THE " Jnveniam viam aut faciam."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 46, 8 January 1862, Page 2

THE " Jnveniam viam aut faciam."

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1862

The complaints from the gold-fields have too much, persistance, are too uniform in their nature, and are too much verified by the way in which miners who have obtained gold lose no time in leaving the colony, to be set down to the ordinary spirit of grumbling, with which it is said every Englishman is gifted. There is never "smoke without fire,'and when all complain, one may feel sure there is cause for it. The miners work with intense vigor, they bring to their labor an amount of goodwill it is impossible to do justice to, and the object that animates them is to make money as raoklly as possible, to get out of a place they are not taught to like or feel themselves at home iir. We believe that very little saooir fare on the part of the authorities would be the means of destroying this dislike to the country, so injurious to its interest. A remodeling of the mining rules, and the introduction of certain much-desired facilities woul.-l, we believe, effect the object; and robbing the miners of their prejudices, would leave them at liberty to appreciate the many advantages which the Province presents as a place of settlement, quite ap;i;t from its auriferous resources.

The Gold Fields Act of New. Zealand is peculiar. By it the Governor in Council, or anj' one he may delegate, is authorised to ■issue regulations for the government of the geld fields. But a power is left to the miners of self-legislation in the shape of Mining. ISaads, which are to be established on the application of a hundred duly qualified petitioners. We believe a petition of the kind has been presented for the establishment of a Mining Board at Tuapeka, but we are afraid that whilst its prayer is working its effect, the old adage will be realised—" while' the grass grows, the steed starves." Before the General Government can give its consent to the formation of a Board—before it can appoint the returning officer, and fix the day of ■election—before the election can take place, and tha members can determine upon a code of rules, and these rules can be gazetted and approved as laws, an interval of many months must occur. And this period may be pregruint with events of the gravest import to' Otago. It will be the height of folly if,_ in anticipation of the formation of a Mining Board, and of the consequences to follow its election, a delay is allowed to intervene in reforming the present defective mining legislation. ■ • We are quite willing to allow that any improvements must be, to a certain extent, experimental. This necessarily is the case seeing' that the Gold Fields of Otago present man}7 exceptional features new to the most experienced gold-miners. We are equally prepared to admit ttiat the assistance of practical miners would be of the greatest service in remodeling the regulations. But we do not see why this cannot be obtained, although not provided for within the letter of the Gold Fields' Act. A public meeting of the miners could be convened for the purpose of electing certain of those who are most approved as practical intelligent men acquainted with every detail of their pursuit. These should be elected as a Committee, and be appointed as a deputation to confer with the Wardens as to the nature of the alterations required in the mining regulations. We make no question their advice and suggestions would be courteously received and every weight attached to them. Under-legislation is better than over-legislation ; it is easier to make than to unmake; therefore althongh it would be simple enough to adopt a complete code of niining rules from any one of the mining districts of Victoria, we are strongly of opinion. that snch a course would be impolitic, that it would be better to allow the regulations of tho Otago Gold Fields to grow out of the necessity of the various cases that demand them. For this purpose we would give large discretionary powers to the wardens, the which as experience suggested theory founded on practice could be narrowed and circumscribed. In.quartz mining, for instance, until more certain indications are discovered concerning this branch of gold producing, it would be prematureto pass laws regulating areas, boundaries, and modes of working. For the present, then, under this head we would give the wardens large discretionary power. :In a lesser degree the same would apply to

he size of claims for alluvial mining. Hitherto, for ordinary alluvial working, we believe the size of the claims has not been unsatisfactory to the bulk of the miners engaged. 13ut mining as yet in Otago has preserved rather a sameness of character; the depth has not been considerable, and the difficulties of superabundant water and insecure ground have more or less uniformly prevailed. But this cannot last long; mining industry will develope itself in several branches, and the consideration arises, that while providing for the present, the future should not altogether be lost sight of. This may appear somewhat inconsistent with our remark in the earlier portion of this article, that we would let mining legislation shape itself out, according to the circumstances that from time to time called it into force. We adhere to this still, but there is a wide distinction between laying down general rules which will admit of much after modification and alteration, and the imposing stringently denned regulations which leave the gold field authorities, as at present, powerless to exercise any discretion when exceptional cases come before them. Care should be had for mining not only as at present pursued, but as it probably will be pursued after it has attained a larger progressive development. For instance, the working of old ground by sluicing on a large scale, the bringing in water by tunnels, the carrying off sludge by channels, are eventualities that require no very penetrating judgment to foresee. The necessity for river turning, has already arisen, and with it is naturally associated the demand for larger claims, which wouldjustify theexpenditureoftinie tndmoney, that on small areas of ground,'would not be productive. It might be difficult to fix what should be the exact dimensions of claims of the kind, experience1 only could prove it. We would therefore, for the present, put some discretionary power in tbe Wardens' hands. It would be very simple to say such and such' should be the dimensions of river claims, but it must be remembered that the difficulties presented by river workings might vary considerably. One river might be turned with ease, while another might require an enormous outlay. Even the same river might present at different points, features so distinctive, that the 'regulations that would be fair to one part might be quite unsuited for another. We do not see how the question is to be disposed of except by allowing considerable latitude to Wardens oid Assessors, in exceptional cases, the nature of which, tiiough not the character, might be clearly specified. Another want the miners will j shortly feel if they have not done so already is, that of the services of authorised and reliable persons to make surveys, and give evidence, in cases of dispute. These officers have been found necessary, even with Wardens whom lonjr experience had thoroughly taught the nature of the duties expected of them, and much more will they be wanted With Wardens new to the position they occupy, and to most of the details of gold-mining. We may return to the subject again and more particularly specify the nature of the reforms it will be desirable to-institute,rboth to promote the interests of the miners and to encurage the developement of the Gpld^Fields.