MR. EWING'S MEETING.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 303, 18 December 1874, Page 3

MR. EWING'S MEETING.

On Friday evening last Mr. Ewing met the electors at the Masonic Hall, Naaeby. There was a fair attendance, but the hall was by no means full.

Mr. Geo. Clarke proposed that in the absence of the Mayor the District member take the chair. This was seconded, and carried. The Chairman briefly referred to Mr. Ewing as one who was, to a great extent, a public man already, representing, by a unanimous choice, all the miners of Otago in the high office of President of the Central Association, while at the same time he was sufficiently a stranger to be entitled to the courtesy usually extended in that room to all. The work of the Mining Associations was sometimes spoken of slightingly, but in his (th» Chairman's) opinion the influence they had disseminated was very great. We find two of the leading members of the Colonial Executive referring publicly, on a late occasion, to the acknowledged necessity of enquiring into the administration of the Goldfields of the Colony, which was notably unsatisfactory. He himself, as well as those present, had a vote, and it would be for hint and them to exercise their privilege as voters after hearing the candidates that would come before them. Mr. Ewing would no doubt speak for himself. Mr. Ewing—in coming forward—claimed to be supported as being a district man, and more especially a distfict miner, and also, to some extent, as representing all the miners of the Province in the office he had thehonor to fill. Mr. Leary tells us in his address he has been a miner. He did not know how this might be, but he .claimed to be a miner of a very different stamp. He had been min-, ing in the district for ten years—for the last six being an employer of labor: Pecuniarly he had no other interest. He was not ashamed to say that he loved his calling as a miner. He thought the meeting would agree with him that it required as much ability to fulfil his duties as a miner (on a not inconsiderable scale) aa to exercise the functions of a trustee in bankruptcy, or a dentist. Referring to the farce of selling large blocks, as not being payably auriferous, the candidate said: It was well known that, in the very neighborhood of old and well-es-tablished gold workingß, rich ground remained under foot for years undeveloped. How, then, was it possible for such a block as that sold to Mr. Campbell to be guaranteed barren of good gold. He would not be a bit surprised if half a dozen such blocks as the Dunstan Creek Basin were not yet to be found on Mr. Campbell's ground. If Government were in earnest, they would have appropriated sums for prospecting ground before such sales were made, instead of leaving the unsought-for gold to take its chance, or to be defended solely by the unselfish action of a few miners from the committees of local associations. At St. Bathans he had referred to the leasing of lands. This is supposed to be chimerical or Utopian. He thought the only thing that was Utopian about it was the Lope that i he people will see the desirability of such a measure before it

ia hopelessly too late. If this proves, as he feared, vain to he should be in favor of seeing blocks of land near to every-town-ship, and should like to see a new system introduced of leasing auriferous lands for farming purposes, subjecttoareversionat any time for mining purposes, to protect the wealth of the land. Referring to the rules and regulations, he theught the system of working had outgrown the regulations—more especially, perhaps, with regard to prospecting. The "original regulations contain no provision to encourage prospecting. .Regulations might, and shonH ha formed to encourage prospscting companies to be formed. He was of opinion that there was plenty of payable ground as yet untested. There was also a ridiculous regulation as to neglecting to report. Many of those present must have seen, arising out of this, a man report a Goldfield without any proper foundation,' and thus draw a large population to the' ground, and get nearly lynched—and all to satisfy, the regulation. The regulations should be reframed, and the fees be entirely reclassed, and in some cases reduced. The rent of mining leases was especially hard, and might be reduced after the leases had been held a certain time, and worked in a bona fide way. He was, reverting to educational matters, entirely in favor of the secular system, as against the denominational. Anyone who had ■ not bartered his freedom of thought would see that the denominational system would lead to the depreciation of education, besides fostering jealousies, which (in small communities) weref he thought, already abundant. Many think if a man who becomes disabled can read and write, and has a fair knowledge of arithmetic, he will do for a schoolmaster. This was most erroneous. Teachers were already underpaid, and were proportionally deficient; and the denominational system must lead to their being worse paid. The question, however, is a small one for the pre-' sent election to be based upon, because there was not a single member in the Council in favor of the denominational system. Mr. Ewing then read extracts showing he was not, as had been industriously rumored, disabled from sitting in the Council—also, as to his relations with Mr. Armstrong in connection with the present contest. He had been advised not to speak of one other matter, viz., the cause of the alleged disability, but he did not intend to take that advice. Previous to the act for which he had been committed he had been engaged, for three years, endeavoring" to open up abandoned ground. The difficulties were caused by a layer of pipeclay on the move. To- such an extent was this the case that he had. three men working for four months, who never advanced a yard. At the time of the occurrence he was £llOO to the bad: Had just got on to the gold, and constructed hastily a short bit of a race. The gold was very fine. He found the tub kept at the tail box tampered with. Set a watch, and informed the police; . "Was advised by the police not to hold any Chinamen seen at the gold, but, if they ran, to fire at their legs with shot, as they were known to carry short knives. This went on for two months without result. One night I had a man working, not watching. Shortly after three o'clock one morning he saw another man go to the tub. He thought it might be myself, but at once made down to him, and found it was a Chinaman, and managed to secure him with a belt and his tail. He rushed up to the hut and cried " Chinamen! " I seized up an old loaded gun, which had been loaded'for six week's, rushed down, and, on the spur of the moment, fired. You know what followed after, and the trial. It is not generally known that there was only one. juryman for bringing me in guilty, while eleven•■ were for aequi t ba!. You may ask me "ho w Ikno w this?" A few days after I had been admitted to bail I met a man in the street; he said to me " Oh, Mr. Ewing, I am one of those unfortunate jurymen; you didn't deserve that sentence." Ho said " his name was Lorenzo, and that one man from Green Island named Jeffcote was the only one for guilty ; that he threatened to sit all night rather than give in; and we thought from the remarks of Ihe Judge he would not do much to you." It may be thought he was doing wrong to mention thiß, but he gave the names, and what was said could be proved : and if there was a fault it was in our infallible jury system. One other rumor he might refer to was that it was a conspiracy between himself and Mr. Armstrong that one would retire in the others favor. This was not true.

In answer to questions Mr. Ewing said he was in favor of railways if all the land was not sold to squatters in order to construct them ; was in favor of Provincial abolition, but he thought the form of Government was not of so much importance as the representatives chosen. He hud not stated at Hills Creek that it was a shame for the Government to expend the money they were about to do on the Mount Ida Public did he think so. What he said was that he did not believe, in a general way, that Government enterprise was equal to private enterprise. Government money was not all gain. £IOOO given to Goldfields was often the excuse for £l< 000 being spent elsewhere. Mr. Hobeets proposed and Mr. W. Williamson seconded a vote nf confidence in Mr. Ewing, which was carried.

Mr. Ewing elated that he did not expect those present to consider 'themselves bound till they heard Mr. Leary. The meeting then broke up.