GOLD PROSPECTING

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 November 1936, Page 6

GOLD PROSPECTING

CONFERENCE WITH ENGINEER Following the re-orgahisation of the gold prospecting scheme directly under the Department of Labour, a conference of all mining engineers and supervisors on the West Coast was held yesterday, at Waiuta. The party were the guests of the Blackwater Mines Ltd., for the day, and in the morning inspected the working of the battery and treatment plants. In the afternoon an inspection was made of the various underground workings of the mine, under the personal supervision of the manager (Mr. T. R. Hogg) and the various underground officials.

After the completion of the underground inspection, Mr. S. W. S. Strong, chief mining engineer at Greymouth, addressed the assembled engineers and supervisors concerning the policy to be followed by the Department in the future. The proceedure of carrying out detailed prospecting operations in various areas was outlined, more particularly in reference to the Reefton district where arrangements are being pushed aheqjd to get under way several tunnels and trenches, and later, shafts. A thorough survey, embracing every aspect of the country will be made under the new scheme, and if promising indications are found, larger prospecting parties will be put in. At present the majority of the miners employed under the subsidy scheme are only raking over old workings and are not looking for new fields. If the surveys are satisfactory, new methods will be adopted, and the richest localities concentrated on. Other areas not showing the same promise will be left, and the men put to work where they will have the best chance of securing a return. Mr. Strong, as chief mining engineer, will reorganise the whole of the administration of the gold prospecting scheme in the South Island, and will later visit Takaka, Collingwood and Otago, with a similar object of co-or-dinating the whole of the operations on a systematic basis. Also present at yesterday’s conference were Mr. E. Collier, mining engineer for the Westport area and ten of the supervisors from that district, Mr. L. Hunter, mining engineer for the Reefton district and six supervisors, Mr. G. Jupp, mining engineer for the Grey district and six supervisors and Mr. G. Shirley, supervising engineer for the Murchison district and four supervisors. The party were the guests of the Blackwater Company, at tea.