DUCAL COAL OWNERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 198, 16 May 1919, Page 7

DUCAL COAL OWNERS

TESTIMONY AT BRITISH COMMISSION INTERESTING EVIDENCE By Telegraph-Prose Association-Copyright. London, Afay 8 (delayed). Before the. Cwil Commission, the Duke of Hamilton's agent gave evidence stating that the titles of all the Ducal lands had their origin in Crown grants, the earliest of which was given by Robert Bruce in 1315. There were an enormous nnmbpr of other charters, and altogether the titles numbered hundreds. Mr. Smillie naked the. chairman to appoint counsel to investigate the title deeds if it Vero impossible to produce them lor examination by the Commission! The question was raided ns to whether the Act entitled the Commission to make finch an investigation or merely to- examine the incidence of the royalties. The chairman promised a, private discussion on the matter. ' The nceiit contradicted Mr. Smillie's statement that the late Duke's income was c£210,000, and added that the present Duke's income was ,£ll),O00 .when lie succeeded to the title. Mr. Smillie asserted that the miners on the Hamilton estate had worked for forty years practically on the verge of starvation, and living under horrible con. (litions. The Duke of Hamilton's agent admitted that there were some very indifferent houses, three hundred years old, just outside the Hamilton palace, but lie could not say that four, live, and six persons lived in each apartment. , Tho Duke of Northumberland gave evidence that he owned mineral rights over 24.450 acres, and royalties had yielded a net average income for six years v of .£55,391. His gross income last year was .£82,450. on which duties and dues had amomitd to '.£58,560, including ,£42,153 for supertax. The property had been acquired by grants, purchases, and settlements, and the first purchase dated back to 1309. The Duke of Northumberland said he .would be opposed to nationalisation, because it would be tho first step towards a deadlier and more drastic move, namely, tho nationalisation of land and all sources of production and industry. Ho admitted that ho would claim all tho coal on his. property, oven if sciencemade it possible to 'nine to a depth of twenty thousand feet. It would bo a bad thing to give a million miners control of the coal, but thought it an excellent thing for one man to own the mineral rights on 24,450 acres. The. Marquis of Londonderry gave ovidene.P. that lie owned 5800 acres of' Durham coalfields. His average income for rovalfe was JJPGOS and from wayloaves * .£5720. Hβ had acquired all tho property by purchase. He was opposed to nationalisation, end believed in private property. He declared himself to be an individualist. (Applause.) — Aiis.-N.Z. 'Cable Assn.