MINING LEASES. 105 



7. Every prospecting license shall contain such conditions as may 

 in any particular case seem necessary, and shall in all cases contain 

 the following conditions : — 



(i) The term for which the license shall be granted shall be one 

 year or such shorter term as the applicant may desire. 

 The license may be renewed by the Collector for a further 

 term not exceeding two years, whenever he is satisfied 

 that the licensee has been prevented from completing his 

 search of the land by any cause other than his own 

 default. 

 (ii) A moderate rent not exceeding one rupee per acre shall be 

 paid for the land covered by the license. 



(iii) The licensee shall pay a royalty at 5 percent, of the value of 

 the mica won and carried away over and above such quan- 

 tity as the Collector, subject to the orders of the Local 

 Government, may allow to be taken free for purpose of 

 experiment. 



(iv) No land in the occupation of any person shall be entered upon 

 without the consent of the occupier, and no trees, stand- 

 ing crops, or other private property shall be cut or in any 

 way injured without the consent of the owner thereof. 

 (v) The licensee shall make and pay reasonable satisfaction and 

 compensation for all injury which may be done by him in 

 exercise of the powers granted by the license, and shall 

 indemnify the Government against all such claims which 

 may be made by third parties in respect of any such 

 damage or injury. 



(vi) The licensee shall not cut or injure any tree on unoccupied 



and unreserved land without the permisssion of the 



Collector in writing. 

 (vit) Such license cannot be assigned nor can any right or interest 



thereunder be transferred without the consent of the 



Local Government. 



Note..— The Local Government will, as a general rule, withhold sanction if no 

 prospecting work has been done by the licensee, and there is reason to believe 

 that he obtained the license solely with a view to immediately selling it out and 

 out at a profit. On the other hand, sanction may with propriety be given if the 

 licensee requires further resources, or proposes to associate other persons, by way 

 of a partnership, Syndicate, or Joint Stock Company, with himself in the under- 

 taking, if the assignment or transfer appears to be a bondfidt arrangement, and 

 if the transferee is a person or Company whom the Government would be willing 

 to approve as a prospector. Hitherto the practice has been to unfavourably 

 regard or absolutely prohibit transfers of prospecting licenses, on the ground that 

 ordinarily there was nothing assured to transfer, that the transfer was proposed 

 with the sole object of making money out of the public, and that, if the licensee 

 was unable to work his concession, his proper course was to resign it. Under the 

 new rules, the attitude of the Government will be less strict. 



( 95 ) 



