INANGAHUA GOLD MINING LEASES.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 970, 14 May 1872, Page 2

INANGAHUA GOLD MINING LEASES.

The indignation meeting held at Reefton last week, having for its object tho severance of all Provincial control over the South West Goldfields ; in con3cquonco of the aciion taken hy the Superintendent and Executive, in the refusal and curtailment of certain gold-mining leases ; has aroused a feeling of excitement not likely to be allayed until some definite and decided actiou is taken in tho matter by the General Government. From the reports forwarded us from Eecfton, we learn that the following resolutions were passed at the meetings : " That this meeting views with indignation the unwarrantable action of the Superintendent, in having refused certain gold-mining leases recommended by the Warden to be granted, and having reduced the area of others contrary to the letter and spirit of the Goldfields' Act and Regulations and entirely subversive of all public confidence : and deems that such action has not only inflicted a great wrong on a number of the applicants, but has also had the effect of preventing the development of the reefs, and the further investment of capital in this district." " That a committee be appointed to draft a memorial to his Excellency the Governor, requesting him to immediately withdraw the delegated powers of the Superintendent of the Province of Nelson, on account of the general maladministration of the Nelson South West Goldfields as particularly exemplified by the action of the Superintendent in reference to certain goldmining leases applied for in this district, by which the whole property of the district has been jeopardised, and has resulted already in the complete stagnation of business." The Memorial, which was unanimously adopted ; and has already received a multitude of signatures, sets forth in vigorous laugagugo the wrongs of the petitioners. The chief points referred to are the devclopement of tho resources of the district, by population attracted from all parts of the colony, and the confidence in the permanancy and valuo of the district evidenced by tho amount of work done, and large sums of money expended in machinery. Tho systematic and studious ignoring of all responsibility, in connection with the Goldfield; by the Nelson Government,, while periodically draining large amounts of revenue therefrom, and more especially tho " entire want of capacity " shown by tho action taken in reference to certain applications for gold-mining leases, as sotforth in Gazette notices, (April 22nd and~2Sth ultimo.) On this subject the memorial says : —The conditions imposed by the Goldfields Regulations have been complied with. The proper investigations have been made by the Warden, and, in many cases by successive Wardens The leases have been recommended by those officers. Companies have been formed consequent upon such recommendations, and mining operations proceeded with on tho faith of them. Interests have changed hands upon the trust, hitherto fulfilled in other places, that the leases would issue. But, to the amazement and consternation of the whole community, the Superintendent, arbitrarily, unreasonably, and totally regardless of the obviously ruinous consequences to tho district, —has out of twenty applications, curtailed tho areas of fifteen leases applied for ; and, in the enses of eighteen others, in the teeth of the Warden's recommendation, has refused the leases altogether ; and this too, after the Superintendent himself had furnished the Warden with certain fixed conditions as to the number of men to bo employed,— which conditions, although considered extreme ones, were assented to by the applicants upon the hearing of their respective applications before the Warden. In many of the cases the areas claimed were, and for long periods have been, held under miners rights, and large and expensive preparatory works have been performed and undertaken. The effect of this erratic and unjustifiable action of the Superintendent, if tolerated, would be most illegally to deprivo the men of ground they would be entitled to hold under their miners' rights. Your Excellency will readily conceive how disastrous to tho district must be the administration of its affairs in such a manner as this. All certainty—a most essential element in such a district—is utterly destroyed. Confidence in the Government is entirely sapped. Tho flow of capital, so csseutially required, is at once and most effectually stopped. Orders for machinery are countermanded; and men recognize in the present state of things nothing hut inevitable stagnation and impending ruin,- unless the I

maladministration of which they complain ia ut once and for ever checked. For all these ovils your Memorialists see only ono remedy, and that is, the separation, at the earliost moment, of the Nelson South.west Gtoidfields from tho settled districts. Tour Memorialists are aware that that consummation will requiro the intervention of tho General Assembly. But, in tho meantime, rcliof would be afforded if your Excellency should think fit to exercise tho powers conferred upon your Excellency by "the Grohlfields Act, IbGG," and at once withdraw all those powers which your Excellency has delegated to the Superintendent of Nelson, and which he, and his Executive (the latter although ultra vires, and with characteristic presumption) have wielded with so little benefit, and so much, and to some extent, with such irreparable injury to this important part of the Colony under your Excellency's command. It will be remembered that iu Janu ary last, a petition, bearing 700 signatures, aud praying for the cancelling of applications for leases on the Inangab.ua quartz reefs, as being " preju. dicial to tho interests of the mining community generally," was forwarded to his Honor the Superintendent. From copies of correspondence just laid before the Provincial Council, we are enabled to give the Provincial Secretary's reply thereto, dated sth April last. It will be seen that it indicates no then existing intention on the part of the Executive to arbitrarily restrict mining operations. Provincial Secretary to C. H. Champion. Superintendent's Office, Nelson, Feb. 5, 1872.

Sib, —The Provincial Government having carefully considered the memorial from a number of miners and others resident at the Inangahua, which you have presented to the Superintendent, praying that no leases of ground for quartz-mining may be granted in that district, and the representations which you have made personally in support of its prayer, I have to reply as follows : The number of leases for quartzmining hitherto granted at the Inangahua is three only—two of twelve acres each, and one of ten acres—the area being in each case considerably within the limit permitted by law. These leases were applied for in April, 1871, and were granted on the recommendation of the Warden. The usual public notice was given in each case, and the time (twenty-one days) prescribed by law for objections was allowed by the Warden. Two months notice of the intention of the Superintendent to grant the leases was also subsequently given in the ' Provincial Gazette ' and the local newspapers, in accordance with the regulations. The ground comprised in two of them was already held by the applicants as claims under their miners' rights, and the third consisted of ground which had been previously taken up and abandoned. Although the Government is informed that many further applications have been made, none have as yet been forwarded to the Superintendent, owing to the time necessary for enquiry by the Warden, and for the hearing of objections, and the delay in the execution of the surveys. Each applicaton which may be supported by the recommendation of the Warden, will bo considered upon its own merits, and the representations of the memorialists shall receive the most careful attention. But the Provincial Government cannot undertake to advise the Superintendent to refuse all applications for leases made in conformity with law and supported, as some of them may probably be, by the recommendation of the Warden, until at least the grounds on which that recommendation is made aro known and considered. They bolievo that the public interests might in some eases be materially sacrificed by such indiscriminate refusal, and that the effective developement of resources of immense value to the Colony would not unfrequently be indefinitely delayed by the refusal to grant the extended area and the better established tenure provided by the leasing clause of the Goldfields Act. The very large capital not unfrequeutly required for the successful prosecution of quartzmining, would in the opinion of the Government, not otherwise be forthcoming, for undertakings which are frequently of an extremely speculative character, and it would be easy to adduce many notable instances, both in this Colony and elsewhere, in support of this opinion. The Provincial Executive will, however, generally advise the refusal of leases in cases in which the ground can, according to the best information they can obtain ; be effectively worked by individual minors taking up ordinary claims, and they will give every facility and encouragement to persons combining lor the purpose of obtaining a lease in exchange for two or more of such claims. In any leaso which may otherwise be grauted, care will be taken that the area is not greater than appears to necessary for the effective working of tho ground, and also as a general, although especially as applicable to be abandoned ground, not invariable rule, that the number of men to bo. employed upou the ground leased shall approach tho number who could hold the same ground as ordinary claims. The Government will also do all in

its power to prevent evasion of the la» by applications for nioro than oneleasa being pub in, whether directly or k directly, by tho same persou or persons' except in eases where thoy can satig! factorily provo that thoy aro acting fr tho capac.ty of agents oulyrSk Every precaution will, moreover, bo taken to provent*auy portion of more than ono reef being included in the ground, gr&ntod undeV'ahy lease, up OIJ which point tho Warden will be re. quested to make full euquiryThe Government will direct their early attention to the best ineans of securing, firstly, that such conditions shall be included in any lease which may be granted as will insure the early and eifective working of the ground ; and secondly, that such coo., ditions are duly complied with by the lessees. They will also use their best en. doavors to shorten the time which now elapses between the date of applies tion for a lease and the granting or refusal of such application by the Superintendent, during which interval the applicant cannot be called upon to work the ground, as he has no title, and may never have one, and the ground is consequently locked up. The time required by law for lock ing and hearing objections in every case cannot of course be interfered with ; and, in case of a successful ap. plication, the' required notice of the intention of the Superintendent to grant a lease must be given, and expire before a lease can be issued and ita conditions enforced. ♦ But in other respects, and more especially as regards the surveys, the Government trust, now that they have stationed a Warden on the spot, to be, able to make arrangements by which applications may be disposed of *in comparatively a short time. The Government is also inclined to think that the publication of this statement of their views and intentions will lead to the withdrawal of » large proportion of the now pending, and to a great dimin j tion in the number of such applied tions for tho future. In arriving at the conclusion that it would not be consistent with their duty to refuse, without consideration' or exception, all applications for leases iof land or quartzminiug at the Inangahua, the Provincial Government have been guided by what they believe will best serve the interests of the community as a whole, to whom the property they have to administer belongs ; and also, by what they are con. vinced are the true interests of the miners and others who have signed the memorial, and who form so consider, able and so influential a portion of that community.—l have, &c, Alfred Greenfiled, Provincial Secretary.,