CENTRAL MINING ASSOCTATION MANIFESTO.

Evening Star, Issue 4159, 26 June 1876, Page 3

CENTRAL MINING ASSOCTATION MANIFESTO.

(From the 'Mount Ha Chronicle')

To the Honorable the Premier, Wellington. Sir,—Encouraged by your kind recognition in June, 187-1, of the- representations made to you by the Otago Mining Conference of that year, the Central Mining Association of Otago ventures, to draw your attention to the position of the gold-mining interest at the present time as affected by the proposed Constitutional changes, and by the actual, and long-experienced, hardships of oppressive taxation and disputed waterrights. The Association is actuated by the hope that you will b 0 able to assure its members that the proposals to be submitted to Parliament will be beneficial to the coldminers and to the Colony in which they are willing to settle—if allowed to do so on the same footing of equality as is afforded to colonists among all other interests.

]. We the more readily intrude upon you at the prevent tim«, because the action of the Government during the last session of the late Parliament directly challenged our criticism, insomuch that' it wa-j " stated repeatedly by members of the Government and their supporters that the perpetuation of mining taxation would be beneficial in the future, becau.se it wovdd be returned to the districts in which it w is collected, tngel her with a liberal subsidy far local expenditure. The process by winch the Government propose to define special goldfields districts] in which a contribution of special class

taxation would be sufficiently beneficial to its contributors to justify its perpetuity —in the absence of any explanation from a member of the Government - is, we confess, beyond our comprehension. In Otago no district capable of definition could, we venture to think, be proclaimed a goldfields district in which the mining interest would be financially the paramount interest; unless, indeed, such district was of such limited area as to be on that account alone impracticable At the same time the mining population in any such district would, in magnitude, be out of all proportion to the agriculturists, and pastoral tenants and freeholders. We venture toassure you that, so far from the miners wishing to evade local taxation for necessary works, they are willing to pay such equitable rate as may be agreed to by any local Government existing or which may be called into existence, in which they are fairly represented, provided that it is not specially collected from them as a class for the supposititious benefit of the population of all classes in, .and to come in during the next few years, their district, county, or province. As the miner has less title in the soil than the agriculturist or freeholder, it appears unfair to throw upon him an undue proportion of taxation, levied for the improvement in value of private freehold and the general public estate, shortly to be alienated to others who may have done nothing to render the country of value. It, therefore, appears to the Central Association that the injustice of the special mining taxation at present collected, which they have so long urged upon your Government, being tacitly admitted by the sole plea now raised—that, whatever special taxation may have been in the past, it will now be beneficial because subsidised ; and that this plea is the hope, conclusively shown to be unsound, that yeur Government can no longe refuse to agree to the abolition of the gold duty, and tho reduction of such items of goldfields revenue as arc found to be most oppresive. What the miners demur to is special treatment, tending to keep them apart as roving Ishmaelites, whom is policy and equity alike to rob for the benefit of others whose avocations, being more general, are more strongly represented in the Legislature and public opinion of the Colony. 2. The confliction of class interests accruing from the disputed riparian rights of the Colony are too well known to you to render it necessary for us to recapitulate the evils, and the loss in value and security of mining property, consequent thereupon. The decision in the Maerewhenua case (Borton and M 'Master v. Howe and others) as also in the case heard in Dunedin befere Mr Justice Johnston (Glassford v. Reid and others) will be fresh in your memory. The. Association wish, however, to state an opinion arrived at after careful enquiry and observation that no solvent of the difficulty is to b« found in the individual effort of any one goldfields' member, however intelligent. They would most respectfully state their opinion that no satisfactory legislation can be arrived at unless based upon accurate knowledge duly obtained as to the real position of the water rights in the Colony in all their bearings as between class and class, and that progressive legislation should emanate from the Government of the Colony only, We venture, therefore, to recommend that in accordance with the recommendation of the Provincial Council of Otago, 1874, a Commission should be appointed, including the most expert legal officers in the Government service, and one at least of the most experienced Wardens on the Goldfields, in order to place the only data, upon which successful legislation can be based, in the hands of your Government. 3. The Association regrets that the efforts made by the Government to amend the extremely faulty Goldfields legislation in force have proved so singularly unsuccessful. They would also ask to be allowed to point out that the reason appears to be that all amended legislation proposed has proceeded from irresponsible sources, and upon a foundation of theory, supplemented, it is true, by spasmodic practical advice of a desultory, and unfortunately too of ten of a conflicting nature. We cannot refrain from expressing our belief that a District Judge and two experienced ! Goldfields Wardens, if allowed time and opportunity, could satisfy you that a new Goldfields Act is a desirable thing, and indeed a most pressing necessity. We also believe that the same gentlemen could frame such an Act as would give very general satisfaction, and be certain to work smoothly, «ad, on the whole, equitably. We have to ask you to excuse the freedom which we have used in approaching questions which we are aware are of great difficulty. We have been influenced by the belief that you are sincerely anxious to be placed in possession of practical views, stripped of fulsome pretence, or theoretic delusion.—We have the honor to be, yours faithfully, J. EwiNft (President), pro Central Mining Association of Otago. Naseby, June 20, 1876.