SALE OF AURIFEROUS LAND.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 335, 6 August 1875, Page 3

SALE OF AURIFEROUS LAND.

! I ; kerin'S CASE: . { -\j ; : r (Erom burown correspondent.') : Whatever maj : be pleaded as excuse or ex*tenua,tion by the-presenfcTWaste £ands ad- - miuistratibn, it is 'Certam that want of expe-' '.rifence cannot form; a part'bf that plea. • The. cfiiefs whol'have. had the"-'settlement, of i;ie : waste lanlds; of Otago are." chiefs in thai department.- this day, and are • consonant with every vicissitude and emergency which can occur, and therefore what would be" capable p£ excuse t b'y the plea of .ignorance or misconception in men of inexperience cannot be soj in the case- of-those who administer those regulations to-day. * The Waste Lands Board have determined to seU some; land on the River,- which is not only .auriferous, but which is right in the line , of two proved leads of gold—one'of quartz, and one of alluvial. The Crown Terrace quartz reef, which is now in work, is due in the line of

: the land, and the. Arrow ..or Whiteehapel Jj ? lead, of gold has been worked to its boundary Jj j on the one sfdej .and that' 'of its "neighbor's * ; (Stewart) 011 tbe other. : I speak of Kerin'i j case, of the purchaSe of lease ] —which purchase .has been objected to-.by > the AttoV Miners' the groimd | being highly auriferousf : to which the Waste • - Land Board reply.that,' "unlessthe miners ; -will compenaate he. shall be allowed to purchase." The ground iaKerin'a posses* • sion cannot be worked without water* Jjat.all I who could by any—possible- means- command the use of that[element haife done so, to enable them to work-thi& ground. If it could have.beenworked ■withoxrt water. ifej would . long since have been so worked. -One patty .of - miners, owning a .water race she miTes^'ia. 'leiijg|]£ which the banks of th» Arrow .River'for "that distance,. have chosen this very flat 'aa.tlie sc&ite : of their operations, ~di ita quality. Annltiinately with General Government assistance- in bringing in a o«ce,~ through* slips and rocks ' difficulties—the Gkweramenfc sulsidingxthem to ther extent rof <£69s notwithstanding- all - this, theße--adininistra-tors determine to sellthe land unless the objecting miners' are ; willing- to pay the lessee compensation (for/ something mot One member of the, Boaid was astonished to hear his_colleaguesconie decision. Poor man! feeing;; as he doubtless had, a good deal ,o£ class legislation, in l>ia time, __h a seems- still- nnprepared-for any'class administration. And yet-what else could itj.be :called; ,when lands of : speeial lvalue to be solely-not: even. by : auction, .bat. to iiist _ applicant.-1- may .be told that r his Honor's : good sense and"clear-sighfed'policy in pro-cuf^S^orjOtago-a'' -Resumption: of Land for Mining CEurposes Acthas rendered the sals of auriferous lands- in Otago quite equitable, but. .any man of/ordinary percfeption'lcan see that, while the Act—above-named may be ■ quite enough for the lands'not or proved,:-it is -altogether inadequate, and iWflld not have been -intended by its. frahier (Mr. 3radshaw);tp r j^&y -the sale of lands proved by enormous outlay to be payably, or Wghiy This.,case -is. just r ' Cottar, {of Cardroiia,, .to whom the G overnment"grai.tedta .leiae t >n "k® JL'-ar . 01 ' 3, lead, against the remonstrance ii j re . sl^en ts, and then tried to get it cancelled without compensating him for his loss. -^-?^\- I ask » conld any uuatajjie, fitful, .changelul; tyranny, under the name of Government, do-worse than Wcourage men to -take?eut ; and r other, : Goldfield -licenses, the rr lafeors to encoura'ge tfoir enterprise; «,nd theh-Beil/.Tolt&tajily, ; this very chance -ot j authorities have coveted the_administration, of I miners"Save" {tendered stated their wants to them since the coveted authority hss been obtained, it is a flagrant shame to aee Buch doines -perpetrated; -rWhafr ■ -for ; all, , this confidence ?-%nlv the refusal of '?ocai gßelf-governmenfc ;~ aot even the Mining Board, so-much-needed-find j prayed } -and, whilst&nnera W ?55.. to make their ToadS> no provision wh&tiever' 'hais for works: oaot3-oldfields;r except , the: -chance •jTOtejOf -and 'Opposing • majority. in 4 ex penence; to which could add'a folio of the same sort; f coralride with for the short reigxt; of those who ask 08 for authority.which is them abused, taeiabie t£em to sell our auriferous lands. .*>^3