LAND ON GOLDFIELDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1003, 18 February 1871, Page 11

LAND ON GOLDFIELDS.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir — ft T. R." wishes for further information as to opening land upon the goldfields, and believing him to be desirous of information, notwithstanding the display of personal j animosity {whioh I can affoid to overlook) I wil try to enlighten him. During a debate in the Provincial Council, I took the opportunity of stating what I now repeat, that I felt pleasure in acknowledging that at last some of the pastoral tenants of the Crown were honest in their professions when they stated that they were prepared to give up land in their runs when requi ed for settlement, but I am . sorry , to say that I have found these to , be the exception. Those who met the Government in , a fair* and liberal spirit, and amicably settled the compensation, to, be paid, which by the way , in no case exceeded 2s 6d, enabled the Government to cancel their .blocks at once ; hence the almost immediate cancellation of 15,000 to 20,000 acres. With others, however, the case was different, and protracted negotiations were the consequence, until the Government, finding there was no hope of arriving at any amicable arrangement, determined to " take the bull by the horns," and cancel without the consent of tha runholders, leaving the, question of compensation to arbitration, as provided for by Golo fields Act, 1866. This was the reason why a large proportion of the 55.960 acres was not Boon^r cancelled. Again, there is a block of 17,360 acres that has for years been wanted for a Hundred, known as the proposed Beaumont Hundred. The Commissioners appointed by » ha General Government under the Hundreds Regulation ■Aot reported that they oould riot recomr iaend thia Hundred, *»iEdidtt(jt : m6*t .''the

requirements of the Hundreds. Regulation Aot,?' but they "fully oonour with the evidenoe as to the necessity for throwing open more land for settlement ." What a practical illustration of the oft repeated argument, that the Hundreds Regulation Act is a barrier to the opening of land for settlement. The Commissioners further state in their Report that "they feel bound to direct attention to the suggestion generally expressed in the evidence, that while it is very desirable to throw open mote land, even to double the extent of the proposed Hundred in the district referred to it would be more in accordance with the wishes of the district if the land in question be placed under the provisions of the Goldfields Aot rather than under the Hundreds system." With this part of the Report, dated 10th Deoemher, the Government quite agreed, and on the 28th of same month cancelled 17, 360 aores trader the Goldfields Act. The h<story of this case is instructive, and as "T.R. desires information I have no doubt he will thnnk me. First efforts were made some 16 months ago,- when there was as great a necessity for land for settlement as there is now, to obtain a block by an amicable arrangement — this failing, a Hundred wasaskedfor. I haveabovegiventhe result, and of what followed'; and now the last illustration of giving prao ioal effect to the professions of some (not all) ranholders' willingness to promote settlement is by ob. taiaing an injunction of the Supreme Court with regard to that block, so as to still further delay the progress of settlement. Efforts were made to obtain at least twothirds of the 55,960 acres many months before they were actually cancelled, so that I can give the flat denial tbat action, in thiß mutter, was with a view to the coming elections. I will point out to "T. R " that I have Btudinuely avoided attacking Mr Maoandrew, excepting in self-defence, and, judging from the result, as shown by my opponent's bile, when I hit I do so to some purpose. I can assure him that 1 never did believe in the efforts made by many to raise themselves by running down their opponents. My purpose has been to elicit nncontrovertible faots to prove that, believing settlement of the people upon the lands of the Province to be the foundation of all true, practical, and lasting progress, Mr Reid and his colleagues (of whom I am one) are not amenable to the oharge3 that have been brought against them of being "obstructive" and "non- progressive." If "T. R." wishes for any further information on any subject that 1 may be conversant with, I will^ be most happy to meet with him at any time for that purpose. lv the meantime, however, I regreb I must deoline any further newspaper correspondence with him.— I am, &0., John L. GiLLiss.

We learn from the Cromwell Argus that the last fortnightly crashing at the Cromwell Company's battery yielded two splendid cakes of gold, weighing together about 4300z8. , being an average of about 3ozs. to each ton of quartz operated upon.

The miners at the Longwood diggings have been reduced to a state of enforced idleness for several weeks past for want of water. A correspondent of the Southland News says :—: — "The Southland diggings is a field whose whole prosperity depends upon * supply of water, for it is only a sluicing field. There* fere, when water is short work is entirely suspended. There is no underground work, as in most other diggings, to fall back on. In many of the claims here there is from ten to twenty feet of washdirt, with a little gold all through it. Ground of this sort will pay no other way but ground sluicing. There is a large quantity of it lying idle for the want of water, whioh would pay good wages. If tha Otago Government have money to spend for the supply of water to the goldfields, this is one that would pay a fair return for outlay. There is no other field in Otago that pays the same per man, and could water be obtained, it would Boon be one of the largest of her goldfields, as well as one of the most prosperous."

In an artic'e on the yield of gold in Victoria during 1870, the Argus Bays :—": — " Not only was the comparative decrease in the yield much less in 1870 than in 1869, but, taking into considerition the number' of minera employed, there is an absolute increase in the returns realised by them. Taking the gold at L 4 per ounce, in 1866 the value of the produce of the persons engaged in mining averaged 3ls per week ; in 1867, 35s ; in 1866, 36s ; m 1869, a fraction less than 31s ; and in 1870, a trifle over 32s per week. , Remembering the period of almost unparalleled depression which has existed on Ballarat, the metropolitan goldfield of the colony, these results cannot be considered altogether unsatisfactory. Indeed, the outcome is a great deal better than was generally expected ; and thiß' is no doubt to be attributed, in a great measure, to the very great progress which hag been made by the Bendigo mines ' during the year."

A country correspondent sends the following, to the Oamaru Times : — "At a recent school committee meating it was proposed thai a new map of , the two hemispheres should be prooured. ' But why not get the -whole four at once, and save expense ?' exclaimed a member whose zeal was, fortunately, not so limited as his geographical knowledge. In vain the teacher urged that there wore but two hemispheres — he knew better., At last a compromise was effaoted, ; '»ndj ilw»s •tr*nged l to, get; twro^hemisp^erios ao^wd^o«^ (w> next wooft" . . v ,