MINING MATTERS AT MOUNT IDA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2151, 16 May 1895, Page 20

MINING MATTERS AT MOUNT IDA.

TO THE EDIT((K. Sir,— Heforring to the deputation that waittd upon the Hon. A. J. Cadinan, Minister for Mines, during his recent visit to Naaeby, it is my pleasing duty to bring before the miners and the public in general something that may be of an interesting nature as to part of the programme. Some of the members of the Miners' Association spoko upon the Mims Repoit of 1894, which stated that tho week'y earnings of miners who bought water from "the Government head race, after paying for water, w.is £2 13s Sd. Probably a great many of the readers of your paper, saw in the report of a meeting of the Minew' Association helJ on October 27, 1894, that tho a«ao. ciation challenged the Miue3 department as to the correct .csj of these figures, and wished to know oa what hasi3 Mr H A. Gordon, the Government inspecting engineer, calculated the earnii.es of these 75 miners who bought waret from the Government. The reply I aho published, in accordance with instruction!! from my colleagues, in your issue of Jam ary 10, 1895, with a, resolution referring to it as being quibbling and unsatisfactory. Now, since the deputation, t>y still following up the book of reports, I. find, to my astouUhmeut, th*t Mr R. Murray, the n.anager of the Government race, gives the following figures in his balance sheet and report of 1&94 to tho Unler-«ecretary for Mine-< :- Sales of water for tho year aniount to £1422 fls "W, and the t-xpenditure on maintenance tn £1015 10, lid, leaving a credit balance of £406 18- 4il ; total cash re eived £1213, leaving a debit of siles of water over cash received of £209 m 3d. The number of miners supplied from the race was | 76, an.l the apoioximate quantity of gold obtained i was 28 Oojs, valued at £10 87G 5a Free water was [ also supplied to iriners to the value of £11 93. H<j\v Mr Murray found out the aniount of ffold obtained by t'lO'-e 76 miners is a m> story that cannot be solved. As he still holds the position of manager .of the race, which belongs to the public or State, I think influence could be brought to bear to make him draw up a fresh report or show howhe arrivtd at the amount of gold obtained, because it is not a usuvl th'ng for a manager to inquire as to what each individual earns, unlos he got it fiom some party that has to stand under another man. lam quite satisfied that such reports are the whole cause of the miners not obtaining any concession fiom the Government by way of a reduction iv the price of water, or extension of time to pay. Taking the Hon. Mr Cadman's words for it, he says :— " The Ministry haa to abide by the will of Parliament." How can the public of Naseby expect any concession from Parliament when such fallacious reports a3 these are laid before them, especially when brought down by the Minister himself. Probably thcra are man) members who don't go to the troubie of looking iuto the full details of the report— or, ia other words, probably don't give a brass farthing whether it is correct or otherwise. Cilculatine Mr Murray's figure?, the earnings would still surpass those stated by Mr Gordon in another paze of the book to the amount of Is 4i<l per week, the amount being £2 153 OJd. I, personally, have come to the concliuion that it is a trick of the trade to give large reports forbr^e salaries. Taking another page of reports on Mount Ida roM fields, which includes T-ieri, Nenthorn, Hindou, Hamiltocs, IIjd», Kyel.urn, Mount Burner, St. B-itbans, nml Uni^r M.-n.-hcikia Valley. In the*e localities 530 imneis w. re employed in alluvial mining laot yea-, *''«*■• quantity of *oM obtained was about ".^Ooz, representing a value of jE55,E83. '-O? parts of the field small wiwos are earned, but m other parts richer yields are obtained. In Naseby, where tha largest population is situated, the ground is vtry poor, an.l it is only by having a good supply of water tint the miners cm even earn small wages Taking those S'SO miners, their earnings would come, hy my re -koning the above to £2 3s 8>1 ; but there is nothing mentioned iv the latter "£Ufes— or rather those 530 miners— about those that ate

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tmying water from Government; there is no fcllowauce for those who don't. In going into the water quertion, as to the earning of the miners, the report is open for a coach and four lo drive through it. As to the race not bain.? self-maintaining, Mr Hurray's figures show that it pays £I'J3 10s lid to the good for that financial year, yet the Governknentput more expenditure (i.'B per week) upon the race, which means j£4!G a yuar— an increaee ■which I consider has to be sweated out of those 76 miners, which means over £o for e&ch individual miner to vny per annum to keep extra labour on tho race above what the late waterrace trust worked it with. If it had to come out of the consolidated revenue it would only amount to a very Email fraction (not haying the exact population of the colony I am not in ft position to give the amount). Taking £UG togtther with the £198 10a lid of a balance for the sales of water, which would amount to £614 _l(h lid, it would go along way to vr.ipds a reduction in the price of water. I hope thiß will open the eyes of the miners as to the need of still urging upon the Government the necessity of a reduction in the price of Water.— l am, <fee., A. M'NKrLr,, Hon. Sec. Mount Ida Miners' Association.