The Daily News FRIDAY, JUNE 19. DEVELOPING OUR RESOURCES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 153, 19 June 1908, Page 2

The Daily News FRIDAY, JUNE 19. DEVELOPING OUR RESOURCES.

From 188;) to 10U7, ;i pwiod of eighteen 1 years, llu-re has not been a .-.essioii of ' Parliament ntuitarKcti by tin- passing of a mining bill. Kvery year there has ; Ik'cii iiv>ii mining legislation. whieli will be Annul duly embodied in our Statute Jiook,. In 1 SMS was [lasted - The MillAct." a <omprehcn«iive measure of some Mlo elau-cx which. naturally, one vMiuld have expected to km- disposed of the claim- hi minim; for legislation for a very helled period; but tin- very next war v, itnc--ed the of all amending bill, and for years i'ui- j lowing I<S!i!i tlici>* have been .Mining Hills. In thi> Dominion mining is confined. itlniii-l wholly, to tlie production <»r -diver. and coal; \ei it would -cent the roll*lit ion-, attaching to the indiMry ; uv -o changeable as to caU for amendment of the law. f•. ill!-, tv.illy -o. or i, litis interminable . due to a want of approhen.v.on ur pre-cience (.n the part of those respnn>ible fur our legislation? In the older land- and in nm>l of the new--Llio Anifj'iran and Australian SlaLes.for instance —the law relating to minin-: l altained to >omethin\f like a settledcondition: i-ertaimv their Parliaments are not troubled with the appearance ol Mining l»ilK every vear, and this noiwil.hstnndinf. the tart that their mining oj>;«ra<J:ons are infinitely more varied anii extensive than what is sliown by the limited production of New Zealand. When the work if (levi>lo|iiiij;_ til' l rri of thi- colony in iron is fairly ; started, one trembles U> think M the ! burden tint will be east upon our 5 lalois. As no Mining Kill w;.s passed ! 'asi year, it was to have been expected [ vhat there would be one this i Its coining lias been duly announced.

Tin' onrlv hMory or mankind is associ- | aled with thi' raising of Hooks ami herds and the Idling of the soil—(he pastoral, tin- prehMono aw. With tin- discover--01 iron, and the manifold uses t 0 which it could l)e applied, the march of eivi!-i-atton may lie saiu to have begun. Ail these, -oiitliern -dates were sheep runs over which the squat!or lord held sway, until jrold like a magnet drew fertilising, fructifying „trenins of population to their shores. Hold still remains ihoir "hicf mining staph", although in these inter years the production of coal has developed enormously. As population increases, as railwaVjtrntlic and com mono extends, under present conditions increased supplies of coal become a necessity. It is right, therefore, that in the first instance the energies of the inung State should lie very largely devoted to the staple industries, lml thai affords no good reason for the neglect of other sources of national wealth that lie like nuggets around ns awaiting tineyes of discrimination to pick tliem up.Manganese ore. iron, aluminium, copper, sulphur, phosphate rock, antimony, arsenic, quicksilver, zinc, tin, platinum, a-dicstos. mica, and petroleum cnn*fi lute a very cheerful index of (he mineral wealth in the possession of the people of (his forlunale land. It is doiihl'fiii if liisiiiv know how very rich we ere.' At present all thi- wealth, not hearing intercut, lies stored awar in (he "Natural Hank." and only ihc pick of indu-lry fan In-ill'; il into circulation. Ilov, far have our periodical Mining Hills and our Mining Amomlmen! Acts accomplished amlhing to thai .-nil? l!ov,.nd apparent nhorlive logMaiion and a few spasmodic and iiitile clV..rt, in <oin.eelion with our ironsaml and the l'anpara ilcoo-iis ~,„ ()„, Covi-ninieat he credited with anv attempt t-. develop 11,. mineral resource-, of ih" couiiirv?

l! J- -nege.ie,! h-re tlii 1 to iinv one •i! tempt bli; tn develop mining in mnnerlioii villi ih,. production nt tlie minerills above -pciilicd. or to establish nianu fat-lures associated with such min-rals of local production, free transport mi the raihvavs mi.nlii be nll'ercd for a number of years. That would not involve the State ill a very hi-avv expenditure for it is manifest -udi trallic could no--Nii-t without briii'_'iii2 into operation other liv.liie which' would vieM a i-c-

turn The State, indeed, would in every 'ii-lancc be building up for itself a new unrki! for its railway business, and in the em] would be a substantial gainer. Fn addition, bonuses mi'jjit be grant.'.! uropm-lionate to the extent of prnduetion. This i* a emnine'i form of en-i-ourag'-n-.onl. and has frequently l-.-cn nt I ended with pronounced success. If

there is no adequate production- jiiiK tically no Micccss—the State is not cml eel upon (o pa v. Tliir.llv. there i-i tli <vslrm of !iniii'tiii ; : subsidies im tin- in li:il expenditure, whicli mi'ulit also wr satisfactorily. There is no reason wli Mil these three courses should not 1; "HVri'il simultaneously.

.\i Ibis moment grhl has brrn found in livable nunnlilies nil the sanilv beaehrs of the Wo-t Const <,r (he South Island 'lb,. -hore- hive been secured liv a com-lunv-controlled l,v Tar-miki invslni's -and -in order Ins her,, 5..„ l to America for 11»' ncces-ai'V michinorv lo work ilc claims. Mow dues it hatiprn that detail.- of the maeliiuerv rei|iiired for sucli Tiiiniii'.' wa- nu! in the possession of (lie New Ze.ll.lltil Depart nient 1 Dow 'iiinimr investors hoi i'o w to America for m;,<-li"K',r? We ; ,rc -trivinir to .level, .i< loe-il nianiil'ai-lurcs: by prefcnoiI'al larilV- we arc -diu'ting our doors on Die foreigner: but here i- a ease, apparently.'in whirl, loealenterpri-e cmiM not act what was reipiired except from America. Possibly the machinery de sired was of American invention and oiotrcteil be patent rights covering New Zealand, but otherwise whatever the local producer requires for Ihe succc-s----fnl workiinr of his inibistrv should be prndneihlc in this ennntrv or'the Motherland. On the whole there appears to be ground for the belief that something more than annual amendments of the law is necessary so far as the Mining Department is concerned: that a more liberal policy and comprehensiveness is needed in the administration; that cdurahvelv it is not a startling success. It might be well if the Minister in charge were to show himself a little more energetic ami determined in securing for the important departments confided to his administation that practical ron-idcration which it appears badly to need.