The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1882.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4316, 31 October 1882, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1882.

What relation does a gold mining company bear to the public? is a subject to k ifljrajb j *«fpurpose devoting some attention. la conjunction with this, in fiicfc .at- . a corollary, is the question, What are the proper relations between a mine manager and bis employes. Primarily it may be accepted as an axiom that noonehas,any claim to know anything abdiu the mine except the shareholders ; and it follows that no one shareholder has any -right to fuller or earlier information than another. As a matter of justice the director or holder of a thousand shares is not entitled to any: more consideration in that regard than the owner of ten-=-per> chance his ewe lamb. I?ut having once stated 1 this beautiful and incontrovertible dootrine, and started to journey from <■ the region of theory to the realni of practice, monster lions are encountered in the path '/.. How, for instance, is the mine manager to keep equally' well posted ? If | 'We .'.mine Wfijrti' attempted to be worked oh ii^B\,lines tpf a close corporation, the -probable mode of conveying information vs^£ — -?^ P"T*tft circolar. Btit just jniWine the managpr sending off four or five hundred circulars to shareholder! daily or weekly! Of course,; when 'tfjifci^ a breaking down of one'.'or^e■•ot^ of: speoimens,; nbt f-mm^ would *kn*#>il' •' 'nor would the <['}. nha'remarket betriy line; slightest jndtcitioft•: that Dame o | Fortune was smilrog behind^a Toil.Snntil some of the shareholders received their circulars.^ • And, *: of i c>ur«e^th#- only chance df any^bne beingf' bear^|]^t of energetic recipient of a circular setting j aboat catching a sharehiilderwho had not yet heard the postman's knock, and bfferjng4iiatmight appear^ ajjood pric^ to the one on whom the good s ,o«WB Uad not yet dawned, thus obtain his shares! Sap :<|kMrog that niattera were «o conducted— which, however, would overtax the moat cre4ulou« t mind--the sharemarket would not reveal the prospects of the mine until the eirottlir* were received, but even then there would not be a great rush to the Corteri for peppje would, not hur^y tol>uy vinto J:'-j^oncern' i^i^it^ej^jwcnldhe little chance of public competitioa. The

present mode of telegraphing to the company's office would not remedy matters, foE v i£?tbe information were intended only for. the private information of share holders, deftly the first few yisitors to •the office would hare an immense *tivantage ower their fellow shareholders. - But not to' multiply-words, we have indicated to jJrdre that in the nature\;of things it would be impossible to ckw^i these* gold mining-companies on the prin ciple that only the shareholders are con* cerned in their -prowpwU, for tjnt"#ould j' necessitate ( 4he manager aad workmeu being bouna"to a secrecy as'close and in* violable asHhe Mnonie^srh. -~Bufr ereirif it were poisible it would be totally inapplicable to the wants of the place. If a few wealthy old alderman -had a fat property amongst themselves, it might be i urged .that the proceedings therein were nobody's business. Unfortunately, how-1 ever, with the Thames the reverie is the fact; the mines are not uniformly profitable, and too little capital is being expended in their development. The thousands sterling of Jones, the hundfedsof Brown, a«d the units'of Robinson are all required, ahd are welcome help. The Thames cannot afford to offend investors or speculators, therefore every means should be employed to induce them to cast in their lot with us. As the district'is so much beholden to the public, there is one course that forces itself upon even the meanest intellect as being correct, namely, that the whole public should be treate 1 as shareholders ; everybody should know everything at the earliest moment; there should be no dark horse in the stable. What better - medium; for spreading this knowledge than the men working in the mines,, who have the most accurate

knowledge of what the prospects are? Yet—would the public believe it ? —this is just the thing that is not allowed ; the aim of the typical mine manager is generally credited with having, is to discourage the workmen speaking of the mine, and be would fain pat a seal upon their lips. Four or five men for instance, were discharged yesterday from the Prince Imperial mine—some of them were well known as successful tributers or mine, managers when Mr G. S. Clark was but little heard of in mining circles—for what ? Simply for being seen about the town on Saturday evening in their mining clothes, and with their billycans in their hands. It is said that Mr Clark; grants his men terms which are quite munificent—almost philanthropic— in comparison with some other managers. H£ allows them to deal in shares and make use of the knowledge of the mine in their own behalf. And for so doing he is to be commended; the more open» mouthed the miners are the safer will it be for the public. On Saturday afternoon, however, a shot'had been put in about 4 o'clock, or not long after the shift went on. Some pf the men, when they had knocked off, went down town, and we will take it for granted that their intention w«8-to-• purchase shares. '---Now, we are not aware that they were asked to remain in the mine until the manager was communicated with, nor that the boss of the shift sent a message to the manager, if he was not there. The circumstances rs related to u» would seem to point to the men being martyred for the laches of the boss or manager. If no one was present in authority to post the news of a haul of specimens for the benefit of. the public and : the shareholders) so much the worse for the management. "Mr Clark, or anyone else, would have beon as profitably employed endeavoring to stem the tide with a pitchfork', as to think of preventing the news spreading that evening despite; any precautions*he might take. Any employee who attempts to forestall the manager, or sets himself to pry and pimp as -the tool of others should be made an example of; he should be dismissed ignominious!?, just as a coward or deserter is drummed out of the army, and cited as a warning to others. But we assert—subject to correction, audi alterant partem being-Cpur motto—that there was not aparticleof evidence against these men —assuredly not against some of them The -manager's action was un-English, and opposed to all ideas of fair play. We believe that he was actuated with the purest motives, and zeal for; the interests of the company. But upon such evidence as has come within pur knowledge we cannot acquit, him of unsound judgment, great harshness, and unintentional injustice. These men were practically branded by him as : suspected persons; individuals who have been guilty of doing something which was constituted good grounds for, discharging them. Aud this without.any trial at all: it is the Star Chamber out-starred. How differently did the Queen ot' Beauty directors act a few

weeks ago s .Sti;ong.jij«picioa rested on a prominentJomploy^e, and the Chairman came down in kot haste to discharge him. *An V]Hiqatry^was held, the charges were not sustained, tfrtd the person accused still retains "his position. We should like to ■Write more on this subject, bat space will not permit, and rest satisfied with hoping that Mr Clark will yet see that he a«ted hastily, and make the amende honorable.; One thing may. be relied on, if eter w<> find any manager attempting to gig the men, we will expose him, because liberty of speechi is as good a guarantee as the community can have of honest management. We shall erer advocate admitting? the full glare of the mid-day sun upon all workings and transactions.