National Colontal Jumping Association, (UNLIMITED LIE-ABILITY.)

Thames Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 8602, 5 March 1897, Page 3

National Colontal Jumping Association, (UNLIMITED LIE-ABILITY.)

[Written by HinoncTO in 1901.]

A correspondent writes suggesting that as » jumping boomis bound tobe the logical conohuiotio? the worn* pegging out booro, soalio would » jumping syndicate be the logical successor of the p3gging syndicate wbick has had its day and which must surely depart. Our correspondent thinks there is a big fortune in the idea. Considering the number of claims which are now helping themselves to protection in secret—taking French leave in fact—it is by no means unlikely, that a well-managed jumping syndicate would earn a rich [The above paragraph appeared in the Thames >Sta* of February 26th, 1897. Whether it had any bearing on the matters which are herein related the writer cannot say. This narrative (as yet nnreo»rded in the annal* of- mining) is of course purely historical.]

John Fitz-Jobber was gazing pensively ever the .plan when the brilliant idea struck him. He was an up-to-date, rather old young man-—hit exact age would have proved slightly a problem even to the fair sex—and he had just succeeded in a big coup on the Stock Exchange. John had pegged out the Gtoiden Dollar Extended, situated in the' baok country, 30'"miles from anywhere, and after dodging the Mining Inspector for three months he had been successful, by dint of liberal j concessions' to the tinder-writers, in '• dumping it oil th.«. Home market. , J; . , The Golden Dollar was, of course, "situated in newandpreviously untried country, and was such as could only be profitably.worked by the expenditure of a large sum of capital." That'was how the lawyer put it in the deposition before the Warden's Court—the gag had become so common that for economy's sake he had printed forms with all particulars filled in, simply leaving a blank for the name of the claim.

Under these circumstances, the Golden Dollar Extended was "put through" the Court, and after the ju»prietor had obtained the usual six months' protection •to which all " recent grants" are entitled, he innocently helped himself to three months mere idleness, and then successfully wooed the London investor. It was a " big thing" for John; arid a " big thing" for the middlemen generally ; and now that the^fiist instalment of British capital waa Witting in his pocket, the prosperwtt tfcpfcculator and newly fledged .mining expert had looked around, like the Macedonian warrior, for fresh worlds to.wmquer. It was in this frame of tnindthat he had taken down a parcel of plans from the wall of his office and had<t*gnn to carefully peruse them. They wete^the latest products of the Chamber, of Mines, which in those days disseminated this class of mining literature; in order to '* advance the interests of .the goldfields and promote legitimate eta velopment." ' ' " But alas, they afforded not the slightest consolation to Mr John James Fitz-Jobber. The most rigid scrutiny could not reveal a bit of vacant ground tlmt was worth the unproverbial d— —, and as a whole legiot of Alexanders could not create " surpluses " where they did not exist, the task seemed hopeless. It was all very well for a Colonial Treasurer to create a golden surplug by a stroke of tlie pen, buc where the Warden bad parcelled out every bit of auriferous ground to the fraction :6f a square foot,: the jpen-and-paper method of mine* creation was beset with difficulties.

So thought John, and the problem set' him to ponder deeply. It was the easiest matter in tba world $o manufacture reef s—they flemished in - strict proportion to the surveyors' fees—but where no substance of mother earth existed, even the surveyor would be hopelessly at fault. And then it was that this magnificent idea dawned upon his expansive intellect. If human ingenuity could not manufacture soil, why could it not profit by the shortcomings of its neighbors to rob them of their possessions ? In short, why not establish a Jumping Syndicate? There would be millions "in it; it would be the greatest development of the mining j boom, it would defend the country from the ever-grasping greed of the would-be capitalist! Who could possibly doubt the success of a scheme which would so irresistibly catch on with the .masses and <it the same time fill the pockets of the promoter—in which private and public interests could be so artfully and admirably blended! It was magnificent and sublime i and as the current of our hero's thoughts rushed on, the idea took living shape and secured a fatal hold upon his busy brain! And so the result of it all was that when John James Fitz-Jobber sought his couch that night he could scarcely rest in anticipa tion of the masterly stroke which would shortly reveal itself to the Mining World.

*' Quotev," said John James next motning, as he dropped'into the sharebroker's office,'" you look blue to-day, old man."

" Blue, do I?" growled Mr Quoter,! " I should think so. You would if you were in my shoes." " Business bad ?" asked the amiable John, more out of polite sympathy than interrogation. " Yes, and —~bad," was the rejoinder. " The whole country pegged out, mining market glutted with properties, and not a shilling from the investing public. Not one sale worth recording during the whole of last evening. Yes, business is stagnant, almost bedrock ; and you may bless your lucky 6tars that you traded off the Dollar Extended before the slump set in."

"ffm, the Dollar Extended was of course a legitimate area," replied John —(the sharebroker smiled grimly). " But how long do you think the depression Trill stay?" «' As long as people continue to cany these inflated values in their brains," said Mr Quoter, with a impatient stamp. "There is capital available, but present property-owDers, -who can't do a stroke of work, all want absurd values such as you got. Only they aren't all so lucky, and meanwhile business stagnates." The sharebroker, overcome by bis own eloquence, was pacing the room. The boss promoter was thoughtful. It ■was the latter who next broke the silence. " Don't you think we can force their hands?" he remarked at length. " You fellows used to draw your profits through the gambling on the Stock Exchange. Now that the pegaers have squashed the exchange, why not go in and Bquaah the peggers through the strong right arm of the jaw—backed up by a little judicious manipulation. There is not one who is outside the scope of the labor clauses, aud I don't know whether a Jumping Association would not be a mow paying game than hall-penny commissions on scrip." , , , , „ The. sbawbrpker had stopped half, way in hio itride acroM the room, fie was • itw***<»d, *•«*?•£ "W**o? tie •*««*>** light wbei*»d toped to hii feu&eßttct/ formed • itwage conrMt wife tip,4u>io\ii tiprewioß

which conteuded for the master^ A moment's thought, and he eyed his visitor: I " Are j'ou sure it will work ?" "Perfectly," answered John, with the emphasis of enthusiasm; "what, is to prevent it ?" "Aye; what, indeed?" musingly responded the sharebroker; "at any rate /t is well worth trying." So the upshot was that John James Fit/jobber left Mr Samuel Quoter more than half convinced, the shareholder promising that nothing should fail for) lack of the sinews of war. I

(To be Continued.)