The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. MONDAY, MARCH 2, 1868.

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

The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. MONDAY, MARCH 2, 1868.

So the mining conference has proved a failure, and the miners cannot be persuaded to aid in patching up the present '• rules and regulations of the Nelson South West G-oldfields," although the conference would be assisted, according to Mr Broad, with the mining laws of Victoria, those of Otago, and the revised rules of the Canterbury district. The only place that seemed to take kindly to the measure was Brighton, and although one of the deputation at that place stated at Charleston on Saturday that he knew the miners of the Caledonian diggings were favourable to the conference, and were prepared to send delegates to Westport, they failed to make their appearance. The miners are resolved upon one thing, and that is Mining Boards, and we think they are quite right too, for Mining Boards are the only institutions that can successfully grapple with the many diversified interests that occur, and are continually occurring upon all goldfields. Every new diggings has peculiar features of its own, which it would be absurd to regulate by means of fixed unchanging rules—rules applicable no doubt to one goldfield but totally out of place in another. Illustrations of this fact are so continually occurring that it would be almost a waste of time to select any, but we would refer to the case of the grant of auriferous ground in the centre of Addison's Flat, to the tunnelling party, and venture to say that if this matter had been under the control of a Mining Board it would never have been granted. "We suppose that the the line of argument followed by Mr Broad, in reply to Mr Cameron on

Saturday, may bo taken as explaining the views of the other Wardens upon this subject, and we mist congratulate Mr Broad upon the clever, specions way in which he argued the caso, and the adroit manner in which he fenced the question of Mining Boards. There cannot be the slightest doubt but that the Commissioner is not in favor of the establishment of Mining Boards, and this is apparent in all we know respecting the proceeding of this Conference. The policy of the Commissioner and the Wardens appears to be —to have a Conference and discuss everything, frame rules, regulations, bye-laws, or anything else that may be thought of, send them up to Nelson for consideration, promise anything to quiet the miuers, but most righteously avoid Mining Boards. Always throwing in the sop, that if everything else fails then as a dernier ressort it is probable that Mining Boards might be tried. This is so plain and so palpable that it is needless to disguise the fact ; and what is the reason of this opposion on the part of the " powers that be " to Mining Boards. Only that Mining Boards would deal with many subjects now dealt with by them, and in fact would lead to the abolition of some offices, although new ones would be created, but the great power now wielded by a few would be gone, and instead, a number of councils, working for the common good, would be brought into action. We thought that it might be prssible thatsomegood might arise out of this conference ; bnt after the explanations on Saturday, it is very probable that it might do more harm than anything else. In conclusion, we would advise the miners to accept no compromise—the rules are rotten —and the only way to cure them is to get rid of them altogether.