not being present. The meeting is called for next Thursday evening, at half-past eight o'clock.'

The prospectus of the Colonial Bank of New Zealand appears in our fourth page. Mr. John Bremner, of this town, is authorised Lo receive applicationsand deposits, and from him forms of application may be obtained. The following unclaimed letters were lying at the Naseb) post office, May 7th, 1574: Mr. C. Burford, .Mr. Eobt. Atherton Churchill, Thomas Dawson,- Keefe and Co., George Alar tin, John Maloney, John Price," Thomas KoJger3, George L. Smith. -

Pressure oh our columns this week compels us to hold over several articles of interest, including a memorandum from the Commissioner of Telegraphs having reference to the proceedings in the case of Macassey v. Bell, and Provincial and Municipal Council &c. THE bonus of £10 voted by the Committee of the Mount-Ida District Hospital to Mr. E. T. George, the Secretary, for the satisfactory manner in which he has performed his duties, has been handed in by that gentleman as a donation to the credit of the Hospital funds; Such generosity is worthy of being taken notice of.

The following is a statement of contracts entered into.for road construction in this" district during the * year:—Palmerston' to Eweburn(T. Templeton), £2,193 175.; Shag Valley to Macraes (T. Madden), £275; Shag Valley to Macraes (Biggar and Co.), £440 2s; Palmerston to'Ewebum (T)'. W. Phillip),£553 14s. Cd. -' "<

It is proposed to again ask the Houses of Assembly to increase the quantity of land allowed to be thrown open on' deferred payments in any one year from 30,000 to 100,000 acres; and, in addition, to have the ballot, in the case of two or more applications beinomade for one section, superseded by an aucliou sale, similar to applications on blocks and-Hundreds.

The first general meeting of the Mount Ida Pastoral Association was held in their registered office, Naseby, on Friday, 1st instant. The meeting was numerously attended. The names of' the directors areas follows:— W. Sanders, W. Newman, .James Thomson, Adam Craig, W. Inder, S. Hewitt, and David Barron; auditors, Dr. Dick and John Sanders; secretary, E. T. George. It was resolved to close the share list on Monday, 11th instant, at noon.

The baaaar in' aid of the Naseby Church of England funds, for which the ladies of the Church aud their friends have been making considerable preparations for some time past, will be held in the Masonic Hall on Tuesday and Wednesday next, May 12th and 13th. "We understand the display of goods and fancy work of all descriptions will be an excellent one, and when the object in view is considered, we have no doubt as to its success.

The Athenaeum-Committee met on Saturday evening last. Present: Messrs. L. V 7. Busch (chair), Brown, M Ihtosh, Newmareh,' and George.—After the minutes of previous meeting had been read and confirmed, the Treasurer reported that the balance in bank wss £SO 16s. -lid.—Resolved, " That Master F. Blair (librarian)' be paid at the rate of 10s. per week to 23th A.pril last.—L. W. Busch's account for books, paper, kerosene, &c. (£lß' 7s. 6d.), wa3 passed for payment.—Resolved, " That the annual meeting take place on Thursday, 7th May." ; Mb, Reid's statement on Thursday omittedall mention of the importance of a question such as river pollution, which is of primal importance to the'Goldfields. This indicated a total want of comprehension, by the new Executive, of the mining. interest. That interest might be represented in the Executive, if a suitable member could be- found- who would accept office as Goldfields Secretary—in fact, throwing out a'bone for, the members to scramble for. . The statement fell very flat. An adjournment -was- moved pro forma, to enable members to speak, but there was a general silence. The motion was put and carried, and the House declared adjourned. The Government .will be strongly opposed.' The usual monthly meeting of the Mount Ida District Hospital Committee was held on Saturday evening last. Present: Messrs. Inder (chair), Greer, Anderson, Jackson, Brown, Green, and George.—The minutes of previous meeting ware read and confirmed. The surgeon's report was read and received. It showed that two patients were admitted and two discharged during the month, three still remaining.—The Visiting Committee's report was read, and the suggestions it contained in reference to improving the ground for trees were approved of, and the Committee was instructed to get the work carried out.—The Treasurer's statement showed the balance in bank to be £113 4s. 9d.; subsidy due by Government, £230 6s. 6d.—Accounts amounting to £49 Is. 7d. were passed for payment.—Resolved, "That the wardsman's salary be increased to £80 per annum, to commence from April 3rd." Resolved, "That the Secretary receive a bonus of £10 for his services during the past year."

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Mount Ida District School Committee was held in the schoolhouse on Monday evening last. P.esent: Rev.E. Williams (chair)," anil Messrs. Bremner, Hore, Stewart, Wilson/ and.Field.—The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed.—Letters were read from the Secretary to the Education Board, and from Mr. Petrie, School Inspector," in reference to the application lately made by the Committee for an extra teacher, and a grant for £IOO for fencing school reserve. Resolved, '' That the Chairman and Secretary write to Mr. Petrie for an explanation of his recommendation re pupil teacher."—A letter from the schoolmaster was read, containing an account for £l2 9s. 9d., with an urgent request for payment.—Resolved, "That the Secretary be instructed to collect all school fees up to the end of March last; failing accounts being paid before the 18th May, summonses to issue."—Resolved, "That Messrs. Inderand Bremner canvass the district for subscriptions to clear off the debt, on the school. "—Resolved, "Q-hut the Secretary and Treasurer be empowered to negotiate an overdraft at the bant. "—:A vote- of thanks to" the chair terminated, the. meeting.

. Dctrtso last session the Provincial Council arrived at certain resolutions "concerning the coalfields and quartz reefs in the Province.. The substance of these resolutions, and memoranda by. Mr. Hutton, Provincial Geologist, are given below. Firstly, Mr. M'Glashan moved the desirability of immediate efforts being made, by boring, to develope the coalfields of the Province, and of placing a sum of money on the Estimates with that objeot.

Regarding this matterr, Mr. Hutton says:— " Boring for coal is a most expensive process as far as.prospecting for a new coalfield is concerned. Boring is only used for ascertaining the lie of a known or suspected seam previous to opening a mine. But as it has been during the year ascertained that a large coalfield exists between the Tokomairiro and Kaitangata, which requires no boring to develope, this resolution may be considered as complied with." A motion by Mr. de Lautour was to the - effect that his Honor, take such steps as he might think necessary to obtain the services-of .such competent scientific direction in his opinion sufficient to examine and report upon the probable lies of deep leads and quartz reefs throughout the Provincial Goldfields. On this subject Mr. Hutton. writes as follows:—" In order to form, a wellgrounded opinion as to the existence or not of deep leads in different parts of the Province, it is first necessary to examine the physical and geological structure.of the whole country, and by that means to ascertain as accurately as possible the nature of the causes that have led' to the present distribution of the auriferous and non-auriferous deposits. I have been engaged on this preliminary survey all the summer, but until it is finished it would be premature to hazard an opinion on the subject. With .regard to quartz reefs I am sorry to have to any that in my opinion science "can be. of very IL* tie assistance. Up to the present time scientific men viit quartz mines to learn, and not to teach ; for no satisfactory theory has yet been established as to. the origin of metal-liferons veins,'' Subsequently . and in consequence of another resolution as to the of immediate efforts bein* made to ascertain scientifically - the mineral wealth of the Provincial goldfields, Mr. Hutton wrote :—" I do not think that -. the Government can well-do more to further the prospecting of a 'country -than by.-opening roads. Neither deep leads nor quartz ' reefs can be tested in- any other way but by working them,,and.this-, would.be/betterdone by joint stock companies than by" the Government."—' Guardian.'