GOLDFIELDS TAXATION.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 298, 13 November 1874, Page 3

GOLDFIELDS TAXATION.

The following memorandum from the Central Association has been handed to us with the request that it be published It is hardly tq be wondered at that the language is:strong:— Central Mining Association, Naseby, Otago. • To the Colonial Secretary ;- ■■ '.'_" ." Wellington. Sir, —I ha\e the honor to draw your attention to correspondence relative to the disallowance of the Otago Gold Duty Repayment Oidinance, of 1874,,m0re especially to your memorandum of July 18th, 1874, intimating to his honor the Superintendent of Otago the disallowance of .ther Ordinance by his Excellency. You therein" state that the reason why the Ordinance was disallowed was because sufficient provision had not, it appeared to you, been made to protect the' fevenue' of other Provinces, and you suggested that provision might be made for. allowing the bonus (or remission) directly to .the miners, on their satisfyirigithe -Warden or other authorised officer taat they obtained /gold-witbin any district, and. forwarded it to.the .coast for shipment. ■•

The Otago miners gather from the tenor of your letter, that there is no. reason why the duty should not be rebated in" any Province if the legislature of such Province see fit.

I beg respectfully to direct'your attention to a few features .in connection with the whole question of direct taxation on the gold miners, which, in a press of business, will have, no,doubt, escaped-your notice:—The first Gold Duty Act, of 1-358, contained a pro vision'that his Excellency.could.atany time before the next session of the Assembly rebate or altogether abolish the Gold Duty, so jealous was the Assembly of .that day that no suspicion should- be entertained of making any attempt to swell the general revenue from such special taxation: The Act of 1858 and all subsequent ac;ts N expressly declare that such duty, although collected by the machinery of the customs,... shall not in sense be taken ito be customs duties, but shall be land revenue-^this-,provision being -clearly introduced to protect the Frovirices to which Goldfields-maintenance had been delegated, from any loss arising fronisuch maintenance. In Otago, at the present time, in spite, 'of: the depression in gold-mining,, caused almost entirely, by the pressure of .special and general .taxation, amounting to £ls per miner, •the amount of Gold Duty, collected is double ■the amount, spent for maintenance; while the whole, amount of special taxation '.collected as duty, licenses,' leases,. &c., is quadruple : the amount spent in maintenance—-the figures "being for : last year,.in round numbers,. £33,000 collected, as against £BOOO spent in in, maintenance. .':

: I have no reason, to suppose that the position .of matters js more favorable to the goldminer in other provinces. '"' Yon will at once see that the Provincial' Covernment of Otago is reaping a large revenue for expenditure on • eoastal J works by the oppression of a . young industry. In other words, that the Colonial Government, by a liberal vote of £200,000 for Water Supply on Goltlfielils, is endeavoring to.foster '.mining,..while the Provincial Governments are.allowed to undermine any benefit.which might accrue from such works by taxing the miners £5 per head. If there is any reason why miners for thu more precious minerals in a Colony should be taxed on sm .assumption of a peculiar prerogative of royalties attaching to the State, the

Colonial Government, :as administrator for .the Crown and providore for the whole people, should reeeive- such; taxation.. The, fact, bhat it is not so—that the Provinces are in receipt of such taxation raised on. such pretence of royalties, abundantly proves that there is no such valid assumption or exjuse for special taxation in existence.

On behalf of the goldminers of Otago—numbering between 6000 and 7000—I have, by instruction of my Association, laid these facts before you, and have to request that you will cause enquiry to be made into the truth of what is alleged before the ensuing session of Parliament, that the Government may, in its wisdom, devise a scheme of Colonial administration of the Goldfields on such a base as will for ever preclude a swelling of revenue by. means of a direct tax on an industry almost wholly followed by working men.

I have further to request that you will cause communications to he opened up with the Provincial Executive of Otago, so that there may be no misunderstanding as to what course, should be taken should the Council again deem it expedient to reduce, or affirm the desirability of reducing, the Gold Duty, so that th)e; Provincial Government may not again be 'able to screen direct opposition to the will of the people, expressed through their representatives (a3 was done last session) by the framing of an Ordinance which its legal adviser must have known was unnecessary, and could harcly fail to throw the onus and of continued Goldfields taxation upon the General Government, while the inferior Executive continued to enjoy the profits. On behalf of the' goldminers of Otago, I am instructed to ask the assistance of the Colonial Government in the protection of a great industry, now suffering from paralysis, which is not caused by the attraction the public works offer to the miners, but from the pressure of taxation collected for the support of Governments with which they have no sympathy. This is evidenced by the fact that our best miners are leaving the Colony. I have the honor to he, Sir, Your most obedient servant, George Clarke, Secretary Central Mining Association.