Otago Witness QUARTZ MINING IN OTAGO.

Otago Witness, Issue 715, 12 August 1865, Page 1

Otago Witness QUARTZ MINING IN OTAGO.

(From the Daily Times, Augu«t 4.)

We have hitherto refrained from giving special prominence to the reported discovery of rich gold-bearing quartz in the Lake district. The discovery was one likely to work a revolution in mining enterprise in the Province ; and it was prudent, on many grounds, to receive the evidences of it with caution. Nothing is of more importance to the prospects of mining in Otago than the establishment of faith in the certainty and permanency of its gold fields. It would he a false policy to attempt to get up an artificial excitement, or to offer any encouragement to exaggerated hopes based upon insufficient data. Wherever this is done, there is an inevitable and damaging reaction. The returns from the established gold fields are indeed so steady and so satisfactory, considering the number of persons employed on them, that there is little temptation to paint glowing pictures, aud exalt little discoveries to the level of great facts. Otago has gone through the gold mining phase through which the West Coast is now passing. The rich surface diggings discovered here in the first instance, attracted one of the most memorable rushes in the mining history of the Colonies. In our case that preliminary chapter has been closed, as it has been in Victoria, and as it will be at no remote period in the new Canterbury gold fields. Mining enterprise has passed into its second stage. The days of fabulous finds and lucky strokes of fortune, during which riches were realised in a few weeks, sometimes in a few hours, are gone by. And looking at the fact that mining is reduced to the condition? of a steady pursuit, too great importance cannot be attached to the discovery of facts indicating the probability that the new era upon which we are enterißg will be accompanied by the same guarantees of success as have existed in ■other gold colonies. It has never been doubted by those familiar with the geology, or even the surface features of the gold districts of Otago, that auriferous quartz veins would sooner or later be discovered, and the expectation has always pointed in the first instance to the Lake country. Quartz mining has, indeed, for some considerable time past, been an established branch of industry, but on a scale so limited, and with results so moderate, as to do little more than keep alive the hope of greater things to be hereafter achieved. In his report of 30th June, 1864, Mr. Mining Surveyor Wright says: — " The auriferous quartz lodes, of which " three have been discovered, and proved " beyond a doubt remarkably rich, will, I "am confident, become a source of conil tinued prosperity to the distiict. So " little has at present been done towards *' their development, that they can " scarcely be said to be fairly opened, the •'total value of machinery being only ' £710— .£700 of which has been expended •" on the Skipper's Reef and the Elgin " Reef, and the remaining £10 on the " Arrow Reef; the trial has however been " sufficient to shew that they are bona " fide lodes, containing stone of the richest " character. Six other veins are known " to exist, which contain gold, and appear "of a character likely to prove highly " auriferous, as, on account of the rugged ■*• nature of the country, little of the hills 41 are traversed beyond the usual tracks; " and as mining operations are, for the " same reason, greatly confined, the oppor- *' tunities for discovering reefs, without ■*' troublesome search, are few. I have " however followed up several indications, " from which, and the character of the " wash in many of the creeks west of the " Shotover and Arrow rivers, and from <c the number of specimens of gold with " quartz found in washing, I am inclined xt to believe that reefs exist to a great " extent in those portions of the district." In his later report, dated the Ist April, in the present year, Mr Wright says he has little new to report respecting the quartz workings, but that the principal reefs were still being wrought. He adds : — "Taking into consideration the very " primitive method in use for abstracting *' the gold, the yield is something wonder- " full." From the Arrow reef, Mr Wright says, "the stone now being raised will " doubtless turn out six to eight ounces " per ton at least." He adds a natural expression of regret at such valuable prospects standing idle for want of proper machinery, expresses a confidence that

" the development of these reefs would be " the dawn of a lasting prosperity," and is of opinion that in Victoria the}' " would not " stand a single day for the necessary " funds." No doubt a quartz reef in Victoria, proved, or believed, to be capable of yielding six or eight ounces to the ton, would be an object of eager investment to as many capitalists as could secure the chance of a share in the speculation. And it can scarcely be apprehended that even here, the richness of the Arrow reefs being once an established fact, their development will be hindered by the causes alleged by Mr Wri»ht. He says, of Otago, — " There are few capitalists that care to " invest capital in mining speculation I',1 ', be " they ever so good." It. would, we believe be more true to say that whatever reluctance to invest capital may exist, is due to the want of a perfect assurance that the speculation proposed is not a hazardous one. Capitalists, a3 a rule, are not in the habit of declining investments manifestly advantageous. It is indeed well that they should be cautious ; natural, that they should be even somewhat over-cautiou3. But shew them beyond doubt that money can make money, and the capital necessary to set the process at work will not be wanting. What then are the present facts in connection with these quartz reels? It is several days since the public were informed by telegram that discoveries had been made in the Lake District which proved that the reefs hitherto tested were nothing more than leaders of the main reefs. The discovery of these latter has been since amply confirmed. The Wahatip Mail of the 22nd ult. reported : — "The prospectors " of the Arrow reef commenced driving " about ten days ago. The prospects were " not at first very favorable, and the ctft- " ting through a heavy leader with very " little gold in it did not look cheering. " However it was decided to drive further, "to ascertain if this was the actual " reef or not, and on Wednesday " night another body of quartz — " impregnated with gold — was met with. " This, which has been driven through, is "no doubt the reef. It is five feet thick, " and the stone show 9, for rough rnanipu- " lation, about five ounces per ton. It is " evident that it was only a large leader " that had been struck on the surface, and " that by driving at seventy feet deep this " discovery of a valuable reef has for the " first time been made known." As a material consequence of this discovery, shares in the Arrow Company went up to a high figure, and great excitement prevailed in the neighborhood. From the last number of the Mail, we learn further particulars. The permanence of the Arrow reef was regarded as an established fact, and it was believed to be likely to "vie with the " richest reefs of Victoria." By sinking a shaft and cutting across the reef, at an expense of L 340, it has beeu ascertained that there is "a length of reef along the " surface of about fifty yards, and a depth " in the shaft of over twenty yards, and in " no place less than three feet through. " The yield throughout has been exceed- " i°gly g°°d) the prospect varying from " two ounces to nine ounces per ton, " and by more perfect tests than the one " primitive hand stamp which the prospec- " tors used, even as high as twelve ounces " to the ton were obtained." The Company by whom this work was done expect to procure from their claim 1500 tons of quartz, within a period of ten weeks. Taking its yield at the minimum yet obtained, viz., 2ozs to the ton, the estimated return will be £11,250, leaving a clear profit of £9000 to the investors. It will be admitted that this is a signal instance of mining success under the new phase into which enterprise is entering, and unless it be in an extraordinary degree exceptional in its character, it promises to afford ample justification to Mr Pyke's prediction that " the best days of the Otago Gold Fields " are yet to come."

standing will he. Experience has proved that a Municipal body— no matter whether i denominated a Corporation or a Town Board — is very much dependent for its 1 influence upon the personal character of its 1 members. However good their intentions, 1 if their demeanor is unworthy of the bearing of a deliberative Assembly, they < inevitably bring upon themselves the ' ridicule of their fellow-townsmen. No ' doubt thia conviction caused many gentlemen to offer themselves as candidates who ' had hitherto abstained from taking any very prominent part in Municipal affairs, but of whose fitness for conducting them there can be no question. In every Ward there was ample choice of "fit and proper " men" — of persons whose avocation, Dosition, and stakein the City entitled them to the confidence of the electors ; and it is gratifying to reflect that on the whole, those appear to have been chosen who are fully equal to the work they have undertaken. It cannot be denied that the duties of this first Corporation will be heavy. They have entered into a series of unfinished labours. Their predecessors with, over anxiety to please everyone, spread a limited sum of money over an immense area of ground. They formed streets, which they had not the means of finishing — made cuttings without being able to build retaining walls to sustain the banks — altered the surface without providing for draining — in short were more ben* upon commencing than completing. While, therefore, the new Corporation will find plenty of work begun, the City revenue will be found scarcely more than adequate to prevent that which has been done from falling into decay. But while the formation of good roads for traffic constitutes one very important branch of the duty of the City authorities, other obligations scarcely inferior to it come within their functions. Upon them devolves the duty of seeing that footpaths are made and kept in order. This not only facilitates social intercourse, but improves the value of property, adds to the comforts of the inhabitant of the city and promotes trade. No branch of civic duty has been more neglected than this in Dunedin. and the consequence is that except in fine weather, the streets are in so dirty a state as to be nearly impassable to foot passengers. It is needless to allude to the necessity for extending lighting arrangements to the popnlons parts of the city that have not vet had that benefit conferred upon them Tt is evident that next to a good police force, a well lighted street is the best protection against crimes of violence and robbery. But there are subjects requiring grave consideration, which were only barely mooted by the late Town Board. Of these the most important is the drainage of the city. Favorably situated as Dunedin ia for draining operations, a wide diversity of opinion exists, even among scientific men, as to the best system to be adopted. The experience of older communities proves that a well considered plan, adapted not only to present exigencies but capable of indefinite extension, is the only sound and economical one. The expense of draining is too great to allow of money being wasted in mere experiments. What is done should be done so as to render reconstruction unnecessary except by decay through age, and it will no doubt be found that the cheapest system will be that which will last the longest, even should the first cost be somewhat heavy. There are other arrangements which have long been felt to be desiderata which legitimately fall to the Corporation to initiate. One of the most crying wants of , the city is that of market accommodation. Nothing tends so much to the comfort and prosperity of a community as the bringing buyers and sellers readily together on fixed and stated days. At present the producer has a customer to seek, and the consumer is partly dependent upon 1 the chance call of a hawker offish or vegetables for obtaining a supply. By providing proper market accommodation, the inconvenience of these chance calls would be avoided, and every one would know where to seek that of which he stood in need. ' These arrangements, when extended to farming produce, have invariably been ! found to increase the intercourse between the agricultural districts and a contiguous s city, to the mutual advantage of the population of both, and with profit to the civic revenues. Add to these duties, regulations • concerning hackney coaches, drays plying ; for hire, and other minor details, and it is ! I plain that work enough is before the