CENTRAL OTAGO GOLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22256, 8 May 1934, Page 11

CENTRAL OTAGO GOLD

OPERATIONS OF UNEMPLOYED WORK OF COUNTY EXECUTIVES HIGH PRAISE BESTOWED (From Odr Special Reporter.) ROXBURGH, May 7. Members of the Unemployment Board, including the Minister of Employment (Mr Adam Hamilton) set off on a tour of the Central Otago goldfields to-day with a view to investigating the Possibilities of productive relief work. After a brief stop at the Wetherstones conglomerate field they reached Roxburgh early in the afternoon, with the intention of making Croniwell to-night. They paused for a while, ■ however, to 1 receive, per medium •of the monthly meeting of members, an account of the stewardship of the Tuapeka County Miners’ ExecuThis occupied four hours, and when the meeting was finally concluded Mr JS. Jessep, described by Mr Hamilton as the, “mining expert ” on the board, expressed keen appreciation of the tremendously useful work that wAs being accomplished in Central Otago by the county executives. Busy farmers and business men, he shkl, were devoting and energy to the supervision of gold mining in all its aspects, and, further, the counties were giving the services of their officers' freely in an endeavour to promote a relief work scheme which continued to promise great things. In the four counties of Maniototo; Tuapeka, Vincent, .and Lake over 1000 men who were engaged in gold mining and prospecting were shown on the relief rolls last year, bo effective had been the work of the county executives that this total had been reduced this year by several hundreds, many or whom had become independent, while even more had been absorbed in permanent employment in gold mining projects. As a matter of fact, said Mr Jessep, there were now only T3O men on the No._ o scheme in the four counties, which really meant that the incidence of ordinary unemployment in these districts was almost "'gome idea of the work of the Tuapeka County Executive can be gleaned Horn particulars which were furnished at today’s meeting. The executive has 140 to 150 men under its control, their operations covering a wide. field, which embraces the Molyneux River to the lourteen Mile peg, Wetherstones. Blue Spur, and across to Waipori, the Lammerlaws, the Old Man Range, Potter’s, Campbells Gully, and White Comb. Winter conditions drove the prospectors in from the high country, but. on the river it was almost a whole-time job. During the past three weeks the swollen river put a stop to fossicking, but even under the exceptional river conditions work was still continued at some points. . The local executive produced figures today to show that the Molyneux River and other sources are yielding 50 ounces of gold per week, enabling 150 men to average 10s per week in excess of the dole payment of 80s per week for married men and 15s for single men. All the supervision of the work is honorary in these four counties, and members of the executive present to-day received the thanks of the board and the taxpayers of New Zealand for the manner in which their not inconsiderable duties have been discharged.