THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2958, 8 August 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 1878.

A cobbespondbnt at Wellington^ informs u» by telegram that, "at the request of his Hokitika constituents, Mr Seymour Thorne George, member for the district, was to introduce a Bill in the House of Representatives to-day to repeal the Gold Duty and reduce the Miner's Right fee from one pound to ten shillings." Regarding the repeal of the Gold Duty, a divided opinion exists in this district, but it is not so in the great mining centres of the Middle Island. In the latter, miners are unanimous in their desire to have the tax abrogated. We have consistently advocated its repeal, but, having regard to the peculiar circumstances of the Thames district, we hare kept in view the desirability of doing away with it gradually, so that fair and equitable taxation may be substituted for the impost of the gold duty ; -and in discussing this question we have not forgotten that the Thames presents the only instance in New Zealand goldmining districts where the tax can be said to be justifiable. It is for this reason that we have repeatedly called attention to the matter, to warn local bodies to be prepared with suggestions—re rating of mining property, to wit—as to the best substitute for the gold duty. We did so knowing that the large mining districts of the Middle Island were not placed in circumstances like ours. Here the greater part of the mining industry is carried on by companies for the benefit of shareholders very many of whom are residing out of the district. In such a case the gold duty seems fair and equitable, and it is easily collected. In the South—where four-fiftha of the mining population live •and labor —the gold duty has all along been regarded as a tax on industry, the arguments about royalty being no more applicable than they would be in the case of persons or companies denuding the country of valuable forests, or penetrating the bowels of the earth for coal deposits, and in some cases the latter industry has been largely subsidised by public money. The situation regarding the gold duty Beems now pretty plain. There will probably be a majority in favor of its repeal, and to compensate this district for its loss steps should be taken to move the Government in the way of providing a quid pro quo. No time should be lost, as the question is not likely to be one which will elicit a lengthened discussion. As to the reduction of the Miner's Right fee, we cannot see how that can be made to apply to the Thames Miners, owing to the peculiar tenour of the agreements between the Government and the Natives regarding the occupation of native lands for goldmining. Only a portion of the goldfield is now owned by the Crown, and the remedy we see ; for putting this district on a par with other mining districts—like those of the Middle Island over which the Native title has been extinguished—is to push on with the purchase of the freehold from the Natives. This we have frequently urged, foreseeing that in time the restrictions on goldmining must be removed as regards the occupation of Crown lands, and recognising the hardship that must be perpetuated on Thames miners by the system of duplicating miners' rights, license fees, and other imposts which arise out of our exceptional situation. We have ever been in favor of giving encouragement to the gold miner. We see in his particular enterprise the source of great material wealth and rapid progress. Its allurements are more efficacious in peopling a new country tban free immigration, backed by the most seductive fables of paid immigration agents ; while the hardy pioneers who make mining their calling hare done more to prepare the way for the agriculturist than they get credit for. Now is the time to put the position of the Thames before the Parliament of the Colony. We believe the abolition of the Gold Duty to be inevitable—gradually, we hope, but done away with it must be. The reduction of the .Miner's Right fee will probably be brought about. So the questions which the Thames community have now to face are (1) what equivalent can we suggest for the Gold Duty, when repealed, and (2) what pressure can we bring upon the Government to induce them to purchase the freehold of the field, so that we can be placed on the same footing as other goldfields when the Miner's Right fee shall have been, reduced.