HAMILTON AND SOWBURN MINERS' ASSOCIATION.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 330, 2 July 1875, Page 3

HAMILTON AND SOWBURN MINERS' ASSOCIATION.

[communicated.]

A general meeting of this Associa- . tionwas convened at the Union Hotel - ' on Saturday evening the 19th instant, For the purpose, of re-organising the. Committee. Mr. Booth, having been called to the chair, explained that there was no clause in their constitution violated by the Committee having held office two , years, as there was no rule to the con- ' , trary. The Committee would however have been quite willing to con- ..■-. .form to custom had there been any necessity for it. As it was, the Commit- '. - tee had started with certain objects in view, and they thought it would be as well to see those undertakings either a Buccess or a failure before they went out of office. How far their objects . were attained he would leave the Secretary to inform them. The Chairman, being Treasurer, then submitted his statement, showing *a ~-, .small balance to the credit of the Asv -' sociation, and remarked that the Asso- '- ciation was not formed for the purpose ■;' of raising and spending funds, but foi* •. • the purpose of furthering the public interest in that part of the district; and. that it was only when funds might, be absolutely required that they would '•••■■ be called on. He then called- on ' ■ the Secretary, Mr. A. L. Nicholas, ") toread his statement, which is as-fol- '.';' lows :—This Association was formed ■ / as a Progress Committee, June 25th, ~7. 1873 ; but at a public meeting held on '■'*\ July 14th, the name was altered "to '■'>■■ that of Miners' Association. There were thirty-six members and a Com- ;;:.\ ,v \iftittee of twelve—which has held fif- ",.,\ teen meetings during the last two '.years. Tou are all aware of the "object of this Association, it being to look after the interest of the place, as > -.'.'it was thought, and has since, been \ proved, that Associations'of this 'kind " "are absolutely required for the purpose of rendering a truthful representation of the public wants. Our grand start- \ yjng point -was to get a bridge across 'W the Taieri River, which bridge, after a long struggle on pur part,, has been ~., commenced. I am glad to.say, judg- (> ing from tho plans of the structure, .that it will most likely exceed 'our ~' jinoigt sanguine expectations. Seeing that all other public expenditure would be perfectly futile without it, your j'; CoUimittee took the stand of a bridge '"V' v ' or nothing ; which view has already. V Been amply veiified by land being ;\ \ thrown open and money voted for ':>■> roads in every direction, showing v ''•' plainly that the bridge will be the key ""''-■ to the prosperity of the inhabitants of , this part of the district; and there is r ; v '•■"rip question but that, under the wise '■•: '; and liberal administration of Mr. Reid, • '■in making the Maniototo Plains a nu- j v_,..' cleus to settlement on this G-oldfield, | v we will in a few years see this pain happy homes for hundreds of ... families who otherwise would, as has '..been the case up to the present time, i , '. be scattered over the country as serfs. •■• 'The natural adyantages of this locality v cannot be competed with in the dis--1 ' trict. We have on the Sowburn 3?lat,- ■•■,' if not the greatest very •best .tract of agricultural land in ( the district, commanded by both the Pig','..burn and Sowburn for purposes of ir- .,; ,'rigation. And what most particularly .enhances its value is that it will evidently in time be in the neighborhood ' of a large and populous manufacturing mart. This will arise from the fact that ' the Sowburn stream, for three or four miles above the township, through a low range of hills quite accessible, pre''..sents a-continuous succession of mill .sites. No mechanical power can com;.;J!'pete with, water power, "and no busi- ', ■,[ ,ness men would think of buying water from head races, or employing steam " with,the. natural and costless •advantages of water power inviting them.. . But to come nearer home: It .: ,' is quite certain that the Hyde and Ha- . Milton road will be completed this year, as there is £4OO on the Estimates .■:, for that purpose. , We may then have the mail coach through this way, and two mails per week. Through the in- ,.-, '< strumentality of our worthy members of-the Provincial Council, we have , lV £4200 on the Estimates for improving '..; arid forming roads in this district, which ~ K will open communication's in every jdi-; v> rection. The township of HamiLon has been surveyed and sold; the cemetery has been substantially fenced, nicely laid out, and planted with trees „ .and, flowers, and great credit is due to the managers and contractor for the interest they took in the work—in ' ; fact, it is a credit to Hamilton and Sowburni. Now, gentlemen, if you wish to judge whether the Committee have been of use, compare our present position and prospects with what they

were three years 'ago, and either adopt the report and re r or.ganise, or express your disapproval, and dissolve the Association. , We would not, however, arrogate too much to ourselves, -sis'- we have been nobly assisted by our two present members of" the Provincial Council,: by , the Town Council of Naseby, iahd the'people of'the whole district, by way of signing our petitions —unto all of whom we return our most. unqualified thanks. '- "We also' ! thank' those who have heen.ppnstantly opposing us.

The above report having been unanimously adopted, and a vote of thanks to the retiring Committee, and ;to the Secretary; (Mr. A. L. Nicholas), for their exertions in behalf of. the Hamilton and Sowburn Miners' -Association, being earned, the Committee then resigned. ■:.;. j'; ;.'. The following names were approved of forithe ; new ensuing year:—Messrs. B.S. Booth, H. Loader, Jl .Barkley,.. J._ Paul, J. R. Brown, S. STreby, J. Herlihy, J. Nicholls, W. H. Udy, W. L. Bailey, R. Barron, and A. L. Nicholas. 7 ; '-After which j with a vote of "thanks to-Mrs; Barber for the use of her' room, the Chairman' dismissed the meeting. v ■ ■■..-, ■_■,