THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT AND THE WANGAPEKA LAND SALES.

Colonist, Volume XIII, Issue 1279, 28 December 1869, Page 3

THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT AND THE WANGAPEKA LAND SALES.

To the Editor of The Colonist.

| Sib, —Unwilling, as I am, to introduce any new matter, which might tend to increase acrimonious feeling, anent the Wangapeka sales, I am compelled, through the action taken by the Provincial Government organ, the Nelson Examiner, to pen a few jremarks upon the subject, for the purpose of denouncing the disgraceful manner in which that paper persists in endeavoring to arouse the angry feelings of jthe long-suffering miners. In the Nelson Examiner, 'of December 11, the leading article says :— i " Mr. Domett has appointed Thursday next for the ' enquiry, which will be held in the" Court-house, and ;be open to the public. Any of the men at Wnnga■peka who have an interest in the question will be at I liberty to attend; and as this enquiry must definitaly clear up all doubts as to whether the land sold is or jis not within the limits of a goldfield, we hope all parties will be prepared to accept Mr! Domett's idecision as A final settlement, and to submit to the \law without further question. Should it be found [that the land was illegally sold, THE beputed purjCHASEBS' WILL HAVE TO ABANDON THEIB CLAIMS, jWHICH WE ABE SUBE THEY WILL DO WITHOUT MUBjMUR; and, on the other hand, should the decision be )a»ainst the miners, wo shall hope to see them as readily acquiesce in what will then be clear is the law of the case, and the less hereafter said about a painful business the better." Jfovv, after that decision had been given in public court by the hon. Mr. Domett, the writer of another leading article in the same paper of December 24, adopts the position he had previously endeavored to force upon the miners, and remarks :— i " The miners who possessed themselves of the purphased land, showed ade'ermination to uphold what ,they considered right by might and opposed the survey in defiance of constituted authority." And further states :— i" Mr., Domett has put a construction on the provisions of the Waste Lands Act relating to the sale of land, which is quite novel;-' In a former letter of mine to you, signed " A Miner," I asserted that the Government, through its officials, Were actually the parties endeavoring to provoke a breach of the peace, and that in (his iniquitous policy they were aided and abetted by the unjustifiable language adopted by their press supporter, the Nelson Examiner. That my ideas upon this view of the question were correct, is fully borne out by the paragraphs I have quoted, and this view is further corroborated by the subsequent action taken by the Provincial Government, which the following correspondence will explain:— " Superintendent's Office, " Nelson, 24th December, 1869. i "Sib, —The Government have instructed Mr. Lewis, the Chief Surveyor, to endeavor to ascertain whether a straight line from Mount Arthur-to the mountain, called by the miners ' Mount Owen,' will exclude the sold land at Wangapeka. Mr. Lewis will stait on Tuesday next, and my object in writing to you is to give the miners an opportunity of sending some one with him, if they should wi»h to do 80. I "lam, "Your obedient servant, ! " Alfred Greenfield, "Provincial Secretary. " Mr. Moss, " Fleece Hotel." To this was 9ent the following reply:— : "Fleece Hotel, " Nelson, December 27th, 1869. " Stb,—l have laid your communication, of December 24th, before the Miners' Committee, and am requested to state in reply their opinion that the intended survey is premature, and, considering the proposed extension of goldfields boundary, unnecessary. It is also a contravention of the implied agreement that no action should be taken until tne decision of the General Government was ascertained. "Referring to my conversation with yourself,they agreed in the opinion that such action would tend to confirm.the feeling that the Provincial Government identified themselves with' the purchasers. "I may inform you that they have decided upon a correspondence with the General Government upon this subject. "lam, Sir, ; "Your obedient servant, R. A. Mosa. " A. Greenfield, Esq., " Provincial Secretary, Nelson." I may further state that the subjoined correspondence by telegraph has taken place between the miners and the General Government, and can only add that, if the request desired therein is not complied with by the Provincial authorities, the public will be clearly able to;judge who are the "misguided men who desire to fly in the face of constituted authority," and who were to blame for Mr. BroadY mistaken policy at Wangapeka. i I am, &a,, ; R. A. Moss, i Fleece Hotel, Nelson, . December 27th, 1869. , , Telegrams referred to •— , Mb. Moss to the Hon. W. Giibobnx. " Neison, Monday. , " The Superintendent is about to survey line between Mount Arthur and Mount Owen,'to ascertain if sold land within or without Goldfield. Miners j consider it breach of1 faith, and taking part of pur-1 chasers. Proceedings were stayed until result of Enquiry. Please reply. ; ' Hon. W. Gisbobnb to Mb. Moss. , " Wellington, Monday. " I have asked his Honor the Superintendent of Nelson not to do anything further at Wangapeka until General Government has considered Enquiry and ounxnuoicated with him on tb» subject.