GOLDMINING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 2, 3 January 1925, Page 4

GOLDMINING.

fTo the Editor! Sir, —Yemr arttele in issu* of '27th December gave mc considerable pleasure, for it was a fairly sound review of the position of this important industry. As this industry has been brought almost to the level of extinction, through the nefarious policies of share-gambling, I think you should have given your readers some information regarding the vast extent of our gold-bearing areas, not only in the Auckland province, but elsewhere. It was, in fact, the honest exploitation of the early goldfields which put Xew Zealand on the map of the world for all time. The rich gold finds gave enormous returns for tbe small Investment of hand labour which was employed in discovering them. The same methods of discovery and enrichment are not, perhaps, quite suitable for the present age, but, nevertheless, bigger and better results are awaiting development through joint stock enterprise on the part of large and small capitalists. The Waihi mine is a e-ase in point. It would seem that this great dividend payer still offers a golden hope of many more payable discoveries, many more dividends for the future. In a word, the effect of honestly-employed labour is that there is not as yet any limit to the possibilities of fresh discoveries in the upper and lower levels of that wonderful mine I believe there are numerous Bonanzas to be discovered on tho Thames and Coromandel goldfields; perhaps, too, on numerous unworked areas spread over the range- ending at Ilora Hora. Your article made no reference to the Te Tuke goldiield, though over a quarter of a million pounds' worth of g-old has been won from its surface levels in recent times. Here is a range of hills composed mostly of andesit ie formations, which in every respect resemble the , ''country" where payable gold reefs ' occur in this part of Xew Zealand. It seems to mc that money is being wasted on work about mines—delving in ground where previous operations had sufficiently shown the limit had been reached. In the latter ca.-e. we are told of "colours of gold." but this is clap-trap. There is generally no such occurrence save on the Stock Exchanges an<l in tiie report < of mine managers who are working in association witb unconscionable speculators. Goldmining is a noble enterprise. It is shame-

ful to find the small space it occupies in the thoughts of our present populace. Let it be hoped that it may soon appeal to the imagination in a proper manner, the manner of an honestlyconducted business. Nothing in this wonderful Dominion of ours offers greater possibilities of riches than the active working of our goldmining districts, which at present so few persons have any knowledge of.—l am, etc., J. B. H.