THE GUMFIELDS COMMISSION

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9260, 24 July 1893, Page 5

THE GUMFIELDS COMMISSION

* [BY TEIiEtUUrU.— OWN* rJOIiIIESPON'DK.VT.] Tk Auir.uu:, Saturday. Tlte Gumfields Commission sab at Kahikahearoa to-day. William {[earn, gumhuyer and storekeeper, at, Te Whau, said ho had been dealing in euro for 5 years. He had no lease. The gum came from Crown lands. About 1- European diggers were on the field, arid about 10 Maoris. There were no foreigners. The gum here wan mostly white, of superior quality, hard and firm. Tho diggers got from two to three quarters weekly. The prices ranged from f>b's to 05s. The gum and .stores were packed to and from the diggers without charge. It cost 12 weekly on an average to livo. To assist roalmaking both diggers and storekeepers should pay license fees, whether settlors or not. The fees should be payable annually. Walter Fuller, storekeeper and gumbuyer, said ho had been hero 18 months. The gum ho bought came from his own freehold land and Crown lands. The freehold was dug without fee or agreement by about 20 Europeans and 40 or 50 natives. The last witness's estimates of the quantity of gum obtained, prices of stores, average earnings, etc., wort; correct. Witness paid from oOs to 110s for gum of superior quality. He was in favour of an export duty of, say, £5 per ton to assist roads. He did not agree with licensing diggers and storekeepers. The cost of collection would be too great. Ho was in favour of a nominal license for diggers to keep new- J comers off the fields and restrict the output. A storekeeper could issue those licenses. Harry Ferkens, gumdigger on Crown lands at To Whau,said he had been digging three years, and could average iewt. to ijewt. weekly in fine weather, but not at present. He did not approve of an export duty, and thought storekeepers would lower the [trices of gum and increase the prices of provisions to make up the duty. Ho would rather see a direct tax on a digger, who would then know what he had to pay. lie wis representing the views of the men in his camp. A license fee of 5s per annum would be reasonable. Gum here was far above the average, but it was found four feet deep. It brought an average of 70s per cwt. There had been two distinct growth of forest, and diggers were now getting tho lower layer. Dark gum was found three and a half feet down. This brought 40s and over white gum was the top layer, tino hard gum. He thought an inspector of weights should visit tho country occasionally. Storekeepers agreed with him that their weights had never been inspected. At Puketi on Saturday morning at 9 o'clock, Cyril Crawford Napier said ho has boon connected with tho gum trade three years. His customers were mostly Maoris. 150 to '.200 of them were working regularly, and 15 Europeans. Tho gum from the district was the best that went into Auckland, except from the East Coast. Ho paid (iOs to 70s for good gum. The Maoris average two quarters, and the Europeans three quarters per week. He thought the only means of raising revenue for road-making was by an export duty on gum, an 1 assessing the Native lands. The gum industry would only bear a small duty. A license feo of 10s should be paid by all diggers, both to raise revenue and to regulate the number of diggers. Storekeepers should issue the licenses- and account for then.