THE MINING CONFERENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 1681, 27 December 1872, Page 3

THE MINING CONFERENCE.

j The following is a continuation of the report adopted by the Conference : — BESIDENCE AREAS, BUSINESS SITES, &C. The Conference do not see any necessity for altering the present system. If altered, residence areas might be extended to two acres, and the price of business licenses should be reduced to one half. FOBFEITUKE AND PROTECTION. The Conference are of opinion that all cases arising under these heads can be better dealt with by the regulations than by being embodied in the act ; but they would desire to record that forfeiture, unless under aggravated circumstances of non-compliance of the law, should not be resorted to. DIVEESION OF STBEAMS. The Conference having duly considered the above subject, find that as the law now exists, that hitherto such diversion has only been lawful in furthering one j particular branch of industry, namely, gold mining. The Waste Lands Act passed in 1872, and which will soon come into operation, provides for water being diverted for other industries. The Conference quite concur with the provision I made by that act, but it still leaves one point which has hitherto been a source of particular grievance untouched, viz., that of provision being made that two heads of watei shall at all times flow down the natural bed of any creek for general use — the words general use being subject to be misconstrued. PBIOBITT OP BIGHT - Has been an established rule on goldfields, and cannot be said to act unfairly. The present water rights entirely depend on prior occapation to defined rights, and such a rule we should not wish to supersede. The main points under this head which the Conference would desire to see remedied are, that a permanent license should be granted by paying a nominal sum per year for each sluice head ; and they would also recommend that part VI of the Gold Mining Bill, 1872, with schedule attached, be adopted in preference to existing laws (eliminating all reference to inspectors and deposit on application), and also making the yearly rental a sum, say, 2s 6d. The great bugbear as to water rights and races, has been, as already stated, that of allowing two heads to flow in the natural channel of creeks if required. This Conference would recommend that priority of right should predominate in this case as in all others in gold mining, which means that if the water is required to flow down the natural channel by any party whatsoever, when any application to divert the said water is put forth, that such an objection should be held valid ; but if the right be once granted that it should not be again cancelled, except the same is required for settlement or public use, and then only by paying compensation. The right to use and construct dams and reservoirs might be granted on the same principle as water rights, while we would recommend that a rental, if any be charged, should be merely nominal. The privileges allowed by the Act of 1866, for carrying races through private lands being still retained, we would recommend that 15 feet on each side of a race be allowed for repairs and other purposes. POLLUTION OF STBEAMS, AND PBO VISION FOB DISCHARGE OF TAILINGS. The law, as it at present stands, fails to make mining a legal calling, as by the common statute laws, the miner may be I liable to heavy damages in the prosecution of his avocation. <• A clause should be inserted in the Bill to protect the miner in respect to defiling creeks and rivers, \ and provision should also be made that a | reasonable amount of unoccupied crown j lands be allowed for the discharge of tailings, due regard being made as to existing rights ; but the Bill should embrace a clause that any occupier of the surface of the soil may be displaced as well for the discharge of tailings as for gold mining. THE EIGHT OF ENTBT ON GROUND DEMISED BY LICENSE OB LEASE. For the better protection of the auriferous lands of the crown, instead of the right of entry being bound up in the Superintendent and Executive, as the present law enacts, if such lands are required for mining, the right of entry incurs considerable delay and expense. A clause that we think would act fairly might be introduced by allowing the miner a right to enter at any time on such lands by paying a deposit of a fixed sum for each acre he includes in his claim. This deposit could be made large enough to cover any surface damages incurred, and if successful in getting payable gold, the miner to be entitled to hold the land by paying compensation for improvements only, and nothing in'respect !of the land, the same to be settled by ; in the event of his not finding payable gold, on restoring the soil to its former state, and if no damage to crops has occurred, he should be entitled to receive back his deposit. The evil of lockiug up auriferous land is just beginning to be felt, and encouragement ought I

not to be given to persona to take up lands in the immediate vicinity of gold workings. BEYENTTE AJSTD EXPENSES. Under this head this Conference would desire to record that while it is patent that all reduction of revenues ought to be met by a like reduction of expenses, they do not approve of special taxation being imposed on miners to any greater extent than any other portion of the community, and the reduction, we may advocate, we trust will be looked upon at being based on fairness. The disbursement of gold fields revenue, we would entirely leave in the hands of the Government, trusting it will be based on the same principle. (To be continued.)