THE NEW GOLD MINING- BILL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 240, 5 September 1872, Page 7

THE NEW GOLD MINING- BILL.

TUAPEKA MINING ASSOCIATION.

A meeting of the Tuapeka Mining Association was held in the Schoolroom, Blue Spur, on the 29th August, to consider the Gold Mining Bill- Nearly all the members were present. The President occupied the chair. The minutes of the previous evening were read and confirmed.

Letters were read from the Waipori Mining Association, the Manuka Creek Mining Association, the "Waitahun«a Protection Committee, the Teviot Progress Committee, and Mr. J. C. Brown, M.H.R. All the correspondence urged the necessity for united action on the part of the miners, to develope a power, in order to operate with some degree of certainty for the solution of the ruining difficulties'] to relieve mining of the direct aud special taxation ; to secure the institution of equitable laws, and placing the miners on an equal footing with their fellow colonists. A generaijdesire was evinced in favor of a meeting of the Mining Societies in some central district, for the purpose of obtaining an expression of opinion on leading topics of goldfields interest ; and if possible agreeing to some course of action. The letters expressed a belief that such an assembly would exercise a controlling power, and direct the Legislature on goldfields subjects, into the proper channel

The President introduced, for the consideration of the Association, the G-old Mining Bill which was proposed to supersede the present law on the Ofcago goldfields. If it were passed, he dreaded the consequences. He referred to several of the 218 clauses as being intolerable, and in a retrogressive direction, carrying his mind back to the palmy <k*ys of Victoria, where such an Act would have been resisted by force of arms, as laws in his owner collection had been resisted. He read from the column r of the ct Tuapeka Times " a reported meeting of miners at Waitahuna, and cordially endorsed their opinions of the bill. He recommended a- -resolution condemning the whole bill, as inapplicable

fa jfcoa requirements of the district, afcd he deplored the excessive, taxation which the Government wished by this bill to impose on the mining community. . 4 M.r. John Cortnack said that- the Government had yielded to t&£ pressure of public opinion, and agreed to iake sixpence an ounce off the gold duty ; but by this bill the miners in many cases would be. mulcted in ten times thp amount taken off the gold. The introduction o f a Gold Mining Bill sp glaringly opposed to the intere&ts of this district was simply repeating the political errors of the Spaniards in Mexico and Peru. They imposed a duty of ten shillings an ounce on gold, with the fatal consequence of stopping its production. Those countries he regarded as landmarks in politics, and their history showed that it was possible by taxation to prohibit, to a great extent, the richest mines from being worked. The legislation of New Zealand was, in regard to its effects on the goldfields of the qojqny, on a par with the-legis-lation of the Spaniards in the countries he mentioned. The present law, though unsatisfactory in some points, was preferable to the one proposed to replace it. By the present law, water is j a free element, but by the bill under review the Government sought to impose a yearly rental of five pounds per Lead of forty inches. The present law ponveys the right to the holder of a miner's right to occupy an acre of land as a residence area — to hold sites for machines, dams, and reservoirs, without auy further charge than for registration. But though the Legislature have admitted that a larger supply of water is necessary for the develpppinent pf mining, and have agreed to spend money in assisting miners to increase that supply, they at the same time prppose to tax as well as to subsidise. Jn his opinion, the constant desire evinced by the Legislature to introduce uew elements and sweeping changes into the administration of the goldfjelds, has the effect to disturb and create a feeling of insecurity in the minds of the miners, as the constant tinkering with the laws affecting any industry will. The goldfields of Otago had been denuded of their most intelligent and thri ving miners from this cause. The new Gold Mining Bill would establish a new and ' officer, under the alluring name of Inspector, though detective or public informer would be a niore appropriate name, according to 'the duties assigned to that officer. Yet this officer is armed with great authority. He could not help thinking that a general appoint ment of Inspectors throughout the t> )lony would conduce to the prosperity and advancement of civilisation. If inspectors were necessary to mining, tlrpy ..were equally so to. farming, or po'any othpr industry. He would suggest that the Association communicate \yjfh #}c q-oyerpment, and urge the appointment of Inspectors of Married Peqple. The appointment would be very, useful, if it would insure a : greater measure of conjugal felicity, lie would moye, "That'this Association views with alarm, the Gold Mining Bill now before the Legislature, becoming law on the Otago - goldfiells, and desires to record itc 'deliberate protest against the- introduction of rules^witkso retrogressive a tendency into this district ; and with a view to inform the. goldfields representatives in Wellington of the decision of this Association, the Secretary be instructed to telegraph at once to Mr. Brown, asking bin} to use every means to resist the passage pf such an -intolerable bill in its stages through liamento JVI-r- T. J?. Morris would second the resolution, He questioned the powers the- Legisjatui'-e were assuming in imposing a tax on the elements which are supplied, freejy by a higher power. Water, as well as air, was supposed to have" been given to the human family by the Superintendent of th.c universe. £{en, who would thus assert a controlling power, in opposition to the dictates of. the,.great aiid. universal power, were guilty, of the most atrocious, crime, and unworthy to he named in other terms, than a s,et of bandits. He hoped the efforts ,nqw being made on the goldfields to. terminate the career of political ;adventur«rs \?ou}d .result in the Successful establishing, of, gold, mining pn an; equal, footing .with the other fodiistries of the colony, But miners, to' .accomplish tfris., must continue the present labours of . Mining Associations, and not revert- again into the lithargec state which,f they had x>f late years fell into. The .Gold; Mining r ßill, jf passed, injke, law, in this district,- he thought, would Veep ', th.c. „miners -from sleeping. -He; •,charac,teris,ed ?in strong language the disregard displayed;. foy; the goldfields.' ni,emjbers,pf th.e,tr.ue interests q& their constituent^ -He thought, however-, but tfttle*.- elsel could be. cx :< pgcted from" the motley group of blockheads.rs.ent ta Wellington ffam goldfields constituents to, represent them. 'Mr'-W. B. Morrison said that the Legisluture 'b,ad succeeded in suiwau,nd-' ing "the gold mining industry \yith a great- amount' of mystery, and under tfrisfog'theylwefce now legislating, The(Jflld 7 ' Mining Bill -which it was now attempted-' to pass, wa#an exefoplifica. tion of this^stute pfennigs. ]{ eo.ntltfns 2(fß-c}«iU^, J bodies- fqrtns ; an r d itf-'h'is- rafn'd- revenue pauses)' wa% unless; W> r '9 iftf^OT I • ' I* was entirely a lawyer's; lw ' :J JC¥fe %m Wk ft &a}£ wsh.

itie vexed question of -mining on .private land., But ''{»,. what, did those lands consist ? They consisted in residence areas,' daras, ~ machine sites, and water faces.- He hail carefully looked over' the bill, and, as far as his* recollection went, lje did not think he noticed the word lease — neither mining or agricultural. This bijl did notlay down any leading principle, unless the principle of taxation. It was intended to be exhaustive, and it does exhaust the means of taxation. It is retrogressive, as has beeij. remarked by reducing the size of claims, in alluvial or old worked ground,, to less than one-third their present size, and reducing the residence area to one-quarter its present size, • It was intolerable in its provisions for holding a claim, and for maintaining any of the rights a miner may be possessed of, and is necessary /or th 3 proper and efficient working of his claim. It proposed to increase the patronage of the'G-overnment and swell the army of officials — an army which had already reached the liberal number of fifteen hundred, besides the constabulary. This office is no doubt looked on by the Government as a means of spending a portion of the revenue which it is intended to raise by the new bill. The proper administration of the goldfields, in his opinion, consists more in being let alone than this consistent and persistent attempt at paternal care for the prosperity of the miner: In that old and pe+ty Republic, the United States of North America, the gold miners existed on sixteen clauses in their Gold Mining Act. Such a thing would be preposterous in a state like New Zealand. He thought it possible that Mr. Whitaker had been paid by the folio.

The motion was carried.

Additional rules were submitted by the Secretary for the government of the Association, and vinere adopted. The meeting then adjourned.