MINING NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15262, 28 March 1913, Page 5

MINING NEWS

WAITANGI.

20LB OF PICKED STONE.

The manager of the Waitangi Consolidated mine, TaTaru, telegraphed to the local secretary (Mr. H. J. Lee} yesterday afternoon, as follows :—" Secured 201b of picked atone from leaders intermediate level; gold still showing."

OCCIDENTAL.

The local secretary of the Occidental Consolidated mine, Thames (Mr. H. J. Lee), has reoeived a specimen parcel of about ,201b of selected stone from tho mine. The guartz ' shows coarse gold freely, and is probably from the No. 2 reef.

PRIDE OF REEFTON.

-PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Reefton, Thursday.

Further specimens from the Pride of Reef ton mine, carrying coarse gold, are being exhibited in town. The reef has now widened. The stone is considered the beat seen here for a long time.

THE KAIHU RAILWAY,

SUGGESTED EXTENSION.

TAPPING THE TIMBER LANDS.

[BY TELEGRAPH.SPECIAL RFFORTER.] Dahqaville, Thursday. An extensive journey into the famous timber country north of Dargaville was made by the Hon. W. Fraser (Minister for Public Works) and his party to-day. The party left for Kaihu by special train at eight o'clock, and from the latter centre drove through a rang a (a deserted gum village) to, Donnelly's Crossing, which is the junction of a number of roads leading into newly-settled districts in the Hokiariga and Whangarei Comities. The main object of the drive was to inspect the suggested. extension of the Kaihu Railway northwards. . The settlers of the district waited upon the Minister and asked him to urge upon the Government to extend 'the line as far as Donnelly's Crossing. Mr. Fraser replied that he could not hold out any hope of making provision for the work on this year's Estimates.

The Kaihu line is at present being extended northwards, and has reached a point four miles from Kaihu, known as Whatoro. The suggested terminus of the extension lies in a hollow, and the railway station would be in a most inconvenient spot for the settlers to cart their produce to. Mr. Fraser, after inspecting the proposed terminus, told the settlers that the best site for the terminus was the point to which the extension had how reached, namely, Whatoro. This statement was received with applause, as the settlers are heartily in accord with the suggestion that until the further extension- of the line is decided upon they will be able to utilise the railway to much more purpose from Whatoro than from the hemmecl-in terminus further north. In reply to another request, Mr. Fraser said that he would recommend the erection of a flagstation at Whatoro. It would not be wise to erect 'a larger station, owing to the. probability of the line going further northwards in., the. future. The extension of the Kaihu line is an important one, as the railway is -being brought within a few miles of Waipdtia State forest, where there is £268,000 worth of - timber. * It also taps the only really extensive stretches of kauri country left in New Zealand.