BLUE SPUR.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 297, 9 October 1873, Page 5

BLUE SPUR.

A public meeting was held in the schoolroom, Blue Spur, on Thursday, the 2nd inst. Mr. John Cormack was unanimously elected to the chair. Mr. Cormack pleaded guilty of ignorance of what the meeting was called upon to discuss. He had heard it was to regulate the depasturing of stock on the goldfields, and as he was not particularly interested in stock depasturing, he could ! not at that stage of the proceedings offer ! any assistance to the meeting. He would { simply call on Mr. Osborne to explain the j matter. Mr. Osborne said the number of sheep on the commonage in the vicinity of the Blue Spur had been very much increased within the last twelve months, and that they had of late come down from the ranges in great numbers and driven the cattle ' before 1 them, and entirely taken possession of the land around, the houses and gardens, and it was with difficulty for a person to get about or keep the sheep out of the gardens. Formerly the sheep were principally kept beyond the Tuapeka basin, but now they were to be found as thick as bees anywhere between the dam and the Spur, and into the head of Gabriels and Munros gullies. He (Mr. Osborne) had tried to get the owners to keep them back, but without effect, and it was for this meeting to consider what ought. now to be done. He observed in the Tcapgka. Times a week or two ago, in a oaue Grundy v. Sheath, it was affirmed that Mr. M'Donald had granted a right to Mr. Sheath to graze some hundreds of sheep on the goldfields. Now thid was an act Which fully illustrated the charao-

ter of the men the miners had to contend against, and exhibited the daring and unprincipled manner they adopted to turn the rights and privileges ■of the miners into a source of profit to themselves. The most moderate and just would recognise that the miners were justified in adopting some measures to protect the public estate from the gross abuse of these men. He would move, ''That this meeting agree to petition the Provincial Government to authorise the residents of this district to elect a Board of Wardens, to regulate the stock and compel sheep owners to graze their sheep on ground set apart for that purpose ; and to ask the Government to direct the District Surveyor to lay down the boundary of the goldfields commonage, where it adjoins the runs of Messrs. Sutherland and Polson, Messrs. Cable and Drummond and Mr. M'Lean." He hoped that this resolution would meet the views of the meeting. Mr. MTETattie had very much pleasure in supporting the resolntion. There were probably one hundred families who owned cattle in this portion of the district, and they were to a certain extent dependent on their stock for a living. It was very hard indeed, to see . the, sheep of the few rich men come down and destroy the small quantity of grass that is left for the cattle. The greater number of the cattle belonging to the poor people were absolutely starving, and many would die if some steps were not taken to remedy the gross monopoly- which existed. He had at different times spoken to the parties interested, and asked them to keep their sheep back, but without any effect. He was surprised at the action of one of the sheep ' owners, Mr. M'Donald. Mr. M'Donald was not satisfied to have thousands of sheep on the commonage himself, but he seemed determined also to have all his friends enjoying the same privilege. He need not inform the maet- ; ing that these men possessed no special claim to a monopoly of the depasturing rights. They could not claim to have exercised any material influence on the production of gold, nor on ths development of the mining or agricultural resources of the district. That being so, in the name of common justice he would ask, Why should they occupy threefourths of the commonage of this district to the exclusion of everyone else ? From the manner in which these gentlemen spoke and acted, he was sure they considered mining and miners a mistake, and that the sooner the country was .rid of them the better. Mr. Spears would like to ask Mr. Livingston why Mr. Grundy, when he visited the ground, did not order the sheep to be put back. He put the question in order to give Mr. Livingston an opportunity of denying certain reports which were in circulation. Mr. Spears mentioned the report, and said Mr. Livingston would now have an opportunity of denying it if untrue. Mr. Livingston unhesitatingly denied the truth of the report. He admitted Mr, Grundy was often up in his house, and that he was a very decent fellow. Mr. Spears said he was satisfied with Mr. Livingston's denial ; yet it did not effect the main question. The sheep were to be. found in Morrison and Co/s claim and around the residence areas in i)he head of Gabriels Gully. He would like if Mr. Livingston could contradict that. Mr. Livingston admitted that sheep had come down; but denied that they were his sheep, at least more than a few that might beamong Mathesonand M f Donald's, and it was difficult to keep them up from the diggings. Formerly only two or three thousand sheep were grazing on this ground ; but now M'Donald and M&tneson, Henry, and himself pud some two hundred pounds for the right to graze on the goldfields, aud that he held was of more consideration to the ountry than all the cattle owners and miners put together, who only paid £35 assessment. The Chairman remarked that the miners of the district held thirteen hundred miners' rights, independent of mining leases, which would, if exercised, entitle them to graze twenty-six hundred head of great cattle. That a great number did not exercise those rights, and even those who did found it difficult to prevent their cows and horses from straying, yet those rights showed a grazing capacity (independent of the £35 that Mr. Livingston alledges to be paid) of £450. Mr. Morrison said he was personally unacquainted with the facts of the case. Prior to this meeting being held, a number of applications 'were made to him regarding a public meeting which it was thought advisable to hold ; and if it was true, as was stated, that the sheep were encroaching, he though it a serious matter. Mr. Livingston was here, and he did not deny the charge, And, he 1 thought. he _pught to make some attempt to control his stock from injuring his poorer neighbors. He was well aware that Messrs. M'Donald. and Matheson were like himself, wealthy men, owning thousands of sheep. Mr. Livingston here protested against the speaker directing the attention of the meeting to him alone, as he was innocent of the encroachments which were alleged tn be made. If other people's stock came down around the diggings, we could not prevent them, and it was wrong to hold him accountable for them. Mr. Morrison Had no desire to individualise, bat as Mr. Livingston was present ; he simply selected him as a representative of the large owners, and the meeting could only lo >k on him as their representative. He was inclined to deal mildly with Mr. Livingston. He was a resident amongst them, and had more claim as a miner to commonage privilege 1 : than the other commonage squatters, who mostly lived beyond the district. But he would ask Mr. Livingston whether it was just, whether it was fair, for three or four rich men to monopolise the whole commonage ? at the same time knowing that their poorer neighbours stock were dying of starvation, and driven from the district Crown lands by the encroachments of *»heep. He (Mr. Morrison) would put the matter to the sheep owners whether' this state was to continue, and whether the miners were always to be getting the public together to discuss grievances, of the sort' now before them ? The meeting unanimously agreed to the resolution. Mr. Morrison moved : " That a Committee,, consisting of Messrs. Osborne and M'Hattie, be appointed to embody the resolutions' arrived' at in a petition to the Provincial Government." : '-■ : " '

Seconded by Me. M'lntosh and carrierMr. M'Combe movedthat a subscription be collected to defray.the expenses, which was done, £2 7s. 6d. being passed over to Mr. Oshorne. A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the proceedings.