WEST COAST MINING.

Otago Witness, Issue 1506, 25 September 1880, Page 10

WEST COAST MINING.

(FBOM OUE OWN COBBESPONDENT.) Greymouth, September 10th. The news just to hand, by private letters and otherwise, of the extensive goldfield now being opened out at Temora, in the Gundagai district, New South Wales, will have the effect of taking away bom various parts of the Coast a fairish number of well-to-do miners. Indeed, some have already sold ont of olaims and are off, while others are waiting both in Greymouth and at Hokitika for a steamer. It would be rash, however, in miners going to this new field unless possessed of cash sufficient to keep themselves going in a quiet way for a period of at least six months. "Sam Ross," the Temora prospector, is well known on the Coast, and I know of a letter having recently been sent by a friend of mine and an old mate of Sam's, asking for information. Since my last communication there has been a slight influx of miners and others to the recently-discovered goldfields at Mapourika and other places down south, and I notice that a recent Warden's report from Okarito speaks favourably of a future goldfield. If miners generally would only content themselves with small returns at first, keep energetically at work, and keep steadily away from intercourse with low grogabanties and sly-grog Bhauties still so prevalent on all the gold fields of the Coast, 1 am convinoed that one and all of them, and hundreds of others to follow them, would ultimately light on fair gold returns for their fair week's work. Miners, however, are cautioned against going to theae southern fields unless they are possessed of cash sufficient to keep them going for « couple of months »Ucm»,

At Barryville (SeventeeD-mile) there is nothing new to report on. The present population may be stated as 400, but in the event of the second anoient beachline in the large flat, now being steadily prospected, proving even moderately payable, there will be a very large addition to the number before the olose of the year. Mr Warden Mackay, in his very able and comprehensive annual report, speaks of the Seventeen-mile district as " probably the least developed, but most valuable, field for gold-mining in New Zealand." And it is quite true that the Paparoa Mountain range, from Cobden, immediately opposite Greymouth, to Charleston, in the Buller district,, a distance of 60 miles in length by 10 miles in width, is on both its eastern and western slopes highly auriferous. I am much mistaken if a fine city of the future don't take root by-and-bye at Point Elizabeth.

It was fully expected that very considerable assistance would have been given this season by Government towards the formation of tracks, and otherwise giving aid to bona fide prospecting associations. The stagnated condition, however, of the New Zealand money-box will prevent many wellknown places on the West Coast being tried this year, and it is hopeless to expect local aid to the extent required.