The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1879.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3180, 29 April 1879, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1879.

Notwithstanding all our good wishes and sanguine expectations that some good would result from the Conference of County authorities and the United Pumping Association in Auckland, we cannot blind ourselves to the fact that very small indeed has been the result. From the published reports of the meeting, and from conversations with several of the gentlemen present, the position taken up by the United Pumping Association seems to have prevented an understanding being arrived at. The County authorities declared that they were then and there prepared to dispose of the securities—a term by which their interest in the Pump has come to be known by—but the Association taking advantage of that disposition, refused to extend their offer, or even to approach the subjeot in a spirit we might have expected to been shown by them. Each party seemed to think the other had the greater interest in having pumping works re-started, and acting upon such a supposition looked for concessions from each other, which at once prevented an understanding being arrived at, and. accounts for the unsatisfactory result of the Conference. Our remarks in a previous issue are being confirmed each day, that a waiting game is being played on both sides, but, unfortunately, the lookers-on—this community—are the greatest sufferers. The remarks of several of the members of the Ass oca t ion all I evinced the light in which they viewed the revenue derived from gold duty by the local authorities, and the manner in which it should be spent. From the fact that only the sum—£4ooo or so—expended by the County out of the loan was considered by the speakers as justly owing to that body—the expenditure of gold duty by the Borough and County not being taken into consideration—goes to prove that such sums were considered, and received in the sense of a right, and which the local bodies, by a certain agreement, had to devote to pumping operations. This question of the gold duty and its expenditure leads us to re-open the whole subject, and question the justice of the tax, especially if its expenditure is to be regulated by views such as those held and enunciated by the United Pumping Association. For years our columns have advocated the abolition of the gold duty tax, and our views have been those of a large section of (he community; the only plea in favor of its collection being that for the last few years the amount derived from it has been paid to the local authorities at a

portioja pi their revenue. If its expenditure is, however/to be regulated by the rale, that those who help by their exertions to win the gold that the duty is paid upon, are entitled to a refund of the amount to help them to carry on further operations either in pumping water from their mines or prospecting, the last argument in favor of imposing such a duty is overcome. If the local authorities can be influenced to take a like view to that held by the Pumping Association ; and the Borough Council, by resolving some months ago to give their gold duty to the Association to aid in pumping and prospecting operations, seem already to have admitted the correctness of the same, the gold duty ceases to become of any use to them as ordinary revenue, and its collection inflicts a hardship upon the tributer and the poorer miner, for the benefit of the larger mine owners. While such would be the case, we do not wish to be understood to say, the expenditure of the gold duty upon the Big Pump has been wrong, or that if Buch is given for the same purpose in the future, that it would be money thrown away; but it would be establising a bad precedent, and be an admission of the claims of those who produced the revenue to have its expenditure. Every miner who expended money upon a drive might prefer a claim for a refund of the revenue received from the gold obtained by him, and the result would be that the gold duty would cease to be a source of revenue to our local governing bodies. The only argument in favor of continuing the tax is thus demolished, and the repeal of such a regulation becomes necessary.