The New Zealand Herald. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1869.

New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1841, 8 December 1869, Page 3

The New Zealand Herald.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1869.

•SI'Ki'TK.M (JR A(JKNJL)i). " every man thine ear, but few thy voice : Take' each inan'd censure. but reserve tiiy j ti'JijiiJt /*:. This above all, —To thine own self he true And it must follow, as the the day, Tiiou eans'fc uoltheii be false to any man.'

Tit.k report of the committee appointed to consider the management of tlie goldfields, contains nine recommendations, all of which are of importance, and deserving the most

caroftil consideration. Tlierc arc none, so lav as wo can sec, to which any l'atr objection can be taken, but discussion will doubtless call iot't.h the opinions of diil'erent persons, and thus a general view ot concurrent opinion win be obtained. Before attempting to make observations on ol these roconinicndat ions, wo would say a few words as to the jealousy wlucti seems to exist in some person s minds of the real owners ot property attempting to manap'c it in witat seems the bosk way to utilise it. IS ou there is not the slightest necessity ior anything of the kind. Auckland men discovered the Thames Groldlield, and proved its richness, and .Auckland men in ilue season catnc forward with their capital to assist in working tfio discovered ground. It is flic merest exhibition of unreasoning childish petulance for residents at the Thames to speak in the manner to which we are lel'erring of Auckland men. Take fhe largo majority ol claims a.t tiie Thames, and ascertain where the persons reside, and have resided, who have found the money which has kept (lie goldlield going from its commencement to the present time. AY e need not say that the claims generally have not as yet produced gold to pay tor all the sums that have been expended on labor and machinery in connection with them. The harvest, as we all know, has not been gathered, as yet, from any but a lew claims comparatively. "it has been a season of expenditure, of preparatory labor, so far as the past is concerned, and wo can onlv hope that by skill and good management labor and capital expended will amply repay those who have risked both at the Thames. And as the shareholders in Auckland, v. ho have taken steps to endeavour to hasten the harvest time at the Thames, have no other object in view, it is uuite clear that they ought to have credit for a good intention, and chat their proposals should be discussed on their merits.

To get ii)i a foolish cry at the Thames against shareholders in Auckland looking strictly anil carclully alter their own interests, iloes not seem to be a vet*}" wise proceeding. II 't be shown that improvements can be etl'ectod, that the mines can be made productive of something besides calls, then surely no obstacle should be thrown in the way oi tlx: attainment of so desirable an ob ject. Lt will be to the mutual advantage of Auckland anil the Thames. A.ucidand shareholders will benefit by tlie stoppage of calls and bv the payment of dividends, and there will bo a greater expenditure at the Thames on labor, and, by consequence, in the various shops there. Those, then, are no true friends of either the miner or the shopkeeper at the Thames, who would desire to prevent the fullest investigation, and the freest discussion respecting the working d the Thames goldiield. And where no desire exists to continue an evil,! here can be no objection to having the causes of that evil ascertained and removed. The Auckland shareholders wish to do this, and they have a pcrfect. right to do it in the best and most practicable way. It is a duty they owe to themselves and to the goldiield, indeed to the province and the colony at large. EtUcieney and economy must be the points .studied in the management of claims oil the Thames goldtiekl as well as in the private business of individual shareholders.

The iirst point reverted to in the report is the amalgamation of claims. This we have strongly recommended over and over again, and, therefore, need not further revert to it at present. .But we entirely approve of the recommendation that the Superintendent should he moved to make such regulations as will enable a majority iu number and value in any claim, by resolutions, to bind the minority. This, of course, follows the ordinary plan of a majority deciding as to what Bhall be done ; and it seems perfectly fair that it should be acted upon in such a case as that under consideration. The second proposition or suggestion, that until mines are formed with larger areas there should bo an inspector of mines, giving instruction as to their working, appears also to be a valuable one. It is ns clear as noonday that we cannot possibly get ellicient skilled mining managers for the mining companies at the Thames. But, it' various adjoining claims would subscribe toward the payment of a skilled person as inspector, they would obtain the very best supervision at the minimum cost. A mining manager is no more roquired to be on the spot all the day watching the men work, than the principal engineer on a line of railway need stand and watch every shovelful of earth removed. "We want eiiicient men who can devise, contrive, and plan, and foremen who can carry out the work so determined upon. If this bo supplied, we may then hope for better value being given for the wages paid. 'We notice that even at Ballarat there is a cry for skilled mining managers; much more then is there need for such a cry among us.

"We shall only refer to one other recommendation made in the report, viz : that which states that where the majority of the shareholders are not resident at the Thames, the offices of a company should be at Auckland. This is a sound proposition. There will, of course, be some objections to it, but they are quite untenable. What is required in connection with companies having their office and their directors in Auckland is, an arrangement by which all accounts can be sent, say monthly, to the Board foxauthorisation for payment, and foxwages fortnightly, and the sums regularly remitted to an agent to pay these accounts. That will obviate any px-ac-tical difficulty in connexion with accounts. This system would xnect the fourth proposition, that the payanenfc of the men should be made by

other method than the working manager. One agent would act for a considerable number of companies, or the inspectors referred to might perform this duty. We conclude with the hope that all palties will throw aside little petulant feelings, and unite their experience and judgment in obtaining the very desirable result of securing the most elliciont and economical management in respect to the goldfteld, and the greatest amount of gold from it.