The Tuapeka Times. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1869. " Measures, not Men."

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 90, 30 October 1869, Page 2

The Tuapeka Times. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1869. " Measures, not Men."

The Provincial Government have decided to proceed with the sale of the Island Block, Horseshoe Bend. Such is the intelligence that reaches us from a thoroughly reliable source. We regret the decision, for, although we have long believed the Reid Ministry to be nothing more than a collection of respectable mediocrities, we hardly expected them to act in an actively injurious manner. Probably Mr. Reid's attention has been so much taken up of late in preparing stupid speeches for the Taieri electors, or silly letters for the " Daily Times," that he is unable to devote the energies of his rather microscopic intellect to. questions affecting the. Goldfields. He has of late most industriously and successfully laboured to show how absurd a good cause can look "when, advocated by Mr. Donald Reid. In fact, he has committed political suicide, and we

fear none will be found to drop a tear over his untimely fate. But, leaving the Hundreds .Regulation Act and the cowardly and temporising policy of the present Executive on one side, can any person imagine a more injurious and deliberately unjust course than that taken by Government in reference to the Island Block; 'i Two distinct classes have unquestionably a right to be consulted ueiore the land in question is ottered for sale. The lortner and more important of thes comprises the entire mining population of Otago, whose interests demand the strict conservation of ground known to be auriferous, iiiere is every reason to believe not only that the island Block itstself aurtteruus, but tilso that its thorough prospecting would tend to throw great light on the important question of ueep sinking. The Moly ueux has so oiten changed its bed, that along its whole upper reaches the Hats may be looked upon as of fluvial or lacustrine origin. It is surely a most unjust and injurious policy that would alienate such ground just at the time when dredging has conclusively proved the richness of the present bed. So much for the claim of the mining population to have a voice in this matter. We fear their interests will be least considered, as. they have neither loud-mouthed agitators — like their companions the settlers — nor wire-pulling speculators to advocate thyir cause. The other class, to whom no impartial man will refuse the right of being heard on this question, are those! who, some six or seven mouths ago,, lodged applications, under the Agricultural Lease Regulations, for the disputed territory. These persons paid all the legal deposits, and were only prevented from entering into possession of the block by the strong I representations made to the Government of the probable injury to the. mining interest if a tract or country so undoubtedly auriferous were: thrown open. The Yogel Ministry, in spite of all their faults, were more amenable to reason than their successors have proved to be. They withdrew the block, and made arrangements for prospecting it — arraage clients rendered futile by the supineness of the Held Executive. Certainly, if the miners have the primary right to the ground, those who lodged applications have, in justice, the next claim. The present Government ignore both of these ; tout it remains bo be aoeir -whothorthe people of the districts most interested will tamely submit to such gross injustice.