THE GOLD MINING LAWS AND REGULATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume X, Issue 2910, 27 May 1873, Page 3

THE GOLD MINING LAWS AND REGULATIONS.

To the Editor of (.he Herat,p. Sib, —Never, perhaps, were so many persons anxiously looking forward to the next Bession of the Government as at the present time, as great hopes aro entertained that more liberal measures will bo introduced to relievo the long existing depression on the goldflelds. Late legislation has proved most detrimental, and it has now become evident that bills to regulate mining laws have been compiled by those who were quite incompetent to frame them, and that they have been passed by those equally incapable of judging of the effect they would produce. The result has shown thom not only to bo opprossivo to a degree, but absolntely inoperative, and even contradictory in many of their enactments. Clauses have been introduced in them simply because they suited other countries, without any regard to the peculiar requirements of this, and evidently without consulting those best qualified to give reliable information as to the real necessities of the case, or the practical working of the differ-

ent branches of gold mining industry. Had this been done and tha advice or opinion of men of long practical experience considered, these ditilculties and auomalieswould have been swept away, and business-like clauses substituted for those to which we are now mainly inbebted for the present extreme depression. Or, every side are now heard nothing but complaints about the stringency of the mining laws and goldfiulds regulations. The miner, tho liconceholder, and the leasholder equally complaint that they are deprived of their properties, on which they have spent so much money and labour, without allowed a fair time to develop them, unless they can keep up a constant expenditure upon their claims that their means will not allow. All they often usk is a little time to obtain money by other work, in order to continue their work on the mine on which they have already spent so much ; yet, how often they find their much needed protection refnsed, or, at best, most grudgingly granted unless some stronger reason can bo given than that of having spent all their means on the claim, or asking sufficient timo to earn a fresh supply. No ; because their moans are exhausted they must pay tho penalty, and forfeit not only all their labour, but all they have spent. I need not point out whose interest is consulted in this, siuce tho same ground is then taken up again with fresh minors' rights, fresh licence fiTes, more surveys, notico fees and redtapeism, and so it goes tho rounds again aud a"aiu, at the cost ol tho poor miner, or the original pioneers of a company, that have pioved their faith in tho niino by tho labour and money they have, spent upon it. Then, 1 say, in common justice, give them time to recruit their finances, in place of forfeiting their property, or grinding them down to get more fees by granting it again to others. If goldmining laws of other countries aro to tjj. introduced hero, whv not copy the liberal and workable ones in the place of those tha are uusuited, to this colony, such as these referred to in Mr. Baldwin's report on gold mining in the Slate of California, and which report was laid before tho General Assembly at Wellington, in IS7O. It is there stated at page 7, clause 8, that with the view of giving prospectors an opportunity of developing tho reef (quartz) by the introduction of capital and machinery, " work to the extent of $100 in value, or twonty days faithful labour, by the owuer or owners of a quartz claim, guarantees its possession for a year," and again "a contract in good faith for quartz crushing, machinery to tho amount of five thousand dollars, entitles the holder or holders to receive a title deed from the Recorder guaranteeing it to him ani his successors for ever." Contrast these two laws with the pains and penalties of our mining laws, and then judge which is likely to promote gold mining, or that there is any wonder that depression and ruin prevails amongst the gold mining community, when the poor miners every penny is squeezed out of him by fees and fines of one sort or other, witli forfeiture as a finish. The high-pressure Government screw is then started again oil a fresh set of men, who take up the eamo ground ; but as it is, per chance, not rich enough to keep pace with the number of men required by the laws to keep it in constant work, they soon find themselves in the same predicament as the former owners, and they in their turn go to tho wall, and so the mill goes on grind, grind, grind. Tho swarm of oflicialls must be paid, and bo provided with work, which but for the fees, fines, forfeitures, and red-tapeism they would be unable to fine. Dj away with these, and their offices would be shown to bo sinecures, and that the holders of them are fattening on tho sp lils screwed out of tho poor man's wasted capital and energies before he has been allowed sufficient time to reap the benefit of his labour. Again, legal managers are hampered with so many Acts and amendments to Acts that they know not how to act legally, and in nine eases out of ten the meetings they hold lapse for want of some impossible condition of the Act or tho amendment of the Act; not being complied with. In a scatterod population like this, without railways, and where tho means of communication are slow, and where the interests en scrip in a mine are spread about in a dozen different places, suitable regulations are required to regulate meetings, and those who do not attend should be held bound by the resolutions of those who do. After all due and proper notice has been given, majority of number and value of shares only, in even tho most important resolutions should be deemed sufficient, and not allow, as at present, 50 or GO shareholders, holding, perhaps, 100 or 200 shareß amongst them, from their non-attondance, to invalidate a meeting of 20 or 30 holders of thousands of shares. Let plain, practical men, in the place of lawyers, bo consulted in the framing of the goldfields laws, and practical common sense will take the place of theory and red tape, and speedily help to remove the present stagnation which is directly or indirectly alTecting all classes of the community. Take another branch of mining industry,—the merchant who sells what the miner makee valuable, —ill other words, the sharobrokor — a reopectable body of intelligent men, who have appealed in vain against tho oppressive Share* brokers Acts and their anomalies, which practice has proved to contain such a tissue ol extreme absurdities tiiat on the faith of nc jury that over met, or are over likely to meet, being ablo to give a verdiot in favour of tin law, it is now violated daily. In fact, if thii was not done, the brokers could not carry oi . t'neir business with their distant connections Yet those laws are made ostensibly to protee

tliem, and to be a guide to carrying it on legally, but -which have in reality only provided for the levy of an exorbitant tax, and givm no protection to them at all; in addition to which they contain such a variety of difficulties, contradictions, and impedimenta to business, that tho licensed broker finds it utterly impossible to avoid infringing these Acts in some way or other ; hence the " sharebrokers' strike," as it is called, which would never have taken place had the Sharebrokers Act and amendment been workable, and afforded the protection they professed to give. The only thing clear about them is that the tax of £25 must be paid for a licence ; bat from the way the Acts are framed, practice has abundantly proved that those who carry on the same business without any licence at al.i can do bo with the utmost impunity, and, in fact, that they are far better off, since they are not subject to the painß and penalties of the law. The result of all this theory legislation has been to oppress, and is now fast stamping out mining industry by excessive taxation, want of encouragement, and the protection so much needed by the licensed broker, the miner, and the lease and licence-holders of claims, a most important, and what would have been under fostering laws, a permanent ] industry, is now fast dwindling away and will soon be a thing of the past, if the present grinding-down system is continued, as laid down by the present goldfields laws, which appear to be framed with only one object—namely, to squeeze out every penny that can be extracted from those vrho veoturo upon it in any way, i.ntil it w.mts but'iiltle moie I'ressuro of the

same kind for even the officials themselves to find " Othello'B occupation gone."—l am, &c., Veritas.