THE EXPORT DUTY ON GOLD.

Lake County Press, Issue 62, 9 August 1872, Page 3

THE EXPORT DUTY ON GOLD.

(Evening Star.) Although much may be said in favor of the reduction aud final abandonment of the export duty on gold, very good reasons why a duty shouts be retained. The chief argument used in favor of its abolition is that it is at tax upon industry, This is the favorite theory ; and, were it really so, we should be among the first to advocate its being abandoned, for we hold that no legislation can be sound that lays special burdens upon any class of men. The word " tax" is always offensive to men's ears, and almost invariably rouses animosity. There can be no doubt that the gold duty is a " tax." and that it is paid by the miners; but there are peculiarities connected with it that commend it as in many respects a fair contribution to the revenue. In the first place, it is a tax in lieu of rent for the use of land. There can be no principle more thoroughly established than that he who has the use of land must pay something to the community for the privilege conceded to him. The agriculturist under present arrangements has, as a rule, to purchase the land he uses, and must invest a large sum of money and wait a long time before be can have a return for his labor. And whether he ever obtains an income from his exertions or not, the money must be paid. Circumstances may go against him. The weather may destroy his crops; his horses or cattle may be attacked by a disease and die; or. should he have abundant yield, prices may be low and he may hardly realise fair interest on the capital invested. A squatter too although he has not to buy land before using it, but only pays a rental in the shape of assessment on stock which he either has or ought to have, and a small rent for his run, is also subject to many contingencies. His stock is liable to be affected by inclement seasons, and his produce by markets. In the first instance his outlay is heavy, and his returns are dependent for their amount upon a variety of contingencies. Erom all these the the miner is free. Excepting in quartz mining, portionately to the yield, gold mining requires but trifling outlay of capital, and where preliminary investment is necessary, the probability of ample return is usually ascertainable if proper precautions are adopted. But leaving quartz mining out of the question for a moment, it is evident that by present processes in alluvial mining the couutry is completely destroyed It is not a mere turning over the soil, as in agriculture, when each skilfully conducted operation improves its productive power, and renders it more valuable for t' e supply of human wan's. The soil that the miner works upon is washed away or otherwise rendered unproductive. The gold once taken, the laud is doomed to barrenness For this, society receives no equivalent. The cost of a turner's right is merely a small price paid for personal protection, and the aggregate is not the cost of police on the diggings. But the peculiarity of the gold duty is that it is not payable until the treasure is obtained. In every other instance of taxation, it is an absolute quantity. It may be fairly conceded that mining industry deserves every encouragement. It has its drawbacks. Men who devote themselves to it, must be content to endure many privations. They must be of the right sort: strong fearless, skilled in the use of primitive implements, patieut, and persevering. But for such there are many compensations. They are free from control. Ccmpetition has no terrors nor anxieties for them. They can see their friends or neighbors become rich without feeling they had to contend successfully against them. They may not have hit upon equally rich ground, but that was no fault of the man that made his pile. His gold, when brought to market, did not interfere with the sale of that of his less fortunate neighbor. The value of both is fixed by an immutable standard. Subject to small charges for carriage, a bank will always take it at its value, or the full price of it is obtainable at the Sydney or Melbourne mints. The miner to be successful needs no apprenticeship to a skilled trade. He need not be learned, nor very wise. His preliminary education requires only to be of the most meagre kind, though like other men, he is all the better for knowing much. The application of knowledge may lead to adding to his comforts, guarding against danger, preserving his health, and leading him to avoid wasting his energies in mining in unlikely localities. The chief draw-' back to mining is uncertainty; but then, so far as the gold duty is concerned, if a miner earns nothing, he pays nothing. If the farmer buys poor land, he pays for it. So to a certain extent does the squatter ; but the miner may work away on the land, good or bad, destroy it by overlaying it with rubbish, or sluice it away without paying a fraction for it,

unless he obtains gold from it. So far then as the principle of an export duty is concerned, it can hardly be objected to. There may be a question as to the amount. Taking into consideration that mining is rapidly changing its character, and that henceforth its conditions also must be changed, the policy of continuing the duty at its' present amount may be questionable. T%P*. , mmi "g requires capital, and skilled labor, and two and a-half per cent, on income, which, at a rough estimate is the duty payable on the yield of gold, is more than the fair proportion ot the earnings of any man to the revenue. Estimated by this standard, sixpence an ounce would be enough.