Directory_and_Chronicle_1905 — Page 482

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TEMPORARY MINING REGULATIONS IN CHINA

V.-A Mining Concession must not exceed 30 square li, and must be in land which is continuous; the length must not be more than four times the breadth. Should there be graves upon the land, arrangements must be made to avoid them in making shafts and tunnels. If it should prove impossible to avoid them then liberal compensation shall be paid for removing them.

VI.-If application is made for mining rights over land for which a concession has been already granted to some other person, or if the land is required for the use of the State, the application will after investigation be refused.

VII.-When a permit to prospect is granted it must be clearly understood that the holder is not entitled thereunder to work a mire, but merely to examine the sur- face outcrop in the place indicated on the certificate. No deep borings must be made, nor must the examination extend over a wide area.

VIII-A permit to prospect shall be valid for one year; and if at the expiration of that period the examination shall not have been quite completed, an application may be made for an extension of time. The petition to the Board must contain a clear statement of the facts, and if upon investigation these are found correct, further time, not exceeding one year, may be allowed.

IX.-The local authority shall continue to collect the land tax, according to the Land Tax Regulations, in respect of private lands on which prospecting is permitted, and it is hereby required that the persons to whom a permit is granted for prospecting on land owned by the State shall pay to the local authority a tax of one Kuping Tael per mow per annum in respect of such land. For each permit to prospect a fee of 50 Kuping Taels must be paid, and before prospecting can be commenced the person to whom such permit is granted must pay to the local authority the above mentioned tax for one year on all public land covered by the permit. If the permit be extended (vide Rule VIII) an additional year's taxes must be paid.

X.-When a permit to prospect is required the applicant must state in a petition to the Board the exact locality, the total extent and the boundaries of the area it is desired to examine. The petition may be presented either to the Viceroy or Governor of the province in which the said mining lands are situated, who shall make an investigation for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not mining operations at the place described in the petition will injuriously affect the interests of the in- habitants of the district, whether the applicants be persons of repute and good financial standing, and whether there is in the application anything in violation of these regulations; and if they shall find upon such investigation that there has been no violation of the regulations, they shall report all the facts to this Board who will then finally determine the matter; or the applicants may forward their petition direct to this Board, who will communicate their decision to the applicants after the necessary investigations above described have been made by the provincial authorities.

XI.-If the real owner of mining lands has not given his permission, and the prospector, having fraudulantly obtained a permit, commences to prospect, the land owner shall report to the local authorities, who will require the prospector to pay compensation for any damage thereby sustained.

XII. The person to whom a permit to prospect has been granted must, within a period of four months after the permit has expired fill in all excavations that may have been made, and repair any damage that may have been done to houses or trees. The foregoing shall not apply if the prospector shall, within the aforesaid period of four months, obtain a permit to work the mine.

XIII.--(The following refer to the working of mines.) If application be inade for a permit to work a mine, whether by Chinese entirely, or by Chinese and foreigners jointly, they must first return to the Board for cancellation their permit to prospect, and in the petition state the exact amount of their capital stock, the ore to be worked, and at which bank in the province concerned the capital has been deposited, a certificate of deposit from the bank being submitted to the Board for inspection.

XIV. In the event of the person to whom a permit to work a mine has been granted, desiring, either before or after operations have been commenced, to transfer

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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN