AUDI ALTERAM PARTEM.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 84, 23 September 1870, Page 3

AUDI ALTERAM PARTEM.

(To the Editor of £Ae.MouNT Ida Ch^oniclel) ■ lJ.il l : u-)i«. L y: of the last issue of the 'Chronicle' you call the attention iofuthe.residents in this district to the necessity of at once putting in motion possible machinery to ensure the election of a pro per mafi~££bler:aii ct C/ivi-l l.ip g *to;Tre present them in the (xeneral Assembly. You then go on to- say/that it is already whispered that a squatter intends,to so licit the; suffrages of this constituency, and you hold that a squatter memßer is totally unfi'tted'''aii(.l' wholly unqualified to ,r^precent o fairly .and satisfactorily a district so-essentially a immn< r MouJat-J[da<'; Kiov i" , , - ° .Youundoubtedly know that, although Mount Ida is -a'-great in ining -district,sit is also a. greatsquatting oiie—was? .'so long before it was a iniiiiug distHct, and probably will be wueni mining is jju n>ore. l_have it frofirthe best authority* that the ihoney invested b.v «q liat-" ters in this electoral district— amounts to over £3OO . 000 t' 1 at • tl 1 <i Val Ue of the wool yearly is upwards of £50,000 —and the. money pai l for assessment and labor amounts to fully £25,0.00. Mow;, is itfaih that this class, who haye so great a stake iii the district, should be wholly unrepresented in Parliament ? It wi.uld take years ot close-application; to enable' a* miner,"' or any other man unacquainted with squatting to represent its interests satisfactorily .; but,, on the.other- han£, si .squatter, or any intelligent-man,: can, if he choose, in a short ''space of time make himself fully acquainted with the mining interest, and represont it creditaßly and satisfactorily; in /referring to the large sum of proposed .to be- expended by, tie Government in ing.the .with water, and the necessity of our representative cLoing ajlli in his ppwer to ob tain. an equitable; proportion of the said'sum for this distript,; you. say;—" This could not rea-. soiia'bly lie expected from a squatter or, indeed, from any other than one haying the nilning interiest sincerely at heart." Npw, if the squatter has not the ; mining [interest.atheart, I should like to; kno'w-who has P If it were possible for hiiri' to make mining pursuits so fascin-: ating that the number of diggers would, be quadrupled in a few weeks, it would'' be his interest. ito doi BOm With a large, prosperous digging population he would have a market for his sheep instead of haying; to boii down as at; present. | But if we = exclude tike i squatters, whom shall we have ? There are storekeepers—men of sound judgment—but. can or will they afford to give their time and iiiinds' t6 parliamentary duties? Then we have the " water squatters,'' very able men- tod—but their interest is to keep up the price of water, and they would' be more likely to' retard than . facilitate the bringing, '.in of anincreased supply. The high rate of water has been and is ; ; the curse and ruin. pf the district. : Next, we have the - real out-and-out miners.. ..They can count many good, honest, upright men, with a fiiir ain'o'unt of v^^^

them, but, ! curioTis afs-itmay appear, this class of .men are generally of a quiet, retiring disposition, • and representing us would he "about ; the, last thing thej woulditliink of doing. This is the class of men.l should like to vote for if they would only come forward; but remember they must have no connection with any of the present water races. Now, Mr. Editor, if men of independence and education, like yourself were to come forward, then we might raise the cry of .No Squatter for Mount Id i, "But you know better." It would not suit you- to leave your paper for three monthsj and go to sWellington; and so it is with most of the residents in and around a diggings town—you are all very patriotic, but not sufficiently so to sacrifice business ;for country. I have no objection to condemn the whole squattocracy—particularly our present member for the Provincial Council—but please, Mr. Editor, let us have the particulars, and tell us whom we have willing and able to represent us who will dp better. Being; a miner, I much prefer being represented by a ruiiholder, whose interest itis. more than that of any other single individual, to do all in his power to better the mining trade, than by the class of men who, I am sorry to say, sometimes represent mining districtsmen without any stake iu the country, and making a living out. of their politics—in . fact, : adventurers, with little more than the suit of clothes on their backs. How can we expect'such men to have the real interest of the country at heart. -They generally stand and get elected on some 'popular cry, and When.oncein, naturally turn, their attention to trying to,;, improve their j financial' condition.-r-I am, &.c., j A-isr Elector. !