Letter from the Central Mining Association to the Colonial Secretary.

Bruce Herald, Volume VII, Issue 649, 13 November 1874, Page 6

Letter from the Central Mining Association to the Colonial Secretary.

The following letter has been forwarded to "Wellington :—

Central Mining Association, Naseby, November 12, 1874 To the Coloniai Secretary, Wellington

Sir,— l have »he honor to draw your atten'ion to coneapondence relative to the disallowance of the Otago ftold Duty JJep: yineut Ordinances, 1874 more especially to your memorandum of 18th July, 1874, intimating to Hi* Honor the Sup^ iitendent of Otago the disallowance of the Ordinance by his Eicel-

leney. You therein state that the reason why the Ordinance was disallowed was becaime sufficient provision had nor, it appealed to you been made to protect the revenue of other provinces, and you suggested that provision might be made for allowing the bonus (>r remission) directly to the miners, on their satisfying the "Warden or other authorised officer that they obtained gold within any district, and forwarded to the coast for shipment. The Otago miners gathered from the terior ofyour letter that there is no reason why the iduty should not be rebated til any province if the Legislature of such province see fit. I beg respectfully to direct your attention to a few features in connection with the who'e question of direct taxation on r,he gold-miners, which in a press of business will have, no doubt, escaped your notice. The first Gold Duty Act of 185S contained a provision that his Excellency could, at any time before the next session of the Assembly, rebate or altogether abolish the gold duty, so jealous was the Assembly of that day that no suspicion should be entertained of making any attempt to swell the general revenrie from such special taxation. The Act of 1858, and all subsequent Acts, expressly declare that such duty, although collected by the machinery of the Customs, Bhall not in any sense be taken to be Customs duties, but shall be land revenue— this provision being clearly introduced to protect the provinces to which goldfields maintenance had been delegated from any losb arising from such maintenance. In Otago at the present time, in spite of the depression in gold-mining, caused almost entirely by the pressure of special and general taxation, amounting to £15 per miner, the amount of gold duty collected is double the amount spent for maintenance, while the whole amount of special taxation collpcted as duty, licenses, leases, &c., is quadruple the amountspent in maintenance, the figures for last year, in round numbers, being £33,000 collected as against £8,000 spent in maintenance.

I have no reason to suppose that the position of matters is more favorable to f he £o!d-miner in other provinces.

You will at ooce perceive that the Pro* vincial Government of Orago is reaping a large revenue for expenditure on coastal works by the oppression of a young industry ; in other words, that the Colonial Govern men b, by a liberal vote .of £200,000 fur water supply on goldSelds, i* endeavoring to foster mining, while the Provincial Government is allowed to undermine any benefit which might accrue for such works by taking the miners £5 per head.

If there is auy reason why the miners for the more precious minerals in a colony should be taxed on an assumption of a peculiar prerogative of Royalties attaching to the State, the Colonial Government as administrator for the Crown and pro • vider for the whole people, should receive such taxation. The fact, however, that it is not so — that the provinces are in receipt of 3uch taxation raised on auch pretence of Royalties— abundantly proves that there is no such valid assumption or excuse for special taxation in existence-

On behalf of the gold miners of Ofcsgo, numbering between 6,000 end 7,000, 1 have by instructions of my, Association, laid these facts before you, and have to request that you will cause inquiry to be made into the trnth of what 1 allege before the ensuing session of Parliament, that the Government may in its wisdom devise such a scheme of colonial administration of the gold fields as will for ever preclude a swelling of revenue by means of a direct tax on an industry almost wholly followed by working men.

I have further to request tnat you will cause communications to be opened up with the Provincial Executive of Otago, so that there be no misunderstanding as to what course should be taken shonld the Council asain deeja ft expedient to reduce, or affirm the desv ability of reducin J the gold duty, so that the Provincial Government may not again be able to screen direct opposition to the will of the people, expressed through their representatives, as wa.s 4o,ae last session by the framing of au Ordinance, which its legal adviser must have known was unnecessary, and could hardiy fail to throw the onus and unpopularity or continued goldfield taxatioD upon the G-neral Government, white the inferior Executive continued to enjoy the profits.

On behalf of the gold-swiners of Otag-o, I am instructed to ask the assistance of She Colonial Government in the protec-. tion, o.f a great industry now Buffering: $?ow paralysis, wKich i* not caused fey theat.(racfion the public works offer- to themiofra, but from the presßU.rft of taxation collected for the suppdr's of Soverntnents with whh-h t\\sy havo no sympathy* This j,9 by the fast that our befit miners are leaving the Colony. — -X am, &c, George Clabee, Sectary Central Mining Association.