THE LAST PHASE OF THE RUSH. (From the Daily Times, April 5.)

Otago Witness, Issue 697, 8 April 1865, Page 1

THE LAST PHASE OF THE RUSH. (From the Daily Times, April 5.)

A correspondent strongly urges upon the Government to send round to the West Coast, assistance to the numerous miners who have left Otago for that place, and who may desire to return, but have not the means to do so. No doubt the answer will be — ' The miners must take the con- ' sequences of their own headstrong rashc ness. They chose to rush to the new ' field before they were in possession of ' adequate information to justify their ' doing so, and it cannot be expected that ' the Government should relieve them of ' the consequences of their folly.' This sounds very plausible, but there is much to be said on the other side. They did not rush away without what they considered adequate grounds for doing: so. The private letters received by a few and circulated amongst the many, prompted the step they took. Many of these letters were of a most glowing nature, and unquestionably they were penned in good faith. Their general substance was to urge upon the writers' friends to at once proceed to the West Coast. We have said they were written

in good faith, and we may add, though it may sound somewhat paradoxical, that the advice as far as it went was sound. No doubt a gold field has been discovered at the West Coast from which a considerable quantity of the precious metal has been obtained, and which afforded fair prospects to a limited number of miners. The writers of the letters under discussion, finding themselves on a new gold field with perhaps scarcely three hundred companions, very naturally thought it was quite legitimate to advise some of their friends to join them. They could not foresee that for every one they recommended to come, some hundreds would go. If the recipients of the letters only had acceded to the advice they contained, the rush would not have been " overdone," and those who sent the advice are not to be held responsible, because for every man they invited a hundred went.

It may again be urged that no very definite information ha 3 come to hand concerning the alleged distress. This, in some measure, is correct, but enough ia known to create the greatest concern. Mr Rolleston, the Provincial Secretary of Canterbury, who was not likely to err on the side of taking too gloomy an aspect of affairs, writes from the West Coast in very discouraging terms, and our special correspondent confirms the statement. The substance of what he says, is what every one who calmly considered the matter anticipated — the rush is immensely overdone. Were there other gold fields within an easy distance, or settled country in the neighborhood, an announcement of the kind might mean little more than that a great deal of individual hardship would probably fall to the share of the surplus miners, who would have to endure as best they might until they could retrace their steps and find some other field for their labor. But an " overdone" rush in such a country as the West Coast conveys a much more tragical meaning. Between the hapless miners who can find no profitable occupation at Okitiki and the means of obtaining em« ployment elsewhere, lies a host of dreary difficulties that it is impossible to contemplate without a shudder. By far the largest proportion of the miners who rushed to the West Coast earned with them no more money that a lew days' idleness or unsuccessful labor would suffice to exhaust. Without the means of returning by sea, and with nothing to do on the spot, the prospect before these poor men must be something terrible. Even if they owed to their own imprudence only their position, their punishment must be sufficiently severe, without casting that reproach into their teeth. It is no aid to the unfortunate to tell them they suffer through their own fault. What they ask for, and what they have the right to expect, is succour not reproach. Wa suppose the utilitarian moralist who would condemn most strongly the folly of the miners in rushing in such large numbers to the West Coast, would not be prepared to contend that it would serve them right to leave them to perish by hundreds at the scene of their ill-starred adventure. We scarcely think we are exaggerating in anticipating the possibility ot such consequences arising. The nature of the country, its humidity, its impenetrable bush, its dangerous rivers, must make it fruitful of accidents and disease. There is no setting the limit to the disasters that may occur. It would be barbarous to assert that the sufferers have no claim to assistance.

But the question is, how is assistance to be rendered ? If the Otago Government were to interfere gratuitously, it might bring itself into conflict with the Government of Canterbury. The papers of that Province are evidently indisposed to admit that the monster they have created, is too large for their management. Mr Rolleston's discouraging letter procured him something like severe censure from the Editor of the Lyttelton Times, who, comfortably situated in the midst of civilised surroundings, had little sympathy with the gloomy impressions acquired by Mr Rolleston from personal experience. It is quite likely that: any offer the Otago Government might make, would be resented in Canterbury ; still, if it be right to make such an offer, the fear of consequences should not prevent it. There seems to be a mode in which the two governments might with advantage co-operate for the mutual benefit of their respective Provinces. We

alluded the other day to the ease with which the West Coast could be attained at a point much to the south of the Okitiki, from the head of Lake Wanaka, and pointed out that the route lay through country which most likely would be found auriferous. That it had ia fact been pronounced by competent authority to present just a3 much inducement to prospecting as the Okitiki itself. Along the West boundary of the Island there is a perfectly usable track ; and the miners who made the Coast at Martin's, or Jackson's Bay, would have no difficulty in reaching the Okitiki. It is too late to persuade the miners to go by that route, but they might return by it. At a very little expense facilities could be afforded which -would leave to the miners an easy retreat, whilst it would, in all probability, pave the way to the discovery of valuable gold fields in the interior of the Canterbury province, and their extension into that of Otago. The expense of establishing depots of provisions at two or three places along the West Coast would be trifling ; and at some kittle heavier cost, depots could be established along the line of route to the head of the Wanaka. Of course, the miners would not look for luxuriant fare, and those who could pay would have no right to expect to be supplied for nothing. Were such a course adopted, the country would be more or less prospected, even though the miners had not that end in view. Experience has proved that miners, when passing from place to place, with no other object than that of reaching their destination, always, more or less test the auriferous capabilities of the country they travel through. It would be only fair that the cost of a plan of this kind should be shared by the two Governments, because the miners, whilst prospecting the Canterbury Province, would be returning to Otago,andeach would be benefited. Were there no possibility of a profit arising from the transaction we should still contend that the miners at the West Coast have a claim to succour and assistance in the midst of their desperate need. It happens, in this instance, that in respond ing to the claims of humanity, the Otago and Canterbury governments may, in addition promote the material advantage •of the Provinces over the interests of which they preside.