THE MIXING REGULATIONS

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 523, 29 June 1869, Page 2

THE MIXING REGULATIONS

(To the Editor of the Westport Times.) Sir, —An old miner will thank you if you can find room in your paper to let the boys know a pegging-out case at what is called Webb's rush, which took place about a month ago. I and my mates went there to peg off a piece of grouud with the intention of immediately sinking and proving it, when to our dismay we found that Curril's party had pegged off a claim next to the prospectors, and had got protection from the AVarden to hold this grouud for ten days, until the pi-o-spectors had proved theirs. Is this giving miners a fair chance ? I say not, and contrary to the regulations relative to shepherding, See. No. 11. clause 5, in which it states that if " any claim remains unworked at any time for twenty-four consecutive hours shall be deemed forfeited." Again, Sir, if all parties markiug out grouud worked according to the regulations in this case it would be thoroughly proved and most probably a lead struck, but if men are allowed a shepherding protection, the sooner the regulations are burnt the better, for they only lead us astray, and what between them and the Warden's opinions differing, we are constantly at law, and our hard-wrought earnings go in that and Government expenses, keeping us constantly poor and unable to pay for our tucker, whereas a single word from the Warden (if we couid only get it) would, in nine cases out of ten, avoid this ; and, in conclusion, allow me to observe we never had so much of this before, and it certainly looks very much like au intention to increase the revenue at any cost to the hard-working miner; therefore, the sooner we hump our swags the better, unless some radical change takes place at once.—Yours, &c, Caledonia]?.