The Tuapeka Times. THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1871. " Measures, not Men."

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 185, 24 August 1871, Page 4

The Tuapeka Times. THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1871. " Measures, not Men."

In the Arrow district a Miners' Association has been formed, which appears to be possessed of considerable vitality. The Committee have issued a circular, which we publish elsewhere, calling upon their fellow miners throughout the province to unite with them in forming associations, having the common object in view of obtaining redress for the many grievances under which the miners of Otago are said to labour. We would commend to the miners of the Tuapeka district a fair consideration of the objects of the Association referred to, .which are as follows : — ' 1. To &cc that a fair share of the public revenue ia expended in the district. 2. To impress upon the Government the immediate necessity of constructing roads and tracks to the outlying portions of the district, and of repairing old ones. 3. To endeavour to obtain the abolition of the gold export, duty. 4. To obtain a reduction of the fees for registration. 5. To obtain the repeal or amendment of any regulations which may be obnoxious or unjtist towards any section of miners. 6. To use every lawful means to prevent any further influx of Chinese into the Colony. 7. To secure the expenditure within the district of a fair share of the " Grant-in-aid for Water Supply." 8. To prevent speculators from monopolising large area 3of ground, to the exclusion of bona fide miners 9. To prevent agricultural leases being taken up on auriferous grmnd, and to have such leases cancelled where necessary.

10. Should the Warden give any decision which may appear injurious to the bulk of the miners, the association may take up the case and carry it before the Supreme Court or other tribunal, in order to test the validity of such decision. We at one time had a Railway and Water Supply Committee in Tuapeka, which had similar objects in view to some of those in the Arrow programme ; but that body has apparently become extinct, and we fear nothing further need be expected from it. An association of a like kind to that formed at the Aitow would be most useful in carrying out many important projects; but while there are several points upon which a Miners' Association in Tuapeka would act harmoniously with the Arrow one, there are some upon which they would not agree. The first and second objects stated above would no doubt meet with the hearty concurrence of all miners in all parts of the province. The third object in the Arrow programme has been prominently before the miners of Tuapeka for some time past — a monster petition having been forwarded to the Legislative Council and to the House of Representatives to obtain the abolition of the gold export duty. Upon the fourth "and fifth objects stated, they could not be otherwise than unanimous. On the 6th, considerable difficulty would be experienced in getting much support from Tuapeka, which district seems rather to approve of the principle of utilising the Chinamen than throwing any obstacles in the way of their over-running the country. Object No. 8 is a good one, and we believe requires agitating. It would meet with considerable opposition in this part of the province, as here extended claims are all the rage. No 9is also good. The evil is provided against to some extent by existing regulations, but the fabulous prices charged for auriferous land held by agricultural lease, almost excludes a miner from any chance of mining upon it, and points to the necessity for having the waste lane's of the'goldfields better prospected before agricultural leases are granted. The benefit to the mining community derived from advertising agricultural lease applications, which the Mining Commission, in the plenitude of their wisdom, recommende-l to be done away with, is forcibly shown by "A Poor Digger," in another column, when he states that at Waitahuna alone, within the last six months, 130 acres applied for were objected to, and the objections sustained. No. 10 is self-evident. Wardens are far from being infallible, and seeing they are rarely men who have had a legal training, it would only be a proper safeguard for miners to associate and have a fund to test the decision of Wardens in the Supreme Court in cases where these decisions appear injurious to the mining interest. We should be glad to hear the subject of this article discussed by the

miners themsolvos. There i<? ono point upon which all parties must agree, viz , that if the miners of this province and of the colony were to associate themselves together in public bodies, as they are doing at the Arrow, their representations would have infinitely more influence in the General Assembly than the\ T have at present. The efforts of the miners to obtain a fair and equitable expenditure of the goldfields revenue on the goldfields would be crowned with success, if the)' would only combine and make a united demand for their rights. Association and agitation are the only possible means of attaining the end sought after — indeed, uutil the mining population does so associate and exhibit its strength, the revenue it is daily paying the Government will continue to be frittered away in salaries to clever but unscrupulous politicians, and in the adornment of Government buildings.

The Honourable the Colon iai Treasurer, we observe from the San Francisco telegrams, has returned from his short, but from all accounts eventful visit, to the United States and Great Britain. We have not heard that any public demonstration is to be made in Wellington on the success of his mission, although no doubt his friends will do their best to call forth an expression of approbation of Ills conduct As a rule, we believe the colonists of New Zealand will prefer waiting to hear his own account of his doings, and giving him credit only where credit is due. We do not think he will get credit, unless it is well earned, as it is in the recollection of all that he was a self-elected ambassador, and left our shores on a mission which, if known to himself, was not clearly defined to the outside public. However, there can

be no doubt he is the moving spirit in the present Cabinet, and although we have hitherto seen but little to appreciate in his conduct, we shall by no means withhold from him that just meed of praise which any of his recent actions may deserve. We will not, like Mr. George M'Lean, attempt to detract from the success of his mission oy saying that he went home at the very nick of time, when money could be obtained cheap, and that any other individual would have done as much as he. We would prefer judging of his mission by the same standard the world generally judges these matters, viz., by the measure of success which has attended it. The results we shall doubtless know in a few days, when we shall again revert to the subject.