TAIRUA NEW GOLD-FIELD.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1753, 27 September 1875, Page 2

TAIRUA NEW GOLD-FIELD.

Sir, —Anything calculated to facilitate the developeraent of this valuable field is a matter of the greatest public importance. I wag one of the visitors Jasfc week when the Tairua Company's battery was opened. I must say, I was struck with the indomitable pluck the proprietors of that claim must have shewed in facing the difficulties of carriage of heavy machinery to such a locality. Now this was my first visit to these diggings and I could plainly see there is an absolute and immediate want of large batteries to be erected there ; but the great difficulty is not the want of capital or enterprise— any one who could see, or may have seen, the magnificent large gold-bearing reefs or lodes that I saw uncovered in numbers of claims would have no hesitation in embarking capital on that field, but .what assistance, may I ask, has the Government given to the field ? They have spent a few hundreds of pounds to improve an old native land track, upon which it will never be possible to carry machinery to the claims.. I speak under correction, but I was informed whilst at Tairua when asking the question why the Government had not done anything to the road by which the prospectors had conveyed their heavy material, that a surveyor had been sent to report and he did so unfavourably, in fact I believe Mr. McLaren was led to believe that it would cost more to make a road there than what they are now engaged upon; in fact, that to make a road from the landing place at Tairua would cost £2000 only about 4J miles in length, and an easy gradient; whereas a rough mountainous approach of 65 miles from Puriri would only cost £1500-~ the thing is monstrous. Let any one go and visit the place, and they will see for themselves, and they will find it is not so. A person residing at Tairua, who assisted hi sleighing Tairua Company's Battery by'tHis route, in my presence said for £100 Be would make a buggy road and complete in ijW° months, from Landing to Prospectors dam. There is no doubt all machinery and heavy goods must be carried that way. I would urge all the claims .on the field to unite and subscribe together say £500 and call upon the General or Provincial Government to add £lw thereto, and the road would pay the claims and the province sevenfold in a few weeks. At presentit is not to be wondered at that Tairna stock is only shillings instead of pounds. Get batteries up at once and you will see results would send scrip corner crazy. It .'* ~ worth paying a visit to Tairua. I think the inconveniences to the road have been..exaggerated and has deterred many visitors from going. I found it certainly rough, mrc> by taking it slowly, walked the distance in 4f hours, and returned walking .in-tßrtJ hours. Fair accommodation is to be founa at bobh Puriri and Tairua, and visitors, neepcarry nothing, packhouses leaving each way every day. The cost of\%e trip is exceeaingly inexpensive, steamer from Thames, Puriri, 33. ; refreshments and^ ato?gl*£ road at the same prices as my n Y ™?,afc" evet, I must revert to my suV/Ct.1 ," r are the uses of ever so many rich -lodesjo reefs without machinery. The Prospecto?|» Ajax; Pnketui, and Britannia daims awne can employ;hundreds of heads of uUmp**"

i'anies cannot pay £15 a ton or fancy, «k taking up boilers and stamper|>et thiß road open quickly, it will ound numbers of batteries idle at Sies and elsewhere will find their Airua, and the result will be tb'e yince would soon reap the benefit Atpresent, for the want of a road, /ratively speaking useless.—Yours, ~-c";, Investor, Auckland "