SETTLEMENT OF OUR GOLDFIELDS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 261, 30 January 1873, Page 8

SETTLEMENT OF OUR GOLDFIELDS.

{To the Editor.) Sir, — Our Government have shown a decided desire to foster and raise new industries in the colotly, and are offering large prizes for the establishment of factories, quite over-looking that no such undertakings can exist as long aa our goldfields possess the same amount* of attraction as at present. Factory lords cannot afford to give such high wages aa Dame Fortune holds out to the hornyhanded sons of toil, "who, willing to enter her service, bring With them a stout heart and a will to match, and generally speaking are the pioneers who flock to new colonies. The colony need not expect to see manufactories flourish until her goldfields are settled — until the time has come when it will be useless for a man with his pick and shovel to attempt to make his living by mining. This stage of progress is to be approached in three different ways. The Conference held at Lawrence last year pointed out one of the means, viz., liberal legislation, providing all protection to mining, with due regard to all other classes of the community, and basing such protection upon equity and justice ; leaving the details of their peculiar culling entirely in the hands of the miners themselves. This plan has proved eminently successful in California, when a short number of- years sufficed to place mining upon a solid and healthy foundation. It created confidence in the Government, and satisfaction amongst the miners, and resulted in benefit to the country. New industries sprung up without the assistance of the Government, the progress of the State was rapid and spontaneous. Its development stands without a parallel in the history of colonization. California teaches us another Jesson. It is the sale of auriferous claims for mining purposes as freehold property, and is acted upon to some extent by the Waste Lands Act, 1872. As this is com* paratively a new idea, it would be premature to give an opinion as to the desirability of its consideration here. The Goldfields Bill, 1872, pointed out a very different course from any of the above mentioned, namely, prohibitive taxation. How far this would lead to the permanent settlement of the mining industry is very questionable, but upon a little reflection the gravest doubts of its efficacy will be apparent. The Government furnish an illustration in support of this conclusion by their evidently paradoxical proceedings, offering a bonus of £5000 for the production of a quantity of iron ; £1000 for printing paper, etc., etc. We see that while on the one hand they offer assistance 1 * to the colonist ; on the other they repel them, and try to crush the life out of an existing industry. Can such a line of action inspire confidence? Does not the taxation levie'l from the miners go to a certain extent towards making up these bonuses? And can we, in the face of this fact, call such, liberality just, while the miners still suffer from class taxation 1 I shall desist saying any more at present, partly from fear of borinjj your readers, and partly from fear of drawing upon myself the denunciations of the " Otago Witness" as A Mischievous One. Arrowtown, Jan. 20, 1872.