The Invercargill Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 1863.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 18, 9 January 1863, Page 2

The Invercargill Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 1863.

Chit Otago contemporary the Daily Times, in an article -which we recently reprinted from his columns, would persuade all those whom it may concern that a possibility exists of I rendering the route from the Lake Wakatip diggings to Dunedin a hotter one than that from the Lake to Invercargill — indeed, lie goes further, and ere he puts down his pen, -which we admit he uses cunningly enough, in all conscience, he bows to the people of j I Southland with the heartiest good j fueling, and assures them, or anybody who likes (o listen to his charming, that he fears ' : they will find, if the Otago Government do their duly, that Invercargill will be to Dunedin as Geelong is to Melbourne." J Vanity is here displayed in a very pleasing manner, the vexation of spirit is not far off. Yesterday we stumbled across a fable-book, and i.i it read that in the olden times a gentleman and a lion having dined together, went forth for a stroll. The book went on to say that in the course of their wanderings they came to a city, over the portals of which was sculptured a man, his foot planted on the neck of a prostrate lion. j " There," s.i id the gentleman, drawing ! his companion's attention to the grciip, '•'behold the obvious superiority of my I species over yours! 5 ' ''Sir,'' replied ! the lion, ".,\;.i ,vas the work of a man, but how would a lion have treated the subject had he been the sculptor V It appears, from thai sagacious animal's observation, that he thought there might he two sides to a question, and we cordially endorse his opinion. On a former occasion; we took the liberty of doubting our contempnrnry's statement regarding the "splendid climate, and the natural resource* of the soil 1 ' of the | Wakatip district, so we will pass on to a sentence in which we are warned j that '-all that Southland can do with its surreptitious escorts will not take j from Otago the trade of its oini i (johl - fields [the italics are ours] if the Government exercise the commonest industry in providing the requisite facilities for communication." Good! Let the Otagj Government do all in their power to discbaT'ge their duty, such conduct on their part would be highly creditable, — but we want to know, and ask in the humblest spirit of inquiry, why this particular goldfield should be considered the property of Otago? We should like to be informed, why the term ''surreptitious should be ap» plied to an escort which was started to supply a want urgently felt by a ■ large number of Southland men, who : had as much right to dig or trade on the "Wakatip goldfield, and carry the proceeds of their labor wherever they liked, as any man in Otago. The pro- ■ position involved in the last sentence we quoted from our contemporary, is simply absurd. Everybody who has ■ any acquaintance with the subject, is awara that the goldh'elds within any ' Province do not belong to that Pro- ; vince. They belong to the Crow a, [ represented in (he colony by the Governor, and the question is treated so very plainly in " The Goldfields Act, 18G2," that, for the benefit of such of our readers who may not have seen the Act, we will quote a little from it. j- By the 62nd clause, power is given to the Governor in Council to delegate to " the Superintendent of any Province all tlie powers vested in him by the 1 Act, except those conferred by certain sections, amongst which will be found

the Gist, which is as follows: — '<In all cases where no provision or no sufficient provision is made by this Act it shall be lawful for the Governor in Council from time to time for the purpose of facilitating or more effectually carrying iuto execution any of objects thereof to make and prescribe all such Rules and Regulations touching any of the matters intended to be hereby provided for and touching all matters having reference to the provisions of this Act as to the said Governor in Council may seem expedieut, and such Rules and Regulations from time to time to alter and revoke as to the Governor in Council may appear requisite." That clause, then, provides for any unforsecu contingency which may arise respecting the management of the goldficlds of the Colon}'. Nature has intended Southland to be the outlet for the diggings situated in the whole of the Wakatip district. There is a far betfer and far shorter road from the Lake to invercargil! than toDunedin; and, whilst a few thousands properly expended in (Southland would make the whole distance to be travelled through the latter Province as good as a turnpike road in England, two hundred and fifty thousands, laid out to the best advantage, will never make a track fit for heavy traffic from the Wakatip to Dunediu, Let us, however, admit that Otago succeeds in making a good road from the Sliotover and Arrow, without intruding on this Province and cutting up the roads — to carry the £old from the Gieenstone River (at the present said to be draining by its richness the other diggings), the Uunedin escort must pass through Southland, crossing the boundary at the Long Ford, and, in reality, passing at least half as far through this province, as our own escort from Invercargill would have to do. Could ithave been contemplated by the General Government, in passing the Gold-fields' Act, that the gold, purchased by merchants of Southland in return for goods which they had sold, gold obtained by Southland diggers, gold bought by Southland brokers — should, afier being carried half Way through their own Province, he taken 120 miles away to the capital of Otago, to be re-obtained by its owners Only after much loss of time, difficulty, expense and risk ? We think not ; for the only way of again getting hold of it would be by sea, paying insurance, Sec, or by sending a Southland escort to the Dunedin Treasury. In conclusion, let us say a word to our friends down smith. The ball is at your feet, kick it; kick everything that stands in the way of a Southland escort, nor rest until you have a Gold Receiver, and his safe, and everything else that is requisite, at the bend of the Wakatip Lake, or lit the gorge of the Arrow. It' necessary, petition the Governor to resume the management of the gold-field, and you must win, because what you ask for is your right.