“THE GOLD OF THAT LAND IS GOOD”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21641, 11 May 1932, Page 12

“THE GOLD OF THAT LAND IS GOOD”

By H. T. B,

The other morning I noticed a card lying inside my gate; it was the advertisement of a gold-buying firm, to be followed next day by a visit of the agent himself. “ Did I desire to sell old trinkets that had long lain unused? ” Good values for cash would be given for anything purchased. A week or two later another agent appeared on a similar mission, and I came to the conclusion that, induced by the economic severity of the time, another venture had been launched which, in prosperous times, had never been thought of. The day before I found the card, a similarly sized card headed “ Church Rally Month” had been distributed in the street, and I wondered if the one was a parody on the other- —perhaps the trick of some wag to make light of the forward movement of the churches. But no, it was the merest coincidence! It set rae‘ to think, and, having a little time at my disposal, I put my thoughts On paper. . In my itinerations up and down /New Zealand I have been connected a good deal with mining townships, some of them in the hey-day of prosperity, others a dreary uninhabited waste, the old chimney stacks, mounds that suggest a former shaft or drive, and overgrown races, all of which speak of former activity in the search for the yellow metal. It may be that a lonely prospector, European or Chinese, still holds on his way, lured by the hope of a find some day: the independence of the alluvial gold miner is remarkable, and he dislikes the conventionalities of civilisation, and clings with fond affection to his native heath. Hospitable to a degree, he is the survivor of a worthy race that will soon be extinct. As you move along through the scenes of desolation, it requires no great flight of imagination to/ picture the canvas town with its accompaniments; districts that support a meagre population of 20 or 30 families had a motley citizenship of some 2000 souls all eager in the haste to get rich; It was of mushroom growth; other and richer fields were opening, and the disappointed struck their tents and moved on. All that can be seen to-day of the former bustle and activity are the heights and hollows, mounds overgrown with gorse', and deserted camps which remind the traveller of an age that is gone. I happened, as a boy, to be stand-' ing one morning on a railway platform —it was then the railhead of the southern railway, and the primitive train disembarked its passengers—such a crowd of gabbling Chinese with their baskets and bamboo carrying rods. They had just landed in our country, and were setting off for the goldfields of which they had heard so much. This was the second edition of the goldseekers, and they found' their way into the interior Of Otago to fossick a,nd work over the alluvial workings which had been discarded. Their ideal was to attain quickly a return to/their own land; some were fortunate enough, but some remain even unto this day. The old alluvial method was, more' or less, a surface scratching method; the time came, for more scientific treatment and the greater expenditure on equipment. Companies were floated, large and small, an area of claim secured, water rights and preparation made for the work of the powerful nozzle. ; It was an interesting experience to visit one of these claims and see water projected through a narrow nozzle against the .cliff with tremendous force, a stream of stones and muddy water pushing down the flaming and oyer the tables under which the black plush was laid to retain the fine gold. Anxiously did the miner look forward to washing-up day and the separation of the dross from the gold by quicksilver and crucible. Or there was the dredging period, when a different mode of operation was employed. The dredging boom was responsible for much success and much failure. It was a wholesale method of working over old alluvial workings, or dealing with new flats where tii|re was a payable quantity of . gold. It was a fine sight to see studded up and down a valley a number of duedges, working day and night. Prosperity was brought to land owners and shareholders, and a large sum of money in distribution' to the wage-earners. The question has frequently been asked whether ornot such wholesale destruction of arable land can be in the interests of the country as a whole. No doubt, if the tailing area can be profitably occupied and used the loss will be much less. Our little systems have their day and cease to be, and the dredging boom is a memory pleasant or unpleasant, the dredges are scrapped and in many cases the land overgrown with gorse. I had almost forgotten to mention about the humbler efforts to secure the yellow metal as you would see the miner, singlehanded,. with shovel and cradle, working in the black sand of the beaches. A claim could be worked over and over again, for each high tide and rough sea stirred up the sea floor and brought within reach the sand that contained locked in it the precious metal. Yes, New Zealand was the land of the gold hills., Where did all the fine gold in beach and alluvial claim come from? There is some foundation for the widespread belief that there-are undiscovered reefs and a fabulous wealth for some fortunate generation. ' , One pleasant feature in a time of unprecedented depression is' the revival of prospecting for gold. There is great warrant for, it. Not only are men .employed in a useful occupation, but also additional revenue will be brought into our country atT a time when our primary products have been so seriously reduced in value. But the gold has its dangers. Economists tell us that two nations hold, locked up in their coffers, withdrawn from circulation and practically valueless, the large share of the world’s gold. Industry is paralysed, unemployment rife, and misery and distress existing in every country. A world of plenty and a world of want! Is there not something wrong with thesystem of distribution? lam not expert in questions of economics, and com elude an imperfect article by referring to the cards mentioned above. What we need, as a young offshoot of a great nation, is more of the gold of character. And are not the Protestant churches, as they during church rally month are, endeavouring to turn the attentions of a ■careless generation to the things that are abiding, and eternal, the true wealth seekers; there is gold that perisheth, and gold that perisheth not, “"and the gold 6f that land is good; there is bdellium and the onyx stone.”