THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1902. MINING LEGISLATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12447, 2 September 1902, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1902. MINING LEGISLATION.

Three or four separate Bills dealing with the mining laws are before Parliament this session, each of wliich possesses important features. The Mining Act Amendment Bill, introduced by the (jdvernnient, contains provisions that have excited undisguised suspicions in the House. It appears that a syndicate is projected for the development of the ironsand deposits.at Parapara in the Nelson land district. But the conditions under which "The Mining , Act, 1895," would permit of a license being granted for this purpose are not regarded as sufficiently liberal to induce the syndicate to embark oh the enterprise it has in view. Consequently, the Government, with the object of assisting the project, proposes a material modification of the conditions which the existing law fixes, the modification having exclusive reference to this special undertaking. "The Mining Act, 1898," provides that, the area of the land comprised in a , mineral license, authorising the holder to occupy Crown land for the purpdse of mining for any specified metal oi , mineral other than gold, shall not exceed 320 acres. The Bill now before Parliament extends the area that may be included in one license in the Parapara field to 1000 acres. Then, the general mining law of the colony fixes the rent and the royalty that shall be paid by a. licensee. 'In the

case now under notice the lease is to be granted subject to such conditions as the Governor—that is to say, the Ministry—thinks fit. The term is also to be arranged by the Government, the period of &A years fixed by the present law as the limit for which any license shall be granted being probably. . considered inadequate. These represent, it will bo seen, very substantial concisions that are to be made to the syndicate. But they are not all. It is prescribed in the Act of 1898, in that division of it which relates to the granting of licenses for the purpose of mining for any specified metal or mineral other than gold, that "the license shall be deemed to be granted subject to the condition that if, and as often as, it is found to the satisfaction of the warden that any portion of the land comprised therein is auriferous, or contains any other metal or minora! than that specified therein, such portion may, in his discretion, be made available for mining purposes* either by cancelling the license as to such portion, or otherwise, as the warden thinks fit, or as vogulations prescribe." But this condition is not to apply in the case of tho license or licenses that "may be granted for the working of the Parapara iron deposits. The Bill, which authorises the Government to make to the proposed syndicate the concessions already mentioned by us, also expressly declares that in fhe event of tho land, or any part of it, being proved to be auriferous or to contain any metal or mineral other than that specified in the grant, then " the lease shall not on. that account be> cancelled." The measure which proposes these concessions has passed through its committee stage in the Lower House, but not without being subjected to severe criticism. Tho clanger that it may lead to the establishment of a monopoly of mining of all descriptions over a considerable area of metalliferous land has not been ignored. But, curiously enough and suggestively'enough, it has been on the Government side of the House that the objection to the possible creation, of a monopoly has been most feeb'lv expressed. And that side of the' House offered the scantesfc support to the argument that it would be preferable , that the State, which carelessly undertakes the business of coal mining and enters, in...that respect into competition with private enterprise, should develop its'own iron deposits . rather than hand the exploits tion of them over to a syndicate. It was left to a member of the Opposition, Mr James Allen, to get a clause inserted in the Bill to safeguard the public interests—a clause providing that tile lease to the syndicate shall be subject to a condition tinder which the State may- buy up the lessee's interests at a fair value. This clause was carried by a majority of four votes only~-by 27 to 28. A perusal of the division lists on this question will probably be' instructive.' The futur© history of the Parapara deposits may also prove to be not lack , - ing in interest to the public. • The State Coal Mines Bill, brought down by the. Government, is designed to rectify an omission in last year's Act, which,-while it authorised the raising of money for the acquisition and working of coal mines by the State, was defective in the provision, it contained for the expenditure of money upon these- objects. But while this year's Bill proposes to repair this defect it presents an objectionable feature iii the res'pect that it seeks to deprive Parliament of the Voice it ought k> have in the appropriation of money for; expenditure. It niay be perfectly true, as the Minister of Mines urged, that,'it may be necessary for the Government to purchase a vessel in connection with , its business as a Coal merchant, and for it to have practically at its disposal blank cheques enabling it to complete what-' e.Ver negotiations! it may Mfcef into, without having to come to Parliament for' specific authority in every instance. But it is one of the first principles of representative government that the people, through the members of. Parliament, shall retain the power of voting supplies and of deciding how their iriCney shall be spent- In late years the Lower' House in this colony has to a large extent abandoned to the Goverliment the people's- right to the control of the purse, but Mi* Herries, oh Friday night last, valiantly championed the principle that public money should not b& .paid away without appropriation, by Parliament; and the opposition lie raised Wad successful to the exteht that, as -t-h.6 result of a compromise suggested by Mr Sidey, the exercise by the Government of the authority to niake payments without appropriation. Was restricted to a period of two yea-re. Mr Guinness is the author of other mining proposals that are before Parliament, which is, however, hardly likely to sanction theht. In an innocent-look-ing , measure of two. operative clauses lie aims at securing an. amendment of laws that were passed last session whereby the maximum period for which a miner, should be employed underground was fixed at eight hours per day. Mr Guinness proposes that bhese. eight hours shall include meal times. In effect, the miners' working day would then be reduced to a maximum oiie of • seven hours.. But to pass legislation of this character , would be to impinge directly upon the functions of the Arbitration Court. It is open to that tribunal now to reduce the miner's working day to one of seven hours if it seems to it that the conditions under which the dusti'y is earned on justify Such a step. 'And as the Legislature has set up a tribunal in industrial matters and vested it with the .power of deciding what, within prescribed limits that are acknowledged to be reasonable, shall be the , hours for which miners may bo emploved, proposals of the kind Mr Guinness is now fathering can only he regarded as needless and mischievous.