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Dunstan Times, Issue 238, 16 November 1866, Page 2

The reduction of the export duty on gold, has already been discussed in the Provincial Council: the recommendation contained in His Honor's opening address, that the Council should direct their attention to Resolutions bearing on that matter has called forth much discussion. Mr M'ouat one of the goldfield members, advocates a reduction to one shilling and sixpence per ounce. Mr Simeon Isaacs the member for Clyde, urges that, as the imposition presses hardly upon the working classes, it should bereduced, while Mr Vogcl the member for Taicri advocates that one shilling out of the two shillings and sixpence now levied, should be devoted especially to the goldfields, and spent upon roads, bridges, and prospecting, or in giving aid to miners who had undertaken large and expensive works, or assisting others, who might have sustained damage through floods or other

causes. All these three gentlemen's ideas on the subject are no doubt very good but we really should have liked to have seen some one go in for the abolition of the duty altogether; as we belreYe it to be a thoroughly unjust tax, and levied upon the industry of one particular class, for the advantage of another, will not go so far, as to advocate retaliation in the shape of an export duty on wool, because we believe that "two wrongs" do hot make "one right"—the principle of export duties upon anything is most objectionable ; it is diametrically opposed to sound political economy, and cramps the powers of production. Gold is not produced without considerable labor more than any other article; in fact we very much question it the avocation of mining for gold is as remunerative as the generality of other professions. Mr Yogel's ideas upon the subject my be quite applicable, and on the surface appear undoubedtly liberal: but we should like to know what he would do with the remaining eighteenpenee 1 Wc suppose, that as a Dunedin man, he would devote it to the purposes of dredging away the mud in Dunedin harbor, or in making a railroad to Port Chalmers, or in some other works especially for Dunedin's benefit. Taking the re ports of the proceedings of the Council as a guide, notwithstanding that the session

has so little progressed, great sacrifices are to be made at the shrine of Dunedin; we even find the Superintendent pledging the Government to expend £7OOO, upon useless works in the harbor, while at the same time he witholds the subsidy due to a goldfield's hospital. In our last issue it will be seen that in one column the public money is to be lavished away at the instance of a Dunedin deputation, and in another, that the Secretary of the Dunstan Hospital is importuning the Government for monies long since due and long since promised. We hope that when the Council does take the subject of the duty on gold into serious consideration, that their recommendation to the Assembly will be for the abolition of the duty altogether. The one pound fee for a Miner's Right is quite sufficient to cover any extra expenses that the management of the goldfields might occasion. Upon the success of the miner depends the prosperity of all other members of the community, and one is no more right to be made an object of special taxation than the other.