ARROW MINERS' ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1230, 17 July 1875, Page 11

ARROW MINERS' ASSOCIATION.

(BY OUtt SPECIAL REPORTER.)

The fourth annnal meeting of the above, held at the Library Hall, Arrowtown, on the 3rd inst., was very successful, and, notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, was Tery fairly attended. The business was the reading of the annual report, the election of a President and Secretary, aad six members of Committee, retiring by rotation. The out-going President, Mr MA. Miller, presided, and, in a very excellent speech, recapitulated the doings of the Association, and the advantages it had conferred upon the mining interests generally, recommending some substantial memorial from the miners of the Province to the memory of the late Judge Grey, who always possessed a sincere regard for the goldnelds and their inhabitants. Mr Miller continued : As Sis Honour the Superintendent had set his face against, the establishment of a Mining Board for the Province, he (Mr Miller) thought something should be done towards providing the miners with technical educatioa in the knowledge of their profession. Such was the case in England, Germany, the United States of America, and- Australia, and the same might he done here. This might be accomplished by either Mining Institutes or Schools of Mines. For the former, £100 had already been voted for the Arrow. Mr Warden Stratford particularly deserved the thanks of the muting co-nmunity for his assistance and advice upon all occasions, as well as Messrs HaUenstein and Manders, for their attention to their (the miners) wants ; also, Mr H. M. Hornsby, for his carpfnl reports of their proceedings, deserved the thanks of the meeting. The Secretary (Mr J. F. Healey) then read the report, which showed the association to be exceedingly prosperous. The number of members bad decreased, but this waa owing to miners leaving the district. Now, however, .things were improving, and members of the association wonld increase in consequence. He then called Mr Henry Manders, M.P.C, to address the meeting, he (Mr Manders) having been elected an honorary member. Mr Manders spoke to the effect that it was scarcely possible the General Government would sanction the Gold Duty Rebate Ordinance ; still as the money had been voted he thought it might be distributed amongst the various mining associations for prospecting purposes, as well M rewards for the discovery of gold. This concluded the formal business on hand, when the officers of the association, excepting the Moretary, left the platform. Mr H. J. Cope was than unanimously voted to the chair, who, after an address upon mining assoc ations, at the same time congratulating the meeting upon the improved state of the mining interest generally throughout the Province, said they, the miners of the Arrow, owed a very great deal to the exertions of Mr Mackellar (Goldfields Secretary) on their behalf. Mr Mackellar thoroughly understood what |the miners wanted, aad that gentleman was always alive to their wants. The elections were then proceeded with. Mr J. A. Miller was elected president, Mr J, F. Healy secretary, and Messrs W*lker, Brown, Smith, Romans, Symons, and Clarke, members of committee. The elections were pretty closely contested, and the chairman was once obliged to object to one person nominated as being intelligible, he not being a bonajide miner, as prescribed hy the rules. This portion of the business concluded, the Chairman said, as so many miners were present, it would be as well that some of the more important matters of business which demanded their attention should be gone into, for instance, the continual application from persons to oocupy auriferous reserves, and the trouble these applications entailed upon the miners to make ob jeotionsto them ; also, that the report of the Goldtields Committee re the Crown Terrace, was opposed to the recommendations of him•elf, Mr Symons, and Mr Goldstone, when giving their evidence in Dunedin. They ui| recommended that after sufficient auriferous reserves had been made, that the remainder of the land should be* thrown open for cultivation, with the right of miners to •ster at all times to search for gold, without making any compensation except for aotual surface damage; also, that special leases should be issued, and under no circumstances •hould the fee simple of the land be parted with. The committee's recommendations were, that after the auriferous reserves had been made, - the land should be occupied ia the ordinary manner under agricultural leases, with three years to be allowed the miners to prospect the ground. Mr Cope thought that the Crown Terrace might not possibly be thoroughly prospected for thirty ▼ear* to ome, and its working would afford labour to the miners for probably 100 years. It waa only a question of water supply to make the Terrace highly remunerative, water now in use on the terraces of the Arrow" River would have in time to be directed to the Crown Terrace. He (the speaker) did not desire the diggings to be worked out in three years, or all the ground locked up from the miners ; people coming after them would require to make a living. Messrs Walker. Miller, Healy, and Symons •poke in support of this view of things. It was proposed by Mr J. A. Miller, and seconded by Mr Henderson, that the resolutions of the Arrow Miners' Association in regard to dealing with the Crown Terrace be strictly adhered to. It waa proposed by Mr gymons, that it be a recommendation to the Goldnelds Secretary to instruct the Wardens sot to receive applications from agriculturists for the occupation of lands set aside as auriferous reserves. Seconded by Mr Walker, and carried. It was proposed by Mr J. A. Miller, and seconded by Mr Preaton, that in the opinion of this meeting the £5000 voted for rebate of gold duty be divided amongst the various mining districts pro rata, according to population, for prospecting purposes and the establishment of Schools of Mines and Mining Institutes Carried.

Unanimous rotes of thanks were then recorded in favour of Messrs Hallenstein and Manders, M.P.C.a, and the Chairman of the meeting, for the very able manner in which a« had pat through the business of the evensag. The meeting was a very long and d WBfW Boclock