NASEBY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9511, 20 August 1892, Page 5 (Supplement)

NASEBY.

(From a Cobkespoxdext.)

August 15. A public meeting was held in the Town Hall on Saturday evening to consider the clause iv the Mining Bill so seriously affecting the rights of water race owners find enterprising miners generally. It transpired that. the Mount Ida Miners' Association were the fathers of this undesirably ruinous clause, which, if passed into law, will tend to destroy all mining enterprise in New Zealand. It would also appear from the discussions at this meeting that the Mount Ida Miners' Asso-, ciation are and have been for the past two years a self-elected body so far as the bare quorum to carry on the business of the monthly meetings is concerned. This self-elected body have made a rule prohibiting all its members who are not actually working and earning their living by day labour from speaking or voting at any of their monthly meetings, thus shutting the mouths of all the menof enterprise with capital, nndall the water race and rightholders from sayingoncword against the wholesale destruction of their hard-earned property. One of the resolutions passed at Saturday night's meeting strongly censured and condemned those acts of the so-called miners' association in the above matter, and a copy of the resolutions will be posted to the Minister for Mines and also to Mr Scohie Mackenzie. AYcmay now fairly conclude that the Mount Ida Miners' Association is defunct and wiped out of existence. Should another miners' association be formed in Naseby we may hope for better results. The weather at this altitude has been unusually fine and unexpectedly mild. The oldest residents do not remember such a fine This will add greatly to the general prosperity of the district, which has suffered during the past so much for the want of moisture. But now that the farmers have such abundance, we have only the ancient slow and expensive way of getting this surplus to market, which renders the whole business unprofitable; hence the great necessity for the Otago Central railway. Few people imagine that we are paying at this moment L 3 103 per ton for cartage alone from Dunbackto Naseby, a distance of 40 miles. Should this very fine weather continue, our district will not only be full to overflowing with the best quality of grain, but will also be teeming with the very best of fat stock, the value of which will be greatly diminished by driving such a long distance without food to market. . Many of our old residents are returning from Zeehan, satisfied that there are worse places to be found in this little southern world of ours than Otago. One party of enterprising young fellows have taken up claims again on the old quartz reefs at Kough Ridge. With their general knowledge and steady perseverance, may success crown their efforts. , ... The Maniototo Farmers' Club look forward with pleasure to their ploughing match, which is to take place shortly at Lower Kyeburn.