Tuapeka Times AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1872. "MEASURES NOT MEN."

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 211, 15 February 1872, Page 5

Tuapeka Times AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1872. "MEASURES NOT MEN."

ijipiaints regarding the adrainisition of the goldiields are i'reently made fry the miners, and many instances not wjthout good ison. It is unquestionable that sir interests do nyt receive the atition their importance merits m the provincial authorities, ue, there is a Goldiields Secrey in every Executive ; but whojr nils the office so sedulously :>ids making himself acquainted bh the requirements of those lose interests he ib supposed to lserve that it might as well have existence, fie never visits the an'elds to ascertain' by peraonai nervation and inquiry what is nted, but reiieb -for information eiy upon the clerks in his office, o may sately be presumed to ow as much about the goldfields \ they do about the habits of the i ideuts of Jupiter, if that planet | 5 any inhabitants. This neglect severely felt by the minrng)ulation, and, as- a consequence, j sy are in a chronic state of disicent. Spasmodic isolated efforts ye frequently been made, and iasionally it has been attempted secure concerted and organised ion to procure the redress ot evances, but generally without icess. ■ Recently associations of lei's have been formed'in various tricts; but beyond discussing Chinese difficulty, and affirming desirability of abolishing the >ort dutj' on gold, these bodies re not done much. It cannot be ned that the gold miners do fer from many hardships which ■ chiefly -attributable to the orance of those who frame the Ifeoting their interests; Minses through so many phases, hHaracter varies so much on £ nelds that it is almost imsible for any one. not possessing

y experience of and intimate ac>intance with particular goldis to gauge their' requirements rectly. Regulations which were airable half a dozen years ago

y be worse than useless at pret, and likewise, regulations Lnently suited for one field may quite the reverse for another. i remedy for this unsatisfactory be of matters is clear — the nagement of the :goldfields by miners themselves — " Horae le "in fact. No difficulties stand the way of the miners making ir own rules and. regulations — eed the Goldfields Act of 1866

ma rather to encourage their ng so. 'Clause LVI. enacts Tpon petition of nqt.less than five idred persons holding Miners' Bights er this Act in any Province and hav,held such rights' for not less than' le calendttr"nidnths it shall be lawful the Governor In Council if he shall ik fit by proclamation to declare such vinqe or any part theredf containing less than five hundred nera >ns holdMiners' Kights to be, a district fi«r purpose o£ forming ar Mining Board i the powers and authority hereinafter sribed and to define the limits of such rict and from time to time to alter

a. limits and make others «nd to re:e such proclamation if- he shilt think md after the publication of any such plantation the locality so described 11 be and become a Mining District for

ipurposes aforesaid. tuse LVII. prescribes the made election and number of^'members * Mining Boards, and Clause 111. defines the powers of Boards follows : — ' .very Mining Board shall subject to [provisions of this Actflhave power to tfo bye-laws and the same from time

to time to revoke or amend touching their own proceedings and for regulating the quantity and forms of land which may be., occupied under any Miner's Rights and the conditions under and mode in which such land shall be worked assigned or forfeited and all such other bye-laws relating to mining under Miners;* Rights and applicable to the mining district for which they may be elected as they shall deem- most beneficial Provided always that when any such bye-law of the Mining lioard shall have come into operation ia any mining district the power of the Governor to make rules and regulations for such district for the same purposes shall c«aße Provided also that no such bye-law revocation or amendment shalL be in force until it shall ha"ye received the assent of the Governor, and shall have been published in the " New Zealand Gazette " in the " Gazette " of the Proviuce in which such miuing district is situated and also in at lease one of the lo"cal newspapers best calculated in the opinion of the Governor to give publicity to the same amongst the persons specially interested. Clause LIX. enacts that if a Mining Board habitually fails or neglects to perform its functions, the Governor may suspend or abolish such Board. Mining Boards have conferred incalculable benefits on the mining population of Victoria, and there is no reason why similarly beneficial results should not attend their operation in Otago. • It is only reasonable to suppose that those most .directly interested, and who have what may be called technical knowledge of mining should be best qualified to deal with subjects connected with it. At the present time the formation of Mining Boards throughout the province would be only an act of common prudence on the part of those interested. The provinces are in, a moribund state, and it is evident that no great length of time will elapse before the administration of the goldfields is transferred to Wellington. Whether the change will be advantageous or disadvantageous is hard to say, but it will be well for the minors to be prepared for all contingencies by having legally constituted bodies solely elected by and directly responsible to themselves to guard their interests. Besides, Mining Boards would render invaluable assistance in many ways in the distribution of the sum voted for water supply to the goldfields, and their suggestions would materiaJly influence goldfields legislation. We will not pursue the subject further at present, but in a future issue we will enter fully into it. In the meantime we recommend- the mining public to earnestly consider the question of the formation of Mining Boards.