THE WATER RIGHT QUESTION.

Dunstan Times, Issue 213, 26 May 1866, Page 2

THE WATER RIGHT QUESTION.

PUBLIC MEETING OF MINERS AT BUTCHER'S GULLY. On Thursday evening, the 17th inst., a crowded meeting of claimholders from Butcher's and Conroy's Gullies was held

at the Butcher's Gully Hotel, to receive the answer from his Honor the Superintendent to the late memorial respecting the dispute between the raceowners and the holders of creek claims.

Messrs. Iverson and O'Kane, the gentlemen who forwarded the memorial to town, reported that it was very numerously signed, but, owing to want of time, the opposition memorial, accompanied by a deputation, consisting of Messrs. Chappie and Jones, was presented first. The Superintendent, in acknowledging their memorial, promised that the matter should receive his earnest consideration. After an animated discussion on the I relative rights of the creek claimholders and the water-race proprietors, ing resolutions were put and unanimously carried.

1. That, in consequence of the evident determination of the race-owners in thr Lower Manuherikia to monopolise most of the water resources of the district, this meeting deems„it its imperative duty to take immediate and energetic action to secure the water-rights of those working in all the and recommend the appointment of a committee of four claimholders, to confer with the Government from time to time until the law has become finally determined relative to the various rights, and to forward, if necessary, a second memorial, praying' the Government to use to check the present unwarrantable diverting of the water from its natural course.

2. That, inasmuch as it appears by the report of Mr. Pyke's remarks during the late interview of Messrs. Chappie and Jones with his Honor the Superintendent that he (Mr. Pyke) attaches but a trifling amount of importance to letting two sluice heads af water continuously run down the creeks for the use of the miners working therein, this meeting deems his present knowledge of the modes of working old creek diggings utterly inadequate to enable him to suggest appropriate rules on the subject. 3. That, in consequence of the immense quantity of mullock to be disposed of in working old ground in the various creeks, no smaller quantity of water than two sluice heads, measured by the guage published in the Government Gazette of the 11th of April last, can possibly be of any effective service to the sluicers generally. 4. This meeting deems it a most unfair course to confine the creek sluicers to two. sluice heads of water, as measured by the old rules, and further considers that the water is the inherent property of the gully in which it runs, and that the creek ground-sluiccrs are entitled to all the surplus water over and above the number of sluice heads registered by the race-owners. 5. That, in consequence of the rules of 1864, granting a larger guage than those of 18G2, a considerable number of miners were induced to construct large and expensive tail races, to correspond with the enlarged rights, and that to compel them to be under the old rules is an act of gross injustice on the part of the Government; and this meeting further considers that the outlay of capital by the owners of tailraces is entitled to quite as much consideration from the authorities as that of the owners of head-races, and as the latter did not object to the new guage of 1864, when published, it deems the outlay of the creek sluicers justly to the first consideration.

6. The finding from experience that two heads (old measurement) is not sufficient for sluicing old ground on a large scale, this meeting do request the Government to direct the Warden to restrict the raceowners to their legal number of sluice heads, and to Older that all surplus water be allowed to course down the creek, in addition to the usual two sluice heads at all seasons of the year.

7. That the attention of his Honor the Superintendent be specially called to the fact of 6,425/. having been expended in constructing tail-races at Butcher's and Conroy's Gullies, and that he be respect fully requested to compare the relative value of the two conflicting interests. Butcher's Gully Outlay. Jenkins and party £1,500 Kenney and party 1,000 Jones and party ... 600 Murphy and party 750 Lake and party... 450 Conroy's Gully Outlay. Dawson and party £350 Iverson and party 72C Hancock and party 250 Donovan and party 375 Butler and party 400 £G,4?5 Races in course of construction, say ... ... ... £350 8. That this meeting entirely disap-

proves of the conduct of Messrs. Jones and Chappie in their late mission to his Honor the Superintendent relative to the water-rights in this district, and consider their statements as uniformly untruthful; and further, this meeting denies that the miners only came into the creek when the water was scarce and of most value, and hopes that this will be the last time when a deputation from the Manuherikia shall attempt to mislead the Government of the Province. 9. That a copy of the above reso'utions be forwarded to the " Dunstan Times," with a respectful request that they be published in extenso. Messrs. O'Kane, Iversen, Dawson, and Kenney were unanimously appoinetd a Committee to give effect to the objects of the meeting. The meeting, in conclusion, was desirous of remarking that the tradesmen who signed the memorial presented by Messrs Chappie and Jones to his Honor the Superintendent did so through want of knowledge of the merits of the dispute, and would define the action of such tradesmen as pregnant with ingratitude, as the miners of Conroy's and Butcher's Gullies have ever proved the most constant supporters to the trade of Alexandra. A cordial vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the meeting.