DEPUTATION TO DR. POLLEN.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3132, 31 July 1867, Page 3

DEPUTATION TO DR. POLLEN.

The deputation appointed at the meeting held on Saturday last, assembled yesterday morning, for the purpose of waiting upon Dr. Pollen to present the following resolution, which had been passed by the meeting :— " That this meeting is of opinion tbat it i8 the duty of the Superintendent of thia province to initiate the- meant for -opening the Thames goWfield, r »nu respeotfulty urges the De.

puty-Superintendant to use bis beit efforts in that direction, by making proper terms as soon as potBib'e with the native owners." There were present Mr. Griffin (chairman of the committee), Mr. Bawdon (chairman of the meeting). Mr. Cadman, Dr. Merretfc, Mr. Rhode*, Mr. Wilkea, Mr. A. Bell, Mr. Hay, Mr. Watkinson. Mr. S. Alexander. The deputation was received in the Provincial Secretary's room by Dr. Pollen and Mr. Mackay. Mr. Griffin said that, in accordance with the letter he had sent to Dr. Pollen on the previous day, he had to present him with a resolution whioh had been passed by the large meeting held at the Bri* tish Hotel on Saturday evening last, and signed by the chairman, who was also present. Dr. Poxlbn said : We have endeavoured, as far as we could, to anticipate the wishes of those who passed that resolution. That is precisely the business' that Mr. Maokay and myself have been on — to endeavour to open a piece of land for gold* mining. With respect to the piece of land that has been handed over to the Government, yon will see that it is a very small piece ; but it is a part of the country that has been obstinately closed against; Europeans, the natives not having allowed any one to look at it since Mr. Williamson was turned away. But it is a beginning, and, if we can manage this well, Mr. Mackay — who knows more about the matter than anybody else, and to whom all the credit in this affair is certainly dve — thinks that a great deal more ground might be' thrown open shortly* The agreement we have made with the native owners gives them the money arising from the sale of miners' rights. The land is entirely their own ; the Government has no claim, and only interferes thafc'it jnay see justice done to both the diggers and the natives. . ,Mr. Maokay here read a translation of the agreement, the principal conditions of which were given in our yesterday's paper. It secures to the miners the right to cut the timber, except the kauri, for each tree 'of which £15s. is to be charged. Mr. Maokay said this condition was substantially the same as the condition in the Coromandel regulations, except that there the price was not fixed. In reference to miners' rights, the agreement is arranged so that if the Government get possession of land outside the boundary of the present field the miner may go out to the new land, on getting his miner's right endorsed, without paying another license fee. The reason was, that if a man worked for nine months on the present piece, the natives would be entitled to 155. ; and if he then went on to another piece, the owners of that would be entitled to the remaining ss. All these details, how* ever, would be embodied in the regulations. In concluding, Mr. Mackay showed the deputation a sketch which he had made of the district, with the boundaries of the goldfield, the courses of the streams, and the run of the ranges and spurs* Dr. Pollen said the deputation were now in poa•easion of all that had been done in the matter. They had heard the agreement made with the natives read, and had seen a sketch of the land to which it referred. In answer to a member of the deputation, Mr. Mackay said he made the area comprised within the boundaries to be about 7,000 acres. Mr. Griffin said he would like to explain to Dr. Pollen that the proceedings of the diggers had been initiated before he came back. Had that not been the case they would probably not have troubled him. Mr. Mackay said he had great hopes of getting a larger area of land, in which in several places gold had been found. But that would depend upon whether the men who went down at first would stop within the boundaries. There was a stringent clause in the Goldfields Act against mining upon private lands, and that would be put in force in case of any one attempting to work over the .boundary. He might say that there was no very great quantity of water on the field. There were, he calculated, twenty sluice-head*, which might by damming be increased to forty. A good deal of the working would be terrace- working, which would, pay foe ground-sluicing. ' * Dr. Pollbn reminded any of those whq thought of going down that there was no house accommodation, and no stores yet, so that they must be prepared to take care of themselves. The natives would give nothing without being paid for it, nor should anything be asked. There were very few native houses at Kauaeranga. Mr. Cadman a9ked Dr. Pollen and Mr. Mackay if they had seen anything like a prospect themselves. Dr. Pollen hoped nobody would suppose they were in any way advertising the field, or advising anybody to go down. There had been «. popular bolicf. that the ground" contained gold*, and a wish that it should be opened ; and they Hack simply gone down and made an arrangement fw 'the opening. "Mr; Rawdon thought it would be better to organise a party of twelve, divided into two parties, and let them try the ground befoie anything like a rush was made. Mr. Maokay said there were fourteen prospectors working on the ground when Dr. Pollen and himself left, all of them men of experience. He had certainly seen nothing to warrant a rush. He had stood and seen a large quantity of ditt put through/ and out of it thtre were eot only two specks. Mr. Eawdon thought that what was called blanketsluicing would be the best. Mr. Mackay would prefer ground-sluioing to working with a torn. Mr. Wilkes asked whether, if a number of men went down to prospect, the £1 would be required on landing ; or would they be allowed a fortnight ? Mr. Mackay was afraid that the natives would count every one that landed, and expecb the license fee. However, he would try to give every man as fair a chance as possible. Air. Wilkes asked what extent of land woyld be given to miners. Mr. Maokay replied that he thought claims of about 40 feet square would be the best. About twochirds of the block were covered with timber. The deputation had waited some time, at Mr. Mackay s request, till a specimen of the gold that had been brought up from Kauaeranga should be brought up from his house, where he had left it, not knowing that a deputation on the subject was to be received. At the request of a member of the deputation, Mr. Mackay promise i to send the gold to the meeting of diggers at the British Hotel in the afternoon. Mr. Griffin thanked Dr. Pollen and Mr. Mackay for their courtesy, and the deputation then withdrew.