THE GOLD-MINING INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 455, 13 March 1909, Page 10

THE GOLD-MINING INDUSTRY.

! Sir,—l want to call tho attention of the e newly-appointed Minister for Mines to the 0 condition of tho gold-mining industry as 101 vealed in tho official publication tho "New r Zealand Jlines Record," and I aslc him to rc- ( concilo it with his statement that tho gold i output is increasing. Unfortunately, I lmvo . not tho December number of that publication, i and the January ouo of this year does not . contain, what has appeared for many years, 3 tho tablo showing the quantity of gold and , value as entered for duty for exportation. . The issue lam now quoting from is that of 1 November, 1908. Tho last return there is 1 from January 1, 1857, to December 31, 1007, i a period of just 50 years. I will tako tho 3 last six years as published, it would bo too ! lengthy to go further back. Tho localities . covered arc Auckland, Marlborough, Nelson, i West Coast, Otago:— i Total value. ; "oar. oz. £ > 1902 508,045 1,951,433 i. 1903 533,314 2,037,831 ■ [ 1904 520,320 1,987,501 . 1905 ' 520,486 2,093,933 , 1900 503,843 2,270,904 . 1907 508,210 . 2,027,490 ! Marlborough and Nelson show a total in- ' crease in value of £6537 in 1907. Auckland, 1 West Coast', and Otago show total dccreaso in value of £249,951 in 1907. : It will bo seen on examination that the socallcd increase is in the returns from Auckland, and_ due t-o the Wailii and Talisman minos, chiefly the former. Nelson shows a slight increase for 1907, but there is a big faiiing-otl' in the returns from the West Coast and Otago. Now, is it not better for the country that tho increased returns should conio from a larger number of mines, or from individual minors? At ono timo, oil the West Coast, including Nelson, there were more than 30,000 men engaged in gold mining, now thero arc barely 3000. Which is best for tho country, tho number of individuals, or tho iticreaso in output of a few 1 minesP There is another matter, too, that is forgotten, when tho increased output, or in fact the output, is spoken of, that is, that every ounce won is so much gone from tho country, never to be replaced. Tho Minister is proposing to sefid out wellequipped prospecting parties after the results of the investigations by the Government (ieologist (Dr. J. M. Hell) have been carefully considered. Now, why wait until then if it is to be done at all? Why not appoint mining experts (to tho already enormous staff) to accompany the doctor and his aides —it would save time, besides having all tho j combined talent immediately at hand? What ] a glorious time the Dominion would have • from tho results of such a combination—the ' cost would be a mere nothing—only a few j more thousands added to the already largo j sum of close to £10,000 a year that tho i geological survey is now costing tho conn- : li'.v. , I I may inform the Minister that few por- i tions of the Dominion havo been so inti- .< mately prospected as the Nelson province as j a whole, and particularly the West Coast r portion from Capo Farewell north to tho t iiuller River south; from the Wairau River 'J on tho east to tho sea on the west. Men c quite equal to any now employed, or to bo t employed, have gone over pretty well every i foot of that country, and have found, what s tho more elaborately and most expensively- i litted parties will also find, and that is not'h- n inn of commercial utility. Hut 1 forget, Dr. a Dell has made a few discoveries in what ho 2 calls "economic possibilities." These un- n fortunately are not remunerative. It would li bo much better for the Dominion if tho s amount that is being spent by the Geological u Survey in going over ground that has ' al- w ready been thoroughly and accurately geolo- s gised, was spent in opening country and t,' providing roads and bridges, so that settlers f could got oil to land, and make returns that will incroaso and not diminish year by year.

Notwithstanding tlio enormous sum that ia being spent yearly by tlio above survey, in going over ground tlint luis been already done, no new discoveries liavo been made or ally memorial alterations in tlio work formerly dono; wliero new ground lias been examined, 110 results worth mentioning linvo been • recorded. 11l tlio old days, prospectors wentout into tlio Wilds with very littlo food, and into country in which there wcro 110 tracks, and miles from any place wliero provisions .. could bo got. I supposo tliero are few places 011 tlio West Coast that a prospector lias not been to, and if there had been anything to find they would have found it. Now prospectors, like tlio present race of geologists and their assistants, liavo plenty of tracks, require elaborate outfits, t-ho choicest of tin foods, etc. They liavo not to carry it on their backs, that is dona by horses, if they can bo got, or asses that aro always to 1)0 got if paid enough, ■ 1 am pretty well as intimately acquainted with the country above mentioned as tlio Minister, and I would not give a "tinker's curse" for all the useful unknown finds that tlio geologists and prospectors eoino across in that country.—l am, etc., • ONE WHO HAS BEEN THERE.