MINING BOARDS.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 468, 20 February 1869, Page 2

MINING BOARDS.

(To the Editor of the Westport Times.) Sie, —An article was inserted in a late issue of the Westport Times, purporting to be an accouut of a meeting of the miners at Charleston, expressing dissatisfaction with the manner in which the Wardens generally administer the laws relating to mining property, and advocating the establishment of Mining Boards, as being more suitable for the settlement of mining disputes, upon which practical knowledge would thereby be brought to bear. It is much to be regretted that the miners of Charleston did not seek the aid and co-operation of the miners of this district, before resolving on any measure for the benefit of their own district alone. Most certainly, if they had, it would have been given to them willingly, the miners in this district having, perhaps, much greater cause of complaint than the Charleston miners. Practical mining knowledge is almost totally ignored in this part of the Nelson Province. Miners not possessing intelligence enough to explain a (to our Warden) difficult case, the opinion of one surveyor necessarily becomes worth that of half a-dozen practical miners, although displaying at times, to the miners, the greatest ignorance of mining matters; yet it costs the diggers £5, nothing less, for as many minutes' work, which they must pay, or give up their case, no matter how trivial it may be. The system would be most amusing were it not for the consequences depending on the decision given, mining property of considerable value at times changing ownership in a most extraordinary and unexpected manner. For instance, a case was heard some weeks ago, in which a party of men, tunnelling at Deadnan's Creek, applied to the Warden, for a certain amount of water, from a race on Giles Terrace, the water being drawn from Deadman's Creek, the right to this water having been granted nearly two years ago, long before any workings commenced there. On this occasion the decision was given in a most positive manner,for the race-holders, and on the strength of this decision, a considerable amount of money ha 3 been expended by them in improvements. Another application exactly the same as the preceding one was heard one day last week, another party from the same place applying for the same water. This time a surveyor is sent out (paid for, of courae,) and his professional knowledge, or want of knowledge in mining matters, combined with another interpretation of some of the Rules and Eegulations, result in an exactly opposite decision to the former one; the race-holders having to pay half of the surveyor's fee, although they had not?

any occasion for bis services, and losing all or nearly all of their outlay on the race. Now, is this not calculated to check enterprise of any kind ia mining matters, for who would give their time and money when they cannot tell the day they may lose both ? And why does not the Warden here, as elsewhere, go on to disputed ground himself when the case is important ? It shows that the miners' interests are not well looked after, except in the matter of L. S. D., and that the Government is as ready for that as we are to join the Charleston miners in their struggle for RSFOHM.