The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1882.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4350, 9 December 1882, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1882.

The complaints in Mr Nicholl's letter to the County Council relative to tho insufficiency of the staff in the Warden's Department are too well founded. We have more than once pointed out during the past few rmontbs, how business is delayed, and minerß suffer through, the absence of the Mining Inspector. There is . a great deal of Mr McLaren's business which cannot be done by deputy, and when he is away this has to lie unattended to. Mr McLaren's duties as Inspector of Mines for the provincial district interfere greatly with the working of his department here. Sometimes he is absent on a tour of inspection for three or four weeks. Persons going to the Warden's Office are entitled to all information relative to the position of claims ; and plans should be at their service. What is the fact ? One might go to the Mining Inspector's office several days running, or many times.a day, and not find him in, and the office would probably be locked, ap that the visitors could not inspect a plan; or if he found the plans, he would not see any one who could explain them. The office suffers in the same way. When Mr Burgess, mining registrar, is elsewhere, there is no person who has a thorough knowledge of the papers in connection with the registration of claims, and mining documents generally. Mr Allom is supposed to attend to these matters in his absence, but that gentleman cannot be said to have too little to employ his time with all the work of the various courts to do. lie has not cou*

venience to take up Mr Burgess's duties. I Matters have become much worse within the past few weeks, since i the removal of Mr George Wilson to Te Aroha. He was a useful assistant in the office, and invaluable in many/ respects as a substitute for Mr McLaren. [ Mr Wilson, as underviewer, was so well posted in the position of the various claims that he could without difficulty afford applicants all information required. No one who has had bosinessat the Mining Inspector's or Warden's Offices can doubt that more assistance is required. The County Chairman, in forwarding Mr Nicholl's letter to the Minister of Mines, fully endorses, on behalf of the Council, the statements therein of the excess of duties thrown upon the officials of these departments.