THE BEST GOLD COUNTRY.—HOW TO GET IT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume IV, Issue 1181, 27 August 1867, Page 5

THE BEST GOLD COUNTRY.—HOW TO GET IT.

To tho Editor of the New Zealand Herald. Pie,—Gold, fc'-e one thing wished for and desired by nearly all 1 how is it to bo got ? whero is it to be got ? and when is it to be got ? When ? there's the question; the how is easily known ; the where is easily known ; but the when is not so easily known. The how is by digging for it; the where is up tho Thames ; and the when 19 when, the Maori is dealt with as one merchant would deal with another when the one has anything to Bell and the other desires to buy. Now, it appears to me that the Maori deals exactly upon that principle where he is allowed to do so ; just like a merchant, he has land to sell and gold to sell; he finds the white man is desirous of purchasing both, and like a wise man he endeavours to make the mo3t of that that he has to dispose of, and as he haß both bad land and good, so also he haß both poor gold-fields and rich ones; and does ho not naturally, like any merchant or tradesman, try to dispose of the worst first, (and he's an idiot if he does not). With regard to his disposal of his lands he has certainly done so from the very first of his dealings either to private individuals or the Government ; therefore ought we to be surprised that there is so much difficulty in getting at his best gold fields at first or so easily ? Of course as long as he is well paid by the white man for the permission to pick up merely the crumbs or dust, it is not very -likely that he will permit him to claw hold of the loaf upon the game terms, any more than tho baker would sell the four pound loaf for the same price as the one pound loaf; therefore why should we expect the Maori to be more liberal or foolioh (which he certainly is not) than the baker or any other tradesman or party who has anything to dispose of, from which he naturally expects to make something by ? Consequently would it not be good policy at once to deal with the Maori in a business-like way for his best gold-fields upon the best terms that can be agreed upon, either by paying him a per centage upon the gold extracted from his lands, or by giving him a higher license fee, according to the richness of the field. I merely throw out these suggestions in case we are not able very soon to get permission to go on to the much coveted lands up the Thames, for I expect few will differ from me in a agreeing that it is most desirable to commence with a really good poor man's diggings, one that will bring towards ibis prjvince a large population and which when once here will in all probability remain, after having seen the very great advantages of climate, Ac., that this province has over so many parts of the world.—l am, &c., Father Thajies. August 24, 1867.