THE WAITOA FIND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8066, 6 October 1887, Page 5

THE WAITOA FIND.

WORDS IN SEASON.

A TIMELY WARNING.

NOTHING TO INDUCE A RUSH.

AWAITING THE RESULT.

A CHAT WITH MR. SMITH.

MOUNT MORGAN ECLIPSED. [BY TELEGRAPH.— CORRESPONDENT.J

Te Aroha, Wednesday. MORE GOLD DISCOVERIES REPORTED.

The ordinary method of testing an alluvial field appears so far to be useless at Waitoa, and the rich gold said to have been got by the immortal dish process is not forthcoming. I heard of a man who was getting a spoonful of gold from a buoketful of dirt, but on examining further I found it was only mica. To-morrow I am invited to inspect another find of gold, reported to be made at Grant and Foster's settlement, giving good dish prospects, but I am afraid to indulge in the hope of seeing a payable show by dish washing. WARNING AGAINST A RUSH. A number of poor men having arrived in tho hopes of getting work on the Waitoa goldfiold, I would strongly urge others not to come until it is known that men are really required. Several have just arrived from the north of Auckland without funds, and, being unable to get work, have had to sleep out in the tea-tree. Last night they informed me that numbers of gumdiggers were on their way from the North, hence the above warning to impecunious working men. WAITING THE RESULT. Capitalists will probably wait the result of the first crushing by the new company, or of other tests, which will take a month or two to complete on the scale proposed. Smith's goldfield is, of course, outside Auckland criticism; it is a Canterbury affair, and, as a Christohurch man remarked, they get all the good things down there, and they appear to have demonstrated the auriferous character of the deposit on this ground to their own complete satisfaction. Arrangements are, however, being made to test other adjacent lauds, which will enable extensive and reliable trials to be made, TIMELY WORDS. In the meantime I am not aware of any payablo find which would warrant me inducing any man to come, excepting as a prospector tries a new country, with the chance of getting nothing or making his pile. Poor men coming here in the hopes of finding a valley of gold are more likely to find it the valley of the shadow of death, if obliged to sleep outside, like those mentioned above, with empty stomachs and the hail descending upon them. This iB looking at the very worst aspect of affairs, but even amid a golden prospective it is better to give fair warning to a class who cannot just now receive benefit by coming. A CHAT WITH MR. SMITH. To-day I visited the property of the Canterbury Company, and was courteously shown over the same by Mr. Smith. The auriferous ridge which crosses this ground his been thoroughly, prospected by Clirißtshurch experts, as stated yesterday. Thi plant is to be erected on a favourable position on a terrace commanding two streams,' and about 15 feet above the level of the flat. The following conversation re» garding the deposit took place : — " How many places did you try for gold ?" "We sunk altogether 150 shafts, and got the same formation in all."

" Were all gold bearing ?" " All we tried were so to a greater or less extent."

" Do you think the gold is in leads ?" "I do not think so. It ia richer as we go deeper." "You have not got to the bottom yet, have you?" Mr. Smith (laughing); "No ; and I don't think anyone ever will." " Do you think the adjacent lands contain similar auriferous dirt?"

"That I cannot «ay. This nearest shaft I found to be worth £6 per ton, but the land at a distance may be valueless or tho reverse, thugh all our workings have produced gold —some shafts being sunk on richer stuff than others. Near the big boulders we are always sure of getting some gold in the tests,

A bystander here remarked that Mount Morgan must be a fool to this field, and Mr. Smith said that a friend had compared some of the Mount Morgan crushing dirt with his Waitoa depositshowing extraordinary resemblance. Mr. Smith also showed another shaft sunk on stuff worth 30s a ton for copper, EN ROUTE. Hamilton, Wednesday. Intending prospectors and miners are wending their way to the Waitoa. Yesterday morning a party of five men passed through Hamilton on horseback, en route for "the valley of gold," and there were quite a number of pick-and-shovel men with their swags in yesterday's early train from Auckland, who went on to Waitoa. What they are going to do when they get there is the question, as there is no available means of trying the stuff other than by sending it to Auckland.

THE CHRISTCHDRCH COMPANY AND

THEIR MACHINERY.

Wo understand that tho arrangements between tho company formed in Christchurch to work "the deposit on Mr. J. B. Smith's land, Waitoa, and Mr. George Fra«er, are "off." The parties were not able to come to terms, and there was also a difference in respect to shares which were to have been allotted to Mr. Fraser. This is, we think, to bo regretted, because Mr. Eraser, in the many experiments which he has made with the Waitoa stuff, must have acquired a large amount of experience in the peculiar mode of treatment demanded. This experience will, however, not be lost to the field, for Mr. Fraser is interested with parties who in all probability will have machinery early on the ground. As our readers are aware, there have been numerous tests of the auriferous wash found at Mr. Smith's estate, Waitoa, but up to the present the results of those tests have been kept from the public pending, we presume, the successful formation of a company of Christchurch capitalists to work the deposit. This has now been accomplished, and a company has been formed, and there is therefore no object in further holding back tho results, which in the gross amounted to about 4oz of gold, ranging in value from £3 10s to £4 per oz from about seven tons of stuff treated in Messrs. fcVaaor and Tinne'a pans and by their laboratory process. It was on the strength of the results thus obtained that the company was floated, and it was under* stood that Messrs. Fraser and Tinne w<jre to be instructed to ereot a plant on the ground for the treatment of the stuff. Indeed matters had proceeded so far that Fraser and Tinne had made an offer for the erection of a plant at a cost of £6000 oil certain terms, which on Saturday last were virtually accepted, bat since then the Christchurch shareholders have offored terms such as Messrs Frasor and Tinne could not accept, and they have withdrawn from the whole arrangement. We believe the main point of difference between the firm and the company was in regard to time payments, Messrs Fraser and Tinne considering their offer so liberal that they could not modify it, as tho modifications asked would involve the locking up of a largo amount of capital, which t'noy did not feel justified in doing, as the prospects from other places where experimental tests aro now being procured from show that the auriferous deposit extends greatly beyond Mr. Smith's estate, and tbey may, and probably will have so supply plants for other companion. We may add that Messrs Fraser and i'inne feel a little sore over tho treatment they have received in regard to the allotment of shares, and in regard to tho contract for the plant, as it was entirely on the result of their tests that the company was formed.

MESSRS. CAMPBELL'S LAND.

The land of Messrs. Campbell at and about Waihou township, is very favourably situated, and we are not surprised to bear that a number of tests from it have turned out satisfactorily. The best yet tried is of much coarser material than any from Mr. Smith's land, and seems to consist of small nodules of quartz. Mr. Campbell is going to have a considerable quantity of this stuff brought down for trial,

RESUMPTION OF L<\ND FOR MINING

■ PURPOSES. It would be observed from yesterday's paper that the gentlemen connected with the company formed at Christohurch to commence mining operations at Waihou, interviewed Ministers to see if the Government had any intention of taking possession of the land for mining purposes. The clause whioh gives the Crown power to resume land supposed to be auriferous, is clause 40 of the ining Act, 1886, whioh Is as follows : " All lands which since the 27th' day of .September, 1873, have been or may hereafter bo alienated or agreed to be alienated from the Crown, whether by way of absolute «ale or lease, or for any lesser interest, and all lands which have been so alienated at any time previous to the above mentioned date, with the consent of the owners thereof respectively, shall be liable to be resumed for mining purposes (except lands alienated expressly for mining purposes! by Her Majesty, on paying full compensation to the licensee, lessee, or owner of the fee-simple thereof for the value, other than auriferous or argentiferous, of the lands and improvements so resumed, upon the terms and conditions hereinafter provided." Probably no proceedings would bo taken to bring the provisions of this Act into operation, unless some landowner were to show a disposition to hang on to land, and not to allow it t8 be worked on reasonable terms.