Prospecting on the West Coast.

Otago Witness, Issue 1813, 20 August 1886, Page 16

Prospecting on the West Coast.

About 500 persons attended a public meeting held at Invercargill on Saturday, called by Mr W. Todd, to consider the advisableness of forming an association to prospect for gold on the West Coast. Mr Todd in explaining his reason for calling a public meeting said they were passing through a time of severe depression, and it almost seemed to him that Providence was pointing to them to leave their agriculture and their towns for a time and go about developing the wealth which was lying at their very doors. It was almost a positive sin to see so many of their young people leaving the colony and going to other places such as Kimberley, when they ought to be retained in this their adopted country. The West Coast was not far distant and its mineral resources were vast and inexhaustible. After referring to the coal mines, marble quarries, and gold mines already being worked, he stated that in the neighbourhood of Bruce Bay in 1865 a party consisting firsfe of two and afterwards of three men had obtained gold to the value of £744 10s 6d for seven months' work. He had the diary kept by one of these men, Mr Alexander Aitken, in his hand and anyone interested could examine it. The party had journeyed from Queenstown to Martin's Bay, the 'distance being covered in nine days. If at that time three men with the primitive appliances then available obtained the quantity of gold which he had mentioned, what could a well organised party do now ? It had been asked why the gold, if there was so much of it, had not been worked before. The reason was that the place was a most isolated one and there was very little communication with it. He had received the following telegram.

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from the Hon. Mr Larnach :-— " If not less in number than thirty miners arrange to go to Big Bay, I will provide free passages for them to the West Coast, and give subsidy of pound for pound on amount subscribed for providing provisions, tools, and outfit for four to six months. Government subsidy not to exceed £150.— W. J. M. Launach." A committee of seven gentlemen should be appointed at that meeting with power to act. He proposed that this committee should receive applications from miners, from, men of stamina and energy, who would work hard and earnestly. Each of those willing to go would be asked to pay down a sum of £5, but if any good man could not find the money the committee would find it for him. — (Applause.) Thus they would obtain £150, and with the Government subsidy of £150 they would have sufficient for provisions, tools, &C, for f onr or five months. The men would select a leader, whose decisions would in all matters be final, and one of the men would look after the stores and act as secretary, ■writing a letter to the Government when opportunity offered, and another to the i committee to let the people of Southland know how the party were getting on. The j gold they got would be divided amongst themselves, and all they would be asked to do would bo to refund the amount which the committee had paid for the provisions the men took with them. Mr A. Aifcken corroborated the statements made by Mr Todd in regard to the gold he (the speaker) and his party had got on the West Coast. Twenty-one years ago ho had gone over from Queenstown to Maitin's Bay, and had prospected in various parts of the district. He had found men getting gold between the high and low water marks, and getting it 1 too in big lumps the size of beans or peas. Wherever his party went they got gold. They could not stay to give it a f ajr trial, but they got gold, and' shotty gold at that. He left there because he had other interests to attend to Mr Bobert Cleave said that 18 years ago he had kept a store at Jackson's Bay, and a number of men were then working round about. Unfortunately the ground was patchy, and as the place was very isolated the men as soon as they got a bit of gold were ofi, being afraid that they might be losing better chances elsewhere. He eventually moved down to Big Bay, where he remained for over 12 months. It seemed very unfortunate that those who were working there then could not get anything like a lead — the gold was all in patches. The men could not, therefore, be got. to settle, but were always anxious to get away for fear they should be losing better shows in other quarters. Mr Todd then moved — " That a West Coast Prospecting Association be formed in Invercargill, and that the following gentlemen be appointed a committee of management: — Messrs J. J. M'Donald, O. G. W. Haast, G. Trew, H. Jaggers, B. Ekensteen, R. Cleave, and W. Todd." — The motion was carried unanimously. — Southland Times.