The Miner's Licence
When the gold rush first began, there were not many roads or bridges in the parts of New South Wales and Victoria where gold had been found.
Travelling to and from the gold fields was difficult and the governments of New South Wales and Victoria did not have the money to build the roads, bridges and other infrastructure that was needed. Soon there were complaints from diggers about the lack of services on the gold fields. Police were needed to maintain law and order and escorts were needed to guard gold bullion from bushrangers while it was being carried from the gold fields to the cities.
All of this costs money. The politicians did not want to raise taxes to pay for these things because most of them owned businesses and higher taxes would have a bad effect on their own businesses. When people have to pay higher taxes, they have less money to spend on buying things like food, clothes and alcohol.
Both the New South Wales and Victorian governments decided that the best way to control the miners and raise money to provide infrastructure was to introduce a 30-shilling Miner's Licence. Special Gold Commissioners were appointed to sell the licences and miners were not allowed to dig for gold unless they had a licence.
Thirty shillings was a lot of money at that time, especially when many diggers were barely finding enough gold to live on. The fee had to be paid every month and many diggers found it difficult to pay. Also, most of the easy alluvial gold had started to run out and big companies were moving in to establish deep hard-rock mines that put the small alluvial miners out of business.
Getting the licence could also be difficult. Diggers sometimes had to travel to reach the Gold Commissioner's tent and it could take three days of queuing every month just to get the licence.
Police were employed to check licences and diggers who did not have one had to appear before magistrates and were fined 5 pounds.
Travelling to and from the gold fields was difficult and the governments of New South Wales and Victoria did not have the money to build the roads, bridges and other infrastructure that was needed. Soon there were complaints from diggers about the lack of services on the gold fields. Police were needed to maintain law and order and escorts were needed to guard gold bullion from bushrangers while it was being carried from the gold fields to the cities.
All of this costs money. The politicians did not want to raise taxes to pay for these things because most of them owned businesses and higher taxes would have a bad effect on their own businesses. When people have to pay higher taxes, they have less money to spend on buying things like food, clothes and alcohol.
Both the New South Wales and Victorian governments decided that the best way to control the miners and raise money to provide infrastructure was to introduce a 30-shilling Miner's Licence. Special Gold Commissioners were appointed to sell the licences and miners were not allowed to dig for gold unless they had a licence.
Thirty shillings was a lot of money at that time, especially when many diggers were barely finding enough gold to live on. The fee had to be paid every month and many diggers found it difficult to pay. Also, most of the easy alluvial gold had started to run out and big companies were moving in to establish deep hard-rock mines that put the small alluvial miners out of business.
Getting the licence could also be difficult. Diggers sometimes had to travel to reach the Gold Commissioner's tent and it could take three days of queuing every month just to get the licence.
Police were employed to check licences and diggers who did not have one had to appear before magistrates and were fined 5 pounds.
What Did the Diggers Think of the Miner's Licence?
In New South Wales, the diggers were unhappy with the licence system right from the start of the gold rushes. Miners at the Turon River near Bathurst threatened to riot over the expensive licence fees. The Governor wisely reduced the fees by two-thirds but there were still problems.
Diggers had to carry the licence on them at all times and any official could stop them and demand to see it. The license could get wet at the diggings but if the miner left it in his tent he would be chained to a tree or log and then marched off at bayonet point to the magistrate. The fee of 5 pounds for not having a licence doubled every time the miner was caught.
This all made the diggers very angry. The police were often cruel and unfair in the way they treated the miners and both they and the magistrates were often corrupt. They treated their friends favourably and often accepted bribes.
Diggers tried every trick they could to avoid paying licence fees. When two men were working together on one claim, sometimes one of them would even dress up as a woman when the police arrived to check their licences because a man and his wife only had to pay for one licence whereas two men working on a claim together each had to pay for a licence.
Things got much worse in Ballarat in Victoria in 1854 when a new Governor, Sir Charles Hotham, cut back all government spending and began enforcing the licensing laws more harshly, beginning with twice-weekly licence checks.
Diggers had to carry the licence on them at all times and any official could stop them and demand to see it. The license could get wet at the diggings but if the miner left it in his tent he would be chained to a tree or log and then marched off at bayonet point to the magistrate. The fee of 5 pounds for not having a licence doubled every time the miner was caught.
This all made the diggers very angry. The police were often cruel and unfair in the way they treated the miners and both they and the magistrates were often corrupt. They treated their friends favourably and often accepted bribes.
Diggers tried every trick they could to avoid paying licence fees. When two men were working together on one claim, sometimes one of them would even dress up as a woman when the police arrived to check their licences because a man and his wife only had to pay for one licence whereas two men working on a claim together each had to pay for a licence.
Things got much worse in Ballarat in Victoria in 1854 when a new Governor, Sir Charles Hotham, cut back all government spending and began enforcing the licensing laws more harshly, beginning with twice-weekly licence checks.
Vocab to Pre-Teach:
infrastructure
gold bullion
taxes
Gold Commissioner
appointed
alluvial
magistrate
official
favourably
enforcing
Comprehension Questions
Why did the NSW and Victorian governments introduce the Miner's Licence?
How much did a Miner's Licence cost?
Where did the miners get their licences?
Why did the miners dislike having to obtain a licence?
infrastructure
gold bullion
taxes
Gold Commissioner
appointed
alluvial
magistrate
official
favourably
enforcing
Comprehension Questions
Why did the NSW and Victorian governments introduce the Miner's Licence?
How much did a Miner's Licence cost?
Where did the miners get their licences?
Why did the miners dislike having to obtain a licence?