[PUBLISHED DAILY] THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1894.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXX, Issue 2889, 6 December 1894, Page 2

[PUBLISHED DAILY] THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1894.

GOLD PROSPECTING.— CHANCES OF WEST COAST OP NORTH ISLAND.

It is strange but true that after a considerable lapse of time, during which no new discoveries of gold are made, a period arrives when the metal is discovered in many different directions simultaneously. Putting on one side the Western Australian goldfields as quite abnormal in richness and extent after a dearth of new discoveries reaching over some years both New South Wales and Victoria have lately been enriched by new goldfields. Nearer home, during the last few months, fresh finds have been reported from Westland,Otago, and last, but not least, from ono of the oldest diggings in the two islands— Coromandel. We quote from a Wellington correspondent a passage from a letter received by the Minister of Mines from Coromandel. "A rich find has been made by a party of men working on the old Union Beach ground. For seven weeks' work one of them obtained close on £900, another £1500, and two more £300 each. 1 was over there yesterday (November 10), says the writer, and they got some beautiful stone while I was there worth, I dare say, 4oz. to the Ib. They have got lOOlbs. in hand now, and if they do not get 1500025. by Christmas I shall be very much astonished. T.W. got 1 530z3. , andH. C. lS^ots. this week. It is a nice little gully, and bow it was missed in the olden times I can't quite make out." As will be seen> this find

is quite among the old workings, and the same may be Baid of the discovery on the Shotover in Otago, and on the Grey in Westland. The tact is, the subsidies given by the Government for the encouragement of prospecting are granted for the extension of old workings and existing mines rather than for far-a-field exploration, which might lead to entirely new ground being opened up. Were we to generalize only the subject would probably lack interest to our readers, but we wish to poin^JQt that this prospecting is a thing may very materially effect our inß^^e^ Were the subsidies for prospectingziw' ground of an acceptable nature, it i 9 quite within the bounds of probability that a goldfield might be opened on the West Coast of the North Island, but the conditions attached to the granting of assistance are such as almost any practical digger would reject. The chief objection is the condition which says that the local body through whom the Government grant would come is to be informed of tho exact locality where prospecting operations are going on. No prospector in need of assistance to follow up a promising prospect until he has thoroughly found the ground and pegged off his claim would apply for aid under conditions which would subject the new ground to a rush of thousands before his legitimate end had been gamed — the location of a prospector's claim. The same complaint is made at the south-west end of the other island by parties who wish to prospect the almost unexplored country inland of the Sounds. There splendid specimens have been brought from Dusky Sound, and aid is sought to follow up the find, but the conditions of a grant are, as we have stated, unacceptable. The discovery two years ago of granite in the King Country, and the finding of a little gold in a creek flowing over that geological formation, was followed by a paper read before an Auckland Society by Professor Park, and published in the Weekly News. The Professor, in his diagnosis, spoke of the probability of this formation running towards the West Coast and the probable discovery of the precious metals in that direction. A year or two previously another geologist gave a description of the discovery of slate in the Little Mokau, and the frequency with which this rock is found associated with gold did not escape comment at the time. An old man named Aubrey, a very old man and settler, actually" died a year or two back near on his way to seek a spot on the^Borders of the King Country where he had found gold in hia lusty manhood. A gentleman living in the Hawera district has spent much time and money in prospecting many parts of the North Island, and in the early months of the present year brought in a little gold which ho had obtained on this coast. It is cases such as this last l and the one at Dusky Sound, where, money has been spent, and a tangible 1 but insufficient result obtained, that are deserving of support until the prospects obtained are satisfactory or the ground proved worthless. It would appear that the subsidies provided for encouragement of prospecting, which are distinctly liberal as regards old workings which necessarily have a more or less settled population, are promised more with the notion of catching the votes of that population than with the idea of assisting the spread of the goldfields. Tuhua was never properly tested, although much money was spent by the people of Wanganui, and the Government have all along discouraged prospecting on native lands. Should the Government assist prospectors to Tuhua or any wild part of the country, the result ■wUuTd~~probably be barren in vote 3 though rich in gold, and the Government prefers votes for itself rather than gold for other people. There is every reason to believe that payable gold would be found on tho West Coast of this island should encouragement be given to the prospecting of new country of equal liberality with that given to the extension of old mining centres. It is hoped that attention will be given to the matter during the recess, and that next session more liberal rules for the encouragement of prospecting of wild lands will be made.