LAKE COUNTY AND ITS GOLD-MINING

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1521, 26 February 1886, Page 5

LAKE COUNTY AND ITS GOLD-MINING

REVENUE. (TO THE EDITOR OF LAKE WAKATIP MAIL.) analysing the expenditure of this ocdy, I find that I cannot sufficiently group the ®JJ nre9 together to shorn - results of it iu a few lines. If I ao condensed, I ahould lay myself open to the charge of inaccuracy, and thus pave the way for a more detailed account of that expenditure. A a before atated, it was not my intention to involve ny waders ia a labyrinth of statistics and figures. To make this slightly apparent, the matters of special worka and sabsidies would be difficult to apportion or arrange. .So, in other respects, this letter would become lioth long and, I am afraid, tedious for the general reader. Let me, however, refer more particularly to some expenditure upon the goldfiefcis. lam perfectly well aware that it is atated thus, " look upon what we (the Council) have done ia the matter of making roads to the goldfielda." Now, these roads are divisible into three classes—one, the old Government (Provincial) pack-track ; the other comprises thoee formed for advancing traders' interests and of like advantageous value to other classes of the community ; the last class includes roads intended for dray traffic to goldfields centres. I will deal with these seriatim.

The first named class of roads did not originate from the funds of the Connty Council, but were made a beqnest to them with handsome subsidies. If any of your correspondents desire it, I will show what proportion, upon a population basis, the goldfields were entitled to share of them. Of course I may be met with the "quibble" that the whole of the connty is a goldfield. I firmly assert, on the other hand, that the goldfield centres have one and all been defrauded out of their due share and proportion of these subsidies, as well as of gold fields revenue. Even to procure the maintenance of those very roads and tracks the miuing interest had to pray and lieseech—as if strangers—for assistance, and at times to petitiou for attention or remoustrate against the coutinucd neglect shown to these roads. This thing is so familiar to miners and otheis that it is unnecessary to refer further to the matter. Then, as to the second class of new tracks made throughout the county, I have said that these are not maae solely for the benefit of the mining interests. They are more generally known as storekeepers' tracks. They are, of course, of equal benefit to various scattered bodies of tniuers. Tracks like those to Cardroua; the cattle one along the Kemarkables : the one up the Greenstone and Part Valley; and the one frotn Glenorchy to Precipice Creek, can in bat few senses of the word lie called goldfields tracks. Yet they are of some miuor value to the gold producer. To debit the whole of the large outlay upon these, from time to time, to goldfields revenue, or as an expenditure out of it for goldfield" purposes only would be both a mockery—l might go further—and a fraud m appropriation of receipts. Now I come to the last class. Again, on behalf of the mining interest, do I see any thanks to record fjr any outlay by the County Council in the matter of making dray roa Is to the goldfield ceutres. This may seem a harsh statement Nevertheless, it is a true one. As a matter uf fact the conatniction of these roa<ls was forced upon the Council by outside agitation and by the laterality of the Legislature under the Koads and Bridges Construction Act, repealed, however, last sesss.ou. Vested interests seized the bait to advance the progress of these roads besides other ones under it. Keeping to such roads as the Cardrona, Earnsiaw, Mace town and Skippers ones, I state without fear and challenge denial that the cjlonial chest mainly paid the cost of their construction and supervision, fhe one-third contribution of cost by the Council for the construction of roads to Skippers and .Macetown nay be fairly debited to goldtields revenue account, and one-sixth cost of Cardrona and Earnslaw roads likewise, but no more. So much for the Council's boast of constructing these ruails. Why, the Government had to appoint its own inspectors of works, and yet they are not even perfect now, as next winter will in all probability •how. The whole of these roads (Laid out by " professional" engineers), barring those under the supervision of MrT. Powell, Government luspector, are said to be of a slipshod character. No one knows this better than the Road Engineer and Inspector of GoldfieMs, Mr Gordon. This is due largely to the parsimonious effort made to reduce cost so that their one-third contribution might not be larger. The Government found they could not help themselves, and the opportunity to do goo.l to the miuing interest has lieen absolutely frittered away or lost It is a disgraceful fact that members of the Council are so often publicly accused of logrolling rt contracts for these very roads, aud that they are also charged with having—as in the cases of the Cardrona and Mact-town roads—an interest therein. That is apart from the matter I purpose to enter into, but it siiows up sutfi-.-icnlly tiiat there has teen a great, gross and w iltul misappropriation cf goldfields revenue. As voted by legislative enactments, and an utter contempt of the spirit that led to the eitablishmeaU of endowments, subsidies, etc., to that body. So far I have done. I will not pursue the indictment more unless challenged. I have, however, a word to say to the miners, namely, let them enrol their names upon the Council electoral roll and npon the General Assembly one. They cannot vote upon the mere miners' sufferage, which is quite praper. Enrolment or electoral lights should be the proper franchise, as it protects that interest. Then they can demand that share of atteutiou that by right is theirs, without fear or favor. Give this power as it should have lieeu given in 1*»77, the goldfie'.ds revenue, less cost of administration (as states in my last letter), and the miuing interests of this grand county would lu\e been in a more advanced ataue tiiau at present. Its present advancement is due t>> inherent " p!u -k," not aided by the County Council (ratherthroughout thwarted), but assisted by that of contemned Legislature of the Colony. The Like Couuty Council lia.e much to answer for. I am, etc, Queenstown, 10th February, 1536.

H. Mandf.rs,