PUBLIC MEETING AT PAROA.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1881, 15 August 1874, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING AT PAROA.

TAXING MINING PROPERTY. A numerously-attended meeting of the miners and other residents in the Paroa and New River Districts, was held at the Road Board Office, Paroa, on Thursday, the 13th inst, to express an opinion on a motion, of which, it was understood, notice had been given that it would be brought before the Road Board for discussion that day. The motion had reference to the levying and collecting a rate on the mining property of the district, and the meeting was called to take the sense of the residents on the desirability of imposing such a tax. Mr M. Dowling was called to the chair, and briefly stated the objects of the meeting, giving it as his opinion that such a rate as proposed by the Board would prove destructive to the welfare of the mining community. Mr M'Gbath stated his astonishment at Mr Colton's conduct, and disbelieved Mr Colton's assertion that the miners •were to be disfranchised by the coming Road Board Ordinance. Mr Colton replied that he had carefully watched the proceedings of the Provincial Council, and that, taken together with the expression, of public opinion through the Press, convinced him that what he had stated was. correct. He might mention that he had been told Jj&s a Judge on the Bench had recently llpJiWsed himself scandalised at a state of things in which persons who did not contribute to the rates of Road Boards could be members of such bodies, and actually make assessments and levy rates on other people's property. MrHuBBERD was called upon to address the meeting, and calculated that the miner paid for gold duty alone, at the lowest computation, Ll per annum ; Ll per annum for miner's right ; and was besides the largest contributor to the general revenue. He thought it would be serious to the mining community to tax them any more, and predicted a wholesale clearing-out, if that course was adopted. Mr Morissey had heard tc-night that a Judge had felt surprised at miners being on the Road Boards. He would like to .know how that Judge, or any' other ■^official expected his salary to be paid if tEe miners were compelled by over taxation to leave the country. He warmly defended mining property against being rated, and in strong terms expressed his surprise at an attempt to rate them being made, more especially as the proposal came from a mining member. He thought the Government treated the Boards unfairly, especially in not allotting to them a fair proportion of the GoM-fields revenue. Mr Hdbbabt> then moved, that "in the opinion of this meeting, it is wholly undesirable to rate mining property." A vote of thanks to the Chair terminated the proceedings.