'QUIET CONFIDENCE'

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 29, 3 February 1934, Page 10

'QUIET CONFIDENCE'

DOMINION'S FUTURE.

PRIME MINISTER'S VIEW.

GOLD MINING REVIVAL.

Tho Printo Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, in an interview tlifc morning, said that just before coining North lie had visited various parts of the South Island, including Otago and Southland, and ho found that' the feeling amongst the farming community and others was more hopeful than it had been for some considerable time. There was quiet confidence everywhere that tho Dominion's troubles were to a large extent passing away, and that, taken with the fine season experienced, made the people think that they could reckon very soon on a period of prosperity.

Speaking of the gold mining industry in Central Otago, Mr. Forbes commented on the revival of interest in that portion of tho country. Scientific development had focused attention on gold mining, and many people were looking forward to great activity which would make for a large number of people being employed. In the past development had g'one forward as far as it was possible, but the discovery of new methods, as the result of scientific investigation, "was now enabling much more to be done. Development in the future "would be. by big-scale operations, requiring large capital resources, •and he expected that that would mean capital from overseas. Gold mining was alwavs a risky business, but there was still money available for development, provided that sclicm.es were not of the •'wild eat" order. Those who invested liked to be confident that there was a reasonable chance of success, and the Government had seen to that, as far as the work of the Scientific and Industrial Research Department was concerned. That Department endeavoured to supply correct information.