SWITZERS,

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 298, 16 October 1873, Page 8

SWITZERS,

(From our oion Correspondent.) The annual meeting of the Switzers Mining Association was held in the concert room of the Crown Hotel, on Saturday evening, 4th instant. Mr. Skene was called to the chair. The Chairman, at some length, dwelt on the utility of mining associations, especially in districts like that, I where there was no constituted body to look after the general interest. They acted us quasi road boards, they acted for all interests, and did not confine themselves to mining alone; he had no doubt they would continue locally useful until constituted bodies were appointed to take their place. The Chairman concluded byrequestlng the Secretary to read the report. #On the motion of Mr. E. Ferguson, seconded by Mr. R. M'Clintock, the report as read by the Secretary was unanimously adopted. The retiring Secretary, Mr. E. Shaw, then brought under the notice of the general meeting several subjects which he said would require the immediate attention of the new committee, and which, he informed the meeting, had been held over, to give their successors an opportunity of opening the questions, as they would then be better able to conduct the various interests to a successful termination than if the new committee work them up midway. A vote of thanks to the retiring Committee terminated this part of the proceedings. It was then proposed by Mr. Collie, seconded by Mr. Wilkie, " That a testimonial be got up and presented to Mr. It. Shaw, the late Secretary of the Mining Association, for his valuable services during the past two years." An amendment proposed by Mr. Dean not finding a seconder, the original motion was carried. A committee, consisting of Messrs. Skene, Collie, Wilkie, and Marsh, to carry out the resolution, was. then formed. Proposed by Mr. Wilkie, seconded by Mr. Marsh, " That the Committee of the Miner's Association invite the business people ' and those pursuing other industries in the district to assist the Committee of the Miner's Association* in endeavoring to promote the general welfare ; that the district •lias not received a fair share of public money in comparison with their contribution to the public revenue ; that the Government in the future be urged to do us justice ; and that the future Secretary be paid £10 annually." Carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr. Shaw, seconded by Mr. Marsh, Eule No. VII. was suspended, in order to allow other than bonafide miners to become members of Committee. ■ The following Committee was then elected : — Messrs. Carnie, Shaw, Skene, Wilkie, Collie, Johnston, Braithwaite, Marsh, Clarke, Sutherland, and Taylor. A vote of thanks to the Chairman brought the proceedings to a close. Second Annual Eepobt o/ the Switzees Mineb's Protection Association. " We have the pleasure of submitting to the members of this Association our second annual report. " The number of Committee meetings held during the year has been sixteen, and the attendance as follows : — Eadford, I ; Wragge, 1 ; W. Clintoek, 3 ; Chamberlain, 14 ; Sutherland, 2 ; Clarke, 6 ; Hurley, 3 ; Marsh, 13 ; Wilkie. 12 ; Shaw, 16 ; Johnston, 16 , Collie, 16. Average attendance 5.9. "There aie one hundred and forty six paying members on the roll of the Association. "The income of the Association from all sources for the year has been £35 Is.; and the expenditure, £34 105. 6d.; leaving a balance of 10s. 6d. " We have to inform you that a strict adherence to the rules, which have been adopted by you for our guidance, has been departed from in more than one instance, your Committee finding it impossible in their endeavor to advance the mining interest to separate yours from the general welfare. On our appointment by you in September, 1872, _ the first subject which occupied our attention was a grievance then existing between the miners of. Muddy Creek and the runholder, Mr. Chapman, as to the right of cutting timber fpr mining purposes on Dome and Steeple Creeks. After some correspondence with the Waste Lands Board, Eanger Hugban was deputed to report upon the matter in dispute. A deputatiou from this Committee went over the two bushes with the Eanger, and the case was eventually settled by having Steeple Creek bush, and a road thereto, permanently placed at the disposal of the miners, "Since meeting you last, the miners of Waikaka have enrolled themselves a* members of this Association, and at our suggestion formed a sub-com-mittee, which is in correspondence with us. We endeavored to have the watershed of the Waikaka declared a goldfield..and annexed to Switzers, and commissioners for the purpose have inspected and reported the G-overnment. We were not furnished with a ep rfc of the commission, but •believe that since then no obstruction has been t'jrown in the way of the miners by the runholders ;n proaecut-i ing their usual avocations. '•' We regret that the .csjw of^'NaJ) v. lolds. to vfx{ iiftbnjrttei^cj^a b^ya

hearing in the Magistrate's Court, as in case of defeat there^ this Committee would, in all probability, bave appealed to the District Court, and had the law defined as to the right of mining on Crown lands outside the goldfields. "A conference was held -at Lawrence in December last, consisting of members of the different Associations throughout the province. The Secretary, was unanimously chosen by your Committee to represent this Association. !,The object of the conference was to simplify and condense the law relating to mining, and to offer Buggestions to the Government for the purpose of having them embodied in a new G-oldfields Bill. It is not our intention to dwell here at any length on the subject, as an exhaustive report was published, and widely circulated at the time. Tour Committee are convinced that much valuable advice was offered to the Government in the final report of the conference ; and not a few of their suggestions given effect to in the • Goldfields Bill thrown out by >the House of Eepresentatives during the present session. " We regret having had to object to the granting of some agricultural leases — some on Muddy Flat, and two on the spurs abutting on Happy Valley. But as it was represented to your Committee that the land was essentially necessary for mining purposes, no other course was open to us to pursue ; all our objections have been sustained. " The iniquitous sale of auriferous land on Actons Fa t, which had oc cupied the attention of a previous committee, was taken up by us. We have left no legitimate means untried to upset the sale ; unfortuuately our exertions o l your behalf, and which have been unremitting, have not met with that success which we venture to say it deserved. However, we trust that the late enquiry, and the amount of exposure this transaction has received, will deter future Land. Boards from dealing with the goldfields, unless through the officers appointed for the purpose. In leaving the subject for good, we have no hesitation in stating that Mr Haughton, the then Goldfields Secretary, is primarily responsible for the sale. " -The disparity between the price of gold on Switzers as compared with other goldfields occupied the serious attention of your Committee for some time, and various means were suggested and discussed for overcoming the difficulty. Happily, as it turned out, the means were nearer than we *at first imagined, for after ac v couple of evening's discussion between a sub-com-mittee appointed by us and the Bank's agent here, the affair was satisfactorily adjusted, and you have since reaped, the benefit of our interference by receiving an additional £250 a-year on the value of your gold. " A sub-committee from this Association, in concert with Messrs. Skene, Braitwaite, and Williams!, waited upon bis Honor the Superintendent when in Switzers in February last, and made known to him a few of the many requirements of the district. We are glad to inform you that some of them have been provided for at the late session of the Provincial Council — ostensibly a- foot bridge across Winding Creek, the Whitecouib track, a bi-weekly mail service, and the 2500 acres pn deferred payment on Gow's run, and all provided for, and it now rests with the people to see that thes3 instalments of justice are not allowed to lapse. "We have endeavored to have the spurs abutting on Happy Valley declared a mining reserve. They are at present reserved until June nest. Our successors may, however, find it necessary to move in this matter before then, as for the effectual working of many acres of flats and gullies situate on a lower level, the retiring Committee deem an absolute command of those spurs indispensably necessary. "We bad the valuable assistance of Messes. Wood and Skene in considering the new Goldfields Bill. Copies of our amendments suggested were in the hands of your representative in good time for consideration by the Goldfields Committee. "In conclusion, many subjects concerning the general interest, and impossible to embody in this report, have bad our best attention. Many of your Committee oonclucled when" the 50 acres ease was settled our duties would haye been much relaxed. Such, however, is not the case, as there is always something turning up which requires the interference of the Association. Shortly after two year's experience, the retiring. Committee fully appreciate the usefulness of these associations, and trust their successors will be able to devise a means by which they can be made still more beneficial to the general community."

' The Queen has presented to Lady I Smith, of Lowestoft, a copy of "Leaves ; from our Journal in the Highlands," in commemoration of her 100 th birthday, celebrated in May last. The fly-leaf contains the following in the Queen's handwriting : — v To Lady Smith, on her 100 th birthday, from Victoria E. Balmoral 1873." ijidy Smith wa^able to write her reply to the Queen. Shelley^ the widow of a farmer who has just died at Pensenhall, Suffolk, is; said to have, reached the age of* Xo4t. Her intdfc^ 'showed, no s^gns jof