AUCKLAND GOLD FIELD.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 711, 5 February 1853, Page 3

AUCKLAND GOLD FIELD.

To the Editor of the New-Zealander. Sir,—lt is now admitted on all hands that the Gold Field license fees were rather prematurely imposed—and that the development of the discovery has been in. consequence retarded, as a sufficiency of practical diggers were deterred from repairing to the spot by the consideration of having to pay for permission to search for that which had not yet been found so generally in large quantities as to induce them to hope for certain returns for their outlay. I am not among those who blame the authorities for imposing the fees at the time they did, nor do I find fault with the representatives of the people for giving their approval to the license fee regulation—for if gold could really be found in sucli quantities as was represented to the Government and Provincial Councillors by the discoverers themselves, as well as by other persons —official and non-official—who had visited the ground, the time had surely arrived when those who were digging and procuring gold, or those who were to engage in it, and who might any day hit upon rich fortune-making deposits, should be called on to contribute the not unreasonable sum of one shilling a day each towards the expenses of the staff winch a gold field, in the peculiar circumstances of this country, would require to have maintained. However, as it is of great importance to us now that the proper value of the discovery should be speedily ascertained, not only for our own sakes, but also for the sake of numbers who we may soon expect to see arrive here, it was very pleasing to hear the other night at the meeting of subscribers of the steps the Gold Reward Committee had taken to have the license fee removed, and of the reception they met at the hands of the Licut.-Governor. The error which he was led into at the first, by exaggerated evidence, has now become apparent, and in the spirit of an Englishman he has promptly acknowledged the mistake, by throwing every obstruction which he has power over out of the way of a free exploration of the country until the real value of the discovery has been decided. At the commencement of the discovery the greatest concern was felt by the public as to how arrangements could best be effected with the natives to make the gold-field available—and by universal consent it was thought best to leave the entire management and negotiation of the affair in the hands of the Government. Every prudent step was taken to ensure peaceable occupation by the diggers ; but even although the natives had to be paid a consideration for leave to search the ground, it was not until the certain richness of the gold-field had been over and over again asserted by persons who were deemed competent to 'udge correctly, that a license-fee was put on. Still although the terms of the regulations were stringent as regarded license fees, the spirit of them was, that the widest possible latitude should be given to the term "prospecting'' within the limits opened up, and I believe that if a prudent administration of the regulations on the spot had been adhered to, there would have been but little cause to complain after the first license fee was paid. By the new " prospecting" license, however, all this is rectified, and persons arc now authorized to " dig and search for gold" until they find it in such deposits as they may consider worth while to secure—and having satisfied themselves that the spot they have hit upon will remunei*ate them for their labour in working it, over and above the cost of a license fee—they will then apply for a license, and not till then. So that the power of levying license fees at Auckland on hearsay evidence is not to be exercised—neither is the commissioner empowered to fix the time when the license fee is' to comment;?, but the diggers themselves are left to say when the licensing system shall begin again, and no doubt they will not urge this until they wish to secure themselves in possession of claims which it has given them trouble to discover. So that the way is now so far clear—the license-fee system lias been abandoned until such time as the diggers themselves call foi its re-establishment; and the trilling fee that the Government has bound themselves to pay to the natives for every prospector or digger, will be very properly borne on the provincial revenue,—and who will ever find fault with such an arrangement, made to develope the rich resources of our district 1 Now therefore that all has been rectified, would it not be desirable that the colonists should harmoniously strive to settle the question of the value of the field. I certainly was one of those who was glad the other evening to find that the people did not consent to pay away large sums as yet to the discoverers.—l believe the full reward will soon be theirs, and will be glad to see them get it;—but I think they should be among the most active now to perfect what they have begun—the inducement which the full reward holds out to energetic action on their part has not been lessened by frittering of it away into instalments, and in"this 1 think tho subscribers have acted wisely. But if the discoverers are cramped in means to carry on their prospecting operations efficiently, I think it would be fair and just to supply them with sufficient funds for this purpose.—Yours, &c, A Subscriber to the Fund.