Rewards for Gold and other Discoveries.

Otago Witness, Issue 1764, 12 September 1885, Page 19

Rewards for Gold and other Discoveries.

(from our own correspondent.) Wellington, September 4. The Goldfields Committee have reported the following regulations for the consideration of the House: — REWARDS FOR THE DISCOVERY OF NEW GOLDFIELDS. Upon the council of any county, or where the Counties Act is not in fprce, upon any road board adopting the regulation, the Government subsidise by £ for £ the amounts paid by way of reward under the act for discovery of anew goldfield as follows:—Three miles from any workings there shall be paid at the expiration of six months from the date of discoveiy a reward of £100 per 100 miners up to LSOO for 500 or more miners so employed; for the recovery of a lead in proximity to the place where a lead has been lost, and has not been marked for a

period of six months, a reward equal to one-half of the above rates, and for the discovery of a new lead one mile from any lost lead, a reward equal to two-thirds of the above rates. Working shall be construed to mean an area of ground upon which alluvial or quartz-mining operations are being carried on. Distance shall be computed from any given point measured in a direct lino from where gold-mining is being carried on to the site of the discovery. Every application made by a county council or road board within a mining district or gold-mining district, shall be accompanied by a certificate from the warden of the district in which the discovery has been made ; or if the discovery be outside any mining district or gold-mining district, then the certificate shall be signed by the chairman of the land board of the land district in which the discovery has been made. Such certificate shall state the amounts paid by the local body, and that such payment has been made in accordance with these regulations. In the event of any person discovering a payable goldfield beyond the jurisdiction of any county council or road board, the Government shall recognise the application, and deal therewith in the same manner as if it had been made by a county council or road board. For the discovery of a payable diamondfield or lode of silver or tin, for every 100 men profitably employed thereon at the expiration of six months from the date of discovery there shall be paid a reward of £100 up to £500 for 500 or more miners so employed.

REGULATIONS FOR AID TO PROSPECTING.

1. Upon the council of any county, or, where the Counties Act is not in force, upon any road board adopting the following regulations for prospecting for diamonds, gold, silver, or tin, the Government shall, subject to the following conditions, subsidise by pound for pound the amounts expended 'by each county council or road board, as the case may be ; (2) previous to the Government binding itself to subsidise any local body as aforesaid, such local body shall submit its proposals to the Minister of Mines for approval; (3) on the application and proposals having been approved of, each payment shall be made on the certificate of the county chairman, hi the case of a county council, and in the case of a road board on the certificate of the chairman of the said board, or such other person as may be appointed by the Minister; (4) the amounts payable by way of subsidy to any county council in any one year shall not exceed £500 ; (5) the amounts payable to any road board in any one year shall not exceed £200 ; (6) the Government shall subsidise by pound for pound any amounts expended by county councils or road boards in the purchase of boring appliances to bo used for prospecting purposes.

Class 1. — One party of two or three men in each riding of any county will be subsidised at the rate of 15s per week per man for prospecting new and unprospected country three miles from any main or district road and from any known working.

Class 2. — One party of two or three men in each riding oi any county will, be as under while prospecting partially worked and prospected country within tolerably easy access of road comnuinication : — Sinking dry ground, Is per foot from surface to 15ft ; 2s per foot from 15ft to 60ft ; 3s per foot from 60ft to any greater depth ; wet ground requring slabbing, double the above rates ; tunnelling and driving through drift or blue reef. Is 6d per foot for the first 500 ft, 3s 6d for the next 500 ft, 4s 6d petfoot for the next 500 (or any portion of 500) feet ; through hard rock or cement requiring blasting or through pug, 5s per foot (all tunnels and drives to be at least 4ft by 3ft 6in).

Prospectors under both class 1 and class 2 are required before commencing operations to send in their names to the county council or road board, who must approve of the same. The locality of prospecting operations must also be stated for the approval of the council or road board. Each prospecting party must send in a report once in every month to the council or road board, setting forth the nature, extent, and result of the operations during the previous month. All measurement of work done under class 2 shall be made by the county engineer, road overseer of the district, or person appointed by the local body, who will be required to certify to the voucher for payment. The subsidy under classes 1 and 2 may be discontinued if the council or road board think necessary on one month's notice of discontinuance being given to the* party or parties. Payments will be made monthly. Applications giving full names and residences of each man of the proposed party or parties, and specifying the locality in which it is proposed to prospect, must be sent to the council chambers or road board offices, and the applications must be endorsed on the envelope "Application for prospecting class 1," or class 2, as the case may be. Mr Pyke gave notice to-day to ask the Government if it is their intention to embody or carry out these regulations.