THE Mount Ida Chronicle SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1874.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 264, 28 March 1874, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1874.

Mr. Jb'ox went very near the mark when he said, in debate, last session—"'l hat it was scarcely worthwhile to " argue the point as to whether the " imposition of.a gold duty was a class " tax or simply a royalty. The real " question to be considered was whe- ' ther it was wise to impose such a tax " upon one of the most important in- " dustries :n the Colony." Can there be any but the one answer to such a question ? Most foolish ! It is said it is a small charge. Relatively so, we grant; but not a small charge to the average miner accumulative upon the charge for miners' rights, and the endless two shillings and sixpences for certificates for bis. head races, his claims, dams, tail races. &c. ' Let us take the average "miner who has property in a water race supplying his claim, who may fairly be said to obtain forty ounces a-year. The tax for duty is £4 yearly; miner's right and certificates, say £2 ; in all £6, or one twenty-fifth part of his annual earnings. Again, the miner is directly taxed by the State, in the enhanced price he has to pay on provisions to foster other industries. For instance, flour is taxed to help or subsidise our agriculturists ; and so with other commodities. Anything, no matter how necessary it is, if the re-motest-chance exists that it might—or some' inferior compound bearing the resemblance might—be manufactured locally, is at once sufficient cause for the imposition of a heavy tax upon the imported article, which the miners and artisans have to pay for. The financial system of the Colony, with regard to the' whole of the taxation, is defective in the extreme. No industry can be bonussed into existence to really benefit a community, although two or three individuals may prosper by such policy; neither can any other industry be stamped out or kept down by taxation for the gain of a small direct revenue, without the whole people ultimately finding out the loss.

The most valuable portion of the Otago Goldfields is generally found to be that where the gold is not obtainable in very great quantities and uncertain patches, but where for miles a •pretty even run of gold can be detected tothe bottom of the auriferous deposit, such' as at ,Naseby, St. Bathans, and Maerewhenua. The gi eater portion of the ground is profitable only if worked with skill and with skilled appliances; and it does appear absolute folly for a State to harass and encumber those who have the skill to make such ground remunerative, by the imposition of a heavy tax on their labor to obtain a small apparent additional revenue. We venture to say, were the duty totally abolished to-morrow, that next year the revenue derived from the Goldfields would be greater than last year when the tax was in existence. The miner might not always retain the 2s. tax for his own benefit—the chances are he, as an average man, would not. It would be paid away for better foodor for increased comfort—the. money not lost, but pass-'ng on through a variety of hands, each, in consequence, better supporters of the revenue of the country.

We hardly dare hope that, so long as the present foolish policy of Cus-tom-house charges and expenses is maintained as. against all true principles of social economy, the Goldfields can expect any real consideration or redress from a strong domineering Government, of which Mr. Vogel is the head. Honestly enough he is against us, but with such arguments—such utter deficiency of his usually statesmanlike views—that we can only conclude he has only given the subject as yet the most superficial consideration. In a future issue we shall take occasion to analyse his speech of last session against the reduction, and dip somewhat deeper into the real principle at stake—exposing the fallaeiea of " spe- " cial taxation to meet special ii'rcum- " stances." These special stances are only wreathes fertile imaginations antagonistic to mm-; ing industry.

Last week we followed through, a debate on the deferred payment system, a'B conducted in the Legislative Council. It ia worth-, while to glance at •'anothe? debate b,y« the same members

on the same day, on a somewhat analogous subject. During the sitting of the Provincial Council/about a month before this debate took place, immense sales of land were being reported from Southland. In all cases speculators were the investors. The same Land Law that is in force in Otago does not affect the late Province of Southland —there a system-of r free selection, at £1 per acre,-wasthe,law. Last year this system of free selection was taken advantage of very'largely. One day a sale of 100,000 acres was reported by telegram. The Southland members, thoroughly alarmed,' urged on the Council the necessity of taking steps to check this wholesale alienation of the best lands in the Province, and, after some negotiation with the GeneGovernment, it was agreed that the price of land in Southland should be raised to £3 per acre. ._. Immediately upon the division being taken in the debate we sketched put last week, the lion. Mr. Campbell moved the second reading of the Southland Waste Lands Bill. In doing so, he said that the Provincial Council agreed, in an excited mood, that the price should be fixed in future at £3 per acre. - "It had been found " that such a rate was impracticable, " for the land would not sell at £2 per " acre, and the ohject of the Bill was " to alter that price, and provide that' " henceforth pastoral land should be " open for sale at £1 per acre, and " agricultural land" at £2 per acre." A clause was also included in the Bill to extend the deferred payment principle, as embodied in sections 47 t0,64 of the Otago Waste Lands Act, to Southland. " Deferred payments," said the mover, " really meant a proposition that land " should be sold at 13s. lOd. per acre " that would sell at £2. That would " be another opening for the specula- " tor. After the expression of opin- " ion of the Council on the principle " of deferred payments, he felt it his " duty, in order, to carry the Bill, to " state that he would consent to that' " clause being expunged in Cotnmit- " tee." The Hon. Captain Fraser "intended to oppose the Bill, for he " did not see-the r Tise of it. The Hon. " Mr. Campbeli had, a little while ago, " proved that the land wss worth £3 ; " or £4 an acre, so why reduce it to "£1? . . . . He hoped the Bill " would not pass. . . . I<; would : " be better to wait and see how much " of this land would be purchased at "£3 an acre. He *was under the im- " pression that a great deal of it would " be." The Hon, Mr. Waterhouse thought Captain Fraser " had, in a " recent speech, given sufficient expla- " nation of this Bill, ' that was to en- " ' able the poor man to obtain a free- " ' hold, which the grasping runholders I " ' would not now allow him to obtain.' j " In the interest of the poor man he l " hoped this Bill would pass." Be it j remembered that the deferred payment clauses were agreed to be struck out, ' and land wasito be open for unrestric- I ted sale to first applicants, in any quantity, at £1 and £2—very much as j it was before the immense speculation ' was put a.stop to by the rise in price. How a returii to this was to benefit the poor man is a mystery Mr. Waterhouse kept to himself. The Hon. Mr. Holmes. " took, no exception to those " who had purchased land in large " quantities, for those who had capital " had as. much right to use it in thai ! "as in any other way. He would " never be a bar to the acquisition of ' " land in small quantities by those who " wished to acquire it for agricultural " purposes." Colonel Brett, indignant : as ever, condemned the Bill, because it' was a class legislating Bill—a 33i1l legislating for the poor, man to the detriment of the rich. " Was that right "or just? He contended it was very " unjust. The poor lnuat do as they " had done. THey must stand the " brunt of hardships, and must work "as many honorable members had " done. .\ . . "It would be an in- " justice to nearly every member of " the Council, who had paid the high- " est price in the different Provinces, " if they were to allow an immigrant "to get, at a reduced price, land simi- " lar to that for which they had paid " a considerably higher price—for the v consequence would be that the value "of their land would be deteriorated." ' Self-protection is more honest than : patriotism evidently. The Hon. Mr. \ Mantell said—" Colonel Brett had , " stated that this 8.11, if passed, would " reduce the value of their (the Legis-. " lative Councillors') land, but the "li great objection was,, that by a system "of deferred payments they would ■•" reduce the value of the population, " and debase the settlers

" He had no sympathy with those who " adopted the poor man's cry on those " occasions ; yet, if he did not believe " that the interests of the poor man " would be protected, and most care- " fully looked after aud impartially " cared for, he would not hold a Heat " in the Council for another day. He " would move as an amendment, that " unless the objectionable clause (de- " ferred payments) be struck out, the " Bill be read a second time that day "six months." The Hon. Mr. Campbell said that, " when in Committee, " he would move that the clause be " struck out. The object of the Bill " was to restore the law to its original " position"—that is,'leaye the field once more open to, speculators in large blocks of land. T.be Bill was then read a second time..'. It had been introduced into the Lower House by Mr. Macandrew, and, although opposed by nearly every 0:ago member, as not neing framed in accordance with the resolutions passed by the Provincial Council, yefc seems ta have been jockeyed through its necessary stages, and is, as far. as we know, now law. Our purpose i« served in drawing, attention to the . mood in which the

members of the Upper House are prepared to deal with any liberal land law. These same men are those who will have to pass or reject any measure that may be introduced by the present or any future Government, to provide lands for. settlement. What scant justice bonaficte- settlers may expect from them is very clear from a scrutiny of these two debates. The full report in ' tlansard ' will well repay a careful perusal.

Tuesday next is the last day on which, anyone can register for electoral privileges—that is, to give a right to vote on such registration qualification at the ensuing election of the House of Representatives. Let no man say to himself, " Bother the registration/ My " miners right is renewed all right this " time, anyhow !"—for we have not the least doubt but that no one will be able to vote next elections on the miner's right or business license qualification. The only trouble a man ueed take to prevent being disfranchised—a m?re nullity in the State—is to call at Mr. Busch's, or at our office, at which places forms will at once be filled up for him. What ; can be said of those who will not even take this trouble,' at a time when Goldfield legislation is more than ever a necessity, and Goldfield interests hang in the balance.