Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 1874. "MEASURES, NOT MEN."

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 348, 18 April 1874, Page 2

Tuapeka Times. AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 1874. "MEASURES, NOT MEN."

There is nothing more remarkable in the history of New Zealand politics than the strenuous exertions that have been made by our rulers and the various devices they have tried to keep themselves honest. 'Aware of the normal tendencies of mankind, whenever the f ojree of ciscumstances has suddenly devolved the functions of government and the seductions of power upon individuals unaccustomed, to the one, and possibly deficient in strength of principle to resist the other, our legislators have in many cases stripped the real rules of the external badges of power, and while carefully retaining their hold of the reins have set up a shadow to wear the paraphernalia and bear the brunt of public obloquy, by nominally exercising independently the most important duties. This peculiar characteristic of our constitution is remarkably exhibited with reference to one of the most important duties of rulers, both General and Provincial, namely, the administration of Crown lands. This particular part of the antics of government has beeu deemed to offer so many temptations to political dishonesty that the supreme legislature of the Colony, in order to avoid temptations which they doubted their power to resist, have devolved them upon the Provinces ; and the Provinces, following so good an example, have carefully devolved them upon bodies whom they wished to induce the public to believe were politically independent, and called them Waste Land Boards. How convenient this course has been in Otago, people who remember the sale of Moa Flat Station, the enquiry concerning it in the House of Representatives, and how it turned out that no one was found to blanm .after diligent investigation, and Mr. Reid aud all other parties were able to say it was nobody's fault, it was done by an independent body, the Waste Land Board, will be able to discern. The same institution exists in full vigor in Otago at the present day, and while the men who constitute it are individually above any suspicion of subserviency or dishonesty, yet there is little doubt the public will still regard the body as merely the convenient stalking-horse of the Government for the time being ; and it is difficult to see how 3uch a body can well be otherwise. Its duties are of an intermittent character ; it has no independent staff of officers, ar.d must rely upon information received from and through the Government, and most of the individuals comprising it have not had time or opportunity to acquire information for themselves; and moreover, they are removable at the pleasure of the Superintendent, which means the Executive of the day ; and

in cases which may" fairly be considered as loft to their independent judgment, the public must not be surprised if the business is dealt with in a peculiar manner, not based upon principle or in accordance with public interest. A notable instance of this kind is the mode iv which applications to mine for lignite have recently been dealt with. An individual, for instance, discovers a new seam of lignite, and desires to obtain a license to ,work it ; or possibly he desires to obtain

land comprising part of a seam already discovered. Now, it would appear to an ordinary individual that to discover, open, and work as many seams of lignite as possible would be advantageous to the public. It is resumed that the principles of free trade are believed in., and so far as practicable acted upon in New Zealand, and if, so, ought to be followed by the Waste Land Board. But what do these respectable old fogies do? Whenever an application of this kind comes before them, their first enquiry is as to whether there is already a license granted to anyone else in the neighborhood for a like purpose, and if so, whether it will interfere with him. Some of the former grantees have been taking matters very easy — employing no capital and charging the highest rate for an inferior article ; and it is quite time they should be wakened up by competition. In some cases the Board actually refer the matter for decision to the inhabitants of the district or township in which the land is situated— another repetition of the plan of trying to keep themselves honest ; and this is surely the court of last resort, for to whom can the people appealed to appeal to keep them honest ? Qvis custodiet ipso custodes? Is it impossible for the Board to discover a principle on which to act, .and to follow such principlejwhen discovered ? It is not intended in the present article to deal with the question of the necessity for a Waste Land Board, but we confess that we should like to have some better reason for their existence than keeping the Government honest, and with instincts that are shared by all except those who are influenced by a fellow-feeling the other way, we would prefer a roguish Government to an inane Waste Land Board. But the mischief created by these attempts to keep our governors honest has heen allowed to spread and invade the goldfield 3. By means of that singular production the Waste Land Act of 1872, which is the muddled climax of old identity land legislation, all applications for water races are now required to be dealt with by this nondescript assemblage of Government conscience-keepers. The Act of 1866, which constituted wardens powerful genii to give gifts and endow men with wealth or leave them to poverty, was sublimely ridiculous in an ostensibly law-governed country, where the law should confer rights and be the

only power capable of negativing wrong ; but the system had at least the advantage of, being short, sharp, and- decisive, and if s, right- was denied, the .applicant had simply to grin and bear it], without losing much time or incurring great expense. . But now an! application has to be carried through an ingenious 1 edifice of red^tapeism; a-'finat reply to be waited for, for months; legal assistance to be called in; great expense incurred; and the matter finally dealt with by a tribunal actuated by no principle, who are perfectly irresponsible, and who may possibly end by getting out of a difficulty- by referring it to the decision of the inhabitants generally. Again, the regret arises that the legislation of last session did not include, the Gold Mining. Bill, for that would have in this .particular " matter i superseded the Waste Land Act, and, while it removed mining applications from the administration of the Waste Land Board, proposed to introduce a system easy to work and inexpensive to the mining community. There are some points in tlat part of the Bill which may be considered objectionable, still, as •regard^ tha administrative part of the .business, tie Bill would, have effected a very great improvement upon the Act of 1866. Ithto be hoped that the representatives, whatever system of keeping Governments .honest may henceforth be proposed, will endeavor to have this subject removed from the r control of all such bodies as Waste Land Boards, and adopt some system that will save the miners uncertainty, delay, and expense, and that will render the law so clear that it will be impossible for either Governments or Waste Land Boards to evade it.

Who is that knocking at the Superintendent's door ? The features of his Honor are lit up with such earnestness and interest that we who are within his sanctum, no matter how we got there, are all on the gui vive to know who the distinguished personages are. The door is opened, and nothing is to be seen. We look over to his Honor's Secretary to ascertain whether a trick has not been played by some of his familiars, who are, it is well-known, in the habit of making their presence felt by audible knocks, but who are invisible, save to those whose organs of vision are susceptible of the Odalic light. Conversant hitherto with embodied forms only, a weird-like feeling steals over us, or in familiar Scotch, we "get quite eerie," believing the spirits to be near ; bub our friend opposite has been so familiar with this kind of phenomenon that he sits calm aud unmoved, and we look in vain for a solution from that quarter. Still we , cannot dismiss our hypothesis without testing it. Who then is knocking at the Superintendent's door? This time we think of Morse's telegraph alphabet, for the sounds are from afar. We li3ten and spell out the word ''land." Now, surely we shall get at it. Is it some of the early Victorian diggers who came over to the rush in Gabriels 12 years ago, well supplied with money and desirous of settling on the waste lands of Otago, standing there in ghostly array to deliver their anathemas against the whole of Otago officialdom, because when they had the means of settling on the lands of Otago they found it impossible, and were driven away to wander in the land of Nod until their little fortunes were squandered, and themselves brought to an untimely end in wretchedness and poverty ? But to suppose this were to be awfully heretical, according to the spiritualistic standards. No, no ; the spirits now-a-days do not smell of villainous brimstone ; neither do they utter anathemas . They smell only of sweet odors, and only utter words of peace. We listen again, and once more make out the word "land," and, by calling for repetition, the word " settlement." By this time the familar tick of the telegraph is distinctly heard, and we dismiss to the limbo .of all shams the spirit rapping theory. ,But still even by the telegraph we have something ghostly left us. There are the shadowy forms of vast numbers who once in the country would have settled in it, but there was no place for them. Crowds of those who, when times suited them, would have settled in the Tuapeka and Roxburgh districts had they only had the chance, who might have been substantial yeomen among us, but who have left to us only their shadows. Petition, remonstrance, and bitter mutterings between the teeth were poured by them on deaf ears. " A bird in hand," says the proverb, "is worth two in the bush ; " but our Government in those days provided no nests for their birds, and lost those in hand. They cut down the bush which sheltered the others, and these too fled away. Nay, they have hitherto rather caught at the bird in the bush, and by the attempt have sacrificed those in hand. Clarke, the absentee, lias been preferred to hona Jide settlers. The rich, who are already gorged with wealth, get the pick of the land, and the poor have been generally told to settle on barren, shingly blocks ; and when in disgust they leave, the Government let them go. But let U3 use the Morse alphabet once more, and by its help, at least we shall suppose so, we gather that six families from Cork would make their homes in Otago provided they could obtain a block settlement, and this was the communication his Honor hailed with such joy. It was this that lit up his countenance as w<* were within his sanctum ; and now his Honor, with that business despatch for which he deserves credit, communicates with the Waste Land Board to arrange to receive these parties. But why so eager to get settlers ? In our mind it would be preferable to retain those we have already. It was a maxim with Samuel Budget, the successful merchant, that he never sacrificed one customer for the sake of another. There is a mint of wisdom in this we would commend to his Honor and his advisers. Why all this liberality as' a bid for in-

coming immigrants and this niggardliness to those already in the country ? Why provide inducements for people at a distance and pay no regard, as been done again and again, to thqse fo whom they are under far higher obligations. There is a law now in force which allows land to any one paying his passage to New Zealand to the value of jB2O, i.e.'; 20 acres. Why not extend a like privilege to all, within a certain period, already in the country who have come hither at their own expense, and who are ready to settle on the land 1 This is oniy just, and will show a sincerity iv this direction that will at once secure existing colonists, and inspire those in intention only with confidences: From Mr. Holloway we learn that unless more liberal arrangements for settlement be made, he will not encourage his lead to' our shores ; and instead of the hardy, healthy, useful agricultural laborer, with his thrift and simple ways of living, combined with powers of endurance, there will be the scum of the towns, the fever stricken and dissipated, the shiftless and loafing, of whom we have already quantum sufiicit. -

The question as to the working of the tailings from the Blus Spur claims, which lie deposited in Gabriels Gully, is one which has been freely discussed from time to time, and many have been the theories advanced for their profitable disposal. Until lately, when the Government, at the request of certain memorialists, commissioned, one of the engineering staff to make a survey of Gabriels Gully, and report upon the most feasible method of working the tailings, nothing of a practical kind has been done. The report submitted by the Provincial Engineer, as will be remembered, showed three different plans by which the tailings could be worked. 1. By a tunnel through the hill to Monros Gully. 2. By a tunnel through the hill, with an | outlet opposite the Tuapeka Hotel. 3. By an open Channel following the Gabriels Creek. The general opinion of practical miners on these three plans was that the open channel was the most practicable ; but, beyond passing an opinion on the subject, there was no one ready to take action — not even to agitate for a grant of public money for the carrying out of such a desirable work. Mr. W. D. Morrison, in a letter which will be found in another column, re-opens the question, and endeavors to infuse some life into the dry bones of our Tuapeka public men. We do not know of any work so likely to yield handsome dividends to a company 'as would the washing of the Blue Spur tailings ; and if the Spur miners do not very soon form themselves into a company for the working of these tailings, they will find some enterprising individuals from outside of the district taking up the scheme, and carrying it out successful.