BANQUET TO THE MINING CONFERENCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 255, 19 December 1872, Page 7

BANQUET TO THE MINING CONFERENCE.

On the evening of Wednesday last, the delegates f ran the various mining associations throughout the province, who, for the previous ten days were assembled in conference for the purpose of suggesting improvements in the laws relating to goldminine:, were entertained at dinner at the Shamrock Hotel, Lawrence, by a number of tie citizens. His Worship the Mayor presided, and the vice-chair was filled by J.C. Brown, Esq., M.H.R. The Chairnun was supported on the right by J. A. Millar, Esq., President of the Otago Mineis Association, and the members of the C»nf erence ; and on the left, by His Honor Judge Gray and Vincent Pyke, Esq., R.M.

About fifty gentlemen sat down to the dinner, which was served up in capital style, adding considerably to Mrs. Donov&n\ previously high reputation as purveyor of creature comforts. When ample justice had been done to the comestibles, and the cloth drawn, The Chairman gava the usual loyal and patriotic toasts, which were duly honored.

His Honor Judge Gray, who on rising was greeted with loud and prolonged cheering and applause, proposed the toast, "Our Legislators." He said the office of legislator was a very unenviable one, for no matter what line of conduct the occupant followed, he generally got well abused. It required a great deal of disinterestedness for a man to serve his fellow colonists in the legislature, for there was little or no personal reward attached. Even those who got into office received little pecuniary recompense. By his side sat a Cabinet Minister of old Victorian times, but he had dropped the prefix " honorable. '' He did not think the gentleman he alluded to— Mr. Pyk« —was a richer man for his two y»ars office as a Minister. The ambition to become a legislator was an unselfish one if the aspirant went in to do his duty honestly to his country, and not for sordid pelf. — (Prolonged cheering.) The yice-Chairman responded in a

lengthy speech. He pointed out that in a young colony like Hew Zealand, they could not expect to find legislators possessthe ability and education of the statesmen of the mother country. It was the duty of all who had the interests of the country at heart, cither to come forward themselves and take a part in the taak of Govornment, or to take care the gentlemen they had confidence in were elected. It was notorious that men who ought to come to the front held studiously aloof from public affairs — went into too much for the acquisition of wealth, and too little for the welfare and advancement of their adopted land. Those gentleman who did come forward, generally did so to their pecuniary loss. He esteemed it a high honor to have been chosen the representative of a goldnelds constituency for the last 7 years. He had 20years experience on goldfielda — lOyears of it as a miner, and during the remaining period he was connected with mining. In conclusion, he desired to impress upon the people of the goldnelds the necessity of being extremely careful in the selection of representatives, and hoped that the toast of "Our Legislators" would never be drunk with less enthusiasm than it had been that night. Recitation, " Bells of Shandon," Dr. Halley. The Chairman then proposed the toast of the evening, "The Mining Conference." As Alayor he thanked the delegates for choosing Lawrence as their place of meeting, which he considered a fitting tribute to Otago's oldest goldneld. lie thought it a very wise tiling that the Conference was held. It would have the effect of bringing the necessities of the miners prominently before the public ; and, farther, the meeting of miners from so many parts of the province would tend much to tone down prejudices and jealousies which might exist between various districts, and lead to united action being taken. The proceedings of the Conference were watched with the'deepest interest by both the General and Provincial Governments; and he had no doubt any suggestions thrown out would carry great weight. He was not aware what had been done by the' Conference; but he was sure they would ask nothing but what was fair and reasonable, and he trusted all they asked would be granted. He impressed on the Conference the necessity of not suspending their labors at making suggestions. They should keep persistently urging their requirements on the authorities til. they compelled attention and were granted. He coupled with the toast the nane of Mr. Miller, the Chairman of the Conference. — (Cheers.)

Drunk enthusiastically, with musical honors.

Mr. Miller thanted the-company for the Uearty manner in which they had pronounced himself and his fellow delegates "jolly good fellows." He also thanked the citizenß of Lawrence for the kind reception they had accorded to the members of the Conference. As its deliberations had not been public, ha would give a slight sketch of the programme. The object of the Conference was emphatically not political. The idea of making it a political organization had never cropped up in the meetings of any of the associations. The formation of these associations was solely a social movement — a movement to elevate the status of the miners of Otago, and to endeavor to devise remedies for th© grievanoeeuiul disabilities they suffered under. The newly formed Ocago Mining Association was more like a Chamber of Commerce than any other body. The Chamber of Commerce pointed out to the Government improvements in the laws relating to commerce — for instance, that duties on bootjacks or clothes-pegs were neither useful nor profitable. The Miners' Association intended to follow a similar course— viz., to point out where existing mining laVs were inapplicable and mischievous. As a preliminary step, the d.eli?ga.t*Js from all parts of fhe «oWields iract mer in conference. This Conference, he might state, was a meeting of practical men, who, in common with their fallow miners, had personal experience of the defects of mining laws, to suggest to th 9 Government improvements in the laws, andtoendeavorto ameliorate the condition of their confreres geneaally. (Cheers .)

Song, Mr. Buck. " Miss Myrtle."

Mr. W. D. Morrison briefly proposed " The Local Magistracy,," coupled with the namfi of Vincent Pyke, Esq., P-.M.

Mr. Pyke, whose rising was the signal for an outburst of applause, in responding, said he felt highly flattered at the compliment paid to himself and brother magistrates. The coupling of his name with the toast he attributed to his official position, not to any special virtue of his own. He felt honored at being present as a guest at the first dinner given in honor of the first Miners Parliament that had assembled in New Zealand. No one had taken a greater interest in mining matters than he had, as most of those present were aware. He was glad to see the independent stand taken by the Miners' Parliament The first Mining Conference, which had assembled some years a»o, was called together by the Government. He claimed the credit of originating the idea of holding mining conferences, and it would have been well if that idea had been carried out in its entirety, viz,, holding aannal meetings of mining delegates. He observed that the Conference had been considering the advisability of establishing mining boards. He altogether disapproved of such bodies. In Victoria they had proved not only useless, but mischievous. In that colony there were, 9 years ago, 10 district mining boards, all* of which enacted different laws and changed them annually, so that the miners scarcely ever knew what their lights were. In the district of Ararat alone there were half a dozen different codes, each of which was changed every year. His idea was that there should one code of mining laws for the whole colony, and that the rules and regulations in -each province should be analagous to each other. He desired strongly to impress upon the members of the Conference that <Jjau«© was not always improvement — that every alteration in the law Bhould be wel} considered before jt was effected.

It was a wise saying of the philosophic politician that "it was better to have bad laws wisely administered than good laws badly administered." He felt proud, as perhaps the oldest miner in the room, that the miners of Ofcago had elected such gentlemanly men to represent them in their parliament, and that the suggestions made by the Conference were so sensible, temperate, and reasonable. Referring more immediately to the toast, he hoped the day would be far distant when, the people could not meet their magistrates an<l drink their health in a social meeting like the present. It presaged ill for a country when such a time came. He felt certain that if in 1789 such accord had existed between the people and their magistrates, as was shown by the proceedings that night, the French revolution would not have occurred; and, corning back to the colonies, he knew that if the magistrates of Ballarat had beenfaithful to their charge in 1854 they would never have heard of the Eureka massacre. Once more he would thank them for the cordial manner in which the toast had been drunk. (Cheers).

Song, Mr. Armstrong, " The White Squall."

Mr. Mears gave, the next toast, "Prosperity to the Otago Mining Association." He alluded to the favorable impression the members of the Conference had made upon the citizens of Lawrence, and the deep interest taken by all classes of the community in the success of the gold miners. He coupled with the toast the name of Mr. J. A. Miller, the President.

Song, "Kitty of Coleraine," Mr. Pyke.

Mr. "W". D. Morrison responded on behalf of Mr. Miller. He said that for a long time it had been felt that the miners disunited would never command any influence, and the Arrow Association conceived the project of forming a Central Association, which had been successfully accomplished. The miners came over in a shoal, and spread over the length and breadth of the land ; part of them bad passed away, but it was not of those he proposed to speak. Those it was whom the legislature had called a " migratory horde." But those that remained were as much settled down as any other class of the community. They had to construct heavy works and erect expensive machinery to extract the precious metal from the soil, and they had now united to command respect and to secure justice. During the sittings of the Conference, he had never heard one of the members utter a syllable asking for more than simple justice, not justice alone to themselves to the injury of other classes, but justice to all classes resident on the goldnelds. He alluded to the difficulties that had obstructed the formation of Miners Associations, stating that in many respects their formation was necessary to prevent the Bjininsf industry From being stamped out, and concluded by stating that he had never met men more intelligent or more fair in their ideas of justice to themselves and others, than the delegates who sat at the Conference.

Song, "Whiskey and Ale," Mr. Grey.

Mr. Miller proposed the next toast, "The Mayor and Town Council of Lawrence." He thanked the people of Lawrence for their hospitality, and the gentlemanly manner they had treated the delegates. He expressed disappoinment at finding Lawrence much less a mining town than he anticipated. There were no free and easy fellows knocking about in Crimean shirts and mole trousers. This was attributable to advancing civilization, and was no cause for regret. He congratulated the municipal authorities on their able administration of their revenue as evinced by the improvements in the streets. He concluded by adverting to the aid agriculturalists rendered to miners by cheapening the most of the necessaries of life, showing how both harmonising tended to enhance the prosperity of each, and of the community generally.

The Chairman in responding, dwelt on the beneficial influence of social gatherings in producing amity and good feeling. As for the Corporation of Lawrence, he said they aspired high, and hoped their city would prosper and improve greatly. Mr. Mouat Raid the toast entrusted to him, the v Industries of Otago," was so comprehensive that he scarcely knew where to begin. However, he presumed, what was meant was the leading industries — mining, .farming, and squatting. It was a pleasant thing to find any interest prosperous, and on this occasion there were grounds for congratulation, as all those interests were more than usually prosperous. He coupled the names of Messrs. J. Cormack and Peter Robertson with the toast.

Mr. J. Cormack felt honored at being asked to respond on behalf of the miners on an occasion when so many citizens of Lawrence were assembled to do honor to those who had been engaged in the task of endeavoring to simplify their laws. He sincerely trusted the labors of the Conference would be crowned with success. He agreed with what had fallen from Mr. Fyke, relative to alterations in the law, quoting the lines, Let fools for rules of government eanteat ; Whiche'er is best adamictend U beat. The Associations had only begun their work. He looked upon the Conference as the steel on the face of the hammer, useless, nnjess backed up by the weight of

iron behind, that is, the miners of the province. He hoped the efforts so ably begun would be well backed up. Mr. Robertson said that among the members of the Conference, he reCOgnused many of the pioneers of gnld tmining in the early di*y.s of Gabiiels Gully. He gave a Bnorfc sketch of the discovery of gold in Otago, and pointed out that no industry could flourish by itself, and that agriculture and mining -worked hand in band. He urged upon both classes the necessity of working together to secure homes for themselves and their families, and to promote the prosperity of their country.

Song, Mr Mouat, "Bonnie Dundee."

Mr. Alexander proposed " The Commercial Interest." He said the substantial stores in Lawrence were a pretty good criterion of the prosperity of that interest. He spoke of the kindness shown the Conference by the people of Lawrence, and congratulated those present in having amongst them the father of the gold mining laws of Australia. He drew attention to the difference between the present and the past Mining Conference, showing that the present movement was an endeavor on the part of the miners to elevate themselves in the social scale, to protect their interests, and to unite in order to become what the magnitude of their interests really entitled them to be — a power in the land. He coupled with his toast the name of Mr. Robert Grieve.

Mr. Q-rieve briefly responded, saying that the commercial interest was well able to look after itself.

Song, Dr. Stewart, v Bonnie Boon."

Mr. Matthew Hay pave "The Learned Professions," coupled with the name of Mr. Taylor and Dr. Halley ; both these gentlemen duly acknowledged the compliment. Sons?, Mr Craig, "Burke and Wilk"

"The Ladies," "The Press," and " The Hostess " were given and duly responded to, after which the time honored " Auld Langr Syne " was sung by the company in the orthodox man ner.

This brought the proceedings to a close, and the assemblage dispersed. AH present thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and the affair was acknowledged to be one of the most successful that has ever taken place on the Otago goldfields.