CENTRAL OTAGO GOLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22257, 9 May 1934, Page 8

CENTRAL OTAGO GOLD

UNEMPLOYMENT BOARD'S TOUR GALLOWAY GRANITE DEPOSIT VISITORS GREATLY IMPRESSED (From Oue Special Reporter.) ' CLYDE, May 8. A very strong case for the expenditure of unemployment funds on the erection of a clam on the Store Hut Creek to supply water for sluicing wag made out at Alexandra this morning by a deputation representing the unemployed miners engaged on that field, who met the Minister of Employment (Mr Adam Hamilton) and Messrs J. S. Jessep and W. Bromley, members of the Unemployment Board. Mr W. Bodkin, M.P., outlined the possibilities of the field and stressed the fact that the pick and shovel methods of the kind now in use were not calculated either to satisfy the men or to result in the proper development of an unusual opportunity. Striking evidence was furnished of the existence of gold in the granite deposits by the bank slips of a number of miners. These men on an advance from the banks of £4 17s fld per ounce, have been making from £1 5s 3d to £4 7s Od per week. Nor are these results the outcome of isolated periods of work. The bank slips covered a period from September to March, and indicated a consistency of performance which is regarded locally as one of the scheme's chief claims to consideration.

The case as placed before the Minister this morning involved the erection of a dam on the Store Hut Creek. No estimate of. the cost has yet been made, but it was suggested that the structure would cost not less than £20,000 and not more than £40,000. The local engineer of the Public Works Department estimated that the storage in such a dam would deliver 25 heads of water for sluicing on an area of granite deposit which he estimated to be at least 4000 acres in extent.

The Unemployment Board was asked if it would erect the dam and have the field vested in the unemployed gangs. Working several shifts a day, 100 men could be employed for at least 20 years, and an assurance was given that the board would very quickly reimburse itself for its outlay. Not only would the goldfield be opened up, but, after the gold had been cleaned up the water storage could be used for irrigation, as it commanded a very wide area of irrigable land on the Galloway Flat. There were no special engineering difficulties to worry about. The visiting officials confessed to being impressed with the proposal and nvide a special visit to the locality in company with Mr T. M. Ball - (district engineer of the Public Works Department), Mr F. Lindup (the local engineer), Mr MacMillan (inspector of mines), and 'he members of the Vincent County Mining Executive. Subsequently, it was announced that the boa'rd would have jtho proposal fully investigated with a view to its adoption as an unemployment relief measure. HAWEA-WANAKA DAM Urgent pleas for the closing of the outlets of Lakes Hawea and Wanaka were made at 'both Alexandra and Clydo to-day. The expectations of local miners and settlers were freely expressed, one old miner stating emphatically that the damming of these lakes would result not only in the payment of the Dominion's national debt but that of Great Britain also. The only reply the board could give to this request was tbe answer given fit Roxburgh yesterday: It was a project that could not be regarded lightly and it looked too much of a gamble. Even £IOOO to test the idea was a lot of money, but the settlers could rest assured that full consideration would be given to the representations made. The Minister, however, stressed the fact that the board would prefer to devote its funds to less ambitious undertakings, which would absorb a maximum of labour and a minimum of material. He had been impressed by the extraordina<7 optimism and enthusiasm of local miners with respect to this proposal, but he did not think the board could rush into a development scheme which private enterprise so far still avoided. TWO MORE DAMS At Clyde the board was met by two more deputations asking for the erection of dams on Butcher's Creek and the Fraser River. Both would provide water conservation for mining as well as irrigation and would give work to a large number of men and greatly increase the productivity of Central Otago, Mr W. A. Bodkin, M.P., introduced the deputations, the first of which was led by Mr C. Weaver (Earnscleugh), who said the Butcher's Creek scheme was an entirely new one. The community did not ask the board to shoulder the whole of the cost, but merely to provide a subsidy. About 24 men were at present engaged cradling in the locality, but it was a primitive unsatisfactory method. The conservation of the water would increase gold-winning four-fold. Plans had already been prepared, and he thought the Public Works engineers could give full particulars of the proposal. Mr H. Stevens, speaking on behalf of the Dunstan Mining Association, said the Fraser River dam proposition was a much better one than the'Butcher's Creek project. It was not a new idea, and was admittedly a good proposition. It would cost in the vicinity of £30,000, and would not only supplement the irrigation supplies but would also supply water for sluicing along the banks of the Molyneux River from Alexandra to Clyde. Mr Hamilton said it was amusing to hear one deputation saying that its proposition was better than the next. His advice to them would be to bring their respective propositions to the local executive and have thek merits thrashed out locally. The best undertaking could then be submitted to the board. Ho could assure them, however, that both the Butcher's Creek a,nd the Fraser River dams would be carefully considered. AN APOLOGY At both Clyde and Alexandra to-day the Minister of Employment tendered an apology to the settlers and miners for the short notice that had been given of the board's visit. No doubt many of them would be complaining that they had not been given time to gather their i forces for a proper onslaught. As a matter of fact, the board left Dunedin at almost a moment's notice and had no definite idea of its programme until it reached Roxburgh yesterday. Some of the mining associations had not had the opportunity of meeting the board, continued the Minister, but he would like to emphasise the fact that the main object of the visit was to search out avenues of capital expenditure which would not merely provide work at the moment, but result in development work which would give permanent employment to the greatost number of men for a period of years. The Minister also referred to the excellent work that was being done by the Vincent County Mining Executive in the supervision of relief gold mining. The Government and the board appre-

dated these honorary services and were quite aware that without local assistance the hoard’s programme could not be successfully carried out.