THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi.` WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2114, 13 October 1875, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi.` WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1875.

Two of the principal objects which agitate tbe public mind now are tbe desirability -of forming a road for the conveyance of heavy machinery and other necessary though weighty articles to Tairua, and the equal necessity of providing employment for the two hundred and odd miners who are out of work by the stoppage of the Bright Smile pumps. It does seem as if two birds .in this case might be killed with one stone, and that too with but little difficulty, if the Government would only find employment for the superabundant labour at present at the Thames by the formation of the much needed road to Tairua: If the Government Engineer would put himself into immediate communication with the authorities, and represent fully to them how necessary, for the good of the district is the work to be done, and how important it is to find work for the miners thrown out of employment to do; we believe that it is not impossible but that one of our principal wants might be remedied, and another want supplied. The desirability of this road being made admits of no question. Much valuable land, or rather land which for mining purposes may be'found of great value, is idle, simply because it will riot pay to put on many hands to. work the land in order to get quartz, when'as yet there is no means whereby that quartz may be made payable. Machinery for crushing is required at Tairua before much in the way of results can be expected, and this ma* chinery it is impossible to erect until the road in formedby which toconveyitthither. This road it is the interest both of owners of claims and working miners to see made with the greatest possible speed, and in a community like ours it is to the advantage of every business man, that their interests Bhould be duly attended to, as the welfare of the district in a great measure depends thereon. We have ourselves received a list of claims—sent to us by way of complaint wbich we hare not thought it advisable to publish—whoie nominal owners would certainly be compelled to forfeit them on the ground of insufficient work being done were plaints lodged against them; and yet it is but reasonable to suppose that as soon as means of transit were supplied these owners would be but too glad to have the gr und worked, if it could be so worked for their advantage. Equally is it for the advantage of the working miner too that the road should be made. Work for some time past at the Thames has not been too plentiful, and now, independent of the present outlock, is very difficult to obtain. With no land in the district available for agriculture the miner who cannot afford to live in idleness must either starve or leave the district, and this tends to the introduction of that "nomadic " population which" Sir Julius Vogel and every political economist condemns; and yet now, as ifc would seem if the Government Engineer, or those in authority, would M b»*lir themselres

immediately, and in earnest, these evils might be averted and fieso wants supplied. If the state of affairs as they are here was brought immediately before the notice of the Government; if the urgency of the need were pressed upon their notice, and the favorable moment of providing for that need, brought home to their view; and if also they were mado fully alive to' the disastrous results in the way of pauperism which must attend the present .cessation,of, T ,Tvprk,th§y would surely, we think, assent to some portion of that three hundred thousand pounds, which according to Mr Bagnall should have fallen to the lot of this district being spent upon us now. The Engineer might be instructed to let immediate small contracts for the so necessary work.. Our labourless miners might be provided with work and kept from starvation; the road might be made and the district opened up in a new and much needed way. Wo have endeavoured to show—though every one is so unanimous on the subject that showing what all are agreed on seems to be simply a work of supererogation—that making this road is for the advantage of owners of claims, the community, and the working miners themselves. We believe it also to be for the advantage of the province and of the colony in general that the country should be as much as possible opened up, and its resources developed. And if this be so, there can hardly be conceived a moment more advantageous to the Government for commencing such a work as the present time-; with the fine weather just commencing ; with plenty of labor for which employment must somewhere be found; with, workmen at hand for whose advantage the work in hand will be undertaken, and who may reasonably be supposed to take more than an ordinary hireling's ■ interest in work which so nearly concerns "themselves-* contracts might be let' in small amounts on terms favorable to the Government as well as reasonably remunerative to the contractors themselves. We do not wish for one moment to advocate the taking advantage of their present necessities to grind down miners to work for less than they are entitled to. A fair day's wage for a fair day's work is one of the few true cries of popular agitators, and one which we to the full believe in. But, at'any rate for a time, and considering the present difficulties, a large portion of those out of work, might easily be induced to go into the undertaking for the smallest possible fair wage—nay, we should not be surprised .if some would be glad to get work at less wages than they are entitled to, seeing that they themselves—the road once made—will be partakers in the advantages .which, we hope thatroad will confer. At all events, there they are, ready, we believe, and eager to work. We feel sure that Government will not have a better chance of getting their work well, perhaps, cheaply done, and we hope they will avail themselves of the opportunity. The matter must first be brought fully and clearly to their view, and this, we hope, will be immediately done. '