The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-07

increase
sand in those employed in 1895. and OF
white men employed above ground 5655,
an increase of !, 400 on 1893. For this
amount of labor there were s.iSs oi5 tons ms
earth; and. taking these workmen all round,
their average productive value works out
at EGO per head.
THE LABOR QUESTION.
zone OF the burning questions just now
occupying the attention OF the Chamber OF
Mines is the native labor question: and. un-
less all the mining companies cooperate
and back each other UP, 1t will be a never
ending one. There is no doubt but what the
wages are in some cases far too HIGH and
if these extravagant prices could be only
reduced much larger-and "A payable
area of ground could be brought under ex-
ploration. the development OF which would
add further rich streams of gold to the al
ready overlooking Golfers Of the Dutch
treasury. the mining industry having alone
in 1894 contributed 4SA per cent. of the en-
tire revenue OF the State.
1T Is therefore obvious that the republic
or the Transyaal IL not only berented 10 an
enormous extent by this gold-n.nlng Indus
try, but holds as well the unique position
OF being the largest gold producer in the
world. Everything connected With gold
mining increases pro rata. Thus, as new
mining companies are floated. more claims
are pegged out. And while on the subject
of claims perhaps il will be as well for me
10 shortly describe, for the benefit OF such
OF my EnliSh readers aS are not up in the
subject, the moduS operandi of the pros
pector and his right TO peg. In the begin
ming of the eighties the lrst gold law was
passed; Section 1 declaring, as principle,
that the right to dispose of all precious
minerals and precious stones is vested in
the State.
Now, for private rights. No prospecting
is allowed on private ground without the
written consent of the owner and license
from the State. When minerals or previous
stones are found upon other tnan private
lands then the government has the rights
TO proclaim those lands as a public Dig
ging.' In the case of private property the
owner must have three months notice, and
he also is entitled to have his dwelling
place cwerf) and his cultivated lands eX-
cluded from the operation of the law. He
is also entitled to have 'mynpacht or
mining lease over an area equal TO 10 per
cent. of the whole area of his farm. He is
likewise entitled to owners claims. His
Vert and .mynpacht can meyer be In In
is entitled to locate his 'mynpacht' and his
owners claims wherever he chooses before
the rest of his farm is proclaimed;
after the law has been complied with
as above, then the prospector on peggng
intent comes in. He takes out license,
and (aided by powers OF attorney from
he pleaSes on the rest OF the farm. The
license for prospector's claim is 5s per
month or f3 per annum, such money being
divided equally between the government and
the owner Of the farm. II those claims
prove auriferous and a shaft is sunk and
a mine established that f3 is paid in per-
petuity. IT. on the other hand. the claims
are abandoned the license lapses. If licenses
are not paid up to thirty days after due
date claims can be recovered on payment
eminent may sell for the benefit of the
public treasury.
''The penalty for maliciously interfering
with a peg is very heavy-three years i'm
prisonment. Cursed Is he who removeth
law. That applies equally in the Trans
vaal, the only difference being that the
curse is accompanied by a heavy monetary
imposition, or the Incarceration aforesaid.
The increase of the last twelve months
pegging over that of the. previous year
Of claims pegged by diggers and prospectors
being 81, 4s9.
There are, therefore, three parties in the
State (other, of course, than the propriet0rS
of the mines) who benefit largely by the
mining industry 1. The government, who,
besides other sources of revenue. receives
over $4,000 per annum for claim licenses.
2 The Dutch farmers. who divide among
themselves like sum for claim licenses, to
say nothing of the larger sums they occa-
sionally receive for their farms when they
sell them out. 3. The native Kaffir who
earns sometimes as high as fl week, and
seldom less than f3 per month.
Owing to the introduction of new i'm
provements in machinery and various
economic devices whereby the precious
metal can be extracted at the very
smallest cost to the producer, the gold fields
of the TraHsvaal are probably at this mo-
ment in q more advanced stage of perfection
than any other gold fields in the world, not
understanding the dire prophecies their de-
tractors at one time uttered"