MOUNT IDA MINERS' ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Volume 1851, Issue 1940, 30 April 1891, Page 12

MOUNT IDA MINERS' ASSOCIATION.

A speoial meeting of the Mount Ida Miners' Association was held at the Town Hall, Naaeby, on Wednesday, April 15. Present : Messrs Lennane (chairman), O. Bumble, M'Grath, Blair, T. Lennane, and A. M'G. Brown.

The business of the meeting was tbe consideration of two matters— (l) A letter from Sim Shin Tong complaining that the warden rofuaed to grant hlB application for one acre situated in paddocks held by Messrs Plummer and O'Oonnell except on condition that compensation was paid the objectors. (2) The consideration of an application lodged in tbe Warden's Court by Messrs James Hore, Geddes, and R B. Hore for a water raoe to lift water from Home Gully for irrigation purposes. The attention of the association bas been drawn to this matter by several miners.

The matter of Sim Shin Tong's application was previously discussed at the monthly meeting held on 29th ult., and it was now moved by Mr A. M'G. Brown, seconded by Mr O. Bumble, and carried—" (1) That Sim Shin Tong is the holder of a miner's right ; and as it has been shown tbe land would only pay 25s or 30s per week for miniog on, tbe warden oan see that the ground applied for as an extended claim is too poor to work as an ordinary claim ; and, in his discretionary power, the warden can grant the application without compensation to the ooouplers of the paddocks. (J) That, had the ground not been fenced in, the applicant would not have been required to compensate the runholder, and persons occupying the land by consent of tbe runholder should stand in no better position. (3) That the runholder has merely a right to graze, not to cultivate, and in allowing the lioensees to cultivate he has committed a breach of his license. Messrs Plummer and • I'Oonnell are therefore trespassers, and to give them compensation would he to place them in a better position than holders of occupation licenses. (4) To grant compensation to persons holding no title would beagainst all the laws of the New Zealand Legislature in reference to gold mining (5) That a copy of the resolution be respectfully forwarded to tbe warden at Naseby."

The Chairman said it was the duty of the association to be always ready to give their attention to any matters affecting individuals as well as companies, as in the case of companies they were invariably shown the preference.

The matter of the application by Messrs G-eddes, Here, and Hore was fully discussed, after which the following motion was proposed by Mr John. M'Grath :— " That In the opinion of this committee it is most desirable to urgu upon the warden the gre-tt danger that might arise by granting the application, on the following gronndp: (1) That the Mount Ida Water Bace Trust was obliged to expend £100 for tbe purpose of cutting a channel ia Home Gully .'in the vicinity of the present application, to keep the sludge and tail v ater off private property. (2) That the granting of water rights in Home Gully would practically put a stop to all mining in that direction. Diverting water for in igation purposes is widely different to diverting it for mining, as in tbe latter" case the water is returned a little lower down into the same gully from which it was taken, and does no'- greatly interfere with the flow of tailings; while by diversion for irrigation purposes the water ia never returned to the gully, being absorbed by the ground. (3) That it is well known there is still a large area of auriferous ground in tbe locality, and a great deal of low land will be required for discharging tailings on, which is as neoessary for sluicing purposes as the ground to be mined. (4) That the warden be respectfully urged to deollne the application." *

The motion was seconded by Mr C. Bumble, and carried.

The Chairman said he bad gone ever a good deal of land in the vicinity, and was of the opinion that no portion'Of it should t>e alienated or disposed of in any way that would interfere with mining, as he« was sure tbe Naseby goldfiuld was taking the direction of Kyebu 1 n. — Mount Ida Chronicle