"BLACKSANDING"

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 121, 25 May 1931, Page 7

"BLACKSANDING"

WEST COAST BEACHES

MEN MAKING A LIVING

The golden beaches of California and Hawaii have been made world-famous byAmerican advertising. Their chief asset is sunshine. The beaches of the West Coast, however, have a more potent appeal. Real gold, in the form of blacksand, is worth more than sunshine, and not a few men are to-day making a much better living than if they were doing relief work on the roads at nine shillings per day,» says the "Grey Star." Blacksand has always been present on the beaches washed by the Tasman, but hitherto it has been sought for mainly by beachcombers, pioneers of the early days, who were content to live in the old bach, secure enough gold to pay for tucker and 'baccy, and dream, of the early days, when the gold fever raged and rushes broke out from one end of the West Coast to the other. To-day the financial depression, with its accompanying evil of unemployment, has focused attention upon tha more unusual openings for making'a living, with the result that blacksanding i* becoming more and more popular with the younger generation. Unlike sluicing or dredging undertakings, practically no capital is needed —only a. few shillings—while special knowledge is not necessary. As for the reward, it is stated that between 18s and 25s per man per tide may easily be earned. ■ * AN EXPERIENCED HAND. In his time, Mr. Charles Watson, noir caretaker of the Greymouth Trotting Club's property, Victoria Park, has mad« not a few pounds by blacksanding, and * number of young men, now profitably engaged on the beaches around Greymouth, have him to thank for the information and assistance which enabled them to taka the trail of the blacksand. "Men who do not understand blacksanding might think there is a lot in it," said Mr. Watson in an interview, "but it is the simplest thing going. I will guarantee that, if I went out to-morrow on the North Beach, while the present weather conditions hold, I would make not less than 18s per tide. Thera are two tides each day, of course, but to work-each would mean a night shift. Tha blacksand is always there, but after bad weather there may be a considerable layer of shingle deposited by the sea on top of it. The prevailing spell of fina weather makes conditions ideal, as tha beach is stripped of shingle and the blacksand is. easily accessible. The old-timers did not bother about working when thera was even a few inches of shingle over the sand, but that should not trouble the young men of to-day. . . The. beaches must be rich now, because no one has been b^cksanding for years, except on* or two of the old-timers. EVERY INCH PAYABLE. "From the North Tip to Barrytown, gold is to be found. So long as fine weather keeps up, and the blacksand is clear, there is no reason for any man who is prepared to work to be afraid of making less than 18s per tide. Not one inck of the blacksand will be found unpayable." . Mr. Watson instanced the case of two young men who came from the Napier ..district after the earthquake. They had an old car, and camped at Victoria Park for some time before setting out for the Nelson locality to try and secure employment'with the Forestry; Department at tree-planting. They got as far as Ikamatua, where the car broke down, and they returned to Greyraouth. Then Mr. Watson suggested that. they; should try their hands at blacksanding, and he assisted them to make a box. They left for the beach, and joined in with two other men between the Nine-Mile and tha Ten-Mile, where they are still located. They had since visited Greymouth for food supplies, and exhibited 12dwts of gold. Their earnings were ranging from 18s to 25s each, per tide. HOW IT IS DONE. Asked" to give some idea of the process adopted by blacksanders, Mr. Watson said that the first requirement was a woodeu box: The size varied, according to the inclination of the user, but a suitable size would be a box 18 inches wide and i feet long, although some were only half that length. An iron plate, resting on battens^ was placed in the bos, having a size sufficient to cover the top of the latter, and in the iron were punched a number ot holes about the size-of the head of a sixinch nail. Under the plate, and about aa inch or two below it, was placed a piece of ordinary plush. The sand was sprinkled on to the plate, a stream of water running on to it at the same time, and tha water washed away'the bigger material, leaving the blacksand to filter through, the holes on to the plush in the bos underneath. The water was usually carried from the sea in kerosene tins, and thrown on to the plate from a small tia or pannikin. In order to give the necessary fall, the box was propped up at one end at a fairly steep angle, wooden legs being affixed to one end of the box to keep it raised. The total cost of the outfit was only five or six shillings, including tha timber. The two men previously mentioned made-their box from a _ packing case, which was secured for .nothing. A SUGGESTION. It was suggested by Mr. Watson that' the Borough Council, the County Council, or the Government could assist unemployed men materially by making a supply of boxes and providing them to men. willing to try their luck on the beaches. The cost of the boxes could be refunded by the men after their first 'wash-up. There was really nothing in making the boxes. The trouble was that strangers to the game did not know how to make the boxes, and it was sometimes difficult for them to acquire even the ■ slightest knowledge necessary. Men engaged ia gold-mining on a small scale on the West Coast were a.t present experiencing difficulty in disposing of the gold, as tn#, banks would not accept small quantities. The Government would be giving additional encouragement if it made arrangements for small parcels'of gold to be accepted from the men engaged in the industry. "The country needs gold, concluded Air. Watson, "and it is a pity t» see it left lying on the beaches. Every encouragement should be given to th» blacksanding industry, and m that way, make numbers of men at present unemj ployed, or on relief works, self-supporting. -