THE THAMES GOLD-FIELDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1518, 6 October 1868, Page 4

THE THAMES GOLD-FIELDS.

The time hag fully arrived when the Thames goldfield must be managed under a very different system to that whicli' has prevailed hitherto. The goldilelds regulations at present in existence are not: conducive to good government; nor do wo believe that a right and fitting code of regulations mil be formed until that which we long ago recommended, and which, by the Thames miners might long since have obtained, — a Mining Board for the Thames shall have been established. The Thames gold-

field is already: beginning to feel severely the want of good'regulations. It is a goldfield upon which it is essentially necessary that capital and labor should progress hand in hand together. Without capital the miner on a quartz goldfield can do nothing. He may literally lie down und starve upon a quartz reef, which, by the application of capital to the working of it would produce a fortune to him. Unless,then, capital as well as labor find its way to the Thames tho result will be disappointment to the latter. The miner must go before, the way, opening up the country, and then when he has found auriferous reefs, seek the aid of capital to assist him in working them. There is no lack of reefs discovered —no scarcity of claims well proven to contain gold in paying quantities; nor, on the other, hand, is there any lack of capital ready lor investment. It i 3 as difficult, however, to get these two to amalgamate as to obtain the same process with the Thames gold and quicksilver. What the iron pyrites and the sulphurets are to the one, the want of security to property is to the other. The claimholders and the capitalists are brought together, mixed together, but pass away in separate directions. The Want of security for hia capital when invested diverts the capitalist from his first intention of investing, he buttons up his pockets, and the Thames quicksilver does not catch him. The truth is, the want of security to property is ruining as fine a goldfield as was ever opened. In instances under our own personal knowledge we could name two persons acting as agents for others, one of whom is prepared to invest £20,000, another £8,000 in the Thames claims: Both are well satisfied with the richness of the claims, but though they positively declare thattempting as the returns might be, they dave not risk the money oq so insecure a tenure. These, from all we hear, are solitary instances out of many in which those anxious to invest capital at the Thames are cautiously advised not, to do so as long as the pre T sent regulations continue in force. No man can with safety purchase into a claim. He does not know how'soon some frivolous technical objection to his title may be raised, and _ the property which has cost him hundreds or thousands of pounds be staked on the die of a decision given.in the Warden's Court. We have had i notable instances of this from time to time. The claims and shares, as !i anyone may see, are fruitful sources of litigation. Why they should be, so. -more; than any ,other kind of 'property"ive 'do not know, lt'would easy to prevent ground being taken up and held for purposes .of - pure speculation without: resorting to sio evil a ; corrective' as-the system of jumping. i It is this system ;o.f "jumping" which is at/ the bottom of all the evil at the Thames. It is a rude, uncivilized mode of preventing the selfish and unfair occupation.of a . top large allowance of auriferous- ground. It is, ill fact, very little removed in its character from " Lynch law and however applicable to a goldfield; especially an alluvial' 'gcildfield,' in the very earliest stage of its existence, thispeculiar .law of "jumping", may ,be, it is' utterly'inapplicable to the same goldfield in a more developed state, and is as repugnant to all of decency and fitness as "Lynch " law" itself would be to the members of any highly civilized community.

The>Thime's goldfield)has sometime since passed from that .early . stage when the business of the miner was' a rush—a scramble for claims. The claims have been secured,' and now. men are settling, or .ought rather to be settling, down .to ; systematically work them. The original owners have found it necessary to sell a portion in order to enable them to work the other portion ; capital, in fact, is called in, and the Occupation of these claims henceforth becomes a business. Men will not give hundreds, and in some cases thousands of pounds for a portion of a claim, and allow that, claim to lie idle, unworked—they could not afford to do so. In the money invested, they have given- the Government and the public security that they will thoroughly and efficiently work such claim. "With such a .guarantee, what need: have we for so rude, so unjust, and in the present case, so prejudicial a corrective as the .'/jumping system." There is surely a difference between , half-a-dozen men shepherding almost as' many claims and working none, and a company of men who, having purchased valuable property, choose their own time, indeed often such time as they must choose, for erecting machinery, and otherwise working the claims. In the latter case, something moie than ordinary tenure should be given. Any company, whether the four, six, or eight original shareholders in a claim, or a company of capitalists buying these meii out, ought, on commencing work, to receive from the Government .a lease, which could not be disputed on vexatious and frivolous pretexts. It was. lately stated that-shaves in Hunt's claim would bo "jumped" because the owners held "miner's rights" signed by Mr. Mackay instead of by the Warden. But for a certain clause in the regulations- such might actually have been the case, but who is there but would have said that the law in that instance was most arbitrary and cru.:i Would the owners of freehold titles to lan«i be disqualified, become liable even to be dispossessed, because there happened to be discovered some flaw in the gazetting of the Governor who granted them their titles ? Why, then, should any frivolous technical error in the granting of a miner's right, the pegging out of-ground, &c., &c., be allowed to deprive men of property far more valuable than hundreds of acres of waste land ever were. "We do not: see, as we have said beforn, why the ' claim upon the Thames goldfield should not be as fully secured to the bona fide company working that claim, as the leasehold property to the lessee of the Crown.

The regulations must be altered and that speedily. The Thames is lauguishing, rich as it undoubtedly is in golden claims, for the want of the hearty co-operation of capitalists. The two instances we have quoted above, where some thirty thousand potinds are waiting, as it were, to be invested, are but solitary instances in which agents of Melbourne and Southern capitalists are prevented from carrying out the wishes of their clients. The ' same thing is occurring daily on a smaller scale. Men shun to risk their money by investing in doubtful security. The working miners are beginning to feel this. There is but

one remedy, and that is the immediate alteration of the more objectionable portions

*—————— — of the regulations.-. - Unfortunately thia cannot be done imtil the Superin ten dent's return, but as political matters are tending' uhat time cannot bo. far distant. We trust then, such alterations, will be made as will render.it a matier .of isecurity for capitalist l ? to embark their money. .. That theyi are anxious to invest there can be no doubt. And all agree that' never did any as to its ferous wealth—present so - tempting l a 1 field for investment as/the Thames. There is a perfect embarrassment of riches from which to choose. Theie is but one drawback—the insecurity from lawless outrage. Make rfys defect good and the Thames will become tM loadstone to the idle capitrl, and it is no/insignificant Bum, gathered up in this aid the neighbouring colonies. Labor, with And without capital, will then thrive. The'small capitalist and shareholder will find men with money to join, him in working hia'.claim; the laborer without or money will obtain regular work, and high and steady wages; and as we have seen in the case of the Thames G-old lyrinrng Company, the opportunity of working claims for capitalists on part wages part share. We are quite sure that theminers themselves, whether capitalists or not, will cordially agree with our remarks, and will acknowledge that we are writing, not in the interest of a class, but of the; whole community, and that, not only of tha goldfields, but of the province and colony: for what tends to - the prosperity of the one must necessarily tend to the welfare of all. Finally, we say, the Thames goldfield, if it is to be quickly developed, must be worked by combined skill and capital. The longer we delay "to do so, the longer shall we have to wait for the full measure of prosperity which so rich a field cannot, Sooner or later, but bring to us.

THE SOUTH. Br the arrival of the Charles Edwards from Southern ports, we hare .Nelson papers to the 3rd instant, containing later Wellington telegraphic intelligence than' that previously received in Auckland. The Nelson Colonist thus remarks upon the present position of parties at Wellington. We too must withhold comment until further particulars are before us. The Colonist says Our telegrams'speak of an unsatisfactory'occurrence in the House of Bepreisntatives, namely, that of against time which. Mr. Stafford described at disgraceful on the part of the Opposition. The having recourse to such erpedientsis always unsatisfactory, but 'in fighting with'sn opponent -who is utterly regardless .of the weapons he employs to carry his, points, and when the principles-ofall good government are trod upon by a Ministry, an Opposition . which claims only what the public-de? minds, adherence to'Oonstitutional Government* anil preoedent, and £nda it can get noither, may Jjo excused if it is driven to an expedient of tEe'kinS, one which we shall always regret to see resorted to even with right oh its. tide. Until wo get /oiler particulars of the proceedings we shall suspend our judgment as to the advisability or otherwise of. tS« course which the Opposition followed. At present, we think it is a pity that it was resorted to, .because it seems a sacrifice of that self-respect which ought to characterise the leader of a party in the.atate. At the same time, it..must be borne in mind thafotha proceedings of. Mr. Stafford , .are unparalleled, in the history of Constitutional Governments, and in fact are destructive .of these. . : . ;, r "ti - The late disasters in the Patea districfc, -ahd the threatening aspect.of native affairs, is causing no little excitement in the Middle IsliificL The'two Nelson journals take widely." different views of the course to be pursued/" The JUxamt' iter pooh-poohing the native policy, propounded by Mr. Eos, says: \ "It has been the fashion with certain men "of-ISe Middle Island to talk of native affairs a3 if they but little concerned them. ; It .would bo better to-.get rid of this erroneous notion, and accept' fraukly'odr 'real position l —that'the two islands \'of ifew Zea&nd form one colony—that there can be no' severance of interests between the North and Middle Island, and that tha maintenance'of peace and preservation o£ lif», if not possible by local funds, .must becomes colonial charge. . • --

The Colonist believes in political separation of tlie Islands: ~ ; u ..

There is cne chango which we |beliey9 to be, if not imminent at least not improbable. The continuance of this Maori trouble is unsettling the whole-of-New Zealand; it is deterring immigrants ; it is keeping capital from our shores, and alarming capitalists who are afraid to invest. . Ita long continuance is disheartening to North Island settler?, and rendering next to worthies?, for the time at least, the properties of settlers in the native districts in the North labnd, whoso land, and the result of years of improvement* are hold on such precarious tenure. We believe the separation of the islands, for a specific period of say sir, eight, or ten years ; the apportionment - of.-the debt in a just.ratio; the continuance .of ~ Constitutional Government on the Middle and South Islands, ■and the handin? over the North Island to the Imperial Governments is a scheme which w;asrery favorably consi J ered by Sir George Grey, and it is :'crae •which would avert the prospect of those long years -of evil, which are certainly before the Middle • Island so long as the .'dread incubu3 of the' Natives continues to paralyse all its efforts after peace and progress. "We shall allude to this subject on another occasion. - ' ■ ■ The Westland papers are doing all' they can to save the.population to their gold fields. The vish is evidently:" father to the thought" with the Westjiort Star, of the Ist instant, when it j Che tide of. the Auckland rush appears to" be d-, I i odly on. the turn. Not only has the'upward-flo . r miners from the Coast entirely ceased, but news to !n id by the steamer Nelson ia sufficient to show thsfc (u/i-.ters in Auokland have reached a crisis,- and that i', i stream of population which has there been accuniu 1 is ready to run over and find its natural !e<> : -l a<*ain. The yield of gold ha 3 never borne any I'.rt of proportion to the number of miners ia the district, but a good many seem to have been buoyed with the hope of some good alluvial _ diggings j -.ei.-ig opened out at Mercury' Bay.. 'According to the i3t accounts, however, the prospect of anything good urising from that quarter has been completely blasted. The place has been, declared a " rank duffer," arid so enraged were the diggers who went there when'they discovered their mistake, that they lynch-lawed the prospectors to tho extent of shaving their heads, and afterwards turning them adrift. We believe that the reflux of miners will only bo limited by their means, or ability to pay for their passage, and that we Shall soon see a good few of them down this way again.' The same journal of the 2Sth ult. states that the steamer Wallabi is announced to leave this day for jVlanukau. ■