MT. IDA MINERS' ASSOCIATION

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume 37, Issue 9613, 6 December 1907, Page 2

MT. IDA MINERS' ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL MEETING. Tliui.iinu.il i .'Uf.ig of subscribers to the association was hel.fl in the Town Hall on Saturday evening. The attendance was fair, but not so large as .(i-hat it should have been. Mr Guffie (president!, of the association) occupied the chair add formally opened the business. < M'iuutes. The Secretary ('Mr M.S. Reed) having read the niiuulesj of the last annual meeting, they weic confirmed on the motion of Messrs R Paislrty and J. AJ'Laren.. Report aful Balance-sheet. The report and,'balance-sheet showed : That the credit balance was £5 7s 7d-ftJoi the beginning oC the year, and produced £6 Bs :; total, £ll 16s 7d. I%> The credit. ba.Unce at present fill llsSd. The report shoiwed that in December last the executive waited on the Hon. Mr W'Nab and on the Hon , the Minister of Mines on February 6th re widening the race from the reservoir to Hills Creek, with the result 1 hat the work w;k s put in haud and gave employment to a lai-ge number of miners. Iu the month of February the executive, at the request ok' a deputation of farmers' passed a icsolution recommending the Gov' eminent to turn the water down Eden Creek for the benefit of farmers. I Iu May and June resolutions were passed urging the Government to test the deep levels, In Juue the president (Mr Cutten) re signed and Mr Guffie was appointed to the office for the remainder of the term. I During the next two months resolutions re 1 boring were passed and forwarded to the Government. Iu October they forwarded to the Government the resolution passed at a meeting of elaimholders askiug the department to widen the. race from Hills Creek upwards to where there is more water available. In moving their adoption, the Chairman said he thought, they could congratulate themselves ou the fact that the work done last, year was both permanent and of a great usefulness. A splendid job waa made of widening the race, ;and if the weather had been propitious they would have had a permanent supply of water, They must now make an effort to have the race widened up to near the head. If that were done, Mr Murray would not have to draw from the reservoir till the dry weather set in. Mr Guffie briefly supported the proposal to alter clause II of the Constitution. He thought a few business men would be of great help on the committee. The credit balance was most satisfactory, and showed that the people were quite willing to support in association, The motion was seconded by Mr R. Paisley and carried. The Constitution. IT M r r^- U ,'- Ilulcl ' moved that Paragraph LI of the Constitution be deleted. Everyone in Naseby was now more or less dependent I on the industry, and wanted to get the best men they could to help it along. Seconded by Mr A. Marslin and carried. Election of Chairman. Mr G. Brown proposed Mr Guffie's re election, but that gentleman said he was on the County Council aud the Hospital Trust and found that they took up all the spare time he could devote to public affairs. Mr A. Marslin proposed and Mr W. Smith seconded—That Mr J. VV. Reed be elected. I.'here being no other nomination, the resolution was carried. On taking the chair, Mr Reed said he thanked them for the houor done him. Perhaps in the opinion of some people the Miners' Association was not a very import ant body, but be believed the time would come when Miners' Associations wou d tccupy a higher status in Maniototo than i.hey did at present. The balance sheet showed though that residents were prepared to give/ the association financial support, and id also showed that the secretary had not been asleep. Still, he thought that the resilients did not realise what the associ atiou had done in the past towards keeping the place together. \\ hen he first took an ititerest in an elevating plaut some 10 or 11 years ago, they paid 30s a head for water. By the efforts of the association it was re ■lueed to 20s and then to 10s (although he believed that Mr Fred Indcr had arranged the deputation to the Minister which finally secured the promise of the first reduelidn); ' To understand what this meant they must consider that a few years ago a man who, used one had would pay £ooif he head a very good year ami got 40 weeks' water ; now he would pay i'2o. If his claim were equally good,that would give him £'4o more to spend in the year. But take a wider illustration : Ha understood that 80 heads of water were distributed when all the claims were sup plied, but suppose that 40 heads per day were distributed ou the average for six mouths in the year, it would mean in com parison with the prices of a few vears backthat £IOO a month, or about £IOOO a year, went into the tills of the business people instead of the coffers of the Government, t'hese figures he believed were UDder the mark. Thai the association had been hugely the means of getting the reservoir built ind £IOOO spent ou cleaning the race lately. The association had done good work in the past, but it was possible to do greater in the future ; but to do so the members of com mittec would have to be prepared to do a ■ little self sacrifice occasionally and perhaps be a few shillings out of pocket once in a while They often heard complaints that !he head race was not made to bring in ill the water- it could carry To settle that question a couple of members should ride up the race ouce a month iu the water season Of course they would be entitled to a day's wages, but if the funds would not permit it they should be prepared to go gratis The association's primary object' was the protection aud advancement of the miners' interests, but to merit public support aud gain public confidence it would have to take a wider outlook thau that aud consider the welfare of the towu and the mining tudustry o* the whole district Iu the Meantime they could study the question of a greater water supply and later on try again to get something done to test the deep ■ ovels With a little energy aud thought the association could become a very useful body Dr Maeknight thought the people of Naseby acted in a very lethargic manner in relation to mitiiug. They should remember the saying that God helps those who help themselves, and if the miners of Naseby would not take the trouble to come along aud support what was going lo help themselves, they deserved to have someone come behind aud kick them along. It was inconceivable that people would spend their time and money to assist sports and aaiuscsjeuts, ".'bile they wcuid not com.; tilcag to a. matting that was for the assistance of that provided their bread and butter and bg> it along. He hoped char, the admi|flp| of

IIU'UTICMII Oplr If) 'lie CAerlltlVO Would nl nniiUUi public ini••r«" 1 i>< Hi" association. 1,,.—. Klertioo of ('< .nuiiitl On the motion of Aii 1 (.iitlie and A MlU'itlin, following Nt \v;v. elect.vd Mciisi'.'t W .'-'milli, l-'l'.rown, ('lion', A Brown, !•' IN S bVed. M llrown. it Tail., I.". toiler ;t... I l>r M»ekm. ;h I. ( Jelicral Mr K W Itnl.■ i- :tnill In' I li'nii'Jit, I lie (ii.vrrnmi).ll tun '1 n'i'ii;;ni .e I Int. p. ;i < • t,n •, 1.11 y every Ti'nrli til" Miti'T;:' A'-so.-i U ion tnul itt'i;ed luiil lii'imi jietl ilieil l.y llic i-i-.mlt. KviTyi.no mint ".I'tiMlii'il tin- p»;iT\i.ir wits :i juiHr.iou:i work mill one which had indirectly mill <I i <■(-.: 11 v prove.! , .'.|r one. The of the f ■ •• must. have rt'l iicnril to (.In- (;«>v .1 l r.-l y Ji 1(1(1 more than it, would nth. i , for the .;n,lr of water. V\ ' it . "pi 'eseiitat tves of i'"i visited tlir rare in October even in tin.: dry season ji 1111;i11tit\*B*i. water l'lioiiini; away I.tint the race Ciifih, no!, curry. Tlir following resolution Mil : proposed by Mr W Smith mid seeond"il l.y Mr A 15.town That Mir Uri;r drnr'tid there is (or water in Naseliy which dem uid the (invertitnm ,t. race has not. I.eon able t.o mlfiju itoly; impply for Motor t line pa t,, null seenjv I here ir. n impply nlon.; tlir, line of in.ee even ill a dry nea.'it.u like the present, winch the nice has not. hern CRpab'-' of isirrvi'u; t 1 is meet iuf/respect fully tiroes on tin- Miiii«ter of Milieu to ;ui(lieri.'io I lie depart nient to coinrrmncfi I.lie work of cleaning and improving the ri.ee from l!ill;i < Verk >i |>, immediat cly and tliat. a copy of this resolution be, scut to Iliii Minister of Mines and member for the dinli'ict. Curried unanimously. Mr K. I'aisley conlenile.t tli.it the race could not, carry the ipmntit.y of water it Wiih Mipjiofiod to carry unless t.lic bycwiushea were built, up mill Unit, portion in Store Gully repaired. McbnM (J [fore and A Urown .said 'hey had gone up the r;i,re recently iunl found tlin bycwtiHlicfi hi;;lt enough to curry till t lie water tin.' race had to curry. Commit tee Meet in<^. The committee met subsequently unci Mr N. M. Heed wnii re elected .secretary on the motion of Messrs (5 lloru ami (1 Brown.