THE KIMBERLEY GOLD FIELD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 745, 11 June 1886, Page 25

THE KIMBERLEY GOLD FIELD.

In a communication to the Albany Mail, dated the 12th May, a correspondent writes as follows: —Sir.— rfaving just returned from the Kimberley district, I wi h, through the medium of your columns to ventilate au opinion as to the best point of starting for the a-oldfields. I say undoubtedly that the best route is from Derby, aud Ido so upon the assurance of a number of diggers who have travelled both ways. All of thorn, without a single exception, contend that they would rather travel the road from Derby twice than from Cambridge Gulf once. From .Derby there is a good dray road for upwards of 60 miles, and the country is level almost as far a 3 the goldfields, whereas the road from Cambridge Gulf is mountainous aud is otherwise bad travelling. While on board the b.s. Albany, on my trip down, I beard several arguments by au interested party in favor of Cambridge Gulf, who contended that the road from Cambridge Gulf to tbe goldfields is much better than that from Derby. I may as well here state that my opinion relative to the two routes is _aa impartial one, as I have closed by business at Derby, and, personally, I have no interest there. In my opinion it is the duty of the ‘ powers that be ” to facilitate the trade and traffic of Derby as much as possible, as by assisting Cambridge Gulf we simply give a lift to South Australia without doing this Colony any good whatever. It is well-known that Adelaidehas regular communication with Port Darwin, which is only 170 miles from our goldfields, consequently by removing the centre of operations from Derby to the Gulf, will, as a matter of course, direct our trade so many miles closer to the territory of our neighborhood. With reference to the influx o? Chinese at Kimberley, this, I consider, should be nipped in the bud forthwith, for the field is undoubtedly a rich one, and likely, therefor*, to attract a large number of that very undesirably class of diggers. In conclusion, permit me to say that at Derby I saw what I never did upon any goldfield that I have previously visited in Australasia, anti that was every man who came from the field had a good prospect. Apologisinfj for 6iicro‘->>2tiing ho nuicfl on your valuable space. —Yours truly, Joseph Rogers. A Satiny Corner journal publishes a private letter concerning the Kimberley goldfields, from which the"following i* rn excerpt :—“I expected to see you in Perth on your way to the Kimberley goldfields, but, perhaps, you are only making arrangements to emigrate. I say to you do not be gulled into »he belief that Western .Australia ia a paradise. You will find it a starved out country, should yon be fo unfortunate as to go there. The land withiu 200 miles of Freernantle aud Perth is all an ocean of sand ; no rain for six months. The goldfields are in the tropics, and the rush is concocted by a lot of Queensland mine settlers for speculation. I think the whole thing is a fraud from beginning to end. Nothing is being produced in the country except a few cattle in the Kimberley district. I have been all over the United StatM, and over Mexico, and up to Alaska, but I have never in my life seen such a land as this Western Australian humbug.”