OUR GOLDFIELDS.

Evening Star, Issue 4895, 8 November 1878, Page 1

OUR GOLDFIELDS.

The rapid succession «f startling novelties financial, administrative, and tactical, produced during the period Parliament is in session, are apt to distract the attention from subjects of more practical interest than the squabbles of party, the iniquity of the ms in the opinion of the "outs," and the senseless obstructive opposition of the outs m the opinion of the " ins " V)e confess to have been considerable sinners ourselves in this direction, and. pernaps, have discussed ad nauseam political relations and the marvellous jugelerv of the Present accomplished and patriotic Ministry to the exclusion of matters more nearly touching .the welfare of the commonwealth, and not quite so ephemeral in their connection with, the well-being of the Colony. Amongst these, not the least in importance, from many points of consideration, is the existing state of the goldfields, and this purports to be afforded in a. somewhat complete and concrete form by the report which, in accordance with a resolution of the House of Representatives adopted in 1869, is laid annually before Parliament, and does, or should contain "a fu 116 ,^ CC ,^ unt , of the P resent condition of the goldfields of the Cofony, their advancement or otherwise during the preceding year, and their probable prospects. 6 It cannot be said that tne report presented last sessioa • !* n i o *, com P 1 y with the order of the House hi that the information required is certainly contained in the appendix; but the document itself, which bears the signature of Mr James M'Kerrow as "Secretary of Goldfields" -a new office, by the way, for Mr Oliver Waketiblu !? ;i\ "y ndei -Secretary"-is singularly destitute of a single idea, comment, or deduction, but is merely a precis, and not a very skilfully-constructed one, of the facts embodied in the twenty tabular statements which are annexed or set forth in the Wardens reports. The only paragraph in anyway original is the last one, which conveys the interesting information that "the advent (sic) of the Mines Act, 1877, and conseq^ e w^- nCrease(icorreß P Olldenceandbnfii >tteßS at Wellington, have rendered necessary the establishment of a separate chief office, etc. The 'Tuapeka Times' in reviewing the report was cruel enough to say that this newly-constituted department consisted of two men and a boy," and that this pa*ticular work had evidently been entrusted to the latter. Whilst expressing our regret that the Minister in charge of the goldfields. who, we believe, is the Hon. Robert STo'tr, did not sufficiently interest himself in the matter to see that something beyond a mere bald statement of factß was placed before the public, it is very satisfee*orv, *° note that the facts bo set forth are absolutely conclusive as to the prosperity and future prospects of the mintne industry. The yield of gold for the fifteen 7£ n £,* endin « March 81 » W*> was 474,5150e, as against 404,2570z for the fifteen; months ending the 31st Marsh in'the K«* U8 /* ar >, showin g » net increase ©f 49 669 pa for the jear 1877 over 187«; and, what is more important as proving the gradual improvement in the yield, a net increase of 20,3890z for the March quarto of 1878 over that of 1877. The mean nnmber of gold-miners exclusively so employe* during the twelve months ending March 31 last was 16,180. As the value of the gold exported during the same period mav be taken at £1,577,397, this gives an average earning of £97 10s. The mineral statistics of Victoria for 1877 give the average in that Colony per head of 38,005" miners as a trifle over £B2; thus leaving a decided balance m favor of this Colony. In connection with the subject of the number of miners it is t j b» remarked that there is an appare»t decreaee on the number quoted for the n>eceeding year, but this is more nominal tsan real. The decrease is entirely confined to Westland, and is to be accounted for by the Kumara having been so much over done in the- spring and summer of 1876. Mr Warden Price states that a number of persons betook themselves temporarily to mining in the excitement of the rush who soon afterwards relinquished the pursuit for their ordinary ocoupationß. Upon the subject of permanent settlement with the goldfields, a question of such vital importance to the Colony, tbc report vouchsafes no information or remark whatever, except that "The return ef agricultural leases Bhows an increase of business as compared with last year. The effect of the increased area allowed by the Mines Act will be shown by next year's return." With regard to the Government water races—that rather costly contingent of the great Public Works Scheme—not a word is said as to the probability of their usefulness ever bemg likely to componsate the very large expenditure. There are now constructed four of these costly works—the Thames, nearly ten milea in length ; the Waimea (Nelson Goldfields), tweuty-nine miles; the Nelson Creek, twenty-four miles; and the Mount Ida, sixty-five miles—the total expenditure having been £362,272. The report states : From the table of rovenue and expenditure it wiil 10-a^ii. that for the twelve months ended 30th June 18(8, the expenditure on the Nelson Ureek and Mount Ida races exceeded the revenue ; and on the Waimea and Thames revenue was in excess of expenditure The current expenditure is for management and nmuteuance, aud probably will not be so much for this year as for the last; but, considering the lenrth of races, their liability to slips, and the amount of Burning and other works wh-ch must be frequently inspected and kept in order, the maintenance * will always bear heavily on the revenue, and any maivin that may remain will be but a small contribution towards interest of money sunk in prime cost of construction. This conclusion is hardly satisfactory, bmt there would appear to be little doubt as to its correctness. Turning to the appendix and directing our attention more particularly to what the Wardens in the Otago Mining District have to say, we find Mr Robmsdn of Mount Ida, reporting that the last dry season had been unfavorable to mining in that fart of the country, "where all operations are dependent upon the supply of water for sluicing, but that still on the whole a reasonable amount of success had attended the exertions of the miners." On the subject of the Mount Ida Government water race he says— ' Tho benefit to the mining Interest of eo law- and S't «.? > -T?? p,y °. f water is already veryXsiby felt, and it is fully to be expected that during the next ™7 y T $Z ÜB ? fu » D6SB "HI be more M £,n7re developed. Ihe sale of water already amounts to about £250 per month, and there is every probability of this amount being, in the course of even the ensuing yea? Utriroly inereMed, while the expenses of the mSnl tenanco and management will be diminished. ♦». ??»l CtU v reve . nue of race during the period that Unas been in operation has been la tdtEnZSale of water from race, aud channel dues/£i,6ii Mr Warden Stratford, of the Wakatipu who appears to have returned from his trip to the Home country like a giant refreshed as regards his literary capabilities, ancf contributes six solid pages of close type t* toe appendix, enters into a fuU and particular account we should think of every claim in his district. He speaks highly of the prospects of the Macetown reefs, noting that out of " three distinct lines there are actually marked off between fortv and fifty claims • of these about ten are fairly worked, and have been found to be payable." Alluvial mining in the district continues to decline; but "agricultural industry daring, the past year has taken a turn for" the better,'- and " the increased areas givem to miners for residences and gardens'itave', tended very much in increasing settlement*'.' r f Mr bTBATFOKi* is not very complimentary to our Legislature In a paragraph conspicuously beaded " Laws," he remarks n*w?h l ?ik ,oked for om »°M«kted Act for thegoWflelds has been prematurely born; tta .lothcs aro ESSS* mad Byet > and "Wof themdonot i& ThS

Surety the Cabinet never read this, or they would certainly have entrusted this gifted officer with the 'drafting an amended Mines Act!

Mr SiMPSONy of the Dunstan, reports that his district- shows, '.'when compared with last year, marked signs of prosperity," there being an increase in the yield for the year, entirely "from the alluvial mines, of 4,2720z. This he ascribes to the plentiful supply of water. Quartz-mining has retrograded, and will, he thinks, continue to do so until the main reefs are prospected for "on the tops of the ranges instead of the slopes and spurs of these ranges." There has been a marked advance in settlement compared with'last year ; the area taken up is nearly three times as large, and the number of leases more than doubled, and goes on to say :

Of the land held under agricultural lease and de-ferred-payment license and lease, there have been 0,710 acres acquired in freehold during the year. I think a great stimulus has been given to the taking up of land in th,is district by the increase the Legislature wisely saw fit to make in the area allowed to be taken up by one individual from 200 acres to 320 acres, and so far as the land m this district is concerned I do not consider that even 320 acres are sufficient Mr Cakew, of Tuapeka, also reports an increase in the yield of gold for the year amounting to l,loooz. ; Writing under date May 25 last he reports the occupation of about forty acres at Wetheratones with the view of working the cement, and remarks : It has been demonstrated at the Spur that where cement or conglomerate can be obtained in large quantities the gold can be extracted so cheaply and expeditiously that a very small quantity of gold ton will be remunerative, and I have it on good authority that, in localities favorable for working, a single pennyweight of gold to a cubic yard of conglomerate will leave a handsome 1 margin of profit. With regard to agricultural settlement he says : * The occupation of land by purchase and leasing has continued to progress, and there is now very little Crown land in the district except what is required for mining purposes and reserves. Mr Warden Wood, who in the matter of "quantity" ,of information, is the very autithesis of Mr Stratford, says very curtly: "I cannot report any improvement in the Switzers district, nor do I look for any until the land (20,000 acres —an education reserve), which it is proposed to. throw open for settlement on deferred payments is so dealt with." Withiregard to the Longwood reefs, and the prospects obtained by \ the Hayes Brothers, he observes : ,"*• ■ This discovery has caused a good deal of prospecting, and also speculation, and two other auriferous reefs have been reported. There have been thirtyfour leases applied for up to the present time. Of course it is premature to venture an. opinion on what the field will turn out, but I do not anticipate it will be very extensive, though doubtless there will be some very rich claims. ~ — ■- In conclusion, it may be noted that the total goldfields revenue for the six months ending June 30, 1878, as appears by a return made to an order, of -the Legislative Council, amounted to £13,460, of which £11,568 was paid over to the Counties, and £1,892 to the Native Account, being miners' rights fees on the Hauraki geldfield.