THE WAITOA GOLDFIELD.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 236, 7 October 1887, Page 5

THE WAITOA GOLDFIELD.

PROPOSALS TO OPEN THE LAND.

Hamii/tox, this clay. Titk Waitoa golilfields is now the allabsorb. ing question, and public expectation is being raised to a high pitch. Me_n are already making their way to the ground but I would counsel men who are in search of work to wait until operations are commenced and the field actually opened up before exposing themselves to privations and delays by rushing to the ground prematurely, ltseemsthediflicultyinthe way of throwing the land open to the public can be easily met without any aid from the Government. The " Waikato Times" in an excellent article yesterday morning makes the following proposals to property owners:—" They have the game in their own hands, and can afford to 'go alone.' Let them, or let any more enterprising one among them,-proclaim their own goldfields. Having proved the existence of gold, as several have already done, let them throw their estates open to prospecting on certain terms, say, that each prospector take out from them a permit to prospect, paying £2 for the same, and granting to such as find gold or are satisfied, with the prospects of the field a right to'take up claims of, say, ons sixteenth of an acre for one man's ground, in large parties, for which a rent of one pound per annum, or such a sum as may be agreed upon for each man's ground shall be payable to the owner of the land for the use of it. This would pay all parties, if only one tenth of the gold were found thab the tests hitherto made have indicated. The difficulty of providing the necessary machinery for treating the wash dirt would be met by capitalists just as easily as in the case of the field being: purchased, and opened by Government. What, then, should hinder the landowners of Waitoa in taking the bull by the horns and each ono of them proclaiming his land a goldfield ? The terms they may with all fairness ask from the miners who will prospect and flock to them are far better than those which Mr J. B. Smith has obtained from the capitalist. The miner's permit to which we have referred, winch no working miner would object to for the privilege, and which would of course be paid in advance by all prospectors, and by others joining them when the claims are taken up, would give the proprietor £16 an acre at onpe, or £2 per acre more than Mr Smith has obtained for his freehold, and a far lower rent than that wo have suggested would give the owner a large annual income as royalty while the claims were working."