CORRESPONDENCE

Grey River Argus, 1 August 1931, Page 8

CORRESPONDENCE

PROSPECTING AT ROSS. (To- the Editor). Sir, —I notice in to-day’s “Argus” where our Member, Mr Jas. O’Brien, has been bringing before the Minister of Mines in the House the matter of considering subsidising the. unemploy ed for prospecting. It is quite characteristic of Jim to bring something useful for the public into prominence, ;—he is quite a “brain-wave,” as most of us arc already aware. No doubt our Local Unemployment Board will grasp the situation and take advantage of such an opportunity as this might afford. We have men here whose work is in most part of a n unproductive nature, and these men, I am sure, would readily seize the opportunity of getting out in the hills if the necesi sary subsidy was available. There are vast areas here in which, with the | necessary assistance, much gold could ‘be won. Boss, as is well known, still , contains much more gold than has i ever been taken out by the old miners, and the art of gold seeking v, r as nearly being a thing of the past, as the younger generation were being versed in other way s and modes of making a livelihood. If only the Minister of of Mines could be induced to give the necessary assistance, every ounce of gold wan is in the right way ‘to bringing our country to a stable position. The famous “Roddy” nug- , get, just under one hundred ounces, is most probably only a baby compared with -what is still to be found. We have the evidence all round us of what wealth still remains in the soil in and around the vicinity of Ross. This is the opportunity of unearthing something worth while, if our unemployed i are offered the necessary assis ance. Our hills are more or less all quartz bearing; rich leaders have been discovered from time to time, but lack of financial assistance, fur the must part, has hampered development. The ! Mount Greenland reefs, which are sit- ' uated about nine miles inland from here, are in the development stage, progressing slowly, but I think I can safely say, very fine specimens are to be seen that have come from the reefs, and crushing operations are steadily in progress, a large amount of stone being in evidence; but, like most go d things, they are kept quiet, though the truth leaks out in good time. Many good sluicing claims are in operation on a minor scale at present, but through lack of necessary assistance, many would-be miners are on the relief works. I think, Sir, I might safely say that in the not very distant future Ross will be once mere one of the busiest mining centres in New Zealand. Thanking you for your valuable space, Sir,—l am, etc., MINING ADVOCATE, Ross, July 29th.