QUEENSTOWN.

Southland Times, Issue 1587, 4 June 1872, Page 2 (Supplement)

QUEENSTOWN.

(FEO^I QTJR OWN COBEESPONDEIfX.) ' Friday, the 17th ult., was the day of the Waste Land sale of the new town allotments. A goodly company mustered on the occasion. The "hammer was wielded by Mr Spence, the chief surveyor, under whose able management the sections realised good prices. The new survey numbered 238 sections, at an upset price j of £3 and £5 each, according to locality. | Most of them were sold, and for several [ I bear that as much as £30 was realised, j Much excitement was caused here last week by the receipt of a telegram from our new member, Mr Innes, stating that ' Mr Macassey had presented a petition to I the Provincial Council from the Chinese , tniner-s of the Wakatipu district, praying for the removal of Mr Warden Beetham. The petitioners, in enumerating; their catalogue of grievances, charge the War- ' den that " his decisions in mining and other cases are animated by violent prejudices, and consequently are oppressive and ruinous ; and from the injustice done them, they (the Chinese) are compelled to regard the law as an instrument of oppression against them, instead of a source of protection. This, | (the petitioners go on to say) is taken advantage of by the Europeans, who, knowing the Warden's notorious prejudice against the Chinese, commit further injuries by taking them (the Chinese) to Court and obtaining excessive damages and costs against them. On the other hand when the petitioners are complainants their cases are unjustly dismissed." i The white population, however, do not sympathise with these ideas at all. On Thursday, evening last a large indignation i meeting was held. The attendance was : ■ numerous and influential. Several well known gentlemen addressed the meeting, expressing in the most eulogistic terms j their satisfaction with Mr Beetham's , conduct, both on the Bench and as Warden. A good deal of contemptuous and indignant oratory was directed against j the promoters of the memorial, and it was .suggested that the thing had not origij nated with the Chinese at all, but in ! quarters where personal feeling against Mr Beetham might account for it. A miner who spoke declared that the miners ! in his district were both surprised and i indignant, and the Chinese he had visited i one and all declared that they had not i signed it, or if they had done so, it must have been in ignorance of its contents. Resolutions expressing confidence in Mr Beetham were passed unanimously, and steps were taken to get up counterpetitions from both European and Chinese residents.