The Political Institutions and Theories of the Hindus: A Study in Comparative Politics c11.t28.13

c11.t28.13

In ancient and mediaeval legislation or custom mines were “public” everywhere.⁵ The silver mines at Laurium were owned by Athens. Mines were state property under the Roman Empire. Down to 1688 all English mines belonged to the crown. In 1568 the Exchequer Chamber stated the theory that the “king shall have the whole of the base metal.”⁶ Under the Mauryas also both land and ocean mines as well as the essaying of ores, coining, and commerce in minerals were *jura regalia*, or crown rights *sui generis*. But the mines were not worked by the government except when the operations needed small outlay. Modern advocates of modified *laissez faire* i. e. partial public ownership may quote the Maurya precedent as an instance of the “individualistic minimum” of state intervention in industry. As a rule, the Empire let out the mines on royalty basis to private enterprise. The royalty included nine distinct items.¹ As usual, the rates were high. The rental for the Laurium mines was only 4⅑ per cent.² The French mines yielded 10 per cent.³ The English rate on copper was 12½ per cent to the state plus 11⅑ per cent to the landlord.⁴ But the Mauryas demanded 16⅔ to 20 per cent as *vibhâga*, i. e. the government's "share" in the yield. In addition the capitalists had to pay 13⅛ per cent plus 5 per cent as sundry charges.⁵