Year: 1866

gwen 10 those holding claims IN the couln
Fork district, a meeting was held at Els
worth's mill Considering the bad state of
the roads, caused by recent rains. and the
further fact that it rained on Sunday night
and all day Monday, the attendance was
-thirty-nine being present The wea-
ther did not admit of the attendance of par
ties interested who reside in this town, and
though they retitioned the meeting for an
adjournment to fairer day, their reasonable
request was negatived-the motion to adjourn
being lost, ayes 10, noes 20.


Evidently those residing in the immediate
vicinity had an lake to grind. and thought
that perhaps Shastans would not turn for
item. We have only heard of one important
amendment to the laws, and that is that
claimants shall work their claims one day IN
every twenty or forfeit their claims The old
law was more liberal one day in sixty being
the tax.


Now the question is. which law is best
calculated to further the prosperity OF the
district? When Copper City district was
organized, one days work in sixty was deem
ed sufficient. and experience proves that even
that much was an onerous tax upon claim
ants the only good resulting from it being to
support in idleness few men who made it
their business to work assessments, any one
of whom could easily work twenty assess
ments, of one day each, in an hours walk.
Some hardly took the trouble to walk at all
further than to walk to the Recorders Office
and report assessments worked on any and
all claims that they had been able to get into
their hands. This was very easy way to
make grub and bean poker stake for the
,corLer, but of very little utility to those who
footed the bills or to the district in the way
of developing it's actual wealth.


Is this improvement of the South Fork
laws intended to carry out the same benef-
cent principle on larger scale? fit is not
the intention, it will doubtless be the result
if the rule is sustained In our opinion. laws
to govern mining district should be such as
would tend to encourage claimants to work
their claims. and also to encourage men of
means to engage in the development of the
mines, and this can only be done by utiliz-
ing the labor and means of claimants. Are
burthensome laws calculated to produce such
a result? And are not laws burthensome
that compels man to pay three or four dol
lars for nothing every twenty days? And
would it not be better to let every claimant
use his own discretion. for some months, at
least, to work his claim or not as he pleases,
without assessments by law? AT least time
should be granted claimants to determine
what they can and what they want to do
before being compelled to throw away money
for the mere purpose of holding a claim
Claimants residing at distance should be
allowed time to get there and examine for
for them, and given time to make arrange
ments for prospecting, without first being
tapped for assessments to such an extent as
to create disgust rather than good feeling for
those they are going to benefit and do bust
ness with.


1t is probable that few days devoted to
thought will satisfy those voting for this
that they have acted hastily
rather than wisely, and with an eye more to
self than to the general good. A quartz
mining district, however rich in groupings,
requires time, capital, and a united commu
nifty to open and prove it. Liberal and just
in order that the other essentials will natu-
rally follow. Let us mildly deliberate on
what has been done, and if not right, let us
mildly, and as wisely as we may, proceed to
remedy the evil.