MINING TAXATION.

Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 918, 6 July 1871, Page 2

MINING TAXATION.

[to the editor.] . ? Sir — Although it is an old story 'about the heavy taxation of the miners, it may not be generally known to what an unjust extent some of them are taxed. Take those, for instance, who are called sluicers, perhaps those poor fellows desere to be heavier taxed, because they are permitted to indulge in the pleasant occupation of dabbling in the water, which I'm sure must be delightfully cooling' and refreshing, more so this time of the year —•particularly those who are fortunate enough to carry on operations on that side of a hill where they don't get annoyed by the rays of the sun,and therefore don't stand in danger of getting sun stroke. But I assure you, Mr Editor, that for this dabbling in the water permission they have^to pay rather heavy fofclTbiuG are no doubt plenty of people who^ by reading the present Gold Fields Regulations, think that if a party brings in a head water-race, and pays a fee of five shillings for registration, and another five shillings annually for the renewal of such registration, would be all that is required of them for the right and title of such water-race. But such, Mr Editor, is not the case, for there is one party in this district with whom I am particularly acquainted, who pay no less than two pounds annually for registering their supply of water, which does not average more than one head; and unless the pro? sent Gold Fields Regulations are altered, it is most likely they will iiave to pay in another year six pounds instead of two; Now, Sir, with your permission I will try and explain to you how this excessive tax is struck upon the dabbling-in-the-water gentry, who are at present (and will be more so in the future) the main sinews of the West Coast Gold Fields. I will quote the above party's case, as I can vouch for the truth of it. Since they first bought the race, about eighteen months ago, they have had to extend it a few; hundred feet now and & few hundred feet again. On account of it being mostly shallow ground about here, it does not take them long to work, or, what is worse/ duffer out a block of ground, and consequently they have to extend their race to some other block. Now, for every one bf those extensions, let them be ever so short, they have to pay five shillings until it has accumulated to two pounds per annum; for, although all those extensions constitute but one water-right, still to keep that right they will have to renew all those extensions separately,, and, as I , said before, it is as likely that the tax on their water-right will be in another year or two six pounds instead of two. Besides, on account of their being foreigners, and not well versed in the English language, they will have to engage a clerk to keep all these quickly-accumulating certificates in order and see that they are duly renewed, for it is only the other day that this same party, by a mere fluke, escaped losing a part of their race, on account of not having quite in time renewed of these extensions. Knowing that you, Mr Editor, have good wishes for the miner, and the welfare of the gold fields generally at heart, I will ask you to insert this in your column?, for it may tend to draw the attention of those in power to the unsatisfactory working of some of the clauses in the present Gold Fields Regulations. I am, &c., „■■■, One Opposed to Unjust Taxation. Clifton, July 1,1871.