CHARLESTON NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 183, 2 March 1868, Page 2

CHARLESTON NEWS.

On Friday night there was a very large attendance at the Theatre Royal, especially in the reserved seats, which was crowded with ladies anxious to witness Little Marion's impersations of Andy Blake and Dr. O'Toole. A still larger crowd, if possible, were present on Saturday evening, attracted by the same playbill. It would be im-

possible to exaggerate the amount of applause that every moment broke forth from the delighted audience. Andy Blake was a very finished performance from beginning to end (Andy would say, particularly the latter). Mr Small's representation of the irascible, but true-hearted, though , gouty old General Daly, is remarkably good, while the excellence of Little Marion's Andy is only equalled by her great character of the Irish Tutor—Dr. O'Toole. As the latter she presents the appearance of a beautiful minature, and in the acting of the piece brings the ' house down' with every hit. We observe there is another fresh programme of performances offered for this evening, of an equally attractive description.

A meeting of the Mining Board Committee took place on Saturday evening at the Melbourne Hotel, when the following resolutions were adopted : —I. That the action taken in reference to the letter received from the Secretary of the Addison's Flat Committee be approved by this Committee. 2. That the Secretary be instructed to reply to the letter received from the Addisan's Flat Mining Board Committee. 3. That the thanks of this Commitee be accorded to Mr Broad for the courtesy displayed by him to Mr Cameron at the Mining Conference, held at the Camp, Charleston, on the 29th inst.

THE MINING CONFERENCE. Mr Charles Broad, R.M., attended as the Court-house, on Saturday forenoon, at halfpast eleven o'clock, for the purpose of opening tke Mining Conference for the Brighton and Charleston districts, convened in accordance with the published notification issued by the Commissioner. There were only two or three of the general public present. After Mr Broad had stated the purpose of the meeting, the proceedings commenced by an inspection being made of the miners rights produced by the Delegates, of whom there were eight, all respresentatives of the Brighton district, namely ; Benjamin Sutherland Theophilus Marshall Bernard Delargy George Parker Hides Richard Kennan William Payne John Brown James J. Kinnean.

Mr Broad said as all the Delegates ■were resident in the Brighton district he should adjourn the meeting to Tuesday next, to be held in the Court-house, at ten o'clock. He regretted very much that the miners of Charleston had sent no Delegates, but was glad to observe that those present represented the different descriptions of mining property, viz., water-races, cement claims, and alluvial claims, so that all interests would be fairly represented. Any suggestions which the Charleston miners sent down would, no doubt, receive attention and consideration from the Conference.

Mr Cameron here entered the Court, and said t /he appeared as a representative of Charleston miners, and asked if lie was allowed to speak. On receiving an affirmative reply, he said " I stand here before you asarepresentativeholding thirty miners' rights, as required by the demand of the Chief Commissioner's advertisement ; not to act with the intentions of this meeting, but to express the wish of 1200 bona fide miners. As their representative I beg to request that this meeting do not entertain the right or proposed privilege to alter or rescind the existing byelaws, but leave it to the judgment of a pro- / perly constituted Mining Board, to obtain which immediate action is being taken, though I lament to add the intentions and wishes of the miners have been slightingly dealt with." He concluded by asking the Chairman whether he would receive a copy of this protest. Mr Broad said he would receive the notice, but he must say there appeared to be a great deal of misunderstanding on the subject of the present conference, and as to what a Mining Board could do. They could not travel out of the Goldfields Act, which restricted the operations of Mining Boards to the mere passing of bye-laws for particular districts. The object of the conference was to frame a code of rules and regulations for the whole South West goldfields. Up to the present time they had been working under the old Otago rules, but the development of the diggings required these should be revised. The conference was in no way inimical to the principle of Mining Boards, but had been called together to do work which by the Act could not be done by n Mining Board. He then read that portion of the Goldfields Act relating to Mining Boards, also the clause by virtue of which the conference was held. The latter gave power to the Governor, who had delegated it to the Superintendent, to make laws for the whole of the goldfields. Should thp code about to be framed by the conference prove inapplicable to any particular district then the Mining Board would come into play to better adopt it to the locality. Mr Cameron said he had attended two large meetings of miners, and at each it was the general expressed opinion that the present rules were rotten, and that their revision should be made by a Mining Board. Mr Broad was glad that the miners were alive to the necessity of their being revised ; but as he had already pointed out, this could not be done by a Mining Board. Mr Cameron did not consider it right for a few to be able to dictate laws for the whole of l the goldfields. Mr Broad said it would amount to the same thing if the proposed Mining Board were possessed of the power, while this advantage was attached to the conference, that it was composed entirely of practical miners. What the Government desired was that the miners themselves should frame a code of rules which would form a basis for the future. He believed that if the Charleston minors had been aware of this, instead of allowing themselves to be led away by a cry, they would have come forward to assist at the conference. He trusted they would adopt his suggestion, and forward to the meeting a statement or statements of any alterations they may deem advisable or necessary. Mr Cameron insisted upon the advantages of a Mining Board in dealing with localities.

Mr Board said that was just the point, such boards could only deal with localities. The conferences about being held in the various districts of tho Grey, Brighton, and Charleston, and the Buller, would represent the various opinions of tho goldfields, and he trusted that their united actions would result in a code which would give general satisfaction.

Mr Cameron referred to tho working of tho Mining Boards in Victoria, and suggested that a central Mining Board might be established having control over tho local boards. Mr Broad stated in l-eply that ho was familiar with what had been done in Victoria and Tuapeka, but his experience was not very favorable.

Mr Cameron said the unanimous opinion of the Charleston and Addison Flat miners was against the conference. They had not yet received a reply from tho Caledonian j but he believed there they were to a man of the same opinion, and with all duo respee.t to the chairman and gentlemen present, he would observe that under these circumstances they could only deal with tho question in a contracted form, and anything they might be of an arbitrary character. They were aware of the petition which had gone forward for a Mining Board, and he suspected that the appointment of the conference was merely a feint to baulk the constitution of a Mining Board. Mr Broad again explained the different powers appointed by the Goldfields Act to Mining Boards and the present conference. Mr Cameron said the delegates might do i n one day what would take a Mining Board a. long time to undo, Mr Broad said the conference would have the benefit of the wisdom embodied in copies of the Mining Regulations of Victoria, the regulations of Otago, and the revised code of Canterbury, this combined with the assisting intelligence of the general mining community could do a great deal, and he doubted whether any Board could have better means at its disposal. He believed there would have been more representatives there that day if the miners had not been misled as to the real question.

Mr Cameron enquired if the consideration of the matter could be adjourned. Mr Broad replied that unfortunately the matter had been too long adjourned already. Mr Cameron, on being asked, said he had nothing more to say.

Mr Marshall, one of the delegates, said that with respect to the Caledonian Lead, he knew of two delegates having been appointed to ths Westport conference, and added that every one of the 30 miners whose rights he held was in favor of Mining Boards ; but something more than a Mining Board was required in the first instance, and feeling that they had sent him to the present conference. Mr Broad then adjourned the conference to Monday next.