Balin, Moria and the King Under the Mountain

[Kuruharan]

Dain certainly did not have other things when it came ot the Lonely Mountain!

Where do you get that? He was king. Kings always have things to be doing.

Why did not he take up abode in the Iron Hills as would be his right as king?

I've often wondered that myself. However, see answer below.

Dain was certainly quick to give the Iron Hills up.

I don't think that there was ever much there. It seems to have been little more than an outpost.

I am perhaps being to suspicious of Dwarven nature, especially when we are given no specifics of Dwarven politics [ other than all of the houses participating in grudge wars].

Ah, but you can extrapolate and infer some things from their goings on.