MINING LEGISLATION.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 303, 12 November 1873, Page 3

MINING LEGISLATION.

( To the M'Aor. ) Sin,— lt 13 to be regret tel thsfc Mr. Pyke and Sir. Mouat should have been confronted by so formidable a difficulty as the water guago when discussing the gold mining legislation in tho columns of the " Otago Daily Times." Water is a very important subject to miners iv -Otago ; yet there are other points in a Mining Bill of greater importance, whicli Mr. Pyke and Mr. Mouat would have elucitated had not this detestable water difficulty abruptly come 'in the way. In this district the water .guage has not jjiven so much trouble

as the difficulty to discharge. The miners are very much indebted to Mr. Pyke and Mr. Mouat for taking their ease up so warmly, and they feel sorry (poor ignorant creatures) at being deprived of the authority and opinions of men so eminent. But in -writing for publication in this country, personal abuse is relished, and passes generally for strong argument. Does Mr. Pyke intend to establish a precedent to the contrary and make us iv future study ceremony ? Had Mr. Pyke and Mr. Mouat discussed the relative position occupied by the miners and the squatters in regard to the oecupationot land on the goldfields, or the position of the settler, squatter, and miner, their position in the eyes of the bill in question, with ea>;h of their liberties and rights, au opportunity would have been afforded them of dispelling an amount of ignorance scarcely credible from 'the minds of the public. Tb miners, it docs seem strange that Mr. Mouat should have singled out this obnoxious water question in dealing with Mr. Pyke's letter, considering how little the miners think of it, and how great its general bearing on the prosperity of the province compared with milling being placed on an equitable footing, as squatting or agriculture. The miners wouder why it is considered gooJ and impartial legislation to give squatters unlimited authority over their thirty, forty, or hundred, thousand acres at, say, a farthing an acre ? The miners forget the public duties wliich a squatter is sure to be called on to jserform, their liabi'ity to be created J.l'.'s and to bo called to the Legislative Council, entitle them to some slight concessions on the part of the go rcrning body. Surely tho blin lest miner cannot fail to see that some compensation is necessary for having to sit in the House of Loi\ls of thi3 country. Mr. Pyke and Mr. Mouat recognise this, and immediately puzzled their brains to put the water guage to rights. The minors, in their ignorance, may object to the legislation raising up a landed aristocracy at the expense of their industry; but then they are unacquainted with the Britivh Constitution, and | that it i 3 incumbent ou the country to rear n landed aristocracy to maintain all the principles of civic government, which Mr. Pyke and Mr. Mouat can tell them. The miners have no wonder at seeing fortune thrust upon this class ; they ought to be perfectly willing to pay for the importation of labor from Europe, because it increases the value of the landed estates ; and they ought to strain every nerve to open up the country by roa.ls and railways, when they know that it will increase the productiveness of the groat landed estate*. Let the miner be satisfio.l to compare himstslf with tho settler on the goldficlda, who, with the miner, has been a source of considerable fear to squafcterdom. Some yeara ago, a few fidggetity legislators persuaded* the Lirjje land owners to permit settlement around gold mining centres, and it was agreed that this clas3 should hold an area not exceeding ten acres for pxirely cultivation purposes. The governing body, as if ashamed of their meanness in tho distribution of land, after attempting to reduce agriculturists to the starving point, increased the area to fifty, and then to two hundred, acres, providing that all the choice pieces in the neighborhood were given to the great Land owners, and also that 2s. 6M. per acre be imposed aa a yearly rental. So that, though a miner can only occupy ton acres, at a rental of C 23 a year, for carrying on his industry at the present time, there is some hepe of considerable reforms, with men like Mr. Pykfe and Mr. Mouat to legislate for the mining industry. There ia no use for ungrateful miners or sattlers asking why tho legislature considers it necessary to have three separate coJles of rules for settlement ? Or why the miner and agriculturist should not occupy the same position? They forget it is necessary to have two classes ; and, when they have them, that a certain amount of antagonism should exist between thenijin order to secure perfect freedom of action to tho squatters to acquire their large landed estates without competition. The idea of the minors asking why a volume nearly as large at Shakcspere's works, and treating in the moct minute and intricate manner of all the different processes of gold mining, should be planned and published for their benefit, while a sqiiatter can breed any kind of slicep or goat, wash oi« scoui* his wool befoi'e oi* af ter shearing, or not shear at all if he pleases ? or why the pro.luco of one industry should be taxed^and at the same time allow the other to go free ? Tho legislature know very well that miners are no more than a helpless lot of babies — mere children, who need the great fostering care of a paternal Government. In this state of society, it woidd be ridiculous to ask Mr. Mount """^y the Ca.li£orni»n gold mining laws are inapplicable to New Zealand ? and, Mr. Pyko, why not compile a Gold Mining Bill from the trie.l laws of other colonies and other gold-producing countries ? Or to ask them both, why they did not advance their opinions on the question whi.-h the miners think of permanent importance to the development of their industry ? — I am, &c, ITujfCTUS OPFICIO.