PROSPECTING FOR NEW GOLDFIELDS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 55, 15 August 1877, Page 2

PROSPECTING FOR NEW GOLDFIELDS.

[TO THE, IjIDITOII INAXaAHIU TIME?.}

Sin,— l observed, in your last issue a communication . upon the above subject, the." general tenor of which I very strongly commend. It seems to me. that because we iiave hero a reefing district of sur» passing richness and extent, we havo en* tirely neglected all, attention to matters afljectiug alluvial ground. As your correspondent very truly points out there is a belt of known auriferous territory stretching from tho Lyoll to Antonio's ■ and Blackwater. This region does not at present show a chain of continuous workings between tho points named, but any one at all acquainted with the part of the country referred to, will know that all [ alonj^that line old alluvial workings can be traced.. are gaps, it is true, of unworked country intervening which har,e not as yet been explored, but no pr,-s,ct^c.al. miner doubts the probability of the Uno o? gold being somedaye day or other traced, from, end to end. ]jn t;he % vicinity o^- the : Landing on tbe liuljor, a number, o^. minors find profitable work in, th« L'uHies, but whether any men are now working in the country across the. range; by the source of the Little Grey I am not a\T v are. Even at Boatman 3 and. contiguous, at Bedmans, Duo North and that locality some good patches of alluvial, ground • have been worked. Murray Creek vtjas ; exceedingly rich in alluvial gold. Take lluiny Creak next, there Golden Gully was a little Gabriel's Gully of itself, and just beyond we .have l^erijjk. igftin n«ar Reefton, there are two old alluvial gullies, now being fossicked over for the '. second or third time by Chinamen. Take iS|oijd,iersand.' its locality next, und; so, it will bo seen that north, south, east., and \m»t, we have, alluvial workings, hut they .have., always been under a cloud by reason of tjie, quartz fever. As for the character of the country up both branches of the : Inangahua river, we may be said, to know nothing. Partiea^ it, is. true, have 'scampered, through tlio, gulljes and ravines, scratching, hero, and. there, on, i the surface, but no, real prospecting work has been done, and, all the time that xto ; are pinning our fai,th to quartz reefs, fpr., aught, we know teethe contrary, there may Ibe half a dozen Kumara's wjthin a few [milps of, Eeefton. The, inhabitants of : Jjnangahua, have been very remiss in not 1 paying more attention to this portion, of. our njealtb,, and, now, while the opportunity ! presents itaelf, and) w^hile there is a sh,pt 'ip'the locker, I think it. would be awjse j thing to encourage prospecting. Paid, , prospecting parties, aro, a mistake I am afraid, and, the. safest, way then of extend" ' ing encouragement, is by offering a bonus ■and, l should, like to see that, bonus made, 'as largo as possible. Is, there, a single business man or property bolder ip the, [ Inangahua, who would object to a special, rate to make up a, reward (after discovery) for a party of., prospectors ?, I ■think not. 1 even venture to say that .there is not a business man in. the corajmunity, but would, give' a or £10 ; ' toward a fund, to reward a party of men | for opening" up, a goldftald of, the prescribed, cxten) and, productivenoss... 3; should, liko to see. the County Council take the initiative in this matter, and : I should noxt like to see a public, meeting called, and a guarantee given by thebusiness people tosuppl}ment the Council vote, in the. event of a, now goldfield being opened, Believe, mo, if the community holds out sufficient inducement, parties of good, men will not b,'? wanting to goand ,givo tho country a fair trial. But there must be a strong inducement offered to encourage men tp. penetrate a country such as this, and unless that encouragement, isoffeied', there nover will be any, veal prospecting work done, Who^can sayj