THE Mount Ida Chronicle SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1875.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 306, 9 January 1875, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1875.

SijNcJE the resignation of Mr,-.' Duncan, 'tliy/J>ißt^ct.^pgineer < ./t)ije:.rQajis.-.'ha.ve-been allowed to fall into-neglect. It M believed)that two oversejers : -irave' jgontSol ior supervision but the sup~ position is somewhat hypothetical, as they 7 appear to donothing'but pay off the best roadmen, who have been -insteady employment for years back. The roads at present are simply disgraceful to any country. Owing to the fine weather during the last winter, drays and coacheß do not Btick ; but the ruts are deep, and (in places where the main line cannot be left) render the travelling very dangerous to the coaches, and light traffic, while the waggons are delayed, and consequently the carriers have to charge more for f. eight. Money is voted sufficientfor maintenance, but it is either being expended on the roads along the coast, or is being purposely withheld. -It is certain it is not being expended between Waihemo and Clyde. Last year and the year previous, under Mr. Bastings' personal inspection- a good start was made on this. road. Coal Creek Hill was commenced, and the Houndburn Hill avoided by a road which, being gradually metalled, promised to be fairly good. Yet now we find the Coal Creek cutting completed, and passed almost without inspection, and in such a rough Btale as to be entirely prohibitive to the traffic of the road, which, still, as before, only more thankfully toils, over the Hill. the road round the Houndburn has been abandoned, no one knows why, and the money spent on it bids fair to be entirely waited, as, like all new roads, the economy of construction depends entirely upon the proper maintenance for the first few years. Between Pigroot and Waihemo matters arp, if possible, worse. It is no wonder it is asked by travellers, waggoners, and residents, What is the meaning of this direct neijlect of one of the by no means least important main, interior lines of road ? It is not, as some imagine, a petty spite (which Mr. Reid would be the last to evince) towards the Goldfields, because their members have opposed him. It is not because the revenue is not up to expectations—for, during the first six months of the year, -the revenue derived from land revenue, (principally at the expense of Southland) exceeded by some £12,500 the estimate for the whole year, ending March 31, L 875 It is simply an attempt made by the Executive to claim future credit by meeting, the Council in next session with a bland statement from Mr. Treasurer that—m spile of all the abuse aimed at him aud his present and late Grovernment—there is a balance to the -eredit_of_the_ Eroyinee, instead_ of a_ prophesied deficit.' In, other wdrTTa, that the Provincial estates, ■ having bled freely,' and the Province being consequently so much the poorer; the necessary expenditure for works and interior roads too having. been curtailed—the railway contracts illegally let can be paid for without having resource to further eleemosynary aid Irom the Goldniiil Government.: -■ Southland is beginniugto understand better of late where the money is coming from that is increasing at such a rate the value of private freehold estates, extending from the Taieri to Oamaru and the Waitaki. Tet, with hardly an exception, Southland members appear, from the ' Votes and Proceedings,' to ,have supported a policy that is simply a salving over the sins of those;who have done their best to impoverish the South and the Interior. Groldlields of Otago, and who, by such support, are continued in power. Such a saving of road expenditure—which, as voted, is barely sufficient to protect the traffic —is most unjust, be the cause what it may.

The office of District Engineer is allowed" to continue vacant, and the Provincial Engineer's office is freely hawked to the favorite of the hour, to the disregard of the many able and rising men in the service and altogether irrespective, of the capabilities of the favored one. A man may be a capital field surveyor, and yet be entirely unfit for the responsibilities thrown upon the Provincial imgineer : about the hardest worked, most responsible, and worst paid Provincial officer we Lave.

Added to the difficulty of obtaining any fair local consideration for what are conveniently termed Goldfieldspecialities is the insuperable barrier, put up by the Government itself, who ; on every refuse to carry out the wishes of the Provincial Council in any such direction, while on other matters—ss railway contractletting in favored districts, as at Waireka, and of Private land selling, as at Shag Valley—-they deliberately exceed and set.:aßide the Council's resolutions,; During last session it was proposed by Miv-lieeves-that a -Mining-Engineer-be appointed for-the : Province. 'l'his,resolution met with very general acceptance, more especially from those not directly interested in mining, who yet,had sunk money, in large-sums 'in what proved to be barren speculations—many of.which, they had good reasons afterwards for believing, never had a' substantial basis at all. ' In aecpidance with so general a wish, £SOO salary for such an officer was placed pn the Main Estimatep, and carried through Committee of Supply. Yet the Government have not apparently, taken any srep* to»vanlß the appointment time PubsUsif iaHy U3«de : by the! Counril. It is trtie "a Victorian' officer, . Mr.

Ullrich, "haa been eJDopidyed tor%itthe; gold mining . a. Bjjasjmodic sort of way . to!" repbrilfWith from" his' as he lean do ..in th.e short.space of disposal -but that in not cariying. put ■'• It isi falling; back tarrying;" out ;a"reWluttkak caiiied th#piigh the previous Beat,b> the Government till jnoir—" That, in tbe " opinion of this Council, it is deßir- " able that a respectful address, .be " presented to his Ilonor- the Superin-"-.intendent, requesting him to take " such steps as he may think neces- " sary to obtain the services of such " competent- scientific direction as is, " in ids'opinion, sufficient to examine* " and report upon the probable liheß.of " deep leads.and,quartz reefs through-. " out the Provmcial Goldfields (July " 14/, 1873)" .This resolution waß also provided for in the Supplementary Estimate's of that year by a vote of £sdo. ,- ; -'-.; -'■-..:

A permanent, engineer in connection with minings rivould- be an officer of great, service to- those' engaged in.developing the more demote sources of auriferous wealtiu . jit; was pointed out at the time' ; (Guardian report) that the expense need riot, fall upon the.Government at all, but would be gladiy!lbprne (in whole or in part) by those making use of his services. Capitalists would be benefitted, because they would have what is called in sporting'terms, "a show, for their money." No r scieutffic, man could rantee them, payable : . dividends-/,: but, if a report; fromo him was; considered necessary as a .part vd£ any '- prospectus put out by a, new company, he could at any rate, investors whether the intended speculation:was.a justifiable Undertakirig, ,or. merely a bubble for stock-marketpurposes.' Parties of practical worlnffg m£n would often be saved fruitless and most - expensive work, although they, of course, could hot have gold pointedout to them any better than it-is-already by their own mining instinct. ! ■''■ That' instinct would however, if guided, be guided so as to save possiblyl twenty per cent, on the cost of experimental undertakings, and for such guidance, iconservativeof time and money, mining companies would. gladly pay a voluntary scale of moderate fees.;;; i'/iil j/ i-.'t ,":\ s i .'?f

npfc'be, disheartened J3^y s -the attempt .to get "rid of ~ bfe:j shown by' the'superficial report now being obtained. »-r£he excuse that may be offered—that npjwjjuitable .jperson could be hardly- be 'held .Biifficierit. : ; : w ; he^"-'- : hp. i . i pubH«'''efFoirt ; '"haß been made to; find .ope. : ', The' Geologist .advised., th'e Governmilnt

very truly th^t—''-He didnot %iiink ";■ that ( the ; can well. do. V more: to. ifurther: the; prospeetings of '* ;■" - rcimd *: i reefs; " catfbe tested-'in; ainy; other;«r& but; "by working_ tbein,-arid'ih ; s would ■be'! •" better' don£ by; Joiii t Stock' Coia pa-1 '"'nies thatfby .the''Goveramcnt.'' An! officer, tinder- Government] control 'could.- l afford '"'tecfifiical^know-; ledge to manager> ;J ofV that at present tbeyjcannot get, for the half ■of. the. self-sty that offer more than uncredited modern empirics, uf course, "iEe real cure is to be effected 7 at-the -root' ! and is to be found, as has been repeatedly shown, in the organisation..i6| [j & \ School : pf Mines. EJuJfc for i /this wpulpVlpng ago ,'haypJbegn,.done, as .the.leading members^ are Veil aware of the value of such institutions. A'ceritrai School of Mines estabiisbed, five years ago in Auckland or Otagb would now have trained, pfij--cers in every part of the Colony, who would lendrTTthrougKthtir practical assistance and periodical reports—the stamp of ja /permanent'vvealth to the goldmines/"" of Otago that unfortunately, is. .consideredfat present but.the chimera' of dreamers.....