SEARCH FOR GOLD

Hokitika Guardian, 17 February 1932, Page 3

SEARCH FOR GOLD

DEFICIENT EQUIPMENT. UNEMPLOYED PROSPECTORS. CHRISTCHURCH, February 16. A statement that unemployed men who had gone out gold prospecting in the Ross district were ill equipped for the work was made in a letter from the Ross Prospecting Association received at a meeting of the ■ Christchurch Citizens’ Unemployment Relief Committee yesterday. The committee decided that the letter did not concern it officially, as it had not sent any men The president of the Ross Prospecting Association (Mr John Murdoch' wrote stating that during the last six months a number of Canterbury men had gpne to the West Coast to prosp6<H?for gold. The association did not knOw of one man who was satisfied with tbe results. The men, who had little or no experience, remained near the town fossicking among the old workings instead of getting back into the hills where virgin country was waiting for prospectors. IF the men had a leader and took up a prospect- ■ ing area of about 10(1 acres in virgin country they could expect to get good results. The majority of the unemployed could not even raise enough to buy a camping outfit, much less maintain themselves for two months in the mountains. Mr J. W. Crampton said that it was satisfactory that men from Nelson were making a living at the work and were, in the main, living on fish from the rivers and birds from the bush. A member: T hope they are not living on pigeons. , Mr Crampton : T don’t think it matters much under the circumstances. T don’t blame them for-using any of the food that God has provided them, Mr G Lawn stated that the scheme was of very little practical value in the handling of unemployment.