MINING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 243, 26 September 1872, Page 8

MINING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.

It appears the Legislative Council of Victoria, are throwing obstacles in the way of the Bill which is now before them becoming law. At a meeting in Ballarat, when 500 persons were present — with the Mayor in the chair. Mr. WheeLdon in moving the first resolution, is reported by the " Ballarat Courier "to have said :—": — " The mining community had for years been drained by the holders of private property for the right to mine for minerals that did not belong to them, and now that a bill to remedy the evil, to some extent at least, had passed the Assembly, it was likely to be thrown aside by the Council. The necessity that existed for legislation was apparent on all sides. Before a pick was allowed to be put into the Winter's freehold.. £50,000 had to be paid to the owner, and there was not even the shadow of a chance of one penny of that sum ever coming back into mining. The same individual had also taken £20,000 for the right to mine on the Bonshaw paddock. At Pitfield plains something like £60,000 had been paid for^mining under private properties, independent of percentages paid out of the gold. In one case 10 per cent, royalty was paid to the owner, and when nuggets over a certain weight were got 50 per cent, of the gross yield had, to be paid. At Haddon the lead had been traced up to within a stone's throw of private property, and the consequence was that further prospecting had been stopped. At Creswick also a very rich gutter recently struck is trending in the directJon of Dyke's 5,000 acre property, and the owner the other day asked nothing less than the purchase of the entire area. At Clunes likewise large percentages were being paid. To show that the gold and silver under the soil did not belong to the owner of the land, he could mention a case which occurred over 300 hundred years ago in the time of Queen Elizabeth. In that instance the Crown had stepped in and prevented a certafn duke from mining for gold, and actually sent its own servants to take out the precious metal. Further the Crown had asserted a right to enter a suit and seek restitution of thegold taken out. One of the best measures that could be passed would be to give the miners the right to go and obtain the gold that helongs to the Crown.,"