MINING BOARDS: Their Origin, Use, and Abuse.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 642, 7 April 1870, Page 2

MINING BOARDS: Their Origin, Use, and Abuse.

(To the Editor of the Westport Times.)

Sir, —I notice in your columns dated March 21th extracts from the Pleasant Creek News and Melbourne Leader having special reference to Mining Boards in Victoria. It appears that a strong feeling is there being manifested as to the advisability of abolishing Mining Boards, and substituting some other miners' local representative system. As I am intimately acquainted with both the origin and working of these institutions in Victoria, I venture a few remarks on this subject, which is now being brought so prominently before the miners of the West Coast. It is of the greatest importance that we should not rashly advocate or adopt any system or institution that has elsewhere been tried and proved a failure. In reading those extracts some of your readers might imagine that Mining Boards have proved a failure in Victoria. I will endeavor to

mow that such conclusions would be 3rroneous, that they have ably accomplished the great work they wero designed to perform, and prepared the ivay for this agitation to complete. To estinnte fairly what Mining Boards have dono for mining enterprise in Victoria, it will be necessary to glance back to a date prior to their adoption, to a time when official despotism ruled over the mining community with an outrageous intolerance, when by a blind suicidal policy the Government disregarded the just rights of the miner, and trampled rough-shod over his liberty. At last, driven to desperation, the cub of the British lion let out a roar that was heard throughout every corner of Victoria. Miners, determined to demand at the muzzle of" the revolver what they could not obtain by appeal, armed and assembled from all parts at Ballarat. The infatuated Government pushed matters to a crisis by sending up troops, and a collision took place. But from that moment the miners'- cause was triumphant. It is true the leaders were arrested, dragged to Melbourne, tried for mutiny in arms ; but what was the result ?. In vain did the exasperated Attorney-General attempt to secure a conviction. Jury list after jury list was exhausted in exorcising the light of challenge; the verdict " Not Guilty" again and again rang out from the jury, and as prisoner after prisoner proudly left the dock he was welcomed by the assembled thousands of his fellow-miners. Appeal now was not in vain. Reform became the order of the day. The resignation of the obnoxious Colonial Secretary Foster was demanded ; he had to resign, concession after concession was granted, and a new era dawned on mining enterprise. I have alluded to this eventful period as an example of the stupendous folly of a Government disregarding the just rights of a community, of attempting to stem the tide of progress,' since it is certain in time to flow on, and the foolish obstructionists are in danger of being overwhelmed in the advance The teeming thousands from all parts of Europe that had flocked to Victoria to gather the rich harvest of gold that seemed as it were strewn broad-cast on the surface by the prodigal hand of nature, rapidly exhausted the first fruits, and it was discovered that the principal mineral wealth of the future lay buried in many instances hundreds of feet below the surface. To develop this her mountain streams had to be diverted, her forests hewn down, and her hills and valleis pierced with a complete network of excavations. The vast multitude of conflicting interests that this gigantic enterprise called into existence demanded prompt and efficient legislation. Government legislation was an abortion—because ignorant of the requirements, they were unable to make laws to meet the necessity—Who was to grapple with the difficulty; common sense pointed to the practical and experienced miner who could understand best what was wanted to encourage mining development in his own locality. But the character of the ground, and bye-laws suitable to the management, varied so greatly in different districts that it was resolved to establish a local Mining Board in each district, whose duties were to define and classify mining operations, framebye-laws under which these operations should be conducted, encourage mining development, guard against monopoly, and protect the individual and general interests of the whole mining community. Thus Mining Boards came into existence as a creation of circumstances, in fact the natural offspring of necessity. Authors af Mining Board institutions may look back with pride over their successful 3areer; the vast enterprises that have oecn undertaken under their guidance md protection, the direct encourasenent given by these Boards to all dasses of mining interests, are sufficient proof of their usefulness. It is ;rue that many of their bye-laws had ;o be remodelled and amended as experience dictated, to adapt them to ;he new features, and improved systems )f mining that were rapidly introduced, )tit_ surely this should not weigh

against thezn. The same charge may be made against nearly all the laws of a new country, especially the Land Law of Victoria, which has been amended nearly every session of Parliament for the last 20 years, and the result is that country possesses a more popular land law than any other Australian colony. If New Zealand wanta to have her goldfields developed on a scale worthy of a country possessing vast resources of mineral wealth, she must be more attentive to the wants of her mining population, increase thenrepresentation so as to give them their proper weight in her deliberative councils, and grant them the power to make prompt and efficient bye-laws to meet the requirements of their several districts, and not have to spend six months petitioning for the change of a bye-law, then six more before it is known whether the boon is granted or refused. I do not deny that the time has now arrived when Victoria may with advantage dispense with the whole of her Mining Boards • they have accomplished thor work, they have collected, denned, and classified every variety of mining enterprise and framed bye-laws to meet each peculiarity, Out of their vast labors, one consolidated code of mining laws may possibly bo framed and adapted to all the Victorian goldfiolds. But how stands the case with New Zealand; out of what can a suitable universal code be framed; here the Government does not understand the requirements and what

Would bo suitable in Victoria, iu many instances, would bo unsuitable here. The goldfields hero are yet comparatively undeveloped, and as they become developed miners only by experience can tell what is most suitable and profitable for the proper working of those fields for the benefit of the community, if for the community then for the benefit of the whole country. 1 must say a word about their abuse. One complaint appears to be excessive legislation; too many bye-laws. To guard against this I believe one Mining Board for the whole of the district would work better than a Board for each subdivision, if the district be properly subdivided and the number of members elected bear some proportion to the extent and amount of population in that subdivision of the district. A Mining Board so constructed Avould have the requirements of the whole district brought under its notice by its respective members, and one code of bye-laws for the whole would suffice. Occasionally a charge has been made, but very seldom, of party influence having been brought to bear on members, for party purposes, but miners have ample powers to check this abuse; let them be alive to their own interests, return only the men in whom they have full confidence and retain a vigilant watch over the transactions of the Board and promptly call any of the members to account in whom they have lost confidence. This vigilance is the best safeguard. Geokge Dunk, Chairman, Mining League Committee.