DUNSTAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 624, 14 November 1863, Page 8

DUNSTAN.

THE REGISTRATION SYSTEM.

PUBLIC MEETING. (FROM THE DAILY TISIEB CORRESPONDENT.)

A densely crowded meeting of the miners was held on Saturday evening last, in the elegant hall of the Union Hotel, Hartley-street, for the purpose of memorialising the Government towards procuring an alteration of the laws respecting the registration of mining claims. * Wm^Jtoms, ' Esq., was unanimously voted to the chair/^§Bl opened the proceedings by introducing the subject^and commenting at some length on the desirability of their being some reform in the registration system, which he, (the Chairman) said would no doubt contribute much towards the welfare of the mining community, as well as the prosperity and permanence of the gold fields in this district, and called upon — < Mr Pole, who proposed the first resolution : He said that experience both in Victoria and New South v£a'eß had shewn that the system of short registration was perfectly _ absurd and ruinous to the miners, and in _ a great measure prevented i them from developing the resources of a country. It w..s a well known fact that for some months past the banks of the river were almost deserted in consequence of its flooded state during the winter months, when, according to precedent, the water should have been at its lowest ebb. Many of the miners hail expended their all in shepherding claims from which they never obtained a pennyweight of gold, and were now compelled to abandon them in consequence of the present obnoxious and oppressive registration system. In Victoria, when a claim got fleoJed, it would bs registered for three months, and then for three more after that, and again if necessary, so lnn<r aB the claim remained unworkable. He considered that if claims could be registered for the space of three months, or during such time as the ground remained unworkable, it would give the miners a better (■hanue of doing something during that interval. As it was at preacnt, the fourteen day system kept men continually going backwards and forwards to the Warden's Office, and instead of when tbe registration was up, their having a fresh supply of money to work tlieir claims with, th»y were as poor as when they Mt them. He was of opinion that in such places as Campbell's, Fraser's, and the Nevis, claims there should be protected during the whole of the winter months without being registered at all. He objected strongly to the charge of two shillings and six-pence being mmJe by the Rpgistrar each time of registration. It was a great hardship, and many miners had nothing to pay it with The speaker then read the resolution as follows :— 1 " That the present system of registration of river i and other claims is not suited to the requirements of | the mining popolation of this district." 1 SfConded by Mr Levy, and carried unanimously. The next resolution was proposed by Mr iSandison, from tbe Manorburn, viz : — " That this meeting deem ifc advisable tbat such description of miping as ia required for the extraction of gold from the banks of the Molynenx and Manuherikii Bivers, also, at such places as Campbell's, the Nevis and Prater's, cannot be carried on only at particular esasons of the year, thereby requiring c aims to be kept registered for Ions? periods. It would be more towards the interest - of the miners generally that these places be proclaimed workable during such months in the jear a* may be deemed most advisable. The

period of time to be proclaimed b> ilx Wi'.r'en, v> l- 0?>0 ?> decision shall b<s fiiiul. flip speAur s-aid uo .ill \ know how inadequate tiiu p^sent S3stp n o registration is, and tbat instead ot it beit g a protection, it io only a burden, besides entailing no end of trouble, expense, ami loss of time. Instead of a man bein^ ! nble as he should do when he finds his claim unworkable through means over which be has no coutnl, ! to betake himself to other localities when he can j succeed in getting a few ounces of gold, he is compelled to be kept lingering about the place, or at least of having to keep some of his party on the spot in consequence of not being able to have that security for his labor which he is entitled to. Could the miners leave their claims with security durme: the time they know they are unworkable, they would be able to earn sufficient, so as \r l ien the regisrr&tion expired and the time of year came round for the resumption of work, to carry on their opewtious again in a proper manner, ! ut as things were now numbers of them would not be able to take up their old claim 1 * ag un, which tney had bhcpherde.i for months and spent lame sums of money in the purchase of mining id ictiinery, inertly on account of tha present evil of which they sll complained. Look at tbe Joss of life that had occunei to partiis cros^ii-g to and from Campbell's during the winter months, tlie grtatr-r part of which ma/ all be att-ibu'el to the system of registration. If miners had lrid f=f rarity for their claim-, many of them who wer- now deal would 1 c livinp, aud contributing towards developing the resources of tlie Province. He (Lhe speaker) would nvt deny but that we were all a migratory clasps, but that was the fault of our calling ; our nomad'c habits were not so muoh of our own choosing, but even in a great mensure force-1 upon ua oftentimes, as in this case, by unwise leaislation. We are here to develop the mineral resources of the country, nnd the Government ou<rht to gi' eus every facility for so doin, r . He was glai to find that soras of the members of Council had taken tiie late severe loss nf life into consideration ; he found that one of them had recommended in the House, that instead or the present snow poles on the ranges, mounds or pillars be substituted. The idea was no doubt very goo;!, but for his part he considered that something in the shape of skelter sheds would be more advisable, they could very easi'y be built, as there was plenty of stone on tb.3 ranges for so fioing. He thought that with proper management their expense would be nothing, as they' would bo splf-supporting. He was well nware that in exposed situation 1 ! the Government notified before the winter set in, that they would not be responsible for parties remaining out in them ; but what were men to do 'I They did not guarantee them protection for their claims during that, period, consequently, numbers were cot pelled to stay. He concluded by trusting that their present application ti the Government would procure redress to the grievance complained of. The resolution wa3 seconded by Mr Garland, and carried by acclamation. _ Mr Cope proposed :— " That a copy of the resolutions, together with the miuute^ of this meeting bo forwarded to Vincent Pyke, Esq , Chief Commissioner of gold fields.' 1 Seconded by Mr Gardiner, and carried. After the usual vote of thanks to the Chairman the meeting separated. Dunstan, 6th November. _ With the exception of river claims, and those situated where there they are liable to be inundated by water draining from the 'rapidly melting snow on the mountains, nothing 1 could be more favorable for mining operations than the late fine open weather of the last fortnight, and notwithstanding the drain upon our population by the exodus to the Taieri, mining matters are very prosperous. In every outlying little creek or gully there ar; numbers of men steadily pushing their calling. In the majority of cases they appear to have settled down permanently to work, preferring to realise a fair week's wa^es for a fair week's work rather than be continually following rushes — which in the end generally impoverish the miners instead of enriching them. In numbers of cises men haye built comfortable stone huts with thatched roofs, materials for both beinsr always extremely handy, so, that to a great decree they are enabled to dispense with the use of firewood, except for cooking purposes. In a number of instancss that difficulty will be overcome this next winter, as in most parts, escecinliy in the g-eat ranges, there is any amount of peafc equal to any ever cut in the old country, and when oace we get into the mode or using it, and its use? become familiar, the turf stack will be as much a " household word" as th.3 heap of winters fire wood. During Sunday and Monday there was an extensive (what in other parts mijjht be called) "bush fire," but in the absence of bush that term would be inappropriate, so it would be best to call it by its proper namp, a '' gra^s fire." It appeared to extend over some few miles of country, leaving a denae c'oud of smoke all day overhanging the ranges. On Monday night the fire was apparently at its height, and raged with great fnry, lighting up the sky with its intense livid glare, so that objects in the plain between the two townships were distinctly visible longafter tbe hours of darkness. Firea on the ranges are now becoming very common, extending in places up to tlie very edge of the snow. A public meeting was held at the Union Hotel on the 2nd inst., called by the Proares3 Commintee, for the purpose of laying before the public an account of their first quarter's stewardship. J. G. Skinner, E«q., or-cupied th« chair, who animadverted very strongly upon the conduct of the Government, who had failed to recognise the communications of the Committee although written to on matters of considerable local importance a number of times. A resolution remonstrating with them for their neglect was put to the jneetirig- and unanimously carried. After some I recriminating language as to the amount, of good the Progress Committee had done and the amount of good they had not done, the meeting sep srated evidently impressed that the balance was in iavor of the Committee. The Coroner held an inquest at the Manuberikia on Saturday last, on tho body of the man Patrick Ryder, who expired suddenly the previous day in the bar of the Bridge Hotel. The deceased was a native of Clare, Ireland. A verdict of sanguineous apoplexy was returned. The deceased had an okl scalp wound in the skull, and it is supposed that the excitement caused by taking a little spirituous liqu«r,to which, he had "long been a stranger accelerated the melancholy event. Morgan and Co, the lignite contractors, have again commenced wcrk.this time in earnest and with same syst-m. The pumping apparatus, which consists of two sighteen-inch stroke lift pumps are driven by a very fine over-shot wheel eight feet in diameter, built by Mr Wm Beresfbrd, of the Manuberikia, it is supplied by a stream cut from the head of Mutton Town Creek. Its power is calulated ns equal to that of three horses, as the pumps are in first-rate working order. The present week will no doubt bring with it a supply of coal which is very much needed.

MANtfHERIKIA.

A large quantity of gold was biought into this township from the neighbourhood of Campbell's, and disposed of during Monday and Tuesday. These diggings are rapidly improving now that the snow is all but gone, with the exception of places where the drift has been heavy, or where the rays of the sun have not full power. When the present he aw drainage from the Glaciers has, somewhat subsided, a large increase in the yield of the precious metal -vrill undoubtedly take place. Parties who left some short time ago for the Hepburn and other places are now returning, besides numbers who are acquainted with that famous locality are shifting out for a summer campaign ; there are also a good many parties prospecting, many of whom report very favourably of the result of their exertions as yet. There is very little doubt but that this will be one of the leading gold fields during the present summer.

The dead body of a man named John Stewart, a native of Ireland, was discovered some few days since, floating down the Poraabawka Creek, by some parties who were engaged prospecting in that locality. Upon information being Bent to the Camp, police constable Webb immediately proceeded to Campbell's Gully to find the mates of deceased, which, after some trouble, he sfcicceeded in doing. They immediately, upon getting the news, constructed a coffin of such wood as they could procure, and taking it to where tbe body lay, placed it within, and making a sort of a rough irame, conveyed it from there a distance of twelve miles to Chamouni where it was interred in the pr- sence of a large concourse of people. The deceased being well known as the proprietor of a bullock bide lerry boat, which plyed inthe good old shepherding days at the " twelve mile beach." The difficulty of conveying the corpse wa3 excessive, caused by the dreadfully boggy ptate of the mountains, together with the great weight of the coffin and frame, which was not made of the very liuhtest material, requiring the services of no less than eighteen men, the whole of one day. The particulars of the deceased's death are thpse: — He with his mates, five in number, left Campbell's Gully at the time of the great storm, for th° pur pose of procuring some props from the Birch Forest, wherewith to secure their claim. They had each severally procured their loads and had returned with them, almost within sight of their dwelling, all keeping together during the journey. As they were so near homo, having only a short hill tj de«ce d,_ it was agreed that after taking a spell, considering there was dang-r, each one should hurry homewards as quickly as possible. The deceased did not pack up his load so promptly aa the others, but preferred remaining behind a little longer, telling his mates that he was the strongest man in the party. They accordingly went on leaving him behind, but the la9t man took care to tea him rfce and pick up his load to follow, consequently he went on with the full assurance tint notb.ng n >utd go wtong. This was the last that was seen' of him alive. Finding the deceased did not come home, his mates went about nine in the evening to sea'ch the hils, but no trace of him could bo found. The storm and drift then came on with great fury, compelling them to beat a Mtoafc. They subsequently searched after every thaw, but no signs of him coald be discovered. The timber which he was carrying was found, but not the slightest trace ot the body. . After tho funeral a number of the residents from

Caii|jbeil'rf Gully presented Constable Webb with a written. te>tiinoiiial, expres-ive of their e>t-;cm (or the truiible lie ha.t takeu in finding out the friends oi deceased, and for the txmioits he hai used towards procuring him chrwtian burial. Tue Constable in eoing out to Campbell's very nearly met th=s same fate as deceased. Afiec reaching the top of the old Mau he became very faint and slorpy, telling the man wlio accompanied him lie could no no further, aud laid himself down under a rock, fiom which his companion could not stir him. Mr Whisker, ot Potter's Gully, fortunately came alon# at the time, aud with the assistance of a Mr Munroe, supported Coustible Webb to a place of safety in Campbell's Gu'ly ; fi>r had he oncegoue to sleep in the exposed situation he was in, the night's frost would have prevented him from pver awakening again in this world.