WAIKAKA DIGGINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2369, 27 July 1899, Page 23

WAIKAKA DIGGINGS.

fl?n,oiff Our Own Correspondent.) " A "DBEDGEM ASTER'S DIFFICULTY.

• Since the introduction of the modern system - Df gold saving — dredging — the industry has had to battle with many difficulties, not the least of which, is the question of water-rights. In , -almost every district where the dredging indus- | try has taken root, the question of the fouling of the water seems to have cropped up. In this district the dredging, even from the very first, was -threatened by those who claim that they have indefeasible rights to pure water. This question has been held over the heads of ' dredgeownera here like en ever-present impend- , ing doom ; and, without doubt, has militated ' against the progress of the industry. The dredging industry is now of such great importance that this slate of affairs will have to bs altered. In our district, at present, there is a state of great anxiety as to the question of liability of miners in this connection. Meetings have been held here at different dates, and the whole field has been gone over, resulting in van- I ous' proposals being brought forward — applica- i tion by petition to Government to proclaim the Waikaka a sludge channel, proposals to meet and arrange the amount of compensation, etc. ; suggestions to pipe in other water, and, in fact, tc do anything by which the industry . could be continued. However, in the Jace of well-known facts of law, that the farmer as well j a3 the miner, has rights, and mußt be protected, if possible, all these proposals eeem quitesjn- { adequate. It is felt that the Government must legislate, and that at once, to get over this water difficulty. It is not sufficient that the matter be dealt with in small sections of the country, as the conditions of gold-raining are Mow totally different to what they were in former years, and it is necessary that our legislation should be formed to suit these altered condi- 1 tione. The day is past now, when it is suffi- j cient that a small portion of a stream be proclaimed, subject to the mining laws — a channel into which tailings may be emptied. In my opinion the time has now arrived when it is incumbent on the Government to proclaim the -whole of the colony subject to our mining laws. It is a veiy short-sighted, and altogether a too narrow conception of our mining industry, to parcel up the country iike a checker-board, and have a different law t<j apply to every square of the colony. Here, for instance, in this Waikaka district, we have situated one of the very oldest alluvial fields, and a diggings that is now being converted into one of the most extensive dredging fields in the colony, without adequate provision for-thc protection of the mining industry. Of one thing, however, dredgeina&t^n may rest pretty well assured — that the gold industry is altogether too strong to allow any of its undoubted rights to be overshadowed. MINING LEGISLATION. There has been some little excitement here lately over the securing of a, piece of very rich ground. Both parties have been busily engaged pegging out, and the field of operations looks like an American dead wood forest — stuck over by the Hon. E. J. Seddon's timber-yard legislation, posts and trenches staring one in the face at every point. If any better illustration were required of wild-dog legislation, than is self-evident all over our special mining claims here, it would certainly be necessary to ■go to a timber depot and a ditched field. The repeal did not come too soon, but eveu the repeal of certain of the most glaring absurdities ;only more clearly indicates others just as necessary of amendment. Surely the lawyers should be strong supporters of the Seddon Government, for they are kept going to promote a friendly feeling between the various applicants Sor mining privileges, and are filling their pockets at tljgi same time. - DREDGING. Tho dredging boom is just now beginning to make itself felt. Almost all the gold flats are now pretty well secured, and dredging ground here is ' becoming more valuable every day. Those dredges that are already at work are on 'good gold, and the returns are so regular that the average is easily worked out. There is question of the favourable changes that have taken place here since Mr Perry came over from Lawrence some three years ago. We have evidence everywhere that money is flowing freely in its natural channels. There are several very fcig dredges and other large mining undertakings on the tapis, which is certain to work for the progress and prosperity of the district. Some of the early shareholders have done exceedingly well with their dredge shares, but would have done- much better to have held on to them, j The new United dredge that is now being erected is to be of a first-class build, and will be j sure to give a good account of herself when once work begins. lam told that this company arc proposing to erect two or three other dredges right on. As the owners of the land are deeply interested in the undertaking, it will readily be seen that no chances are being taken. In connection with the obtaining of dredging sites, some really good stories are being told here. The whole Waikaka Valley is known to be highly auriferous, and some of the land is held under M'Kenzie's eternal lease. Now, the Tjoor settlers who have been co unfortunate as to secure a farm under this now famous tenure are beginning to realise what a terrible farce to them the whole thing means. Men who have toiled and saved for years on their bit of land, Pitching and swamping and ploughing, are summarily ousted "when some hunter after the "yellow dross" comes along; oi, on the other hand, farmers are. compelled to defend their farms from the claims of ridiculous contentions in a court of law against men of straw. The question of pegging or going upon land held under lease in perpetuity, is in far too Unsatisfactory a state at present to be just to tha lessee. If the Crown wishes to retain the tight of entry, subject to the Mining Act, then it should be made incompetent for any party &9.K9 upon such lfia.se*! IsldM without Jia.vi»«

first satisfied the court (warden's) that lie or they are in a sound financial positiou, and prepared to pay compensation for any lands taken. It is a crying shame that lands so taken may be hawked over the country in the efforts to induce the general public to pay for the law , expenses incurred in securing the claim. Hap- : pily the good sense of our wardens, generally, ; is sufficient to effectually check" this kind of I thing to a large extent ; but still the law should i be strictly laid 'down on the point.' I believe that where gold exists, and the owners of the land do not, or will not, work such gold-bearing ground, then it should he competent "for miners | to resume such land, and the miner should ; have the same rights io deal with such land i as if it were Crown lands, paying only the as- ' sessed valuation; but the court should first , be satisfied on that point before the applicant should be able to drag a man to court to defend what may turn out a mere gambling spec. , AN ENGINEERING FOUNDRY. j I hear on the very best authority ■ that within a short time a foundry j Will be established somewhere in the ' valley of the Mataura for the repairing and construction of dredging machinery. The num- i her of dredging claims taken up will be sufficient to keep half a dozen foundries going for .some time to come. It is to be hoped that the . new venture will have enough capital to go j into the business thoroughly. The question of the future of dredging is now assured, and the ' building and repairing of such machinery cannot fail to have a 'big future before it. j I OUR. TOWNSHIP. | Considerable dissatisfaction exists regarding the treatment meted out in connection with the roads about the township by the county council. Residents have repeatedly petitioned the coun--cil to have something done, but I am told the i only satisfaction they received was to have | their request thrown out, on the ground that ' they were not ratepayers, and this simply be- J cause the secretary was not one, or that the i request came at the wrong season of the year, ' or something else equally shifty. I am of I opinion that the time is approaching, if it is ' [ not here now, when it will be advisable to constitute a Town Board, or come one of the ' local self-governing bodies that are set out in i statute to provide tho people with autonomy , ! in such cases. Matters cannot murh longer go on a3 they have been going ■without direct injury to the business future of tho -place. A • school has been asked for, but refused, on the j grounds that the present one as quite suitable. \ building sites have lately been in some re- j quest, and only the last court day in Gore an ] attempt was mado by a new dredging company hero to surround the whole township, which may yet be dredged away. All these things re- j quire looking into, and the rights of residents ! here must be protected, anil the only way that i | I can see is for closer attention to be given to these matters by the people themselves. A NEW BRIDGE WANTED. A petition to tho Southland County Council is in course of circulation for signatures praying for a bridge across the Waikaka at the school j ford. The present crossing is being eaten into i by tho river, &.nd sooner or later a bridge will j have to be constructed, but whether the present is a suitable time or not is open to question. No Joubt there is need at times for a bridge, but a new bridge will cost a lot of money, and 1 see no prospect just now of the money being forthcoming. Tho county have .no funds to devote to such an undertaking at present, and unless a vole could be seemed 1 from the Government, I se-s no prospect of j such a large work being taken in hand by the county unassisted. FARMING AND THE WEATHER. Farming matters have been practically at a standstill this last week or two. We have had such a lot of .severe frosts that ploughing is out of the question. At the time of writing the whole country is white with a heavy fall of snow, which is now frozen hard, so feed for stock is difficult to get at.