MACETOWN. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Otago Witness, Issue 1751, 13 June 1885, Page 13

MACETOWN. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

June 6. CANOELIiAT OX OK fiOLD MINING I/KA^ES. —18 i 8 publicly announced that Gold-miniug Lfa:e Mo. 9080, Boction 87, block XII, ia cancelled Tb.l3 i 3 a roundabout wav of 3i.y!ii^ toad the oenifiqa es of tbe KeeplfeDvrk Ccmuajy sre cancelled, with the merits of whic'i your c ir mpoudcnl does nou feel call-d upon t > ioto'-fo-o ; but »he conduct of tho "Dapartraont in thu nialtc-r indicates auch »n unaccoptsble policy that ii is im ( > 'B3ihlo to let it pasa without comment, as it u.fects tho walfire o' tha whole pold-mining industry under f hß leasing ayateea. There are about twenty Colii-mlning leases nt Macetown on which no rent has bosu paid rior any work done for over a year—in some cs.'jgs t >r several yanra— and they are not interfered with : yet ihls unfortunate company, which holds ground 'on the top of Advance Peak, at an altituda of os-er 500.) feet above sea level, and which omployod aa mvy men hst naa^ou a 9 would have satisfied th 6 : requivotnontg of tho. imposed conditions of the lease ior thrco or four yeiri, but was obliged to suspend opora(,ionß thfoueh unavoidable misfortune, has its leiao inamedialie y cancelled. In otner cases the shareholder^ requested cancellation, but it was not eff'cW at thair request, it is decidedly unfair for the Government t > show favour to iodividual partiei because they may have friends at court, and yet facta point to the conclusion that some hiddon influence has beon able to accooipllth v/haD invoßtlgationa in open O ur 6 f.\i ed to do— that is, to show that it wa de*drablo that thj leaw s.hou'd be cancelled. But the public nafcurnlly ark— Why cancel it when more nntoruU3 ciscß of delinquency aris passed over? If it was b'>c*us9 an opponent— who, for all the aut)horitie^ kaow to the con'rary, may bo a greater delinquent thin the ornpanyhe a eka to despoil— is willing to d podi' £20 to <CAia his end, the matter amounts to bribery : whilst if ir, o uld ba supposed that any back dior li.flidiica could bave been nudo ti roach Ministors, ib would tl nply mem corrup ion. It U diffic jl' to -teor ul.iir ot such c inc.U'ijris whoa a caso of light d ling enev i i - eho j on ns an example in a placs which furri h sa 1 m ny heavy ones, and not only so, but in A cvae where a groater delinquent may actua ly move tho Go\ r ernm>nt to puni-h a lesser. Tho present Mini -tor of Min.-s h»3 shown a strong desire to boc «ne acq laintcd with all that could be learned on tho gr.l lfiel Ja that might guide him In the legislation aud administration affecting them, aud it would be wronsj to hido public opinioa from him, even if io wcro pos-iblo to do 00. It may be said that the law was allowed to t*Ue its course; so it wis, and it ou<hfc to keep its course unij'l all casas of eqtfcl or greater fligrancy have been dealt with.

Ova Deputation —Tbe County Chairman and big cnrnpanlon Inve leturned from Wellington a-od met tha Like County (Council, but they took good care noo to let th-ird-inga leak out to tho p-iblic. The Pre 39 representatives gave it to the Council pretty bo*! for excluding rep wrters, and then letting- the nowa become public property next day through the medium of unvote channels. It ia fair to assume tbafe tho Council hid good reason to go into oominib'ee, or thuy wouid not have done so ; but thsy ne >d not bUiae the pubiic if suspicion Io aroused, and <md tn^mbe.aof the deoutation are suspected ot re0 -mnio'.rtinpt --t Wellington things which would not ba endowed by tbe mujoridy of the ratepayers. If th-y ruwo a Ivuca'.ed the retention of the goid duty — and -.ruro is I'ome reaaon to suppose that ihey have — lilviy aro übtorlv unwodhy the confidence repoied in 1 hem, and have no excauo ooly the pattern set by the vuuiilatiufj conduct ol our rulera.