MEETING AT ARTHUR'S POINT.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 32, 20 January 1864, Page 3

MEETING AT ARTHUR'S POINT.

(From the Wakatip Mail.) A Committee Meeting was * ie ' J at tlie Criterion Hotel, Arthur's Point, on Wednesday* 13tli inst., for the purpose of taking into consideration tiie propriety of presenting an address to His Hunpr the Superintendent. Present— Messrs. Mirfin, Sankey,, Gil lespie, C. Harris, Mogben, Steele, Black, J. Gibson and Milne. A draft was brought up of an address to be presented to His Honor, in the event of his visiting Arthur's Poitit ; which was approved of, and ordered to be engrossed for presentation. It was resolved that in the event of His Honor not visiting Arthur's Point, the address be not presented. It was also resolved thst the address, as approved of, be sent for publication lo the Wakatip Mail. It was further resolved that Mr Harris be requested to present the address. :ind Mr J. B. Bradshawr, of Q,ueenstown, to introduce tlie deputation to ilis Honor. To his Honor the Superintendent of the Province of Otago. "We, the members of a Committee appointed at a public meeting held at Arthur's Point, Shotaver, are desirous of approaching your Honor with our congratulations upon your arrival in this district. We are aware of the peculiar relationship in which the miners of this district stand to the government, of which your Honor is the head, owing to the sentiments recently expressed by us in our Petition to the General Government, and while anxious to draw your Honor's attention to the following remarks, we hope it will be understood that we do not wish to stultify ourselves in regard to the action we took in connection with that Peti.ion. There are several thing?, however, in connection with the district which, \i immediate attention were given to them, would be productive of grunt benefit to us and also to the colony generally. We are aware that yon 1 : Honor's government have resolved to form a grand trunk road from Dune'lin to tlie Lake 1 . We hoprthat this work will be vigorously pro-serutert, and bog to point out. the deshability of i line part of said road which is to connect Q/inenstown with the Arrow being made via Arthur's Point. We are aware that the Queenstown Improvement Committee have requested your Honor to form the road via Fraukton. We think, however, that, considering the easy water carriage between Quecnstown and Frankton, and the great importance of Arthur's Point, both as a commercial depot, and as being virtually the gate of the Shotover, that there is good reason for having the road formed as mo have above sugg sted. From Arthur's Point good bridle tracks could be made to the Upper Shotover and its tributaries, and the construction of bridge* over the various streams would conduce greatly to the wilfiire of the district. We deem it of importance also to state to your Honor that the present system of combining the duties of warden and resident magistrate is faulty, acid a fruitful siurce of trouble and injustice. We consider that great benefit would accrue to this part of the district had it the s<.-i-\ ices of a warlen who would devote his time to mining matters fi!o:io ; and were such warden placed nearer the workings on the Lower Shotover. so thnt the mining community would not l»se so much time running to and fro seeking' an adjudicator upon their disputes. Were a stipendiary and legally qualified magistrate appointed to I his district, lie w..nld find ample employment in attending to the civil and police crimes of its largo enir.munity. C >urts of appeal are an absolute mc.'SM.y to a district of such importance as that of the Wakatip. We consider that an entire revision of the mining rules and byelaws is absolutely necessary. They are pernicious in their operation and were the matter one tliat could be pone into in this address we woull point out what we consider faulty. We would also most lvspuctfu ly suggest to your Honor that the utmost care and foresight should be exercised in the selection of gentlemen to till the onerous office of goldiiclds' Wardens. The appointment of a minister of mines responsible to the government, whose duties si). ill be exclusively devoted to the supervision of mining matters, is alo required. We think, further, tiat in addkion to extended claims, pecuniary rewards .should be given to those prospectors who discover aud open up ext.-nsive goldlields. In conclusion we beg to say that we think that a more equitable distribution of revenue than has hitherto prevailed in the Province would do much to remedy many of the evils | under which we suffer. We have the honor to be, Your Honor's most obedient humble servants.