WEST COAST EXPLORATION.

Evening Star, Issue 6700, 7 September 1885, Page 4

WEST COAST EXPLORATION.

From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, September 4. The member for Port Chalmers recently submitted the following memo, to the Goldfields Committee :—" Last session I took upon myself the liberty of submitting a suggestion which, it was understood, commended itself to the approval of the Committee, and as such was referred to the Government. Had it'been given effect to, the result, in my opinion, would have been highly beneficial to the mining industry throughout the Colony, Unfortunately, however, nothing has come of it. I would now venture, with all due deference, to solicit the attention of the Committee to the importance of some practical action being at once taken towards a scientific exploration of those portions of the West Coast of the Middle Island which up to the present time may be regarded very much as a terra incognita, in as far as any reliable knowledge of their geological formation and mineral indications are concerned. I might refer specially to the country contiguous to Martin Bay and Big Bay, with respect to which many representations have been made to mo officially and otherwise by explorers during the past eighteen years, and in regard to winch I have had a strong intuition that it contains untold mineral wealth. This intuition has been revived by the receipt of an interesting communication from Mr W. Watson, of

Bannockburn, which I enclose herewith, in the hope that it may tend to influence the opinion of the Committee in the direction of the suggestion which I now most respectfully submit, to wit that the Government should be requested to take steps to obtain an official report from some recognised expert respecting the matter set forth in Mr Watson's communication. There could not bo a better man to employ in this matter than Professor Ulrich, whose services the Government are entitled to free of charge during six mouths in the year. The cost would be a mere bagatelle compared with even the mere fact of obtaining reliable information, let alone the probability of such information revealing the existence of a territory replete with mineral resources. I do hope that vigorous steps may be taken in the direction indicated, and that we shall no longer rest satisfied with mere empty talk on the subject." In his communication, Mr Watson, who is ail engineer and draughtsman, writes:— "There are about 1,000 tons of quartz on the south side of Big Bay. The quartz is gold-bearing. There is a great and prosperous future before this place, from what I could see. There is a forest of ironwood in Big Bay, I should say ten by five miles wide, and, I believo in Hollyford Valley there is abundance of tin, as the formation is granite of two kinds, one like Peterhead, and the other of a certain color. This is a fine valley for a railway as a short cut to Queenstown. There is abundance of timber, and a fine soil—no better in the world—well suited for hop-growing. The scenery is grand. Now as to the Carrick Range. If La Monte's smelting process could have been procured here twelve years ago, for one ounce of gold there could have been six obtained." The Goldfields Committee this afternoon reported on the above as follows :—" That Mr Macandrew's memo, be referred to the Government and recommended for favorable consideration, and that in the opinion of this Committee explorations should also be conducted in other parts of the West Coast."