MINING REGULATIONS.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 257, 21 April 1888, Page 7

MINING REGULATIONS.

Thk Conference of the " Industrial and Protection Societies of New Zealand ! (held in the Chamber of Commerce, "Wellington last month,) in their report, refer as follows to the existing :- Mining Regulations. — This question lias engaged the attention of the Conference in consequence of its intimate connection with the labour and capital employed in the mining industry, and the fact that the present law seriously interefere with the developement of the mining districts, and greatly limit the the enterprise of the working miner. One operation of the law at present is as follows : — A.B. pegs ont and applies for a licensed holding. He is debarred from prospecting the same until such time as his license is granted, which usually takes three months, thereby practically throwing A.B. out of employment during that time. The remedy propose.! is, to allow every miner to prospect the ground as soon as he has applied for the holding, without Avaiting for the formal license. Another phase of the law is the insecurity oF possession to the capitalist who may have spent thousands of pounds in developing his holding ; the law compelling the capitalist to man his ground, and leaving him entirely at the mercy of the Government officer in authority, irrespective of what amount of money he may have expended. This has greatly retarded the investment of capital, and the lemedy for this evil is the adoption of the American system, which gives to the holder a patent right upon the expenditure of a fixed sum ; and frees him from the caprice of those in authority. If the chnnsre proposed is made, there would be •considerable influx of ne*v capital, and the employment of thousands of additional miners, who. it must be remom"bprinl. are the best consumers and tnx?>ayprs. Henry M. ftlmphord. Provident ; J. "DrnnsfipM, viep-pre-'idpnt ; T. Kennedy MncdonaM, H. V>. Kirk, James Stnart, "W. Cli-iliners. W HiMrpt.li. Owen -Jumps Hodirp. Charles M. Tjulce, DoU»-r.-iti-ri ; David Tollhouse, Walter Hill, lionoiary Seciot tries.