THE MINING COMMISSION

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 185, 24 August 1871, Page 5

THE MINING COMMISSION

(To the Editor.)

Mistur Editur,— l shud like, with yure permishun, to maik a few remarks on one or two of the subjecks simply referred to by me in jny larst kommunication. Speakin' of the present sistem of advertising "Agricultural Lease Applications" I can't tell you wot it has done fur uther districts, but I can tell you wot it has done fur this, where your papur arrives reglar every Thursday morning, and where on arrival its collums are egerly scanned by a good many eyes, on the look out fur these advertisements. It has, within the larst five or six months, h enabled the minurs here to prevent about one hundred and thnrty acres of auriferous land bein' taken up by agriculturists. You can easily se from this that we are not favurably inclined to enny such alteration as has been suggested by the Commissioners of postin' notises in Warden's Courts ; places many of us never see the inside of. Kui Ido not egspect there's much likelihood of it beiu' carried out, as I knoe a lettur was sent to the Superintendent on the subjeck who promist in reply to look into it, or something to that effeck. It's hard to bleeve that either the minurs or the country was considered wen this proposal was maid.

As to the Commissioners saying they are of opinyun that -it wud conduce to the better administration of justice, and tend to maik the officers better acquainted with their duties " if they were removed every three years," I was simple enuff to bleeve that the duties of the Wardens consisted in watchin' over the interests of their employers, and of those who resided in their districts, and that the longer they remained in one place the grater the probability of their becomin' thoroughly acquainted with the vario'is interests, and h.s a consequence of this knowledge, fair administration of justice must follow. But they knoe best I spose. Their opinyuns ought to be weighty, for they have cost money enuff goodness knoes, sumthin' like four hundred pounds

Tmagin their coolness while pocketing their guineas a day as it turns out, to prate about the minurs bein' willin' to work for nothin'. Aud yet, Mr. Editur, on seckund thorts, this money can't be sed to be altogether illspent, but must be looked upon rather as a good bargain, for to my knowledge our legislators have, for \\\i last ten years, or during the time I have been in the provins, been trying to settle the country at a cost of thousands of pounds yearly and have not succeeded yet ; but here are ten men who meet together in Dunedin, some of whom possibly never saw each other before, and not a few of them, no doudt, havin' no idea of wot they were goin' to do; as prior to their election to their election they had not been called upon to give the question of alterations in existing laws any konsideration ; and yet in the short space of fourteen days or thereabouts, they have succeeded in suggesting such alterations

in the laws relating to mining, as will, if sanctioned by the Assembly, deal effectually with the question. I will mention a few which I think will have this tendency and let others add to them. 1. Granting claims of 40 acres. 2. Alteration of law dealing with water rights. I was going to name one or two more, but I think, Mr. Editnr, that if even these two are carried out the country will be speedily settled ; yes, but in a far different manner than is generally understood when the word is used. I will be settled with a vengeance, and so will the unfortunate miners, and amongst them, Mistur Editur, Your obedient servant, Pooh. Digger.

Waitahuna, August 21