GOLD FIELDS’ BELL.

Dunstan Times, Issue 542, 6 September 1872, Page 3

GOLD FIELDS’ BELL.

A public meeting, convened by the Clyde Miners Association for the purposfc of considering the new Gold Fields Bill, (now before the House of Re;>re<enta*ives,) was held at Hawthorne’s Clyde Hotel, Clyde, on Saturday evening last, tne 31st ult. Aboilt forty miners besides a good sorinkliug of businessmen were present, and from thiir number J. Hazlett; Esq., J.P.» was voted to the chair. The chairman in opening the meeting ,aid. not being directly engaged in mining. h e had notwatched the legislation on thesubiect, and in fact knewnothi g of the present measure til! a few days back when a copy was placed in his hands, however, he had, in the short time gone through it, and from the opinion he could form of it, he coincided with the conveners of the meeting and considered that it was highly necessary an expression of opinion should at once be giv n against it. The Bill as f.au e l, would, it it blame law, dc more to retard the prosperity of the country than anything it would he possible to conceive. The miners and residents of the gold-fields in all conscience wt re highly enough taxed under the existing law ; but under tbe proposed one it would be impossible to live. As there were members of the Association present prepared to address the meeting on the subject he would draw his remarks to a close. Mr. James Alexander, Secretary to the As-ociation, rose and said, he had received three copies of the Hew Bid, one he had forwarded to fthe Arrow Miners Association, another he ha 1 placed in the hands of a member of Committee, the other he had kept himself and carefully perused. He considered there were some good intentio" s shadowed forth, but they were particularly hazy in their present form, while there were many most objectionable clauses. He said ho did not intend reading the entire Bill, would merely touch on those parts and clans s of the Bill that were the most objectionable. Bart II gave power to the Governor on petition to withdraw any portion or the whole of a gold-field from the oprrations of the Act. This he thought moat objectionable, Qs a way was opened for favoritism, and for those interested in staying the development of a gold :field, the which they could most effectually do. ? art 111 referred to the appointment of Inspectors, a luxury that would be rather more ornamental than useful. With regard to these officers he thought the only idea the framer of the Bill could have had, was to crea’e billets for the unemployed loafers who swarm the lobbies of those in office. Part IV., where regulating the maiking out of claims is monstrous and impossible to carry out, he would ask if it were possible for a miner when in search of a claim to carry with him a piece of timber 12 feet long, 3x3, and this he must do if he desire to hold his claim, as no allowai.ee is made for marking out a'claira by can ns or trenches, the same part also refers to a new class of holdings sty led li « ; e 1 holdings. The e"et i ibis wtu d be iu render any holding mure insecure than atpre sent. PartV I. deals with water races and dams, and its restrictions are too arbitrary, and moreover the foes aro excessive beyond reason, as instance, on application the sum of 51. has to bo paid to cover expenses of advertising or otherwise, and when the application is grantod, n further sum of 51. per annum is to he paid for a license, with an additional sum of,one pound for evciy sluice Lead of water above two. Part VII. deals wi' li mining on private lauds. Fait V 11. with forfeitures. Part IX. is on the matter of machine, business and residence, areas, the areas of which are ridiculously small, and the fees extortionate. The areas and fees are as follows: —Machine site, one acre. 10/. per a nuin ; business site, half an acre, 5/. per ann m ; residence, quarter of an acre, If. per annum ; the whole payable on application. Parts X. to XV. refer to- the administration of justice, rules and regulations, revenue and miscellaneous, as iu the prefacing of his remarks he must say there were some good points iu the Bill, nut they' were outnumbered by the bad ones ; at first he had intended to submit amending r solutions, but he had since learned that the feeling was averse to it therefore, befoie tabling any motion he would bear what others had to say. Mr. Thomas Sims rose and said, it was not his intention to deal with the details of the Bill, he was entirely antagonistic toil iu every particular, and styled it as a monstrous piece of legi Jation. He considered the report of the Mioing Commission, whose labors had cost the country so much money, had been disregarded in toto, an 1 thought the framer of the Bill, whoever he was, was merely experimentalising and trying his hand at law making. If the Bill should become law it Would have the effect of driving the miner from the country, doubtless a result much to be desired by one class, but questionable whether it is desired by a'L The miners do not seek c'ass legislation bu: just, fair, and legitimate la\ g for their guidance and control. As pioneors of the o mntry they demand justice, anil if such is withheld they may raise thems -lves in self defence, as was done in Victoria in the ea ly-‘ays of her gold mining. They say in the multitude of Counci there is wisdom, and it is to be hoped the united wisdom of the Hou«e of Representatives will discard this pet of a measure, the emanation he thought of His Satanic Majesty rather than that of an honest gentleman. He said, my sentiment is in the words of Shakespeare “Down to Hell, and say we sent you thither.” In looking for a similar measure in modem times I can find nothing so iniquitous, but at an earlier date I find that the Israelites when they comnla'ned of being heavily taxed, were told they would be taxed sMll heavier This is somewhat ■ the fate of the New Zeala id gold miner, i who, after asking for a repeal of the existing bad laws relati .g to tbe gold-fields, are supplied with a woiso. (A voice. Has not Abe Gold Duty teen , reduced Cd. an ounce? Yes, that was a

sprat to catch a - 'mackerel, may be a whale. I would call on the mighty engine of civilizati« n the press, with trumpet tongue, to blazon fori hj the abuses of the Bill, and to aid in rescuing the free, hardworking, and honest miners from the oWls of the despoiler. The Bill, not content with piling on the agony in the shape of fees, fines, &c., must needs appoint a taskmaster, in the shape of au inspector, who, with other discre ion ry poweis, is endowed with the one of judging if a miner is able bodied or not. With these remarks 1 will submit the following resolution. “That this meeting most emphatically condemns the Gold Fields Act Amendment Bill, 1872, no wb fore the General Assembly, as it \vould retard and o' struct the developmint of mining resources of this colony, it woii'd be tyrann cal in its operations, and the enormous additional burden of taxation that is sought to be imposed upon us, which is a monstrous piece of injustice and tyranny, and this meeting is firmly con-vi-iccd that if the Bill becomes the law of the colony, it will be the cause of making an industrious peop'e who are, loyal and peaceabe, and well disposed- towards tbe Government, to revolt, and that this meeting will use every legitimate and constitutional means in its power to prevent this monster of political abortion becoming the law of the land. Seconded by Mr. A. Williamson and carried. Mr. J. Hastie proposed, That the whole of the Members of the House of Representatives representing G.Jdfiehls c. nstitneucies be communicated with, and requested to exert f’eir every influence in preventing “The Gold-fields Act Amendment Bill, 1872,” from becoming law S»conded by Mr. Little, and earned. Proposed by Mr.-'- ima, That, in the event of the Act being passed, thoGovernor j be memorialised to withhold his assent to I it, as there is little doubt the Bill, in its i present shape, will do more to retard the progress of the Gold-fields than any other measure possibly to be conceived. Seconded by Mr. Elliott, and carried. ' Proposed by Mr. Jam s Patterson, That this meeting having every confidence in Mr. T. L. Shepherd, the Member for the Duiiatan, desire to thank him for copies of the Gold-fields Bill, and idso to express the hope that he will use his influence in prej venting it bectming law. Seconded by Mr. i Lindsay, and carried, j Mr. Sims said, before the meeting closed, he desi-ed to refer to the wholesale selling of land within the gold-fields, he thought some action should be taken to prevent ary further sales. Mr. Alexander said he was very sorry to say the Association was not as well supported as it might be, and called on those who have not enrolled themselves as members to do so. The Chairman said ho would telegraph to Mr Shepherd the feeling of the district on the Bill. . A vote of thanks to the chair concluded the meeting.