GOLDFIELDS AND MINES COMMITTEE (REPORTS OF THE). (Mr. POLAND, Chairman.)

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1907 Session I, I-04

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1907.

NEW ZEALAND.

GOLDFIELDS AND MINES COMMITTEE (REPORTS OF THE). (Mr. POLAND, Chairman.)

Presented to the House of Representatives, and ordered to be printed.

ORDERS OP REFERENCE.

Extracts from the Journals of the House of Representatives. Thursday, the 11th Day of July, 1907. Ordered " That a Goldfields and Mines Committee, consisting of ten members, be appointed, to whom shall be r P f P rred all matters relating to mining and all Bills relating to mines, with power to call for persons and papers ; three to be a a"m the Co m g mi ttee to consist of Mr. Bennet, Mr. Colvin, Mr. W. Fraser, Mr. Herries,'Mr. R. McKenzie, Mr. Macpherson', Mr. Poland, Mr. Seddon, Hon. Mr. Mills, and the mover."-(Hon. Mr. McGowan). Thursday, the 4th Day of July, 1907. Ordered, " That Paper No. 32 C, ' Regulations under " The Mining Act, 1905," ' be referred to the Goldfields and Mines Committee."—(Hon. Mr. McGowan.) Thursday, the 11th Day of July, 1907. Ordered, " That the petition of J. Poster and others be referred direct to the Goldfields and Mines Committee."— (Mr. Colvin.) _. T , nm v Wednesday, the 17th Day of July, 1907. Ordered, " That the Coal-mines Act Amendment Bill be referred to the Goldfields and Mines Committee."— (Mr. Colvin.) Friday, the 19th Day of July, 1907. Ordered, " That the Coal-mines Act Amendment Bill (No. 2) be referred to the Goldfields and Mines Committee." —(Hon. Mr. McGowan.) Wednesday, the 11th Day of September, 1907. Ordered, " That the petition of T. R. Hewitson and others be referred direct to the Goldfields and Mines Committee."—(Mr. Poland.)

INDEX.

Page. No. Name. Page. Name. [o. Aston, Charles, and others 3 349 Hind, J., and others .. 4 108 343 552 344 124 348 Biffen, E., and others Bignall, R. W., and others Brown, C, and others Brown, James Butler, C, and others 4 4 4 3 4 256 Jeune, Frederick 3 287 Laughlin, S. J., and others 4 Coal-mines Act Amendment Bill (Mr. Colvin) Coal-mines Act Amendment Bill (No. 2) (Hon. Mr. McGowan) 2 2 80 95 359 Mackay, Alexander .. Mining Regulations .. Mitchell, Mary, and others McCombie, J., and others 2 3 .'! 4 4 2 4 386 Potter, E., and others 4 346 110 347 Donaldson, D., and others Drennan, Edward Durm, T., and others 236 351 Rostron, John, and others Rothwell, G., and others 3 4 348 Ettringham, E.. and others 4 352 278 353 Steer, W., and others.. Scott, W., and others Symes, C, and others 4 4 4 381 112 200 Flannery, B., and others Foster, John, and others Fraser, Simon 3 2 2 277 354 4 4 Teruatihanga and others Truscott, N. J., and others 183 Harvie, Robert Hewitson, T. R., and others 2 4 358 4 Wylde, A. P., and others

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EEPOETS.

No. 110. —Petition of Edward Drennan, of Charleston, County of Buller. Petitioner prays that compensation may be granted to him for damage sustained by his property through the proclamation of the Nile River as a sludge-channel, he having failed to lodge his claim within the time specified in the notice of intention. The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to report on the petition of Edward Drennan that they have no recommendation to make. 25th July, 1907.

No. 112.—Petition of John Foster and Others, Coal-miners, of Denniston. Petitioners pray that, irrespective of any awards or agreements in force, eight hours be fixed as the period of a day's labour. The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to recommend that the petition of John Foster and others be referred to the Government for favourable consideration. 25th July, 1907.

Coal-mines Act Amendment Bill. (Mr. Colvin.) The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to report to your honourable House that, having given consideration to the provisions of the Coal-mines Act Amendment Bill, they recommend that the said Bill be allowed to proceed as printed. 25th July, 1907.

No. 80.—Petition of Alexander Maokat, of Paeroa, Ohinemuri. Petitioner prays that a reward may be granted to him for the discovery of goldfields, which he alleges was made by him, at Thames and Karangahake. The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to report on the petition of Alexander Mackay that they have no recommendation to make. 25th July, 1907.

Coal-mines Act Amendment Bill (No. 2). (Hon. Mr. McGowan.) The Goldfields and Mines Committee, to whom was referred the Coal-mines Act Amendment Bill (No. 2), have the honour to report that, having carefully considered the provisions of the said Bill, they recommend that it be allowed to proceed, subject to the amendments shown on a copy of the Bill hereto attached. 9th August, 1907.

No. 200. —Petition of Simon Fraser, of Maungatapere. Petitioner represents that he was the original discoverer of gold at Taieri and other places, and he claims to be entitled to a reward for having made discoveries of such importance. The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to report upon the petition of Simon Fraser that they have no recommendation to make. 6th August, 1907.

No. 183.- —Petition of Robert Harvie, of Waikino, Auckland. Petitioner represents that, after having made diligent search as to the existence of possible claims to certain land, he took up a mining claim under the Mining Act, and that for some eleven months he worked the said claim. He then discovered that, through the failure of the surveyors, the Warden's Office, and the Survey Office to afford him reliable information, a considerable portion of his claim was freehold property. Subsequently that portion of his claim was declared forfeited for non-working, he at the time lying sick in a hospital. He prays for redress. The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to report on the petition of Robert Harvie that they recommend that it be referred to the Government for immediate and favourable consideration. 6th August, 1907.

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No. 95. —Petition of Mart Mitchell and 3 Others. Petitioners affirm that in the year 1871 they were the discoverers of the Round Hill Goldfields, and for such alleged discovery they seek to obtain a reward. The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to report on the petition of Mary Mitchell and others that, as in their judgment petitioners have no just claim to any reward, they cannot recommend that any compensation be paid to them. 6th August, 1907.

No. 108.—Petition of Charles Aston and 6 Others. Petitioners represent that an old water-race (the Bonanza Water-race) in the Poolburn Distric. commands a large extent of land held by them, and they pray that a portion of such water-race may be granted to them to be used for irrigation purposes. The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to report that they recommend that the petition of Charles Aston and others be referred to the Government for favourable consideration. 22nd August, 1907.

No. 381.—Petition of B. Flannert and Others. Petitioners pray that the Alexandra Water-race may be extended to Ophir and Ida Valley, in order that the rich auriferous deposits known to exist in these localities may be worked. The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to report on the petition of B. Flannery and others that they recommend that the said petition be referred to the Government for favourable consideration. - 30th August, 1907.

No. 256. —Petition of Frederick Jeune. Petitioner represents that he held a claim, one man's ground, at Coromandel, and for five years duly paid the rent thereon ; that he had worked the said claim in a legitimate manner, putting in an average of not less than eight hours' labour each working-day; that he had been summoned for non-working the said claim, his evidence had been set at nought, and he had been fined £10, with £3 3s. costs, to be followed with forfeiture of the claim in the event of non-payment of these sums. He prays for redress. The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to report on the petition of Frederick Jeune that they have no recommendation to make. 30th August, 1907.

No. 236.—Petition of John Rostron and 78 Others. Petitioners pray that a compassionate allowance be granted to Mr. William Daw, a miner, who met with an accident whilst working in the State Collieries. Not anticipating serious consequences, the injuries received were neglected, and no application was sent in under the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act. Subsequently it was required that his leg should be amputated, and consequently he became permanently disabled from following his usual avocation. The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to report on the petition of John Rostron and others that they recommend that the said petition be' referred to the Government for favourable consideration. 30th August, 1907.

No. 124.—Petition of James Brown, of Gimmerburn, Otago. Petitioner represents that he purchased a mining claim and certain mining privileges at Gimmerburn Creek for the sum of £1,050, and that he has since expended considerable sums on the plant, the value of which has been seriously depreciated by the sale of lands by Government which had originally been set apart as a mining reserve, the owners of which lands now obstruct the outflow of tailings, debris, and waste water from his claim. Petitioner seeks to obtain a compassionate allowance as some compensation for the injuries he has been subjected to. The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to report that they recommend that the petition of James Brown be referred to the Government for favourable consideration. Ist October, 1907.

Mining Regulations. The Goldfields and Mines Committee, to whom was referred the Mining Regulations gazetted under " The Mining Acts Compilation Act, 1905," have the honour to report that, having carefully considered the same, they recommend that the said regulations be referred to the Government with the request that the regulations be amended so as to agree with the copy attached hereto. 17th October, 1907.

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Nos. 277, 287, 278, 552, and 681.—Petitions of Teruatihanga and Others, S. J. Laughlin and Others, W. Scott and Others, R. W. Bignall and Others, and T. R. Hewitson and Others. Petitioners pray that steps may be taken to put a stop to the silting of the Ohinemuri and the Waihou Rivers now taking place through the inflow of tailings and other mining debris from the claims of certain mining companies. The Goldfields and Mines Committee have the honour to report on the above-mentioned petitions that, in their judgment, any expenditure on any scheme that may be devised for arresting the silting of the Ohinemuri and the Waihou Rivers should be on a contributory basis, the local bodies whose districts are affected by such silting providing their quota towards the cost. Subject to this proviso the Committee recommends that the petitions be referred to the Government for favourable consideration. 12th November, 1907.

Nos 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 349, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 355, and 386.—Petitions of E. Biffen and Others, C. Bbown and Others, C. Butler and Others, D. Donaldson and Others, T Dunn and Others, E. Ettbingham and Others, J. Hind and Others, J. MoCombie and Others, G. Rothwell and Others, W. Steeb and Others, C. Stmes and Others, N. J. Tbuscott and Others, A. P. Wtlde and Others, and E. Potteb and Others. Petitioners represent that they are vitally interested in the gold-mining industry; that previous to the establishment of the gold-mining industry in the Waihou and surrounding districts the country around was totally unoccupied, being from its barrenness unfitted for agricultural or pastoral purposes; that in the year 1895 the Waihou and the Ohinemuri Rivers were proclaimed watercourses into which tailings and sludge might be discharged; that in January, 1907, owing to an unprecedented fall of rain, large tracts throughout the colony were flooded; that the Thames Valley was also flooded, farms fronting the left bank of the river being under water; that it is now sought to be proved that the deposition of tailings in said river was the cause of these farms being flooded, whereas, as the past history of the district proves, the natural conditions are such that the said lands must have been flooded in any case; that should the Proclamation be revoked it would prove a very serious blow to the mining industry. Petitioners pray that no steps be taken to prevent the mining companies from exercising their rights to deposit tailings and dSbns in the rivers Waihou and Ohinemuri. , ' . The Goldfields and Mines Committee, having already dealt with the matters involved m the above-mentioned petitions, have the honour to report that they have no recommendation to make. 20th November, 1907.

Approximate Cost of Paper— Preparation, not given; printing (1,400 copies), £2 4s.

By Authority : John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9o7.

Price 3d.]

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