THE Otago Witness.

Otago Witness, Issue 489, 13 April 1861, Page 5

THE Otago Witness.

Dcnedin, Saturday, Apbil 13, 1861.

The oft-repeated rumour of the discovery of a paying gold field in the Province of Otago has made us somewhat cautious in believing any statement relative to the discovery of gold. The flourishing reports of what was being done on the Matauru, circulated about a year since, turned out to be nothing, and appear to have been spread with a view to attract population, to serve the selfish ends of those who make money by supplying stores at exorbitant rates. This has been so common a practice in the neighbouring colonies of Australia, that we are anxious to avoid doing anything that may in the least degree tend to produce a rush to the Lindis Pass ; and we therefore caution that portion of our population who are likely to go to the diggings, that the value of tlie gold field is as yet problematical ; and to all those who are in good employment, i( would be a prudent course to wait until more definite accounts have reached us of what success those engaged in prospecting and digging have met with. The steamer " Geelong," on her last trip, took up to Oamaru about 20 persons, who were about to try their hand at the work ; and as the news of the discovery had reached Canterbury about the same time that it found its way to Dunedin, it is not at all improbable that there may shortly be a considerable number of persons up at the Lindis Pass. Under such circumstances, it is most likely that we shall soon have such evidence of the nature 'of the field as will afford those desirous of trying their fortunes some data upon which to base their calculations. In the meantime, we may inform those who are unacquainted with the locality where the gold has been discovered, that although it is not above 70 miles from Dunedin, and about an equal distance from Oamaru in a straight line, the distance which has to be gone over to reach the spot is about double. The journey is a perfectly easy one in summer, and even in winter ordinarily presents no difficulties to those travelling on horseback; but as the road passes over high country, it is liable in. the depth of winter to become impassable. With the exception of a small portion of the way, a dray could be easily taken over the country ; and it was in remedying this difficulty that the gold was discovered by some men of the Government Road party* The formation of the road had been so far completed at the time of the discovery as to enable drays to reach the spot where the gold is now obtained ; but it is evident, from what we have stated, that were there a

large number of persons congregated on the diggings immediately, they would be likely to suffer considerable hardship from being short of provisions, or would probably have to pay famine prices, which would absorb all the profit they might make from digging. We therefore think it, at the present time of the year, exceedingly imprudent for those in the receipt of good wages to throw up their occupations, as we hear many persons at Oamaru are doing to go to the diggings. If the gold field should turn out a really paying one, there is no fear of its being exhausted before the spring. At any rate, none should attempt the work now but strong, hardy men, accustomed to exposure. We are not of the number of those in our community who look upon the discovery of gold as the greatest of blessings, or as being likely to make the fortune of every one in the Province. If the diggings turn out really valuable, we shall not regret their discovery, but, at the same time, it will not be an unmixed blessing. The disturbances' which it will create in the occupations of the community, although they will remedy themselves in time, will yet be productive of great inconvenience and loss to many ; and we sincerely believe in the statement often made, that were the same number of persons as are engaged in digging for gold in Australia employed in any of the ordinary forms of occupation, and carried an equal amount of energy into their pursuits, both they and the community would be gainers. This style of moralising is, however, of no use. If gold is to be obtained by digging, there will always be plenty of persons to dig for it \ and it may therefore be useful for some of our readers to know what legal provisions have been made for mining on the Crown Lands in New Zealand.

In 1858, the General Assembly of New Zealand passed an Act entitled the " Gold Fields Act." By that law the Governor is empowered to proclaim any portion of the colony a gold field, and to bring the Act into force within any such proclaimed district. The chief portion of the law provides for the administration of justice and the settlement of disputes and claims, the details of which arrangements it is not necessary for our purpose now to refer to, beyond stating that the principle established is that no person has a right to reside or exercise any trade or business within the limits of the gold field without being licensed, and that rules and regulations for the purpose of carrying out the Act may be made by the Governor. The principal feature in the measure is that the Governor has power to grant leases for 14 years of defined portions of the gold field ; the object evidently being that the mining may be carried on systematically, and capital and machinery be introduced. Provision is however made that before any lease is granted it must be advertised for three months. No rule appears to be established by the Act, or by the regulations made by the Governor, regulating the extent of ground to be comprised in a lease ; but we observe that at Nelson, where the Act is in force, the leases vary from one or two acres to as many as 60 acres. The Act was framed to meet the wants of the Nelson diggers, where, from the nature of the gold field, it was found necessary that considerable capital should be employed. The provision is a wise one, and should the mining in New Zealand become a systematic one, many of the objections to gold-digging will be removed. The system of leases is, however, open to abuse, and will require to be looked after — as, although it may have many advantages over the digging by small parties and by a shifting population, it would not be just to give monopolies of land suited for surface digging. We presume that such leases would not be granted, and that the object of the three months' notice is to guard against the possibility of such things occurring

The chief rules with reference to surface digging are — that the claim is not to exceed 50 square feet in new ground, or 100 feet in old ground ; and that claims may be left unvvorked for 14 consecutive days without being forfeited, provided no other claim be worked by the same person in the meantime, and the time may be extended by a Resident Magistrate to three months, during which the miner may work another claim. This rule is different from that which prevails in Australia, and is to provide for the temporary abandonment of claims during bad weather. As no gold field has been proclaimed in Otago, of course it must be understood that these laws and rules do not at present apply to the Lindis diggings. Those persons in Otago who are digging are doing so solely on sufferance, and are, in fact, illegally occupying the crown lands, of which we suppose no notice will be taken if they conduct themselves properly. The discovery of gold has caused much alarm amongst the runholders, especially those in the neighbourhood of whose runs the precious metal has been found. The alarm is natural enough, but the " Gold Fields Act " has made provision for compensating a runholder whose run may be proclaimed a gold field. It is true that by the Otago Land Regulations the run may be proclaimed a Hundred, and thus the holder's rights cease ; but we scarcely suppose that such a course of action would be proposed. Those who hold as runs agricultural land on the sea-board took their licenses with their eyes open ; they must have known that the tide of population would sooner or later dispossess them : but we do not consider that the proclamation of a Hundred on the mountains in the interior would be a fair interpretation of the Land Regulations. The runholder must of necessity give place to the digger if gold is to be found, but we think" his case is a fair one for compensation.