Mining

Press, 12 August 1989, Page 22

Mining

Sir,—Afton Blackadder (August 3) recalls his case to mine forested land on the west bank of the Maruia. He applied to mine an area of 140 hectares (not 20, as he said) and to bulkprospect, with a bulldozer and front-end loader, over another 590 ha. This destruction would have been largely visible from the highway on the opposite bank of the river. Mr Blackadder is slow to acknowledge that others have the right to defend the scenic, wildlife, recreational and spiritual values of this public forest and wrong to ascribe hostile motives for opposing his applications. On the other hand, he is perhaps too charitable in claiming to have always mined legally and to have either improved or maintained the natural values of this area.—Yours, etc., PETER S. GRANT. August' 5, 1989.

Sir,—The saga of mining licence 32-1650 in the name of my brother, Afton Blackadder, gold miner, continues. In 1981, after a lifetime of looking and searching, he found it — gold of more value to him than first prize in Lotto. He found it by his own diligence, his own work, his own efforts. In a discovery of this nature jealousy and spite come to the surface. Despite the finding of the High Court of New Zealand, despite the finding of the Planning Tribunal set up specifically to adjudicate in these matters, politicians of both sexes and both political parties in Parliament have allowed this injustice to drag on for years. Mr Wetere could have allowed the properly processed and granted

licence to proceed. He chose otherwise and withdrew his consent by telegram.—Yours, etc., W. D. BLACKADDER. August 7, 1989. Sir,—l think it is time the Government and the Department of Conservation came to the party and gave the Blackadders (August 3) a fair go. All that they want is to work and create work for others. I think this country can well do with this with the present state of unemployment. What the country needs is more people like Afton Blackadder to get off their backsides and find gold and help get this country of ours back on its feet. All the Department' of Conservation is doing is spending money; it is not putting money into the country. A few years ago Canada was in such a bad state with its overseas debts and unemployment. The Canadian Government paid people to go out and look for gold or anything else that would bring jobs and money into the country. The Conservation Department spent and spent until it eventually self-destructed. Do we as New Zealanders, with our resources, have to wait until this happens here? Surely every ounce of gold mined here must be good for our country. The D.O.C. is just blocking people like the Blackadders, and others willing to work from working. Let them get on with it and give them a fair deal.—Yours, etc., LAWRENCE CARTER. August 4, 1989.