Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Friday 24 December 1858, page 5


~iMJNJN£L-BOARP&.AND MINING

"TO THE-EDITOR OF THE ABO US.

_ Sir,-In~your weeklycisaue appears a letfcar ilfiued "Miner," in which he deprecates the .de-lay which has taken place in the issuing -of mining leases ; but from-the tone of his j'itter I am inclined to believe that tua M liter is cue of those gentlemen who désira to monopolise large tracts of auriferous land

io the (xcluslon of the working miner, and tren, under the specious title, extort undue 1 avantages from them, such as charging £3 I er ton for crushing quartz, when it could ba tlcne foi 16B. or £1, and in addition taxing inem 10 percent, foi promoters, and, as ia the case of the Clunes, 10 per cent, mora lor being allowed to work'the ground. I might also adduce the White Flat Company, tn Ballaarat, as one which has Buffered icverely through its early connection wita i chemmg promoters, and it curiously happens that one gentleman who took an aotive part *iu the formation of the White Flat Company

i rok an active part in the formation of the "Clunes Company. However comparatively

fucceesful the Clunes operations may hava 1 ccn, so far as dividends are concerned, thora l8 no person who will not admit that it t culd be unfortunate for this colony, both ] resent and future generations, if the aurife) ous lands were to he handed over to scheme», i o extort the same exorbitant terms that wera vi rung out of the miners engaged at the White

Flat and Clunes.

The letter goes on to state that the meonIcrsof Mining Boards know nothing of a -mine, though they may have a large expe-dience as diggers; but, if the truth wera tuown, it would appear very clearly that the : n embers of Mining Boards know too much:

-to allow schemers to swallow np the prlnolpal jurt of the produce Of the working-men. '1 nese promoters, finding their intentions are leo well known to the leading men on tho ¡-old fields, think they will be more successful with the members of the Government, i nd are therefore leaving not a stone un-turned to throw dust in the eyes of the

.Ministry and tho people, in order that there may be no difficulty in the way of rulnl ig; Hie country for their own aggrandisement.

- The writer of the letter further wishes to make it appear that no steps have been take a on the gold-fields in referance to leases ;ani norn''the report of the proceedings ia the As* scmbly the other night, it Beems Mr. Wool, member for the Ovens, has been made one of their willing dupes; but, lest he should still b3 unconvinced that he has been made a tool of, 1 will Btate a few faots in connection with his -motion which are weil known in the Ballaarat district.

During the existence of the late Local Court i he members believed that a regulation giv-ing more extended areas than those men-tioned in the general rules, when efficient ?machinery was erected, where a large numl er of men were employed, or where any un-foreseen difficulty occurred in working the claims, would tend to introduce u large amount of capital and labor, in i eil na advance the general prosperity of the district. Doubts aroBe as to the legality of this rule, but Mr. Miohle, the then Attorl ej-General, utter examining it very care1uily, pronounced that no legal difficulty cxistud to it. The Mining Board being: «wara that no leasing regulations could D3 tttutd for a length of time, also being a war j of the necessity that existed for a regulation

giving extended areas, adopted the one of tho , i ocal Court, especially as they had the fa-

vorable opinion of Buch an eminent barrlstar ' ts Mr. Michie. How Mr. Michie can recon-cile that opinion with the remarks he made?

in the Absembly the other night Is only ¡ known to politicians of his stamp. Sinos that by-law came into operation, tua Mining Boards have acted upon it, und recommended extended areas, subj tt to certain conditions, against which no complaints have ever been made. Thus, li'; Editor, it is clearly demonstrated that, ii tteud ol the Mining Board of Ballaarat ob-jecting to leases, or throwing obstacles ia the vi ay1 by ottering impracticable suggestions,

iliey'havo forestalled the Government, ana ' .it'eommeuded large areas, subject to mora

liberal conditions than could be obtained under a lease ; in short, they have done what you have recommended in one of your lead-ing articles, namelj- "That all traotabla Boaids should at once enjoy the benefits < f the leasing system, " and it is to> this that Mr. Wood and others object. 3:1 ad the writer of this letter twon Bincero ia

his anxiety to obtain mining leases, instead -of abusing the Mining Boards he would hava tenu ned his uttacks to a portion of the pre» cn the gold-fields, which has done nothing to t dvance mining legislation, and done every-thing to impede it.

' AB I intend from time to time to take

j.dtico "of the diiferent subjects engrossing the attention of the public in connectioa with mining, I must ask a space ia the i .columns of your influential journal, bein?

fully impressed with the idea that it would .be u^elctu to correspond with any of tho

papers' lu this locality, as no letter can obtain, insertion which does not agree with their

¿eculmr dogmas- ,

I remain your most obedient servant, '

FREDERICK HARLAND,

Miner,

¿Ballaarat Flat.

I

SEWERAGE AND WATER COMMISSION.—The usual weekly meeting of this Board was held yesterday, there being present the hon. the President, Mr. R.H. Horne, and Mr.Powlett-"Several communications were read, none of

which were of any public interest; and it was agreed that Mr. George Ford should be appointed to make such analyses as might be required of the Upper Plenty water, to be taken from various parts of the river; and also that the neighboring country should be

examined.

AT THE MEETING of the British Association ni Leeds, in the geographio section, presided over by Sir Roderick Murchison, a communi-

cation " On North-Western Australia, " ' writtenüby Mr. James Ö. Wilson, geologist to tbe North Western Australian Expedition, and entitled " Notes on the Physical Geogra-phy of North-Western Australia," was read by Dr. Norton Shaw, one of the secretaries. It described the climate oftbat patt of Australis; as being hot for BÍX months In the year, but not injurious to health. The country, it said, ?wnB fertile, and a largo variety of luxuriant grasses was found growing, one speoles of which was a kind of wild oat«, from three to six feet high. The indigehonr plants wera more numerous and Bupuior to those of Southern Australia. The Chairman said he was very strriDgly impressed With the importence of the Government making a permanent cutt lemont on the northern coast of Australia. Mr. Marsh, M.P , remarked that he had very lui go sheep Dtations in Auatralia, and ha '.could stat», from his own knowledge, that the fineatwpol brought to, this country waa produced at stations where plna-upples grew. He thought, therefore, there was no reason to fear that the heat of North-Western Australia

would be unfavorable to the production of,

.wool.-Enaltsh Paner.

-BANSOMBS PAXENTKn PaOOESS FOB PaH ? 'sïBViria S10NE/&C-A very «¡.tigfactory illa» tration of'this invention is now exhibited in the Baptist Chapel in Bloomsbury street. The application appears to bave been perfect-ly successful, and this building, which a few weeks ago was sadly disfigured by destraotlva irfiuences cf our Loudon atmosphere, now pieeentu a sightly appearance. The stone de-talla which were fast crumbling to powder, and yielded to the touch of the finger, aro now Tirrd and compact, impervious to water, ano! of a pleasing tone of color, whilst confident

epinions have been expressed by geologist« ' aid other scientific gentlemen who bare care-fully investigated the procesa that the effect cannot be otherwise than permanent. Tha deration is exceedingly limpie. Theston« to be treated is first cleaned from any extraare ous matter that may have become attached to it, and is then saturated with . solution oC silicate of potash or soda (applied with a common brush), which roadlly finds its way into all th" minute crevices and pores of the B one. This is followed by a solution of ohioifrio of calcium (applied in a similar manner). '1 hose two solutions' immediately décomposa ,cach other upon coming in contact, and Bill«', cate of lime (a most indestructible sube tance) is produced in the structure of the stone» liimly agglutinating the various partióles in

n most indissoluble bond. This invention 1 IIBB now been patented about two yean« duty jug which time Mr. BanBome has be " t'estln« tie value of 'the proceBB, both i> ie|,ar¿a ii» »ewer of preserving stone fro;^iï,jatious infla < iices as well aa of aiwp;dn2Bde¿" ""¿"re ft \10<? BiÄÄn ?-«». Various stones of different chaw-ter have been treatod ovei. IVZ a "--«ion of their surfaces, and after-wards placed in the most exposed situations, iiindcubjeoted to all the variations of tomporariuro and climate. All the portions BO treated tV*vt) iemained quite uniDjared, whilst tha "**? * "- *-»-wMtnri ranid decompo« «'i.Ye'PoiuuiibuBveexu...

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