LEASING AT COROMANDEL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1839, 6 December 1869, Page 6

LEASING AT COROMANDEL.

To the Editor of the Herald. Sik, —I will endeavor, as well as lam able, to expose (with your kind permission) some of the evils of leasing at Coromandel. It is well known that leasing is necessary on some goldfields, such as ground which has been onco worked, or poor ground, where the capitalistrequires a largo p.r*3. to warrant his outlay. Eren then he must spend a large sum upon it, and it is not granted till the ground has been examined by proper experienced men appointed by the Government. But here, for instance, I will take one lease—a party of four men working for wages in a certain claim strike heavy gold, immediately knock off, and psg ofT the adjoining ground to the extent of thirty or forty men's ground, pay twenty pounds for an application fora lease, and the title is theirs ; they divide this into forty or fifty shares, aud immediately set about selling. Now what is the use of confining a poor man to one mail's ground, when another rule will enable him to take up ten men's ground, and hold it with no expense, by paying his share of the £20. Now in that one piece of ground is represented forty miners' rights, and work for forty men, and that in the present state of times, with hundreds of men doing nothing, is a great object, and from tho light I look at goldfields in conjunction with Government, it is as much their interest to govern them, not only to bring in a good revenue, as to employ labor. If every claim on the field was leased, Coromandel would be, to all intents and purposes, abandoned, and the gold might still remain in the hills undisturbed. The only satisfaction the shareholders would have would be that they held some interest somewhere in the ranges. It gives no encouragement to prospecting, for what does a man care for a grant of two or three men's ground, when another man can come after him and take up twenty men's ground by lease, with no work, and very little expense. The only thing I can say in its favor is, it is admirably adapted for swindling, and that makes it a special recommendation to a large part of the community who pride themselves on that propensity. The old plan of one man's ground for one man is far the best; h-; is then afraid of being jumped ; and jumping though an evil, is a necessary one on the goldfields, for it makes a man stick to his work, and prove what his ground is worth. As matters stand now, these lease claims, proved to be undoubtedly rich, bring no returns to tho shareholders" or revenue to the province, but are only held as a means of trade. , I remain, yours truly, James Slater. Coromandel. ♦ ■ — To the Editor of the Herald. Sir, —Now that the Superintendent is officially declared, and many new members chosen to represent the different districts in the Council, and as some of those elected have used that, oft repeated cry of reform as a stepping-stone to honor, it is hoped they will to some extent fulfil their promises. Our Secretary in embryo, has certainly blown the reform horn to some purpose, and that tliat gentleman may have every chance we forbear to enquire into his antecedents, and humbly depend upon his unasked promises, and that reform mav be a reality and no sham cloak for inefficiency. I hope he may bring in a measure embodying residential suffrage. There are hundreds of men in Auckland who have no vote,who from every reasonable point should possess that privilege ; it is unfair that they should be excluded and denied the rights of freemen simply because they are not acre,house or leaseholders. Will any one say, that the man of business, clerk, or artizan, have not as much at stake as the knight of the brushes who sits at our street corners ; or will they affirm that the professor of Day and Martin's polish are better qualified to exercise that right ? The present distribution of the franchise places the most humble and ignorant holder of a cot before a number of men, who to say the least are a 6 well qualified as some of our most worthy citizens. The present condition of public feeling will prove that such a reform is necessary - the prevalent feeling of the day being that every intelligent mind shoii'd have something to say in the laws by which they arc to be governed ; the expediency is apparent, as it would lead to the general satisfaction of the people and therefore to the promotion of the best interests of the country. Neither is residential suffrage opposed to the settler, trader, or nulling community, their interests arc identical, a uniform franchise is calculated to admit all the interests of the community to their just position in the Council, and likely to produce the effect that all ought io wiih for, who desire to see. the people really and not nominally represented. The above principles would withdraw us from that political eclipse that obscures onr view, and would go fur to secure the good will, happiness, and contentment of I he people. In such a collective strength of society, each would be a guarantee against his neighbour's interference with his rights. Compare bygone days when the franchise was the privilege of a favoured few, the intellectual and moral slate of the people was low indeed, even in tliat state the partial extension of the franchise was a stride in progress, the people then, instead of brawling and tippling their hours away, took an interest in the laws of their country. Politics like religion should be as wide as the world, aud free as the sun. Assuredly the time will come when our rulers will find "it to be the best policy to promote all possible improvement iu the people, for the highest glory of those at their head must consist in ilie knowledge and worth generally of those people, it must be nobler to lead aud direct a society of intelligent minds, than to drive and coerce an ignorant multitude. Will our counsellors who enter upon their duties amidst nourishing and extending interests bury dying auiniosities, aud show their sincerity by vicing with each other in increasing the knowledge and interest of the people, aud let them remember there is no authority or power which can safely disregard public opinion.—l am, &.K., Operative.